Start of a long weekend

For some reason we had Friday off as well as next Monday for the 4th of July.  Maybe because it's Canada Day and I assume we probably have people up there too.  It was a nice surprise but it made me slack off something awful on Thursday.  Consequently I still had half a day's work to do today, but that made two light days, which seems to extend the weekend even more.  So I did some work this morning and then headed to town with Romeo.  We hit the Lowes at Zion Crossroads and then the one in Charlottesville, and again at Zion on the way home to get the things I needed for the kennels. 

All the kennels now have fans hanging from inside the canopies.  I don't know how the dogs feel about it, but it feels a lot better to me when I'm out there.  The new kennel is now set up and open for business as you can see in these pics, complete with fans, platforms, and a climbing apparatus.  The dogs seem to like it and I think it will increase by one or two the number of dogs I can keep over there, which is good because in addition to Tessa who came back the other day, Jeremy is coming back on Sunday.  Tessa is now integrated with the other fosters in that kennel and is doing fine.  She's not the alpha dog by any means. 

The reason for taking Romeo along was to meet cats at the SPCA in Charlottesville.  He was tough to read.  He didn't make any overt aggressive moves, but he was very, very interested in the cat that we met nose to nose.  I don't think I'd trust him.  Tomorrow I'm taking Teddy to meet his prospective adopter.  The upcoming drive reminded me that I was way overdue for an oil change, so Romeo and I stopped at a Jiffy Lube.  He is as close to being bomb proof as any shepherd I've seen or had in years.  We sat on a bench outside, facing all the traffic on Rt. 29.  He was curious and observed everything, but he wasn't spooked, anxious, or scared in the least.  We also walked through the waiting room and into the office; there were quite a few people around but he was a perfect gentleman.  He might not be a cat's best friend, but he is an awesome dog.  He follows me around and goes in and out of the house to the dog yard without a leash.  He's fine being crated at night.  He has huge leonine paws that he will offer up to you to shake or just to rest on your leg.  He's very handsome.  I need to find this guy a home. 

When we got back home I let Molly, Cabell, Bremo, and Zachary out for a romp in the pasture.  They pretty much move as a pack in making their rounds and they all came back together ready to be back inside in the air conditioning.  They love to go out there to run, but they don't stay too long in the summer.  Cabell hates having his picture taken, and even here when he spotted me withe the camera he turned away. 

As I mentioned above, Teddy is going to his new home tomorrow.  They are excited about it and certainly hope it will be a good match.  They have a female cattle dog who is apparently very playful, so the two dogs should hit it off.  Teddy is just raw material.  He doesn't know much, but he doesn't know anything bad.  These folks are experienced and I don't think Teddy will present more than typical new dog challenges anyway. 

The smiling rottie pic on the right is Sable.  Sable usually appears very serious in pictures, so it's nice to see her smiling here. 

I had two bits of sad news this week, two former fosters passed away.  Jill (left) was a big girl with a big heart.  She had a great home and was well-loved.  That's what I wish for all my fosters.

Dexter (right) is the other dog who passed away.  He was named Truman when I had him.  He was as sweet as only a mixed breed hound can be.  When I had him as a foster I took him to meet a family with 3 or 4 little girls.  Those kids screamed and ran and chased him all over the basement.  He tolerated everything they did to him and loved it.  They didn't adopt him because they thought they needed a dog that their smallest child could walk, in spite of the fact that the kid could barely walk herself at that point and none of those kids were really capable of walking any dog.  They bought a Yorkie instead, who promptly bit one of the kids and then got dumped who knows where. 

Their stupidity and their loss worked out in Truman's favor, however.  He landed in a wonderful home where he was cherished and loved for many years.  Jill and Dexter were two of Dogdom's finest.