We sprung Lemaster from doggie jail this morning and made his getaway run into quite an adventure.
Okay, we did not break him out, we pulled him for Steele Away Home Canine Foster and Rescue, and did it all quite legally. But he was glad to be out of jail just the same, and gave us lots of kisses to prove it.
‘Scuse me, you’re sitting in MY seat!
Once we got him fitted with a proper harness and leash we walked him out to the truck. I opened the door and he hopped right up into the drivers seat, “In the back peasants, I’ll drive this rig.” But we worked out a compromise. I put him in behind the seats and he decided that sitting on Marie’s lap was a better idea! He was still attached to his safety tether which is bolted to the floor, so he was safe from flying forward in a sudden stop, and he was sitting pretty still, so Marie allowed it. He’s just so CUTE, she couldn’t deny him.
Some time ago we bought a small pool for a foster who loved to cool off by sitting in water… her water bowl if nothing else was available!
Since it’s a warm holiday today I decided to pull that pool out of storage and see if any of our current fosters would like to avail themselves of a refreshing dip.
As you can see, so far only Lenny is interested in swimming, but the others may come around before he heads for Wisconsin next Saturday.
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Blondie Bear and Callie get to go for a truck ride every week when I make the trash run. Lennon has been out with me a couple of times recently. But it’s been a while since Buddy got to go for a truck ride with me. It’s time he did. And I’m going to his favorite place!
I do carry bottled water and a small dish in the truck so a rider-dog can have a drink on a longer ride or a hot day. Today wasn’t especially hot and the ride wasn’t but about 30 minutes all total, so I didn’t look for a place to pull off and break out the drinking gear, we just went home. Buddy was fine with that, especially since he got to let the other dogs smell his cookie breath and be jealous!
We had a pop-up thunderstorm roll in this morning as we were getting our day started. It gave advance notice in the form of continuous, distant thunder so I dashed out to feed The Brown Dog Gang and let them run in the yard to relieve themselves before it arrived. Lennon and Blondie went with me to help. The rain started just as we were finishing up and getting them back into their kennels.
Blondie trotted up toward the house with her ears down on the sides of her head (her Yoda face) muttering, “It’s raining, it’s raining, I don’t like the rain. I need to be inside.”
While Marie fixed breakfast, Buddy Beagle cowered in his bunker. He still barked at the thunder — until we had a close lightning strike with it’s BIG boomer that rattled the house and the power blinked. Then Buddy admitted defeat and was quiet: curled up in the back of his crate until the storm passed.
Josie hid too. In her own way. She tried to wiggle in behind the chair, but it had been pushed back to make more room for crates. She often goes and hides under my desk, but this morning she preferred to be where the Peoples were, so she made do with this corner.
The driveway in front of our house is T shaped. We come up the drive and swing to the left to park the car. To leave we back up into the other arm and turn left to go down the driveway to the road.
Normally, Marie’s Subaru is the only vehicle parked out there. I park my truck over by the dog kennels, which is accessed by a different driveway. But today a truck was coming in to drop a load of gravel by the kennels and my truck needed to be out of the way. So I brought it up to the house. As long as I park in the “backing up” arm, Marie can still get her car into it’s spot – she just can’t leave until I move.
Buddy had been sleeping when I moved my truck.
When it got to be about time for Marie to get home from work, Buddy got up and looked out a window. He saw my truck, which is similar in color to Mare’s car, sitting in the drive. Wrong vehicle, wrong position, but it is in the driveway.
He went nuts. He always goes nuts when Marie comes home. Buddy adores Marie. He started baying, he ran from window to window, he ran in circles, he tried to knock me over, all his usual stunts. But Marie wasn’t getting out of the “car” out there. So he got frantic. “What’s wrong, what’s wrong?”
It took a while but I got him calmed down.
No sooner had he calmed, but Marie’s Subaru came up the driveway, and we started all over again! But now she’s home. Once he see’s her get out of the car he will calm down so he can greet her when she comes in.
He’s a funny boy!
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All of the dogs except Buddy Beagle — who was indoors doing a detailed inspection of his eyelids — were outside horsing around when Lennon discovered a ropey toy that had been spirited outside and tucked away. Lennon didn’t want to stop playing with the girls, but he wanted to chew that ropey later, so he devised a plan. But there was a snag in his plan … a snag named Josephine!
His plan didn’t work out as he had planned, but it did involve everyone playing together.
Lennon is young and playful and gets along well with everyone. Buddy grumps at him sometimes, but that’s not about Lennon, that’s just Buddy being a grumpy old fella.
In the past, when I’ve tried to get Lennon to play tug with me or with Blondie, he would yield the ropey as soon as his opponent tugged on it. But today, he figured out that playing tug can be fun. We should have a new game we can play together now.
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Lennon has been spending the nights in a transport box in the Bunkhouse. It’s warm in there and quiet, and has fewer distractions than sleeping in the people house. It’s a good place for doggos to start sleeping indoors.
But when Lucy left, it meant that Lennon would be all alone. So I brought his crate to the house. I left him in his transport box to provide some continuity in the change. The people house can be exciting, and confusing. Having “his room” would help him transition. Besides, the transport boxes are sturdy: offering effective containment. They are more closed in, offering a sense of security to their occupant. And any “accidents” are better contained than with a wire crate where a male dog can lift a leg and pee right through the crate onto the floor outside.
Lennon has settled in well and been a good house guest, so today I traded his transport box in on a regular wire crate. These offer better visibility, better air flow, more interaction with other dogs. He seems to enjoy it. But that’s not the only upgrade Lennon got this week.
I was going through communications between our vet and Dr. Crouch as they discussed Lennon’s hip injury and I saw that Dr. Crouch said, “If the dog is very lame, he would be a candidate for FHO (femoral reconstruction)” And it occurred to me that I would NOT count Lennon as being lame, much less very lame:
There was a time when Lennon would run for a couple of minutes, then slow to a walk and limp just a little as he walked. But no more. And I have been giving him a daily Glucosamine Chondroitan / MSM / Turmeric supplement that is supposed to reduce inflammation, relieve pain, and promote healing. I wondered if it was necessary to put Lennon through surgery and rehabilitation. I wondered if he even QUALIFIED for the surgery anymore. So I asked Dr. Crouch for his opinion and showed him the video above.
His response was that Lennon was not a candidate for hip reconstruction at this time. He’d be happy to help if Lennon needed it in the future, but now, he’s looking GREAT!
So it looks like Lennon has been upgraded in this area as well. We (Steele Away Home) do want to get another x-ray done to see if some healing has occurred. If so, keeping him on this supplement may be his long-term answer. If so: he’s ready to seek a forever home. As long as he’s here I’ll continue working at house breaking him, but other than that he’s good to go.
Yay Lennon!
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I made 274 of my Peanut Butter dog treats today. That sounds like a lot, but we go through that many in a week or less with the pack I have here.
I use them as rewards (and bribes) for good behavior as well as “just because you’re a good dog” treats. With 8 dogs normally in residence, that’s 34 treats per dog per week or not quite 5 treats per dog per day. Since they get a treat for going into their crate or kennel – each time, you can see how we run through them quickly.
Today Selma was my cookie baking assistant. Selma is in training as a house dog. She needs to learn to calm herself and act civilized while in the house. She did well today.
When I empty a peanut butter jar, I make it a point to give it to one of the dogs to lick out. That’s an extra special treat! Sometimes one has just had surgery, or has just arrived and is feeling nervous. Sometimes one has had a good break through and deserves a reward. Today it occurred to me that little Josephine has NEVER had a peanut butter jar of her own to lick out. It seems she is due! But that didn’t go quite as I envisioned:
When Josie passed on the offer, Callie said she’d show Josie how it’s done. But Josie wanted no part of this potential crime and quickly left the room.
She loves the peanut butter cookies, she’s just not so sure about that jar.
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Lennon is not a particularly massive dog, nor is he mean, but with his high energy level and gangly legs, he can be a formidable playmate as he sprints around and gets bouncy when in close. Blondie Bear can handle him and they have played together often.
Being a Mentor dog, Blondie tries to curb his enthusiasm or channel his energy into proper play like running. He likes to run, but also like to wrestle.
Today was the first time I allowed Lennon to play with dogs other than Blondie.
Josephine has encountered him (accidentally) and found him terrifying. So I left her inside.
I’ve always figured that Lucy and Lennon would make good playmates because she is equal in size and more massive. She should be able to handle him.
Callie is playful and likes to wrestle. Though she’s a little smaller, she is quite strong. That should be an even match.
So let’s line them up and see how they do … one at a time to start, with Blondie as referee.
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It’s a chilly 22° this morning. Lucy and Lennon came out of the bunkhouse to eat breakfast and relieve themselves, then were ready to go back inside where it’s warm.
Even in 22° she prefers the outdoors – for a while.
Selma sleeps in the People house with us. She went out early with the other house dogs, came in to eat breakfast and wanted to go back out. Despite the cold, she says, “I’m an adventure dog. I like it outside.”
She stayed out until after Marie went to work, then came in to warm up and nap.
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We sprung Lemaster from doggie jail this morning and made his getaway run into quite an adventure.
