Snow and tired dogs

I think I have finally made the dogs tired from just everyday running around the farm. Had to make multiple trips outside to just take care of stuff and of course my faithful companions were by my side. We cleaned the barn, turned out horses. Made the walk to the road to check out the snowy conditions and then back.. in /out in/out.. trip to the bank and feed store and tonight all they are doing is snoozing like we did a marathon around the park or something :) I don't usually think of tired dogs and schipperkes in the same sentence :) We have had to live with snow coming down every day for the past week, shoveling what we could and living with the rest. Now the temps have climbed away from the freezing mark and have stayed there so now I have drip, drip, drip happening all over the barn roof and house. I will be thrilled when we get the running water back in action in the barn tomorrow. Bucket hauling was the worst. The house is not far from the barn until your trying to carry full 5 gallon buckets to the barn for livestock.

Dashing through the snow

It snowed all night and when I got up to walk the dogs this morning it was about 3 inches deep and the dogs had a blast! Bear just bounded around the yard and sent the snow in all directions. He was having a great time. Liza joined the fun too, running in circles and checking out the drifts. They did not want to come back in until they were snow covered schipmans :) The snow has continued all day and it looks like it will continue all night. It may be frozen in the morning. We had visitors last night looking for water. I had deer tracks going from all water troughs and buckets.. I never even thought the deer would be needing help. We put a bucket out back that I am now monitoring to make sure they have water available during this bad weather. They have already found the hay/straw in the barn and come in for a meal in the late night hours.

barnyard bad habits

Well Liza and Bear are really picking up on how to be a barn dog.. I have caught them trying to sneak juicy poop morsels into the house. I just don't see how horse poop would be yummy to a dog but so many do it. We continue to keep a close eye on the two former runners but they are coming when called is slowly sometimes. With the bitter cold we have had the past few days they are even eager to meet me at the front door LOL!!! Liza is really stepping up to be my barn dog shadow and that's a nice surprise. I really think age/time and the abundance of space to explore and run in a safe manner has helped this transition. They are sure sleeping good at night too! :)

barn dogs

It seems the past month has been consumed with moving the family to a new place on larger acreage. This also necessitated the moving of the horses home too. Good thing the kids are grown because I think the dogs and other critters were more work. As most owners/breeders know Schips are born runners. I do think age is a wonderful thing. They seem more settled and not so quick to dash. We have the materials gathered for the new dog yard but with schedules and cont to move and clean the other place there are just not enough hours in a day or daylight for that matter. It has been a very nice surprise that if I keep an eye on the pack they have always come back when called. Liza the hunter is also the "barn" dog. Stays at my side while I feed and water the horses. Hobo is proving his age is catching up, and he does not appear to hear anything so he is curently on a chain run while we are outside. It's working well, he can sit in the sunshine of the lawn or come back into the garage and lay in his bed when he wants. Wherever I roam on the farm I have my constant little black shadows. With both dogs over 10 that has been a nice surprise in all he chaos of moving. The pastures are large enough that Liza and Bear are really enjoying the room to run.

Just like the books say.. Liza is a ratter! Good dog

See the cute dog to the right? that's Liza, not just a pretty face show dog. Earned her top dog badge tonight! The doggie door is open 24/7 & with that we have had many adventures since it's not just the dogs that use the door. Anyway I think our newest visitor used the door and has been trying to get to the cat food that is in a secure container. In the wee hours of this morning Liza was awake and consumed by the container. I thought she found a stray piece of cat food and could not reach it.. I was wrong.. something darted out from under the cupboard and took off with her in pursuit. I was shocked! Whatever it was, was also big. Liza did not catch it and eventually settled back down.

Now it's evening and I have the lights off out in the kitchen and I am happily getting settled to check email when I hear a noise from the other room. Jumping up I see the cat very intent on the birds cage bottom. Closing all doors and moving the dog gate to cut off the kitchen I let Liza in with the cat and she becomes very interested in the cage and goes all around it. I stay behind the gate and when I look behind the cage along the wall and I see sticking out a very large tail! Uh oh.. rat! After a few min Liza darts to the back side and then before I know it this creature comes charging out from under the cage and hits the family room door with a bang! I yell for Liza and she comes running. Sees this thing jumping like over 3 feet in the air trying to get away and POW! Liza is on it! Smashing it to the floor many times. Sounds effects were not so pleasant but it was over quickly and there is Liza strutting her stuff with this dead thing in her mouth. I convinced her to drop it and get her to my side of the gate and praise her for being such a Good Dog! Thankfully hubby is on his way home to remove the deceased.

can't howl worth a darn

At least mine can't howl. What a sorry sound they create when they try to howl with the neighbor dogs. We live very close to an Emerg Services building so fire trucks and ambulances go by on a regular basis with lights and sirens in full swing. This sets the dogs off running for the back yard and they start the catter walling some may think is a howl... it's so pathetic. So mine can't howl, can yours?

Greed can be a positive force

The 2 troopers of the family are Bear & Liza.. With them you can just count on certain things. Good grub to be had Liza will take on all comers and growl like nobody's business. Of course Bear could care less and says okay you can have it, you'll forget the bone later and then it's mine! With adding Hobo to the mix he is larger than the other two who are more to the breed standard. He knows he's big and will use his size to push his way to the front and stake claim on whatever he thinks may be worth being first for. I don't do scraps so he's in for a long wait. Tonight was different :) an apple chunk hit the floor. I was sad because I really wanted that apple. Mind you Bear is not a veggie eater and Liza would rather spit than eat anything not meat. Well Hobo was eating away on the apple and when he walked away next thing I knew the apple was gone and Liza had carted it off to the other room to sample it. It was like she didn't really want it but could not help herself. Ate on it and now I have no idea where it is. Could be all eaten LOL! Bear just watched the whole thing like "whatever"

mine, mine, mine

The toys were getting ratty looking and most of the squeak was gone so we visited the doggy store and stocked up. For Bear it's all about squeak. Liza just wants to do brain surgery on anything soft and furry while Hobo is just unknown. Brought home the goods and while squeaking them to gauge reactions a little voice was heard... "Toby.. come here, Toby..come here" :) Bear is happily squeaking away, Liza is busy tossing and playing while waiting for the kill and Hobo is just dancing with his hippo and trotting around.. life is good in dog dom town.

Bad dog, Bad dog, Bad dog!

Our family is very animal oriented. We have given refuge to many a critter looking for a new place to call home. I sure miss JD (john doe) the ferret but in his place we now have Terran an African Grey parrot. What a charmer he is. His favorite person is Scott and he will go through impressive displays of sounds like the microwave, smoke detector, telephone, wolf whistle, water down the drain and sounds from War Craft the game.

Well the dogs are not off limits :) Schipperkes, as other owners can attest to like to scrap with each other. Catch Hobo trying to get into into the kitchen garbage and you yell HEY! It is quickly followed by a little voice from across the room... STOP IT! Dog scrabble over a toy and you start to yell at them to get their attention and break it up ... help comes from across the room again.. BAD DOG! BAD DOG! BAD DOG! The ultimate.... someone (Bear) had an accident and Scott was cleaning up when he hears "What ya doing?" he plays along and answers: "Cleaning dog S#!T that's what I'm doing!" and Terran says "Ohhhh" All you can do is laugh :) and wonder what will be next.

Who decided dogs are vegan???

Simple fact, it's in all the books. Dogs are carnivores. Given the chance they delight in consuming stuff that is rotten. Now I see all of these commercials .... "what your dog thinks about" a dog food hawking vegetables. I have friends that with no effort can get their dogs to eat broccoli and like it or at least consume it like they need veggies. Well I have offered my rug rats (Schipperkes) veggies and let me say, have you ever seen a dog spit? Mine do and boy can the offending item make ground. I have even mixed mashed potatoes, gravy with green peas together. When all the plate is licked clean the only thing left in a lonely pile are very shiny peas. I tip my hat to those that have convinced their dogs to eat health foods :) In their book kibble is just because and getting real meat is the trophy prize in the scrap competition.

Just this evening I am happily eating a cookie when I notice out of the corner of my eye world class silent begging happening. Liza was laying in her bed with her head perched between her paws on the edge of her bed with the look. Eyes tracking each bite, nope I did not share :)

Guard dog'n

It seems just last month Hobo just didn't understand why he was staying with us and not integrating to the family. I am happy to say those days are gone. This past week he has tried very hard to convince the cat (old cranky) that she really does want to play :) he is busy barking, jumping and trying to encourage her to join the fun. Never did take him up on it but it was fun to see he is trying to engage the cat and the other dogs into playing. Liza who looks tiny next to Hobo loves to rock and roll so she will take him up on sparring/chasing. Somewhere along the way he has also staked his territory and he is guard dog'n. In true Ship tradition they don't miss a beat.

Fact: Dogs smile

Hobo just blossoms more everyday. I get home from work and there he is at the gate making enough noise to break an eardrum he is so excited. Already perfecting the "your home" move. As I walk to the back door he spins around and makes for the doggy door and meets me as I come in. Spinning and skipping along telling me about his day. Quite the talker. Just grinning while I give him his hello pat. Of course when you have Schipps you gotta pet everybody so Bear and Liza get in on all the fun.

This evening he laid down and got a belly rub via foot from Scott... the look on his face was bliss with a capital B and a great doggy grin :) Hobo is really coming into his own in the pack and will get Liza to play with him so they chase each other and play Nascar. You just have to stay out of their way LOL!

Talk to the paw...

Hobo manged to get into the yard behind the house today by scooting out the back door while I was talking to my son's friend. It's where the cars get parked. His world since moving in to be fostered has been limited to the fenced dog yard and the house. We sit on 3 acres so there is a lot a dog could explore given the opportunity.

There I am talking to him, making eye contact, keeping right behind him and it was like .. talk to the paw... When he stopped along the fence to check out the dogs next door that were barking like mad I picked him up. What a grump! You would have thought I interuped him or something ;) grumbled at me with a small growl and I shook him under my arm and told him what I thought of the escapade. If you live with Schipps, you know what I mean LOL! It is good to see his personality staring to come out.

Animal House.. Schipps live here

Yep, we're owned by Schipps... Meet the dog members of the family.

• Bear
• Liza
• Hobo

Top dog is Bear, cow dog smart, he knows "his" toys and just loves to play. You can name a toy like ring or ball and he gets that look of "Oh, where is that?" and he will look around the bed and if not seen will take off on a hunt most often come back with the one asked for. Then the game is on...

Queen Bee is Liza, she always has that soft suck up dog look on her face that says "I'm the good dog" just pet me. Head of the list in pot licking department she let the other dogs know she is in charge. Most days Bear let's her think that too :)

Hobo is the new dog in town. A relative is no longer able to keep him so he is fostering here. A teenager in years. Hobo has been here two weeks now and his personality is really starting to bloom. Playful, talkative, starting to guard the house.

So, got Schipps at your house? I think my favorite thing about Schipperkes is you have a big dog in a little package :)