Old Dogs

 Old dogs grow weary, their joints ache, their hearing and sight fail...but they have had a good life.

It is easier to recall them as puppies...recalling the puppy breath, sharp toe nails and teeth.  Puppies always make us smile. 

March of 2012 Steve and Jo next door neighbors got a little Aussie pup and named him Putzer or Putz for short.   He was a very special little puppy. 

Odda, Putz and our Border Collie Chance in 2012.  

These three were great friends, always happy to see each other and ready for a good game of chase.  Putz always greeted us, his whole body wagged.

Sadly Putz crossed the Rainbow Bridge on July 2, 2024.  His nose was still good, but he couldn't hear or see much.  His faithful friends Odda (2009-2021) and Chance(2004-2018) were probably waiting for his arrival. 

Far Side

Goodbye Odda

 Jo called yesterday morning to tell us that Odda was very sick and if we wanted to say goodbye we should come over.  Of course we had to say goodbye to one our favorite dogs. 

Odda was supposed to be called Bella but no one could stop calling her Odda. (Odda 1 died when she was 16 weeks old of a heart problem.)

Odda May 14 2009

 Hooch, Chance and Odda May 2009

 She liked chewing on my crocs and me!  Eventually we came to an understanding.   She liked me and listened to me without hesitation. 

Then good boy Hooch died.. a tick disease took him within hours in May of 2011.

 

Putz joined the pack in 2012....he was so little! 

Something happened around 2012 ( probably Putz)...Odda began to visit us on a regular basis...we thought it was just to see Chance but it continued after he died.  She would cross the road at her house go into the woods and come down the trails to our house. 

Odda and Chance were good friends. 

Odda was a good friend to us after Chance died.  She came to visit more often...we would sit outside with her until Jo came to get her...sometimes we would take her home.  Sometimes when we were gone to town she would be waiting for us when we got home.  We were her safe place. 

Bernese Mountain dogs are loyal, gentle dogs.  She loved to sit on my foot and get a good scratch.

There was no sitting yesterday...but she did lift her head up for a while...we got to pet her and say our goodbyes.  Goodbye Odda come to visit. 

We will miss our visits.  Our neighbor Jo will miss her girl Odda so very much.  It isn't easy to lose our four legged friends.

 Odda is survived by her little brother Putz or Putzer...who is almost blind...but his hearing and sense of smell is pretty good as he took the crumbs of a treat out of my hand.  He will miss Odda too...as she was the Alpha dog...poor Putz.

Far Side

Chance: Gone to the dogs

Hiya!  It is me Chance the handsome Border Collie! 

I have friends!  Sometimes my friends come to see me and sometimes I go see them.

Last night was the night…they were home! … and it was above 50 degrees!!

Putz

The beautiful Miss Odda.  They had just been to the groomers.

I need to go there one of these days and show off too.

Someone said I am looking a bit shaggy.

Handsomeness must be in the eye of the beholder.

We stayed for awhile. Putz and Odda really like my people. I did dog stuff with the dogs, played ball, Putz peed and I peed, I peeded and Putz peed, sniffed butts you know dog stuff.

Safe place

Odda came a visiting yesterday.  We have been unable to discover what scares her. ..sometimes it is gun shots, sometimes if she knows a butchering is going to happen there on the farm she runs off.  Sometimes I think she just wants to visit. Sometimes it is as if she knows we will call Jo to come and get her and she will get extra attention. We are her safe place.

She and Chance get along just fine. Putz stays at home and doesn’t follow her. She is so happy to see us, her tail wags ninety miles per hour!

Chance and Odda ( Bernese Mountain Dog)

I sat outside with her for awhile, then she came inside to visit.  I decided to take her back home and about that time Steve came to get her.  He was disgusted with her…like all dog owners he wants her to stay home.

The sun was out but the wind was cold.  Our high for the day was 21 F or –6 C eh!

Hello March

It feels warmer now, it was snowing last night.  Some fresh white snow to cover up the dirty snow. It always warms up to snow…it is like a Minnesota Rule…that and when it is clear in the winter at night it will be cold.

With the warmer temperatures ( 20 F and – 6 C eh!) I have been getting out to take some photographs.  That always cheers me up!  That and it is staying light until 6:04 PM and next week when the time changes that will be 7:04.  We have eleven hours and two minutes of daylight now.  The sun was out two days in a row!  What simple things make me more cheerful less cranky.

We took Chance to visit some of his friends. Winter is long for our pets too.  Chance knows where his friends live and when we drive by without stopping he seems sad.

Putz an Australian Shepherd

Odda a Bernese Mountain Dog

The photo ops were great. Chance had a good visit!  We have known these dogs since they were pups…so we are always greeted like long lost friends.  You would be hard pressed to find two dogs as nice as these dogs are.  Both have had  forms of Lyme Disease just like Chance.  Odda is thinner this winter and seems more ouchy than she was.  Those darn ticks anyway.

Since the snow was gently falling to the ground instead of arriving sideways at 40mph I would say March is coming in like a lamb!

Our Drive on Saturday Night

The wheat in this area is ready to be combined.  There were three combines out in the field.  (Corporate Farming)

In this photo two are working close together.  The third one was off in the distance.  We were glad that the breeze was from the east today…blowing the grain dust away from us.

We finished our drive…didn’t see any deer…I suppose the combine noise kept them in the woods.

Stopped by to visit with Chance’s friends  Odda and Putz.

Putz and Chance played ball and then Putz talked Chance into a game of tag…herding dog games!

Odda just likes to be close to us and enjoys being petted.  Here she is cuddled up as close to Far Guy as she can get!

Steve was out in the field combining peas.  ( Non Corporate Farmer)

The peas will be hog feed.

The weather is about to turn from hot and dry to hot and wet with storms.  So farmers are hustling to bring crops in. 

I didn’t take a photo of the corn field..the non irrigated corn fields are shriveling up and dying…the rain will be too little too late to save the corn.

Puppy Sitting

We puppy sat on Saturday.  Putzer  an Australian Shepherd who lives just down the road and his sister Odda.

I made Putz a new toy and he loved it.

A pop bottle in a sock makes a great toy for a puppy.

We took him out to the Fire hall Open House and he saw lots of people and had his first walk on a leash.

Later in the day he was exhausted so I took him back home to spend some quality nap time with Odda.

At supper time I went and got him and took him over to the neighbors.

Aubrey and Putzer

Kids and dogs..what a great combination!

Puppies need lots of socialization when they are little..the more people and situations they are exposed to the better.  He got great exposure to kids with their little hands, quick movements and excited voices.

Chance did real well with the pup..of course the puppy followed him everywhere.  Chance was patient and even laid by the outdoor kennel when I asked him to keep the puppy company while I swept out my garage. Ever tried sweeping with a puppy attached to a broom?

I am reminded that although I like puppies I don’t want to have one everyday..luckily I can just go to the neighbors and play with theirs:)

Chance: Making new friends

I have a new friend.  His name is Putzer and he lives just down the road.   He is Odda’s new brother. 

He is just a little bit of a dog.

I was patient with him, however I did growl when he bit my tail.

I told you he is just a little bit of a dog.

Odda is having a hard time.  Far Side says Odda’s nose is outta joint but her nose looked fine to me.  One day this week Far Guy thought there was a bear in our yard, turned out it was just Odda running away from home.  We brought her inside and we called her Mom.  Odda was in big trouble. We were just happy that we were home and could be a safe place for her to run away to.

One time when I was little and got confused and ran across the road into the field, Jo and Leah stopped and picked me up.  They saved me then…so it is only right that we watch out for each other when we can.

The little bit of a dog named “Putzer”  is an Australian Shepherd.  Odda is a Bernese Mountain Dog and me..well I am a Border Collie that blogs:)