Paw Print

Six weeks after Felix gave birth to the Maryland Zoo’s first African elephant weighing in at some 200 lbs. he was FINALLY named, Samson.  The name was one of more than 1600 names submitted by zoo visitors.  Although a nice name and we know I have hang ups on names (i.e.  Felix - in my mind is a male name, not a female), where is the Maryland tie in?  I was kinda hoping for a name like Poe or Raven but Samson is a fine name - we just want him to stay healthy and entertain the many zoo visitors for many years.  With his first public appearance and naming yesterday the zoo’s general curator and elephant manager Mike McClure said Samson is doing well, very inquisitive and playful. Not to mention Samson appears to be advanced in using his trunk for water and oddly enough picking up and eating mom’s manure - it’s a good elephant thing apparently aiding in the development of his digestive system.  Who knew?  Weather permitting Felix and Samson will be out and about daily from 10 a.m. to noon - stop by and support the zoo and Samson, but be careful of his breath!

I’ve had a like-hate relationship to Martha Stewart in the past, she certainly is amazing in everything she does and I admire her business savvy and multi-media empire.  However, I never got the sense that she was a very warm person but after reading her blog tribute to her beloved Chow, Paw Paw I know she has a big heart and now a heavy heart.  Paw Paw was nearing 13 years of age when he passed away last week from Renal failure leaving behind Martha’s other two dogs Francesca and Sharkey.  Paw Paw was frequently seen on the pages of Martha’s magazine and TV show always looking content, pleased to be included and often smiling.  On her blog Martha said, “Paw Paw was a spectacular chow and even more a spectacular dog.  He was a loyal companion with the most agreeable temperament.” If you have ever lost a best friend canine I would encourage you to visit Martha’s April 16th entry http://blogs1.marthastewart.com/martha/ and experience the truly touching photo tribute to Paw Paw.  But make sure you grab a tissue or two first...very nicely done Martha!

I try and walk my boys each night after work (loving daylight savings time) however the past two weeks I have only been walking Ryder the 10.5 year old leaving Tahoe 12, at home.  Tahoe is pretty much blind from his diabetes and he walks on one of his wrists and not his paw which has to be painful.  It breaks my heart every night when I get ready to go and tell Tahoe he can’t come while he’s at the door ready to bolt.  Since he can’t see he can only sense things around him and he gets rather surly even if in no danger, so it’s really better to leave him at home (plus Ryder and I get a much better cardio workout).  I have lived in my neighborhood for 10 years and ironically I know all of the dogs names but very few of their owners names and vice versa.  Funny thing is although the humans don’t know each other by name we are all certainly aware of each other.  I know this because I have spoken to more people in the neighborhood in the past two weeks than in the past 10 years - they’ve stopped or come out to ask me “where is the other one?” It’s nice to know they’ve noticed us walking for the past 10 years and care enough to ask about Tahoe, I would never have known they saw us passing by.

Had an interesting conversation the other day with an associate that casually mentioned she had trained her dog to use a litter box.  After this vision sank in a little I had to back up the conversation and ask for more details on a dog successfully using a litter box.  Turns out she adopted a Yorkie/ShihTzu mix (all of 1 pound at adoption) and taught him - oh sorry, this large 1 pound puppy is named is TYSON - to use the litter box.  Her method was to take a cat litter box that has expandable sides, put them up on three sides and then she opened up one of the short ends as his entrance.  Instead of cat litter she puts down a Pee Pee pad (another new concept to me) and big ole Tyson goes right in and does his business in his three walled box privacy and every body’s happy.  When asked if he lifted his leg or squatted in the box she held up a tube of lipstick and said Tyson’s leg was the length of the lipstick tube so he definitely had room to lift. The box training of course does not substitute for his outdoor walks where Tyson is also happy to deposit his goods but it certainly frees the owner up if she gets delayed and can’t get home to meet Tyson’s schedule.  Wonderful idea!