Learning the Trails

Serena had a couple weeks of rest and she continued on the antibiotic while I was away. That was good for her and when I got home she was bouncing around like she never had a problem with her leg and shoulder. I will take her to the vet for a follow up next week, particularly because he said that this type of infection may require a longer run of antibiotics, but she's certainly looking, acting, and feeling normal.

Clay had told me that she had been running around the yard while I was away, but I wanted to see how she would do after some hiking. On Friday she went along with Maya and me for a short two miler on the roadway, easy walking. She seemed fine Saturday morning so we did four miles that day. She was still her usual bouncy self on Sunday morning so we did a couple more hikes that day. For the first one Maya and I took Trooper and Serena for a little more than two miles. That was plenty for Trooper but Serena seemed fine. I decided to leave Maya home with Trooper for the second walk, so just took Serena for another three miles. I thought Maya would be okay with it. She had been out for a walk with Trooper, it was her third walk in as many days, so I thought I could get away with leaving her home. I had the foresight to put the trash can outside and she didn't do anything bad, but I sure got an earful of scolding and complaints when I got home:

"Why didn't you take me with you? I thought you had gone off for another two weeks. Why did you take Serena without me? Trooper told me that wanted to go again too. You are supposed to take me hiking, all the time. Did you see any deer? Did you even know what to do if you saw deer? Where did you go? Why didn't you take me with you. . ."

It's not always obvious how, but Maya's confidence
on the trails influences the other dogs and it is
 obvious when it's missing.

You really get a sense for how big her jowls are when
Serena shakes her head.

Maya wasn't really interested in my explanation, but I wanted to see how Serena would do walking solo on the trails. She was less confident without Maya being there. Instead of being out front most of the time, she was more inclined to walk next to me. There are some basic things that all new dogs need to learn when introduced to trail walking. First, some very basic facts of physics. Two bodies can not occupy the same space at the same time. In other words, stay out of my way and do not stop directly in front of me. Second, although there are many fascinating sights, sounds, and smells all around, you have to stay on the trail and keep moving forward. Third, when we encounter other hikers, bikers, dogs, or horses, we get off the trail a good distance and wait for them to pass before going on our way.

Serena did pretty well with all that, although the physics lesson seemed to be lost on her several times. She likes walking next to me, doing the Dane lean while in motion. And of course her head is at just the right height as to make petting-while-walking possible too.

Sitting on a bench at a rest stop on a high
point overlooking the river on Saturday's hike.

This was the two mile hike on Sunday.

Trooper wanted to go and he did fine, but
he was slowing down a lot towards the end.

Trooper has pannus, a progressive eye disease that can result in loss of vision. I'm
pretty sure that if Trooper ever lost his vision, Maya would become his seeing-eye dog.

We worked on the walking lean and petting-while-walking.
I'm not sure who was being trained on those skills.

Both Saturday and Sunday were beautiful days. I needed the exercise and I owed the dogs a lot
of time and attention. There's nothing better than walking for that.

Dogs and Daffodils

Daffodils are a true harbinger of spring. They often come up too early, and sometimes they bloom in the snow, but damn it, they come up when they feel like it and announce that spring is coming, even if doesn't look like it.

Daffodils are strong and stubborn. You see clumps of them in the woods marking the place where a home used to be. They will grow, even thrive and spread, long after the house they once adorned has fallen to the ravages of time and termites.

Serena often tries to get me up by standing
next to my side of the bed and resting her head
on some part of me that's handy to her.

You just can't argue with a daffodil. They are determined to come up and put out that beautiful yellow flower even if it seems too early.

I love the longer afternoon and evening hours of daylight we've had since the time change, but it's dark in the mornings right now. The dogs still want to get up and get going even if it's too early and too dark as far as I'm concerned. But dogs and daffodils have that in common, you just can't argue with them.

Sparky is not an early riser. He generally waits
until everyone has been out and has eaten. I
call him with his food dish in my hand and then
he will come down and go outside to eat.

I planted a lot of daffodils outside the fence
along the road in front of our house the first
year we moved in. I've always intended to
plant more, but never have.

The Serena/Sparky sleep sofa works pretty well for both dogs.
Sparky doesn't mind if Serena's long legs infringe on his space.

You really can't argue with that face.

TJ is usually the dog to announce that it's time to get up.
He does it with a very loud bark in the bedroom that can't
be ignored. Although he likes to get up early, he then sleeps
for most of the day.

Welcome Reka

These are three of the five puppies in the litter.

I've been pretty much out of the adoption loop for the past several weeks. I started refusing fosters when I knew I was going to Kansas and then for the two weeks I was away. But I still had a small part in facilitating one adoption that I'd like to share.

My sister Kate and her partner Kim were down to two small dogs, a Jack Russell and another small terrier type. Their household pack weight was suffering. Kim wanted a puppy version of a larger breed dog and they weren't having any luck from local sources.

Reka sitting in a food dish in her foster home.
The pups stayed healthy and grew, and most of
all they had two more weeks with their litter,
which I think is important in learning social skills.

And it came to pass that Promises Animal Rescue took in a litter of pups from a shelter in Tennessee. They looked like shepherd mixes, but then many puppies do. They were quarantined down there in a foster home for a couple weeks to make sure they didn't come down with parvo. I shared the pictures and Kim took the bait. She wanted a female and her name is Reka.

A volunteer pilot from Pilots N Paws brought little Reka to the airport in Frankfurt, Kentucky just a few days ago.

Reka boarding her private flight. 

Kim with Reka upon arrival.

She's got a cropped tail so she might be a rottie mix, or at least someone thought so.

Kim took Reka to work with her.

The lower level of their house is actually made of native stone. I've always liked that and I think
it's the best possible flooring for a house with dogs. Reka will have a great home there.

Kansas is Melting

The deep freeze in Kansas has finally relented. The temperature made it to the 40s the last couple of days and the snow is melting. We've been packing up my mother's stuff and today we began moving some boxes. The furniture moving happens on Monday. I've still had time to get Jake out for a walk on most days. We ordered a couple harnesses for him that are supposed to be easier to get on and off. He knows that something is up, something big from all the packing, boxes, and activity. I think he will adjust quickly, however. He's very devoted to my mother and is happy as long as she is around.

Meanwhile, back at home. . .

Serena in an open crate on the left, TJ coming in from the
AC yard, and Maya on the right.

The neighbors are coming over to give the indoor dogs an outing and a bathroom break during the day. That has helped a lot. Serena's leg seems to be better, much better. The lack of activity has been good for her but it sounds like she's ready to use all four legs again.

TJ and Serena on a break in the AC yard.

Maya isn't pleased with my absence and she made that known today by getting into the paper we've saved for recycling. She shredded up quite a bit of it and moved some over to one of the dog beds as well. I'm afraid she's instructing Serena and probably taking advantage of Serena's height, size, and reach. She also managed to hurt her foot in the process (possibly a paper cut) and was limping when Clay got home.

Maya also managed to slip out the door when Clay got home in the afternoon, something she hasn't done in years. Fortunately, she ran directly to my van and hopped right in when Clay opened the door.

Maya and/or Serena emptied the recycling bin.

The mayhem was moved over to the dog bed too.

Sweet, yes. Smart, hell yes. Innocent, no.

Snow Day

We had about 3" of snow Saturday night into Sunday morning. The sun was shining on Sunday and it was pretty, but it was also about 5 degrees so we made it a mostly indoor day. I did get Jake out for a quick walk around the block in the afternoon. Most of his favorite sniffing spots were covered in snow, and it was still quite cold, so we made it a fast walk with few stops.

It was so cold that the snow was very light
and fluffy, very different from the wet, heavy
stuff that we typically get back in Virginia.






Jake's belly wasn't much above the snow.

Not everyone had cleared their sidewalk
when we ventured out this afternoon.
 



Jake the Intrepid Pug

Balto has nothing on this guy.





We've been packing all day and Jake wanted
to be involved. He shredded up some wrapping
paper that we were using for packing, and
then laid in middle of it all.



Lest you think that I've always been an old fart,
I offer these as proof that I was, in fact, once
upon a time very long ago, an actual baby.



A Day in Pugville

My mother is moving so we've all been busy around here, but none more than Jake. Today he had a vet appointment, a walk around the block at record pace, an afternoon grooming appointment, followed by shopping, all on top of his regularly busy schedule of naps and neighborhood watch.

The vet appointment was quick and relatively painless,
just one shot.



Jake rides well in the back of the car.




When left alone, however, he makes his way
to the front seat for a better view.



The walk around the block was a chance to
catch up on the neighborhood dog gossip.



Off to Petco for a spa treatment.



After the grooming we did a little shopping.

He rode home on my sister's lap.

Home again, after a hectic day.