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 :)