Max on Strike

Max is perfecting the ways of Mahatma Gandhi, sort of. Peaceful resistance. Saturday, he decided to lie down on the Land's End trail in protest over heading home on such a beautiful day.

The tooth fairy and other adventures of Max the Terriblaire

Yesterday I had fun and I was (kind of) a good boy. However, my Ma got into trouble. We went to Sutro Hts Park and I got to meet the Sutro pack consisting of all the neighborhood canines. The big Harlequin Great Dane was kind of scary looking - I wonder if I'll get that tall. She was taller than Sadie but she was a nice dog. I also got to meet Stanley's old buddies -- Archie, Billy and Callie. We were all having fun when all of a sudden everyone got out a leash and snap, snap, snap -- we were all leashed. A tall lady in a uniform came and gave our humans a big lecture on letting us loose in the park. She was a nice lady -- she was very patient and my Ma was super-embarrassed. She didn't fine my Ma or anyone even though some people gave her lip. Hmmm...that didn't seem like a good idea, even to bad little me - I get into worse trouble when I act up. So, I guess we won't be playing there off-leash anymore. She did say that OB is off-leash up to Stair 21. That's good! It's one of my favorite places.

We got home and after supper I got a little mouthy. I have lots of chew toys but what could be better than my Ma's arm? Well, she was a little sick of it so she got a hold of my head and next thing I knew, my little puppy canine tooth was gone! That felt weird. She was delighted -- even showed it off to her 90 yr old Pops whose arm I've been chewing on too.

The proof!

No photoshop here! Max sitting on the pavement on the Land's End trail. Not to mention on the concrete bench. Actually, he nearly fell off the bench when he squirmed and didn't listen -- that taught him a lesson!

Pet Fair Canceled = More Fun for Max

Yesterday I had fun and I was (kind of) a good boy. My Ma said I should practice writing my own blog since I might be able to publish a story in a book by another Max. Well, first I should say that my Ma may not be my permanent Ma -- she's my foster Ma-- but I don't want to think about that now since I'm having the time of my life.

We went to Marin today with a friend of my Ma, Lois, and her buddy, Haupia. Haupia is part Wheaten terrier and we play a lot. Maybe we play a little too rough -- the other day, my tooth got caught in her ear and my Ma had to do some repairs since Lois was out of town. I've suffered some cuts and bruises too, and I've lost a big tuft of hair where she got a hold of me and pulled it out. Oh well, neither of us are entering any beauty contests any time soon so it's ok.

We were going to go to the pet fair in Marin but they canceled it with no warning! What a bunch of inconsiderate goofballs. The idiots even had a sign inviting us to next year's fair -- like we're going to show up after being stood up this year. So, we walked around the lake but my Ma didn't like it there because there were a lot of goose droppings. I didn't mind - it actually made for a great snack, different from the seafood buffet at the beach. So, we went to the farmer's market instead, but they don't allow dogs (even me, a puppy) so my Ma and I hung out in front of a tee shirt booth where the lady was really friendly until Lois got back. After that, we headed out to the Marin Headlands -- one of my favorite places! Good thing too, since I probably would have been kicked out of the pet fair for being too obnoxious.

I got to run around and wrestle Haupia. And, even though I'm not dog show material, and neither is Haupia, they kept stopping to make us pose. What a chore. And the two-leggeds are soooo slow. But I was good -- sort of. When Ma told me to wait, I kinda sorta waited. And, I came when called, after I finished sniffing. Ma's been teaching me some of these things. We practice in odd places where it's real difficult to concentrate, not like in the living room at home where I can pull these off perfectly. I'm actually better than Sadie when it comes to the waiting game.

When I got home, Sadie and Papa were waiting. I was glad to see them and they seemed to miss me. I jumped on Papa and nipped Sadie's ear and pulled on her collar, like always. They're working on making me stop doing these things but I can't resist. I'm so happy when I get home, I get real excited.

It was a good day. I got super tired since I skipped my nap time, which, apparently was the plan. Napping can always wait --maybe tomorrow I'll nap if I can squeeze it into my busy schedule.

So, til my next eduventure -- that's my term for a little education for me mixed in with adventure. Ruff ruff...

Maximus

P.S. That road we were on doesn't have car traffic so don't you all worry! It's an old paved road that is falling down in parts, literally. A lot of seismic activity there being so close to the Big Fault (San Andreas).

Digging in Ocean Beach

This morning we went to Ocean Beach. The north end of the beach where it abuts the cliff on which the Cliff House sits is sort of off-leash - I say sort of because there are reports that people have been ticketed but I think they were further south. In any case, a lot of people go there to let their dogs run. If one is discrete, i.e., don't go on a crowded weekend, the beach patrol don't seem to mind. We got there a little after 8:30 AM-- we let Max off the leash since he's becoming quite good and because he's still a puppy, other dogs give him some slack for poor behavior. But, he seems to be socializing well and is learning how to approach his canine compatriots without antagonizing them and he romps around with whatever hound comes his way. He can even be discouraged from investigating people we think don't want to be bothered by him. The problem with OB (as well as other beaches) are all of the washed up dead flora and fauna: seaweed, seals, fish, seagulls and other birds, clams and crabs. In general, the sand is apparently quite tasty, both dogs like to eat the sand. We are constantly telling Max to leave it or drop it with about 50% success, sometimes, he probably just has a mouthful of sand. He's willing to give up the less tasty morsels but crab is apparently hard to resist. Eventually, other dogs arrived and Max had a blast. He got to roll around in dead something, dig - he definitely got a good dose of that terrier digging gene - and play with the husky, the labradoodle and border collie. He got a little scolding from an ornery dachshund, but that was ok -- I'm hoping it taught him to leave the little (but not necessarily young) ones alone.

When we got home, I made him take a bath but he still smells a little fishy. Maybe it's the new kibble he's been getting -- it says that salmon is the main source of protein and it has a distinctively salmon aroma.

Skiing in Ft Funston - sort of!

Troy decided to get the dogs to tow him down the slope at Ft Funston. It was definitely fun -- I wished I had a pair of shoes with really smooth soles. The slope is pretty steep but it's deep sand so a tumble wouldn't really hurt you.

More new tricks for Mad Max

Max is learning. Today, I got him to sit -- he did. I dropped a doggie biscuit about 4 ft away and told him to wait. He learned that from my 90 yr old dad. He waited. Then I called him -- he stopped and ate the biscuit and came. All of this was outside at Lands End. OK -- there were no people around, but still, it was outdoors where there are a lot of distractions. So, we're working on him.

He does have this funny thing where he sits and just looks around at his surroundings. This happens more often on the way home, of course, since he wants to stay out. But, if I tell him to wait, and then call him, he comes so, that is a good thing.

Everyday, something more exciting for Max.

Training the rascal

We also refer to him as the little squirt. He's a handful, but he appears to be trainable - he's so far learned to sit, lie down, shake, drop it, leave it and come. Lie down, come and leave it are the hardest so we're working on those commands. And, at least, he does not seem interested in attacking the vacuum cleaner as many dogs do. He's somewhat stubborn. When coming home from a walk, he sometimes just sits and refuses to move. So, I've resorted to turning it into a training opportunity by leaving him there, walking away, then turning around and calling him. When he comes, which he invariably does, he gets a lot of praise and sometimes a treat. When it's just the two of us, he's getting pretty good at walking on a loose leash, but if Sadie and Troy are up ahead, it's pretty much a lost cause. He definitely just wants to catch up.

A trip to the Marin Headlands

We took a trip to the Marin Headlands -- it was a beautiful fall day with bluebird skies and sun. Troy took a run up the hills on trails while Sadie, Max and I went on a long hike -- for 2 1/2 hrs. It's pretty hard to hike on narrow trails with two dogs on a leash so we took the wider paved roads. It was an adventure for us all and it wore out the little rascal, Max, which was the plan. Of course, it wore me out too -- oh, well.

Max & Sadie after a grooming session