Hello, I've been so busy with the new addition to our family. We had never adopted a pet (that was already grown) so, we had to get used to having an adult doggie. And any habits that she may have picked up from previous owners. The only one being that she loves to jump up to greet us. And she loves to dig holes in the yard...we're not sure if this is from boredom or just a new hobby. Our goal is to keep her active and busy. To achieve this we go on walks at least 3 times a week. Mornings are best. This activity is very good for me as well. I'd been wanting to walk...but its not a lot of fun going alone. Dolena does very well to walk beside me, as if she had been trained to do this all along. The only draw back is if a bunny pops out from behind a bush or walkway. Dolena will point... tail straight out... watching & waiting to see if I will allow her to chase down the furry prey. Of course, this is out of the question... I like rabbits too much to see a dog or hunter kill it either out of fun or to (ugh) eat. I'm sure someone would point out that it "tastes" just like chicken. But I'd rather not discuss this point any further. ;)
Now back to the original point of the story... When she does stop suddenly... I'm having to tug her away from the spot she is standing. This can be difficult... we are talking about a 44 lb dog, now feeling like 100 lbs of dead weight! Thank God for extend leashes!! Who came up with this wonderful gadget? The last time we had a dog, was back in the early 90's... he was a collie...beautiful white and camel brown coat. His name was Buff. Raised him from a pup. No matter how hard we tried we could not seem to get this dog interested in walking on a leash. My husband used to "walk" him by allowing him to run out away from our house...into a wooded area. They both seemed to enjoy this. I, on the other hand did not join in this romp. I preferred to tie the poochie out on the cable. This worked great. Not only did it provide the dog some kind of exercise but it also kept people traffic down. We lived in a townhouse an end unit and no fence. And it was on an Air Force base to boot. I remember it well. The kitchen window faced out to the open side of the unit. One evening kinda late, I had the pull-down shade drawn to about an inch opening to let in the cool summer air... I had just finished up the dishes, and the dog was napping on the floor. Turned off the kitchen light when I heard sounds of foot steps... like someone had just completed their run or jog. Then I heard what sounded like heavy breaths. I started to freak, as I crouched down to listen. It was if the person was standing within inches of the window... as if they were trying to look in.... by this time I got on my hands and knees...hoping and praying whoever was out there lurking in the darkness would just leave. Before I could catch my next heart-throbbing breath... the dog woke up with a loud bark as if to warn the stranger-- Keep Away--!! I crawled my way to the kitchen drawer to get a flash light. When Buff stopped barking, I knew it must be safe to get up and see if I could see anything.... I pointed the light on the tall pine trees surrounding our unit, then to the small bush...feeling relieved and satisfied that the stranger had moved on... I relaxed on the couch to watch the tv. I was grateful to the watchful eye of our dog back then.... as I am now. Only this time we live near a busy road. Our backyard is fully fenced. So we don't usually have any problems with unwanted visitors. But out front is a different story. Not only do we have car traffic, we see bikers, people walking, kids, teenagers hanging around at the end of the street, and the occasional unwanted solicitor. Now, I feel secure knowing I can leave my storm door locked, and if I happen to be busy in the next room my dog will let me know by barking when a stranger comes to the door. Solicitors beware!
Switching topics what are your plans for the 4th? Considering that I haven't made an entry on this blog for a long time, I doubt that anyone will actually comment.... but I will still ask. We plan to have a cookout if the weather is fitting. And we plan to have some family over. I think hamburgers, chicken and hotdogs will be on the menu. Along with side dishes of baked beans and potatoes I haven't decided how I will fix the potatoes. I still need to contact everyone to see what they would like to bring. I hope that the night is clear for fireworks. Last year, we weren't too sure where they would be doing the firework display so we ended up driving in all directions. This year, we will consult the newspaper to see just where and when! Hopefully the dog won't go nuts hearing the booms and bangs from local fireworks.
Happy 4th!!
Now back to the original point of the story... When she does stop suddenly... I'm having to tug her away from the spot she is standing. This can be difficult... we are talking about a 44 lb dog, now feeling like 100 lbs of dead weight! Thank God for extend leashes!! Who came up with this wonderful gadget? The last time we had a dog, was back in the early 90's... he was a collie...beautiful white and camel brown coat. His name was Buff. Raised him from a pup. No matter how hard we tried we could not seem to get this dog interested in walking on a leash. My husband used to "walk" him by allowing him to run out away from our house...into a wooded area. They both seemed to enjoy this. I, on the other hand did not join in this romp. I preferred to tie the poochie out on the cable. This worked great. Not only did it provide the dog some kind of exercise but it also kept people traffic down. We lived in a townhouse an end unit and no fence. And it was on an Air Force base to boot. I remember it well. The kitchen window faced out to the open side of the unit. One evening kinda late, I had the pull-down shade drawn to about an inch opening to let in the cool summer air... I had just finished up the dishes, and the dog was napping on the floor. Turned off the kitchen light when I heard sounds of foot steps... like someone had just completed their run or jog. Then I heard what sounded like heavy breaths. I started to freak, as I crouched down to listen. It was if the person was standing within inches of the window... as if they were trying to look in.... by this time I got on my hands and knees...hoping and praying whoever was out there lurking in the darkness would just leave. Before I could catch my next heart-throbbing breath... the dog woke up with a loud bark as if to warn the stranger-- Keep Away--!! I crawled my way to the kitchen drawer to get a flash light. When Buff stopped barking, I knew it must be safe to get up and see if I could see anything.... I pointed the light on the tall pine trees surrounding our unit, then to the small bush...feeling relieved and satisfied that the stranger had moved on... I relaxed on the couch to watch the tv. I was grateful to the watchful eye of our dog back then.... as I am now. Only this time we live near a busy road. Our backyard is fully fenced. So we don't usually have any problems with unwanted visitors. But out front is a different story. Not only do we have car traffic, we see bikers, people walking, kids, teenagers hanging around at the end of the street, and the occasional unwanted solicitor. Now, I feel secure knowing I can leave my storm door locked, and if I happen to be busy in the next room my dog will let me know by barking when a stranger comes to the door. Solicitors beware!
Switching topics what are your plans for the 4th? Considering that I haven't made an entry on this blog for a long time, I doubt that anyone will actually comment.... but I will still ask. We plan to have a cookout if the weather is fitting. And we plan to have some family over. I think hamburgers, chicken and hotdogs will be on the menu. Along with side dishes of baked beans and potatoes I haven't decided how I will fix the potatoes. I still need to contact everyone to see what they would like to bring. I hope that the night is clear for fireworks. Last year, we weren't too sure where they would be doing the firework display so we ended up driving in all directions. This year, we will consult the newspaper to see just where and when! Hopefully the dog won't go nuts hearing the booms and bangs from local fireworks.
Happy 4th!!
