A frustrating 24 hours....

Let's be honest, sometimes having a pack of dogs and a foster pup isn't all sunshine and happy faces.  Sometimes it is very frustrating. 

Yesterday morning started early since it was a work day.  By 4:30 am the big water dish in the kitchen had been spilled because four dogs all tried to get past it at the same time.  Then one of them threw up on the kitchen floor (a result of eating poop...again) and the foster pup peed on the floor because she obviously didn't pee when she went out ten minutes earlier.

The 12 hour shift at work was okay. 

When I arrived home after work and walked into the house, I could smell something...well, something not right.

Twiggy our foster pup had a bad day.

Her crate was very smelly from a loose bowel movement and as a result, she had shredded the carpet that was on the bottom of her crate and ripped her bedding.  In addition, Twiggy had pulled through the pink camouflage sleeping bag that was next door on top of Azule's crate and shredded it.

 

I had to throw out the bedding and the camouflage sleeping bag which was disappointing because I really liked that sleeping bag.  Then there was the smelly mess in Twiggy's crate to clean up and the lingering smell in the living room to contend with.

After dinner kibbles were served and gobbled up, the water dish was spilled again because of too many dogs rushing past it at the same time. (In a big hurry to go nowhere) Then, as I was mopping up the spill, of course, they all had to walk through the water and track it into the living room.  Then it was bedtime.

I woke up around 2:00 am and could see that Breeze was wandering around the bedroom and obviously was up to something she shouldn't be.  Breeze had found the one leftover box of laminate flooring that had been put in the corner.  

She apparently spent quite a bit of time with it, shredding the cardboard and chewing a few little pieces off the edge of a plank.  When I sighed and said, "Breeze, what are you doing?" she just wagged her tail, all happy and excited as usual.  

By the time I got her downstairs to go in her crate, she decided that she had to go outside first.  Then I tucked her into her crate.  So, back to bed around 2:30 am with the alarm set to go off at 4:00 am for another exciting day.

Not a typical 24 hour period in our lives, just seems that we had one of those days.

I am sure that some of you may find it amusing and some of you may have some sympathy for us.  It might just brighten someone's day and really, things like this are always more amusing when they happen to someone else aren't they?

I'm not seeing the humor in all this yet.  I'm still dealing with the fact that Twiggy ignored Breeze's warning growl a couple of days ago about being in her crate and as a result they had a little tussle which spilled my morning coffee on the remote for the satellite television and destroyed it. Fifty dollars to replace the remote.  Probably should just get rid of the satellite service.

Maybe in a few weeks, I can look back on it and chuckle.  Right now, I feel more like having a little cry. Or a spoonful of peanut butter.  Ya, probably some peanut butter.

Enjoying spring!

The past two days have been sunny and warm. Really warm.  Temperatures of 24C/75F with blue skies. 

So we were outside enjoying the weather, doing some yard work and getting to know our foster pup Twiggy.  She is a really affectionate pup who is eager to please and super food motivated. Or maybe we just have yummy treats!

Now that the warm weather is here, the pack is back playing around and under their "fort".  It is the one place in the yard where they are allowed to dig since it is under one of the big trees and the grass doesn't grow.

Breeze, Bill, Azule and foster Twiggy

The "fort" is also a great place to have a nap.  As you can see, Twiggy is now a part of the pack. (No, she is not staying!)  She has been totally accepted and has the most fun playing with Breeze and Azule. 

Callie played Frisbee

 and JollyBall.

  

Twiggy found raking to be very boring and fell asleep.  It is hard to get good help!

 

Azule lay under the pine tree at the back of the yard and watched for birds.  We have at least two nests and she enjoys chasing the birds as they fly out. 

I've been taking lots of pictures of Twiggy for the rescue to use in her profile on Petfinder.  Here she is sitting nicely and wondering where her new forever home will be!

After spending most of the day outside, a pack of tired dogs had a nap while waiting for dinner.

Callie was on her favorite chair, Forest was just out of camera range and Bill was on the couch.  A tired and happy pack had dinner and then fell asleep again for the night!

Photobomb!

 

"Breeze...did you just photobomb?"

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!"

Lack of communication

We had a minor incident a few days ago, that once all the contributing factors are realized, is a bit of an amusing incident.

I was outside playing JollyBall with Callie when I heard the sounds of a scuffle from inside the house (all the windows were open to take advantage of the summer-like temperature). As I entered the kitchen, I saw deaf Azule and blind Breeze having a little disagreement. They were making lots of noise with little contact, which is typical. They quickly stopped as I approached and touched Azule while telling Breeze "leave it".  

Now, the reason that this is amusing is the way in which deaf Azule and blind Breeze try and communicate with each other.  It is common for blind Breeze to growl at deaf Azule. Breeze doesn't curl her lip or give any physical indication (that I can see) of what she is doing. Just the growl.  

blind Breeze - growls at the deaf dog

 

In return, deaf Azule will curl her lip at blind Breeze and not make any sound.

deaf Azule - silently curls her lip at the blind dog

So, with the deaf dog not hearing the growl and the blind dog not seeing the lip curl...we have a lack of communication.

Foster pup!

A friend of mine and fellow rescuer/foster home sent me a picture last week of a young, red Australian Cattle Dog mix and asked for my opinion of the provided description.  I commented and then jokingly asked, "When should we expect her?"   No, no, not to worry my friend said, we've got a plan in place for her.  

A couple of days later, my friend e-mailed to ask if I could help.  The pup had unexpectedly gone into heat, animal control where she was being held was full and wanted her out, the vet clinic where she will be spayed won't take her in heat and the boarding facility/daycare where she is going after her spay recovery won't take her because she is in heat.  

How could I say no?

settling in on the couch

Her name (by the rescue) is Twiggy which fits well with the outdoorsy names we have for the pack.  She is approximately eight months old and super affectionate.

So far, Twiggy is an extremely high energy pup, no doubt as a result of being confined for the past two weeks with (and I quote) "little to no outside time".  

The pack were welcoming and Twiggy has settled in very well and is much calmer than when she first arrived on Friday afternoon.  We're teaching manners, respect and Twiggy is also learning to not put her feet on the counter and to not jump up on people.

Outside play times are wild with lots of running, chasing and play bows.  

hanging out with the some of the pack

In the house, Twiggy is learning that a crate is a nice place to be because that is where you get treats and bowls of kibble.  

Also in the house there is also that little fluffy thing called a cat!

Twiggy meeting Elsie

Twiggy won't be staying with us very long, probably only a couple of weeks but we know that we'll be having lots of fun with her!

running with some of the pack

Breeze and Elsie

Breeze continues to be fascinated with our cat Elsie (as she was with the old cat Oscar who passed away a few months ago). Now that Elsie has settled and is used to the pack, she has become a very snuggly lap cat. This works well for blind Breeze because while Elsie is lap sitting, Breeze can wander over and say hello.

found her!

If Elsie isn't on a lap, Breeze will find her, sniff her (especially her belly) and gently head butt her a few times. Sometimes Breeze will follow Elsie and in her attempts to get close, she'll accidentally step on her.  This is often followed by human advice such as, "Don't squash the cat!"

Hiker isn't too interested, she'd rather chase Gerrard.

Breeze uses her feet to hold Elsie in place so she can get a sniff.

"Hold still Elsie, I wanna sniff you!"

Through it all, Elsie is very tolerant and seems to know that Breeze won't hurt her. That other dog Forest, well, he's not as nice, at least in Elsie's opinion.

Azule's 1st Gotcha Day!

It was one year ago that we went on a long drive, stayed overnight in a hotel (we prefer camping), met the caring staff of a West Virginia Humane Society and were introduced to a deaf Australian Cattle Dog mix named Azule.

There was a Petfinder listing that I saw about a young Australian Cattle Dog who was deaf. When I contacted the Humane Society I was told how wonderful Azule was and that she had quickly become a staff favorite (I later learned that the staff feels that way about all the animals they help!).  At that time, I was also told that a local couple had expressed an interest in her and would likely be adopting her to join their Australian Shepherd.  

A couple of weeks later I received an e-mail asking if I was still interested, since Azule had been returned through no fault of hers.  Seemed that one half of the couple wasn't as willing to have a deaf dog.  Oh yes, I was still interested and a few phone calls later, we had made plans to head down to West Virginia.

I will likely never forget the enthusiasm Azule showed when we first met.  She came running around the corner and literally flew into me.  Quite the greeting! For a young deaf dog that had been turned in as a stray, she was a very happy and confident pup. She continues to have that enthusiastic outlook on life and is a very happy girl.

Life with a deaf dog has been relatively easy.  I quickly discovered that Azule is very smart and easily caught on to the outside light flashing twice as a signal to come in and when it is daylight, she will notice the other dogs heading for the door and follow.  She also quickly learned hand signals, her favorite being the signal for "up" so she can pretend she is small enough to be a lap dog.  Australian Cattle Dogs are known as "velcro" dogs due to their desire to be close to their person.  Azule certainly has that trait! She loves to be close and to be a part of everything.

It has been a wonderful year and I look forward to many, many more years of fun with my velcro girl Azule!