A blog about three dogs.

Flower, our family dog growing up; Cinnamon Stick (aka The Missile), who was a good little dog; and Sabo... the doggy I just picked up this very evening from the pound.

Pics of Sabo?

Wouldn't you know it... I get a new dog, and a new phone to puzzle out, but I get his first pic to my desktop... and now ImageShack decides to cut off free hosting. So, I gotta find a new free hosting site... but in the meantime I got his pic up as my avatar, hosted for free here by 2+2.

Also... I get up this morning, and try to turn on the MLB network for the first spring training game... and it turns out it's the only channel my new cable providers package doesn't include. Arghhh.

On the plus side... the new doggy has been great so far. In fact, I'd say perfect... except for maybe immediately burying the 'rawhide' chew-thingee I gave him.

www.imgur.com is the nuts for hosting images.

Thanks for the advice!

However, I had already signed up at tinypic.com before I read it. But that does raise a couple of question I've always had regarding hosting services:

Are there any free hosting services that allow you to re-host your pictures? And... what is 2+2's policy, if there is one, regarding after-the-fact re-hosting of pictures?

Well here we are on Sabo's third day... and so far, so great!

Since he was turned in as a stray, we don't know anything him. But he seems to be house trained, he knows the "sit" command, and when I leave the part of the house he's being kept in for now, I just waive him away, or say "back", and he'll back up and/or sit down instead of trying to bolt through the door.

Also, the trainer at the pound said he had showed high levels of what they called 'resource guarding' (a 7/8 on their scale), which is why they wouldn't adopt him out to homes with children. In particular showing aggression if someone reached for his food bowl, or tried petting him, while he is eating.

I've seen none of this behavior, not even close. In fact, so far he's been a picky eater instead. The pound gave me a bag of dog food to go with the dog, presumably the same brand they serve... and it's pretty clear he doesn't care for that brand.

The other thing I got from the pound is either (a) a free vet visit for a doggy physical, or (b) a free doggy physical at a VCA brand pet hospital, with one time insurance up to $250 for treatments, if any are necessary. The catch is this only good for five days, so I really need to get this done today, or at least get it scheduled today for tomorrow.

So... that's our adventure for today...

If you wan to post a pic you find on the web, rehosting is prefered. No real policies otherwise. If you are referring to a copyright issue, if a copyright owner sends in a complaint, we will remove the image but I don't think that has ever happened.

Thanks for the response, sir!

My bad however... I didn't make myself clear at all. I meant this scenario... if I have my own server, I can place my own picture at a certain address (say <mysite.org/sabo1.jpg>) and link to it in a post here on 2+2. Later on, I could place any other different random picture at that address (say a cat)... and the next time someone viewed that post on 2+2 the picture displayed would now be different.

ImageShack & TinyPic allow you to delete a hosted picture, but not completely replace one picture with another.

I'll check out if Imgur does... but otherwise, does anyone know of a free hosting service that does?

Which we accomplished... as in getting an appointment at Cinnamon's old vet for today... in about 45 mins in fact. So that's our adventure for today once again...

What you described is technically possible but the switching out of images is not encouraged. Problem with is that folks may respond to a particular picture. Once you swap it out the comments no longer apply and will confuse the readers.

Well... to continue on with the saga of Sabo...

He got a clean bill of health from his new vet. They said bring him back in a year for some routine shots, and that's that.

That and what do I wanna do about flea prevention... Advantage, or a (prescription) flea collar. Or nothing at all, or a non-prescription flea collar as needed and/or topical treatment with non-prescription flea shampoo as needed. The last group of options not being offered by the vet, but what served us well with Cinnamon. Anyways... they gave me a couple months free samples of Advantage, so I don't gotta decide that until after baseball season starts.

Any advice from the dog experts here on 2+2?

Speaking of Cinnamon... this is the same vet that we took her to. And they still had her records, as well as the record of me bringing in another friend's dog I was taking care of at the time (Gizmo, aka The Stinker, RIP).

I didn't realize/remember however that I had only brought Cinnamon in once during that period. I had sorta forgotten that even after she moved to the beach, she still had her vet way up in The Valley. And it was only after that vet misdiagnosed and mistreated Cinnamon the one time she got worms*, that we moved her vet care to Sabo's new vet. After that, she was completely healthy until her old age, and a third vet, out in Chicago-land. Who, from all reports, was a fine vet... and who, when the time came, sent The Missile onward pro-bono.

* To be fair, Sabo's new vet said they were some kinda very exotic strain, never seen here in the western US. She said it was potentially very deadly, and it's worm-larvae-whatever can live in the poop for up to a year. I remember hearing the techs in the lab being quite vocally surprised when, we were told, they were checking out a poop sample under the microscope.

Our little Cinnamon... one of her nicknames was "exception to the rules", she didn't do anything half-way!

So, today's adventure for Sabo & me...

Weather permitting, is to walk on up to Petco, and (a) take him on his first walk in the hood, (b) get some more toys for him, and (c) check to see if the applications for Dog Day at the MLB game are out yet.

LOL kinda like forgetting to switch SNs can confuse readers also. Didn't take me long to mess that one up by accident. Compare that to Sabo, who hasn't had any 'accidents' as of yet. Who's the better doggy ??

OK, very good, sir! The above pic is hosted at Imgur, and I liked the convenience that they will use my Google sign-on... so I'll take your advice and start using them for my free hosting needs going forward.

I might have been a little slow finding him some chew-toys he actually likes... as early in the morning, sometime after my last post, and while I slept, little Sabo literally ate my shorts. I LOLed as I didn't catch him in the act (so no sense scolding him), and I literally was going to discard that pair after this last wearing anyways. So maybe he was just making a fashion statement: "those shorts gotta-go"... but then again, he runs around naked, so maybe not.

The next morning was another cold and blustery day, so I drove to Petco by myself. The applications for pet tickets aren't out yet... but we do when the Dog Day of Summer is (7-29 @ 7:10) and the opponent (the Cards). Also, Sabo is already geared up... as he is now sporting his official Padres dog tag, engraved with his official name (Artie), and all of my phone numbers.

Seriously, of course, a doggy does need some chew toys... but so far I'm 0-3 trying to guess what he likes. He buried the first 'rawhide' I gave him, he hasn't been real interested in a tennis ball, the rope toy, nor the squeak/stuffed toy I just gave him. I gotta mini-Frisbee to try next.

In fact, this whole free dog thingee (only free because February just happened to be "free love" month at the pound... lucky me), has already cost me, after just two visits to Petco...

Dog (free)
Vet care (free so far)

Turbo Leash $18
Harness $13
MLB tag $12
License tag (free through 5yo)
3x useless red lap-sized blankets (saved from recycling)
-- his nest, including his "Drakkar Noir #8 Dale Jr Tm" blanket
-- of completely unknown origin

'Rawhides' $14
Dog Treats $5
Dog Rocks (free so far)

Mini-Frisbee Toy $10
Stuffed/Squeak Toy $6
Rope Toy $3
Tennis Ball (found)

Old pair of shorts (ate)

Of course, some might say... ZOMG nobody made you buy an official MLB tag. But that's already paid for itself. Yes... that very same day we had our first "Broken Arrow" incident. The phrase 'Broken Arrow', of course, being code for that worst of the worst heart dropping experiences... a lost dog. FYI: the term comes from the thoroughly terrible J.Travolta movie of the same name. In that movie it was the military code phrase for lost nuclear missiles... hence the adaptation.

About an hour after I put the MLB tag on the dog... I noticed I hadn't seen him in awhile. Well I went out in the back yard and noticed the gate was hanging wide open. So I went out in the front yard and out into the street... and just then my cell phone rang. Well it turns out that he ran straight across the fairly busy street and right into the very pregnant young ladies home across the way. And she quickly called the number on his Padres tag, and at the same time noticed me standing out in the middle of the street.

Whew !!!1! Go Padres !!!1!

One of my tasks for this week is to do something about securing this back yard. There are a couple of particular issues here at this household and yard regarding this task, which I need to have addressed.

Wow, you're agog and whole hog with this dog blog.

Oh my Zogg, of course, I'm going to log a blog about my new dog.

I (seriously) considered getting a frog, and an indoor bog. That way my pet wouldn't have to slog through the fog or smog.

But I got a dog, who even if he turns out to be more of a clog than a cog in my life... I promise I'll never flog.

But you'll have to excuse me, as the bar has now opened. I'm going to jog to Prague to get some cooked hog, and then wash it down with some grog.

Well it's been a week now that Sabo's been Sabo. And so far, grading on a scale, I'd give him a solid B. But the trainers at the pound warned me that he wasn't fully socialized and had some behavioral problems. It took a quite while to see them, but yeah... he's going to need some good'ole basic training before he is ready for the prime-time (and worthy to be called a good dog, like Flower and Cinnamon).

But overall he's been really good... and affectionate, but without being all 'lap dog' about it. He seems completely housebroken. I haven't stress tested him yet, as he has 24hr access to the yard, but he does know about scratching on doors. He also knows "sit" and "back". He knows how the 'turbo-leash' works. In the car, he knows not to bug the driver. And he was great when I took him to the bar! He's adopted is "#8 Dale Jr",etc nest. And after going 0-2 with the toys, he seems to like chewing and chasing his mini-Frisbee.

Of course, what next... the free bag of dog rocks they gave me at the pound has broken. I shake it... but nothing comes out any more. So chock up more costs for this supposedly "free" dog...

$6 More Dog Rocks (from grocery store)

Yeah, about that yard. If my doggy has 24hr access to the yard, even when we are all gone, or all asleep... I gotta secure that yard. The front door is an escape vector too. Of course, yard needs to be accessible, by an unfortunately large number of folks, alas.

Little Sabo has already proven he's an escape artist, as he's got into the back-line neighbor's yard twice already (These weren't "Broken Arrows" thankfully... just "WTF how the heck did you get over there"'s). So I need to build a better dog trap prison.

Well first, I'll explain the unfortunate part. I gotta god-damned SDG&E pole in my back yard. It's always been there, and there's absolutely nothing we can do about it... they gotta easement. In fact, I hate that pole... always have. Even though they've been saying they are going to underground it, and have been charging the rate payers an underground surcharge for about 50 years... It's a one year older than me, but I'm sure I'll die before that damn pole does.

And why not double-down... the gas and electric meters are both inside the fence line too, in the opposite side yards of the house. And then we got those ATT and TWC dudes climbing that damn pole all the time... it seems whenever anyone around here switches services.

Other than that, the gates get used daily... as there are avid and active gardeners in the household. (Not me, I got the "black thumb". But so far they like collecting Sabo poop for their compost... LOL). Also, there are old folks in the household, old folks who just aren't always going to remember to, or why, or if, they closed/latched that gate/door. This last issue is what caused the "broken arrow".

As for the exiting fences and gates themselves, they are pretty much robust. They are six feet high. The gates are wooden, and can't be dug under... but are currently unlocked. The fences have cinder block along the bottom all around, with a top half of wood along the sides lots, and chain-link along back-line.

However, the lots along the back-lines are about a story above grade, so the back end of the Sabotat has a small hillside. Long after the fences were built, this hillside was terraced, leaving effective "saddle" points at the front of the terraces. Four in fact: (a) Sabo side 37", chihuahua side down 65" to concrete, (b) Sabo side 21", chihuahua side down 54" to concrete, (c) Sabo & chihuahua side both 32" from ground (d) Sabo side 37", other side 27" inches down to pickle-weed.

As for the third escape vector... the front door? Well there is a screen door, but right now that screen door doesn't automatically latch. There is also a fenced front porch (pictured w/dog above), but it has no gate... also I'm not sure Sabo can't get through it anyways... as I will explain directly.

Of course, the mystery still is... how did Sabo get into the back neighbor's yard ?? Well, if it isn't open, you can't jump over it, or dig under it... you go through it. Yep, Sabo figured out someway to jump up above the cinder blocks, which are solid all around the corner... and then squeezed his way, somehow, through the assorted upper fences, at that one weird corner up on the hill where no one ever goes and five lots, all at different odd elevations and angles, meet.

Well, I put a big enough sized paving brick up there after the first time. Next day... the dog is all of a sudden on the wrong side of the fence again... and that brick had been pushed out of the way. Luckily for me, and in fact annoyingly underfoot... there were a couple of roles of chicken wire, conveniently abandoned and long forgotten, right up in that same old weird corner... and I know how to use a staple-gun.

Long term, I've gotta have SDG&E out for a meet-and-greet, and get some guidance. I gotta do some planning, and make some decisions. And some fence/gate/door/sign work has gotta get done... gulp, some of it by me.

So, I'm sure folks are wondering... what's Sabo's big adventure this weekend ??

Well, I'm glad to be of assistance. They said at the pound they had a dose of "kennel cough" going around, and asked me to voluntarily keep him away form other dogs if he showed any symptoms over the first week or so.

Well it's been a week or so, and he ain't got no "kennel cough"... so now that the weather has cleared up, it's off on a mini-tour of the local fenced dog runs for Sabo doggy!!!1!

Of course, a social coming-out like this, deserves a brand new wardrobe.

So this morning I took Cinnamon's old collar, which I had used as my key-chain from 2009-9-9 to 2014-2-25, off of Sabo... and fitted him with the bright reflective harness I just bought him, complete with his jingle-jangle tags.

Flower and Cinnamon were collar dogs. I actually bought Cinnamon a harness too, be she just hated it... and would run little circles of joy when rid of it. Sabo, on the other hand, seems indifferent to wearing either set of gear.

As well as a social coming-out, this was also a test for young Sabo. How's he going to act around other dogs... and is he going to mind off the leash.

He passed all tests with flying colors.

First we checked out the dog park right here in the 'hood. Unfortunately it's a leash free park, not a fenced run, it opens on a canyon, and wasn't off-leash that morning anyways because it was a Little League day (sign-ups). But we had a nice walk on-leash anyways.

That didn't confront us or Google maps, however. I found four other dog parks with fenced runs within five miles of the Sabotat. All are fairly new, and very nice... with grass, chairs and tables, proper sally-ports, doggy drinking fountains, and a ready supply of poop-bags. Sabo checked all of them out this weekend.

The sorta strange part was these dog-parks are all down residential streets in other 'hoods. Even the one in our 'hood is on the far side, down a side street I can't remember going down. It was like discovering whole new worlds right in my back yard.

Saturday, we ended up at the massive OTL Island

But the real highlights for Sabo and me were I took him to the mother of all dog runs to end Saturday, and to the mother of all dog-parks (not fenced !!!1!) to end Sunday.

OTL Island is about 1000 acres of fields and sandy beaches, all leash-free. Here Sabo, for the first time since getting out of doggy-prison, could just run flat out as fast as he can for as far as the eye can see. And boy... this little boy can really run fast too!!!1! The next day, at one of the runs, even the dude with the lazy greyhound said his lazy greyhound was impressed with Sabo's speed.

Sunday, we ended the day at the major league of all dog parks... yep, Dog Beach.

No fences... just a beach, a low jetty, a dog squishing parking lot/street, and then straight on into the dog swallowing/squishing/steeling trackless depravity of Obeachia itself.

However, none of that happened. We can add walking off-leash and "come here" to the things Sabo already knows. In fact, it's pretty clear he was trained to role on his back while getting leashed, and right after being called over... I assume to make it easier for a person to attach a leash to a collar ring. Unfortunately, his new harness has the attachment rings on the dog's back

He might be a water dog.

Sabo didn't go in the bay on Saturday. But neither did I... LOL @ even thinking about going in the bay right after it rains. But I did wade out a little bit in the ocean on Sunday, and he did splash around a little bit with me in the Pacific.

Not quite Cinnamon, who we first found out was a water dog when I waded out a little bit, and then turned to see if I could coax her out into the water... only to look down and see her dog-paddling right next to me, looking up at me confused... perhaps about why I would stop wading forward.

IIRC, Flower on the other hand didn't care for beach swimming because of the waves. However, she loved swimming in the bay.

Sabo's New Harness

It's certainly a stretch beyond a stretch... but one might say Sabo has already indirectly worked a doggy miracle.

Which gives me a good chance to explain my relationships with these three dogs.

Flower was our family dog growing up.

While not an over-sized dog, Flower was a spaniel mix, and certainly wasn't a little dog like Sabo or The Missile. Also, unlike the later dogs, Flower was only indoors when folks were at home and awake, and had her own outside doghouse... instead of an indoor nest like Sabo's ole'#8.

We got her as a just weened pup from our next door neighbors, when their dog, Buttons had a litter. Flower went to live while she was 2-4 years old with my Grandparents, as my dad (and our family by extension) got temporarily transferred out of town... and lived to be about 14. My young sister "J", not much older than the dog itself, had the honor of naming the puppy.

But I wasn't Flower's head-master... us kids were really closer to being co-members of the same 'pack' instead.

Cinnamon Stick was the breeder's name for this big-bucks 'papers' bred Boston Terrier.

She came into our lives when she was a year old from a LA based Boston Terrier Rescue. She was an owner relinquishment. Her second master was the late Sebastian Massa (IMDB Bio). Sebastian was in poor health however, and just couldn't keep up with what was then a completely wild and untrained young dog... just entering her maidenhood. So, after a short period, he in turn gave Cinnamon to his nephew, and my brother-man, and at the time my roommate in The Valley as well as fellow worker "S".

So even though Cinnamon later lived with me at the beach... I was never her head-master either, just her co-master and God-Uncle. The credit for turning that wild and crazy dog that nobody else wanted into the legend that was The Missile... that credit goes to "S", I only played a supporting role.

And then we got Sabo...

Who I just got from the pound two weeks ago. He's a terrier mix captured as a stray. They estimated he's about two years old, and they assigned him the kennel name of "Artie"... a name I retained as his 'official' paperwork name. His call-name is Sabo (pronounced 'Sab-OWE', not 'SAY-bow' like former MLB player Chris Sabo), of course... and he's named in honor of the aforementioned Sebastian Massa.

And... unlike the other dogs, I am Sabo's head-master. And he does have issues with this "resource guarding" the trainers at the pound warned me about. Which I need to train him out of... and this time it's all on me, and I've never really trained a doggy before. I've given the little guy a couple of weeks to settle in here, before we start in on any training... but starting tomorrow it's "Operation Sabo Training".

So... what's the alleged doggy miracle ??

Well shortly after we send The Missile onward, on 2009-9-9, my brother-man "S" went MIA under what I was told were troubling circumstances. Basically, the speculation was death, prison, or homelessness.

But just yesterday I got a trusted first person account that "S" was still very alive, and not in a prison. In fact, he's gotta cell, and as soon as he loads some minutes on it... I should be able to give him a call.

Now Sabo didn't have anything at all to do with this news... but I like the cosmic karma coincidences of doggy-power aspect of this whole thingee anyways.

Any Questions about Sabo?

Anybody have any questions about Sabo? Or about Flower, or Cinnamon, for that matter? Now would be a good time for me to answer them... before I start blogging in depth about my adventures (and certainly mis-adventures) in Sabo-training.

All righty then... moving right along...

Operation Sabo Training is now underway.

Sabo's first trick/command to learn is "drop it". I was considering "roll over", as he's already been trained to role onto his back (although I don't know his command word for this trick).

In my between dog bravado, I swore I'd train the new dog in Spanish & ASL. However, upon further review, I'm going to use English and recycle the ad-hoc sign language we used with Cinnamon. The idea of using Spanish for his commands is so we don't have this "problem" we had with Cinnamon. She'd pick out the words she knew from casual people to people conversation, even when she seemed fast asleep, and then act accordingly. So... us people ended up having to talk in code around the little girl.

However... Cinnamon literately learned a little bit of the English language by listening to us this way. She really was extraordinary that way, having an easily 90 word vocabulary, and understanding how nouns and verbs worked, as well as categories and instances. Ofc Sabo might not care about any of this shiz... but I wanna give him that chance too, if he wants. So no talking "coded" Spanish to the dog... and us peoples will talk in "code", if necessary.

As for ASL... well all the "dog whisperers" say you should use the real stuff. I can't really understand why, except for perhaps the utility of other ASL users being able to command the dog. But I don't know ASL, or any ASL users... and I already know MSL (Missile Sign Language)... so it's basically LOL @ the dog-whispers on this issue.

Once again, all credit goes to my brother-man "S", for these concepts.

One of his rules was to never tease The Missile. If you told her something, you better be ready and able to follow through (especially, never say "red dot", if you haven't checked the batteries in the laser pointer first). The idea being is that if she starts getting teased, she'll just stop listening. Dogs don't get sarcasm.

The other concept, teaching the dog in sign, is an absolutely must. Cinnamon lost her hearing when she was about eight or nine. But she knew she had lost her hearing (as opposed to thinking the whole world had became quiet), and easily adapted... while pretty much nobody but us even knew she was now deaf.

Doggy-prison mug shot of "Artie"

So... what are the good things about Sabo?

Besides doing what doggies do best: being a wonderful and affectionate companion.

Well so far, pretty near everything. Along with all the good stuff already mentioned (house trained, knows "sit", "back", "come here", knows how to be walked on and off leash, doesn't bolt through doors, is good in the car & bar, etc), he also doesn't dig, hasn't 'humped' anything, hasn't tried to give me a lickin', or whined once. He's already learned, without being trained, that overnight he's got his ol'#8 nest, not my bed.

Also, no puking, piglet sounds, snoring, or farting... which are endemic to Boston Terriers. Cinnamon grew outta the puking, and the little piglet sounds Bostons & pugs make are kinda cute... but I'll tell you, that little Missile could snore louder than a lumberjack, and fart even worse.

Another difference from Bostons is Sabo barks. Now, he's not a 'yapper', his barking is well within acceptable dog, personal, household, and neighborhood standards. OTOH Bostons rarely bark, and when they do it can sound like Cinnamon's silly duck quakes. In fact, people would sometimes ask if Cinnamon was mute. Flower wasn't much of a barker either... except when it came to those pesky meter readers and blimps.

So... what's wrong with Sabo?

Not a lot. It seems he doesn't like toys. The mini-Frisbee was a one day amusement.

He has the habit, when playful, of giving me what are called "play bites"... where he puts his teeth around my hand, but doesn't bite down at all. In fact, he did that when I visited him in doggy-prison. All dogs go through this stage, and I'm cool with it... but most people are not. I don't need someone getting confused and claiming my dog bit them.

I haven't been eating around him much, and he hasn't been in the kitchen while food was being prepared very often. Those few times he's been pretty damn good... but I'm sure at some point we're going to have to review his "no begging" lessons. AFAIK this is also true of all young dogs.

(Cinnamon, like usual, actually figured out a loophole in her "no eyeballing" people while eating rule... she'd come sit right in front of you, but face the other way)

None of those things are big problems. But, he also 'resource guards', and doesn't always act appropriately with strangers. From his doggy-prison rap sheet:

Both Flower and Cinnamon were great with kids. So why no children with Sabo? It's because of this 'resource guarding' and 'shy dog' behavior that the trainers at the pound warned me about. More from his doggy-prison "permanent record":

Well, we're going to repeat a couple of the dog parks from last weekend.

It was such a trip discovering these nearby dog parks that I looked up regular parks on the interwebs. It turns out there are eleven other pocket parks right here in our 'hood, all of which are open to dogs on a leash. In fact, I was pretty surprised to learn you can still drink alcohol in six of them (From 8am to 8pm. I'm not a 'park drinker' and will be driving, so I won't be partaking myself). We're going to go on a quick tour of all these pocket parks.

The highlight for Sabo will surely be his first hike... on over to Bear Park. Which, while it doesn't have any bears, is the mother of all natural canyon parks... again where leashed dogs are welcome.

The highlight for me will be taking him to his first IWW meeting. My fellow workers will appreciate his name, Sabo-doggy... as our union's famous mascot is a cartoon cat named Sabo-tabby:

So, how did Sabo's weekend adventures go?

Well, just like last weekend it was hot... well into the 80s. I had to run the A/C with my new buddy riding along with me. However, last weekend, when outside at the dog parks and beaches, there was a strong and steady cool and very refreshing onshore from the south. Pretty much the perfect last-days-of-winter day. In fact down at OTL Island and Dog Beach there was a butterfly migration taking place, which are always pretty cool. Millions of butterfly, which Sabo ignored (Cinnamon would have been fascinated by it).

This weekend there was still a nice breeze, but not nearly enough.

I noticed that a few of the community parks were on side canyons off of Bear Park Canyon, and a few others were on side canyons off of Owl Canyon. Owl Canyon, which actually has native owls, is notably the home of the other natural canyon park that bookend the Sabo'hood: Owl Canyon Park (also on-leash only).

So, because of the heat, we changed our plans up a little. We went to eleven of community parks, Bear Canyon Park, and Owl Canyon Park. But instead of a long hike on the main trails of Bear Canyon Park, we took two shorter hikes on some of the side canyon trails in each of two canyon parks.

Sabo got ragged on for his pink harness... he didn't seem to mind.

We broke it up in the middle of the day, to escape the high sun... by spending the afternoon at the local dive, followed by naps. Sabo got a lotta ribbing from the bar regs for having a girly pink harness on now (instead of the manly red collar he used to style). Hey, blame Petco, that's what they had in a "small"... not my fault.

And, speaking of the local dive, we ran into bartender "K" out at one of the parks. She hadn't met Sabo yet... he made a good first impression.

Sabo was sabo-tastic all day long, and fun was had by all !!!1!

The neighborhood parks were all very nice, and most were pretty busy.

It was another little league day at the one sometimes off-leash neighborhood park. At a different park it was softball signups, and the girls had a whole tent-city jamboree thingee going with a grill and everything. Another park had a game of adult kick-ball underway... the keg was at 2nd base, and you had to play holding the red Solo cup.

The lawns and grounds were all very nice, all had playgrounds and picnic tables. Most had parking, restrooms, athletic fields/courts, three were staffed Rec Centers with gyms and meeting rooms. And I misspoke when I called them pocket parks, they range from 3-13 acres.

Once again, it was also a trip to go down the back roads and side canyons of the Sabo'hood and rediscover the old shortcuts, while remembering those odd tiny strip-malls tucked away in odd places that I would never have any reason to go to.

How was Sabo's big debut?

Sunday, taking the advice of my FW "M", I left Sabo at home for the union meeting. We didn't know if the venue was dog friendly. So Sabo's union debut will have to until April. His new name was appreciated, however, when I shared it during "Good and Welfare".

I also had an interesting conversation at the local dive this weekend. A reg, who I don't remember really talking to before, came over to say hello to Sabo. Ofc, he asked what the dogs name was. Then he asked me, like as in "sabotage". Yep. Did you know the word comes from "sabot", wooden shoes? Yep. So you know about the whole "throwing wooden shoes into the machinery" story then? Yep. I then asked him if he had ever heard of Sabo-tabby. He said "sure". Ofc, I told him that's my union's mascot. He finished saying hello to Sabo with a "Cool dog, cool name".



However, I couldn't have taken Sabo anyways. I didn't realize it until Monday, but some tweeker-type stole my glasses and Sabo's leash.

So, is it a three day weekend if St. Patrick's Day falls on a Monday?

No.

I usually avoid amateur days at the bars... especially St.P, Cinco, Halloween, and News Year's Eve. St.P day isn't a good day to drive either... last year, going to a union BBQ, I got rear-ended on the freeway and shoved into the car in front. Everyone was sober, and luckily, nobody was hurt.

I was, however, brave enough to go to the sun glass store, and Petco. I got Sabo a pink turbo-leash, to match his pink harness. Also I got a three pack of mini squeak balls... which Sabo also doesn't seem to care about.

$18 Pink Turbo-leash
$5 3x Mini Squeak Balls

Is it a three day weekend if an equinox falls on Friday?

Yes, of course. The same goes for the solstices.

Well, we're going to repeat a couple of the dog parks from Dog Park Weekend (two weeks ago). We're going to a couple of the community parks we missed on People Park Weekend (last Saturday). But the big theme for this weekend is Sabo goes to school !!!1!

There's a 2-year college (25k students) in the Sabo'hood. There are also a dozen or so public schools, whose fields are open to the public on evenings and weekends. All on-leash, of course.

And the highlight for Sabo will surely be our hike of the power line r/w, which passes through the Sabo'hood, between Owl and Bear Park canyons. Or at least the non fenced parts. And since this r/w is not technically open to the public, I figure I'll just double down and let Sabo walk it off-leash too.

Arrgghh @ ATT UVerse

That's how Sabo is going to spend the first three days of spring. Of course, Sabo is a Padres/Petco dog, and this year MLB is starting on the actual first day of spring too... in Sydney, AU.

Because of the time difference and/or date-line, that'all be 1 am here. And now I'm back to the arrgghh at ATT UVerse... they got all the channels I care about in their base package... except the MLB network. And whose showing the first two games in AU? Yep... the MLB network. Normally I'd just take Sabo to the bar... but the bars close at 2am.

Arrghh !!!1!

Oops, I had another 'accident'. Once again I forgot to change SNs. Accident score so far: MissileDog (the blogger) 2, Sabo (the dog) 0.

For the first three days of spring, the weather had cooled down to the low 70s, there was a cool breeze, and the mornings were overcast. Perfect weather for a hike !!!1! It got sunny and warmer later in the afternoon, so me & Sabo retreated daily to shade and A/C of our local dive bar.

I took Sabo to the leash-free park in the Sabo'hood for the third straight weekend. This time I could finally unleash the beast !!!1! The leash-free hours at this park are somewhat arcane, and not compiled into any one list (until now, below). Sabo also went back to the same community park dog run where he met the lazy greyhound two weeks ago. In fact, the lazy greyhound was there again... and his owner remembered Sabo's speed.

Updated score: Sabo 2, greyhound 0.

Daily	Morning	Evening
Sep-May	7:30-10:00	4:30-7:00
Jun-Aug	7:30-9:30	5:00-7:30
Except...	Morning	Evening
Sat Mar-May	(none)	4:30-7:00
Sat 6-7,14	(none)	5:00-7:30
Fri 7-4	(none)	(none)

Last weekend I went by the list in the Parks & Rec flyer for the Sabo'hood. But that list left out three parks in the Sabo'hood, and included one that isn't. We went to all four of those parks. We also repeated about half of last week's community parks, as they were adjacent to the school yards.

Two of these omitted parks are natural parks... and it turns out they are technically not the Alpha Ave Park, and Beta Blvd Park, but are officially the Alpha Ave, and Beta Blvd, Trailheads into Owl Canyon Park. Regardless, they are both considered distinct parks to Sabo'hood locals. They are park sized, street level, and street fronted areas, one with a dedicated parking lot, right in the midst of the Sabo'hood... not down into the canyon itself.

Sabo enjoyed all the parks, regardless of what they're called.

Sabo gets a bone

We also went to the community park listed in that flyer that isn't actually in the Sabo'hood at all. And not only because it's has nice lawns, and the back way in us up five flight of stairs (Sabo loves stairs). There's a street front BBQ place right near there, that has this big "Dog Friendly" sign.

I was wondered... how does that works? AFAIK, in Cali, if you gotta kitchen, you can't have the dogs inside. Well it turns out they gotta back patio, accessed through the signed and paw-printed grand dog entrance off of a side street. Each of the tables had a water bowl down. And every doggy got a free bone. The place was packed with people and their dogs !!!1!

One dog looked just like Sabo's big brother... he the same general doggy body style, and even had Sabo's distinctive two-tone grey & black coat working. Of course, that would have to be Sabo's really, really, really big brother... as this other dog was 160 lbs.

Sabo took his new bone home.

Which didn't really go the way I planned.

Back in the Flower era, the School front lawns, dirt fields, and outdoor courts were, by policy, open to the public as recreational spaces when school wasn't in session. Today all the fields and courts are locked up tight, and about half of the front lawns were posted "no dogs".

Only one of the dog OK schools schools had a lawn any larger than the Sabotat. But that one was quite a bit larger, and very nice. It even had a garden area with a park bench dedicated to a late teacher.

Sabo and me enjoyed a rest and some water there.

And here is where Sabo & me had our first brush with the police. And our second.



Yep.

Cinnamon never got to hike the power-line... but Flower & me did. I'm going to save this story until I get around to telling Flower stories so I can do a little then -and- now comparison.

Flower didn't care about MLB. Cinnamon was a Dodger dog, and no I don't mean the hot dog. She grew up in the San Fernando Valley. Ironically she was old school Padres brown. But Sabo is a Padres dog.

He wasn't happy missing the opening game. The best I could do, was put Vince Sculley on the radio. But seriously, even a Padres dog would agree that Vinny is the greatest of all time sports announce, and it ain't even close (note: spelled all the way for emphasis). The fact that Vinny is still calling the games, and travelling all the way to AU, especially this year after the passing of Jerry Coleman... that's actually a pretty damn good "best I could do".

Of course, ATT should have just included MLB Network in their package.

Arrgghh @ ATT Uverse !!!1!

Later that day (Sabo time), or the next day (AU time), we just went back on down to the local dive and watched the Dodgers start the year 2-0. Sabo wasn't happy about that either.

All I gotta say is... wait 'till next week !!!1!

Updated my post. Yep, its been a whole month now that Sabo's been Sabo !!!1!

So how's Sabo adjusting to his new home? I'd give him a B++... only because I can't give him an A, as he can't yet be called a "good dog" like Flower and Cinnamon.

Sabo has done only three bad things his first month, and they were all within his first 10 days or so. As mentioned, he ate my shorts. He has also snapped twice. Once at nice the lady in back of Sabotat the first time he got over there, when she went to pick him up to hand him over the fence. Which was a PITA, as that meant I had to drag my sorry butt over that fence. The other snap was at me, while Sabo was 'resource guarding' a 'rawhide'.

The first two seem like completely isolated incidents. He hasn't chewed on anything else at all, or shown any other aggression while being handled by strangers... including the pregnant lady across the street, randoms at the dog park, and drunken idiots at the bar examining his paws and teeth.

Regardless, half of Operation Sabo Training is directed at him being comfortable around strangers. The other half is all about confronting his 'resource guarding'. So far, in just two weeks, Sabo is making truly amazing progress in this training.

In fact, it's time to add a third project to Operation Sabo Training. I'm considering "shake", "roll over" (which he already knows, I just don't know his command word), playing fetch, or "up"... as in jumping up into my arms. He already tries to do the last one by himself at the dog parks, occasionally, when he's confronted by a big dog he doesn't care to deal with.

Of course, I really should be crate training him, if I really want him to be able to fly later on. The "dog whispers" types say that should always be the first thing... and this time I can understand and agree with them.

I went back Petco a fourth time, to once again check if the doggy tickets to the Dog Day of Summer are available yet. Every year it's a damn secret it seems, and it sells out immediately. No yet, I was told. Also, Sabo's bag of dog rocks broke again. So far this "free dog" has cost me...

Dog w/microchip (free), Vet care (free so far)

Turbo Leash $36 (2x, one stolen), Collar (hand me down from Cinnamon), Harness $13, MLB tag $12, License tag (free through 5yo), Ole'#8 nest (saved from recycling), Bowls (saved from recycling).

Dog Rocks $28 (x3), 'Rawhides' $14 (x3), Dog Treats $5, Chew bone (free).

Mini-Frisbee Toy $10, Stuffed/Squeak Toy $6, Rope Toy $3, full size Tennis Ball (found), mini-Tennis Balls $5 (x3).

Old pair of shorts (ate)

Breaking News !!!1!



Sabo attacked the meter reader, and made his first kill... he's going back to the pound this weekend !!!1!



Actually today was Sabo's first meter reading day. And meter reader day was always a big day in Flowers life.

Flower wasn't much of a barker, but blimps and strangers coming into her yard would set her off. And the only strangers that would routinely come in the yard were the meter readers and pole climbers.

Now she was a good dog, and that once or twice a month she would retreat to the farthest corner of the yard... and bark until sunset. The meter readers even had her listed as a "chicken" in their permanent record... unlike her mom Buttons, who was listed as "aggressive".

Well times have changed.

It turns out that their aren't any meter readers at all any more, and nobody needs to climb that pole unless something breaks.

There's not much to break. SDGE's never had any gear up there. ATT removed all their gear during the roll-out of UVerse. And TWC, who still has crap hanging up there, only drops to four houses, one of which is empty, and at least one of which will forever remain dormant (mine, I hate TWC).

SDGE still needs access for emergencies, but they're sending me two free dual-key locks to secure the gates. ATT & TWC will then have to schedule. And the address is now flagged as having a dog.

So what did Sabo kill?

Nothing, just kidding again.

The centerpiece of the Sabotat is a bird bath. Sabo found a dead hummingbird beside it. I told him to "drop it"... and he did. Pretty good progress in two weeks, IMO.

So, he's not really going back to the pound, is he?

That part is true.

The pound has asked twice for an email follow-up report back on Sabo. I'm getting a car worked on two blocks away, and Sabo & me will have all day to kill. I figure instead of an email... Sabo & me can make a personal follow-up report instead.

So, is it a three day weekend if it's your MLB team's home opener?

Only in Cincinnati.

Traditionally, opening day was always Monday, and only the Cincinnati and DC would host games. The Reds game would always start earlier, to honor Cincinnati as the birthplace of professional baseball. In Cincinnati opening day was a city holiday.

I've been to Cincinnati, and gone to opening day... but it was hardly a holiday for me.

First of all, it ain't a business holiday, and I was there on a business trip. I was working in some factory. A factory with a scorch'in hot company nurse, and a big boss who took the day of because he had killer seats to the game.

That game rained out. Even a big boss can't take two days off like that. The opponent was Sabo's Padres. And thus, the grateful vendors from San Diego were gifted the rain check tickets.

Before we went into the game, we had dinner at some funky little joint right next to old Riverfront Stadium. Then we enjoyed the game in those killer seats. I get up to get a beer, and who should I run into... three of my core buddies from my crew in the Sabo'hood... who were driving through town on vacation that day... and decided on whim to catch the game.

So... off we go to do the riverfront bars and the KY strip after the game. At the first bar the worst food poisoning I've ever had, from that pre-game meal, starts to hit... and everything wants to come out of both ends, all at the same time. Which my boys thought was hilarious, and were just loving it now. Because, as I ain't drinking anymore, I get to be the designated driver.

I was still sick as a dog the next day in the factory... and all the factory workers could say is (a) boys from Cali can't hold their liquor, and (b) I'm just faking it to see the scorch'en hot company nurse. Who I did go see, I ain't stupid.

Well... is it a three day weekend if Chavez Day falls on a Monday?

Well, like duh.

Uh... what's the theme for Sabo's big adventures this weekend?

Well it is Sabo's Padres' home opener... so of course the theme is gonna be Padres !!!1!

Sabo goes to Spring Training !!!1!

So we'll be leaving the Sabo'hood and travelling all the way to a far away neighborhood called Linda Vista. There we'll visit their dog run, neighborhood parks, natural parks, and a Catholic college: USD.

What's that have to do with the Padres? Well, the highlight of the trip for Sabo will surely be when his Padre's play the Indians in the their last Cactus League pre-season game at USD's brand new baseball field.

Sabo Makes the Majors

The next day we'll be going downtown. There we'll visit San Diego's oldest park, dating from 1850. Pantoja Park is named after Spanish conquistador Don Juan Pantoja y Arriaga, who first charted San Diego Bay in 1782... and features a statue of Benito Juarez, a president of Mexico. Maybe Sabo can figure it out.

We'll also go to the new park near Seaport Village I've haven't been to yet, MLK Park, kissing tuna park, Horton Plaza (park & mall, Sabo's first mall !!!1!), the train station (Sabo's first train !!!1!), and the USS Midway (Sabo's first ship !!!1!). We'll also check out Freedom Plaza (nee SD Civic Center) and Children's Park, where I did a little urban camping, back in the OSD daze. And they gotta college to walk too: City College.

But the highlight for Sabo will surely be a visit to The Park at the Park at Petco Park, and a sniff at his shrine... the Tony Gwynn Sr statue. I've never had the honor of meeting the HOFer... but Tony Jr used to live down street, and we'd drink at the same bar. And then... what's Sabo's really been waiting for... the opening game itself: Sabo's Padres -vs- the hated Dodgers, at Petco Park. Dodgers suck !!!1!

And let me guess... I'm going to end up in the gift shop buying Sabo some more Padres gear. And I need a new light jacket for spring myself. Boy... these free dogs can sure end up costing a lot.

Sabo Drafts His Fantasy Baseball Team !!!1!

I figure I might as well let Sabo make my picks... he can't be any worse than me.

Anyways, it ain't a mechanic holiday, and Sabo's Padres, who are organized, have the holiday off.

The pound is a short walk, then it's over to Sabo's new favorite free bone BBQ place. There we plan on meeting up up with my brother-man, and Sabo's God-Uncle "B", and take Sabo on a couple of special little hikes.

The first hike is from "B"'s old house, that Cinnamon loved visiting, to the late great-grandparents house, which was Flower's other home, and where she lived the two years we were in MA. My Stand Alone hike, with my late brother "B", and Flower, was along this route. We didn't find any dead bodies, or whatever, just had an epic great time.

The trick is that where "B" used to live is new infill housing that didn't exist during the Flower era. It's going to take some exploring and hillside scrambling to get from here-to-there... if it can be done at all.

Sabo Marches, Celebrates Chavez Day !!!1!

The second hike is from Chicano Park, along Chavez Pkwy, to the BNSF freight yards (Sabo likes trains), then to the "Free Speech" area, then into Chavez Park.

Where on 2011-12-12 we were kettle'd, declared an unlawful assembly, and ordered to disperse into Chavez Park... which has no other exit, under threat of arrest. So... if we don't leave the "Free Speech" area, we'll be arrested for staying, but since we can't leave the park, we'll be arrested for not dispersing, anyways. Gotch'a

Actually they arrested the dude next to me, and a few others... then got bored, I guess, and let us go. It was raining pretty hard by then, maybe they were getting wet.