A Quiet Two-Dog Week

 Well Actually the title is a lie.  I have actually had eleven days with just my own two dogs.  Poor old Keeper has been losing weight and so I am feeding her smaller meals but three times a day and chicken on top.She is managing to get them down but regaining weight takes a lot longer and once again I wonder if I am not hearing the 'death-Nell"?  I hope against hope that is not yet anyway but at the same time cannot but help to see the "writing on the wall" Especially with the not wanting to eat but now she does and what the hell hope springs eternal and for now we are okay.  The other night she woke me when she fell quite heavily when leaving her bed on the floor in the bedroom. How do you fall off the floor? Well she just fell when she went to get up fro a drink or whatever.  I have recently heard arthritis in dogs prevents them from having a good nights rest same as us.  I imagine she has to change her position after being down sleeping too long? In any case she went down with a clatter and I could hear her continue to try to get up.  when I got the light on she was straddled out like a squashed frog with just her hind legs paddling a bit.  I lifted her middle up and she managed to regain control of her legs and walked away albeit a bit staggery.  Yep definitely getting worse. but other than a few incidents she still seems to be "there" inside a worn out body and is doing the very best she can. I have accommodated  her as best I can and wonder if it is enough?  She still "looks" for me although it is debatable exactly how much she really "sees".  Her hearing was the first thing to go but if I am close enough and clap my hands she hears that even when she is sleeping.  Its how we get from point A to B when necessary.  I imagine her nose helps her a lot to get around and to find me when she cannot see me. She will go looking for me and when outside and not able to find me she will bark until I come. This works well and I know when she wants to come back in.  The two of them have become very much "house" dogs but for most of her life she was outside at the farm.  And the house is safe and I think they know it. Keeper has three beds in the house.  One by the computer for naps and a main bed in the front room and her night time bed in the bedroom which is an old couch cushion. We have cast envious eyes at the dogs that come with really nice beds but I forgot to look at dog beds when I was in Nelson on Friday so we will make do with what we have.   For many years she had he wicker basket and seemed very attached to it but it was hard and as she aged could not have been all that comfortable for her so I changed it for a soft cat bed.Dogs don't really complain so its hard to know what they would like.
Mind you Teko on the other hand is quite clear on what he wants.  He has decided he can't jump in his chair any more and is rather adamant that I should pick him up and put him there upon his demand of course. This could become a full-time occupation and not one I am inclined to take on so I simply put a small stool in front of his chair to help him.  However his majesty had other ideas and has decided to be too dumb to use it. Gramma came by and spent a few moments covering it with a blanket so it would not be slippery but he is still not so inclined as to use it.He has tried many ploys on me.  Everything from whining and then barking to scratching at me with his claws.  Now he is into huge sighs and last night laid on two Archie comics with a big huge SIGH.  If he could he would probably phone a humane society on me. But he has accepted not sleeping in bed with anyone but alone in his own little bed and he may eventually figure out the stool as well. I allow him to be a real dog now and for the most part he enjoys that and has to do a few things for himself. Its just how it is in this house.
  One change I made was to throw out my rug.  Keeper had been peeing on it in the night and since then has not been so it was a good choice. Did she think it was grass? Who knows?  anyway it seems to have taken care of the pissidents and there has only been one assident since then.(See prior Post about these things)The wooden floor underneath has  been damaged and is discoloured but possibly sanding may take that out.  I have given it the skunk treatment and no smell anyway so possibly have caught it in time? Its one of those fit together floors and if necessary the squares can be replaced but that would be a more difficult way than sanding.  In any case I have done a bit towards more sanitary conditions here and other than that can just clean up as things happen. Again all part of having dogs in the house along with hair etc and paw prints on the floor.  Small price to pay for their love and attention.      ~~~

Jazzfest Weekend Survived

  Well I managed to survive Jazz Fest Weekend.  My pet sitting business has never been so busy! Some people did book ahead and that made things a bit easier but in the end there were the last minute people of course,  There always seems to be room for one more but this time I really wondered if I had not over-extended myself.  They were coming in pairs!
   the first to arrive was Chester a Labradoodle.  I immediately noted that he was intact!  The owner assured me he was not a fighter but he might do some marking and he had a belly band he could wear along with a sanitary pad.  Unbelievable.! But after three markings about the house I thought maybe I should have used the apparatus.  but that was the end of it and after that he was pretty good. Chester was not that large, smaller than a Standard poodle and he spent the weekend in the house with keeper and Teko. He got along well with them and I fed him out in the back yard.
  the next to arrive was Ziggy a long haired Shepherd of the old breeding.  Her owners explained she had "issues" and I had decided before she arrived to let her have the nice shady back yard to herself for all of Sunday.  I also at that time had a Pyrenees and a Burmese arriving at any time. It was a relief to get a call saying they would not arrive until Sat. morning.  Ziggy was only here for an hour to acquaint her with the place and she went at a corner of the fence so I put a few more staples in the gatepost. The two big dogs arrived in the morning and spent some time there while their owners were away. Easy dogs to have and all dogs were quiet so that was very good.
Next to arrive(the two big dogs left) were two local dogs.  Calli is a Giant Schnauzer, very pretty in black and wavy coat but young and not well trained.  She came with her friend Loki who looks to be a collie/golden retriever Cross.  Unfortunately she had been skunked!  I had both dogs in the back yard but then Ziggy returned as agreed.  So the two local dogs were put in the front porch but even with a fan going it looked to be too hot for them so I let them in the house and the two went and slept in the kitchen while I had my afternoon nap. Ziggy seemed much more content this second time to be in the yard and when she left the other two had the back yard to them selves. Calli went home around 6:00 but Loki stayed overnight and is still here this morning. Its very early and she has been howling a mournful cry so I have let her back in the house-skunk smell or not.  I was not sure what I was hearing until I was out in the yard myself so hope she didn't disturb the neighbours too badly.
  And so it was a busy three days of dogs coming and going and in the end I felt I had kept on top of it.  Not too many incidents. Teko tried to be a bit bossy but got over it and this morning actually put Loki at a standstill and she didn't want to come in with him making a stand near the door. He also growled at the doodle on occasion-like when Chester got too close to Tekos' chair.  For the most part the three days were uneventful which was fine by me.  At one point Calli charged out the door and obviously is not a dog to come when you call. I went after her in my slippers but she thought she would make a game of tag with this. But you have to be smarter than the dog and I pretended to go to my van and she could not resist and thereby was caught again and returned to the house.  I think old Keeper stumbled onto Loki at  one point in the afternoon and Loki "went for her" but settled down quickly with a harsh word from me.  So nice to have communication and she is an older dog and no puppy, so listens well.
  Of course I have been "pickin' poop" steady but it hasn't been too bad and have managed to keep on top of it.  Teko goes three or four times a morning so am getting used to poop detail.  all part of pet sitting. And I must say it was a most profitable weekend.  I am grateful to Dr.Pat and also the Visitors Centre for recommending me. its made a big difference. And so the weekend comes to an end and I have today to myself I think once Loki leaves at about ten.  Can't complain at all and it was an experience for sure.All is well that ends well and it did!

Minky- One Of A Kind

One of the most beautiful dogs I have ever known, was named Minky.  It was back in the days when I worked at the dog farm that I first met this little dog.  She had by that time become rather famous in the show circles and indeed had ribbons from all over Canada and the United States.  Minky was a fawn coloured long-haired Dachshund.  She had doe eyes and knew exactly how to use them on the judges.  the handlers often said she "showed herself" and was very good at it.  In between shows Minky would return to the
Ghost River Ranch and live with the others in what was once the front room.  Although the house had once been a show home displayed at the Calgary Stampede, by the time I got there the dogs had almost ruined it.  Little lino remained in any of the rooms what with the dogs running about chewing it and peeing on it.  the kitchen was even worse with the lino totally gone and down to the wooden flooring.  There were seventeen dogs in the house and when you came to the door all of them would run barking to see who had come.  It was total bedlam.  it sounded like rats coming at you and then the smell would hit you-BIG TIME!
    Minky as I said mostly lived in the front room with some of the other "better Quality" dogs.  One of these was a wire-haired Dachsy named Josh. Minky and Josh were a team and best buddies for many years.  The funny thing about Minky was she would not breed.  Showing is all about winning and then making a lot of money on the puppies but Minky would not comply and never had a puppy in her whole life-not even with Josh in constant attendance.  Motherhood was not for her so the demand for her puppies was just an empty dream.
  I am sure the silky coated little Minky enjoyed going to shows were she was pampered and groomed and treated most royally.  Her home place certainly did not hold up to life on the road at all.  This all happened man years ago and her breeder/owner has long ago passed on and I wonder if any of the judges or handlers remember this little dog that once knew great fame?  There must be a record of her wins somewhere but then its all in the past and who would care now?  Her legacy ended with her and the line did not continue.  But just maybe once in awhile someone remembers her and thinks of those lovely doe eyes and the little dog that 'showed"herself and preened for the judges, almost winking at them and definitely persuading them to place her well in the standings?? Hats off to Miss Minky and her individuality!


                                                          ~ ~ ~

Lost, Strayed or Just a Runner?

This dog came to me when someone found him on the back road.  The people were concerned because it was so thin and indeed it was.  I had it pegged for a boxer X Hound.  he was here for four days and was so exuberant and starved for affection he became a pain in the butt and eventually I could not let my own dogs out with out supervision.  My old Keeper dog is now 18 and I tend to protect her as much as possible. 

Having put the dog on fb and contacting the SPCA in nelson as well as KAAP I hoped I would have him placed by the weekend when some paying boarders were coming in and I would need my back yard again.  Finally I got a phone call from a fellow named Shawn and he said it was his dog and he would pick it up at 1:00.  I waited all afternoon but no show.  Once again I fed the dog and waited some more. At about 7:00 I went out to mow the lawn and no dog!  I thought it strange that after four days the dog would jump the fence as he seemed happy enough in the yard until then.  Later I found my chain collar on the front step , so that told me the owner had come for him.  That was fine but I could not help but be disappointed in the owner in that he could not even offer me a thank-you or even the decency to ring the bell and let me know he was there for the dog.  This guy is a chicken shit for sure and I can only hope he tries a little harder with the dog as he does not deserve this dogs love.  On the phone Shawn said he was "going" to take the dog to the vet to find out why he was so thin as he is feeding him lots and that he was also going to have him fixed.  Well gonna and doing are two different things sometimes. He also said he would like to give this dog away as his other dog does not get along with it.  Maybe the other dog is getting all the food?  He also told me this dog is supposed to be a split-nosed pit bull.  Upon looking this up on the Internet there is no such breed but there are dogs with a split nose. Whoopdedoo.  What this dog needs is a good owner and some vet attention as well. And hopefully a new owner!! Someone who has time to spend with him and do some training as well.  The dogs manners are not great and this makes people stay away from him although really is just a big suck.  And so ends another saga and even though this was not a happy incident I will continue to give dogs a safe haven while I find their owners for them.  They deserve it and this dog was not a "runner" as I first thought but just another dog looking for love.  I wish him well and a new owner and a happy life somewhere else! 

Different dogs-Different Days

Hi All. I am back after a lengthy pause.  I had a nice break from pet sitting from the 4-10th.Nice timing as my Bro came visiting and we were able to have a very nice visit without any extras in the house.  Even so my two seemed always to be underfoot and my bro figures I shuffle around because of them.  Could be-I dunno. We had one more incident with Teko going in the creek and can only surmise it looks flat to him.  We fished him out easily enough and he does swim although he had a foot thru the chain in his collar.  He also floats well because of all his hair and actually could have gotten out on his own this time I think, as the water is not so high and swift. He will have to be on leash from now on I think.
On the 10th things picked up again and Charlie came for a few days (Old English Sheepdog) and then Inga returned for a day and a new one a little JR named Stella came for the day as well.  She was a pleasure and even slept with me on the couch.  Bold and brassy and made herself to home right away.AND listened well! Easy dog to have around.
However on the weekend I got a not-so-nice one.  I guess my luck ran out.  Friends from out of town had booked with me for the weekend. We visited for a bit and the dog seemed fine but once they left things changed drastically and Skip would not settle down.  He stayed in the back yard yarking until finally I put him in the kennel in the porch and he shut up.  That is until 1:00a.m.  But he went back to sleep and the next day was no longer trying to chew the wire gate etc.  But come nightfall when I put him in the crate again he kicked up a huge fuss.  I couldn't have him in the house as he was not good with Mr.Peaches.  So I let him into the porch to see if that will help.  He shut up but spent the night ripping apart my screen door.  He even bent the scrolling up!  I suppose this was in an attempt to get into the house but I had really had the biscuit with him by that time and went to town looking for his owners.  This took awhile, but eventually after buying me brekkie we returned to the house to get Skips belongings and they screwed the door back together and gave me $20 extra and left.  I suppose excuse makers would put it down to "Separation Anxiety". I call it not a balanced and  happy dog!  Most dogs that come here are happy but once in awhile I get a sulker who simply doesn't want to be happy and there is little I can do about that.
   I have come up with a minimum charge of $20 for day timers(dogs that only come for the day).  Although it may only be for a few hours it still causes some upset for the dogs that are here already and a bit of stress for me as well.  Plus you never know which dog is going to be a problem,  Such was the border collie that came yesterday.  Tobey seemed a nice dog and listened so had some training .  Training always goes a long way to a nice stay.  However Tobey was a prime candidate for the old "Separation Anxiety" and after inspecting the house and the yard would stand by the door and yark!  Quite a shrill sound and made me jump the first time.  This continued for his entire stay until it grew late in the afternoon and he somehow figured out his owners were coming soon.  For a break I took all three dogs out on the front lawn, but found Tobey would not stick around so put him on a leash.  Our road his little traffic but still it would not do to have him get in trouble.And so it goes, you cannot always just have good and fun dogs that come to stay although I have been most fortunate before this.
  Presently there are only two dogs booked for the long weekend.  A Labradoodle on the 4th for a day and a night and a German Shepherd on the 5th, that sounds like it needs the whole back yard on its own as does not like other dogs sniffing her butt! (Isn't that what dogs do?) go figure. So my dogs and the doodle will have to use the front door and the front yard and leave the Shepherd to herself.  A bit unusual but what the heck? We can be flexible.  So that's the plan for the moment and I am sad to add that Mr.Peaches escaped and never came home.  I cannot believe how much I miss him, at night I am sure I can feel him jump on the bed but it's only my imagination and he has been gone for two weeks now and not likely to return I don't think.This has happened to my other cats and why I kept him in for two years but with Teko and Keeper so slow to go in and out I wasn't fast enough to stop a clever cat from whisking out the door. I think I can blame coyotes because if he was near humans they could read his tatoo and return him to me. life is rather slow for us here at Miracle House while I wait for my bum back to get better.  Soon I hope.

Crazy Days

Sunday was a crazy day.  I woke up far too early and then by about 8:00 got really tired and laid down for a bit and fell asleep of course.  Was three-quarters of an our late to meet good friend for brekkie in the Hotel. I felt really bad and when I finally got her message on the phone(she had left when I got there) she sounded very disappointed and I felt like a real ditz to say the least.  Also had to go to Nelson and that had not been really planned into my schedule.  I got in a flap and phoned Nelson as I was running late and foolishly left my phone in the porch.  My neighbour Laura always lets my dogs out when I am away and to make matters easier for her I put Bella and Mr.P in the porch and took off.  Bella has a never ending bladder and I knew she would be fine and is not great with strangers so it seemed easier that way. My responsibility to these dogs and clients is starting to tell on me and I am getting a bit exhausted by it all and this has been since May really. When I left my friends house to do my shopping, in Nelson, it was absolutely pouring and the storm drains were going nuts. There must have been a blockage or something and water was bubbling out of the storm drains! At the light to turn into the Mall, they had a guy standing on the drain in hi-vis clothing to stop people from hitting the drain which looked like it had popped up more than a foot into the air.  I was glad to finish my shopping and head for home.
  All seemed well with the dogs when I got home but Bella had eaten my phone! My fault really for leaving it out.  She doesn't do change well and I guess I cannot whine about it.   But I really  did like having two phones that were portable.  As soon as I could I took the dogs for a run and on my way home ended up with an impromptu invite for pizza.  Time was marching on and Bella's owner came by twice to get her before I finally got home around 9:00.  Bella was most pleased to see owner and vice-versa.  Nice to see.  So Bella left and it seems Mr.P was jealous and had peed on her bed!  What a bad bugger! So although it 'seemed"my animals had been adjusting very well to all the changes in dogs maybe not?
  So...no more Bella and for the most part she was a very easy dog to have around.  Then Monday morning Borgo returned.  it just seems to go on and on and of course I always need the money so I don't refuse anyone.   My brother may be coming on Friday and Borgo goes home Thursday morning so hopefully I will get a break for a bit to visit with Bro?  Hope the rain takes a break also.  In between times I have been dunging out the spare room and hope to get rid of an old chair that has been in there for a year and a half that is not mine.
  Then its Keepers B-day on Wed. and I must make a cake today sometime.  Silly in a way but what the hell?
 Oh! Teko almost had a near-death experience yesterday. We were at the park and I was walking over to a fellow with a dog to ask if his dog was friendly wnough for me to let Borgo run and Teko fell in the creek-right by the culvert! As always these things seem to happen in a second.  Well the fellow was a real hero and dropped his dogs leash and bailed in after Teko and heaved him out on dry land and it was all over.Thank-you stranger named Ray!(?) I imagine the culvert emptied into the lake but with all the debris etc. one small Chihuahua might have had a helluva time getting out again and definitely would have been under totally for a few minutes!  Silly little bugger has cataracts and may have misjudged the distance-I don't know.  I had my expensive shoes on and also Borgo on leash and would never have been able to react as quickly as this Ray guy did.  And as always although it seemed longer was all over in a couple of minutes really.The dogs played around for a bit and then would you believe Keeper decided to go for a short swim?  I could only hope she was smart enough not to go far but of course Borgo thought he would get in on it and was almost preventing her return to land. So I grabbed him and took him away and she made it safely in.  Don't know as I swim well enough to save any dogs really so will have to be more careful in the future.
Being here seems to be old hat to Borgo this time and he has been a bit bad.Finding all sorts of things to chew up and then did the same when I put  him in the porch.  In the night there was a big clunk and I got up but think he maybe fell off the couch or something?
  Then on Wed, Inga is returning and so it goes! Can only roll with it and do my best.  My clients must be happy anyway if they keep returning and that is a good sign.  Inga is only here for the day and I will have to kennel Borgo and keep her in the porch for Keepers party I think as smaller dogs are intimidated by the larger ones and don't need any scuffles.  Just have to hang onto my old motto of "It will all work out int he end"!
Back to work today and everyone will come with me and tomorrow there will be four in the dogmobile.  Again I am grateful to have the van and also flexible working hours.  it all works if yo keep on your toes.
Uh-oh feeding time in Miracle House so must get going. Also have the Seniors bingo today so a bit busier than a regular day. Thassall Folks!