Friends and Family

Besides the four canine members of the family we have two feathered friends. When Summer died in June of 2024 his cage mate Winter was sad. So off we went to the pet shop to find him a new friend.

 When we walked over to the cage full of budgies hey all flew to the back of the cage except one. A little pudgy green bird clung to the bars in the front of the cage and chirped at us. It seemed like he was trying to talk to us and of course I decided he was saying "take me home with you".  So we did. When we put him in the isolation cage for a few days he seemed happy and sang to us. After about five days we put him in the cage with Winter and got quite a shock. Although very young, he was almost twice Winter's size. 

We soon learned why. That boy loves to eat and eat and eat some more. He's a big chubby budgie and a happy one. He and Winter get along great and they both chatter away all day. I love to hear them.

After almost dying from a tick bite, I declared war on ticks. We take several precautions. The dogs get tick preventive treatments every month. The boys both take Simparica and because Mackey is prone to seizures, the girls get a topical Advantix II.  I use a tick repellant spray on my pant legs and I have a tick preventive lotion that I rub on my arms and legs. I also wear long socks over my pantlegs. 

Rob sprays the yard. I searched for a spray that wouldn't hurt the dogs and found one that is specifically for ticks. It's called Nix Ticks and it's available on Amazon. It won't hurt birds, butterflies or other animals and it seems to work well. 

But my favorite part of our tick war is the night crew. Every evening at dusk we put out some dog kibble  and whatever other tasty treats we might have.  Then we turn on the porch light and watch out the window. Soon our little family of five opossums show up, sometime together and sometimes singly. We get to watch them enjoy their dinner. Opossums love to eat ticks so I encourage them to hang around and keep the pests in check. 

Here's the group, two in the feeder and the other three across the porch. When I take the dogs out on leash they sit up and watch us but they don't run away. If the dogs show any interest in them they'll hiss but they don't usually leave their buffet.

We also have some other friends in the neighborhood. The people who recently moved in next door have two big dogs, a Mastiff and what looks like a big Lab. At Christmas they got a new puppy that looks like a Pitty. I see them all the time but haven't formally met them yet. I think I'll bake some dog treats to take over to introduce myself.

Across the street are two dogs. Vera is a Shepherd mix and Lucy is a fuzzy Terrier. I recently doggy sat for Lucy while the family was away. She and  are good pals. Isn't she cute.

The same family also has this fellow residing in the front yard. He's the quiet type.

One of Rocket J's great grandchildren drops by occasionally to steal a little kibble from the opossums.

My tick war will wage on in the new year but I have lots of soldiers helping me.