Just Jack

It's time to get this boy adopted. There's nothing wrong with Jack that some time and training won't fix.

He's a typical young male pup, about 1.5 years old, who hasn't had proper training. Some issues have been improved upon around here. He doesn't jump up on me anymore. He's fine being crated at night. He doesn't go out of his way to mark indoors, but I think he's should still be crated when he's not being watched. He's not destructive. He's generally good with other dogs but will fight back if provoked. He's got a soft mouth taking treats and he's very responsive to reward-based training. He "sits" and even "downs." That being said, he's still a wild man and probably inappropriate for a home with children just because he is one himself and needs a lot of attention.

He can climb a 6' chain link fence and a any type of 4' fence is not much a challenge to him at all. He doesn't want to run off, but he wants to be where the action is, with people, or with his dog friends.

He's strong, energetic, and can pull hard on a leash. I've found him to be easy to control using an Easy Walk harness, however. A head harness or Halti would also work well on him. He likes to run, loves going on hikes, and if he finds more than an inch of water, he will lay down in it.

Jack is a bit of a project dog, but he's great raw material for someone with the experience and determination to make it work. In a couple years with the right person he will be an outstanding dog and the lucky person will be the envy of all who meet him.

Nothing makes Jack happier than running in the pasture with Theo.

Morning Feed

There's not much going on this week. I don't mind it being cooler, but the plants in my garden would sure like to see the sun shine again. We are mired in the mud and trying to keep as much of it as possible outdoors. That's not easy with 11 dogs in the house. Here's are some pics from the morning feeding routine on a wet day. Time elapsed: One half hour from me getting out of bed to me sitting down at my desk with coffee to start work.

There is always congestion at the front door in the
morning when I come down with most of the dogs
from the bedroom. 

Samantha is bringing up the rear of the first
group of dogs who go out the front door.
(Theo, Trooper, Vince, Samantha)

Samantha may not be the first out the door but
she is the first to be fed. She wouldn't have it
any other way.

Vince eats near Samantha adjacent to the big food
barrel under the summer kitchen near the firepit.

When it's muddy I bring Theo in the back door
of the dog yard shed and close him in there to eat.
He can get himself covered in mud in a minute if
given the chance to run in the dog yard.

Trooper eats on the front porch of the dog yard
shed and then spends some time in the dog yard.
He doesn't get muddy because he doesn't run
around like an idiot.

While the first group is eating, I get food bowls ready for the next.

Rain or shine, Maya always eats inside, in the
front hallway. She is the slowest eater in the house.

TJ is fed in the AC yard while Maya is eating
inside. 

The dogs who spent the night in the office are next. That's Sparky
in the rear and Scarlett (former foster boarding for a week).

Scarlett eats on the front porch and it doesn't take her very long.
She will then wander around the yard for a bit before following
me back inside.

Sparky takes Theo's place in the dog yard shed
and eats his meal there. He will then join Trooper
in the dog yard while Theo comes back indoors
to keep him out of the mud.

Max spends in the night in the office along with
Scarlett, Sparky, and Jack. I take him out to
Sparky's former kennel, which we call "Rottweiler
World" to get a headstart on his food, mixed with
canned food to hide his pills. 

Jack is the last one to be walked outside, over to Rottweiler World
with his bowl of dry food. I've been keeping him and Max together.
I'm not sure that's good for either of them, but it puts them both in
an outdoor place for the day that has good shelter and minimal mud.

This old metal locker is the best thing I ever
brought home from the dump.

It holds three food containers and is rodent proof
and dog proof out in the dog yard shed.

Sparky and Trooper spent about an hour outside
in the dog yard after eating, then they came back in.

Gigi's food and pills await her for whenever she
decides to come down for breakfast.
While I was away she got into the habit of coming
down early with all the other dogs. She had to
because Clay would be leaving for work. Since
I've been home, she quickly slipped back into her
old habit of coming down mid- to late-morning.

Getting back at it

It doesn't matter where I've been or how long I've been gone, it's just tough getting back into the groove after being away. I fall into a funk and don't feel like doing anything.  Work, household stuff, dogs, it's all the same and I don't want to do any of it.

Trooper

It started when I walked in the door.  There had been three inches of rain while I was gone and the house smelled like 10 wet dogs had been living there.  And it appeared that a husky had been exploded and its fur evenly distributed throughout the house.  The next day, while trying to get back into the work routine, I discovered a tick on me in what must be the absolute worst location for a man to have a tick.  The removal left that body part quite sore and I am dreading the swelling and itching that I typically experience as an allergic reaction to ticks. With no food in the house I nearly succumbed to fast food, but stopped myself with the realization that the five minutes of satisfaction it would provide would be followed by many hours of self-loathing, so I went to the grocery store instead. I got the house back to an acceptable balance of clean vs. doggy, and I treated all the dogs for fleas and ticks.

TJ

The next day, my computer died.  

I had to put in some work hours on Saturday because I hadn't been very productive on Thursday and Friday. I couldn't make myself get outside even though it was a cooler day and I had grass that needed mowing. I could have easily spent the day watching bad television and eating too much food.

I knew what I needed to do even though I didn't want to do it. Disgusted with myself and feeling guilty about the dogs, I loaded up Maya, TJ, and Trooper and we set out for a hike. I was just going to go a couple miles because I was in a bad mood and really didn't want to be out there.  After two miles, however, it happened. I felt better physically and my attitude was much better, so we hiked another two miles. Not a big hike, but a start back on the road I needed to be on.  There's a meme I have seen on Facebook a number of times that states: "Food is the most abused anxiety drug and exercise is the most underutilized antidepressant."  It's certainly true for me and it works for me every time.

Maya and Trooper

Honeysuckle is an awful weed, but the smell
is wonderful. 

Kansas, May 2017

The week, indeed the world, is centered around
around my mother's pug, Jake. This is Jake
explaining that I was in his chair and needed
to either move out or pick him up.

I didn't post anything while I was in Kansas, so here's the whole week at once.

My mom has lots of iris in bloom now, so there
will be a lot of these pictures, They are too
beautiful to choose between.

There is lots of iris, but there
is only one Jake.

We bought a lot of plants and filled a lot of pots.

Jake and my mother enjoying happy hour on
the patio. While it was raining back here, we
had clear, cool, beautiful days in Kansas.

This is a view of Kanopolis Lake, a state park where we spent
many enjoyable weekends, camping and water skiing, when
I was growing up. We took a drive out there one afternoon
when the planting was complete.

It was a good afternoon for wildlife at Kanopolis, we
also spotted these turkeys.

If you look closely, you can see a deer along the water in the
lower right of this picture.

More iris.

A solar powered fountain in the birdbath. This was
mesmerizing to watch because the frequency and height of
the spray varied constantly with the amount of sunlight.

Backyard wildlife. A fuzzy picture, but this is an oriel on
another birdbath.

A squirrel drinking from a small birdbath.

Jake is no threat to the backyard wildlife,
and they know it.

Rabbits, squirrels, and birds have free access to the back yard
without being molested by the resident dog.

The only thing Jake is a threat to is any food that hits
the floor, on purpose or by accident.

The last of the iris.

An old fashion pink bush rose.

This is my mother being interviewed by a
reporter for the local paper after the announcement.
The event was held at a grain elevator out in the
middle of nowhere, but still, about 50 Democrats
showed up. She knew, and talked to, most of them.

It wouldn't have been a visit to my mother
without at least one political event.
The young man standing next to her
had just announced that he was running for
governor of the State of Kansas. His name is
Josh Svaty and my mother has been involved
in his political career since he had one. She
will be the treasurer of his campaign. 

Back home Wednesday evening, snuggling with Maya. She has been within arm's reach of me
ever since I got home.