Category Archives: Amazing Animals

May 7, 2018 · 5:37 pm

Beautiful Day of Nature

We’ve spent almost all day outside. The weather is truly glorious – sunny and a pretty warm 91 degrees. The temperature surge was a bit unexpected, but we rested a lot and drank lots of water.

First, we did errands – and even there nature was all around us. ‘

As we started backed up off the driveway pad and started to go down the driveway, we saw TWO road runners running away, toward the garden. They both stopped when they heard us – tails up and as still as statues – then their heads and tails went down simultaneously and then headed away from us, streaking across the yard.

About half way to town we get to pass several neighbors who have horses. I always wave to them. Amber, our 93 pound yellow lab “puppy” was in the back seat of the car, taking a great interest in all the sights, sounds, and smells along the way.

On the way back, we saw

It was hot by the time we got home, so I got the baby pool from the back porch, squirted the dust off, and then started filling it. Amber was immediately by my side looking really interested. Last year was the first time she saw the pool, and she would tentatively get in, dance around a bit and then jump out.

 

I was only able to get this picture, but she actually laid down a few times, looking blissfully happy, drinking some as she enjoyed the feeling of being wet and cooled off.  We’ll need to figure out how we’ll handle this if she totally immerses herself each time we let her out…

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April 27, 2018 · 9:27 am

Psychiatrist?

quotesgram.com

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April 24, 2018 · 1:02 pm

Companionable Amber

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Amber – April 2018 – 13 months

I grabbed my camera to take a picture of the entertainment center and the winterized deck for the previous post. Amber, of course, wanted to come with me.

We ended up walking all over yard, taking pics of flowers, veggies, etc. Amber would watch me, then run off and do doggly things for a while, and then come back on her on, or when I called. We did this over and over, walking out to the greenhouse, then all the way across our land to the square foot garden, then back around the house.

Amber is a really sweet, wonderful dog. I particularly enjoy her when it’s just the family here. She responds eagerly – probably in anticipation of a ‘cookie’ when we go back inside – but is truly fun, affectionate, curious and playful. (It’s when others come here, or we go out in public that she tends to go ‘maniac,’ requiring all our tools, skills, and dubious intelligence to handle things. We have agreed that we need to invite more people here, and put the no-pull collar and leash on her when she is allowed to get out of the car on our outings, giving her more occasions to meet people, LISTEN to us, and hopefully, do what we say.

As to what we saw on our walk this morning –

The deep purple iris is fading, but the yellow iris is all over the yard in clusters. My husband is less than impressed with the yellow ones, but the display is very impressive to ME.  (Each pic displayed here is a different clump of iris, plus there is more going down the driveway!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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April 21, 2018 · 11:11 am

Referee

 

I let Amber out JUST as the mail lady came up the driveway. :0(

I tried to get Amber under control, but I didn’t have the zapper in hand and Amber was SOOOOO excited that someone came to see her! She was trying to jump up, her wagging tail whipping my leg. The lady was smart, throwing a dog biscuit out from her. Of course, Amber went right after it.

My husband came out then, complicating the issue. Amber started being exuberant again, acting as though we hadn’t spent hours and hours working with her. My husband got frustrated and grabbed Amber’s collar.  All of a sudden, both of them went down on the grass in a pile. I put the package that the lady has just given me down and went to help my husband up. He wouldn’t let go of the collar – being a stubborn man – and Amber wouldn’t give an inch, either.

Finally, we both held Amber down while the mail lady started back down the driveway. When she had gone far enough, Amber quieted. I felt like a referee between my husband of very stubborn streak and Amber, a big dog with small brain….

No one was hurt, but nerves were frazzled on all parts. Amber has 11 more months to do some growing up and calming down while we try to teach her to be social without being ‘deaf’ to commands and over-exuberant. (We’re told that things will get better when she hits the 2-years-old mark. ) I’m afraid there is no cure for my husband’s stubborn streak.

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April 19, 2018 · 3:31 pm

Spoiled?

Our yellow Labrador Retriever ‘puppy,’ Amber, is 13 months old and weighs 94.2 lbs, according to the scales at the vet’s office yesterday. She thinks she is a lap dog, though, and regularly walks right up into my husband’s lap as he is sitting in his recliner.

This picture was taken back in November when Amber isn’t as large as she is now.

 

Amber’s eyes start to gleam while she sits on my husband’s lap. It’s easy to see that she’s planning to jump directly from his lap into mine! NO!!!!!!!!

I leap up and go sit on the couch. She leaps down, comes over, and waits impatiently for me to say, “Okay,” that she can come up onto the couch with me. We snuggle for several minutes and then she gets down, allowing me to go back to my recliner.

You wouldn’t describe Sweet Amber as spoiled, would you?

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April 19, 2018 · 12:11 pm

“What Do the Fishies Say?”

We talk to our animals. It’s a good thing none of our animals actually talk because I’m sure they would tell you how completely DUMB – although fairly nice – their people are.

One of the things we say to them from time to time is, “What does the dog say?” or “What does the kitty say?”

Today, while I was emptying and completely cleaning out the aquarium, I found myself asking, “What do the fishies say?” In truth, they’ve never said much. The best ‘trick’ they do is to crowd into the corner of the aquarium wriggling as fast as they can, while they wait for me to get a pinch of whatever is in the flakes of fish food I pinch and put into their aquarium twice a day. It shows they know who I am and anticipate the service I perform for them. Otherwise, they’re just nice to look at.

 

They are very active when I clean the aquarium, too. I change the filter twice a month, but every once in a while, the water looks cloudy even with a new one. That’s when I stop everything connected to the aquarium, put the fish into a bowl and cover it with a towel, and take everything out, siphon the water, add new, scrub all the stuff in there, hook everything back up, and add the fish.

 

I change the things in the aquarium from time to time. I have no clue if they enjoy me changing the furniture or decorations or hate it. Sometimes I wish they would hold up a sign saying, “We hate the neon thing with the holes in it,” or something similar.

So, even though they don’t say anything – not even blowing a bubble at me – I still ask, “What do the fishies say?” just in case they have something on their minds…

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April 18, 2018 · 12:02 pm

“How Much is That Doggie….” – Part 2

Doggie in the window

This is what we see each morning when we’ve fed animals and are getting ready to eat our breakfast.

This is the gate that is between the kitchen/dining area and the living room. Amber eats on the other side of this gate and then she waits for us to let her in when Molly is finished eating her breakfast, food has been prepared and brought to the table, and one of us is sitting down. Amber could probably just bull her way through the doorway – bringing the whole gate with her if she really wanted to, but she sticks her head through the door intended for smaller dogs and/or cats and waits with rapt attention.  She really enjoys sitting with us while we eat – hoping to get a bite or lick a bowl when we’re finished. She actually obeys our “DOWN!” command while she waits hopefully.

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April 18, 2018 · 11:35 am

Nose Art

Each week (schedules allowing) we take our good friends bowling in Fort Smith.

Since Amber loves to go in the “CAR!” we now prepare for bowling night by vacuuming the back seats and the floor of our vehicle, plus wash the back side windows and back window due to Amber’s exuberant enjoyment of what wonderful things are outside. We have “nose art” all over the windows except for the one evening we go bowling. (We also clean off the cat paw prints all over the windshield.)

We exhibit her art on our front storm door, too. Since I’m a lousy housekeeper, I only ‘notice’ it when it gets pretty bad or when we’re expecting company and then do something about it.

Our friends and visitors like animals, but carrying the dog hair around on their clothes or having to look through nose art while trying to see out the windows of the truck are asking a bit too much…

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April 18, 2018 · 11:15 am

THING ONE and THING TWO at the Vet’s Office Today

Amber – 11 months old

Yesterday I received emails from our veterinarian’s office saying the Amber and Smoke needed to tell their owners that they needed their annual shots. I called the office and found out that if they didn’t need an exam, we could come any time. I said we would try to come first thing, which meant about 8:30.

 

Smoke – about 2-1/2 years old.

My husband found Smoke this morning and stuffed her into the cat carrier. Amber loves to go anywhere in the car, so we just said “CAR” and she followed us out, jumping into the car with a look of joy on her face.

Smoke meowed plaintively a couple of times on the way to the vet, but wasn’t completely freaked out, as our other cat, Abby, was, recently.

On the way to the vet’s, we saw a CALF crossing the road! Amber immediately wanted to go SEE the calf, getting the whole upper part of her body out of the window. I yelled at my husband, having to CONVINCE him that if the dog DID get out, all he could say was, “I really didn’t think she would/could do that.” AND we would have to deal with the consequences. He finally raised the windows a bit so that Amber was free to stick her head out, but nothing more.

When we got to the vet, my husband thought we should change Amber’s collar from the regular shock collar we use during the day to the no-pull collar we keep with the leash in the car. Since it’s a hassle, and I thought the shock collar would be good enough, we didn’t change and went into the vet’s office.

There were two other dogs there. Amber, of course, wanted to see and sniff each one. My husband tried to keep her under control, but she was strong enough the leash wasn’t holding well. It kept slipping because she was so strong even though he was using the zapper. I was wrong and admitted it when we got back into the car after we got the shots. We will just take the time necessary to change collars the next time.  (We weighed Amber, and she is now 94.2 lbs.)

We are still very much on a learning curve as far as taking animals to the vet. Smoke was very calm, meowing only a few times on the way home and calmed down when I stuck my fingers through the front caged door of the carrier and talked to her. Amber was fine again when she got back into the car.

LESSONS LEARNED –

THING ONE –

Only let the car windows down half way in the back when Amber is with us.

THING TWO –

Don’t let Amber out of the car until we have changed from the shock collar to the no-pull collar.

PLUS – it would be a good idea to continue to walking-on-the-leash lessons at home because when we are out in public, Amber is a BIG dog with LITTLE brain…

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April 14, 2018 · 9:11 am

Role Model

Golda Radner – SayingImages.com

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April 13, 2018 · 12:55 pm

Every Once in a While….

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Amber is a yellow Labrador Retriever. She was a year old in March. We weighed her at the vet’s office last month and she weighed 93 lbs. We HOPE this is it for growth, but we’ve been told she won’t be fully grown – physically OR mentally – for another 11 months.

We’ve accomplished a lot since we first brought her home last May, at 16 lbs and 10 weeks old. To say that everything has changed in our lives is one of the biggest understatements ever. It’s a good thing we got started when we did. We’re definitely getting a bit long-in-the-tooth to tackle trying to train a ‘puppy’ this size.

Amber is still a dog of ‘very little brain,’ but she’s very smart in dog years. We’re in a contest as to who is training whom. She is infinitely creative, coming up with something else to try our patience each time we let our guards down.  Two days ago she started playing in her water bowl again. It’s on the tile, but it’s aggravating to go for a refill on our coffee and have to stop and sop up the ‘lake’ before going further. We’ve tried changing water bowls, only putting a little bit of water in it, watching her like a hawk and trying to ‘warn’ her with the zapper that goes with her shock collar, etc., but nothing is working well yet.

She has taught us that unless we want everything outside to end up in the front yard completely destroyed, we must take her out, walking with her and monitoring her closely, and then bringing her in. She loves being outside, but has finally taught us that, for the foreseeable future, she can’t be trusted to simply be let out.

We have taught HER –

  • NO
  • COME
  • SIT
  • DOWN
  • HURRY UP
  • PLACE
  • OKAY
  • WALKING WITH US ON A LEASH
  • ETIQUETTE OF RIDING IN THE CAR WITH US

All of this is forgotten in a flash if anyone comes to the house, of course.

She has taught US –

  • To take her out when she uses her nose to flip our arms up when we’re at the keyboard. If we’re slow to do her bidding, she now sticks her nose firmly in our arm pit, trying to flip us up from THAT angle…

She still thinks she’s a lap dog, insisting on getting up in my husband’s lap when he’s in his recliner for a good hug each night. She has taught me that if she looks at me with a gleam in her eye while in my husband’s lap, I’d better leap up immediately and prepare to be boarded on the couch and hugged. If I don’t react, she threatens to leap from my husband’s chair to mine.

Happily, she and Molly, our elderly cocker spaniel/schnauzer cross, get along fine now. We monitor things and give Molly a break when Amber gets TOO exuberant, but they play together and will lie on the same dog bed together now. Amber understands that Molly actually gets to eat twice a day, just as she does, and that bulling her way to Molly’s dish is not acceptable.

Much of our lives revolve around Amber’s needs. Acting like a bull in a china shop does get people to pay attention…..

 

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April 2, 2018 · 10:20 am

Just as We Laid Our Guard Down….

Amber

Our sweet ‘puppy’ Amber was a year old March 7th. She now weighs 93 pounds. We’re HOPING that she is now as large as she will get, but people in the know say she could continue to grow for another year! They also say that this lumbering bull-in-a-china-shop with very little brain will continue being a puppy for at least another year….

Amber has improved a lot since I last wrote about her. She is adapting to us and our lifestyle pretty well for a pup with little brain. She is certainly smart and canny enough to manipulate her owners. We FINALLY got her to stop yelling at us when she wants us to take her out.  She had been regularly coming to sit beside me while I was working at the computer and then yelling, “WOOF!” quite loudly, scaring my hair off. If I had a cup of coffee in my hand at the time, I would spend the next 10 or 15 minutes cleaning up before I could take her out. (We have learned that, at this point, we can’t trust her outside by herself. She tends to find something wonderful to chew up in the front yard. When she destroyed TWO NEW WELCOME MATS that had been in place for about 20 minutes, that was the wake up call for us to get off our duffs and take her out, rather than letting her out.)

When we’re outside, we tend to bring Amber and Molly with us.  We did this a couple of days ago, using the time between rain storms to take them out and walk around the yard. When the doggies had taken care of business, I let them in, as it had started to rain. My husband and I finished looking at something and then came in – to find that Amber had decided to completely dump her water bowl all over the floor. We had a mini-lake!

She hadn’t done this for a long time, but she of little brain remembered THAT was fun!

We spent a half hour mopping and toweling up the mess. My husband got a larger, heavier metal bowl that has no rim to put in place of the one she dumped. We put it in the corner made by the wall of the bathroom and the doggie gate to the living room. We’re hoping that this placement is secure enough she won’t decide to ‘play’ in the water anymore…

Lesson: One cannot trust a yellow Labrador Retriever ‘puppy’ outside OR inside without pretty intense supervision!

 

 

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March 22, 2018 · 12:15 pm

Two Doggies on A Walk

Molly and Amber On Walk

Molly is learning to be patient with big, lumbering, doofus puppy Amber, even though Amber tries to ‘play’ with Molly, sending her ‘rear-end-over-tea-kettle’ a time or two while we’re out walking.  I warn Amber with the sound on her collar when she’s being too rambunctious, but I don’t catch all of it in time. I want them to be able to play, but Molly is getting long in the tooth, like her owners, and can only take a little bit.

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March 22, 2018 · 10:07 am

Two Mollys in One

Molly is 14 years old and weighs about 25 lbs. She is a schnauzer/cocker spaniel cross and has a HEAVY coat of fur. We let it grow out in the winter to help keep her warm.

Sheepdog Molly/Winter Molly

When the weather starts to warm up, we take her to the groomer to be sheared like a sheep. We ask them to cut it ‘short all over.’ The groomers would like to leave her bushy eyebrows, a beard, mustache, cute longer curly hair on her hips, tufted tail, maybe even ‘socks,’ but we insist on ‘short all over.’

We live on top of a ridge line on a small, woody piece of land that is a gathering place for ticks, fleas, and most of all, burrs of all shapes and sizes. Since Molly is NOT a ladylike dog, preferring to run to the nearest hole in the yard and stick her nose as far down into it as possible, trying to get whatever made the hole, ‘cute’ is a definite liability.

She runs like a mad thing all over the yard, rolling in the grass or – even better – some awful, stinky thing she finds, coming in with burrs from stem to stern. If she has a ‘cute’ haircut, I spend a half hour or more with a comb, trying to get the burrs out of her beard, mustache, eyebrows, between her toes, etc. She is NOT happy with that, so ‘short-all-over’ it is.

 

Sleek Molly / Spring, Summer, and Fall Molly

This is how she looks most of the year. If she finds interesting stuff outside, the burrs are whisked off pretty quickly. If needed, I can plonk her into the kitchen sink and scrub her all over. ONE towel and a short time with the hair dryer and she’s ready to be a close part of our family again.

We love both “Sheepdog” Molly and “Sleek” Molly. It’s like having two dogs in one!

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March 21, 2018 · 4:10 pm

Trip to the Vet

This morning we took Abby and Molly to the vet’s office. Abby, the cat, needed two shots. Molly was scheduled for a grooming, plus she, too, needed annual shots. I called the office much later to see if Molly was ready to come home and was told the groomer was working on her and it would be about 45 minutes. We ate some lunch. At 2:58pm I was really sleepy. I told my husband that I would make our phone ring by getting comfortable and closing my eyes. I had nodded off when the phone rang at 3:03pm, 5 minutes after I shut my eyes, saying Molly was ready.

Sleek Molly

Here is Molly, sheared like a sheep and MUCH easier to scrub in the sink now when she sticks her nose in a hole or rolls in something awful outside. She has all her shots, a new “medal’ to wear for getting her rabies vaccination, and is already asleep in her bed by my feet as I type. :0)

 

Abby

Abby came home with us this morning. It took both my husband and me to get her into the carrier this morning. She meowed rhythmically all the way to the vet’s office. The techs took her into the other room, saying not to worry if she protested loudly. A minute or two later, the two astonished techs said she had had both her shots and didn’t make a sound! She disappeared after we let her out of the carrier. Imagine that!

 

Amber

When we went to pick up Molly, we decided to take Amber. She loves to ride in the car and doesn’t care where we go. When we got there, we had forgotten to bring the zapper that goes with her shock collar. We changed from the shock collar to the ‘no-pull’ collar we carry in the car, plus the leash. My husband brought Amber into the vet’s office to weigh her.

She was a perfect lady. She didn’t pull on the leash (remembering that she received a shock from the collar if she did). She came into the vet’s office calmly, instead of trying to pull my husband off his feet as she did three times last time we took her. He went right over to the scales with her. She got on and sat down. She weighs 93 pounds now. They came back into the waiting area. She sat when my husband told her to, waiting calmly as I handled the paperwork and payment for services rendered and they brought Molly out. She met our wonderful veterinarian with a nice lick on his hand. We told the vet about the no-pull collar. He and another customer there were both really interested and said they would look into it. Amber stood and came over to Molly, licked her, and then we left – just like normal people!

We gave both Amber and Molly a cookie when we got home. Neither could have been better. (Abby got her favorite cat treats this morning when she finally showed up later.) Smoke (our other cat) and the fish got nothing special because it was a normal day for them. (Better luck next time.)

 

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March 20, 2018 · 10:38 am

Delighted and Appalled

Dyson Animal Ball Series

This is the later version of the Dyson vacuum I have. I’ve had it for several years now. Each time I use it, I’m delighted – and appalled – at all that I empty out of the cannister.

I KNOW I should probably vacuum every day, particularly since we have two shedding dogs and two shedding cats (the fish don’t shed, thank goodness). The truth is that almost everything takes precedence over house cleaning.

I’ve been noticing that our carpeted stairs were needing attention. Today was the day. I used the battery-powered portable Dyson that hangs in its charging center in the pantry. I can use the top, along with a couple of attachments, to clean the stairway. There was a bunch of matted hair in the stair creases (is there a name for this, other than crease?).

I first used the whisk broom, vigorously attacking the creases. It worked well. Dog and cat hair was flying off the stairs onto the foyer carpet.

Amber was in the office, but noticed me when she heard the sound of the whisk broom. She came running and saw furballs flying in the air. She snapped one out of the air and ate it. She thought it was a FINE game and smiled at me, wagging her tail. I kept her amused the whole time I did the first part of the stair cleaning. I have no clue how many furballs she ate…

I’ve now finished vacuuming with the hand-held Dyson and the crevice tool, plus the stairs tool, and then the foyer and living room with the Animal Dyson. It looks much better now.

I’m still delighted at the way the vacuums work. Dyson makes really good products. But, I have to tell you, when I empty the cannisters, I’m also appalled at all the dust, dirt, furballs, etc. that were on our carpet before I started. I know I’m a lousy housekeeper. I’ve told you I’m a slob. But this is powerful evidence that I speak the truth. Thank goodness I have good equipment when I finally bestir myself to use it!

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March 18, 2018 · 12:30 pm

How Does One Teach A Puppy NOT to Eat the Flowers?

I took this picture of one of two purple hyacinths I planted last year that bloomed for the first time in the past two days. I’m just thrilled with it.

Amber

I told you, though, that my husband and I were working on the irrigation system most of the day yesterday. We had the two doggies out with us.  All was going well. Amber was being particularly good, not dive-bombing sweet Molly,

 

Molly

when I noticed that at SOME time while we were out Amber had decided to ‘taste’ the hyacinth. Now we have one good-looking one and the one in the picture above is about half gone… At least she didn’t pull it out by the roots!

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March 18, 2018 · 12:17 pm

Spent

FunnyPlanet

A wonderful combination of too much pulling, hauling and digging on the irrigation system with my husband yesterday and a night where I seemed to be looking at the clock each hour until right before the alarm went off are making me pretty worthless today.  I tried to curl up under my throw in my recliner after breakfast and initial chores were done, but aches and pains made me get up and take some Ibuprofen. “Getting old ain’t for sissies,” as Bette Davis wisely said.

Since I was up, I again noticed that the aquarium was still looking pretty sad. The too-large filter pump was in and working, but the top wouldn’t fit on the aquarium with that pump and the water looked cloudy. I decided that it was past time to do something about that.

 

An hour or so later, the aquarium is back together again . I took everything out, including the fish, siphoned all but an inch of the water out, scrubbed everything, put in the new, smaller filter pump with a new filter in it, put all the ‘stuff’ back in and then filled it up with specially treated water. Finally the fish were carefully scooped up, one by one, and put carefully back into the aquarium. The new filter is working nicely, the top now fits on the aquarium again, and the water is nice and clear Happy fish!

 

 

I stored the too-large pump and the filters that go with it, in case of another disaster. Keeping the sweet fish alive is the first priority.

 

 

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March 15, 2018 · 1:31 pm

“Washing the Dog….”

“Washing the dog….   Just washing the dog….”

Molly is going through her awkward time of the year, where the weather is prime for digging up critters who hide under the grass in the yard and where she has needed the warmth of her fuzzy fur. Next week, instead of “Fuzzy Molly” we’ll have “Sleek Molly” who will have been sheared like a sheep. When she is sleek, she is much easier to keep clean, plus it’s very easy to grab any fleas and ticks who try to come into the house riding on her back.

She was SO awful, though, that I couldn’t stand it any longer. I put her in the sink and scrubbed her all over with tearless puppy shampoo (even though she’s 14 years old now.)  I always use puppy shampoo because I hate the idea of it stinging if the soap happens to get near her eyes.

She is thoroughly teed off with me now – first because I lessened her dignity by putting her in the sink and scrubbing her, and second, because even after three bath towels and my hair dryer, she’s still wet enough that I don’t want to take her out so she can roll in the grass.

She finally realized that she’s lost this round, so breathed a huge, dramatic sigh and is now trying to sleep in her bed.

Now we both have dog hair all over us, but we she looks better and we both definitely smell better.

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March 13, 2018 · 11:47 am

Big Dog in Little Bed

We have a small dog bed at my feet under my computer counter area for Molly, so she can get some protection and rest from Amber when she needs it Molly spends a good bit of time here, lying down with a big sigh and going right to sleep.

Today while I was typing, my chair was jostled and almost dumped (with me in it). When I recovered my balance, Amber was in Molly’s bed. I managed to get a couple of pictures before she decided to come out again (repeating the bull-in-a-china-shop move).

 

Amber doesn’t seem to realize (or care) that she is too big for this bed. She has one just across the room that is large enough for both dogs. Just a moment ago Molly was asleep in the bed and Amber pre-empted her, barging in and lying down on the bed, oblivious to the fact that Molly was sprawled out in it, asleep. Molly leaped up and left, and is now beside my feet on the floor, sleeping…  Amber’s back half is in the bed and her front is all the way out beside the back wheels of my chair. I have to be careful not to move or I’ll run over Amber’s ear!

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March 12, 2018 · 11:26 am

Traffic Director

lovecatsworld.com via Cathy Ruggiero

 

We definitely have a challenge in the Lewis household: going through doors.

It doesn’t SEEM as if it should be that difficult, does it?

Yesterday Molly barked to come inside.

Fuzzy Molly

I held the front porch door open for her.

(She is about 14 now. She has some trouble getting around and is mostly deaf, though she can hear me when I clap my hands or if she happens to be looking at me when I speak. She had trouble accepting Amber even when Amber only weighed 16 pounds when we first brought her home. Now Amber is 91 pounds (at last weigh-in) and is definitely a jealous, bumbling big, doofus puppy of little brain who wants to be in on all the action. )

So – I held the door open for Molly and invited her in. She didn’t hear me, but Amber did.

Amber at 1 year.

Amber trotted over to the door, bumping into me and wanting to go out. I said ‘no,’ and tried to get Molly in again. Molly heard me this time, but was intimidated to try to come IN while Amber was again trying to go OUT.

Combine this with two cats!

Smoke

Smoke was outside, deciding she wanted to come in, ahead of Molly, but didn’t want to deal with Amber.

 

Abby decided that she wanted to go OUT, but didn’t want to deal with anyone, so sat there meowing loudly….

Molly wouldn’t come in. Amber wouldn’t go to her place. Smoke wouldn’t come in. Abby wouldn’t go out. I’m standing at the door – a now IRATE traffic director – totally frustrated with the lot of them. Only the fish escaped my wrath, since they didn’t say anything.

I finally shut the door and stormed into the living room where my husband sat placidly reading his kindle in his recliner, oblivious to the whole situation. I just sat down, asking him if he would let Molly in…. :0)

 

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March 10, 2018 · 10:56 am

“Fetch” or “Tug-of-War?”

My husband is asleep in his chair, snorking away, while I’m at the computer. All of a sudden, Amber shows up, trying to stuff her ball into my lap. Being a multi-tasking smart dog, she simultaneously lifts up with her head, making my left arm bounce up, over and over, off the keyboard. This is quite distracting, to say the least. Finally, she looks up at me with her beautiful, liquid, big brown eyes and my heart simply melts. Knowing she has manipulated me once again, she laughs and leads me to the door, impatiently waiting as I find my jacket and I am herded out to the front yard, accompanied also by Molly, our schnauzer/cocker spaniel extremely fuzzy white dog.

The biggest problem in all this is that I’m never sure what game it is that we’re playing. Amber wants me to throw the ball, but she doesn’t want to give it up. I finally throw the ball for her. She snaps it up on the run and returns to me. I try to get her to drop the ball into my hands. She doesn’t, of course. She runs around squeaking it madly, smiling with glee, around the ball, over and over. She wants me to play tug of war with it, but she has the advantage – teeth over fingers on a ball slimy with dog spit.

Finally, she gives it to me and I throw it across the yard as hard as I can. Molly knows to stay out of the way, having been run over many times, but she barks encouragement as she watches. Amber runs like a mad thing, snapping the ball up and running a victory lap or two around the yard, squeaking the ball and laughing. Then she comes to me and we go through the whole process again. For a time she doesn’t seem to need me there at all.  She teases me with the ball, then runs with it squeaking around the yard, drops it, grabs it up again, runs…..

I may never know what game we’re playing, but I don’t think it matters much. We play until one or both of us are tired. Then we all troop inside, I wash the ball and my hands, leaving the ball on the divider for the next time. Amber drinks a ton of water and collapses into a satisfied heap on her bed or by her dad’s foot.

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March 7, 2018 · 10:11 am

One Year!

Today our 91-pound yellow Labrador Retriever ‘puppy,’ Amber, is one year old!

 

Amber at one year – 3/7/2018

 

I sang the birthday song to her, but she just sniffed my jeans pockets to see if I had any treats.

Our lives have really changed since we got her 10-1/2 months ago –

Amber has trained US more than we’ve trained HER. She has taught us to

  • always get up with an alarm clock, even on weekends, to take her outside
  • feed her twice a day, being careful to not upset her tummy
  • put probiotics in her food to help with her digestion
  • put drops in her water to help keep her teeth clean
  • allow her to walk right up into my husband’s chair during the evening for a good snuggle
  • make me jump out of MY chair when she looks expectant and get on the couch so she can snuggle with ME
  • keep treats in our pockets at all times
  • keep her shock collar and zapper charged up all the time (even though we mostly just need to warn her with some sound now)
  • keep her supplied with chewy and/or squeaky toys in every room
  • become a gated community, with gates at the office doorway, doorway between the dining area/kitchen and living room, and at the utility room doorway
  • respond to a loud, close bark to take her outside
  • accompany her when she goes outside so that she doesn’t eat anything that catches her eye
  • understand that all bets are off – training ‘gone’ when visitors are here
  • realize that she loves people and will get into the vehicles with the UPS, Fedex, or mail people
  • understand that anything left anywhere within reach is fair game for a good chewing and/or destroying
  • acknowledge that she is the center of our world, around whom all things are planned
  • realize that in an argument with a 91-pound puppy, be careful what you wish for

Amber is the proverbial bull-in-a-china shop. If your drink is on the table, she won’t usually bother it with her nose, but her wagging tail will get it every time. She’s a sneaky pete. If you wanted to eat something later, don’t leave it on the counter in the kitchen unless you have the gate closed. It WILL mysteriously disappear. A bounding dog is a strong signal to get out of the way….

An exhausting, wonderful start to what we hope will be a good, long relationship. We’ll be grateful if her brain someday catches up with her exuberance.  Happy Birthday, Amber!

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February 24, 2018 · 11:43 am

I Love Dogs

Laurels Pet Grooming

“You can say any fool thing to a dog, and the dog will give you this look that says, “My God, you’re right! I never would’ve thought of that!” ~ Dave Barry

 

Orvis

“A dog is one of the remaining reasons why some people can be persuaded to go for a walk.” ~ O.A. Battista

 

 

Sunny Skyz

“The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.” ~ Samuel Butler

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February 23, 2018 · 12:57 pm

“Girl with Friends”

This photo was sent to me by Bill Lites

It makes me hopeful about our world.

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February 22, 2018 · 11:58 am

On Ice and On Water

“On Ice” – Paul Militaru Photography

 

“Joy on the Lake” – Paul Militaru Photography

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February 22, 2018 · 11:49 am

Great Squirrel Photos – Take 2

Birds n Blooms – Pamela Meoli

 

 

Birds n Blooms – Lynne Berghoff

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February 21, 2018 · 10:18 am

Water Wonders

“On Lake” – Paul Militaru Photography

 

 

 

“Turtle Swimming” – Paul Militaru Photography

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February 21, 2018 · 10:02 am

Great Squirrel Photos – Take 2

Birds n Blooms – Deanne Tomkins

 

 

Birds n Blooms – Kathleen Ottos

 

 

Birds n Blooms – Mary Lou Rosemont

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February 13, 2018 · 10:20 am

The Battle Over “OUT!”

We thought we were doing a good thing when we taught Amber to bark when she wanted to go out, or was outside and wanted to come in. Soon we realized we had created a monster who LOVES ordering us around. She just comes in and then barks to go out again – and loudly enough it hurts your ears! My husband thinks it’s hilarious when I’m concentrating at the computer and Amber comes up to me and then makes me jump straight up in the air out of my chair with a loud “WOOF!”

Since we have now ALSO learned that letting her out alone results in all kinds of things leaving the garage, the front porch, and other surrounding areas and showing up in the front yard – either in one piece or damaged beyond repair, we are now TAKING her out. It’s now 10:10 a.m. central time and she’s been out 4 times already.  This is a battle. We’re trying to get things done and we’re never sure if she REALLY needs to go out or is just pulling our leg. While it’s a problem concentrating or bringing something to completion, it’s also good in that it forces us to get up and moving. I’m also trying to play with her a bit while we’re out, taking a ball or something with me for her to retrieve. It’s good exercise because I make it a point to go out past the shop to my garden in one direction, and then all the way across the top of our part of the ridge line to my greenhouse and then back to the house. Just in CASE she doesn’t demand it on her own, we have an alarm set to remind us that we should go out again.

We’re having ‘discussions’ now about how many times it’s reasonable to take her out. Obviously, Amber would essentially enjoy being out most of the time. When it’s cold and wet outside with a gusty wind, we are less happy about staying out there with her for very long, telling her to ‘hurry up!’ and wanting to come right back in.

‘Discussions’ with a 91 pound lab puppy aren’t very productive…

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February 10, 2018 · 12:26 pm

Are We Training HER or OURSELVES?

We’re slow learners, but we finally got the message – Amber cannot be trusted to go outside by herself until further notice. We also learned that we have to watch her like a hawk in the HOUSE, too, as she was chewing on a plug-in thingie for my husband’s computer this morning before we figured it out…

She LOVES to go outside by herself, but since the poor dog doesn’t have ANYTHING to play with, she has become more and more inventive about finding something to pass the time out there.

Yesterday we decided to get new welcome mats for the front door and the garage door to the house. I put the old ones we were replacing on the floor in the greenhouse where the weed barrier has become torn.

Soon we let Amber out. I went out a few minutes later to find BOTH new welcome mats in the front yard. The one from the front porch had a huge bite out of the top of it. The one we got to scrap our shoes on in the garage was in several pieces.

We put the shock collar on her, got the remote, and agreed that one of us will go out with her on a reasonable schedule. We SHOULD be playing with her and walking around anyway, so it’s just having to own up to our responsibility as owners of a loveable, rambunctious, destructive, energizer bunny type lab puppy.

 

 

 

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