Today we went to pick up Taco from the dog trainer that he’s been working with for three months now. It was midday when the trainer put him through his paces to demonstrate Taco’s ability to perform various commands such as sit, down, stay, etc. Except for Taco’s tendency to crawl when he’s put into the down position, he seemed to be listening and responding to the trainer appropriately. The trainer didn’t run Taco though the agility course since the heat was so strong and we were satisfied with what we saw.

We put Taco in the car and drove back home. Taco was rather excited for about half an hour when he first go in the car. At first he wanted to look out the window and I had to keep on making him sit on the floor. Every so often he’d jump up again and I’d have to put him into the sit position again. Taco finally decided to lay down once we were almost home.

When we got home, we let the two dogs – Taco and Tiger – get reacquainted. They started off very cautious of each other with the hair on the back of their necks standing up. Their tails were wagging as they sniffed each other and eventually they started to play. They ran around the yard until they were both panting from running around in the heat, but they were still too excited to stop playing for long. It’s good to see that the two of them are getting along because Taco is no longer a puppy and will have to spend his days outside with Tiger from now on.

We visited Taco briefly this Saturday since it’s the end of the month and time to pay the trainer his monthly dog training fee. Also, I’ll be leaving to go to Europe for a month next week and I want to see the little guy once more people I go.

There were quite a few people at the dog training facility since it was the weekend and many other families were their to visit their dogs and see how they are improving. There were at least five other groups there and they were all dealing with a different trainer. I had never seen the place so crowded since we usually go there earlier in the day or on a weekday when we are the only ones there.

The trainer put Taco through his paces to demonstrate his progress before bringing him to us. It seems that Taco has picked up some basic commands in his two months, but is having trouble staying focused so he’ll often break from his position rather quickly. However, the trainer said that this is typical of his age and his breed. He says beagles tend to be stubborn and need a lot of work before they will listen consistently. Great! Well, he has one more month to drill these commands into Taco’s brain before we get him back and then it’ll be up to us.

I was actually got knocked out by my own dog yesterday. It was a complete accident so it’s not something that could have been anticipated beforehand. The entire event was actually quite dangerous and I will be taking precautions to avoid such anything of the sort in the future.

Tiger has definitely lived up to her namesake this time, not only because of her color, but also in her wild behavior. Despite the doggie bootcamp she went through, she continues to be a handful. My dad has taken to leaving a long lead on Tiger’s collar, on the suggestion of the dog trainer, so that she is easily caught when needed. Tiger has a history of playing a game of chase when you call her and it can be quite tiresome seeing as she can run circles around you.

So, before we opened the gate to pull the car out of the yard, we took Tiger’s lead and tied her up temporarily. As I was walking down the steps from the top of the landing, Tiger zoomed past me on my right and I was caught by her lead rope. I was effectively taken down, not unlike Goliath in the David and Goliath story, as my legs were pulled out from under me. Unfortunately for me, as my body angled to the right, the side of my head hit a rather solid cement pole. I feel down a few steps before my flight came to an end.

Rather worse for wear, I sat up with a throbbing pain in my head and immediately grabbed my head between both of my hands in an effort to make it stop. It didn’t really help, so I started crying. I had a large bump on the right side of my head and for the next hour or so kept ice on it to reduce the blood pressure and keep the swelling down. After that, I spent the rest of the afternoon nursing my wounds and relaxing in bed. Since I didn’t have any nausea or dizziness, we opted not to go to the hospital and simply keep an eye on the head injury for the next day or two.

So far, I have given Tiger a wider berth whenever she is tied up and have also chosen a stop away from the stairs to tether her when we need to open the gate. I really can’t blame the dog for causing my injuries as it is my own inattention that allowed the accident to occur in the first place. I will learn from this very big mistake and I am glad that the outcome wasn’t any worse that a few scrapes and a tender head.

So Taco was a little late for his second rabies shot and heartworm shot. He was supposed to go the first week of January but since I came back in the middle of January, we all forgot. We went to the vet and he was a wonderful puppy in the car. He mostly sat in the back seat and after a little bit laid down.

At the vets, Taco was put on the scale and he weighed a whopping 8.9 kgs. He hadn’t been to the vet for a few months and it was a big increase from last time. He’s not overweight though, just growing. He’s actually a little on the slender side. Taco’s not a big eater and is picky about his food. He prefers it when I put some of the Pedigree puppy soft food on top of his dry dog food. Right now he’s on Science Diet puppy food, although normally he’s on Eukanuba puppy food.

The vet had a few beagle puppies herself because her pair of beagles just had 5 puppies in early December. I saw one tricolor female. There were 3 puppies that were two colors, like their mother. I didn’t really want to take a look because I was afraid that I’d make me want to get another beagle, but the vet’s 5 year old son cared the one puppy over for me.

Also at the vet’s was a pug puppy. He was so small compared to Taco and not afraid of him at all. The pug was named James and his owner thought that Taco would get annoyed at the little pug taunting him to play. Taco was really good with the puppy and mostly just watched, although they did start to chase each other a bit. He seemed cautious of the smaller puppy, but very interested in what James was doing.

When we got back home, Taco was pretty pooped from all his adventures that morning. He quickly fell asleep and napped the rest of the afternoon.

Well, being back in California for the holidays has been wonderful, but my bank account is begging for mercy. It didn’t help when I arrived and I saw that my 10 year old English Cocker Spaniel needed to visit the vet for a dental cleaning. Now it might seem a bit extreme to spend $300 on your dogs teeth, but really this dog has already cost me so much money it’s a drop in the bucket. Let’s do a tally.

Cost of puppy: 5,500 baht ~close to $220

Cost of airfare to US from Thailand: 20,000 baht ~$500 (included crate, air travel, vet exams, etc.)

Cost of biannual dental cleaning: $1,100 (3 visits)

Grand Total: $1720 and that doesn’t even include dog license fees, annual dog vaccinations and dog food

Why spend the money? Well, this particular dog has been with me since I was 16 years old. I bought him at Chatuchak market one Saturday with my dad. He was the most adorable puppy with long, silky ears and a stubby tail. I named him Rusty for his dark buff fur and he was a great lapdog. When I left for college in the states, he climbed into my suitcase repeatedly and wondered why I wasn’t packing his stuff too. When we put my suitcases in the back of the truck, he jumped in with the luggage. In the end, we had to put Rusty in the house as I drove away.

It was over a year until Rust came to America. One of my cousins went for the summer and I sent an airline approved dog carrier with her. She came back with Rusty a few months later, although he looked a bit worse for wear after spending 20 plus hours in that crate. He seemed very confused at his new surroundings, but when he saw me his stubby tail and entire back end started wagging. We cleaned him up as soon as we got to our house and Rusty has been living with my aunt and cousins ever since.

Now I was living in college apartments where dogs were not allowed, so Rusty stayed with my aunt. Eventually, everyone fell in love with him and his lovely personality, so everything worked out fine. For the first two years I didn’t come home that often because I lacked my own transportation, but eventually I got my own care and I would come home every two weeks or so. Each time Rusty would greet me with his wagging stubby tail and attack me once I walked in the door. He would wait for me at the door if I went out and sleep next to me each night.

Since I’ve been living in Thailand, I’ve only been back home twice. Everyone always says “poor Rusty” because when I come back, it’s like he’s my shadow. When I went away for the weekend and returned, Rusty acted like I’d been away forever. He paces around wondering what I’m going to do next and finds places to nap wherever I am in the house. I try to be a good owner, taking him for walks and car rides, because I feel guilty that I’m his favorite person and I live in Thailand.

So, when Rusty was weakened by the poor state of his teeth four years ago, everyone cried and cried. We couldn’t put him under anaesthesia because his blood test revealed that he was anemic so we had to give him antibiotics and more protein for a week before taking another blood test. The second blood test showed that he was strong enough to go under the anaesthesia to do the dental cleaning. When he came back from the vet, he was disoriented and missing about 6 teeth but his remaining teeth were clean.

About a year later, we did a routine cleaning to get rid of the build up and make sure never to let Rusty’s teeth get so bad again. It’s been about a year and a half since his last cleaning and the build up on his canines were noticeable again. As a habit, I get the blood test done before the vet puts him under because I’m afraid that he might have a big infection again. He’s been okay and the vet gave me a dental was to spray on his teeth daily and told us to brush his teeth regularly. A guess some dogs just have more problems with their teeth as they get older.

Rusty’s been sleeping next to me the entire time I’ve been on the computer. I think it’s about time that I took him for a walk at the park. He had a rough day at the vet last week and I think it will make him feel better.

For the past few weeks, our five month old beagle puppy has been taking car rides every weekend. Since we like to take short day trips on the weekend just to get out of the city, it is important that Taco gets car training  and is used to traveling in the car with us. He needs to be able to fit into our lifestyle and it’s best for the training to start as soon after a puppy’s vaccinations are complete.

I make sure that Taco doesn’t eat too much in the mornings if we are going to take him with us. We already had a throw up incident! He doesn’t seem to drink much food or eat much when we are on the road though. He’s gotten to the point where he’s settling down faster and even sleeps during long rides. He loves to sit in my lap, however, and I have to push him down towards the ground. He also has a blanket and dog chews so that he’s comfortable during the ride.

On a school holiday for the King’s birthday, we took him with us to an ostrich farm where he got to meet a few big birds, camels, horses and sheep. Most of the animals were pretty scared of him. We had yummy noodles for lunch at Petchaburi and afterwards walked up the hill to see the palace at the top. Taco had a run in with a few monkeys that live on the mountain. He had to be carried most of the way to make sure that he didn’t bother the monkeys and vice versa.

That weekend was a long weekend and the whole family, including Taco, headed to the province of Kanchanaburi. We spent two nights in a small town called Sanghklaburi next to the Burmese border. The town was very small compared to Bangkok and it was full of fellow Bangkokians escaping the busy capital. Sanghklaburi is a four hour drive from Bangkok and is in the same direction as the bridge over the River Kwai and Nam Tok Sai Yok. However, to get to Sanghklaburi, you have to keep going up into the mountains along a windy two lane highway until you reach a huge reservoir that was one of the King’s projects to prevent flooding and generate electricity.We stayed at a resort called Sanghkla Garden, on the banks of the reservoir without air conditioning or hot water. The resort owners were kind enough to boil water for our morning showers.


We had called ahead to make sure dogs were permitted at the resort. I brought along Taco’s dog crate so that he would have a place to sleep and be confined when needed. It also helped him to feel more at ease since this is his normal sleeping place and is regarded as his den. I took him for frequent walks to so that he could go potty. He went with us everywhere. The nice thing about Thailand is that people don’t really mind you bringing small pet dogs with you, even in the open air restaurants. While we ate, he sat and played under the table. He would often lick pieces of ice or just go to sleep.

The only bad thing about traveling with a dog in Thailand is that there are so many stray dogs. At the market where we had several meals, I had to keep Taco on my lap if large dogs were around. My dad kept a large stick on hand to chase more aggressive dogs away when necessary. A lot of the dogs were just curious, but I didn’t like having the stray dogs and their diseases near my puppy. Taco was very interested in these strange dogs and would often bark at them.

It was a lot of fun traveling with Taco, but when we got home we were both exhausted. Taco sleep most of the day and night for two days recuperating from his adventurous weekend. It was a great opportunity to socialize him and make sure he will be able to travel with us as an adult dog.

This weekend we went to the Air Force base by Don Muang airport to pay the dog trainer for the second month of training. We also dropped off more dog food since last time the dog trainer said there was about two weeks worth of food left. We were going to the Thailand Motor Expo at Muang Thong Convention center so we didn’t actually see Tiger go through the training course, but the trainer said that she’s improved greatly since the last time we saw her. He’s now working with her on her commands at a distance and the long stay. That means instead of giving her commands while he is right next to her, he puts her in the sit-stay, walks away from her and then gives her different commands to follow. I hope to see her in a few weeks and she how her training is progressing.

Taco, the beagle puppy, has past the 4 month mark and I’m breathing a sigh of relief (Jack Jack died at 4 months of age). When I returned from New Zealand, Taco was a lot bigger and even more active than I remember. The good thing is that he has more control of his bladder and only occasionally pees in the house now.

Taco is a silly fellow and with Tiger out of the house for a few months, he’s getting all of the care and attention we’d usually give to both dogs. At this age of course, he needs it and I’ve begun simple training and socialization in earnest. Daily we are working on his everyday feeding, playing and sleeping routines and practicing simple commands. A few times a week I try to take him to school or out on the weekends to get used to the car and experiencing new sights.

Last Sunday, we took Taco to visit Tiger at the Air Force dog training center and then to a restaurant on a lake in Minburi. He was so tired at the end of the day from being out and exploring, but this type of activity will train him to be a good dog when we take him out in as an adult. I did have to clean up some doggy puke, but at least Taco’s getting used to sitting in the car, right?

We just dropped off our Thai dog, Tiger, a few days ago at the military base near Viphavadi Rangsit Road (past Laksi) to be trained. The trainer is an Air Force dog trainer who lives on the premises with his wife and kids. Most of the trainers also accept dogs to train privately and use the military facilities. This particular man was recommended by a friend of my father who’s dog he is currently training.

We had discussed the logistics of the training i.e. cost, methods, type of commands, etc. previously. The entire course lasted 3 months would cost 12,000 baht. In that time the dog would be housed in the kennels, protected from mosquitoes with mesh-wire. We provided our own dog food and told the trainer we just want the basic commands, especially off-leash commands, as our neighbors are mostly Muslim and feel threatened by our dog.

The trainer said we could come by to check on Tiger’s progress and didn’t make any promises to make her a 100% obedient dog because she is a Thai dog. He mentioned that Thai dogs are more feral than other dog breeds and tend to be a bit more resistant to training and therefore can be unreliable when given the opportunity to bolt and run.

We would come by to see her in a few weeks. He promised to take good care of her and he walked with her away from us. If all goes well, our beagle puppy will be joining her in a month or so to be trained. I couldn’t bring myself to let the puppy go just yet! Perhaps when Tiger is done with her training in 3 months we can do a switch and give Taco to the trainer for 3 months. By then Taco will be 6 months old and I will be off to New Zealand for 2 months. When I come back, I would have to continue working with the adolescent Taco and 2 year old Tiger regularly to keep their training fresh.

Taco, my second beagle puppy, visited the vet again on Friday and got his second combo shot. He’s got one final set of shots next week and then not again until January. That’s a relief once because once a puppy has all the vaccinations you can take them out to get socialized without having to worry about contagious diseases.Silly dog doesn’t seem to get any bigger, but he somehow managed to gain 600 grams in 2 weeks. Taco isn’t putting on as much weight as Jack Jack did and he’s not a voracious eater. I did find that he really likes to eat the soft food from Pedigree that comes in the yellow pouch. He’s even ehibited some food agression if that type of food is involved! Normally, he’s not too into his Eukanuka mixed with water and has to be coaxed to eat it. He likes milk too, but he’ll leave it alone sometimes. Quite a change from the piggy Jack Jack.