Injured...Injured Bad

Miss Lola hurt her leg. And, okay, she isn't "injured bad" but whenever I hear the word "injured" I can't help but think of the commercial with the little boy...

Did you watch it? It is one of my favorites...



Moving on... Lola hurt herself romping around like a maniacal maniac so, poor girl, she has been sequestered to the indoors which means.... to the couch.



She is really having a hard time adjusting to this and I hope it doesn't cause her any long-term psychological damage.

The real problem? How we are ever going to get our couch back once she has recovered 100%.




You think I'm giving this back?! Pffffffffft!

Something Scary

Well, here is something utterly disturbing that I thought I should share. This is what I've managed to do to my office today... and it is noon. Send help.

Playing Favorites

This is Baxter. Do you remember him?



This is Baxter with his favorite toy. We gave it to him less than a week ago and as you can see he was so taken with it we couldn't even get the plastic hangy piece off quickly enough. You see, Baxter has a severe weakness for stuffed toys. And I mean severe.



Since the moment we gave him this teddy bear he doesn't want to spend a second away from it. He carries it everywhere with him. I use the term "carries" loosely since he spends most of his time snoozing. But when he sleeps, he typically sleeps like this.... toy in mouth.... face perpendicular to the floor. He's very odd.



And because he barely drops it from his jowls to eat.... the thing smells. I don't know what he has done to it in such a short amount of time but poor teddy was suffering from some severe body odor. So, I swiped it and stuck it in the wash. Why do you care? You don't. Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to suffer with me. Because right now as I type, as all of the other wonderful puppies are literally snoozing on the front porch on this glorious morning, one Mr. Baxter is standing at the top of the stairs barking incessantly for me to give him his teddy back. And I am not using the word incessantly lightly. Literally incessantly. Joke's on him! I had to sanitize that sucker so it will be another two hours before it is ready to see his droopy lips again!

A Worthy Cause

There are so many save-the-animal worthy causes our there. I'm so very grateful that people work together to end the animal abuse that comes in so many shapes and sizes. At the same time I'm so disheartened that these groups need to be in existence....

While in college I was in an equine management class. We had to choose an equine-related project which we spent the better part of the semester on. I chose equine slaughter. It is a topic that is not common knowledge for many people- even in the "horse world" and I thought that these equine-friendly students needed to know about it. So, I dove into the project head first with great passion and, although I was already familiar with the topic, I finished broken and downtrodden.

Anyway, the point of this depressing post is this: The Humane Society has an article up about equine slaughter and at the end of the article is a link to write your congressman and ask him/her to support this cause. I suggest you read the article and watch the video as I think it will best help you to understand. (Quite frankly, I did not watch the video. I have too many memories and I am fairly well-versed in the whole process.) But, the most important thing is writing your Congressman.

Obviously this is not mandatory! And, I struggled with deciding whether or not to post this as I try very hard to stay away from polarizing topics. But, I decided that we are all animal lovers here!!! If you choose to do this, I appreciate your help greatly!

Click link to tell Congress
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/horse_slaughter/facts/grisly_end_for_horses.html

Escape

When I was a little girl, my mom used to recite a poem to me- insinuating that I was the girl for whom the poem was written. It went like this:

There was a little girl
Who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead.
And when she was good
She was very, very good
But when she was bad
She was horrid.

Well, if you would now please swap our "girl" with "dog" and "she" with "he" then you will understand my current sentiments on our dog Kohana.

This weekend was a quite rough. First of all, we moved all of our furniture, etc. from our old house to the new one. And, honestly, moving is terrible. I don't like it one bit. Saturday was a terrible day (which I will explain at a later date) but we had a moving truck and we had to get it done. Sunday we had more miscellaneous things to transfer over. It was a long day. By Sunday evening we were exhausted. At 6:00 I was so ready for bed I could hardly see straight.

In addition, we were hit with torrential rains. Flood worthy rain that our county is still dealing with flooding 2 days later... It was serious.

So, in the midst of all of this, our wonderful husky Kohana decided that it was time for him to play a little game he likes to call "escape." And that he did.

Side note: On a regular day, I suspect I do a dog head count approximately one billion times. You see, I am a paranoid freak. I am constantly checking on them and making sure that everyone is present and accounted for. And on the occasion when something isn't right, I usually know about it quickly.

But, as I mentioned, we were moving. Because of this I'm not sure how long he was gone though I don't think it was more than 10 minutes. And off we went. DM took the car, I stayed on foot. But the rain! The rain was terrible!! First of all, I don't think he could hear me calling for him as he would have been able to under normal circumstances. Secondly, I couldn't hear the jingle of his collar in case he was near me. It was pitch black. We don't have street lights and we have woods all around. Visibility was extraordinarily limited. We searched and searched and searched. Typically I am an optimist and under control in situations like these. This night, however, I was extremely worried. I thought the weather conditions might ruin any chances we had of finding him. But, someone was looking out for us because DM did find him and although Mr. Mischievous Kohana did try his best to elude him he was temporarily distracted by another dog and we were able to get him home.

So, this ending is a happy one. We have our precious pup home and my car smells like dirty, stinky, wet dog and has muddy footprints all over it. Well, at least one of those things is good. :)

A few weeks in the life...

We have been super busy around here! Let me give a super quick summary.

Weather very very very cold. As in, coldest it has been in 20 years. Water troughs freeze. Must use axe to break up the ice. Feel like manly lumberjack in a woman's body.
Water line to the horse's trough breaks. Must carry water from the house to the horses one 5 gallon bucket at a time. Feel like very sad and sore lumberjack in a woman's body.

Snow on the ground increases the amount of hay we have to feed the horses. Hay supplies dwindle. Must replenish.

Dogs have to spend much more time inside due to the weather. Dog hair army rises up and tries to take control. Vacuum cries. Dogs decide that carpets are meant to be the color of red mud and try their best to cover all carpeted surfaces with as many dog prints as possible. Carpet cleaning man celebrates at the continued business we give him. I decide that putting in hardwoods on said carpeted surfaces may have to happen sooner rather than later.

Weather warms. I sing from the rooftops!!

Our old house is under contract meaning that we can finally move our furniture!! YAY! But that means moving the masses of boxes we have neglected so that furniture may move to its new home. BOO!

Baxter decides that he would like to sleep all day (which is not a change for him at all) but would like to stay awake at night. Thinks we should do this as well. Barks incessantly during the night to ensure we abide by his schedule. I argue with him that I need a good solid 9 hours of sleep a night. He disagrees. He wins. We do not sleep through night for weeks. I cry.

In my personal boycott of life due to the cold weather I neglect the laundry. It continues to grow. As it turns out, neglecting it will not persuade laundry pile to stop growing. I almost drown in laundry and then scold myself for letting it get so bad.


That is the most concise summary I can do... Sure, I left out a bajillion things but who cares?! Till next time!

Winnie Update

Hello, Winnie here. I thought I would give you a quick update on my status.

Well, for the first couple of days I was just plain miserable. Whimpering and whining and really trying to show Mom how pathetic I was. She felt pretty bad for me and barely left my side at all. Yesterday, I started feeling much better. I had a lot more energy and didn't whine at all (except for when Mom left me... I don't like that. I've never been alone in my whoooole life because I've always at least had my momma (Annabelle) or my brudder (Oliver) around. Don't worry- she felt sad for me and didn't stay away for long).

Anyway, my Mom (wait, are you confused? I have two moms... Mom- my funny looking mom who only walks on two leggies and has this unfortunate furless condition except for on her head. It's embarrassing, but I love her anyway. Then I also have my momma- my biyologikal momma) Anyway, my Mom made this chart for my medications because she is super dorky.

But, this is the day we are looking forward to!



For the time being, I've been a really good girl. I haven't complained about being locked away in the kennel all day. And I've really enjoyed being fed by hand- I eat all my pills and I sleep for most of the day. Oh! And the drain was taken out of my side yesterday so everything is going well so far!


Incapacitated and Incarcerated,

Winnie

Guess What Time It Is!

So...

Let me just give you a little background. Pointless background, I'm sure you will soon discover.

The other morning, I had to go get dog food (a common occurrence). On the way I decided that I would really love a piping hot breakfast from Biscuitville. (Don't have a Biscuitville in your area? You have never heard of Biscuitville? Well, I am very, very sorry. I lament for you. It is a fast food chain that serves nothing but breakfast here in the southeast. They are only open until 2 p.m. and they are delicious).

At our old house, we were about 3 minutes away from this restaurant. But here in the stix? It is a 30 minute drive to the nearest. So, obviously, this was a worthwhile excursion for a $3.00 breakfast!

Anyway, all of this is leading up to what I saw on the way to Biscuitville. A sign at a local hardware store.

Guess what time it is?


That's right. Opossum stew time. Grab your spoons (forks?) ladies and gentlemen!

Poor Miss Winnie

Remember the other day when I posted about Winnie? And we discussed (aka all agreed) that she is cute and cuddly and adorable?

Well, she still is.

But, Monday evening..... well, Monday evening Miss Winnie got into a little scuffle.

That resulted in quite a significant puncture wound, a trip to the emergency vet, a surgical procedure including anesthesia, a 7 inch drain which extends out the side of her body, and several stitches.

Poor, poor Winnie. Poor, poor precious Winnie.



She is a trooper but she is very uncomfortable and unhappy. She has to wear an e-collar - which is incredibly necessary but pathetic because she runs into things and, let's face it, just seems more sad and pathetic. She has to be separated from her siblings (and her momma) for 14 days! And she must be confined to a kennel for... 14 days! Not allowed outside on her own for... you guessed it... 14 days! This is quite a big deal for us, I might add. Our dogs are fortunate to have the run of our household. When the weather is nice (or just whenever they feel like it) they are outside. Otherwise, they are inside. To be constantly confined, separated from family, and restricted to very brief leash walks is quite a change.


I neglected all other duties today and stayed by her side. She tries so hard to fight sleep (one of her medications causes drowsiness) though she basically just sits and stares at me and whimpers. It is torture. Eventually she gives in and will lay down and sleep.


We did give her a new toy today. Under normal circumstances, this type of toy would last mere seconds in our household but she is not in a destructive frame of mind. I put it in her collar thinking she would A) bite it or B) duck her head and drop it on the ground. She did neither. So I took pictures. And then felt guilty. But, I love the little booger and couldn't help myself!


13 days to go!


Wistful for Winnie,

Blankets Galore!

We have had a slight reprieve from all of the rain. Yesterday was GORGEOUS! Blue skies. The perfect time to air out the horses' blankets. Well, some of them. One thing about horse ownership- you acquire, and acquire, and acquire. It is truly amazing. But, as usual, I'm getting off subject...

Anyway, today has been stunningly beautiful as well. Since I left the blankets out overnight (due to the fact that I made ribs for dinner. Then ate said ribs. Ate way, way, way too many of said ribs. Then realized that I could no longer stand and was unable to put the blankets away unless I could find some Oompa Loompas to roll me outside to do so and that seemed unlikely... since I couldn't even stand to call directory assistance to ask for them to connect me to the Oompas...so I left the blankets out overnight). Then this morning, it was another gorgeous day- and the blankets were slightly damp from the dew. So, I left them out to dry off and bask in the warm, loving sunshine.

Except?

Except?

It just started POURING down rain....

And the moral of the story? Don't eat too many ribs. Terrible things will happen.

Elaphe Obsoleta Obsoleta

The other morning, we walked out to a surprise waiting for us.

Mom! Mom! Did you see it? Did you see it? It was AWESOME!

This... is the "awesome" new toy they had discovered...

He lives in the woods... we've seen him before... but never up near the house. Fortunately, I am not afraid of snakes but I AM afraid of the pups being bitten by a snake.

After seeing them interact with this snake, they have confirmed my fears. They thought it was a really great new toy!

I actually felt sorry for the little, four foot long, guy. Fortunately we were able to corral the dogs without incident to them or the snake.... or us. Then I followed him around and took photos while he tried to escape back to the safety of his woodland manor.

Seriously, Lady... leave me alone!

And I did. Because he had started his day with quite the traumatic experience and I didn't want to contribute to his increasing therapy bills. But I'm pretty sure he won't be venturing this way anytime soon!

Trust

This dog?

I love this dog.

He warms my heart.

The familiar lump of red fur in the middle of the floor is the happiest of sights. The recognizable thump of his tail hitting the floor as he wags is the most glorious of sounds. He is loyal and kind and reminds me everyday that he is the most trustworthy of dogs. He will sleep peacefully on his bed until you return home. He constantly reassures me that under his watchful eye no mischief or bad behavior will occur.

And then I return home from an errand to find the pizza box on the living room floor curiously devoid of the leftover pizza. And I reminisce on all the times that he reassured me of his impeccable and dependable behavior. And I think...

"Well played, Baxter. Well Played."

.

.

.

.

.

For those of you wishing to give Mr. Baxter the benefit of the doubt and wonder how I could possibly know if it was actually he that is guilty for this crime with all of these other critters running around... First of all, I appreciate your way of thinking. I am constantly doling out the benefit of the doubt for all I see. But, unfortunately... he was the only dog inside at the time. Case closed.

Who did this?

"Nothing to see here!! Just keep walkin' people.

What? This hole? I definitely did not dig this hole. Nope, this hole has been here for ages. Haven't you seen it? I had nothing to do with it. It was here before..."

"Yep, definitely here before."

I shouldn't be allowed in public...

Remember that time when I was walking out of my high school theater and I fell down the brick steps? And my adorable pink paisley dress flew up? And I was not wearing very cute underwear? But I was in such pain that I had to just sit there, immobile, for several seconds before adjusting my dress so that I wasn't flashing the universe?

You don't?

Well, I do. I think my psyche usually blocks out a vast majority of the mortifying experiences I've endured in the past, but... not this one.

Maybe that's why I love animals. I can't embarrass myself in front of animals.