Goats are not the only animals that know how to get your goat – or test the boundaries of what they can get away with.

Sawyer and Phoebe are constantly pushing the limits.

Bed hog Sawyer/Ryn Gargulinski

One of Sawyer’s main goals in life is to see how many treats I will give him in a single day, or even a single hour. Another is to see how much bed he can hog before I jab at him with my toes.

Phoebe likes to see how far she can stray – or how long she can ignore me – before I get that irritated edge in my voice when I call her.

On Sunday’s horseback ride with the Pima County Sheriff’s Posse, I found horses are much like dogs. They can be your best friend – but only after they see what you’re made of.

Also like a canine, they know when you’re not giving them your full attention. This comes into play especially when you’re none too experienced on a horse and you’re busy playing with your notepad, camera and video.

Chapo in between testing sessions/Ryn Gargulinski

“Horses have the mentality of a 5-year-old kid,” said posse member Charlotte Krebs-Holtz. “They are mischievous. They’ll see what they can get away with.”

I was riding Chapo. He knew I was busy taking photos. He tested the boundaries.

While he did live up to his owner Colleen Leon’s boasting of being a gentle and people-loving equine, he was also annoyed that he didn’t get to lead. He wanted to be in front. He wanted to go a tad faster than slow motion.

Chapo did not do anything drastic – like throw me into a prickly pear patch – but he did make those annoyed snorting noises, which reminded me of Sawyer’s whining.

I switched over to Leon’s horse Othello, who was less concerned about leading and was happy just moseying along. I’m sure it helped I began to pay better attention.

I  just hope neither horse tests boundaries by hogging the bed.

What do you think?

How have your pets or other animals tested you?

Who wins the test? (haha).

Sawyer is a popular poem subject/Ryn Gargulinski

Whether you have a lazy dog or a conniving cat, there is no better way to immortalize your pet than with a poem in his or her honor.

And you’re never too young to start.

The third annual Paws for Poetry Contest is open to kids ages 5 to 12. Kids write a poem to and provide a photo of their pet for a chance to win the grand prize of a $50 Amazon.com gift card or a runner up $25 gift card.

The contest is co-sponsored by the virtual field trip website Meet Me at the Corner and Flashlight Press.

Get full details and submission address at PawsforPoetry.org.

Submission deadline is April 15, 2010, smack dab in the middle of National Poetry Month.

Sawyer Says: Go for it.

Even if you’re bit older than age 12, you can still write an ode to your hamster or a sonnet to your snake. Gads of poetry websites, anthologies and the like are often open to submissions. Or you can simply write it for your own pleasure.

As you may have guessed from the 7 million photos I have of my own pets that I have a few poems about them, too.

I’ll spare you the odes to my goats, but will instead share a poem written about Sawyer, since this is, after all, his blog.

FENCE

Sawyer the indecisive hound/Ryn Gargulinski

To Sawyer

my dog wants
whatever he
cannot have he stays in he
wants out he goes out he
wants in give him liver he
wants beef he gets chicken he
wants cheese he whines and
paws and pines for the
unattainable – a trait that makes him
so bothersome – and human.

-Ryn Gargulinski, 2007

What do you think?

Have you written any pet or animal poems? Feel free to share them below.

Do you have any favorite animal poems by other authors?

What’s the strangest thing you ever wrote a poem about?
(I once wrote an ode to Neosporin when it magically healed a cut.)

Who gives a hoot about the stereo or TV if someone breaks into your home and steals your dogs?

Skippy and Gizmo/submitted photo

Such was the case in Oro Valley when burglars took off with Skippy and Gizmo, two purebred Yorkshire terriers.

Oro Valley police have no leads on the Feb. 19 burglary, which also included unspecified electronics. We don’t know if any stereo or TV was involved, but we do know the thief or thieves also stole the pooches’ two dog carriers.

Skippy, age 6, is black and tan and weighs around 4 pounds while Gizmo, no age given, is salt and pepper and about 8 pounds.

The pet carriers are navy blue with soft polyester sides and measure 20 inches high by 18 inches wide by 23.5 inches deep.

The Animal Cruelty Task Force is helping to spread the word on this theft with a news release that notes the following:

It is possible that someone in southern Arizona knows of the whereabouts of these dogs without realizing it. Often stolen animals will simply materialize in a new home overnight with little or no explanation. If you happen to know anyone who happened upon two Yorkshire Terriers in crates like those described above, please contact 88-CRIME, an anonymous tip-line run by the Pima County Attorney’s Office. Tipsters have three options for reporting information anonymously:

Talk: 882-7463. (Collect calls accepted.)
Text: 274637, enter “Tip 259” plus text message
Visit: www.88crime.org

Sawyer Says: Nab them.

What do you think?

What would you do if someone stole your pet?

The most glorious gleam I ever saw in someone’s eye is when a fellow riverbed dog-walker described how she just killed a rattlesnake.

Rattlesnakes sans fangs are used in training/Ryn Gargulinski

She smashed in its head with a rock, she said, a big rock. A very big rock. Smashed it numerous times. Did I want to go see?

“If you grew up in Arizona,” a native told me, “you know what a thrill it is to kill a rattlesnake. Those things are a menace.”

Lots of things are menaces, but that doesn’t mean I go around killing them. Well, maybe cockroaches. And mosquitoes. And flies. Just the little things without too many guts.

Technically, rattlesnake season is every season in Tucson – one snake handler said for every one snake you see, there are 12 you don’t see. Now that it’s warming up, more snakes will be coming out to play.

At least 150 people are bitten by rattlesnakes in Arizona every year, according to statistics from the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy. We can cut down our odds, and those of our pets, with a few nifty tips.

Phoebe with snake trainer Web Parton refusing to go near snake/Ryn Gargulinski

Be observant. Catching a snake off-guard by accidentally stepping on it is a surefire way to get bit. Rattlesnakes dig sunning themselves on rocks or hanging out in wood or rock piles. They also like to hide in tall grass off the beaten path, preferably where your dogs enjoy romping.

Get your dog trained. The Humane Society of Southern Arizona is one place you can go to get your dogs trained to avoid the rattlesnake. Sawyer and Phoebe both went and, while they did not enjoy the shock collar used in training, I told them we’d all enjoy it much less if they were ever bit by a rattlesnake.

Rattlesnake avoidance training at the Humane Society costs $70 per dog for a 2.5 hour class. Classes run through spring and summer at 5 and 7:30 p.m. on Fridays. Dogs 10 months to 10 years eligible. Upcoming dates include March 12 and 26, April 2 and 16. Register online at hssaz.org or call 321-2704 ext. 147.

Veterinarians say the cost to treat a snake bite can easily top $1,000.

Even though Phoebe has twice alerted us to rattlesnakes after her training, it’s still a good idea to keep dogs leashed and out of heavy rattlesnake zones.

Be smart. Don’t go sticking your hand in holes or stepping where you can’t see the ground. But even the most careful walkers have a chance of getting bit – like my friend who has since recovered but nearly lost her leg. Another rule is to always wear long pants, boots and carry your cell phone and a stick to poke around when out in rattlesnake territory. Yes, walk loudly and carry a big stick – or go ahead, grab that rock.

Rattlesnake bites are best treated at the hospital or vet, depending on your species.

Sawyer's "I'm staying away from snakes" face with Web Parton/Ryn Gargulinski

What do you think?

Have you ever smashed in a rattlesnake’s head?

Have you or your pets ever been bit?

Birds as pets never seemed too enthralling.

They squawk wildly, spew seeds and leave watery waste in their swooping wake.

Besides, my mom had a childhood pet parakeet that got loose in the house and then landed in a red-hot frying pan.

But one cool bird changed my mind, at least for a few minutes, when he helped the cashier at Petland ring up my Lazlo mice order.

Senegal Senegal with Gericke at Petland/Ryn Gargulinski

Meet the bird, simply called “Senegal Senegal” – since he happens to be a Senegal parrot – and Petland employee Gericke.

The two have struck up quite a fine relationship.

Senegal Senegal with Gericke at Petland/Ryn Gargulinski

Senegal parrots are quiet compared to other parrots, but they may let out a blood-curdling shriek if they get riled, according to the Parrot Parrot website.

Sengals are good at mimicking sounds, but not really experts at talking – unless you like slurred words. The site said they make excellent pets, as long as they are acclimated to a variety of surroundings while they are young.

Otherwise they may develop phobias later in life. Wonder if Senegal Senegal would be phobic of Sawyer or Phoebe?

Senegal parrot at Tucson Petland/Ryn Gargulinski

These parrots like to climb, hang upside down and sleep at least 10 hours each day. They generally eat seeds, fresh veggies, grains, fruit and figs. Make sure they eat a wide variety, also while young, or they can even develop food phobias.

Wonder if he’d be scared of things in frying pans?

Senegal parrot at Tucson Petland/Ryn Gargulinski

What do you think?

Are you a fan of birds as pets?

Have you had a pet bird?

Do you have any pet bird horror stories?

As disgusting or seemingly cruel as some may say live food can be, Lazlo’s gotta eat.

Lazlo file photo/Ryn Gargulinski

Being a skink, he likes to eat mice.

We tried the meal worm diet for some time but he tired of it and began to just sit there at feeding time. I’m none too fond of meal worms, so I’m not really crying over his loss of interest in them. But I was getting concerned about his lack of eating.

I brought my worries to our very own reptile authority, loyal reader AZMouse, who told me try a mouse or two for big bad Laz.

While she recommended a “hopper,” or a baby that has just started hopping about, some pet stores only stock the newborn pinkies or the full-fledged adults.

Lazlo got a pinkie. Check out his dining experience in the video below or on YouTube.

Note: Video quality suffers due to the high compression necessary to view video on this site.

Click HERE to check out the video on YouTube for a cleaner viewing experience

Music courtesy of Heithaus Productions. Thanks, Eric!

Rodents as food terminology:

Feeder mouse, feeder rat – mouse sold as food for larger animals
Pinkie – newborn, pink and squirmy rodent
Fuzzy – newborn who is already growing a bit of fur
Hopper – youngster who is already hopping about
Top of the list is the full size mouse or rat, feeder rats often sold as small, medium and large. Full-size rodents can, in fact, attack your reptile unless the reptile is quick enough or you stun the rodent first.

What do you think?

Do you have to feed any of your pets live food? What?

Do you hate meal worms as much as me and Lazlo do?

A walk down our midtown neighborhood path stopped us in our tracks the other day.

TC file photo as I didn't have my camera ready on the stalking day

Sawyer and Phoebe stopped first and began to growl. Their growls were aimed at a young coyote relaxed in the ditch, a mere few feet from the nearest backyard.

The coyote was cool, calm, collected and barely blinked – even when the growling began.

Once leash lunging kicked in, however, the coyote stood up slowly and moved equally as slowly down the path in front of us.

We see coyotes quite frequently around the Rillito riverbed. But this one was smack dab in the middle of the subdivision. And he didn’t run away.

The first thought, of course, was rabies.

But the coyote’s eyes were clear and no foam was frothing from his mouth. His coat was rather clean, not matted and mangy. He wasn’t acting aggressively – but incredibly calm.

Sign in parking lot at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum/Ryn Gargulinski

He must have been a decoy.

The coyote continued down the path in front of us towards the riverbed, looking back every so often to make sure we were following. Once he hit the riverbed, he scooted off into the brush – probably to tell the pack, sorry guys, his mission this time was a bust.

Coyote lore says one will act as a decoy to get pets or other animals to come play with it. Once the other animal is wholly engaged in the play, the coyote will run off, getting the animal to follow.

The poor saps that follow then soon find themselves surrounded by a whole pack of coyotes, as the decoy brings them home for dinner.

Another ploy is for one coyote to distract a pet while another one – or several – circles around from behind for the kill.

What do you think?

Have you seen coyotes play the decoy games?

Do you ever see coyotes in your neighborhood?

The dog named River that lived in the Rillito riverbed since November has a new place to call home.

These signs are no longer needed/Ryn Gargulinski

She has been rescued, is safe and is living it up in style. We’re sure anything is stylish after spending about four months in a muddy and dusty riverbed.

No more Vienna sausages out of a cold, dusty dish for her.

River spottings by Sawyer, Phoebe and others became more common within the last month or so.

While River would skedaddle when she saw Sawyer and Phoebe coming, she started warming up to a woman named Danielle and the woman’s dog, Duet.

The first time we saw River carousing with Danielle and Duet, we were amazed. Not only was River hanging out with Duet – although she continued to shun Sawyer and Phoebe – but River was actually eating out of Danielle’s hand.

River then became friendly with other folks and dogs – yet kept a wary eye on us – until she was rescued last weekend.

The Rescuing River blog does not say how River was finally convinced to go from the riverbed to a home with a dog bed – or where that new home is – but it does give lots of thanks to Danielle, Duet, all others who befriended and helped the pooch and especially Marc Hammond of the Tucson wildlife rescue organization Animal Experts.

River’s agenda includes a visit to the vet, with a blog post thanking Dr. Cohen and Catalina Pet Hospital and mentioning a donation fund is being set up to help with River’s vet bills. For more info, e-mail Angelboo@aol.com.

Check out the Rescuing River blog by clicking HERE.

Sawyer Says: Yaay! We love a happy ending. Now can I have a treat?
What do you think?

What’s the longest it’s taken you to rescue an animal?

We’re you giving up on the River rescue?

Every pet needs a place to call their personal own. Sawyer’s just happens to be the entire house.

Phoebe in her beloved igloo/Ryn Gargulinski

Phoebe, she digs her igloo.

Many dog owners say igloo dog houses have been the biggest waste of money they ever spent. A bigger waste, even, than dog-friendly peanut butter flavored bubbles (which Sawyer didn’t even sniff at).

The igloo dog houses’ intentions are good, their construction is infallible and they hold up to being painted so they are less unsightly.

Yet many dogs won’t even go near them.

Because of this fact, we were able to score an igloo dog house at a neighborhood garage sale for the amazingly low price of $15. They retail anywhere from $90 and up.

Sawyer won’t have anything to do with it, but Phoebe nestles in it daily. Maybe it’s because it’s the one place Sawyer will leave her alone.

Phoebe thus highly recommends the igloo dog house – but not every pooch would agree.

Other dog house options include your dog’s favorite kennel crate topped with a blanket, a homemade box contraption made of chintzy wood that is probably drafty, or a customized doghouse by La Petite Maison.

No prices are listed on LaPetiteMaison.com, although the site does showcase their standard dog house fare.

“European style shutters and balconies complete the authentic Swiss architecture” of the Swiss chalet dog house.

The French chateau dog house, au contraire, features a copper roof, bay window and hardwood floors.

You can also opt for a personalized design, with your own choice of dog house wall paper, rugs and other accessories.

“For the family pet(s) that might feel overlooked, we also design customized dog houses.”

The site did not mention if you needed a mortgage for such dwellings, although we’re sure they run quite a bit higher than a used igloo’s $15.

Long live the igloo dog house/Ryn Gargulinski

What do you think?

Does your dog or cat have a cozy home to call their own or do they just take over your house?

Have you ever tried the dog igloo?

What other dog or cat houses have you tried and what were the results?

Would you get your pet a customized house that probably needs its own mortgage?

The terrible twosome’s wacky habits

Sawyer and vacuum/Ryn Gargulinski

Vacuums are tops when it comes to cleaning up after our pets. But many pets, like Sawyer, certainly don’t agree.

Sawyer barks, paws at and tries to attack the thing when it comes out every Wednesday to suck up a week’s worth of dog hair and debris. Phoebe simply runs in the other room or hightails it outside.

Saywer’s hatred of the vacuum most likely comes from one of three reasons:
It’s big, noisy and disrupts his naps.
It’s big, noisy and he thinks it’s a monster from which he must defend me.
It’s big, noisy and “eats” all the food he purposely and constantly spills all over the orange shag carpet.

In a dog training class at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona’s Companion for Life Center, the instructor told us how to make our dogs less adverse to the evil vacuum.

We are supposed to leave it out, unplugged, in the middle of the floor for days on end. Each time our pet goes near it, we should call the pet over and pet him. We should coo at him, coo at the vacuum and give the pet a treat.

We should keep up this training, to get our pet to see the vacuum is just a harmless yet practical tool, until he no longer hates it.

Then we should turn it on for short periods, each time getting the pet to come over, get a treat, and see the vacuum is not going to suck him up and send him into a black hole in outer space where there are no Beggin’ Strips.

I tried this sequence briefly.

Sawyer and his friend the vacuum/Ryn Gargulinski

I left the vacuum out, unplugged, in the middle of the floor for days on end.

We then tripped on it, got tangled in its cord and eventually put it away, wholly forgetting about the rest of the experiment.

Guess Sawyer will have to learn to live with the vacuum on his own. Or I’ll just have to learn to live with him barking at and attacking it.

Related note: The best vacuums for pet hair I’ve found are Bissell, which I initially bought because there’s a cute white dog on the box that kind of looks like Mr. Angel. Marketing at work.

Related note II: Sawyer also goes nuts and attacks the Swiffer mop, except the floor is wet beneath his paws and he often slides in mid-attack. When he does get close enough, he goes for the mop’s “jugular,” or the big bottle of cleaning fluid attached to the mop stem.

The terrible twosome’s wacky habits is a feature that highlights the strange habits of Ryn’s dogs Sawyer and Phoebe. If you have a strange pet habit to share, please e-mail to rynski@tucsoncitizen.com,

Sawyer thinks the vacuum will eat his food/Ryn Gargulinski

Haul from just the living room/Ryn Gargulinski

What do you think?

Does your pet like to attack vacuums and mops?

Has he ever eaten a feather duster?

What cleaning tools are essential for every household with a pet?

What brands are the best/worst for pet cleaning tools?