Wonderful Wednesday Personal Blog
3/28/2015 0 Comments Update . . .An update from Wednesday's post. Freki is now fascinated with the cat. She has made a complete turnaround. She now follows him around, literally on his tail, and observes every tiny movement he makes. It is such a huge relief from the barking and threatening behavior, but poor Angus likely wasn't looking for a nanny or guardian, either!
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3/26/2015 0 Comments Wonderful MenagerieI know the post is late this week, but we've had a lot going on. Things have been in a rare upheaval, and it all began with a cat. We'd wanted a cat for a long time. At least, we'd talked about getting a cat. Cute, cuddly, purring- what's not to like about a cat? So, Saturday, I picked out a cat at the local shelter, paid for his neuter, and waited for them to call Monday and say he was ready to come home. We tried to prepare the dogs, really, we did. Showed them the litter box, the treats, crate, toys, food. But somehow, the message didn't get through. Freki hated Angus on sight. It was predictable. Clearly our alpha girl does not like things she cannot control. And she'd never encountered a kitten before. We were subject to her barking, growling, lunging. Angus didn't know what to do. We had ideas, but would they work? With the kitten tucked safely in his crate, we allowed the other dogs a chance to meet wee Angus. When the Corgis didn't seem upset, we let the kitten out. Dixie gave a sigh that pretty much said, Just don't let it touch me. Ben crawled in my lap and nudged the kitten away. They have accepted the change in the house, though the kitten is low man on the totem pole as far as they are concerned. Freki claimed the cat was evil. And her job was to protect the family. It was a long night. I have to admit, things weren't looking good. My day was patterned with carefully rotating who was out, who was in, and who could exist in the same room together. There was no room for error. And then we had a breakthrough. It wasn't easy. It took hours of Freki on leash, Angus given free rein so he did not feel trapped, and me offering calm, reassuring words to both animals. Yesterday morning, we logged an hour. 5 minutes of together time, 5 of treats and play ball in another room. Return to Angus' room, repeat. Last night, two hours. But at the end of the day, Angus stretched out on a box, asleep, I sat on the floor a foot or so away, and Freki laid beside me, gnawing a toy. I'm not saying there won't be spats. And, to tell the truth, Freki jumps two feet off the floor if the kitten so much as sneezes. But everyone has reached their version of a truce, and the house has gone from Defcon 1 (maximum defense readiness) down to Defcon 4 with an eye to everyone's mood and security measures in place. Co-existence seems to be just around the corner. Dare I hope for friendship? This is Spring Break for us and we've been so busy! Lots of jobs around the house, visitors, and pretty weather (well, until today). And thank goodness the back yard fence is complete! The dogs are over the moon, and so am I! I thought I'd share a bit of tongue-in-cheek wisdom about German Shepherds and the way they view things. It's actually pretty accurate for our girl, Freki. The following chart is a fair idea of how things are here. I don't remember who sent me this, but my thanks to the originator, whoever it may be! 'Wilson' is her favorite toy. Unless Ben has something. Notice I did not say 'something more interesting'. Just 'something'. Anything at all. Funny thing is, he knows it and will sometimes grab a toy just to get her to drop the bone she's chewing on. He will act put out for a moment, then go get the bone he wanted all along. End of play. She has her own bed. It's super big and fluffy and she really likes it. But this is the little dogs' bed (Dixie rarely uses one, and often prefers a folded blanket or the cold floor) and Freki just wanted to remind everyone it should be considered hers. Even if she no longer fits on it. They have a large basket of toys, more 'on rotation' in the closet, and a pile waiting to be mended. Yet, Freki plays with Wilson (and yes, she knows which toy Wilson is) with another toy in her mouth, and can sleep on top of several at a time. As far as she's concerned, they are all hers. Rule number 4 comes into play a lot around here. I have to say, rule 10 above is incorrect. It should read, "If it's broken, mom will throw it away and Freki will pine for it." Until Ben goes and gets another toy. Back to rule 4. 3/4/2015 0 Comments Bigger Snow Day!Last week's snow lingered barely 24 hours, then over the weekend, we got hit with 3+ inches of new snow. I know that's not much by some standards, but that's about the limit around here. All of the dogs enjoy time in the snow, and even Dixie at 11 years old played around a bit. With her heavy coat, she wasn't bothered much by the cold and gave me the 'what?' stare when I called her to come inside from the pen. Ben romps in the snow like a bunny- bounding from spot to spot, and roots through the snow with his nose. He must enjoy the sensation, 'cause he does it over and over again. When the water bowl has ice in it, she and Ben break the ice with their forepaws, then drag it out in chunks, slinging it around the yard. When the bowl is piled with snow, Freki is less sure what to do with it, but digging it out seemed a good solution. Oops! Ice again. But this time too thick to break, and she lost interest. Playing ball in the snow is lots of fun, even though the ball doesn't bounce. But it does kick up puffs of snow, and that is crazy fun by GSD standards! Overnight, the snow got a thick coating of ice. Freki enjoyed it, the others, including me, not so much. Two days later, the snow was gone, and the yard became a muddy morass. And it looks like another winter front will sweep through later today. Springtime, anyone? 2/25/2015 0 Comments Snow DayWe finally got a bit of snow. The yucky part was the two layers of ice mixed in. The other yucky part was walking the dogs several times a day in the pelleting sleet and across the icy porch steps. The new yard fence is still under construction. It was easier walking out the front door, but the dogs didn't understand what 'lack of traction' and 'so cold my fingers are numb' mean. Freki was incredibly happy to play in the white stuff, though she ducked her head when the sleet pounded the hardest. Ben is rather indifferent to the snow and cold., but was willing to play for a bit before he took up his post at the gate and asked to be let inside. (Ben is currently curled up beside me on the couch, Freki is hanging off the small dog bed, and Dixie is under my feet. They are all asleep) The cold does wear them out fast, bless their hearts. It takes a lot of energy to stay warm and active. All the dogs prefer the cold to the heat, however, so they will likely be happiest in the house come sumer The birds are happy I filled their feeders yesterday, though I suppose I will have to fill them again this afternoon. They must have told their friends about the feeders, because there has been a host of birds out there since before the weather started yesterday. Birds fighting on the feeders, birds on the ground picking up what the others spilled -- I am sure none of it will go to waste. Hope everyone stays warm and safe. We have more snow and wintery mix predicted for later in the week. Brrr! |
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