My dog's name: Takoda

Hometown: Born in Hollywood (MD), now lives with Bix

How we met: after a fruitless shelter search for the right dog, found a local breeder with a one-time Bichon Frisé x Poodle litter.

What makes my dog special: Koda lets her favorite four year old boy, and a friendly five year old girl, walk her up the street while she marches proudly alongside on a loose leash.

My dog's likes/dislikes:
Likes: Everyone, puppy kindergarten classes, cats, other dogs
Dislikes: Not being the center of attention, squeaky toys, most treats.

She will do anything for:
small cut up pieces of Natural Balance lamb roll

Parents:
AKC registered Bichon
sire: AKC registered red toy poodle
DOB: 01.29.06

Medical problems: none have shown up yet

Personality:
Confident but not aggressive. Very unhappy when left without the company of people, even though she is with cats and at least one other dog. Very affectionate. Difficult to housetrain but quick to learn sit/stay/down etc. Little chewing. (Note how much Marco differs, even though he is from the same litter and was fostered in Koda's home until he was 18 weeks old.)




This dog's name: Marco

Hometown: Born in Hollywood (MD), now lives in Landover

How we met: Koda was such a charmer that one of the people who fell in love with her wanted a dog from the same litter.

What makes this dog special: Follows his caretaker everywhere, gives her constant, loving companionship as well as amusement as he joyously invents his own games.

Marco's likes/dislikes:
Likes: His family, puppy kindergarten, cats, other dogs, visiting Bix and Koda, soft squeaky toys, most treats, children with manners, going to dog parties.
Dislikes: Lots of noise, many strangers, ill-behaved children.

He will do anything for:
hugs and kisses

Parents:
AKC registered Bichon
sire: AKC registered red Toy Poodle
DOB: 01.29.06

Medical problems: tracheal collapse which seems to be high heat/humidity triggered, ear infection

Personality:
Shy. Can manage for a few hours without the company of people if he is with cats and at least one other dog. Very affectionate. Quickly housetrained (less than one week) and moderately quick to learn sit/stay/down etc. Little chewing. Very playful. Occasionally obstinate - particularly over food. He will refuse to eat unless his puppy Proplan is mixed with a little wet food.

Note differences between Marco and Koda. Even though they shared the same environment until the age of 18 weeks and were on exactly the same schedule and taken on the same socialization rounds - one was house-trained easily, the other not. One is shy, the other confident, fearless and very active. One fancies himself a watch dog, his sister welcomes everyone - even the mailman.

And similarities - deeply affectionate natures, comfort with, and delight in, other pets.

At 6 Months

Marco looks exactly like the dog Max on the right in this picture and weighs 14.4 pounds. He has been neutered. Note: both K. and M. were about 6 lbs at 12 weeks and 8 lbs at 14 weeks. His nose is turning color - from black to liver.

Koda has the same shape and face, but has remained a light red/brown. Her coat did not lighten as did Marco's and is not quite as cotton-soft as his. She weighs 12.9 lbs. at 24 weeks and has been spayed. She looked very much like Bruno until the redness faded a bit. (Though she is still a flaming red-hair in the right light - a cheap gooseneck.) Bi-eyed (one hazel, one black)

Both K and M got summer utility haircuts and the groomer wanted to know if we wanted them to have poodle or Bichon faces - had not thought about that. We chose Bichon-like.

At 8 1/2 Months

Koda remains friendly and effervescent. Thrilled (and distracted) by other dogs as well as by people, both adults and children. She must be about fully grown by now and weighs about 12/13 lbs. (Won't hold still on a scale.) She has a Poodle coat and a Bichon build - much longer and lower to the ground than a poodle would be. Four times she has managed to get loose on a walk but against all the odds came immediately when called. (Her buddy Bix bites through leashes and we don't always catch the damage before the snap.) She needs another haircut, only three months after the last one.

Obedience? Both Koda and Marco got their certificates. She's not good at loose-leash walking, but great at down-stay or sit-stay. He is a better walker. Without any particular trick training Koda and Marco are fabulous jumpers and also walk about on their hind legs to make kids laugh.

Grooming

This is the same dog as in the picture above, but after a trim that turned her into a svelte, Barbie-doll bitch. Koda and Marco clearly need complete hair cuts every two or three months. 4 1/2 months was way too long to wait between grooming appointments. She previously looked like a red Bichon, she now looks like an elongated poodle.

Cats

We circled the house to check out the birds, whole flocks of them feasting on pokeberries and fox grapes because weeding was too casual this puppy summer, and came upon the old cat, Suky, sitting next to fish pool just watching the fish. Never mind that she isn't supposed to be outdoors. (She used to sneak outside by walking under our husky as he was led out the door. Doesn't work with these shorties so she has come up with new tactics.)

Bix sat down on one side of her, Koda on the other, and for a couple of minutes all three quietly watched the fish. Then, when the cat leaned way over to drink, Koda gently whacked her into the pool. While we all three sat there stunned, Suky swam out to a side well away from the pups, climbed out, and stopping just once to give us all a look of fury, stomped to the front door. Dripping mud and weeds.

On the whole the dogs make way for cats. Suky eats first, she goes through doors first, and so on. They show deference to any cat they meet when out walking. However lately Koda acts as if she were jealous if the cat sits on top of a sleeping person, which the cat does for a few minutes every day. Now Koda runs to sprawl across the same person at the same time, staying just a little lower than the cat.

It is hard sometimes for the dogs to show their deference. We had a fracas caused by language confusion. Bix rolled over on his back and showed his tummy to Suky. She immediately attacked him (his action meant aggression, not submission, in cat-speak.)



















Our tiny blind cat, Neeko, has disappeared and we fear her love for the pups may have been the death of her. Apparently she slipped outside and followed them on a walk. She wasn't noticed for several blocks and then, at the moment she was spotted just behind the dogs, she slipped away into the brush. No luck with the local shelters, posters, etc. though for a time we had the occasional call reporting sightings of her, always on the same block. No calls for the last few weeks so we suppose our local wild canid, the grey fox. got her.

We see the fox sometimes on our early walks and it pays no attention to Koda or Bix. They, however, stand absolutely still and silent and watchful until it has quietly gone.

At Almost 10 Months

see also: Bix Wazzuk Lila the Titian