Good News

Just wanted to thank everyone who kept their paws crossed that Echo would get better soon.

She's home now with her family. She can't have any doggy visitors yet and gets her temperature taken twice a day and has hot packs too. But she's very glad that people food is back on the menu and she loves sleeping on her mom and dad's bed too.

It's still a mystery what caused her sickies, but the medicine is helping her get better and stronger. I'm so happy for my friend!

Paws Crossed

Kharma's BFF needs your good wags. Echo collapsed Sunday and has been in ICU with an undiagnosed ailment (symptoms: abcesses, pustules, ear infection, high fever) and our neighbors don't know if she'll make it. We are all hoping the blood work shows something that can be treated.

We've combed the Internet and gone through back issues of The Whole Dog Journal looking for clues.  Parvo vaccination?  Systemic bacterial infection?  Staph?  Something caught at her last grooming session?  Allergic reaction?  She hasn't been anywhere new, changed diet, or gotten into garden trouble.  It's all a mystery that we hope gets solved soon.

Echo taught Kharma about playing nicely with other dogs.  The girls love to play frisbee and we laugh when one of them catches the frisbee then they both carry it back to us.  It's real cooperation!  I puppysat Echo when she was a little black fluffball of a baby.  We feel like she's part of our extended family.

Join us and keep your paws crossed for a happy ending.

Happy

I just prescribed a large dose of happiness for myself.

Nothing else could be better at banishing my blahs than a summery photo of my happy little girl.  I'm feeling lighter already.  Excuse me while I go downstairs and give her a cuddle.

Pink Paws

Is there anything sweeter than memories of your new little love? I read this old post and melted...

From 4/21 /06

she's sitting in my lap,napping, as i type one handed so there will be no capital letters today.



she doesn't have a name yet, but we have a list of possibilities going. she's smart and loves exploring her new world. life from a puppy's point of view is magical, i am finding. grass is wondrous. a leaf is amazing. a breeze can create toys to chase around the yard. a scrub jay high in the pin oak should be studied carefully. i am living on puppy time.

she explores EVERYTHING! we have picked up "stuff" in anticipation of a pup, but she is finding things we never thought about: dead ants around the maple, the part of the chair glide that sticks out beyond the chair leg, the texture of the braided rug. nothing is safe.

she follows us everywhere. she curls up at our feet. she naps on our laps.



we are wearing old shirts so she can sleep surrounded by our scent tonight. we hope to have a more restful night. she's just a baby and we are as sleep deprived as any new parent. and like any new parents we can't believe how wonderful she is. we've memorized her freckles, her patches, her texture.



we smile all the time.

My Four-Year-Old

Kharma had a birthday earlier this month--I blogged about it at Meadowsweet Cottage.

Later I looked at the posts I wrote when she was a new wee puppy,

They're so sweet, that I thought I'd share them with you here on Kharma's very own blog.

From 4/20/06:


Our wonderful, loving, faithful dog died in early December. Her last days were happy ones--she was lively and interested and thrilled that her oldest boy was home visiting. We knew her final visit to our vet would have to be made in a matter of days and we were glad her last days were filled with all the people she loved. We didn't have to make that trip--she made a graceful exit, at home, in her bed. We shed tears and gathered up all the belongings of our beloved friend so that we would not have so many daily reminders to stab at our hearts. Our house seemed empty without her welcoming presence.

Finally in mid-January we were ready to begin looking for a puppy to fill the empty spaces in our home. We went to the animal shelter; we went to the humane society; we searched on-line. We didn't expect to find the perfect animal right away. Both our previous dogs took at least a month of repeated visits to the county animal control or humane society. But a month passed and no prospects. Well, we thought, it's still winter and maybe Spring will bring adoptable litters. We continued to look and look without success. Well, we thought, maybe during Spring Break we'll find something and have an entire week to bond with a puppy. As Spring Break approached, the search went into full swing--continuous online monitoring of PetFinder, of our area pet-rescue websites, and frequent visits to our new County/Humane Society adoption center. We left no stone unturned--looking at postings from Southern California, Oregon, New Mexico, Washington, Idaho, Colorado. If the perfect puppy was out there, I wasn't going to let a little geography interfere (my sweetie wasn't so sure about traveling long distances to get a pup, but I was beginning to be desperate for some puppy love). Some possibilities began appearing and we kept adding photos and descriptions to The List. Of course, some of those were adopted and disappeared, some were just far-away pipe dreams, and some were good but just not quite right. We knew what we wanted: Aussie/Collie/Golden Retriever mix, 5 months old or less, female. We were willing to fall in love with an adult dog or a male if it happened, but we were pretty set on the breed mixtures.

Finally, Spring Break arrived. We survived our Easter blizzard and were ready to take to the roads went they were cleared. If Nevada didn't have the puppy for us, we were going to California to look. Tuesday was nice, but we didn't get an early start and decided to wait a day. In the rush of getting together pound names, addresses, and maps before we started we still found time for one last search on PetFinder and something new turned up--cute, golden, female, aussie-border collie cross pups. Well, Gridley wasn't real close, but maybe if nothing else panned out....

We find the Auburn pound after many false starts but the staff are on lunch break. Off to Roseville but only adult doggies to be seen and not much of a selection at that. Let's hope Sac has more. They do and we are happy to see an older couple adopting the grown aussie that we like, but know isn't right. Back in the car for another couple miles to the animal control--hey! puppies and a good selection. Still just not the dog for us there. (Yeah, we are pretty picky, but this is a new family member we are selecting, not a new shirt.) We think Stockton probably has the next best amount, so we brave the rush hour traffic and head south on I-5. They have two lovely female golden mixed breeds. We even visit with one, but she's just too timid (hence unpredictable) and we have to think of our two little neighbor girls. Guess we'll pass her up.

Time to sit in the car and talk about options. We have our bags packed for a possible overnight stay, so we could continue in the morning closer to the Bay Area. It's just that the shelters all open pretty late in the day. So I make my first long distance call on my Christmas cell phone and ask about the Gridley puppies. They are still available so we get directions and make an appointment to see them that evening. Gridley's a LONG way, my sweetie offers. But right then I would have flown to Indiana to see a good puppy. Almost two hours later, we pull up to Sierra Buttes K-9 Rescue and look for Darrell, our contact, only to have our eyes captured by a rambunctious knot of black& white and gold puppies rollicking around a large pen. The fuzzy gold one from the website is there, but we are captivated by a lovely curly blonde with white markings. There's no question--this is OUR puppy, the one we've looked for and dreamed of.  It took 4 months and hundreds of miles, but we've found her!

Don't you just love happy endings?

What's In A Name?

I don't know you you feel about crossbreeds.  It's all we do here.  Pound puppies with a little of this and a little of that in them. Zelda is the exception but technically she doesn't belong to us but to The Big Guy. 

We met a lot of crosses on our summer walks, We did have fun making up names for the various crosses.  Goldendoodles and Labradoodles and Cockapoos are fairly mainstream, but what would you call the schnauser-poodle cross that we would have taken to the Queen Mother immediately if only her owners would have relinquished her? A Schnoodle?

I guess we're not the only ones who like inventing names for the cross-breeds.  What would you call a Pointer crossed with a Setter?  Probably a Poinsetter, a traditional holiday breed.  Or a Pekingese crossed with a Lhaso Apso?  Someone suggested a Peekasso--but that's too abstract for me.  A Great Pyrenees and a Dachshund?  Definitely a Pyradachs--a puzzling combination.

No, I didn't think these up, but I was banished from the family room where everyone else was trying to watch a movie while I was howling with laughter in the corner.  Even Kharma seemed to think I was making too much noise.

Others:

• Irish Water Spaniel x English Water Spaniel would created an Irish Springer, a dog as fresh and clean as a whistle.
• Kerry Blue Terrier crossed with a Skye Terrier--Blue Skye, the perfect dog for visionaries.
• Newfoundland and a Bassett Hound would result in a Newfound Asset Hound, for CPA's and other financial advisors.
• Bloodhound and a Labrador Retriever would create the dreaded Blabrador which barks incessantly.
• Crossing a Deerhound and any Terrier would result in the Derriere, a cross-breed true to the end.
• A Collie and a Malamute would produce a Commute, a dog willing to travel to his work.
• Whereas a Malamute and a Pointer would produce a Moot Point, usually owned by...oh well, it doesn't really matter.
• A Terrier and a Bulldog cross is not recommended as the Terribull is prone to horrible mistakes.
• Bull Terriers and Shih Tzus, alas, produce the Bull Shihtz which is a gregarious but unreliable breed.
  
• On the other hand, a Labrador crossed with the Curly Coated Retriever results in a Lab Coat Retriever which any scientist would be proud to own.
• No list would be complete without a Cocker Spaniel cross, so let's pair the Cocker with a Rottweiler and see if we get a Cockrot--the ideal pet for a woman with a philandering husband.

Kharma's bugging me to think up some Border Collie crosses.  I'll have to get back to you on that one.

     

An S&S Turkey Day Hike

Whenever Mom's walking partner is otherwise occupied, I get to hike with her instead. Today her walking partner did Thanksgiving Boot Camp, whatever that is, but Mom still wanted to burn a few calories so she took me with her. Yippee!

Mom put the leash around her waist so I HAD to heel no matter what good smells needed sniffing. At least as soon as we reached the shortcut (the first S) she let me off-leash to climb the hill and run on the Ditch trail. When we reached the switchbacks (the second S), I was very patient with my slow Mom--it's easy to be patient when there are so many interesting smells to investigate, BOL! Mom jogged the downhill sections on the way back and it's fun to go faster than a walk.

Best of all, the quail were waiting for me near the end of our walk. I chased them all over the hill and into the street and across the road. Mom wasn't happy when she finally got me back. Somehow I can't hear her calling my name or yelling "NO!" when I'm chasing birds, but I think the neighbors probably could. (Did I mention it was only 7:30 a.m.? Poor sleeping people.)

Mom told me that I was a naughty dog, then added that at least I had fun. She's a pretty smart human because as soon as she said it, she laughed and said that naughty dogs always have fun, that's why they're/I'm naughty!

Happy Turkey Day, everyone--I'm off to scarf some leftover skin and broth with my kibble. I wish it was Thanksgiving every day!

What $3.96 Will Buy

Kharma and I finally took the agility plunge. Mostly we've been practicing our foundations--flatwork like heeling, sit/stays and attention. But our instructor introduced us to skills using a "gate".

One trip to Home Depot and $3.96 later...
Knocked this gate out in less than a half hour. Maybe someday I'll put mesh on it instead of this fabric--but it puts the fabric to use and it was FREE...Kharma is now practicing "switch" and "tight" with her new gate. Toys are fun whether you're a little kid or a big one.

Beginning Agility

Kharma and I had our first agility class recently. Alas, her lack of foundation skills quickly became apparent to me as she tried socializing with the other canine pupils, barking at the workman next door to the ring and bouncing around on her leash. So we've spent the last week brushing up our heeling skills and some manners.

In the process I'm trying to convert to a training system that our instructor uses: the dogs in Beginning Agility are on-leash naturally (and I rarely work Kharma on-leash); a marker word rather than a clicker; naming an obstacle right from the beginning; and projecting calm rather than excitement.

It's a lot of changes for me right at the beginning. I catch myself training off-leash and using a clicker at home. So I'm going with it and then adding a leash, losing the clicker and using our marker and release words. I think of it as proofing our behaviors.

We're supposed to be practicing flatwork--our teacher wasn't exactly clear what she expected so we are focusing on driving to a target with food on it just like in class. Kharma figured out that touching the target was what I ultimately wanted within the first five minutes. She ate the treat, looked at me, nosed the target and looked at me again. She got a laugh out of me and a treat. Now she's trying to figure out if it's better to nose the target or paw it. And I'm clueless whether it's either or both until the next class.

Clearly it's more about training the trainer than training the dog (at least at this point)!

Recall

Mom says that the biggest difference between us dogs with creatively-mixed bloodlines and the pups with papers isn't our intelligence or our price or the love we give, it's a fancy name. So Mom decided that I deserved a fancy name too.

You may now call me "Pogonip's Always Good Kharma". I feel pawsitively regal.

A Good Walk

Mom sneaked me and my leash out this morning. Shhh, don't tell Zelda. I'm ready to go!

***

Uphill is not an excuse. Get a move on, Mom!

***

Look, Mom, I found some goldenrod. Doesn't that mean autumn is just around the next bend? And doesn't that mean school is starting again? Time to practice Dog Zen, Mom--live in the moment!

***

What's that smell? Squirrel? No. Hmmm, bear? Not hardly. Might have been, yes, I think it was that friendly pair of golden retrievers that just passed us.
***

More good scents...bullfrog? duck? lawnmover?
***

Playing the "Up" game: it took me a few tries before balancing on this little stump.
***

I love rolling on green grass. Especially after I've splashed through the creeks and ditches.

***

That was fun, Mom, are we gonna go for a long walk again?!Please?

Dog Pie

Mom is so nice. She made a beautiful apple pie for The Big Guy's birthday. She must really love me because she left a giant piece out on the counter just so I wouldn't feel left out. Yum!

Mom's Note: The dogs have been eating so many windfall apples from our tree, that they (actually Kharma) must have thought the apple pie was fair game! Ack!

Kharma Cousins

Border collies run in the family.Okay, sometimes they just lie in the shade and chew sticks.

Mom visited these two guys, Ruff #3 and Time, and she didn't take me. I smelled a lamb dinner on her when she returned. Doubly unfair!

Time was bred by Mom's uncle who's trained champion Sheep Dogs. Time cost about fifty times more than me, but Mom says I'm actually priceless.

I would believe her more if she'd pulled some nice tender lamb scraps out of her pocket. Sheep dog, smeep dog, I know what lambie pies are actually for (and it's not herding).

Bed Time

Vegetable bed? The baby green bean plants will probably bounce back. And if they don't, I don't like green beans much anyways.

Flower bed? I think Mom planted these petunias just because they'd look good in case I laid down here. She knows pink is flattering to my complexion.Dog bed? Aaah yes, nice warm sunshine. I can nap here and add some nice blonde highlights to my freshly-washed coat at the same time.

Mom loves me anyway.

Dog Days of Summer

My mornings are filled with dogs--just not with my dog. (I can walk with my walking partner and get some exercise or I can walk Kharma. She gets her walk later when I can give her my full attention and where she can be off-leash and run to her heart's content.)

While Kharma stays at home eating her breakfast, we never know what dogs we will meet. Apparently this is Great Dane week--yesterday an eight-week-old puppy the color of a Weimaraner and today two grey-and-black adults. Their size amazes me each time I see them. What are the odds of seeing three big dogs in two days?!

We've met Yorkies and mini-Cockers and Lhaso Apsos and German shepherds. We've rescued a poodle who somehow got separated from his owner. We've met some rare breeds, at least in our neck of the woods. The breed we meet most often? Probably Labs followed closely by Border Collies.

We've met some really cute crosses too. My favorites were a Schnoodle (Schnauser x Poodle) and a Westie x Poodle (does that make her a Woodle or a Pestie?). Good thing the Queen Mother didn't see that Schnoodle or our dog family would be just a bit larger!Speaking of crosses, nothing is smarter or more fun than a Jack Russell x Rat Terrier. Big dog/little package! I still miss her after thirty plus years. (On the other hand, the less said about our headstrong and extremely friendly Cockapoo the better! She was undoubtedly the most challenging dog my family had when I was a kid.)

Back to the present. Although we are supposed to be exercising on our walks and keeping our heart rates up, we can't resist stopping (how old is he? what's her name? what breed is she? where'd you get him?) for each and every puppy we encounter. Our walks probably last an extra thirty minutes due to puppy meet and greets.

Kharma and Zelda both greet me at the gate, delighted with all the wonderful new doggy smells I bring home just for them. My pleasure, girls.

Stinky

Dad thinks our crates stink. In fact, he suspects that Zelda is pooping in her bed. (She's not.)

What he's really smelling is ditchwater from our nightly pasture romp. Our undersides are fairly black after we splash through the irrigation ditch. It's so warm that we just hang out in the backyard to dry off before Mom lets us in the the night. Mom thinks the black has something to do with all the cowpies around. (She might be right.)

It's a conundrum. If we have the pleasure of a pasture romp, it means a cold water bath when we get home. Zelda doesn't mind; she thinks it's a chase-the-water game. Mom can't fool me though. And I don't even like warm baths. Mom says that she's not washing our pillows again for another month so we have to get washed off. If only there was a clear stream I could run through instead!

Miss Independence

Friday: East began fluttering when Mom fed her.
Saturday: East surprised Mom by hopping up on the side of her box. And then flying across the room!
Sunday: Mom took East into the front yard (after a big breakfast) and East decided that freedom was more fun than breakfast in a box. So Mom let her go and is trying not to worry about her being out in the World without a mommy to take care of her like the other little baby birds. The family room isn't quite as exciting now without a baby bird that smells just like dog food around!

Growing Up Sparrow

Our little East girl is eating and growing and cheeping and driving the dogs nuts because they can't touch her! Her nestbox also smells like dog food (she's a messy eater) and that just entices Kharma and Zelda even more.

I'm grateful for the Internet or I would have been clueless about what to feed her. As it turns out, bird parents all seem to feed their babies protein. And dog food has a nice balance of protein and grain, it's readily available, and East is thriving on it. I pulverize a handful of kibble in my blender, let it soak up some water, refrigerate it until needed and then add enough warm water to make a nice gruel for our little sparrow.

Sparrow clicker training would have been a breeze! I tried locating her box directly underneath the nest, right outside our window, but her parents never came to her rescue. She quickly associated the sound of the window sliding open with food. Due to thunderstorms, she's living inside now, and the appearance of a certain spoon makes her open her beak wide as she demands to be fed.

I had doubts about a successful outcome a week ago--now I'm amazed and grateful for this opportunity to raise our adorable little sparrow!

More photos tomorrow, even if I have to steal a working camera! She's too cute to miss.

The Golden Princess

TBG (The Big Guy) gave Zelda a bath last night. It didn't take very long 'cause Zelda doesn't get creme rinse and conditioner. But we are both clean now.

Zelda spent most of her day chewing up the stray bits of wood from Mom's raised planter project. I think she must like the taste of old cedar. Mom muttered a lot as she picked up wood slivers from the lawn later.

Zelda left the wood alone and started pulling the stuffing out of our stuffed puppy and when Mom took it away and went outside she began chewing up my plastic hamburger toy instead.

Mom told Zelda, "You have the appetite of a Lab." Zelda started wagging her tail as she thought of our friend Echo the black Lab. I saw Mom's face and told Zelda, "Dude, that was not a compliment."

Bird/Dog

Mom is always rescuing something. Me. The poodle straying on the Ditch Trail last week.

This nestling sparrow. She's named him/her "East"--his real nest is on the east side of the house, but too high for her to get him back where he belongs. And s/he reminds Mom of Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman.

Mom's mind works in mysterious ways sometimes. All I know is that East smells really really good.