Have you met Tucker?

Cute right? He is quite adorable. Don't let him fool you....he's a master of disguise.

If you are of the elite who have met Tucker and went on to absolutely love him....you are of the few.

I'm being a little harsh....he isn't that bad.

But do you see that nifty collar Tucker is wearing? It was a purchase made in desperation - a last resort. NO...it is NOT a shock collar. It has two settings - either a beep or a vibration (medium or high levels). If you use a shock collar on your dog, that is your own personal preference. When we move to a new house, Gracie will most likely have one so we can keep her contained to our yard, but she is a large dog....so I can deal with her having one. Tucker, on the other hand, is a little guy. He only weighs about 10 pounds, so I didn't feel right about putting a shock collar on him.

Get to the point Lindsay....

Tucker likes to bark - LOUDLY. And I just can't take it anymore. When people enter our home, they are welcomed by Tucker, barking, quite aggresively, and even nipping at their ankles/fingers/whatever is exposed. When he hears a car door shut - barking. When he sits at the window and watches people walk by outside - barking. When we scold the cat for eating Tucker's food - barking. Luckily, his bark is not a yippy bark, but it is annoying and just so darn loud!

Ayden, bless his heart, grew accustomed to the barking. Tucker only ever scared him twice. Oh, and both times it absolutely crushed me to see that little lip poke out followed by that sad, pitiful, "He scared me" cry. Oh....it breaks my heart just thinking about it. So, we've been meaning to go this route for a long time.

The collar came in today, and so far.....it's touch and go. It'll go off sometimes when he barks but not every time. Not sure why...unless his bark just isn't forceful enough (uumm...really??) or the collar isn't quite tight enough. I tightened as tight as I felt would be comfortable for him, so perhaps the little buzzer part has to be right against his vocal chords. I don't know.... I'm giving it a couple more days. So far, when it has buzzed, he has scurried off to another room. It does jolt him and stops the barking for that moment, so I'm hoping that if it happens enough, he'll get the point.

Poor Tucker. I hate doing this to him. Dogs bark. It's in their nature. And his nature is a very protective one. This dog is quirky. Literally, he suffers from OCD and a severe anxiety disorder. He's also got a touch of little man syndrome. So, I feel for him. It must be tough to be so conflicted, but if I can't fix everything else, I can at least try to fix the barking.


Really...he isn't that bad. He's a sweet dog, and once he gets to know you, he'll give you hugs and bring you his toys. Once you're in with Tucker, you're a friend for life.

Next, I must introduce you to our giant. The 16 pound cat who is king of the roost around here. I'll save him for another day. With a name like Sinatra...you can expect diva status. We are just little pions under his mind control....and he knows it.