Kris: October 2006 Archives

Hobie got a new toy this weekend, a flying disc toy. We got it at Babies, a very nice pet store in Hayes Valley.

We wanted something frisbee-like since we had to throw away his old frisbee (it was a human model, and a little too hard for his teeth).

At least for now, this toy is even better than frozen chicken broth cubes. It seems pretty sturdy, and has survived a couple of days of heavy use. It doesn't fly as well as a frisbee, but it kind of bounces, which seems like great fun.

When I throw it, Hobie will run as fast as he can, get it, lay down and bite on it for a little while, and then come back. It seems like he things the round center is a ball that is trapped inside the disc, and Hobie is desperately trying to free the ball from captivity.

It gets a little wet after a few throws, but it's not too bad, since most of the saliva will be on the center, and I can throw it using the edges. The little holes seem to inspire a little tug also, although Hobie prefers to carry the toy by its center.

Right now he has dropped it off by Gladys, and his tongue is hanging out of his mouth. It's that fun.

Hobie's new dog walker has been taking him out for a couple of months now, once a week.

Every time Hobie goes to his playgroup, we get a little Post-It note from the dog walker. It's not very detailed (usually it something like "Hobie had a great time at Fort Funston"), but it's good to know that everything went well.

Since Hobie isn't too social, we asked how he does in playgroup. Apparently, Hobie just kind of stays near the dog walker, sniffing "and having a good time." He doesn't really interact with the other dogs, but he gets along fine with them.

I'm not sure if Hobie realizes he is a dog just like the other dogs. He's very attached to his humans, and prefers playing fetch over sniffing some dog's behind any day of the week.

Hobie does seem a little tired when we get home after he's been to playgroup. We also notice that he's much less needy when we take him out, which is good.

Since we've been working late, we've decided to have Hobie to go playgroup twice a week instead of just once a week. Hopefully this will make Hobie's week go by much faster (and help him work on his social skills).

Hobie's fur suddenly grew a lot. Especially now that it's starting to rain more, it's not that much fun with a shaggy dog. Since Hobie gets to play a lot, he also gets dirty a lot, and we have to rinse off his paws almost every time he goes out.

The above picture is from nearby Alamo Square Park. The slightly darker color on the fur around his paws is not an optical illusion - it's dirt. Dirt that gets worked into the carpet, and dirt that gets left on top of our bed (that's where Hobie sleeps during the day).

We want to take him to a new groomer, because the place we've been taking him to, kind of botched the job last time. They managed to cut his ear, so it bled a little bit. Not a lot, but still. His eyebrows were also a little off. All in all, we were a little iffy. The people there were friendly, but that doesn't help much when they actually cause physical harm to Hobie.

We're going to try Kate's Cat and Dog Salon next.