Cats for Christmas Cheer

My daughter and her husband and baby have moved back in with her in-laws. It's a long story, but they worked a rent free deal since both Kate and Jon are full time students again. Kate had two cats, Jade and Beetle, and Jordan just loves the cats, especially Jade. Jade has been very tolerant of Jordan's rough handling, and in fact, there is a lot of mutual love and affection between the two. Check out this picture, taken back in the summer, that I titled "Loving Jade". At any rate, Jon's father is deathly allergic to cats, so to keep the kitties happy, and to make sure Jordan doesn't lose Jade prematurely, I now have two cats.

At first they were both outside, then they were both inside,and now Beetle is outside(by his own choice) and Jade is inside. I'm allergic to cats, too, but my allergies present as nasal congestion and general itchiness. It has been a week, and while I've had some symptoms, it is far less than what I would have expected, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that we can continue to keep Jade in the house. Beetle is a little Romeo, very affectionate and playful. You can tell that he is a younger cat. He's very pretty for a tomcat. I took a picture of them in the cat carrier the night they arrived, just before we let them out. Of course, I also took some pictures today as Jordan got to play with Jade for the first time in over a week-since they moved. She was so happy to see her "Dade"! Seeing that smile makes any allergy worries melt away. It may have been the best present she got-and it is one that money had nothing to do with. By the way, that's my son in law, Jon, who I think misses Jade almost as much as Jordan does.

We are trying to rename Beetle, and have been calling him Tiger, Tigger, and the mutant moniker of Tiger Beetle. He is apparently living under the house, again, by his choice. He ran through my legs two nights ago and bolted out of the door. He will let you catch him and pet him, but the minute you head for the house, he's down and gone in a flash. I actually think it will be good to have both an indoor cat and and outdoor cat. Not only are they good for killing mice, but I hear cats are great against scorpions and snakes, too. I just hope that Beetle will be able to outrun Hobo, the cat killing German Shepherd across the road.

Doing the Right Thing by Bingo

Today was not a good day for little Bingo. Today, he was neutered. I'm telling ya though, this dog is tuffnuts, even without them. Yesterday, he was harassing Big Brother Bear while Bear was trying to eat. Tonight, he feels good enough to be running around playing with toys and eating everything I feed him. We've kept him away from Bear at least until he adjusts to walking around with his Elizabethan collar. Right now, he's rather clumsy, but I know he will master the movements soon. He just looks so forlorn in there. He wants to get loving, but he also wants to interact with you visually, something the collar interferes with. He has to wear the collar for a week until I take him back and have his staples removed. But now I can say that he has had all of his shots, including his rabies vaccination, he's been neutered, dewormed, and he's pronounced healthy. When I took him to the vet right after I got him, he weighed 12.2 pounds, I think it was, and today he weighed just under 20 pounds. He's a growing boy.

The Best Things in Life

The process of training a new puppy can be daunting, but there are a few milestones along the way that let you know you are on the right path. Bingo and I passed one of those milestones today. Not that we have the "come" command conquered, not by a long shot, but we are making progress. It is my belief that dogs think of people as members of their pack. They don't discriminate on looks or the color of one's coat/clothes. Some are born into a ready made pack, and some join packs later in their lives. Of course, in a pack, there is always an alpha male and an alpha female. When that pack includes humans, we should be the alpha animal, but not all humans take their responsibility as alpha seriously. The alpha animal not only provides food, but leads the pack on the hunt. They decide where the pack goes and what the pack will do. Alpha leads the way through doors, they are the first down a path, and the first to face danger. As we all know, having a leader allows the followers to relax, because they aren't the decision makers. Relaxed followers, in this case, puppies, are generally happy if their needs are met. Still, it is up to the pack to train the pup how to behave, what is acceptable and what is not. When the Alpha Bitch yells "come", she expects compliance from her boys.

Luckily, in our pack, Bear is submissive to Skyguy and I, and Bingo is submissive to Bear, for now. Our job is to make sure that Bingo does not bond with Bear more than us. The bond with the Alpha animal should be strongest. It is easy to allow Bear to 'babysit' the pup, but there is a limit to how often that should happen. Skyguy and I have been getting into the fray when the dogs play, just to reinforce the idea in Bingo's head that we are all part of the pack, there is no separation. In doing this, we have seen a huge difference in Bingo's attitude and behavior. He is more affectionate and less 'stand-offish'. Perhaps that change is a natural part of the relationship of trust in our third week of bonding. When I let him out, sometimes I go with him, and sometimes I don't. Sometimes he goes out with Bear, and sometimes he goes out alone. Sometimes I put him on the leash, and sometimes I don't. I've noticed that when we go out sans leash, he generally stays within 25-30 feet of me, closer if I talk to him. Bear does this too, and it lets me know that they are choosing to remain close by. In the last few days, when I call Bingo, I call him the same way..a whistle, a long "Biiiiinnnngggggoooo", and then "Biiinnnggooo C'mon,,, Beeeeaaaar Beeeaar, C'mon." It usually takes a few seconds until they come into sight and run towards the door. They are always together, Bingo following Bear. I've been really rewarding Bingo when he comes through the door, I change my voice pitch to show excitement in seeing him, I run him and love him and sometimes I give him a treat, sometimes not. Today, as I was in the middle of baking, I let Bear and Bingo out together. After 5 minutes or so, I called them, as usual. A minute went by with no dogs in sight, so I called again. Then I see Bingo, running as fast as his little legs would happily go, coming towards the house. He ran all the way home, without Bear's accompaniment, and bounded in the house excited to see me. Of course, he got a treat for that one! I looked out after that and saw Bear walking, no, piddle-poking around near the creek. Bingo chose to come to me instead of hanging out with Bear. That is a milestone. I know now, that he feels as though he is part of our pack, my pack. He has definitely adopted us.

It's All Good

The Fourth of July has come and gone. The year is flying by. Like many of you, I had a very nice family cookout for the holiday. My foot is good-I must say this is the easiest surgery I've ever had, and I can't wait until the stitches come out and until I can get it wet. I long to take a shower again, but I suspect it might be another week before that happens. This afternoon, the doctor called me to check on my recovery. That was definitely a WOW moment as they just don't do that anymore. So, if you need a good foot and ankle surgeon in the Rome, GA area, I can provide a recommendation!

Bingo is wonderful still, he hasn't chewed anything he shouldn't, and he is just all puppy. You remember in Charlotte's Web that Charlotte wrote 'Some Pig' in her web to tout the specialness of her friend, well, here, I write "SOME DOG" for the same reason. Day before yesterday, he helped
my daughter and I catch some chickens and put them back in the run. He herded/chased the chickens around the perimeter right into my hands. When I caught the bird, I continued to hold it at Bingo's level, and he just sniffed the bird and did not try to bite it or act aggressively at all. This was very surprising considering what a rambunctious pup he is. I read into this that Bingo has excellent herding instincts, not so aggressive as to hurt stock, but aggressive enough to install fear in the animal. His eyes are very different than Bear's eyes. Bear has normal dark brown doggie eyes, but Bingo's eyes are more hazel, a weird light brown color that is more piercing and intense. I hope they don't change as he ages. I like his eyes. Jordan loved him, too. She could say his name and sing the melody for the song, and by the end of their visit, she was telling him "No!" so that he would not jump on her. After she got tough, he did not jump on her anymore.

Today it is raining-the first rain here since June 4. It is not raining much, but it is a slow, light rain and that is the best thing for the garden. Yesterday, Skyguy reinforced the pier under one of our rainwater tanks, so it is filling up again. The support pier is made of scrap 4x4's and 2x8/2x10's on the side. Over time, some of the joints had weakened and the tank and pier had started to lean. If we have a good downpour of hard rain, it can fill in about 15 minutes but since we only have a light rain, it might take all day, if it fills at all. We use rainwater for watering the garden as well as for watering birds that are kept in the old coop (roosters or turkeys or whatever). The purpose of the pier is to elevate the 350 gallon tank to provide head for gravity flow to the garden.

Also of note this weekend are a couple of more Facebook reunions with college friends. I am glad to be back in touch with Donna and Susan. I am fortunate to have such good friends-to know so many who are "good people", people who have huge hearts and work for the benefit of others.

I Survived

I survived my bunionette surgery (a bunionette is on the pinky toe whereas a bunion is on the big toe) and while it is only the second day, I can say this is the easiest surgery I have ever had. They gave me two Xanax, be even so, I was awake and conscious the whole time. I think taking RA meds has increased my tolerance for pain medication. I told the Doc while he was cutting on my foot that I've be drunker after two glasses of wine...lol...It did not hurt, but I could feel things, like the vibration from whatever kind of grinding tool that was and of course the numbing injections. Oh, and he let me keep the bony parts he removed. Part of it was ground off and lost, of course, but he even told me how I could permanently save it. (Bleach it, dry it, drill it, cord it for a necklace or charm...LOL. The largest chunk of bone is still rather small, about half an inch square, so probably a charm would work better than a necklace. I came home and slept about an hour and half-maybe the Xanax finally kicked in, then got up for dinner and to take a pain pill, which I did not feel that I needed, but was coerced into taking because the local anesthetic had not worn off. I can bear weight and all I need is a surgical shoe. It is a pain though because I can only be up for 5 minutes every 30 minutes and the rest of that time my foot has to be elevated. There are so many things I want to do and need to do that 5 minutes just isn't long enough. At bedtime, I took my normals meds and no Lorset/hydrocodone for pain. It really did not hurt that bad. However, I woke up at 4 am and felt it, so Skyguy went for the pills. It says to take it every 3 hours, but I just don't to be all doped up with a new puppy. He's very sweet, but has still bonded to Bear more than to Skyguy and I. I'm hoping to remedy that today by leaving Bear crated more and letting the boys outside to walk, poop, and play at different times. Bear still continues to amaze me with the abuse that Bingo dishes out. He will tolerate it, then finally, after 30 minutes or so of a seemingly endless barrage, Bear will snap and get serious, but then, a minute later, it is like he feels guilty to he initiates the play, and of course the cycle begins again. They do love each other, and Bingo had parked himself with Bear in Bear's crate a couple of times. Now, I make them both sit in front of the crates and say Bear Go Bear Crate, Bingo Go Bingo Crate. It is too cute.

At any rate, I have to be careful until my stitches come out in two weeks. I have 20 or so in 3 layers. 2 will dissolve on the inside, 9 in the middle layer, and 9 larger stitches on the outside. The incision is about 2 inches long. The good thing about being awake is that you can see what it looks like before the bandages go on! I'll get the bandages changed on Monday. It really hasn't been bad at all so far, but it is going to drive me crazy to stay off it and not exercise. I want to ride my bike so badly! But for now, we are all resting.

Bingo, I win!

I just returned from the vet's office where Bingo Baby was the main attraction. As it turns out, he is really healthy except for the worms(whips, hooks AND tapes). He was treated and released. The vet thinks he is between 10-12 weeks old, younger than our first estimates. Not only has his tail been docked, but his dewclaws were also surgically removed, leading her to believe, as I do, that he is fullblood Australian Shepherd. I just can't believe my luck. What a catch! In a few weeks, he will return for booster shots and neutering.
He threw up in the crate both on the way there and on the way back, so I have a mess to clean up. Puppies are fun!

Bingo!

Opportunity does knock, occasionally. As I've written, Skyguy and I had been thinking about getting another dog. We met with a Sheltie breeder who should have litters for sale later this year, so we were waiting and biding our time, wondering how we would justify spending a lot of money for a pup when the economy is bumpy. Saturday, I saw a puppy listed on Freecycle, and while I usually ignore such offers, this one jumped at me. A lady had found a puppy at a local grocery store, and no one had claimed him. She couldn't keep him, so she gave him to me! He has a docked tail, so he is at least part Australian Shepherd if not full blooded. At any rate, I now have a new family member and for the time being, we are calling him Bingo. Yeah. "There was a farmer had a dog and Bingo was his name-Oh, B-I-N-GO". I can hear Jordan singing it now. The little guy is both adorable and smart.

The timing on this adoption/rescue could have been better. I'm having foot surgery tomorrow so I won't be able to walk and play with him for a time. I suppose it will be good motivation to get well. I've made a list of commands that I want to teach him. You don't realize how many commands there are until you start listing them. Most dogs know less than 10 commands, I would think. I don't count tricks as commands, but if you do, maybe a dozen instead of 10.

*Stay, *Here, *Come by, *Stand, Away, *Search/Find/Where's, *Stop, *Lay Crawl/Under, *Sit, *Speak, *Wait, *Catch,*Heel, Hold, *Over(jump), *Load up, Weave, *Go Crate, Walk up, *Hush, *Back up, *Easy/Gentle, *Out, *Bring it, *Get that, *Ride, *That'll do, *Leave it, *Drop it, Eat

If it has an asterisk, Bear already knows it. I never could get him to understand 'Away', but sometimes he understands "go right" if he isn't too worked up. I hope I can at least teach Bingo the commands that Bear knows. I'm thinking Gee and Haw might be easier than Come By and Away. Sled dogs use geehaw, so we'll see.

The lady who found Bingo is really the shining star of this story, however. Her situation prevented her from keeping the dog as her own, but she still went out of her way to save this probable purebred dog from the pound, and she not only brought me the dog, but she brought toys, food, bowls, a leash and everything I might need. It is hard to find people like that these days.

Bingo played and attacked Bear all evening, and I think Bear corrected him twice. He was so good, just allowing Bingo to climb, bite, hump and otherwise maul him. Bear even stepped aside and attempted to allow Bingo to share his food(which I did not allow-Bingo eats puppy chow) I lost track of how many times I walked him outside yesterday and this morning. I wanted to give him plenty of leash time to teach walking and heeling on a leash, as well as exercise so that he would be easier to train. Last night, he seemed to have an itchy ear, so we gave him a bath and I sprayed his ear with an anti-itch medication for dogs. I think it worked. He cried in the shower, but did not struggle or fight. Bear was very upset and Bingo was crying, so both dogs, separated by the shower door, cried to each other. I tried to work fast, and I did not give him a full blown bath or drying as I just wanted him to experience the bath. I think in time he will be fine.

Today, he met the girls (a rat terrier and a black lab) that belong to my friend Ava, and we went on a short golf cart ride. He wasn't afraid and seemed to enjoy riding. I think he is bonding to me pretty well, so I just took him out without the leash and he stayed with me. He comes when I call him, so it makes me wonder whether or not I really should change his name, even though the list of potential names still exists. Opinions wanted. This pup is a ball of fire, always switched on and fearless. Braveheart fits, and if I had registration papers, I might list that as his name. I could not call him that, however. Here's the reduced list: Rocket, Loki, Zeus, Nitro, Nike, Ace, Rambo, Bingo, Rio, Echo, Shadow, Mojo, Tango, and Mick. I am open for suggestions, too.

I have an appointment with the vet this afternoon. I'm concerned that I don't feel testicles, but perhaps he is younger than we think. Also, I noticed this morning that he has tapeworms, so he needs treatment for that. Since I don't know whether or not he has been immunized, I suppose I will do that, too. So far, he has handled everything I've thrown at him really well. He's quite smart.