::A Geek in Korea::

Last night everyone sleeping in the bedroom had a hard time staying asleep. Glow had a stuffy nose, possibly from an irritant in the air, and was snorting in her sleep. This kept my wife up, as she was worried Glow wasn’t breathing well. Glow wasn’t in any danger, it’s just she wasn’t going to be restful. I also was having nose problems. The air wasn’t dry due to the humidifier, yet I had something also tripping my allergies and filling my sinuses. All three of us were miserable, and no one got any sleep until Glow fell asleep much later in the morning.

We went on a cleaning crusade in the bedroom trying to root out any cause to the allergens.  I vacuumed the floors, curtains, and all the bedding. We wiped down the floors, and we also steam cleaned too. Then we went to clean the air humidifier, as well as anything else that might have dust. We also decided that if somehow Yoshi was the cause of the problems because of dander, he would need a trim. It might be in the middle of winter, but Yoshi’s skin dramatically improves when he has less hair on him. We’ve already got his new dandruff shampoo, but we wanted to keep any possible source to a minimum.

I took Yoshi to the vet to get him trimmed. While I was out more cleaning was being done while Glow got her beauty rest. Eventually he was shorn and I went back to pick him up. The lady who trimmed him came out and talked to me for a little bit, but I had my headphones in and was just giving her the, “Nod, nod, yes, it’s fine,” routine. I don’t have much in the way of dog cleaning vocabulary besides, “Cut off his fur please, Clean his ears too.” She had rubbed his back and said the word ‘dander’, so I thought she was commenting on Yoshi’s skin.

When I got back home, I told my wife that the lady had been trying to say something. It turns out when my wife called back to follow up on the situation, the lady had actually been asking if we had been feeding our dog enough. When she shaved him, she said she could feel some of the bones in his back, and that he looked like he had lost weight since the last time we had seen him. This is true. He has lost a little weight, but he is looking better than he has in a few weeks since I’ve been home. Anyway, I felt really bad that she thought we neglected our dog’s food. It’s not true! He’s cold and hairless in winter now, but really, we do feed him! When we walk him he puts on doggy sweaters to stay warm too! Really! We don’t neglect our dog!

My routine was disturbed today by an announcement. For the first time since they switched our apartment over to the new heating system, they were turning off the hot water for a day for maintenance. The last time they did work on the pipes was to replace them, which took several months. Since I normally clean the house, steam clean the floors, then wash the dog I was pretty annoyed that this was happening on my day for domestic duties. No hot water meant no hot shower after I was done cleaning the house. I wanted to go shopping at Costco later in the day, and I didn’t want to go into the store without showering up.

Once I got started on my cleaning rituals, I didn’t even think about the fact that the water was off. The steam cleaner doesn’t need hot water, as it heats on its own. I had the floors cleaned, but had a tragically dirty looking dog. Yoshi gets a weekly bath, but he was particularly dirty this week. I don’t know how he got so dirty, but he needed a bath. I thought that if I had a dirty dog and a clean floor my wife might prevent him from coming in for a time, and he needs to be let in at night when it gets cold. I had no idea how long the water might be off. I decided to just try to wash him as quickly as I could with the cold water and make the best of it for both of us.

I got him cleaned up in about the same time I normally do. He really needed a bath, almost as badly as his blanket needed a washing. I had to wash both. Once I got him covered with shampoo and rinsed off, he was eager to be done with his bath. He shook himself off afterwards on command! I then got him extra dry with the hair dryer and his personal chew towel that we keep for de-stressing after his bath time. By the time we were done he looked no worse for wear after his cold shower. I’d prefer that he and I both don’t need to do that again however.

Once he was done my clothes were soaked through with wet dog smell. I still needed to go shopping, but I wasn’t happy about walking around town reeking of a wet dog. I think I would have had that problem even if I had changed clothes. I had to strip down myself and give myself the same horrible cold bath I had given the dog. If Yoshi could laugh he would have given me a good Nelson Muntz “HAW HAW!” at that moment.

There is a new park opening near my house. 유림공원, or Yu-rim Park has been a construction project for the past year or so, but they are finally putting the final touches on things. When Yoshi and I walked through the partially completed park yesterday, I noticed a green fence with nothing inside. I thought it would be an animal enclosure of some kind, but I thought there was a little more time before we’d see anything residing inside.

My wife and I went to go eat, and I took her through the park with the intention of showing her all the cool stuff I had seen in it so far. She told me to bring the camera, and I’m glad I did. When we walked over to the enclosure, there were bunnies!

,

They had their own little hutch and everything just installed today.

Cute little bunnies.

Who is that mysterious bunny on the right?

Will you please show your face?

It’s a Yoshi look alike bunny!

“What are YOU looking at?”

:3 Bunnah!

This is me, but around bunnies. Anyway, I’m happy we’ve got one park so close to our house, but this new park a little further across the river is even more amazing! Most of it is still under construction while they finish the lighting, fountains, and paths, but it’s going to be incredible! I can’t wait to hang out there next summer! I mean, look at all the cute bunnies!

My dog Yoshi is very friendly. When I leave for work, when I got to put on my shoes next to the door, he sees me off. When I walk down the stairs and leave the apartment, he watches me go. My wife and I have to sneak back into our apartment at night, because if he hears us walking in front of the house he’ll bark excitedly. When I sit down on the computer, Yoshi always jumps on my lap and hangs out.

This week has been tough, because he got his rabies shots. It is a two part shot, and he hasn’t had a bath in two weeks. He is supposed to stay dry for several days after each shot. There is some sort of connection between a viral vaccination shot and getting the dog wet that can cause complications. The vet said he needed to stay dry. We gave him the shot, then couldn’t wash him. Now he stinks pretty bad and we have a few days before we can wash him. We’d love to give him a wash, but he hasn’t passed the recommended “Dry time” for the shot yet.

Today, Yoshi came over like he always does and tried to jump on my lap. I usually allow him to jump up on my lap by saying, “Yoshi, UP!” He’ll then hop on my lap. Yesterday I had to put my shirt into the laundry after he sat on my lap during the evening because it smelled so bad afterwards. I decided to keep him off my lap for the day, and simply play with him by rolling the ball for a while.

Yoshi would fetch the ball, then come over to me, stand up on two legs, and scratch my leg. This is his “hint” that he wants up on my lap. He also scratches with a paw when he wants down from my lap to eat, wants a door open when he is allowed to go in the house, or when the ball rolls under the sofa and he wants us to get it for him. I kept trying to distract him from trying to get up on my lap by tossing the ball. Eventually he gave up and just sat under my chair for a while.

This weekend we’ll be able to take proper care of our stinky doggy, but right now he’ll have to keep a little distance.

Yesterday there were only three things the very bored veterinarian said to me while I was preparing Yoshi for his free rabies shot. While my wife was signing our dog up for his shot, the vet got out a batch of already prepared needles for the dogs in queue, then pointed at me to go first.

“Bum.” (Hold the dog so I can give him a shot in the leg.)

“Hold Neck.” (Don’t let your dog bite me when I give him a shot.)

“Do not give bath, get wet, 3 days.”

I am not a veterinarian, but the last command has to do with complications that arise if the area in question gets wet. We don’t have to collar the dog, or put any sort of treatment on the wound. We just have to keep the dog dry for three days. Seems reasonable.

Today, on the other hand, was not playing nice. It started to look like a storm was coming later in the afternoon. My wife was leaving for her traditional Korean paper art class around 11:30, which is the normal time I walk Yoshi. This is timed to allow me to download a weekday podcast that will last the entire walk. I walk the dog with the newest news, then when I go to work I tend to switch to comedy to put me in a better mode. It’s my system, and it works well for me.

The weather, and Yoshi’s shot was causing this to be thrown into doubt. When my podcast arrived, the weather was looking like a shower could break out at any time, so I carried an umbrella and set off down the heaviest wooded path for cover from the rain, sticking in the apartment complex to be as close to the house as possible just in case it got worse and the wind picked up.

I decided I’d try to stick to a route that passed mostly under trees and to keep the leash short so Yoshi wouldn’t be exposed to water. We got half way around the apartment complex when I had to call it quits. The rain had picked up too much, and I wasn’t going to risk whatever complication would arise from a wet dog after a rabies shot. I picked up Yoshi and carried him back to the apartment. When I picked him up, he let out a whining, audible sigh, as if to say, “Hey, what’s going on here, I can make it! I’ll be fine!?”

Yoshi’s accustomed to a walk, then when we go to work, we leave him in the house. Nothing changed today, except that when my wife returned from her class she also couldn’t walk him on account of the rain. He was stuck inside all day. Since he’s a sleepy dog all day, and energetic when I get home, he doesn’t cause problems. We hope the weather will improve tomorrow so that he’ll get more exercise. I’d also like to get out of the house and walk some more myself. If the weather doesn’t clear, he’ll be stuck in the house again tomorrow. We’ve also got a family reunion to attend tomorrow for my wife’s Grandmother’s birthday.

Poor little dog, always trapped inside the house.

My dog, Yoshi, was purchased at a pet store. When we bought him, he was in a display with another puppy. That is the only time he has ever had to compete for his food source. If he learned one thing from his short time in the pet store, it was “When food is placed in your bowl, eat all of it, immediately.”

We feed Yoshi three times a day at regularly timed intervals. This was a dietary suggestion given to us by our vet specific to the food we feed our pet. It aides his digestion and keeps him from being hungry. When we wake up, he knows it’s time for breakfast. I walk to where we keep the food, and he waits by the door to the room. When I bring his cup of food inside, he shakes his tail and hops up and down enthusiastically. If we are unsure if he has eaten earlier in the day, we ask, “Yoshi, Ma ma?” which is a childish Korean word for “eat?” used with young infants. If he jumps around, he’s hungry. If he just cocks his head to the side questioningly, that means he has already eaten recently and we can wait to feed him.

When we put the food in the bowl, we declare it is time to eat by saying, “Yoshi! Ma Ma Mogo!” (Yoshi, Eat food!) Normally he’ll oblige by jumping into his cage where we keep his water bottle and then chowing down. He’ll also jump into his cage when he wants to get water. If he finishes his water, he’ll keep trying to drink until it gets my attention. I’ll take out the water bottle and fill it with water. Then he’ll do his “about to eat food” dance while I set up the bottle back on the stand.

He has developed a new little quirk recently. Now when we feed him, he’ll eat everything in his bowl except for two pieces of his dog food. He’ll take out those two pieces of food and place them in the exact center of the room and then not touch them. He’ll go about pretending they are not there while he is in the room. If I am on the computer, he’ll jump on my lap and play as normal, but the food remains. Then, later when he re-enters the room, he’ll discover the food and eat it.

It’s weird. Yoshi has only started doing this in the past week. It’s not a big deal. He always finished his food every time we fed him, so if this starts a trend where we can feed him once all of his food and he eats it at the appropriate time, that’d be even better for us. Why two pieces? Why now?

Yoshi gets shaved at home by my wife. She has a razor and has practiced shaving him a bunch of times. She gives him a professional cut at the expense of a little sanity and a few hours of her time. She’s got a system worked out where she used a small lap table that we use to eat in bed extended over our bathtub. Yoshi has no where to go, and she can knock the hair into the tub which we never use. She can clean up in a flash after he is finally shaved, then give him a bath.

She shaved him on Friday. It’s normal for Yoshi’s skin to be a little agitated after the shaving. He usually has a few razor burns or the rare nick that heal up in a day or two. This time, however, his body was much more dinged up than normal. He didn’t get cut, but he had several places on his chest and legs that were bright red.

We put his T-shirt on him for the evening to try to discourage him from itching himself. The idea was that if he had to scratch through his shirt he wouldn’t get the satisfaction and would just quit. Eventually.

On Saturday we noticed that he was still scratching, and much more intensely than normal. He wouldn’t walk. He’d just spend his day itching over and over. We decided to take off the shirt, and when we saw his back we were really worried. His back was scratched to the point of major redness and there was a few spots of blood.

Because of the three day Korean holidays, none of the vets were working. We couldn’t get him steroids or anything to help his skin. It’s pretty crappy to know you need to help your dog, but can’t for multiple days because the doctors aren’t working.

I took off his shirt and kept an eye on him for most of the day. If he was in my lap, or next to me when I had my hand on him, he didn’t scratch. If I let him wander around, he’d go in a corner and scratch himself over and over. We gave him a bath in some special shampoo we had, and he was really well behaved when we dried him. This didn’t do much to calm his skin problems though. While he remained in the sun he didn’t seem to scratch himself much either.

We sat and watched a movie with him, trying to keep him in our control. This morning he sat in the sun and relaxed, but he’s back to scratching himself again. He’ll get some medical attention tomorrow as soon as possible, but he’s got another itchy day to wait.

A few days ago, when we went out to work, we decided it was too hot to leave Yoshi out on the veranda like we normally do. Since the veranda gets direct sunlight most of the day, it heats up faster and stays hotter than the rest of the house. It was already scorching hot, and Yoshi would have been sitting out on that hot veranda all day. He likes to sleep on the cool tiles in the little shade he has, and we give him plenty of water. We also give him some ice if it gets really hot. Even those comforts weren’t enough.

We had few options. Either a “hot dog” when get got home, or bringing the dog to work to sit in the office. It was either that, or let him in the rest of the house for the day. No one could bring him to work, so we were going to have to “Yoshi-proof” the rest of the house.

Since Yoshi is trained to go to the bathroom on the veranda, we kept the sliding door open for him. His water and bathroom remain outside. We shut all the doors in the house and try to tuck away all the extension cords. Yoshi doesn’t chew shoes, but we put all of our extra slippers and shoes away, just in case. We also blocked off access to the garbage can, which he occasionally likes to sniff.

I was the first home when we left Yoshi to have free reign over the apartment. I personally expected a mess. The couch cover would be on the floor, Yoshi sitting as if a king on a throne (his normal posture). Instead, I got greeted with a few yaps as I opened the door, and a spotlessly clean house. No problems whatsoever.

Every time we’ve let Yoshi into the house with the bedroom, bathroom, and computer room blocked off, he’s caused no problems whatsoever. 90% of the time, if someone isn’t paying attention to him, he’s lounging on the couch. When my wife and I take a nap in our bedroom, he’s sleeping on the couch. If he has enough food and gets his walk, he’s very content to sleep there all afternoon it seems. I don’t blame him, it’s a really comfortable couch.

This is a great surprise to us, but we had gotten a good report about Yoshi’s behavior while we had been in Cambodia. We had left Yoshi in the care of a coworker, and she lives in a much smaller apartment. She slept on the floor, and Yoshi slept next to her on the blanket. When he was thirsty, or needed to go to the bathroom, he would go out to the veranda, do his thing, then return to her side. Yoshi also does this when I take a nap on the couch in our apartment.

It’s pretty cool to have a good dog. I wish he wouldn’t bark when the elevator opens or people walk by the door. Then we wouldn’t ever need to keep him on the veranda at all. We’re still trying.

It’s too hot around here. Summer has really arrived in it’s humid, hot, sweaty glory, and we in the household are all suffering for it. My wife is considering paying for an air conditioning install for the apartment, and Yoshi is sitting in front of the fan as anyone else these days. I’m coming back from walks with Yoshi drenched in sweat. I’ll shower, then by the time I need to go to work, I should probably be showering again. It’s just plain HOT.

Yoshi plays favorites with both me and my wife. Most of the time, he can be found at my feet, sleeping. If he’s not bringing his toys over to me for a game of fetch, he’s probably sitting in my lap at the computer. When I go over to the couch, he usually hops right up and sits next to me. I don’t mind. I feel guilty leaving him in the apartment all day when I go to work.

If I’m particularly busy, or have shut the door, he’ll usually sit outside and wait for me to return. Sometimes when I go out on errands, my wife tells me that he’ll sit by the door and wait for me to return. Only after I’ve been gone for a while or have stopped giving him attention will he go hang out with my wife. They watch television together, but if I get up and move around the house, he’ll follow me.

This is probably because she’s got the jobs that are most stressful for Yoshi. While I feed and walk Yoshi, she’s shaving him, cleaning his ears, or trying to keep him clean. We both wash him, but he immediately hops in my lap to be dried. He just likes hanging out with me, but I think it’s more about the food.

Today, while feeling particularly lazy watching some Star Wars Rifftrax, I thought of Salacious Crumb, that little annoying thing that laughed at everyone in Return of the Jedi. You know, the Kowakian Monkey-Lizard Jabba the Hutt had on his sand barge (I’m not making that up. Wikipedia said so.) Having a little underling following you around the house is a lot like that relationship. I’ve always wanted an underling, so I enjoy having Yoshi hang around.

Anyway, if Yoshi is indeed Salacious Crumb, hanging around a more cruel and fatter person, that would make me Jabba the Hutt. Hmm. Bad analogy.