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Jan 012011
May 162012
One secondary side effect of owning dogs: we’ve become city explorers. Since we don’t have a backyard, and we have to be out there so much, this is the perfect excuse to explore different parts of the city. Did you ever imagine seeing something like this smack dab in the middle of Chicago?
Somehow taking a stroll with our pooches, and finding photo shoot opportunities, is much more interesting than hanging out in one place with a book. Plus we meet more people.
Has anyone else found owning dogs has caused you to become more of a city explorer?
May 152012
Maybe it’s considered a bit of a taboo topic, but it seems most questions people email us ‘offline’ involve the bathroom habits of city dogs. People often wonder, how do we take city dogs for emergency bathroom runs when we don’t have a backyard? How our dogs know where to go to the bathroom when there aren’t trees or grass? How do we have bathroom breaks in inclement weather? What is the best way to clean up poo?
These are our experiences in a walk up unit without a backyard, but fellow city dog owners feel free to jump in with your experiences…especially those of you in in high-rise buildings.
Making Bathroom Breaks Routine
A couple of people have asked us what we do when the pooches need to go to the bathroom at odd hours. Actually….we have our pooches on a routine, so I can count the rare number of times they have ever needed to go out in the middle of the night (7!). We have them on a schedule where they have walks after breakfast and dinner and have a bathroom break before bedtime. We don’t leave our water bowl out, but they have plenty of water with their meals and their diet is well-hydrated.
In the rare instances we do have to run outside, I happen to have a pair of slip on shoes waiting at the door at all times, along with a long coat. We even have a neighbor down the street who we often see in her bathrobe.
We also know some people who have pee pads out on their balconies which they used to potty train their dogs or just use when they don’t want to go all the way downstairs.
Learning to Pee on Cement
The lack of grass hasn’t actually been a big issue for our dogs. There are so many dogs that live in the city (we’ve counted 30 on our block alone!) that so many other pooches have peed on everything, our dogs are also just peeing on cement. Through there are plenty of hydrants, poles and sidewalk trees for Mr. B to water. Just check out this view from Mr B’s camera where you can see most of the photos are him scouting out his next place to mark.
Going for Bathroom Breaks in All Weather
Despite the weather, our dogs still need to go out. And since we don’t have a backyard, we’re right out there with them. Here we wrote about what we do in the rain, and here are tips on keeping dogs warm in coats and with sweaters, snoods, and hoodies.
Picking up Dog Poo
Fun fact: Did you know dog poo is actually like caviar for rats? So besides being disgusting, when people don’t pick up their dog poo it is actually helping increase the rat population. I will admit when I first adopted Miss M I was very squeamish about picking up the poo and I envisioned getting all kinds of rakes, and scoopers and gloves so I wouldn’t have to feel like I was actually picking up poo. But then, after doing it just a few times, you get used to it. We have a waste bag dispenser attached to our leashes and just buy the rolls of bags (cheaper via ebay!). It would be nice to have a more eco-friendly option, but it just doesn’t seem practical at this time. (Anyone else find one?)
So, how does everyone else manage your dogs’ bathroom habits?
May 142012
Besides meeting all the really great people and dogs through SociaBulls, we’ve loved hearing all the great things the different pooches are getting from the group, some even making us a bit teary-eyed, so we thought we’d share:
“It has taken us a while to come up with an adequate thank you note to express our gratitude for being included in Chicago Sociabulls. We adopted our dog nearly a year and a half ago and, aside from her training classes where we did not interact with anyone, human or canine, we have not had any social experiences with her. We walk her through our neighborhood feeling like dog parent failures because of her reactivity. While we work with her daily and are vigilant on walks, she has remained highly reactive and we have never felt comfortable introducing her to other dogs. What is worse is that we have felt like she is reinforcing a negative stereotype for all pit bull type dogs. We adore this “breed” and we certainly don’t want our girl to bring any more scorn to an already ostracized group. We have even read blogs and websites stating that “If you have a reactive pit bull-type dog, try not to bring it into public.” Before discovering Sociabulls, we felt like we were going to be relegated to a life of 5am long walks and quick potty breaks in the afternoons and evenings.
Since walking with you last Sunday, however, we have felt unbelievably empowered. We know that our dog may be causing some narrow-minded individuals to continue their pittie stereotypes, but we are now hopeful that more individuals will notice that we are constantly working with her to set her up for success. We have taken a couple of long evening walks through streets filled with dogs and people. We have shown off our beautiful baby and even received two compliments about her excellent behavior (she has great leash skills so long as other dogs are not present).
We are so excited to be a part of a community of non-judgmental, helpful dog owners. We are grateful to have the opportunity to lead the pack to give our dog experience coping with other dogs. With Maize as our inspiration, we hope that some day we, too, will be able to join the middle of the pack and give another reactive dog the opportunity to lead.
To everyone who has worked so hard to make this amazing group a success, we cannot thank you enough. We appreciate you giving our girl (and so many like her) a chance to be a part of the pack and we look forward to continuing to meet lots of new dogs and their awesome owners.”
“Thanks to the SociaBulls, we now feel more confident walking our dog in large crowds and around lots of dogs!”
“This was the first time my leash reactive dog was able to walk so closely with others (on leash) and have little to no reaction. It almost made me teary to see her make that kind of progress in one day. These pack walk are a fantastic thing and we look forward to doing them as often as possible!”
“I can’t do many social things with my dog, and this is one thing we can do together every weekend”.
“I wish SociaBulls could be 5 times a week”.
“This is our least favorite part of SociaBulls…the end”
Special thanks to Lark at HikaBulls for the helping us create the structure, and have the confidence, to set up our group.And to read more about specific dogs in our group: Estelle (A Foster Dog Waiting to Be Noticed), Franklin (A Small Dog in a Big Dog Group), Gordon (Learning to Be Social and Have Dog Friends), Nabi (A Shy Dog Making Sense of a “People World”) Sprocket (Teaching a Dog When it’s not Time to Play), Lola (Living in the City with a Dog who Fears Strangers), Zoe (The Dog who “Loves Too Hard”), Izzy (Being a good pitbull ambassador while working with an energetic dog) and Maize (Being social with an unsocial pup).
Plus, join our Chicago SociaBulls Facebook page for more photos and information about group walks. And check this link from the DINOs (Dogs in Need of Space) group to read more about the benefits of dog-walking groups and to see if there is a group in your area.
May 112012
I think when we adopt dogs it’s just human nature to imagine what their life was before they were with us. Especially if they were found as strays.
Unbelievably, Princess Miss M was found as a stray. The same Miss M who has a slew of sweaters because she can’t stand the cold, who can’t let her dainty feet step in puddles, an who needs to bring out her fuzzy rug and fluffy pillow to lay outdoors. Here she is”Glamping”:
I always wonder how she could survive for any amount of time on the “mean streets” of Chicago, especially being an unspayed female who clearly never had puppies. Then I realized, even on the streets, no one messes with Miss M.
Miss M has street smarts and self-defense moves. There was once a dog at the dog park who tried to mount Miss M. Instead, Miss M slid into a sit, rolled over and kicked the dog with her kangaroo feet:
I’m guessing if that didn’t work, she could threaten to sit on them:
Or just stare at them:
Or, maybe she wasn’t on the streets for long. My other guess is she saw the Animal Control van coming, she was very excited to meet the people, and even more excited to ride in a car, regardless of where it was going.
Do other people make up stories trying to figure out your dog’s history?
May 102012
There once was a dog named Mr. B.
Mr. B had crate anxiety, but he still liked having a place to hang out.. Now he lives in a tepee.
He likes the tepee because he can hide all of his favorite stuffies and himself.
Since the tepee blends in so well, Miss M never even realized it existed:
Until one day she day she did realize:
She enjoyed taking naps in the tepee:
And she moved in her girly things:
So now Mr. B is thinking of ways to take back his tepee. Does he need more ‘dude-like’ pillows? Should he get a sign on the front that says Mr. B? How else can he personalize his tepee?
May 092012
There are days when the inviting sidewalks and lawns of Chicago pose a treacherous threat of wet poo and puddles of pee. Lucky for the citizens of Chicago, Miss M and Mr. B are always up for the challenge of using the grand Chicago landscape as their own toilet. Dressed in their SuperPooches gear, Miss M and Mr. B survey the threat that falls upon our great city.
They spray any marked tree or lawn with their SuperPiddle and leap over any puddle in a single bound.
Super B enchants any bipedal Chicagoan with his Super Charm
and Wonder M guilts them into uncontrolled pets and hugs with her Wonder Scowl.
Completing an afternoon of rain filled adventure, our two SuperPooches head back to their Pooch Cave,
where Super B recharges his Super Charm.
May 072012
The biggest concern we hear from prospective members is guessing how excited their own dog will be among so many other dogs.
We too had the same concerns back when we started our small group with Miss M and Mr B.
Since there are so many different dogs with different characteristics,
we’ve added a structure to make it a positive and comfortable experience
for everyone. Here are some things we do to positively integrate
everyone into the group
New Members Attend their First Walk without their Dog
We know how exciting and confusing the walk can be for new dogs. We ask prospective members to attend their first walk without their dogs to allow them to understand the structure, ask questions, and observe the group so when they do come with their dog they already have a sense of the group.
Define a Pack Order
We ask that everyone RSVP by Wednesday which allows us to create a pack order. We usually have our most excitable dog in the front, and the dog who needs space in the back. We use solid ‘buffer dogs’ around other excited dogs to keep the excitement at a minimum.
Limit the Amount of New Dogs Per Walk
We only have 4 new dogs on each walk. Since the other dogs are all regulars and they are accustomed to the structure, this allows the new dogs to enter a stable pack. It also helps us evaluate how the new dogs do on the walk to help with pack order for the upcoming walk. We cap our walks around 20 dogs (this post actually has many more dogs because they’re photos from both weekend walks).
This has created a waiting list, but it’s most important to us to be able to confidently integrate everyone into the group in a positive way.
Maintain our Structure
We love the structure we learned about from the Hikabulls group, and we know how important it is to respect the space between dogs and limit excitement during water breaks. This helps dogs of all socialization levels to be comfortable in the group.
PS. We also had 2 adorable adoptables join our walks. Meet gorgeous Lola from Chicagoland Bully Breed Rescue and Hossa from Project Rescue.
May 042012
Much like Britney Spears and Kim Kardashian, Miss M has her very own headline-grabbing diva personality to live up to.
She is the pooch who is perpetually grumpy.
Even when all dolled up in a cab and heading out on the town:
The funny thing is, behind-the-scenes she can be all smiles:
But quickly returns to her ‘natural expression’ in front of the camera:
Which she has quickly mastered:
Though it seems like what makes Miss M most happy, is her perpetual grumpy frown.
May 032012
Sure we take a lot of photos of our pooches, but we are always looking for something genuinely keepsake worthy. Maybe it’s from watching too many Dark Shadows episodes in my youth, or the fact that one of my favorite books is The Picture of Dorian Gray, or probably because I live with a pooch who is always modeling:
that I always thought it would be fitting to have our pooches’ portraits painted.
I had long cyber-stalked the Pet Shop at Yellow Brick Home with their adorably mini-sized portraits, and we were super-excited to finally meet Kim in person. She has her own adorable pitbull Jack ,and two cats, and she really has a way of understanding and capturing each pooches’ personality in paint (I was particularly floored by this recent painting of Superhero Ammo).
So we ended up ordering this special gift for ourselves:
I keep double-taking because I’m so amazed with how Kim was able to capture the expressions in their eyes. Every time I look at this painting, I’m certain Miss M is about to open her mouth and complain.
Luckily for Mr B no actual posing was required, but Kim paints from photos. Even though it’s hard to have a photo with both pooches in it, she is still able to take separate photos and paint them on one painting.
And Miss M feels worthy of real royalty.
You can see more fantastic pets captured in paint at the Pet Shop here and on the blog here.
P.S. We’ve heard the Pet Shop will be going through a redesign, so if you are interested in immortalizing your pooch at the current prices it would be best to order before the end of May.
May 022012
Since we don’t have a backyard, we’ve become accustomed to going on several walks each day. So we’re always interested in taking our routine up a notch.I was inspired long ago by Our Waldo Bungie’s picnic and art walk with their pooches, and I’ve realized a few art-filled routes we have here in Chicago.
Sculpture Gardens
This 2-mile long grassy stroll has over 60 large-scale contemporary sculptures, and Miss M has even learned to view the art with a discerning eyeball:
Downtown Free Public Art
We sometimes take our city for granted, so it’s always fun to act like a downtown tourist with our pooches (complete with cab ride!). The pooches were especially confused by giant leg Agora sculpture in Grant Park, and the giant fish by the Shedd Museum. We also have a huge Picasso statue in Daley Plaza, and a giant Marilyn Monroe that’s leaving next week.
Graffiti Safaris
We all love our everyday “graffiti safari’s” which enliven our daily walks. Our area has a lot of “permission walls” which are areas which are designated for street art. They have also been transforming empty storefront windows into “pop-up art galleries”.
Does anyone else have interesting art-filled strolls with your pooches? And Chicagoans…any other public art displays I should be checking out?