Commandments

 

TEN CANINE COMMANDMENTS

Truly, Maggie and Walker were perusing Pinterest and came across this.  They told me they endorse the canine commandments.  They changed a few things but it's pretty much intact:

1. My life is likely to last 10 to 15 years. Any separation from you will be very painful.  Remember that before you buy/adopt me.
2. Give me time to understand what you want from me. 
3. Place your trust in me.  It's crucial to my well-being.
4. Don’t be angry with me for long and don’t lock me up as punishment. After all, you have your job, your friends, your entertainment. I have only you.
5. Speak to me often. Even if I don’t understand your words, I understand your tone of voice.  I love it when your tone is happy!
6. Be aware that however you treat me, I'll never forget it.
7. Don’t hit me. Remember, I have teeth that could easily crush the bones in your hand, but I choose not to bite you.
8. Before you scold me for being uncooperative or obstinate, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I’m not getting the right food, I’ve been out in the sun too long, or my heart may be getting old and weak.
9. Take care of me when I get old.  You will grow old, too.
10. When I am old, or when I no longer enjoy good health, please do not make heroic efforts to keep me going. I am not having fun. Just see to it that my trusting life is taken gently. And be with me on that difficult journey when it’s time to say goodbye. Never say, “I just can’t bear to watch.” Everything is easier for me when you are there. 

Remember that I love you.

 



Maggie

Walker

Truly

Assorted Good Stuff

For the first time ever, Walker took his after dinner treat OUT OF MY HAND tonight!  Normally, I hold it out for him hoping he'll take it.  He hasn't wanted to, so I always end up putting it on floor for him.  He'll then come over and pick it up.  But tonight, he surprised me.  Took it right out of my hand! 

You're growing every day, Walker!

Driving along Eisenhower Parkway, I see a tiny speck in the sky.  I took these photos while stopped at different red lights.

A blimp! 

We never see blimps around here. 

This is Maggie in Sawyer's new-used car.  It's Maggie's first trip without Truly.  She was anxious without him at first.  Lots of whining as we drove to Bass Pro Shop.  Once we were inside and she began to be adored by everyone, she was fine.

It's O.K. Maggie.  They're gonna love you!

Why didn't Truly get to go to Bass Pro Shop?  Because Walker is a "house dog" and I didn't want to leave him home alone.  Truly stepped up like the perfect big brother he is and agreed to stay with Walker.  They both got treats for being good while we were gone.

Truly and Maggie in identical states of repose.  Note:  I did not make them do this.  They do this kind of thing all the time.


State of Repose shot 1



State of Repose shot 2

 Tim asked me not to put this on Facebook.  I didn't.

Even Truly loves Squirm the Worm 1.  He does not care much for Squirm 2.

Walker wearning his brand new 'Those Brindle Kids' collar.

Walker shot 1

Walker shot 2









My brother lives "out in the country."  This baby buzzard walked up to his back porch.

I've seen many buzzards.

But never a baby and never one so friendly.

A brillant rainbow.  I told Sawyer it ended at her school - which meant that her education is like the proverbial pot of gold.    She said it did not end at her school but at the landfill several miles away. 

Thinking of getting this tattoo for my 50th birthday.  Yes or No?

If I get this, I want Big Daddy Don to make the black part brown and the white parts black in honor of Those Brindle Kids.

Walker and the Rain Rug

We live in an old, old house. 

Decorated for Christmas

Sometimes, when it rains really hard the roof leaks.  We've tried, over and over again, to have it repaired but the "fix" never seems to work for long.  I have acquired a special "the-roof's-going-to-leak-rug" for rainy occasions. 

Yesterday and last night were two of these occasions.  I put the rug in its usual place.

The "rain" rug is the red one behind Truly.

Walker did what no Brindle Kid ever did before.  He went over there and took a nap on the rain rug.

Walker was almost under the Christmas Tree.

 

He left the nearby bed unoccupied.

Tim says there's a reason why Walker did that.  He says Walker layed under the tree because Walker is the best Christmas present ever. 

Awww . . . !

Greyhound Presents

Truly and Maggie were very excited to find their presents from Santa this morning.  They each got a brand new collar from our favorite personalized collar place, Dog ID Collar.com.  I really like them because they have our phone number embroidered on them.  Just another bit of peace of mind for me:


This time Santa brought Those Brindle Kids collars with plastic closures rather than metal closures. 
We hope these will be more quiet in the middle of the night.  :)

They also got a big supply of "odor free" Best Bully Sticks:

If you don't know about Bully sticks, read this post.

Walker the foster hound got something from Santa, too.  He got a forever home!  He was our first foster hound.  We brought him with us in late September.  Back then, I wrote about him and about wanting to be a successful foster family - meaning that we weren't going to adopt him but that we were going to take care of him until his special forever family found him.

Shortly after we brought him home, we got a call from SEGA telling us that a couple was interested in meeting Walker and possibly adopting him.  I let Tim know via text message that Walker would be having guests.  I thought he'd be excited for Walker.  As you can see, he wasn't.



I am blue.  Tim is yellow.


Walker has lived with us for three months now and none of us can imagine him living anywhere but here - especially Tim. 

Tim is particulary hard to surprise.  I'm rarely successful.  So for the past month, I've kept up the charade of fostering Walker because I wanted Tim to have a good surprise Christmas morning.  I secretly ordered Walker a personalized collar, too. 

In a post-Christmas morning interview with Tim, he told me that he was happy and surprised when he opened the little box containing Walker's new collar.  He also said that 1.)  he planned to be unrelenting in his attempt to convince me to adopt Walker and 2.)  that he also planned to actively thwart any future adoption meetings concerning Walker.  (That sounds interesting.)

So, Walker is officially one of Those Brindle Kids now. In honor of the occasion, he also got his own special toy - a new Squirm the Worm.  We call him Squirm 2.

We hope Squirm 2 gets to keep his eyes for a while. 
We also hope Maggie will leave Squirm 2 alone now that she's appropriated Squirm 1.
 

 

So, Merry Christmas, Tim!  

and Merry Christmas, Walker!  We love you, you big red brindle boy!

Walker's First Christmas in his Forever Home

P.S. - Maggie has promised to be a better and sweeter big sister!

Sock Monkey

Walker the foster hound is suffering a bit from melancholia.  He said he's very happy to be living temporarily with Those Brindle Kids but he really, really hoped to have his forever home for the holidays.  I assured him that he could stay here with us until his special family finds him.  I thought that might help him feel better.  It didn't. 

Upon closer questioning, I discovered the real problem.  Walker does want a forever home - but more than anything else - he wants to get away from Maggie.  He says she's mean to him.  He gave me an example.  It all started with Sock Monkey.

Since Maggie has appropriated Walker's toy, Squirm the Worm, I brought Sock Monkey home for Walker.  He loves Sock Monkey.  Here he is with his new friend:

Walker with Sock Monkey

Walker is such a sweet boy.  He loves his toys.  He likes to carry them gently around.  He doesn't abuse them, unlike another hound he knows who likes to take them apart piece by piece.

 

So Walker was laying on the dining room floor, quietly talking with Sock Monkey.  Maggie came to see what he was doing, turned around and went to the living room to get Squirm.  She brought Squirm into the dining room.

 

Walker with Sock Monkey and Maggie with Squirm.
By outward appearances, this looks like a picture of Greyhound Happiness. 
According to Walker, there's more to this story than meets the eye.

Walker explained that all of a sudden Maggie ran to the front door telling Walker that the Special Greyhound Treat Man was on the porch and he had free bully sticks.  Of course, Walker ran to the front door, too.  He wanted a bully stick!  But no one came in the door.  There were no treats of any kind.  Walker looked around to get an explanation from Maggie and found himself standing alone in the foyer.  Oh, it's not all bad, though, Walker said to himself.  He remembered Sock Monkey and ran back to the dining room.  At least, he said, I still have Sock Monkey! 

This is what he saw:

 

Maggie has - - - SOCK MONKEY!

"Oh, no!"  Walker said.

Walker tried to distract Maggie's attention from Sock Monkey.  He said, "Look, here's Squirm!"

His attempt to get Sock Monkey back didn't work.  Maggie just ignored him.

Then Maggie took Sock Monkey to the living room.

This is what Maggie is said to have been doing with Sock Monkey in the living room.  Her tail action, as described by Walker, indicates her glee.



Maggie's finished playing with Sock Monkey.  But she didn't give him back to Walker.

Walker told me all of this through little Greyhound tears.  He begged, literally begged, me to find a forever home - not for him but for Maggie!  I just can't believe my sweet, precious, little Cindy-Lou-Who brindle girl would ever behave in the manner described by Walker. 

If only there was some evidence (maybe a photo or two - maybe a video?) to back up Walker's story . . .

Miss Daisy and Mr. Petey

Back in September, I wrote about Miss Daisy.  She's the pretty fawn girl who was lost for 22 days until her Dad found her and brought her home.

Here's Daisy at our recent SEGA picnic.  She was our Hero Girl that day.


Against all odds, Daisy survived an unbelievable odyssey.  I knew for sure she would have a long and happy life.  She and her family certainly deserved good things.

Last week, I was stunned and heartbroken to read this message from Daisy's Mom,

"It is with a heavy heart that I write this final chapter in the life of Miss Daisy. All of you know Daisy,  many of you met her in September at the annual picnic where you saw her run and play. Little did I know that December would bring about so many changes in her life. She was diagnosed
with an osteosarcoma that spread quickly and aggressively. She went from happily running to being crippled with multiple tumors seemingly overnight.  She went from minimal discomfort to whopping doses of morphine in just days. The quality of her life declined rapidly. I haven't yet tried to
understand the "why" in this seemingly cruel twist of fate, I can only accept the joy she gave us in her brief time on this earth.
 
We will continue to honor her in the "Finding Miss Daisy" fund and we will be smiling whenever a lost hound is returned to their families. I know Daisy will be smiling from heaven too, thinking to herself...at least it didn't take 22 days!

Please help us say goodbye to Daisy. Thank you for all of your support, her wonderful extended family."

Then, also last week, my Mom called to tell me about Mr. Petey.  Petey didn't belong to my Mom.  He was a neighborhood dog.  As will happen, someone brings a puppy home and leaves the puppy outdoors to fend for himself.  If the puppy survives, in the very rural environment where my Mom lives, it's because he learns not to go near the road and he learns not to go too far in the woods during hunting season. He visits this family for a while, then that family for a while.  He knows not to be aggressive.  He knows he must be a good dog.  Everybody likes him.  He has a bunch of different names and a bunch of different dinner bowls.   Petey lived like this for about 10 years.

I just happened to take these photos of Mr. Petey in July.  I'm not sure what kind of dog he was or why he had that studded collar on.  He was a good dog.

Petey spent a lot of his time at my Mom's house lately.  She always had food for him.  At my Mom's house, that means kibble generously supplemented with table scraps.  He liked that.  He also liked the bedding she kept for him on her carport.  She spent most of the day outdoors with him.  She sat watching the wild birds she also feeds, all the while talking to Petey.  He liked that, too.

She told me that Petey was sick.  The vet said that Petey had been poisioned.  Some fool ended his life for spite (?), for fun (?) or just because (?).  I don't know why it happened but I do know that while he didn't "belong" to my Mom, Petey was her dog for sure.

What Miss Daisy and Mr. Petey did during their lives is what I think animals, especially dogs, are very good at doing - they bring people together.  Hundreds of people came together to help find Miss Daisy.  People my Mom had never met came together to mourn the loss of Mr. Petey.  Daisy built a stronger community.  Petey built community where there was none.  That's a lot for a dog to do.

Godspeed Daisy and Petey.  We love you and miss you very much -

Night Owls vs. Early Birds

For as long as I can remember, I've been a "night owl." I can't imagine why the day should start before about 10:00 a.m. Conversely, Tim is an "early bird." He likes to start his day about 4:30 a.m. He'll sleep in until about 6:00 a.m. on the weekends. I don't understand that and I'm not sure I even trust people like that. It just seems unnatural to me.

Regardless of what time I start my day, I'm still a "night person." My usual bedtime is between 12:00 and 1:00 a.m. If I stay up later than that, it's hard to get up at 5:30 a.m.

What does this have to do with Those Brindle Kids? When we first brought Truly home, he was still on "track time."  Every morning, Truly was awake and ready to go even before Tim - maybe 4:00 a.m.   After a while, Truly learned to sleep later - and we were very grateful. Truly stirs when he hears the alarm but he knows to wait it out until the second snooze alarm.

When we brought Maggie home, she followed Truly's lead. She didn't get up until he did. When Walker came, he was just fine to sleep in until Truly told him to get up, too.

Truly is ready to go to bed by 9:30 or 10:00 p.m. at the latest. Walker starts walking around the living room and pestering us about 9:00 p.m. Tim complies and all the boys go upstairs and turn in early.

Maggie stays downstairs with me for a couple more hours. Maybe she thinks it's a "girl thing" or maybe she thinks Sawyer and I would be scared downstairs without her. Whatever her motivation, it's evident that staying up late is a sacrifice for her.   She's very dramatic.   She's very good at demostrating her exhaustion.

This video shows how Maggie energetically bounds up the stairs prior to 10:00 p.m. That's Walker behind her.

Observe her now, about 11:30 p.m. She's so tired.   

Poor baby . . . she can barely make it.  One night she actually sat down on the stairs.  She does it all for us.

Let the Holidays Begin!

Yay!!  We're all on holiday vacation!  To celebrate, Sawyer and I went shopping for Christmas regalia for Those Brindle Kids.


Truly got stately gold antlers . . .

. . . in recognition of the regal boy he is.

He's such as good sport.  I love him.



Maggie got a candy cane hat with dangling mistletoe.  Maggie has always reminded me of Cindy Lou Who from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"  - the original, animated version, not the Jim Carrey version. 
This hat is perfect for her.  See the resemblence:

A face of pure innocence - just like my Maggie

 When we went to the SEGA adoption kennel, we wanted a specific dog. 
But Maggie's little, timid, smiling face changed our minds and made our hearts melt.  She came home with us.

 

Isn't she cute?

 

I think I'll go kiss her!



Since this is Walker's second Christmas, we thought traditional colors would be fitting for his antlers.

He sat on the sideline smiling the whole time Truly and Maggie were wearing their antlers.

In the end, Walker felt that he would best enjoy the holidays "antler-less."  So be it.

In true Maggie fashion, and since Walker wasn't going to wear his antlers, she borrowed them . . .

 . . . then she gave her mistletoe-candy cane hat to Paulie. 

Now everybody's happy and full of Christmas Spirit!  (Paulie agrees we're full of something, but he's not sure it's Christmas Spirit . . .)