When Did I Lose Control?

A year ago things seemed to be under control. Rob would leave for work, picking up a cup of coffee and a doughnut on the way. When I woke up, after feeding the dogs, I would fix myself a cup of coffee and sit in the living room to watch the news and drink it. Occasionally I would make myself some toast.
When I finished my breakfast, each dog would get a biscuit. They were happy with the situation.


Then Rob retired.

At first we went out for breakfast regularly and Morgan went with us. As you know she became very fond of bacon. She started demanding bacon daily until we decided to break her habit by eating at home. She went thru withdrawal over several weeks, but now we don't have the whining and pacing at the door anymore.



Now Rob and I have fruit and bagels most mornings.


Rob felt sorry for the furry little beggars gathered around the table watching us eat, so he started making toast for them each morning. He buttered their toast and cut the slices into the appropriate number of pieces and each dog got two small pieces of toast.



I like cream cheese on my bagel and at some point Tsar realized that what I was eating was different from the buttered toast he was getting.

One morning a few weeks ago he nudged me with his paw, then put his big head in my lap. I made a terrible mistake. I gave him a tiny piece of my bagel.


Since that day Tsar has decided that he doesn't want buttered toast. At first he settled for cream cheese on his toast, but after a few days of that he refused it and made it clear that he wanted a bagel with cream cheese.


This morning Rob cut up an apple for the dogs and birds to enjoy, but Tsar refused it. Normally he loves apples, but he stood staring at the bowl of strawberries until Rob gave him one. He sat there obviously enjoying his berry and bagel.



What has happened here? From a pack of pups who were happy with a biscuit to fussy little gourmets who want bacon and strawberries and bagels covered with cream cheese, I've obviously lost control of the situation.


Tsar has a message for you dogs out there in cyberspace. There are good things to eat if you pay attention and know how to ask.

Arrival Of Autumn

Today is the first day of Autumn. It's a dark rainy day following a night of thunder storms.


The storms brought down clusters of acorns which should delight the squirrels. Unfortunately, the dogs enjoy crunching them, too. I worry about tummy upsets as well as cracked teeth, but I'm outnumbered.


Tsar is enjoying being outside once again now that the temperatures are down. Here he is with his coat full of fallen leaves. His appetite has picked up and he is a happier dog in general. It's funny to watch him walk outside and sniff the air as if checking for an approaching snowfall.


Look closely and you'll see our resident dove sitting on the peak of the roof. Those are mourning doves beside her and she's at least three times their size. Next to them she looks like a big white chicken. She hangs around all day, eating at the free seed bar on the deck and watching us come and go.


Fudge and I are getting serious about his training. Yesterday I sent in his registration for the obedience trial. It's on October 16th and 17th. We only need one qualifying score and he gets his title. I know he can do it if he concentrates and doesn't try to show off for the judge.

I'm getting the urge to sew and I'm lining up some projects to start. The girls' tails are flying again. Lola's was OK yesterday and this morning Bailey's was back to normal, too. I'm off to start a new cross stitch and watch some new tv instead of reruns. I love the first week of the new season.

Saying Goodbye To The Lake

Yesterday was a perfect day for a trip to the lake. It was sunny for the first time all week and there was a breeze and Lola and Bailey had been rained out on their earlier trip.


Morgan, who is a seasoned sailor now, led the way onto the boat.


Splash and Gracie knew exactly where we were going.


Lola and Bailey were both pretty nervous. They didn't know what to do and Lola started to panic when the motor started and we began moving. I tried to reassure her, but she stuck very close to her sister.


Once we got to the swimming cove, all the dogs jumped right in the water. We had to keep a long lead on Bailey because she's my hunter and would have liked to check out the woods instead of swimming. She's never shown any interest in the water, so I was surprised and pleased to see her go right in and start to swim.


Lola was doing so well that I removed her lead and she stayed close by and came whenever I called her.


Traffic jam. Where are you going, Bailey?


Morgan wasted no time in getting into the water and begging for someone to throw a toy for her to retrieve.


Bailey is thinking about the squirrels and rabbits waiting in the woods while she's stuck here on the boat.


Morgan just kept on swimming.


Neither Bailey or Lola would retrieve a toy, but they did swim around with Rob and J. I stayed on the boat because I didn't want to risk twisting my ankle now that it's starting to heal.


Lola quickly learned how to jump on the boat, so she would come check on me, then go back in the water. She seemed to really enjoy it. Morgan had to be lifted onto the boat when she needed a rest and Bailey, my problem child, climbed the ladder, one of her many talents.


My Energizer bunny of dogs, she didn't want to stop.


Time for a little break.


Gracie supervised as Rob opened the treats.


Lola would like a treat, too.


While the humans had lunch, Morgan decided to nap on top of the equipment bag. She was too tired to beg for food.


Splash is a food hound and was ready for us to bring out lunch. He never took his eyes off me as I ate.


After lunch and a quick nap for Morgan, she was ready to swim some more.


Splash bringing his toy to be thrown again.


Meanwhile back on the boat, Bailey had to check and see if we left any crumbs on the table.


Gracie went after the Wubba.


Morgan even raced Splash and won.


Morgan looked exhausted and although she still wanted us to throw the toy, I felt she'd had enough and we loaded up to start for home.


We pulled out of the cove and got into the middle of the lake when the motor died.


We were sitting there wondering what to do next when this fellow came by. He's with the Missouri State Water Patrol. He came up close and we tried to start the motor, but it wouldn't start.


So, he threw us a rope.....


and towed us back to the marina.


All five of these dogs will bark at a stranger approaching, but there was not one sound from any of them as the patrol boat approached us. At one point when he was holding onto our boat, Gracie leaned over and licked his hand. How did they know that we were in trouble and he was helping us?


Back at J's house, we all changed into dry clothes and had some coffee while discussing the events of the day. Bailey raided the toy box and they all raced around the room barking and playing. And what was Morgan doing?


She found a nice comfy place to sleep. We woke her to leave and she slept all the way home. Last night we all went to bed early. The girls were tired from their big day. They even slept late this morning.

We did have one casualty though. I noticed this morning that Lola didn't want to go outside and she was acting nervous. After breakfast Rob and I took them all out again and I saw that Lola's tail was hanging at an odd angle and she seemed to be in pain. On examination I determined that she has a case of swimmer's tail, a sprained tail from overuse in the water. It often happens the first time a dog swims. I have given her something for the pain and in about three days her tail should be waving again.

Late addition: It's now late afternoon. Lola's tail must be feeling better, as she's carrying it about half way up, but Bailey also has swimmer's tail and hers is hanging down looking painful. I have given her something for pain and inflammation and will be watching them carefully. It's tough being an athlete.

Let's Run

What does a dog do on a lovely almost fall afternoon when the temperatures are cooler and the leaves are falling off the trees and blowing around the yard with each breeze?


A dog runs. It may be best to find a friend to run with.


It may be fun to chase a ball.


It may be fun to do both those things together.


Just let your ears flap in the breeze and go for it.


There might just be someone who will throw the ball again.


Whatever the method, it feels good to run after the hot days of summer.


And when you're done running, it's nice to lie in the grass and relax.


Or to catch up with a friend.

Meanwhile, I have another finished item to show off.


I finished the 'pile of pups'. View from the front.


View from the back. These little guys are for Nicki's agility club raffle.


Here they are next to the stack of cats that I finished a couple weeks ago. They're a quick project if you need a cute gift in a hurry.