Cloudy day with a silver lining

The day started off cold but clear. The sun was shining, yesterday's wind was gone, and it was a beautiful day. That didn't last, however. The clouds moved in and it seemed colder as it always does to me when the sun doesn't shine. I guess we will miss seeing the full moon/eclipse/comet tonight, but the day had a silver lining nonetheless because Abby got adopted.

I had met the young woman two weeks ago in northern Virginia at an adoption event. Last weekend Clay and I had taken Abby to her home so the whole family could meet her. Today she and a friend drove down to pick up Abby and take her home.

Abby is a lot of dog in a small package so she will have her hands full, particularly given the fact that she's a first time dog owner, but she wants it to work and she's been preparing and planning to make it work. She can take the dog to work with her, which is a big benefit for the dog, and she's set up with crates both at work and at home. She's already contacted a trainer and will start that next week. And she took Friday off to have a long weekend at home with the dog at the beginning of their relationship.

Abby will be a great dog with some time, training, love, and attention. I think she will get all of that in her new home, but cross your fingers or paws, wish them good luck, click your heels together three times, light a candle, or say a little prayer to the deity of your choice. Abby has found a new home; we should be very happy for Abby; good night, Abby.

Escaping the wind

This evening's sunset, pink and blue clouds beyond the birches.

The wind blew hard today. It wasn't all that cold, but after the last several days of unseasonably warm weather, the colder air blowing at 50 mph really felt cold. I didn't hike and most of the dogs spent most of the day indoors. The Saint Bernard didn't seem bothered by it, however. She probably appreciated the cool breeze after sweltering in the heat on forced marches through the woods over the last few days.

The pictures are just a few random shots on my phone that I haven't yet shared.

Vince and Samantha on the two large dog beds next to my
side of the bed. Vince prefers the one on the left.

The fireplace in the kitchen.

Maya and Samantha

I still very happy with the new kitchen.

Gigi nestled into the pillows on the
freshly made bed. I don't know if it's for
warmth or comfort, but she usually
arranges them, and herself, in a nest. 

Hate mail

If you've ever posted a comment on my blog, on blogspot.com, not on Facebook, you may notice that it doesn't appear immediately. I have the comments section set to require approval before they post because 99.9% of them are spam comments from Russian or Chinese bots trying to sell shit. I try to check the comments occasionally and last week ran across this little jewel, posted in response to a post from June 6, 2013, dealing with people who don't believe in spay/neuter:

Maya will walk with any other dog, but I think it's
safe to say that Trooper is her preferred companion.

What an ignorant post. Do some research on the health effects of spaying and neutering before calling people idiots. Cutting the ovaries and the uterus out of a female dog destroys their endocrine system. It is NOT a "harmless" procedure. The same goes for cutting off testicles (although not quite as invasive). Testosterone and estrogen regulate growth and so many other functions besides reproduction. Neutering and spaying is responsible for cancers, shortened life spans, obesity and incontinence (in female dogs). In certain breeds like Golden retrievers in doubles the cancer rate in females. Those problems will then get the dogs dumped back at the shelters. Female dogs with incontinence might get yelled at their whole life because their owners think they are "untrainable" (the reason so many women have incontinence problems after menopause is because they lack estrogen, the same happens to dogs). There are plenty of studies by the University of Berkley and other reputable on           [I assume the writer had more to say, but it cut off here.]

Here's the original post, titled "Tough issue #2, the intact dog." and I stand by what I wrote.

I would venture to guess that the commenter isn't a rescuer and has probably never ventured into a shelter full of found and surrendered animals. I would bet that this person is a breeder, and consequently is a shill for the AKC.

First, I never referred to spay/neuter as a "harmless" procedure. It's surgery and it carries risks, although the risks are low, I think, compared to the benefits. I've been to shelters as most everyone who reads this has. They are not full of dogs who were dumped because of complications from spay/neuter procedures. Most of them are intact dogs who are there because of indiscriminate breeding. Yes, male dogs neutered early probably won't grow as big as they would if left intact, but they also are less likely to be killed on the road chasing the scent of a female in heat, and they won't be contributing any unwanted, unplanned litters. Yes, I've had female dogs who had incontinence issues, but I've never found one who was dumped for that reason. I also doubt that the statistics the commenter talks about concerning life span include dogs who are euthanized in overcrowded shelters or are killed on the roads.



The pictures are unrelated to this post. They are from my walks today with Maya and Trooper, and then Maya and Sparky. It was a beautiful day.

Lily -- vet and another hike

Lily had a vet visit Tuesday afternoon. It was just a basic exam, which went well, and a rabies vaccine. She was sweet, friendly, and cooperative, unlike most of my own dogs. She weighed only 82 pounds, so she's in the enviable position of needing to gain at least 20 pounds unlike most of us, especially me, who need to lose at least 20. I haven't yet heard the results of the fecal analysis, but I started her on a three day course of de-worming with Panacur as soon as we got home.

Maya rode along with us, of course, so after the vet visit went stopped by Darden Towe park for a walkabout. We walked the trail along the Rivanna, around the park, and around the Lewis & Clark Discovery Center. It was a warm day, approaching hot if you're a Saint Bernard, but Lily hung in there and we covered four miles.

The first night she arrived she was perfectly quiet in her crate at night. The second night she made some noise. I'm not sure if she was objecting to being shut in the crate or being shut in the office while most of the pack was in the bedroom. It didn't go on too long though. We'll see how the third night goes.

The boats all had historically inaccurate flags on them.
Don't ask me why.

She's thin but it's nothing that some food can't fix. Maybe I'll mix up a batch of Satin Balls.

Lily of the field (and stream)

Maya and I took Lily on her first hike this afternoon. It was a beautiful, spring-like day, perfect for a hike. We did four miles, at a record slow pace. Lily isn't in a rush to get any place. The trail walking is new to her and she liked being out and about, but she wanted to stroll casually along and see things. Maya and I walk a bit more purposefully, like we have somewhere to go and ground to cover.

But she was good for the most part. She can pull hard when she wants to, but except when we surprised a couple deer she was a pretty easy going walker. When we got to the end, she hopped up onto a tree stump and posed nicely for me. There are lots of pics; she's a pretty girl and my first foster Saint.


She has spent most of the day in the dog yard and has been fine with everyone. We have a vet appointment scheduled for tomorrow.

Meet the new girl - Lily

After getting Abby adopted my plan was to take a break from fostering and to consider the alternative lifestyle of "not fostering." I did plan to keep an open slot for the occasional Great Dane foster when the need arose. That plan went down the tubes before it even got started.

Meeting Maya

First, Abby did not get adopted this past weekend as I had hoped. The potential foster wasn't ready. It may happen next weekend, or not, I'm not sure, because it doesn't appear that everyone in the household is onboard with the reality of Abby living among them.

And then came this new girl. I'm calling her Lily because her former name was Cujo.  That's just stupid on many levels, but it appears that stupid has figured prominently in Lily's life up to now. I'm not really clear on all the backstory, but it seems to involve a short term home after an improvident purchase off of Craig's List, followed by being dumped in a shelter. The big girl is severely underweight, but she's had a good grooming recently so she looks really good.

Lily is with Green Dogs Unleashed. I picked her up Sunday evening after a long day of not adopting Abby in northern Virginia. I brought her in the house, did a short version of introductions, and then put her in a crate in my office for the night and we all went to bed.

The rest of the pack, not so patiently waiting their turn.
That's Trooper trying to come over the top.

She was fine in the crate all night and has been fine with all the dogs. Lily even seemed interested in chasing Abby around the dog yard the next morning. She's a Saint Bernard so she's a little drooly, but I've seen worse. I'm not sure of her weight. She's as tall as Theo, maybe even a little more, but you can feel her ribs and her spine under that beautiful coat. It doesn't appear that her history has included very much food. I offered her three cups of dry food Monday morning, which she ignored until I added a half can of wet food, then she devoured it all.

Theo, getting acquainted.

She's not quite two  years old and she's already been spayed. Vet records are being pursued today and I'll take her to the vet for an exam and any vaccines that we can't get evidence for. Given her weight, I think that a three day worming treatment may be in order too.

Nice dog, good with other dogs, not good with cats. I'll get more and better pictures today, but here's some of the initial introductions.

There's a shepherd that may be heading this way soon as well. So much for my plans.

Clay, with Lily and Theo

Striding around the dog yard with confidence.

Even being underweight, she's much bigger than Abby, but
Abby is not intimidated by size.

Lily is very pretty, she just needs
to put on some weight.

Theo, Lily, Abby, and Max

First morning light