WW explained

Did you see our Wordless Wednesday post yesterday?  This was the picture we posted.

Yes, that is poor Bill underneath Brook.  I think maybe we should explain how that picture came to be.

This is what happens when someone moves the chair that a blind and partly deaf dog named Brook always sleeps on.  Yes, the furniture was moved. Now, some people think that if you have blind dogs you can never, ever move your furniture around.  Well, as you know from reading this blog, all the dogs are treated the same - treated as normal. The world is not padded and there are obstacles. And yes, sometimes the furniture moves.

This all started because there is a leak in the roof that drips on the couch. We have been having heavy rains the past few days so the couch has been covered in a tarp. That didn't stop Brook. She still lay on it.

One of the joys of a blind and partly deaf go-with-the-flow dog is that things can happen around them and they don't really mind.  Brook was sleeping on her favourite chair and so I just slid the chair to where I wanted it and moved the couch in.

Brook was oblivious.  Until she woke up and headed for the door.  Oops, a slight navigation problem.  She was about two feet too far to the left.  Not to worry, she quickly corrected course with a little help.

Later, when Brook went to lay on her chair after supper, she went to the usual spot but encountered the couch and Bill. Being the determined little thing that she is, she climbed up anyway and made herself comfortable. 

Typical Bill, he just lay there.  After a few minutes (and a few pictures) I removed Brook to the chair. Not acceptable in her opinion. She went back to the couch. It took a few times of being moved for her to accept the fact that the chair moved.

There will be more moving of furniture in a couple of weeks as we move into the house.  It'll be easier though since nobody will know where anything is!

Wordless Wednesday

Trail's legs

Prior to adopting Trail, during the many e-mails and long distance phone calls, it was mentioned  early on in the process that his back legs seemed a bit stiff.  This did not hamper his walking or running but he would have an obvious stiff-legged walk and sometimes a slight limp.  Well, of course that was not a reason to not adopt him.  

Recently, the decision was made to x-ray Trail's rear legs just to see what, if anything, was going on there and to also have a starting point in case his legs got worse over the years. (He is not yet two years old)

Last Monday morning, after not having any breakfast (horrors!) Trail was off the vet. He was a bit cranky (and really, I would be too if I didn't get breakfast).

What did the x-rays reveal? What strange abnormalities were discovered?

Nothing. Not a thing. 

When I went to the clinic to check and see how Trail was recovering, our veterinarian said, "I've got nothing to tell you. His x-rays are very boring and sometimes boring is good."

So, why does Trail often walk with hyper-extended back legs? We don't really know.  His legs were thoroughly checked and his knees feel fine, all ligaments are tight and the bone structures good.  It is just the way he is.

Outside nap

It is interesting to watch how different members of the pack prefer their bedding.  Both of the blind dogs, Hiker and Brook are "nesters". The more bedding and the fluffier it is, the better. Trail and Molly both have a tendency to chew loose bedding so Molly had a piece of carpet and Trail has an old felted wool blanket. Callie likes her crate to have six to eight inches of loose straw and Bill likes to lay on the bed, on the pillows.

On a recent warm and sunny day, Brook decided to nap outside. Since there was no bedding outside, she took matters into her own paws and went to work. The hard ground needed to be fluffed up to make it more comfortable for her nap in the sunshine. It was quite the process.

First, a spot was selected.

Then the area had to rearranged and the dirt loosened.

A test of the comfort was next.

Deemed acceptable, time to settle in.

Sunshine, a few friends and a comfortable outside spot for a nap.

(and a deaf dog who likes to be the center of attention!)

Tasty Tuesday

We had Tomatofest!

Since fall has arrived and there have been a few nights of light frost warnings, it was time to bring in the last of the tomatoes and pull up the plants.  It was interesting to watch the pack and their reaction once the fence was moved. Even blind Brook knew almost immediately that there was access to the garden and food. 

We had a good crop of cherry tomatoes and as you can see, there were still some ripe ones that were falling off the plants. Perfect snacks for the dogs. 

Bill likes tomatoes but doesn't seem to like the cherry tomatoes when they burst as he bites them. So, he prefers to have some human intervention - if the cherry tomato is slightly squashed before he eats it, he enjoys them better. Trail watched this interaction and decided that he too needed his "served" this way. Brook and Molly just gobbled as many as they could.

After all the plants were removed and the tomatoes eaten, Brook settled in for a rest with a full tummy.

Fall Hiking

It was another beautiful fall day. The forecast was for showers to develop later in the day but since the sky was blue and air was warm, we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and head out on the Confederation Trail.

 

The scenery is of course, just beautiful.

There were sticks to chase and fetch.

As per usual, we were the only ones on the trail.

For those of you who are regular visitors to our blog and observant, you may wonder if Hiker and Callie were both out on a walk at the same time.  Callie, who doesn't always play well with others, you may ask.  No, it was two separate walks.  Hiker went first for about and hour and then it was Callie's turn.

We have been having some leg issues with Bill and Trail (more on them soon) so they weren't allowed to go and Brook and Molly had been playing for most of the morning so they were napping.

Wordless Wednesday

Monday Mischief

It is apple season here and local pick your own orchards have apples available for only 50 cents a pound. Yum!  So, with fresh apples coming in, I decided to look over the old apples and check for spots, bruises,etc and share with the tenant's horse, sheep and chickens.  

As always, when there are six dogs, there is never a shortage of "help", especially when there is potential food.

Brook

Brook initially tried to get an apple out of the box when the flaps were folded in. It was funny watching the always determined little blind and partly deaf dog desperately trying to get into the cardboard box of apples. Once I opened the box and began sorting, she was very excited. The apples beside the box were ones that I was going to pass out to the other animals.

Molly watched the whole apple sorting process with great interest and when the opportunity presented itself, she grabbed one and went outside. Then didn't seem to know what to do with it.

"Now what?"

Brook, of course, settled in to eat hers right away.

A shadow?

Here is Trail's version of me and my shadow.

Trail and Molly

Cat alert!

Yesterday, there was a minor ruckus at the fence. 

Intruder alert!

Trail and Molly

Bill quickly realized that there was something going on and decided that he should help to keep an eye on this potential intruder.

Typical Elsie, she didn't care. I think she enjoyed the attention since she knew that Molly couldn't actually get at her, slobber on her and nibble her ears.