Da Suls

Fortunate is she who experiences the love & devotion of a feline companion.

Farewell, Sully. Go find the others.

5/1999~7/30/2017

Last Pix With Sully

1:30 pm on Sunday 7/30/17

Video-making with Elaine

How May I Help You?

Elaine at the counter.

Total Relaxation during AP Treatment

MommaCat

Merry Christmas!

 Oops, I can't seem to rotate this video.

Elaine playing with a Christmas balloon. The expression on her face when that balloon popped was priceless.
Taking care of the in-house pets before heading home for Christmas morning stuff.
Eski barking in the background.

Running Scooter

Improving everyday; she's actually running in spurts around the yard this morning!

Enjoying the Gorgeous Sunny Day

Doctor's order was for me to get 15 minutes of sunshine at least twice a week.  Hanging out with this sweet old beat up rescue pit is as good a time as any.  She is still slow and weak on her rear legs but definitely much improved.  At least she is able to walk on her own now; still have to assist her a little to get up but once up, she is able to move around and seemingly enjoy the exercise.  

Seeing her up and about does my heart (and spirit) a world of good. 

Twilight Zone

Feeding Thumper During His Last Weeks

I don't think there were 2 consecutive days when he would eat the same food the same way.  One day, it's hand-feeding from above, the next day, it has to be pieces on the ground.

I can't say I'm a Twilight Zone fan but have you ever feel as if you are living in a Twilight Zone episode? That nothing is as it seems? That what you thought and believe to be true is not? That you're the one who's "off", not everyone else?

I don't like that feeling at all. No wonder I never got into The Twilight Zone.

Brushing Elaine's Teeth

Trying to make a video of home dental care is tough when I have to use the tripod with the camera.  Elaine was great but I had the mark off so we end up having her back and rear in view instead of her mouth!

Take 2 was better though but I ran out of memory so did not have both sides. O well.  We'll keep working!

Working with Elaine in the Dark

Practicing cues with Elaine. She was distracted by some passerby but did finally learn to stop, attention, and come.

Thumper Video via Pixelpipe

Trying videos again. Previous one of Kobi crashed system.

Synchronized Grooming

Zuri (the Bengal) and Rorke (the Savannah) grooming to the same beat.

Uploaded by www.cellspin.net

Elaine Acting Her Age (Not)!

A ritual for Elaine. She runs circles around the treats or toys before picking the one she wants.

Kobi and the Bebop

We had a full day today. Worked on Kobi and the Bebop harness trial. Still need to do the write up. Probably won't have a chance until next week.

click on image to enlarge

The harness was not very impressive at all. It was supposed to be padded but it looks just like a regular walking harness. The description noted that the straps are lower on the shoulders to avoid damage to the trachea but I could not appreciate the difference compared to the regular harness from American Kennel Club.

What I do like is the Safety Strap. It keeps the restraint strap off the seat so less tangling. I wonder about it's sturdiness though. It looks fine for a small to medium sized dogs but any dog over 40 pounds? Not so sure. Will have to test it out on Elaine later.

click on image to enlarge

It does give Kobi a lot of freedom to move around and he did not seem to mind it at all. Initially, he did wrap himself with the safety strap when he circled around in the seat. But he quickly learned to duck under the strap to avoid tying himself against the seat.

Overall, good impression of the harness system. Disappointed that the harness was not padded as advertised on the website. Also so-so customer service as my emails regarding the padding were not answered.

Elaine & Rope Ball

Elaine chewed up the last rope toy (knot) easily. They used to last months; we'd buy a couple a year. But this last one was chewed up in a month.

So we went shopping at Petco.

This was our second trip to Petco. She did great. Not even a growl or bark. She was a little nervous when a nice brave Petco employee approached us to see if I had any questions. She (the employee) wisely kept her distance and did not try to baby talk or coo-coo at Elaine. Then a pit puppy came bouncing down the aisle and I thought "uh oh." Lo and behold, Elaine sat down and just looked at me! Needless to say, I couldn't hand over the treats to her fast enough :).

The same employee started talking to the puppy owner. I took that opportunity to test Elaine and gave her the "down" gesture. She plopped down and stared at me. She always had problems in a strange environment and is easily distracted. But not today. She did us proud!

We had a small glitch at the check out line when a lady pushed a full shopping cart towards us. Elaine had been wonderfully by my left side the whole time. She was freaked by the cart coming at us and scooted around and hid behind me! So much for guarding me! But she redeemed herself by patiently waiting by my side as we paid for the rope ball.

Notice the furrow between her eyes as she kept a wary eye on the shopping cart

Everyone kept their distance and I was careful to turn corners ahead of Elaine to avoid walking into anyone, 2- or 4-legged.

The car ride was also great. No jumping around or barking after skateboarders. We used the Roadie today. She did not seem as comfortable (compared to the Champion Canine) but tolerated the harness fine.

So far, she seems to like it. And, Lis, yes, it does roll away :).

Bloopers - Demonstrating the Floating Chest Pad

Elaine had a full day today. Before we left for the day trip, we taped a quick segment showing the floating chest pad in action. One of the feature of the Champion Canine Seat Belt System was this floating chest pad but I never understood its purpose until I saw it in action. Basically, it allows the harness to be pulled down the side without twisting the harness under the dog -- the chest pad stayed on the chest, not pulled to the underarm.

To be honest, I thought it was just a neat feature but didn't think it was such a big deal. But after using it these past several weeks, it does seem to make a big difference. I don't see Elaine getting twisted in the harness as she turns every which way in the backseat.

Towards the end of the video, I had tightened the harness so it couldn't slide as designed. Ended up wrestling with Elaine instead.

It was an impromptu taping. I have been putting off finishing the reviews since we've been busy at work. I also had to postpone Kobi's part when he hurt his back a couple weeks ago. So, on a spur of the moment, I grabbed Elaine for the segment. Only after did I realize I was wearing my colorful Farmer Tran plaid shirt I bought years ago for my New Zealand farm visits. Oh well, may not be professional, but I guess it's in keeping with the informal nature of the reviews.

This is what it looks like when I edited out the end.

Day Trip w/Elaine

Elaine made her first visit to the "new" Petco in town. It was a better place for her because it's still not busy midday. We did not have to worry about other dogs or too many kids. We were going to the park afterward but changed our mind (rather I changed my mind). This parking lot was up the hill and isolated. We end up walking around the mini plaza instead. Elaine did well considering she is still confused about walking on my left instead of my right.

That's what I get for not knowing any better when I first leash trained her. She got used to walking on my right. Now, I'm trying to retrain her to be on my left so we can go running (safer for her to stay on my left).

Elaine & Hands-Free Leash

Notice the slack leash! First walk with hands-free leash in public. Elaine tried to go after a barking dog but quickly came back to my side. Progress!