Dreary day pasture play

It took a while to get Woody to settle down last night. He was agitated and both he and SweetTart barked at each other for quite a while. They had been in adjacent crates so I separated them and gave them both generous amounts of trazadone until we were all able to sleep. 

My goal for today (Friday) was to get Woody enough outdoor time that he'd be tired and get him adjusted to the other dogs. It was a wet and rainy day, which is far from ideal for that purpose but I had him out in Daneland with the puppies all day. That was his territory (shared with Norman) when he had been here before so he seemed comfortable there and of course the puppies are fun. But he also really needs to get used to the other dogs and to life indoors. I went for a two mile walk with Bailey but got home with just enough daylight left for some pasture time with the big dogs, Woody, Bailey, and SweetTart.

It was late in the day and a cloudy day, so light conditions didn't make for the best pictures, but the dogs had a good run and began to get better acquainted. Woody is fine. Bailey body slammed him a couple times and even rolled him over. SweetTart is a bit of a bitch, but Woody was just fine. The rain has started up again this evening and Woody is now settled down on a bed under my desk. I hope that what we did today will make for an easier night for everyone. 

By the way, I finally created a Blue Sky account and I'll be posting links to my blog posts there. My name on that platform is BRJacques, or here's a link:  https://bsky.app/profile/brjacques.bsky.social.  Zuckerburg/Meta/Facebook is now firmly planted in between Trump's butt cheeks, so I don't know how long I'll still be on Facebook. I've already deleted my rarely used Instagram account, and I always thought Twitter was stupid. You can skip the social media platforms entirely and just view the blog on its website: https://vadogrescue.blogspot.com/. In case I need to say it again, if you voted for or support Trump in any way, or any of his congressional enablers, fuck you and the horse you rode in on. You are not welcome here or any place in my life.

Woody's return

Woody came back to us today after being adopted last September. Apparently he wasn't a good fit in his new home. I expect he needs more activity and exercise than most homes can provide but he's still a young shepherd and that too will pass, eventually. I think an active companion dog and a fenced yard will be needed for this guy in the future.

I put him out in the pasture when we got home so he could meet the puppies through the dog yard fence. Then I brought Elvis out to meet him one-on-one, followed by SweetTart. That all went well so I let the puppies out to the pasture with them. They were very excited to have a new big buddy since Bear got adopted earlier this week. I'll wait until tomorrow before putting him out with Bailey because she's the one who tore up his ear when they were together last summer. 

A new beginning

New beginning is a constant theme around our house lately. However, today's new beginning was all about Bear. He started the day as he usually does, playing with Bailey and with the puppies, but he ended his day with a long walk, a new home, and a new name, Hutch. 

I took Hutch to his new home just before noon today. They spent the afternoon walking him all over, meeting new people and new dogs. He's a tired dog tonight and that's a great end to the first day of his new life. The puppies will miss him and Bailey will miss him, but if they knew as I do what a wonderful new home he's got, they would be very for him. 

A tired Hutch in his new home this evening. 

Transitions can be hard on a shepherd, or any dog, but I have every reason to believe that he will fine.

I took Bailey on a late afternoon walk, covering over four miles. We finished just a few minutes before 6:00 p.m., but it wasn't quite dark yet, a good sign of the lengthening days. 

4.21 miles