You're In My Spot

One of the joys (and sometimes frustration) of having many dogs is that there are very distinct personalities. Add in some physical handicaps and it just gets more interesting.

Both blind girls, Hiker and Brook, are creatures of habit when it comes to where they like to lay. The big chair from the livingroom was moved into the kitchen for the coming winter since it is one of Hiker's favourite spots. Yesterday, there was somebody in her chair. 

Yes, it was that darn cat Arthur.

I think the look on blind Hiker's face seems to ask why he is not being removed.  She was probably wondering why I was taking a picture and not getting him out of her way.

Even though the cat is small and there is plenty of room for them both, Hiker won't lay with him. If her buddy deaf Trail wants on her chair, that seems to be okay.

Then blind and partly deaf Brook had a problem with Bill.  Brook likes to lay on the left side of the couch before supper and after supper, she will lay on the right side.  It's just her habit and when she can't, she gets a bit upset.

After about a minute of whimpering and whining, during Bill showed no intention of moving, I asked him to move over, which he did, somewhat reluctantly.

A question.

Bill seems to have a question.

Bill: "Is that cat still there?"

What do you have?

Yesterday morning while I was getting the peanut butter cracker treats ready, blind Hiker was nowhere  to be found.  This is highly unusual and I knew that something was going on.  She never ever misses the peanut butter and cracker after breakfast.

Then I heard a slight crunching noise.

"Hiiiikkkkeeeerrrr......what do you have?"

Thump-thump of her tail on the inside of her crate.

"Hiker, come here."

She came out of her crate, tail wagging and something in her mouth.

"Hiker, drop it. Good girl."

Sigh.

Another plastic lid.

For some reason, Hiker is obsessed with chewing and eating plastic, especially lids. She often takes them from the cat Arthur who enjoys playing with them.  I've watched her "look" around and sniff until she finds it and then she takes it into her crate to chew and sometimes eat.

A blind dog who enjoys plastic. No idea why.

It came back...

Stripe the barn cat disappeared for a few days after he was in the house again.  Once his abscess cleared up and he had some antibiotics he was returned to the barn and then vanished. 

Not to worry, he came back.

and was not too pleased about not being allowed back in the house.

Trail was guarding his yard from the potential intruder.

Laundry

You may recall that Callie hangs out in the laundry room.  It works very well for her since it is off the kitchen (where the rest of us hang out) and she can see everyone and be a part of what is going on without being too close since she "doesn't play well with others". The only time this doesn't work very well is when there is laundry to be done. Callie hates the washing machine (probably the dryer too but it doesn't work!). Having her in the kitchen doesn't lessen her anxiety when there is a load of wash going so a new solution was needed.

Simple really when you think about it. Leave a crate in the living room and she can hang out there until the laundry is done. 

Banished  Relocated

Callie lay down and relaxed, the laundry got done.

Then after the laundry was on the line, it was time for frisbee!

A few rounds of frisbee and then back inside for a nap.

Wordless Wednesday

Tasty Tuesday

One of our favourite fall activities is to go apple picking.  Here on the island there a few pick your own orchards and after hearing that there was a dog friendly one close to where we live, well, we had to go!

As always in situations like that, the decision has to made - who gets to go?

Callie doesn't do well with other dogs.

Bill is more interested in running than walking on leash.

Blind and partly deaf Brook is also a runner.

Deaf Trail had a lot of extra play time the past few days.

So, it was blind Hiker's turn to go!  

Just to be sure, when we arrived, I asked the man at the entrance if there was a place that Hiker could get out of the car and wander a little.  The smiled and said, "Of course, dogs are part of the family."

Trying to pick apples with an excited blind dog wasn't an easy task.  Hiker was very interested in all the smells of the orchard and had a great time checking things out.

The trees were loaded with apples and at this particular farm there are more than 40 varieties of apples to chose from. 

As you can see, Hiker is no longer wearing a collar, she must now wear only a harness. Doctor's orders. The veterinarian that we see for acupuncture said that even though Hiker can't wear he collar, she can (and should) still wear her pink bandana because it looks so cute.

We picked a few types of apples, just for eating and will go back again to get more for making applesauce.  All the apples are only 70 cents a pound.  Yum!

Next time, maybe Trail will get to pick apples.

Mischief on a Tuesday

It seems as though the acdMom has not been around home enough lately.  Having taken the opportunity to work an additional 31 hours in nine days made for an upset pack.  Well, in all honesty, it was really only one dog that expressed his displeasure in an obvious way.

Trail was doing some figuring...

to try and determine when she would be home.

Then he tried to write a note about how much he missed the acdMom...

Reading a book to pass the time wasn't such a good idea...

An Uncle John's Bathroom Reader

Trail ended the week with the declaration that it was TIME for the acdMom to spend more time at home...

a battery powered alarm clock

Not to worry, the additional hours are finished and the acdMom is home and spending lots of quality with the entire pack and giving Trail a few extra hugs.

Trail making sure that the acdMom doesn't leave his sight!

A walk on the beach

Yesterday's Wordless Wednesday post was Brook and Bill at Panmure Island beach.  It was a much needed bit of peace and quiet in our lives.  Things have been a bit hectic the past week and a half.

After the barn cat's abscess cleared up and he was returned (somewhat reluctantly) to the barn after four days in the house, we had an attack on the hens and rooster. Initially it looked like it may have been a coyote because of the size of the scat that was left as a calling card, but after speaking with someone who hunts, it seems likely that it was a raccoon.  

Going out to feed in the morning and finding the rooster and two hens dead/gone was very upsetting.  As you probably know, they are more than livestock, they are pets.  

The remaining four hens were removed from the barn to a dog crate in the yard for the day for repairs and clean up.  Once they returned to the barn the dogs were allowed outside.  

As always, Trail was very interested in what had happened in his yard.  (yes, a little hen poop was there too)

I found it amusing how he lay in almost the exact place that the crate was. He spent quite a bit of time snuffling through the wood shavings that spilled from the crate.