Hibernating

Thanks for your kind comments on our last post and we are so happy that you are still with us. We are all doing well, the cats Elsie and Gerrard too.  They have decided that a pack of seven dogs in a small space (more on that in a future post) will not squish them and they are happily hanging out with us and staying warm too.

Hibernating.  

That is what we have been doing.  No great tales of wild island adventures. 

There have been long naps....

....snoozes while snuggled in blankets.....

......sometimes with a couple of pack members for extra body heat.

Why the blankets and need for warmth?  Well, here on the east coast island we've had temperatures of -27C/-16F with windchills of -36C/-32F.  At that time there were winds of 70 - 90km/hr.  So, we decided to hibernate.  Then the weather improved and all the snow melted and the temperatures rose to 5C/41F and it felt like spring for a few days.  We're back to the high winds and cold again.  

During those really cold days, our cold loving girl Callie was thrilled to be outside playing JollyBall. No pictures of that since I was concerned that the camera might freeze along with my fingers.

Breeze has found an interesting way to deal with the cold weather.

Not sure why, but it works for her.  She has been having some problems with what might be anxiety and seizure-like activity.  Having her head covered makes a difference and she will settle and sleep for a few hours while remaining calm.

Thanks again for stopping by. We will be catching up on your blogs soon.

Collar warning.

When we arrived home yesterday after our vet visits and I opened the crate in the car to get Azule and Brook out, I realized that Azule didn't have her collar on.  I know she had it on when she got into the crate because she was leashed coming out of the vet's office.

I am a firm believer in restrained dogs in the car for their safety and having a wire style crate in the car allows them to see out and also has great air flow.

If you have ever used a wire style crate, you no doubt have seen the warning about removing the dog's collar for safety, that is printed on the plastic tray liner. I've seen it many times. Not much of a concern for us I always thought, since none of the pack wear collars at home.  

They do however, all wear collars when we go out and they are crated in the back seat of the car.  But I'm right there in the front seat. If anything happened, I would know. Right?  WRONG!

This is where I found Azule's collar.  Hanging near the top of the crate.

I was driving and oblivious to this happening. She never made a sound.  What scares me is that she could have choked and I wouldn't know until it is too late.  I still feel sick and on the verge of tears when I think about what could have happened.

We're getting new, tagless collars for the car crate. 

Azule and Brook

It was time for deaf Azule's yearly check and her heartworm test so I decided to take blind and partly deaf Brook along for her heartworm test too. As we often do when going to the vet, we combine the trip with other things since the vet is located in the big city, about a 45 minute drive each way.

In between our errands, we had time to visit a trail which is along a river.  Years ago, I lived very close to this trial and walked it many, many times with Cairo.  It was nice to visit it again.

Due to the rain we've been having lately, all waterways are high and fast moving so being off leash was not an option.

We did find a calmer spot and Brook wandered in but got a bit scared when she stepped in a deep spot.  

No harm done and we continued to explore.

Azule wore her West Virginia bandana and Brook wore her bright pink one.

In the background, the trial continues along and there is a low wooden walkway over the river and under the six lane highway.  On this visit we didn't have enough time to walk that far but will the next time.

Azule's check up went very well and her heartworm test, as well as Brook's, was negative.

Introducing us and our blog!

October 10, 2012

Well, after many months of reading blogs, commenting on blogs and being asked where the acd6pack blog is...(drum roll please!)...here it is! 

As you can see from the listing on the right, it's a pack of Australian Cattle Dogs some with  special needs.  Through this blog I hope to be able to share how normal life is with dogs that can't see and/or hear and those that can.

I adopted my first ACD ten years ago.  Her name was Cairo and she was a year and a half old purebred, registered former show dog.  Most dog people have had that once-in-a-lifetime- amazing-best-ever dog.  For me that was Cairo.  

Life was fantastic with one dog so I decided after five years to adopt a second.  Along came Callie.  Within five months after Callie's adoption, my Cairo was diagnosed with an inoperable tumor on her heart.  She died a few weeks later at age seven. (the worst time of my life)

A few months later I contacted an Australian Cattle Dog rescue and it was through them that I adopted Bill.  When I commented to the rescue many months later that someday I might add a third, I was asked if I would consider a blind puppy.  Honestly, my first thought was, "Blind?  How would it get around?  I am a camper, hiker, backpacker.  I can't take a blind dog out in the wilderness."  As I thought that I also thought that it sounded really selfish and agreed to meet this puppy that had recently arrived at the rescue.  Well, I was surprised at how happy and normal she was.  Home she came and I named her Hiker.

The rest, well, they just seemed to arrive.  As time goes on I'll tell you more about them. 

I look forward to sharing stories of "the specials" with you.