Town

In town there is a wall of flowers on the fence that surrounds the Ace Hardware parking lot.

It has water tubes and I am certain they feed the entire wall frequently.  Some day I will stop and photograph the back side.

We had a quiet weekend, working on various projects, staying cool and watching a few movies.   We ran an errand into town yesterday afterward we stopped by my parents for coffee and to hook up their new printer.  They need a printer to make copies of the Yahtzee Score Sheets….they play Yahtzee every morning and sometimes in the evening too.

About a week ago my Dad was walking to his garden when he was threatened by two really large dogs…a Pit bull and a Rottweiler, luckily they backed off when he grabbed his garden shovel.  The next day my other baby brother reported it to the Police.  People need to keep their dogs under control and on a leash in town.  We drove by and the people with the dogs have a 6 x 6 foot kennel for those two large dogs…talk about stupid pet owners.

A Visit to the Vet

The little card came in the mail, the reminder that it was time for Chance to make his annual visit to the Vet. Last Saturday was the day. Chance knows his spot, on the couch with the stuffed animals. He waited patiently, until the Vet popped his head around the corner and said "Does that dog have his PH D yet?" Far Guy replied "No, but he is working on it."

Chance weighed in at 55 pounds, that is up three pounds from last year at this time. Paul, our Vet says he is a great weight. Patty the Vet Tech came in and commented on his beautiful coat. It should look reasonably good after his spring bath last week!
Yes, I clean his teeth, yes they should look pretty good. No, He doesn't like it, but he puts up with my odd behaviors.

How does he sound? Great..perfect

Chance knows what comes next, and somehow hiding your head, will make the shots seem like they never happened.

Chance is in perfect health, we were pretty sure of that. It is nice to hear someone with knowledge say it too. We have had the same Vet now for over twenty five years, when he went from large animals just to a small animal practice, he kept our horses on as clients. He has taken care of our many dogs and cats, he is our friend, and genuinely cares for all animals. He has laughed and cried with us through five dogs, eight cats, two horses and two birds.

As a reminder, don't put off your pets annual checkups, and have your pets spayed or neutered. We will start Chance's heartworm prevention medication on May 15th, the little red heart is on our calendar:)

Christmas Puppies

1996 Moses, G 'Day Mate and Captain all Shetland Sheepdogs or Shelties

My Grandparents D were firm believers that every child should have a dog. They gave me my first dog for my third Christmas back in 1954. His name was Frostie. I have many pictures of him lurking in the back ground, when I am holding a birthday cake. He was probably a mutt, part Collie and who knows what else. I do know that one of my very first memories is of the smell of a dog. I can never remember being afraid of a dog as a child. Growing up on a farm we went through our share of dogs. Some were runners, my Dad would deal with them. A gunshot early on a Saturday morning meant that someone had been dealt with. I learned early on to accept dogs coming and going, weaving their way in and out of my life, but I did not like it. Dogs were expendable, never allowed in the house, and if they ran off with other dogs or chased cattle especially calves in the spring they were soon gone. I would always pitch a fit, and bawl for days after one of them disappeared.

The only advice my parents gave my husband-to-be Far Guy was "Never let her have a dog, you will save yourself a lot of grief if she never has any." It was the truth.

As the Christmas Season approaches, anyone that is thinking about adding a dog or even a cat to your household, or giving a grandchild a Christmas puppy or kitten. Please stop and think. If you want to give a live gift to a child..are they ready for the responsibility...are they old enough to care for an animal? A gift certificate or a promise of a new puppy when school is out seems much better to me, time for kids and puppies to bond and make connections.

I have had three Christmas puppies in my lifetime. Frostie when I was three. G' Day Mate who was part of a litter of our Shelties and was already in our house, I gave her to Far Guy as a Christmas gift because I could not bear to part with her, she was part of our family for eleven years. And Chance, we got him the day after Christmas four years ago. It worked out well for these Christmas Puppies, but usually that is not the case. Puppies should be more than a good photo opportunity on Christmas morning:)