My quarterly Bob update.
He’s got a clean bill of health from the vet, which is good because I thought he was in trouble. Over the last week I noticed some disgusting discharge on his little weenie after he pees. So I made the vet appointment el pronto. Turns out that this is a common thing among young male dogs and most of the time they just work right through it. Anyway, they gave him a urinalysis and decided to put him on five days of antibiotics just in case. The most lasting quote I got from the vet was this: “his penis looks good.” Glad you like it, doc.
Weird vet visit in this climate. I wasn’t allowed to go in with him, they just came and picked up in the parking lot. I was a little bummed, because this was the first time we’ve been to this vet and I didn’t know what sort of patient he would be, but apparently he was a perfect little angel for them.
Of course, I also can’t afford this shit right now, but that’s another story.
Pics of Bob, just because:
In this one you can kinda check out his willie, if that’s what your into.
Happy Bob. - upon review I just noticed his winking too.
Holy shit. I just called the vet back because I neglected to ask if they weighed him. When I got him from the pound, if you recall, he was skinny as a rail - ribs showing - at that time they told me he was 55 pounds, but I think that might have been a little off for now he weighs 89 pounds!
Bob’s a beast!
He really is a big dog.
He’s looking good!
Go Bob!
There has been a detente, to an extent. Mort doesn’t come upstairs if Bob is loose, but we go down there pretty regularly. Bob likes to just sniff around and Mort keeps a sharp eye. There’s still an occasional swat at Bob for no good reason, but quite often I’m able to sit around with Mort in my lap and Bob sitting next to me as long as I keep everyone on an even keel.
Thanks for the Mort update. Sounds encouraging; and glad that he’s getting his lap time.
And glad, of course, that the Very Large Bob is also Happy Bob. Is he still growing?
Obligatory Bob Dog video (about 10 minutes long).
(His name, “Bob Dog” is only mentioned once that I can spot, at 5:08)
He looks wonderful and very happy. 
Awww Bob looks so happy :)
Bob’s got a new nick-name: Bobby Yard-Dog.
So yesterday was rainy all day so we got no walk in, and we got no playing in the back yard in. He was being an absolute terror today - just antsy and hyper and wanting to go out every ten seconds. We did get out for a nice long walk this morning and we did play in the yard this afternoon but he was still being a pest, so … YARD DOG. He actually loves it, apparently. I kick him out in the back yard and watch him for a little bit to make sure he doesn’t wrap his line around a tree and to see if he’ll pee, but I’ll just leave him out there for a while. He just sits in one place monitoring the yard. I can watch him from the kitchen window sometimes. Just calmly sitting in the middle of the yard, alert, head on swivel, nose working overtime, just making sure those fucking squirrels stay in their place.
A little while ago I yard-dogged him. He ran around doing zoomies for a few minutes and then parked himself and went into monitor mode. I can’t remember who suggested a dig box for Bob in this thread, but it dawned on me that I have two built in. They used to be garden boxes, but I never grew anything in them so I gave them to Bob. Here he is making sure they’re secure.
Then I totally forgot about the poor boy. For like a half hour I sat inside completely having slipped my mind that Bob was outside. I panicked and ran outside to see him lying calmly in the grass at the foot of the deck steps.
I see lots of yard-dog time in his future on nice sunny days like today has been.
He seems happy with his new ‘job’
Sometimes a dog just needs some time on his own.
Added benefit to Bobby’s Yard-Dog time. When he’s out there, Mort gets it. No dog upstairs? Yahtzee!
I was sitting here on the couch watch the TeeVee with Bobby Yard-Dog on alert (lying in the grass just off the deck) and up pops Mort right onto my chest. Startled the shit out of me. He’s lying the sunny window right now, so I think I’ll test Bob’s yard time limits and let Mort have a little upstairs holiday.
Here’s Mort
Sunnin’ Mort
Somehow, I don’t know how, I lost track of this thread. I’ve had a wonderful time catching up. I love in the last video how you tell Mort to sit after he’s already sat. Cat tricks.
And I still love Bob. He’s come a long way!
Sweet little video. Mort is a pretty boy.
Everytime I see Bob I’m amazed at how big he is.
Nice!
I’m glad things are going so well.
May I ask why you keep Bob on a line in the yard?
Because my yard isn’t fully fenced in. It’s open to my neighbors on my right and to the street. So if he feels like bolting there would be no stopping him. When I come home from a walk I usually drop the lead when we get to our yard and he’ll follow me inside, but that’s when he’s tired and thirsty and there’s an emergency lead I can lunge for if he decides to make a break for it.
I’m sure Bob and Mort think Covid19 is the best thing that has ever happened to them, since they have their pack 24/7. But how is the current relationship between them? I’m hoping they’ll become BFFs at some point-that’s what happened with my dog and cat, even though they got off to a rocky start. Any hope for Bob & Mort’s relationship?
It’s a complicated relationship. Bob desperately wants wants nothing more than to play with Mort. Mort desperately wants nothing to do with Bob. Here’s how it usually works. I open the basement door and have Bob sit and wait until I go to the bottom of the stair and urge him to calmly come down. At this point he sprints down the stairs whining the whole way right into the room where Mort usually hangs - where his food is. Then they generally come nose to nose, Bob sniffs at him, ears relaxed, occasional whine, and then Mort hisses and swats his nose. Bob doesn’t really enjoy that but he’s not entirely swayed by it either. He’ll sometimes take off to sniff out the rest of the basement. Then I tell Mort to be nice and pet him until I get him going on a nice purr. Then I call Bob back and get them right next to each other while I continue to soothe Mort. That is the golden moment. They will usually just stay there and deal with the moment and as soon as I get up to leave them to their own devices, they both remain calm, but Mort would still prefer to be left alone.
Most of the time I’ll leave the basement door wide open for a while and let Bob go down or Mort come up whenever they want. Which means Bob goes down stairs, sniffs around, bothers Mort, sniff around a little more, and then he’ll come upstairs on his own. I have Mort’s litter box secured so Mort can get at it but Bob can’t so I don’t have to worry about turd-eating but I do have to worry about Mort’s food, which Bob will happily scarf down.
Detente. A cooling. No more bloody finger bites. No more petrified chases through the house. But I’m desperate for them both to be calm enough around each other so we can all enjoy the couch at the same time without a cage match breaking out.