If Border Collies Could Text

Oops...My Baa'aad

Today I was distracted helping the neighbor boy catch a wayward llama while at Cindy's house.  We were getting ready to load the sheep and spend the afternoon working dogs on Ronnie's farm.

I was absorbed trying to catch this stupid llama - which was not that stupid - obviously, he evaded capture for a good hour.  

I left Brynn in the big field where we typically run the dogs.  All the gates were closed.  That was a mistake.  I forgot she is a monkey.  A tri colored, smooth coat, contortionist monkey butt with mondo skill and cunning. 

She took it upon herself to squeeze under the gate into the ewes & lambs pen.  The ewes all have new lambs and will not hesitate to fight a dog.  Our ewe Daisy has sent Beth ass over tea kettle more than one time.  The other ewes are not much nicer. 

When I saw Brynn was in their pen, I almost had a heart attack.  My first and only concern at first was for the well being of the lambs. 

Expecting total chaos I was amazed to see she had all the lambs and ewes wedged tightly in a corner.  Everyone was calm, some lambs were lying down, others were nursing & apparently healthy.  All of the ewes were watching Brynn. 

Brynn was laying down watching them from a respectful distance.  If it is possible for a dog to smile, she was.  Very proud of herself, albeit her tongue was dragging on the ground. 

I scanned the pen for lost or dead lambs.  Not one was out of place.  Every last ewe & lamb was packed in that corner.  I called to Brynn, she turned her head.  Daisy decided to take Brynn's moment of distraction and use it to her advantage.  She charged at Brynn when her head was turned - suddenly Brynn 'snap, snap, snapped' in the air and whammo made contact with her nose.  Daisy wheeled around and went back to her corner. 

I called Brynn out of the pen.  Thankful she was okay, the sheep were all okay....yet still worried about any damage that may result later.  I felt like a royal idiot for leaving her in the field not realizing she would find her own job to do.  It was entirely my fault. 

Shortly after we trucked the sheep out to Ronnie's farm to work the dogs.  I kept Brynn in her crate to rest and pulled her out a couple hours later.  The results of Brynn's escapade earlier in the day showed with increased confidence & loss of IQ points.  Suddenly my little dog that tended to get stuck driving, and looked worried when the sheep turned on her was not having that problem.  Oh nooooooo....she is certainly not afraid of the sheep anymore. 

Time for a lesson on working WITH me - now she thinks she can work the sheep all by her lonesome.
 
Au Contraire, Mon Ami, ...the mission this next week is to emphasize teamwork. And to make sure I NEVER do something as stupid as leaving my dog unattended like that again.    Yes, that was my Baa'aad.  

Old Dog - Quiz

Quiz belongs to my friend Cindy.  He is an old guy at 15 y/o. 

Just a few short months ago Quiz could barely walk, certainly not run. He was on his last legs. 
His coat was dull & dry.  He had little energy and often he would topple over. 

Now look at him

Running with the other dogs after his beloved Blue Ball.

He still has the occasional wobble, turning is hard for him because his hips are growing weak.

Running!  He is actually RUNNING!

What did Cindy do to bring about this incredible change in Quiz?  

Not much, she just switched him from kibble to a totally raw diet. 

Viola! 

Chasing after his beloved Blue Ball once again. 

On top of the increased mobility & energy, Quiz's coat is soft, supple and healthy again. 
What is left of his teeth are clean again, not caked with tartar & plaque.

Alas, age is catching up with him.  Last night he thought my car door was Cindy.  Occasionally Cindy finds him stuck in corner.  But for now, he is happy and most of all healthy. 

There are many different debates over which raw diet is better.  This is not a testament for one particular diet over another, rather just sharing information if you would like to make the switch for your dogs too.  Cindy has been using this book as a reference "Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet: Healthier Dog Food the ABC Way."  

Feeding raw is less expensive than a premium dog food too - if you do it wisely.  We stick to a formula when buying our foods and refuse to pay more than $1.20 cents a pound for any protein source (beef, pork, chicken etc).  By being very careful with the amount of money spent on veggies, organ meats, mackerel, sardines, eggs, pumpkin, yams, vitamin & probiotic supplement, etc. I spend 1/2 what I was spending before feeding my dogs Acana (approx $64.00 per 29 lb bag).   The difference in my own dogs (e.g. Ranger's leg) has been significant too.

Old Dog, Quiz.  

Living evidence showing the power of a raw diet.  

Easiest Cinnamon Rolls EVER!

Yes, this is a blog about my dogs, but If I were to die tonight in my sleep, it would be with regret.  Regret over not sharing with you the easiest cinnamon roll recipe EVER just because this is a dog blog.  So I am going to flip off convention, today my blog is about Cinnamon Rolls. 

Your hips will hate me later. 

Yummy, ooey, gooey, sticky rolls.

Anyone who has made cinnamon rolls know they can be tedious and labor intensive (proof yeast, mix, rise, punch down, knead, roll, rise....bleh).   You will thank me, your arms will thank me, your family will sing your praises, because not only are these easy but they are the best darn rolls I have ever eaten from my own oven. 

I wish you could smell this:

Something Different Rolls (from my mother who got it from Laura Smit, via Janice Strid, via who the heck knows...)

Batter:
1 pkg. yellow cake mix (brand does not matter)
2 pkgs. active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp - 1 pkg)
5 c. flour
2 1/2 c. hot water

Inside:
butter
brown sugar
cinnamon
chopped pecans (optional)

Icing:
2 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp almond extract
2 T. milk
2 T. butter

Mix well together the cake mix, yeast and flour.  Add hot water.  Mix well, no need to knead.  Let rise till doubled in size.  Roll into rectangle.  Spread with melted butter, sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon (add chopped pecans if you wish). Roll up.  Cut into 1 1/2 inch to 2 inch slices place on greased cookie sheet 1/4 inch apart.  Let rise for about 20 minutes.  Bake on cookie sheet at 350° for 16-18 minutes or until lightly brown.  Drizzle with frosting while still warm, but not hot.  yeild about 2 cookie sheets full. 

For something different you can cut them longer and put each roll into a muffin tin, or keep jelly roll whole then shape into a tea ring. Bake 20 minutes for rolls in muffin tins, 30 minutes for tea ring. 

Enjoy

Note:  Keep away from Bea-zlebub puppies or dogs named Ranger.  They are sticky roll thieves. 

Ode to a Blackberry

This morning, I lost a dear friend

Goodbye Francis. Yes, my blackberry had a name.  I am strange that way.  I name inanimate objects.  I am positive there is page with my name on it in the DSM IV.  

Francis was mortally wounded in an unprovoked attack.  The injuries, incompatible with life,  left her lingering in a semi conscious state, barely clinging to this world.  She is hanging on, refusing to let go.  Occasionally she will emit a pathetic chirp, the occasional ring.  I will gently cradle her broken body in my hand, press her to my ear & share my grief with friends.  At times it is too much for her, and she drops into a comatose state. 

It is with great sadness I contacted my wireless carrier and ordered a replacement.  Thankfully our insurance plan covers her replacement.  But nothing will replace her in my heart. 

Who was responsible for this massacre?  

This morning Bea snatched poor defenseless Francis from the table and chewed the very life out of her in the blink of an eye.   I was too late to save her when I heard the ominous crack.  It is my fault, I should not have left Francis in a vulnerable position.   I cannot blame the puppy and must let Francis move onto her next life with forgiveness in my heart.  

In honor of her passing I will share with you some of the terrible pictures I snapped over the last several years.  It is my way of letting her go...and reliving the memories she captured for me.  Thankfully she lived long enough this morning for me to mail these to myself.  Sadly, my address book did not make it and will need to be recreated...

My dear sweet Katie who passed in Nov 2008, with Bonnie as a puppy and Ranger.

I miss this dog every day of my life.  

Charlie, the cat who thought he was a dog, who passed just last year.  

I miss this cat every day of my life.

My 19 y/o son, who moved out and is living on his own.  I do not miss him, the laundry, dirty towels, smelly shoes or loud music blaring from his room.   

My 17 y/o son, Zach.  AKA "Stink Eye". 

Our grand daughter Alyssa a few minutes after she was born. 

The next shot is from when Bonnie was still a fat puppy and Beth liked her.  Three dogs on a bed.  Notice the dog crates in the background?  Yes, my dogs sleep in the same room with us.  Pathetic eh?

Four dogs on a bed, shot a year later.  Much older Bonnie with Brynn added to the mix. 

Brynn, two days after I adopted her and  had to take her to the vet to be treated for Parvo.  This was snapped the morning she was admitted into the vet hospital, it shows how very sick she was.  A little puppy sound asleep in a blanket on the table in the exam room.  She didn't wake up for the vet to examine her.  

Looking at this breaks my heart to this day.

Bea, a much happier puppy the day I brought her home from Idaho.  She is in her crate in the passenger seat of my car.  Still so tiny and unsure.  

She screamed her head off in that crate for several nights. 

Brynn and Bonnie sleeping snuggled on the bed the day after we brought Brynn home from training at Dianne's in Idaho.  They missed each other.  

Brynn last week when we took my 17 year old son to the emergency room with a broken nose.  She is wearing her service dog vest & is watching my son on the stretcher next to her.   

Here she is resting quietly next to my chair as the nurse and doctor reset his nose.

That reminds me, I never have shared with you that Brynn is also my service dog have I?   One day I will tell you about what she does for me and why.  Until then it is still a deeply personal subject and I am not quite ready to spill the beans on the internet.  Although I kinda just did - guess that is my way of working up to it.  

I may even tell you about this....meet the contents of Bea's stomach.  Removed courtesy of the vet a mere 30 minutes after ingestion.  Can you guess what that is? 

Puppies and kids.  They will make you cry or make you smile - on any given day.   You gotta love em, or you would beat them to death.