Category Archives: Amazing Animals

January 13, 2018 · 10:25 am

No Ice!

It has been really cold for Arkansas already this winter. Our ‘worst’ month is usually February, and it has snowed on my birthday in March. Usually, though, we have a cold snap and then Indian Summer type weather through January. I think I mentioned before that last year I was still harvesting lettuce in January…

We have had no ice, though, and I’m very grateful. That’s the only thing that truly paralyzes us. We live on top of a ridge line. Our driveway is steep, 650 feet or so down to the road that runs in front of the house. It becomes a ski slope in the winter. We can navigate it down and up again if it snows because of the snow tires on the truck. Ice is another story. Not only does the ice make it impossible for us to go out, it breaks the branches of the trees. We still haven’t fully recovered from the damage from an ice storm in 2000!

That said, our 90 pound,  10-month-old lab puppy, Amber, LOVES this weather. She finally isn’t panting from being too hot. Her coat is very thick and she seems to grin all the time she’s outside. When it’s seriously cold, we don’t let her stay out long because she’s a huge dog with very little brain at this point, but we try to let her out often. When it warms up to our high of 36 today, I’ll take her out for her no-pull collar training session on the leash for the day – Day Three.

The fact that it’s too cold to be comfortable outside has helped in my efforts to declutter our house. Religiously every 30 years or so I go through the stuff in our house, taking everything out of an area, cleaning, donating what we think someone else might be able to use, throwing out what should have been thrown out years ago, and then reorganizing what goes back in. Yesterday it was our “coat, hat, muffler, and glove area” in the utility room and back bathroom. Today it will be the front hall closet.

So far, I’ve kept my promise of filling an EXTRA big trash bag to put out for the trash people each week. I’m piling things up for donations to our local library and the Veterans Thrift Store in Fort Smith before the end of this month. My goal is to have donations each month, but if I don’t make it, the goal still stands and will remind me that I have much more to do. I’m trying not to be overwhelmed by how MANY areas in our house are crying out for my attention!

Though I don’t enjoy going through things and cleaning, I DO enjoy each area when it’s finished. I like the feeling of accomplishment, the cleaner, more organized area, the feel that I’m getting better control of our ‘stuff,’ and the happy feeling that I’m sharing things that we have enjoyed with others.

I hope you’re having a happy Saturday. Stay warm and enjoy your day!

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January 12, 2018 · 12:55 pm

No Pull Collar – Day Two

Yesterday we learned the hard way that a now 90-pound ‘puppy’ on a leash HAS to mind. She almost pulled my husband down three times between the car and the vet’s yesterday. It really scared us that we basically lucked out, not being injured by our happy-go-lucky puppy. We came home, dug out the no-pull collar, put it on Amber, attached her to the leash, and headed outside for a walk.

The no-pull collar is designed for the DOG to control whether he or she gets shocked or not. If the dog is obedient and doesn’t pull hard on the leash, there are no shocks. If he or she pulls on the leash, a shock is produced, continuing for a couple of seconds if he or she continues to pull. The dog quickly learns not to pull.

At first Amber was rambunctious and got shocked a lot. I decided that we had the shock value up too high, so my husband lowered it, and we continued our walk. We were all tense, since Amber got really upset at the beginning (this, after she paid NO attention to the regular shock collar at the vet’s). She got shocked once more when she tried to chase one of our cats; but otherwise, we felt the first training walk was a success.

When we came home from errands and Lunch Bunch today, we put the no-pull collar on and attached her to the leash. She hunched down and didn’t want to go out. I felt awful, but determined that we get this under control. We HAVE to be able to control her even when she’s excited, meeting people, other animals,being treated at the vet, etc. We don’t want to be pulled down and dragged by our dog. So I grimly insisted she come with me, my husband following along behind.

She walked as if she were on eggs, clearly associating the no-pull collar with the shocks yesterday. Her tail was between her legs. I was tearing up, gritting my teeth, hoping she would be successful. We walked out to the shop, and she did really well. We gave her a treat and then started back toward the house. She wanted to go back inside, but I told her we were going to walk around the house. When we got to the far side of the house, I continued to walk with Amber and my husband hung back, so she would have to decide whether to continue with me or risk getting shocked by insisting she go to him. Happily, she continued with me. I kept the lead short, so we basically walked side by side. I stopped a couple of times, waited, and then continued to walk. As we walked her attitude improved dramatically. It’s as if she had to re-learn that SHE was in control of whether she was shocked or not. Her tail came up and her step became happier.

We finished the walk, brought her inside. took the collar off, and gave her a big hug, words of praise, and another small treat. I’m hopeful that, as the days of daily walks with no shocks pile up, she’ll adapt to the collar without any more problem. We’ll give this a couple of weeks and then try going to the vet’s again…

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January 11, 2018 · 2:59 pm

Eye Opener

I spent half an hour today playing ‘pick-up-sticks’ that Amber had collected. We then did one of her favorite things – letting her ride in the car! We went to the vet’s office in order to weigh our ‘baby’ on the large set of scales there.

We discovered that our 10 month old ‘baby’ lab weighs 90 pounds!

We had armed ourselves with her shock collar and the remote in order to be able to control her. The eye opener was that my husband was almost not able to handle her! She got excited at all the strange sounds and smells in and around the vet’s office and would not listen to anything we said, and ALSO wasn’t reacting to the shock collar!

We got her in and out again safely, but we were both really impressed by the fact that this could have been a real problem, resulting in injury to one or both of us, plus problems inside the vet’s office.

We decided then and there we were going to start TODAY – starting over with our leash training – walking her on a SHORT leash – the ‘no-pull’ one that we had put away – around the yard once a day. (This shocks her when she pulls.) We actually found out that we needed to turn the shock down, which we did, but my husband and I walked all around the yard with her for about 20 minutes. She was shocked several times at first, but then calmed down and was more cooperative, only getting shocked again when she saw one of our cats and started to run after her.

In addition to the daily walks with the no-pull leash, we plan to go back to the vet’s twice a month as part of this training. It’s important that she also get socialization plus training-while-excited practice by going to the vet’s and having to obey us. She wanted SO badly to greet the main receptionist that she wouldn’t even sit! We hope that the daily training at home and the twice a month trips to the vet’s office will get her to the point where it isn’t SUCH a big deal that she forgets all she’s been taught!

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January 9, 2018 · 9:48 am

“Pick Up Sticks”

 

I enjoyed playing “Pick Up Sticks” when I was young.  I was pretty good at it, too! :0)

 

This is our 10-month-old yellow lab, Amber’s, collection of sticks this morning. Every day she makes a collection. Today I watched her while she put each stick where she wanted it, having some design in her head. She would stop, walk around a bit, go to the woods in front of the house, bringing another to add to the collection, then move one from one side of the yard to the other. When she was satisfied, she came to the door and barked.

We let her in and gave her a treat, but I think she was quietly disappointed that we didn’t admire her latest stick collection profusely.

This may also be a plot to get me to MOVE more, since I go out and ‘ruin’ the collection sometime during the day….

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January 8, 2018 · 11:28 am

Bird Loving

“Dove” – Paul Militaru Photography

 

 

“Sleeping” – Paul Militaru Photography

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January 6, 2018 · 11:42 am

Power Trip

Amber will be 10 months old tomorrow. She is still basically a ‘bull-in-a-china-shop,’ lumbering around, knocking things over, running over Molly, messing with the cats, and knocking US down if we’re not paying proper attention. We’re told by people in the know that she will continue ‘puppy-hood’ for another 14 months, until she’s two. Oh, joy.

We ARE making distinct progress in several areas, though, and she is adapting to life in the Lewis household better and better. Molly and Amber now will sleep on the same dog bed in the living room in the evenings – unless Amber sits on top of Molly. The cats no longer freak out and disappear if Amber is in the house, although there is hissing and spitting from time to time if Amber tries to pick up a cat with her nose.

I told you recently that we’re trying to get Amber to bark at the door when she’s ready to come in from being outside. We actually had to start with getting her to bark at ALL. Now we may have created a monster.

This morning she came and responded to my, ‘do you want to go “OUT?” We went to the door, she smacked her mouth soundlessly a few times and then finally barked. She actually barked to come in, though it was a pretty pathetic bark. I opened the door, told her “GOOD GIRL!” and gave her a cookie. A few minutes later, she came and sat beside me, looking at me expectantly. I said, “SAY IT!” and she smacked her mouth again soundlessly, finally barking and getting to go out. A couple of minutes later (it seemed) we heard a bark, let her in, praised her, and gave her a cookie.

A couple of minutes ago I was concentrating on the computer. Suddenly a huge “WOOOF!!!!” errupted from the dog, who was sitting beside me.

I jumped straight up about two feet out of my chair, tried to say “Good Dog!” on the way down. I let her out, and sat down again, only to hear a loud “WOOOOFFFFF!” from outside the door. I let her in, gave her a cookie and sat down again.

When she said, “WOOOOOFFFF!” 30 seconds later, I finally began to see that she was definitely enjoying a power trip, working the system in order to get another treat. I got her a chew toy, told her it was too soon to go out again, and told her to get into her “PLACE!”

So far, this is working. What does a person DO when her dog is smarter than SHE?

 

 

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January 4, 2018 · 12:41 pm

Who Knew?

I thought I had tried everything, trying to get Amber, our almost 10-month-old yellow lab to quit digging in the planters where we dug out old rose bushes and just left dirt for planting in the spring.  This was a daily problem, almost as if she made the rounds, thinking that it was her DUTY to leave dirt everywhere for me to come clean up.

Mary Lou, my sister-in-law from Charlotte, said that what she and my brother-in-law do to discourage their dogs from digging in the yard was distribute their poop where digging was off-limits.

Before the big freeze around here, I gathered a goodly amount of samples with a dustpan and put some in each of the planters. I then put some leaves in the planters so they would look like the other planters we had mulched around the yard.  This was about 3 weeks ago.

SO FAR, SO GOOD! No digging in the planters!  Even though it has been really cold around here, Amber loves to be outside. She has had several opportunities each day to do her digging. Hats off to Mary Lou for the wonderful suggestion!!!!!

 

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January 3, 2018 · 2:48 pm

Stick Contest

smile and shine via stephanie youmans wilson

I think Amber and this sweet fellow are having a contest. This guy definitely wins the “most-sticks-in-the-mouth-at-once” category, but Amber  wins the “longest stick” category at 12 feet.

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January 2, 2018 · 10:17 am

“SAY IT!”

Amber with Squeaky Frog Toy

I told you recently that we’re trying to get Amber to “Say It!” when she wants to go out, or from the outside of the door when she wants to come in.

Earlier today after she had been out about half an hour, I went to the garage door and peeked out. There she was, sitting on the steps, hoping someone would come. I said, “SAY IT!” through the crack, and after some encouragement, she gave me a good bark. I opened the door, let her in, gave her a treat and said, “GOOD GIRL!” My husband did the same thing when she got to the office, having heard the good bark.

Later, I was typing at the computer, concentrating on answering an email when Amber came and sat beside me. I looked at her and said, “Hi,” gave her head a couple of pats and then returned to my email.

Suddenly, a humongous “WOOF!” erupted from the smiling dog. I jumped straight up in the air, coffee cup in my hand – with both my husband and I saying, “Jesus!” at the same time, and then I managed “GOOD GIRL!” on the way down. I immediately got up, giving her a treat and let her out. She seems to be on the good side of the learning curve on getting out now. Hopefully, she’ll learn that woofing and door opening works in both directions…

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December 31, 2017 · 3:33 pm

Amber on Ice

Amber is thoroughly worn out – for the moment anyway – after her first experience with ice.

My husband let the dogs out this morning. It was 24 degrees F and there was a thin layer of ice everywhere. Amber went bounding out, landing immediately on her rear and sliding for several feet into the grass. My husband said she looked surprised, then got up again with no damage done, and continued to cavort, as usual.

She’s been out several times today, coming in cold and energized, and this time finally got on her bed plopping down in a huff. She oozes off the bed like this most of the time. I’m not sure why.

By early afternoon the sun was out and things were melting. We decided to go to town . Even though we got ice overnight, it’s been warm enough that it was only a problem for a few hours. Next weekend, when the next wintry mix is forecast, we probably wont be so lucky.

As we were coming home I was struck by the beauty of the grass on both sides of the road. Even though things were melting and the sun was shining brightly, the individual blades of grass and other vegetation were encased in ice. Everything “glistened” just like in the I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” classic.  stunningly beautiful.

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December 31, 2017 · 11:28 am

Spray vs Drops – Doggy Dental Care

I love this picture. I have to admit that I haven’t been the best about taking care of our dog’s teeth. Recently, I ordered some spray. You peel back your dog’s lip on one side and spray the stuff in however many times they indicate, depending on your pet’s weight. That meant two sprays for Molly on each side. 5 sprays on each side for Amber. Good luck with that.

I really tried. I don’t know if it was the spray sensation, the taste, the smell, or what, but I did well to get ONE spray into each side – with everyone teed off in the process. The company customer service person was really nice and suggested I put the stuff on a Q tip and then rub it on the teeth. I tried that – no way, Jose’.  So, they kindly agreed for me to send it back and will give me a refund. Good company, Probably good product – just above my pay grade. I could probably bully Molly, but there is no way I can bully Amber, our 81 pound lab puppy, into compliance.

Thankfully, my sister-in-law told me about a product they use with their dogs. It’s called OxyFresh Dog & Cat Oral Hygiene Solution. I put 4 teaspoons of it into a gallon of water and then pour the solution into their dog water bowl. This is a communal bowl, so when anyone – dog or cat – gets a drink, they get a bit of help for their teeth and gums. GREAT IDEA!

 

They do remind you that this is only a partial solution and that you should either brush your pet’s teeth or do something actively to give them the best chance of good teeth and gums possible.

To this end, I just ordered a few things –

First –

Virbac C.E.T. Enzymatic Dog & Cat Poultry Flavor Toothpaste

 

and

 

Nylabone Advanced Oral Care Dog Finger Brush, 2-pack

and

Nylabone DuraChew Double Action Dental Chew Bacon Flavor Dog Toy

I’m HOPING that the fact the toothpaste is supposed to be chicken flavored will help with my efforts to move my finger around in our dogs’ mouths, at lest for a reasonable length of time. I chose the finger brushes instead of a regular toothbrush-looking-thing because I’m hopeful I can control things better. I may not have enough hands, but it’s definitely worth a try.

We have dental chews of all types around here, but I also got the dura-chew bone, hoping they’ll opt to use that in-between my giving them things to consume.

I would like to take good care of our pets’ teeth. I really don’t like the idea of having the vet do it, where the animals are given anesthesia. I don’t know if the finger brush and chicken flavored toothpaste will be usable, but they weren’t expensive. Meanwhile, every time someone gets a drink, they’re getting a bit of a dental boost.

*Note – these are all available from Chewy.com

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December 28, 2017 · 11:13 am

To Fetch, or Not to Fetch…

Talk about a “Daddy’s Girl…”

We are working on several new things with our 9 month old, 81 pound Yellow Labrador Retriever, Amber. It’s still up for grabs on who is teaching whom around here.

PICK-UP-STICKS – Amber provides ME with some great “bend-over-and-pick-up,” plus “carry” exercise each morning. She collects sticks she finds and brings them into the civilized part of our front yard, leaving them for us to admire and praise.  Some of these are 12 feet long! Yesterday I saw her prancing around, carrying a huge, long branch around the yard. I called to her and she turned, humongous branch in teeth, and I swear she grinned at me around it, saying, “Look at me!”

FETCH – while I was doing the “PICK-UP-STICKS” game this morning, I brought a large, bright green squeaky ball out. It was 20 degrees, so I didn’t want to spend any more time than I needed to out there, but wanted to give the doggie a bit of exercise, too. I squeaked the ball and then threw it. Amber happily bounded across the yard after it, catching it pretty quickly and then brought it back to me. The problem is there. She loves running to get it, and readily runs back to me, ball in her mouth, eyes dancing. But she doesn’t want to give it to me. She stands there, squeaking the ball, or even comes up to me and puts the ball in my hands, teeth never leaving the ball. She looks at me expectantly. I say, “GIVE IT!” She pretends to, but when I try to get the ball, she clamps her teeth down, clearly wanting to play “TUG OF WAR.” Since I’ve learned the hard way that my hands are vulnerable to her teeth in this game, I won’t play.  She runs off, then returns right away, trying to entice me into HER game. FINALLY, when she accepts that I won’t play, she gives me the ball and I throw it again….

SAY IT! – We have taught every dog we’ve ever had to bark when they want to come in from outside. Sweet little Molly, our 12+ years old cocker spaniel/schnauzer cross readily barks when she wants to come in, many times when she is out at the same time as Amber. When we hear her bark, one of us gets up and lets her/them in, giving a treat. We are trying to get Amber to bark when she wants to go out, and then when she wants to come in. This is hard going. It seems weird to be trying to teach a dog to bark, doesn’t it. But it’s a really handy thing when a dog will communicate with you.

Amber has a hard head. So far, after we say, “Say it!” over and over, looking at her expectantly by the door, we FINALLY get a noise between a whine and a bark. You have to start somewhere. She has barked once when she was out, beside the door. We think it must have been a coincidence, though, because we jumped right up, let her in, and gave her a treat, but she hasn’t repeated it…

 

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December 27, 2017 · 10:07 am

Today’s Collection

One of Amber’s favorite things is sticks. She loves ’em.

Because we don’t want her to eat the baseboards and the wall in the utility room at night, and NOTHING we’ve found to put on the wood to make it taste bad has worked, we give her a stick at night. Happily, she chews on this and leaves the other things alone – mostly.

Since the poor dog doesn’t have ANY toys to play with, each time we let her out, she gathers sticks. We live in the sticks (appropriately named in Amber’s honor) outside of Greenwood AR we have lots of trees and branches. Amber has decided that it’s her life’s work to gather as many of these as possible each day in a collection in our front yard.

Here is this morning’s collection –

Maybe she’s being generous, providing me with exercise in my efforts to keep moving. I gather these each day, taking them to our burn barrel. Maybe she’s thinking ahead, trying to save us money, by not having to pay someone to clear out the underbrush in our woods.

I suspect, though, that she’s just being a healthy, happy puppy, gathering wonderful treasures to play with and chew on. She doesn’t complain that her treasures disappear each day. Happily for her, there are plenty more where these came from…

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December 27, 2017 · 9:50 am

Mr. Bountiful

behappynowbook.blogspot.com

My husband and I work in harmony each morning to get all the animals fed, breakfast fixed and eaten, dishwasher unloaded, and our basic chores done.

He usually takes the animals out first thing, stopping at our big bucket of sunflower seeds in the garage to take out to the deck for the birds. We put out both sunflower seeds and the small seeds you see in the picture above.

After he comes in and we are sitting at the dining area table for breakfast, it’s like the memo went out – “Mr. Bountiful has come!”

All of a sudden we’re awash in lots and lots of birds of all stripes bouncing from feeder to feeder, plus a squirrel or two, entertaining us as we eat.

We put a special squirrel feeder up, right on the other side of the window. It has a gallon glass bottle held up by a wooden closure. The squirrel has to come into the wooden enclosure and then stretch out to get the seed in the bottle. We get a really great look at him. There are little pointy-headed birds that also use this feeder, popping in and out with regularity.

With the birds and squirrels outside the window, our two dogs and two cats sitting on the floor around the table, and the fish happily eating in their aquarium, we feel happy and rich.

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December 24, 2017 · 9:03 am

Christmas Fun with Amber

Amber would rather EAT the decorations than WEAR them, but we caught her quickly in a couple of pics for her first Christmas.

 

She appreciates the smell of roasting turkey, gravy, and more, but otherwise, seems unimpressed by any hoopla she sees around here.

She is getting more and more companionable lately. She wants to be where we are, no matter what we’re doing. One of her favorite things is going ANYWHERE in the “CAR!” (one of her recent words.) My husband is trying to get her to bark at the door when she wants to come in from being outside. So far, she hasn’t a clue what we’re trying to get her to do, although Molly does it when both of them are outside. We’re working with her every day, plus playing a sound byte on the computer of a dog barking. Her new words, if we’re successful, will be, “SAY IT!”

We’re having our good friend Nora to dinner tonight as our celebration. Amber will forget everything we’ve taught her, bounding around, clobbering all with her tail, trying to bowl everyone over for a bit. Then I’m HOPEFUL she’ll settle down and show Nora what a really sweet – if destructive – puppy she is.

Nora always sits on one end of the couch in the living room. For the past month or so, I sit there and then motion for her to come over, sit – THEN say, “OK” for her to come up and snuggle with me a bit. With my luck, the fact that Nora is sitting there will be all the “ok” she needs to get cuddly with Nora…. I’ll warn Nora and watch the sweet puppy, zapper in hand….

Have a wonderful Christmas Eve!

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December 23, 2017 · 11:44 am

“Another One Bites the Dust…”

Such an innocent, sweet puppy.

This is what I saw first when I went out to call Amber in this morning –

 

I picked it up and headed for the front porch to find –

 

(Only one head involved. I simply added it to the pieces for the pic before I got out the broom.)

SO –

I almost feel like we’re in the 12 ‘Weird’ Days of Christmas Song

________________

“On the first day of Christmas, sweet Amber gave to me – a hedgehog with a missing nose, not to be repaired.

On the second day of Christmas, sweet Amber gave to me – a duck with a bitten-off beak, not to be repaired.

On the third day of Christmas, sweet Amber gave to me – a completely smashed duck, not to be repaired.

And a par tri – idge in a pear treeeeee.”

__________________

I THOUGHT I had the duck in a safe place.

One can only wonder what will bite the dust next.

Poor doggie – she only has 85 (more or less) wonderful chew toys, plus sticks, plus another dog who likes to play sometimes, plus people who like to play sometimes…

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December 22, 2017 · 12:44 pm

Amber’s First Christmas

Amber wasn’t feeling cooperative in our efforts to dress her up for Christmas, but I managed to get a few pics anyway. This will be her first Christmas, but she’s much more excited about playing out in the rain than she is about Christmas decorations – trying to EAT them instead of wearing them…

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December 18, 2017 · 4:33 pm

Bird Feeders

My favorite bird feeder was damaged – this time beyond repair – so we went on a hunt for a replacement today.

Thankfully, we found one almost just like the one that was damaged. We like this design because it has plexiglass sides that make the place where you put seeds, and it has two holders for suet, one on each end. It’s easy to fill because the whole top lifts up and moves to the side. There are lots of spaces for hungry birds to sit while they eat.

We got this filled and put up, only to have it crash to the ground immediately! Whoever made this thing didn’t install the cord efficiently, so it came apart the minute we tried to hang it. We retrieved it, took it back to the garage for another fill, and put it up. We’re due for some freezing temperatures later this week – starting on Friday, so I’ll put the suet in the holders just before then.

 

We usually put out sunflower seed, but some of our visitors like the smaller, round seed. We have this tall feeder on one end of the deck, plus the cute little bell made from seed we got today. The shovel bird to the right of this picture is the place a bunch of our birds like to eat, so my husband puts sunflower seeds in the shovel part for them.

 

Here’s another view of some of the feeders. We put up the snowman feeder this time of year. The birds really like it. I need to fill it every day or so.

 

Here’s a close up of the snowman feeder. I love it that it’s not only cute, it’s easy to fill and the birds like it.

 

To the right of the snowman feeder is another one that holds sunflower seeds. We fill the one on the post to the right of this picture for the squirrels.

Most of the time when it’s cold we have quite a feast for the eyes as we watch the sweet birds and squirrels enjoy the seeds at breakfast.

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December 17, 2017 · 2:22 pm

The Gatherer’s Collection Grows

This lovely 9 month old puppy is really getting into gathering, bringing ‘stuff’ from all over the place and putting it in the front yard. Today, she added a couple of figurines I had on the front porch.

 

I have two ducks who usually sit together under a table where I plant a large pot of impatiens. Amber got this poor duck this morning. She bit off the duck’s beak. I found some pieces, but I don’t know if I can put the beak back together.

 

This is a hedgehog that I bought from a fellow artist a few years ago. I don’t know what it is about noses and mouths, but Amber bit off the hedgehog’s nose and mouth. Again, I found pieces in the grass, but I don’t know if I have all the pieces I need to put this back together.

It seems as if we in the middle of the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme around here…

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December 16, 2017 · 11:23 am

The Gatherer

Innocent looking, isn’t she?  In her heart, though, there lurks the heart of a gatherer –

Today it was

  • 8 long sticks/branches from over the edge of the civilized part of our yard – brought up to collect out in front of the door, just off the porch. I wouldn’t mind if she played with them awhile and then threw them back over the edge, but they’re piled up like trophies of the first morning’s run.
  • A heavy plastic rat killer container. This was provided by our bug people. It’s virtually indestructible, they said, and cannot be opened without a lot of work with serious tools. The poison is inside where only something actually crawling inside can eat it, thank goodness. Amber is content to move it from where it lives at the foot of the house in front to the front yard.
  • iris rhizomes from plants I cut down from the latest cleaning out of the planters. She gets them out of the bucket they’re in in the garage and brings them out to the yard. Maybe this is a hint that she thinks I should be getting them replanted faster.
  • weird bones from I-don’t-know-what-and-don’t-want-to-know.

We take her out first thing to take care of business and then let her out again after breakfast. Mid morning I go out to find out what treasures she’s found. I gather them up (see, I’m a gatherer, too!) and either put them back where they belong or toss them off  ‘the edge of the world’ again.

A new morning ritual.

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December 15, 2017 · 12:46 pm

Doing Better

We have two sweet members of our doggie family, Amber (above) and Molly (below.)  I was seeing ads for doggie dental care and felt like a slob because all we’ve ever done is buy dental chews. In an effort to start being a better caregiver, I ordered some TruDog “Spray Me” Doggy Dental Spray. The idea is to peel back your dog’s lips on one side and spray into the mouth, and then do the same on the other side.

 

I talked to my SIL who said that her husband actually physically brushed their dogs’ teeth three times a week! (Can you see me hanging my head in shame?)  The other thing she told me, though, was that they use a product you mix with their drinking water. It’s called Oxyfresh Pet Oral Hygiene Solution.  I love this idea because it’s good for whatever pet you have and they get a dose each time they drink.  Since everyone uses the same water dish when they’re in the house, this protects the cats, too. (It doesn’t mention fish, so I’ll refrain from putting any in the aquarium :0) ). The bottle says the additive is odorless and tasteless.

We’ve been using the solution in the water for two days now. No one seems to notice any difference, and the water is slurped up just as quickly as always. I got the spray today and used it on both doggies. Neither dog was especially helpful or cooperative, but I managed to get a couple of sprays into each side of each animal’s mouth.  Molly didn’t say anything, but headed for the office as soon as I let her go.  Amber fought me a bit, and then was dramatically trying to spit it out. I’m glad that we don’t have TWO highly-dramatic dogs…

Between the two of these products (plus the normal dental chews we’ve always gotten) our animals will be getting much better dental care than before.

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December 13, 2017 · 10:15 am

Lap Dog – His and Hers

We love Amber, our 9 month old yellow labrador retriever we brought home to be part of our family in May, when she was 10 weeks old and weighed 16 lbs.  I laboriously got her into my lap in my recliner, since she really seemed to enjoy the closeness. As she grew, though, I decided she was definitely not in the lap dog category.

Now, at 9 months old, she weighs around 81 pounds. She still considers herself a lap dog, insisting that my husband allow her up in his lap in the evenings. As you can see, she’s quite a handful.

I watch her out of the corner of my eye when she’s in my husband’s lap. She will suddenly sit up very straight and look at me with a gleam in her eye. I leap out of my chair – not wanting to even THINK about her leaping from his chair to mine – and sit on one end of the couch.

 

Here I am with our ‘lap dog’ on the couch. My husband snapped this pic for the rare moment Amber was quiet. She’s usually busy lapping my face and making me laugh until I have trouble catching my breath. She’s a great addition to our family.

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December 9, 2017 · 10:59 am

“How Much is that Doggie in the Window?”

How Much Is That Doggie In The Window
Recorded by Patti Page
Written by Bob Merrill

How much is that doggie in the window
The one with the waggley tail
How much is that doggie in the window
I do hope that doggie’s for sale

I must take a trip to California
And leave my poor sweetheart alone
If he has a dog he won’t be lonesome
And the doggie will have a good home

Repeat #1

I read in the paper there are robbers
With flashlights that shine in the dark
My love needs a doggie to protect him
And scare them away with one bark

I don’t want a bunny or a kitty
I don’t want a parrot that talks
I don’t want a bowl of little fishies
He can’t take a goldfish for a walk

Repeat #1

____________________

I know I’m showing my age, but when Amber started putting her head through the cat/small dog door in the walk-thru gate one morning, watching the people get ready for breakfast and Molly ate her breakfast in the pantry, this song was the first thing that popped into my head. I started singing it and Amber immediately perked up, getting agitated. She didn’t growl, bark, or yodel, but she sounded like she was listening.

I’ve been trying to remember to take my camera into the dining area for weeks now, but never remember to do it until I see her with her head through the door again. Today I used the camera on my phone.

I don’t do that often because my phone and my iMac don’t get along. My husband has to take the pics off the phone on his PC (Microsoft 10) and then put them in the backup files on my computer. I can’t open them until I change the ‘permission’ on each one, change the ‘ownership’ of the file, look at it, then either trash it or unlock it and hit ‘duplicate’ so I can put a name on it. UGH.

Anyhow, I just did this, one picture at a time with a whole group of them, remembering WELL again why I don’t use the camera on my phone unless I need to.

If you’re old enough to remember Patti Page singing this song, you’ll also remember (I think) that there was a dog barking in the song – It would go, “How much is that doggie in the window” (bark, bark) – the one with the waggley tail…..

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December 7, 2017 · 12:38 pm

Brrr!

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We’ve had two pit bulls and they’ve been the best pets, so when I see a cute pic of a pit, I just melt into a puddle.

We bought quilted “coats” for our pit, Bambi, and Molly a couple of years ago. They look cute, but the dogs didn’t seem to like them much, even though they weren’t restrictive in any way. Amber is finally not panting when she comes in. This seems to be the weather she loves. They go out as many times as they want during the day. At night they sleep in the utility room – Amber on one side of the gate and Molly on the other – so both can rest.

It got down to 29 degrees F last night/this morning. I had the lettuce covered with a sheet, but it was looking a bit stressed when I uncovered it this morning. The high is supposed to be 38 today, so I’m hoping that the sun will make the difference in keeping the poor lettuce going.  I’ll look at it this afternoon to see if I can harvest some of it today.

I had a glorious massage this morning!  I bundled up in a new jacket (one that is quilted, but very light and warm) plus a new white knitted hat with a pom pom on top.  My wonderful massage therapist is a friend, as well as therapist, so we exchange gifts at Christmas time. She gave us a beautiful assortment of nuts (since we can eat that with our low carb lifestyle) plus a gift certificate to the restaurant we go to each week for Lunch Bunch!

I’m very lucky to have such a kind, caring friend who is able to find sore places I didn’t even realize I had and make them go away. I look forward to my massage all month, knowing that I’ll feel pampered and wonderful – ready to tackle what life has to offer.

Have a fun, warm day!

 

 

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December 7, 2017 · 12:16 pm

Amber at 9 Months

Amber is 9 months old today. “The Baby,’ our yellow labrador retriever, weighs 81 lbs and is the proverbial ‘bull-in-a-china-shop’ lumbering through the house, running over sweet Molly (our cocker spaniel/schnauzer cross) regularly.

Amber is learning to respect Molly – at least somewhat – especially when Molly has decided she likes one of the toys. Molly doesn’t want to play with it or chew on it. She wants to guard it. Ferociously. When anyone comes close, she growls. I will put up with this for a bit because I’m pleased she is no longer trying to be invisible in her own home, but a little bit goes a long way. I’ve actually had to swat Molly with a newspaper when she snapped at ME about the toy.

Amber has learned a lot and has become a real member of the family now. She minds pretty well – particularly when she knows we have the shock collar remote in hand. We hardly ever have to even make the warning sound anymore, much less shock her. She anticipates us on many things now, so we don’t even need to give the command.

We’re pleased at the amount of words she knows: NO, OUT, DOWN, SIT, COME, NO, TREAT, BALL, CAR, STICK, NO, AMBER, OKAY, PLACE, GOOD DOG, NO!... :0)

She sits and waits for us to put her food bowl down and say, “OKAY” before she eats. She goes to her PLACE when we’re bringing plates into the living room. She comes and stares at us, saying, “whine, whine, ” when she wants to go out. (as she just did)  We’re trying to teach her to bark when she would like to come in.

She walks up my husband’s front as he sits in his recliner, wanting to cuddle. Our chairs are just a few feet apart in the living room. I look over at her when she’s playing ‘lap dog,’ and suddenly there is a gleam in her eye and she’s sitting up straight, rather than cuddling. This is the signal that she’s thinking of jumping from his chair and lap to mine. Since I really don’t like the idea of an 81 pound dog landing on my lap and chair, I leap out of my chair and go sit on the couch. She now takes that as an invitation to crawl up on the couch and sit beside me. We don’t allow her on the furniture, but in this case, I give in and give her a good cuddle.

She loves the cooler weather (it’s 36 degrees F out there right now), and since she readily comes at our call or the shock collar warning, we can let her out by herself to romp, sniff and otherwise be a real dog.

All of these good words about how much she’s learning go out the window with a sucking sound if someone comes to visit. She is so busy trying to get close to the visitor that she no longer sees or hears us. I can imagine what our friends think after meeting ‘the maniac.’  They probably think we don’t work with her at all. We are arranging play dates with other dogs, taking her with us in the car when we have a short list of errands, and having people over, but this will be a steep hill to climb.

 

 

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December 6, 2017 · 11:22 am

Your Awwww for the Day – Take 7

 

 

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December 2, 2017 · 12:41 pm

Your Awwww for the Day – Take 6

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December 2, 2017 · 12:35 pm

Amber and the Stick!

I was finally able to get a few pics of Amber playing with her stick –

 

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December 2, 2017 · 11:06 am

Amber’s Thumbs Up Toy List – Newest Additions – Dec 2017

Amber will be 9 months old December 7th. She weighs 81 pounds now. To describe her as an “aggressive chewer” just doesn’t do her justice. Like our pit bull, Bambi, before her, she LIVES to destroy.

Example – I gave her a stuffed purple dragon this morning that was supposed to be extra tough for aggressive chewers. She already has gotten the ‘head’ open and is happily spreading stuffing all over the office carpet. I get her one of these every once in a while because she really does love them. I make sure I get them on sale, though, and don’t expect them to last.

We HAVE found some exceptionally good, long-lasting toys to add to “Amber’s Thumbs Up Dog Toy List “-

 

Mammoth TireBiter Tire and Rope Dog Toy

Before I forget, I bought all of these from Chewy.com

They have an ‘aggressive dog’ toy section.  Most of the toys I’ve bought Amber has demolished  pretty quickly, even those that are supposed to be ‘tough.’ I’m happy to be able to send on her recommendations for the ones that are worth the money.

The TireBiter above is about 8 inches across. Amber tends to carry it around by the rope, hoping we’ll play tug of war. If we don’t, she still carries it around, trying to break its neck. We have learned not to be in the path of that because we’ve gotten bruises from being hit by the tire. She loves it.

 

PetSafe Sportsman Bristle Bone Dog Toy

 

This is the absolutely best toy I’ve found that BOTH our dogs love. It’s got interesting things to chew. There are two “Jerky” type discs in the row of things between the two ‘bone’ ends. They smell good (to the doggies). You can get refills for the jerky type things. Molly basically ‘guards’ it for her turn, rather than aggressively chewing on it. When Amber’s turn comes, she chews on it heavily, sometimes actually unscrewing it. I came in one day to find the pieces all over the room. I just gathered them up, replaced the jerky discs, screwed everything back together tightly and declared it was again Molly’s turn. GREAT toy. (When this one is used up, we’ll definitely get another one.)

 

 

JW Pet iSqueak Bouncin’ Bowlin’ Pin Dog Toy

Squeaky, bouncy bowling pin. Amber mainly carries it around, rather than chewing much on it. She wants us to play – you guessed it – tug of war with it. She especially likes when she can make it squeak. She has to work for it some, which is good.

 

 

Nylabone DuraChew Ring Original Flavor Dog Toy

This is a good, all around toy. We can throw it for Amber outside in the yard. Both doggies like to chew it, though it isn’t the favorite toy. We’ve had this about 3 weeks and it holding up really well.

We’ll tell you about more toys as they make the list. :0)

 

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December 2, 2017 · 10:36 am

Fetch!

I went to the door this morning to get Amber to come back in after some time in the yard. When I opened it, she was standing there, smiling around the humongous “weed tree” in her mouth. I hurried back in to get the camera, but – of COURSE – she had dropped it when I returned.

I took some pics, though, of two sticks Amber brought into the front yard –

 

Stick # 1 – this is about 3 feet long.

 

This is Stick # 2 – It’s about 10 feet long. She lost the root ball that used to be on the end of it.  As you can see, she did a bit of digging in one of the flower planters we cleaned out to start over with a new Rio Samba rose plant in the spring.

 

Here’s another view of Stick # 2. I’m really sorry I couldn’t get a picture of her with this in her mouth. She had a great time outside.

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December 1, 2017 · 9:53 am

Your Awwww for the Day – Take 5

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