My Three Dogs

As I've mentioned before, I have three dogs.

Evie, the mini-Aussie:

Charlie, my regular-sized Aussie:

And Sophie, my part-rat-terrier-part-neighbor's-dog cross:

Since I have no children, my dogs basically are my kids, and they act like it. They know how to put on the "look." You know, the one you can't resist.

Help me, Rhonda.

They love to go places with me, but unlike human kids, they never ask if we're there yet.

Yes, that's poor Charlie being used as a booster-seat.

My "kids" like to play outside, too.

Of course I think kids today don't play outside as much with video games being so prevalent. I don't have to worry about that with these kids--they lack opposable thumbs.

And even though I don't have a family, in the traditional sense of the word, I think of these three as part of my family.

I can't imagine my life without them.

Somehow having someone look at me like this makes my life just that much better....

Weekend Rest is for Wusses

Yesterday was a gitter-done day:

1. Moose is basically halter broke now. He leads and I can put the halter on him without much ado.


So yesterday I put his fly mask on for the first time. He was pretty good about it. Even the velcro sound didn't bother him (which usually spooks the horses the first couple of times). He's a good boy!

B. I got new tires put on my car, washed it and got the oil changed. Do I hear "Roadtrip Time?!"

Russell and Sophie decide to run into it a few times while playing, just to make sure the tires are dog-proof.

3. Thanks to my sister, barn-kitty has a name! Meet Milton.

I shall love him and hug him and squeeze him and pet him and call him George Milton.

4. I decided now that Milton is somewhat tamed, I'd let him out of his cage and get used to being around in the house.

However, having a puppy and a kitten in the house leads to a somewhat chaotic environment.

Milton's not one bit afraid of Russell. In fact, most of the time he's the instigator.

See, if you floss way back here, your breath will be much better....

5. I clipped and washed ALL of the dogs.

I gave Russell a schnauzer-type cut (or tried to, anyway). Sophie thankfully doesn't need much clipping. Charlie got his usual three-hour grooming session. Everyone looks so purty now.

It's quitten-time at Tara,

Two of a Kind

Sophie and Russell have somewhat of a turbulent relationship.

Sometimes they are indifferent,



Sometimes they wrestle,



Sometimes they snuggle,



And sometimes they inflict brutal carnage upon each other.



Then they opt to give each other distance,



And even attempt to go their seperate ways.



But then they decide to give it another go...



...and it works for a few seconds...



before it starts all over again.



I'd attempt to intervene, but I'm with Charlie.

Sometimes it's just best to let the kids sort things out on their own.

Til the doggies come home,

~J

Someday...

One of these days, I'll be able to afford to get a complete dog, tail and all.


For now, the discount models will do :)

Yes, I Laugh at My Own Jokes, Why Do You Ask?

Disclaimer #1: Neither terror nor terrier where harmed in this production.

Disclaimer #2: Please disregard the groovy blue carpet and paneling. This is the part of the house that has not been remodeled yet. Thank you for your cooperation.

Disclaimer #3: I'm sure this is not what Carl Orff had in mind.

Puppies

Puppies make everyone feel better.

Especially the one on the left.

Because...

He's mine.

Dogs

You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us. ~Robert Louis Stevenson

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, Notebooks, 1912

From the dog's point of view, his master is an elongated and abnormally cunning dog. ~Mabel Louise Robinson

Dogs' lives are too short. Their only fault, really. ~Agnes Sligh Turnbull

We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment. ~George Eliot

One reason a dog can be such a comfort when you're feeling blue is that he doesn't try to find out why. ~Author Unknown


No philosophers so thoroughly comprehend us as dogs and horses. ~Herman Melville

Take'n Care of Business

I got a lot accomplished this weekend, considering I still hurt somewhat and I got yet another flat (sigh).  I got all the horses, save Patience, caught up on their farrier work and groomed.  Patience still needs to be worked with on picking up her feet and tying, so we'll work on that through the week and see if I can't get her trimmed up here in the next few weeks. 

While I had JJ tied up waiting for his trim I switched the horses around and left Patience in with the girls so she wasn't lonely without JJ.  I can't wait to get him gelded so they can all go out together.

Laramie (left) is almost as big as Paula now.  Bambi (right) is still such a shortie....

Dakota enjoyed the new area as well.  Sophie thought about stalking them, but she's learning and stopped at the fenceline.

Bambi stuck around up front for a bit, cleaning up what JJ had left behind (he is a really picky eater--obviously Bambi isn't!).

Once she had cleaned up all the leftover alfalfa, Bambi joined the other girls out grazing.

Charlie was out there keeping an eye on those girls.  You never know what kind of shenanigans they'll get into.

Not sure why Paula was herding Laramie around briefly, but poor Sophie wanted to join in so badly. She's being a good girl, though, and we only had to have a "time-out" once this weekend.  She's a pretty smart little girl.  Problem is she has the attention span of a fruit fly....

The girls...

Laramie, time for your picture--now close your eyes.

She does keep them open, but only for very awkward shots in which Bambi tries to steal the show.

There's my girls!

And the boy....  JJ needs more weight.  It bugs me so bad that he's not as fleshy as the others.  I think it's time to do a power pac on him and I'm going to see if I can swing getting his teeth done when we get him gelded.  He's only a yearling, but once in a while a yearling will need a bit of dental work.  I'll have the vet take a look in any case. He's healthy, but should be a lot heavier than what he is.

Oh, and please ignore the rusty trailer.  I've got a quote for the welding work on it. I'm going to get it all fixed up, or just get a newer trailer early next spring.  For now, it's basically a tie post, so just pretend that rust isn't there.

Just pretend it's an aluminum 3-horse slant gooseneck. Maybe if we all pretend hard enough, it will appear!

And no,  I didn't double my meds today.  Why do you ask?

Charlie

I rarely post much about Charlie, my Australian Shepherd. It's not because he's any less special than my other dogs, but I think only because he's so sweet, quiet, and well-behaved, that he doesn't demand quite as much attention as the others do.

So tonight, it's all about Charlie.

I got Charlie in 2003 from a Kansas City rescue organization that is sadly no longer in business (or I can't find any of their information anymore, anyway). He used to be a show dog, but was too timid to do well showing, so they wanted to find a good home for him.


He still knows the moves, by the way. It took me 3 years to teach him to sit, though....


Layla, my Sheltie I had at the time, came with me to meet Charlie. They sniffed noses and immediately laid down beside each other like they had known each other their entire lives. Charlie was part of the family from that point on.

Charlie and Layla loved each other. They really did. They were the best pair of dogs that ever existed (I have absolutely no doubts about that).

Sadly, last year we lost Layla. Charlie and I mourned together. We both did ok, but it was tough. We spent lots of time together, relaxing at the park.

Charlie likes to lay around anyway, even if it's on me!

Then we got a little new addition to our family and named her Sophie. Our lives would never be the same. Charlie wasn't too sure at first. It took some coaxing to get him to warm up to the idea...

But soon Charlie was a happy camper again, Sophie and all.

Sophie and Charlie began to get used to one another, and soon they were snooze'n buds.

And they still are....