This Morning in Dogs

[summer_jackel]

1. The housefoxes' newest toy is this stuffed bone with a rope through it, knotted on either side. This morning, I found the thing on the deck with the knots untied. Any normal dog would use this toy to tug or chew on. My dog? Likes to figure out how to untie knots.

2. I planted stinging nettles a few weeks ago for a number of reasons: nettle greens, attractive native plant, a certain perverse amusement in deliberately nurturing vegetation that bites, (strange and unusual!) and the hope that they might be useful in training dogs and cats...of which you may have noted I host several...to stay out of the planters.

While brusing my teeth, I look out the window and notice Jezzie sniffing the nettles. I wince as she licks them and pulls back with a funny expression on her face, but assume with some satisfaction that they worked. At least until she starts licking and nosing at them again.

At that point I call her off and just assume what I already knew, namely, that my pets are all just weird.

Comments

[dhlawrence.livejournal.com]

Hope those don't cause her tongue to swell!

I'm suddenly reminded of an episode of The Simpsons... *bzzt* Ow! *bzzt* Ow! *bzzt* Ow!

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Well, she didn't seem to have any negative effects in the hours following. /grins at Simpsons ref/

[troubleagain.livejournal.com]

1. I think your dogs have been spending too much time with your parrots. :D

My Ladybug used to user her teeth in the most delicate manner--she'd use them like a seam-ripper to open up just the seam of her dog toys, and extract the stuffing. She'd spend an hour doing nothing but that.

2. Yeah. Weird. Unless maybe the nettles don't work on dogs like they do on people.

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Awwwww, cute story. Was Ladybug your sheltie?

I assumed that Jez felt something when she hit the nettles, because she did recoil. However, there's a very large spectrum of pain tolerance in dogs, with the working/sporting groups tending to not feel or ignore sensations that would definitely deter more tender breeds. Wolves and huskies are the most pain-tolerant of them all, of course.

[troubleagain.livejournal.com]

Nah, Bug was the lab mix. She was such a funny dog. Here she is on our boat.


She loved to GO more than anything in the world (except for pleasing people. Yeah, I know, not your kind of dog. :D )

And yeah, Jasmine has an incredible pain tolerance.

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Awww, what a great pic. Happy lab has a boat!

[oldewolfe.livejournal.com]

I'll point to This Post as an example of how smart canines can be.

Fear for your tack!

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Awesome!!!!!!!! /laughs/

They know better than to touch my tack. But the wolves aren't allowed unsupervised with it anyway. ;)

[kynekh-amagire.livejournal.com]

I'm sure we'd know normal if we saw it. Wouldn't we?

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

We really wouldn't. I think any animal exposed to us picks up the weird, anyway.

[troubleagain.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure "weird" transfers....

[skorzy.livejournal.com]

Don't stinging nettles leave microscopic needles in your skin? Wouldn't this be problematic to a pet that has these in their nose? I have no idea if these needles can be removed by simply rubbing the area.

I have experienced nettle stings before as a child, and I don't recall enjoying it. :)

[kynekh-amagire.livejournal.com]

There's an Aesop's fable I read as a young kid that concerns nettles: the story is that if you brush against a nettle, you get stung, but if you grab it as hard as you can, you don't. "Whatever you do, do with all your might" is the lesson there, but the first time I encountered a stinging nettle, I wanted to see if it was actually true.

Either it was the wrong kind of nettle, or Aesop was being metaphorical and/or full of bollocks. Owie ow.

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Ow! /laughs/ that's a great story, and very "you." :D

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

According to Wikipedia, they have stinging hairs, which apparently deliver an acid cocktail which irritates the skin. In my experience, which I did not enjoy, I was rashy for awhile, and rubbing certainly didn't help. It wasn't too bad, though; I knew a girl who actually took scars from nettles.

Jezzie's nose seems fine, but, well, she's a wolf. Dogs are tougher in so many ways. It cracks me up to see Coba chewing on poison oak, which seems like his favorite plant to chew on.

[cphoenix.livejournal.com]

This comic makes it clear: Jezzie is a scientist.

Chris

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

A scientist! That explains so much...

XKCD is so lovely.

[wastedmouthfull.livejournal.com]

When My mom first started surveying in Washington state, one of the guys pointed to a plant of stinging nettle and said that makes great TP... luckily she did not fall for it.
In the NW Sword ferns grow near the nettle, and if you rub the curly tops on the place you got stung it would lessen the sting.
it works.