The Dog Lady Blog

As the previous post indicates, I was up writing at midnight. The raccoons came to eat on the roof of the camper around 11:30pm. Faith Ann went into action and spent the next FIVE hours
objecting to their audacious meal taking. That's 12am to 5am but no, I've never gone all David Berkowitz over any of my hounds doing their thing, even if I'm denied sleep. After all these years years, I can kind of doze through it, lucid dreams and such. But it is amazing how Faith knows the varmints are close way before the other dogs. She goes into action while the coons teeter in the tree tops onto our roof. Comparitively, my other dogs are slow to action. Faith Ann has got some pipes for a dog so skinny! Getting a good weight on her is the priority right now, just like keeping Siddy's skin clear. This morning Faith's also letting me know that she is deathly afraid of storms (as they move in now). Major dog anxiety attack. Oso and Desi are members of this support group as well. Fun times. Actually I create dark "hiding" places here in our camper for the scared dogs in our family, optional of course but usually quickly accepted by each storm sufferer. According to the weather map, a big line of storms are moving in soon with LOTS of BIG lightening. I'm going to lay double doses of benadryl on the three phobics to offset their upcoming adrenaline rush.

Oso is sticking with me, no matter what. I moved my truck a little closer to the camper since the wind was so high, kind of creating a wind breaker of sorts with it. It was pouring and the sky was crashing but Oso stayed right on my heel, getting into the truck with me while I moved it and once I was done, he hopped right back out with me and we ran to the camper. He's like Toto: with me all the way.

My boy Thomas, however, was non-plussed by the beginnings of the thunder around 5am. About half an hour ago, he came to me the same way he did yesterday, pawing at me legs and then slowly climbing (front legs only) onto my lap--and guess what? Thomas tried to play with me! He kind of batted at me with his paw, imitating my hand gestures toward him in reality and while wagging his tail, he cocked his head left to right, smiling and "schnuffling" (the mini-snort or happy exhale). Thomas really wants to fit in and as a result he's really letting down his guard. I brushed him for the first time this morning, too. He didn't want to like it but ultimately relaxed for about five minutes and I got a lot of dead, dry hair out out of his coat. Poor kid. No one has ever really taken care of him. Even when I had 45 dogs, they all got brushed (and sheared for summer and therefore their physical condition was always in check), ear cleaning,
nail trims--thus more than a full time job. Right now with my current group things are relatively mellow.

Desi, poor heavy coated girl, is extremely unhappy with the current weather. I'm going to go sit with her in a bit and give her her dose of benadryl. I've got a box fan on high and she's not only receiving the benefit of the air (in her self-crafted corner on the floor by my bed) but the white noise made by the fan is soothing. I tried to shave her again yesterday, just a smidge, but she wasn't having it. Instead she'll be getting a shot in the rump from the vet so I can bring her back home where, limp from sedation, she will be shaved within that hour.

Everyone else:
Norman and Franklin are still in bed (my bed) although Frankie usually comes out here and gets in my chair while I have my tea and wake up. Right now he out on "the porch" and barking half-heartedly at nothing I can detect.

Amy Jo and Daisy-Irene are on the other side of my garden, I suspect they're on chipmunk patrol. It's raining lightly right now so I anticipate a sample of it once they come back and shake
indoors, of course.

Daisy-Mae and Siddy are playing down in the grassy pasture part of our yard. They stand on their hind legs sometimes but Daisy is so gangly and puppy-ish, she constantly tumbles over.
Then Sid cleans her ears or lays down beside her and they revel in their innocent love. Am I corny? It's true. I think we should ALL be spayed or neutered. Check out www.vhemt.org.
The most pragmatic, realistic and truly humanitarian modern philosophy I've encountered.

Clarkie is having a little breakfast at the food trough. He's pretty mellow most of the time but
sometimes "The Young and the Restless" gets him worked up, especially the whole Emily/Patty
storyline...that and tennis balls that squeak.

12:45pm

Getting ready to run some errands before my appointment with Dr. Don "No Pain" Feeney for a consult on what the heck we're going to do about my crown.

Every one of my doggies is passed out. The benadryl kicked in and we made it through the storm. The FedEx guy came down right after the worst of the downpour and Faith Ann came
fleeting like a gazelle, out of the camper and jumped into his truck! I got her out but then Oso does the exact same thing! I get him out and then Faith goes back in. Fortunately the FedEx guy was cool and turned on the light in the back of the truck. It smelled weird. I got Faith out again and shut his door for him to end the Canine Capers. Then I ran back toward the camper yelling "treats!". Just as I climbed the steps, Faith comes barreling through, knocking me flat onto my face only to then climb all over me, frantic at the thunder still rumbling low, and not because she wanted a treat. She was clammoring to get back inside to her hiding place. She did.

TICKS ARE EVERYWHERE! BEWARE! MAKE SURE YOUR ANIMALS ARE UP-TO-DATE ON TOPICAL TREATMENTS INCLUDING HEARTWORM PREVENTATIVES. All this rain means that we're going to have tons of mosquitoes. Fortunately we have a lot of brown bats up here that help keep the numbers down but I'm still a bear when it comes to monthly doses of Interceptor. Every night before I go bed, I spray DeepWoods OFF all over my body and then put my pj's on over it.

By the way, when you pick a tick off of your animal (or yourself), put it into a small container of rubbing alcohol (use an empty Rx bottle and keep it in a cool place away from critters and kids).
It will die quickly and it anything they carry from shedding into the environment. Don't burn them or mash them. The big fat ticks, the ones engorged with your animals blood, are full of eggs that can still hatch even if you crush them. Plus it's disgusting. *I hate parasites.

*That's screaming for a jibe from me about certain humans but I WON'T GO THERE. I'll go to the dentist instead!

6:30pm

Getting ready to take to the kids for a short walk. It's awfully humid out. Wilting.

We need gravel for our driveway. All this rain is washing it out like crazy. Poor John Kemple just graded it last week. But then again, that means we get to see him again soon...