Woolly Mutts

It's the simple things.....

This is Miss Magnolia:

AKA, squirrel, fur machine, and Frankie's b*t#h.  She is a little cat weighing in at around 6 lbs and very beautiful.  Bright...not so much.  Her favorite hang out is my desk, which is mostly ok if you don't factor in the limited dimensions of my desk, the constant haze of white fur that floats around her, and the standing directly in front of the monitor demanding attention.    Those things aside, she is good company.  We are an all cloth napkin, all the time sort of family and...ok....I admit that I do a good share of eating here on my desk and with the eating comes the napkins.

One day we discovered that Magnolia was regularly taking up residence on a left over napkin.  I did a little experiment and moved the napkins.  Where they went, so did she.  No cat bed necessary, any napkin will so.

This morning I was gathering things for a load of laundry and grabbed the napkin on the desk, without replacing it with a new one.  I returned to find her standing in that bare space with that look of disapproval that only a cat can give.  I got her a new napkin and now all is well.  As you can see from the pictures, she and her napkin are a nice fit.  Silly Magnolia.....it really is the simple things that make life good.

Discombobulated Animals

Discombobulated is a word.  I looked it up. 

dis·com·bob·u·late

  /ˌdɪskəmˈbɒbyəˌleɪt/ Show Spelled[dis-kuhm-bob-yuh-leyt]

–verb (used with object),-lat·ed, -lat·ing.

to confuse or disconcert; upset; frustrate: The speaker was completely discombobulated by the hecklers.

In our case the cats are completely discombobulated by each other and the dogs are discombobulated by the cats.  Here's why:

 

The cats are naked.

There is one missing from this picture, Frank, who has not yet found the courage to venture past the gated family room.  He sits in there and cries.  It's just pathetic.  Our cats are Himalayans.  Aloof, a little crazy, and really, really, really, (x1000) furry.  They are bred to be so.  When they were kittens and little balls of fluff I thought it was so cute.  Now, 8 or so years later the cute has turned into matting and constant need to vacuum.  When I say "constant" I am in no way exaggerating. Literally 2 minutes after the vacuum is put away there is fur on the carpet. (Please, no comments on how brushing will make this better.  All three have claws and I value my appendages.  Let's just say "we tried" and leave it at that, ok?) During the warmer months we have them groomed.  In the past we have had them groomed one at a time, but we just found this great mobile groomer and decided to kill three hairballs with one stone.  So to speak. They call this The Lion Cut, which just cracks me up. 

Here's the thing: naked cats become instantly unrecognizable to the rest of the animal family, even to each other.  When the cats see each other they hiss and spit and run away.  It's actually sort of funny.  The picture above was 2 days post grooming and two of them, Maddie and Magnolia, have come to a silent agreement that if they don't look a each other, they may share the bed.  I've put the heating pad under the blanket to draw them to some heat.  It's been cold and rainy here for 3 days and the poor things are freezing. If they turn and look at each other, all bets are off and they scatter.  All kinds of crazy  going on here.

To the dogs of our furry family, they are three new, and somewhat unwelcome, cats.  Any time one of them runs the dogs chase. It's really hard to explain to a cat that if they just walk slowly everything will be fine. AH and I have become the dog police, with a watchful eye and stern reprimands.  Yeah, it's not working so well.

Eventually, they all remember who they are and things will settle down.  At least with all of them being done at the same time we only have to go through the discombobulation once.

Sunday Cats

What we should all be doing on a Sunday.....napping.

Frank

Maddie

Magnolia

Himalayans have the most beautiful eyes.

All photos taken by Amazing Husband and his amazing camera.  Isn't that last one of Magnolia lovely?

Happy Super Bowl!  Hope your team wins.

Our resident klepto.

Madagascar Moon Schmidt, a.k.a Maddie.  Black fur, gold eyes, last seen dragging yet another knitted item down the hallway. 

We have three cats.  Each cat has its own little set of quirks.  Frank is the King of cats and don't you forget it.  He is the oldest, wisest, and grumpiest.  Magnolia is the beauty queen who prefers not to have her fur ruffled because it takes so very long to get it back the way she likes it. Frank and Nolie are an item. Maddie is a loner and, except for the little stealing problem, the most normal of the cats.  Normal is such a relative word. 

Maddie likes wool.  Any knitted wool item left without protection will be pulled on the floor, dragged down the hallway and then kneaded and chewed.  When we first noticed this problem it was sort of cute.  After having to put countless projects back on the needles after she dragged it away and mangled it, not so much any more.  All knitting must be put back in bag; all yarn balls must be put away in room and door closed.  It is now a way of life to protect all wool from the claws of Miss Maddie.  We thought we had dealt with the issue.

Last week my bracelet was missing.  A friend had beaded me a beautiful black bracelet for my birthday.  It is the perfect size and I wear it frequently.  Bad habit of mine is to take off my jewelry as I sit at the computer.  Not the best practice, but I generally know where to go looking for what I can't find in the jewelry box.  I looked everywhere and no bracelet.  I happened to look out in the hallway and there was Maddie dragging my bracelet in her teeth.  What followed was the cat chase/fight for the bracelet.  I won. This time. 

So what is up with this new development? Is she now attracted to shiny things like a big furry, black crow?  Does it have something to do with my scent?  We will probably never know.  Good thing we're cleaning the basement cuz I bet she has a stash down there.  Who knows what we'll find!

No, no bad dog!

This is Cooper and he is a bad dog.  For those unfamiliar, Cooper is the oldest and largest of the Muttville Mutts weighing in at about 150, give or take a few.  He is not generally a bad dog.  To put it in kind terms, he lacks the imagination and motivation needed to pull off any seriously bad behavior. (dumb as dirt)  The most annoying things he does is block any and all floor space (making walking through the house a slightly more aerobic activity) and drool.  The drooling can be a little disgusting, but he is half St. Bernard and the loose lips come with the breed.  We love him anyway.  He is generally perfectly happy to let Samten, the smaller and wiser of the Mutts, do most of the dirty work.

There are only two things that can cause Cooper to rise from his sedentary life and pretty much lose his mind; coyotes and kids on skateboards.  Luckily, we don't see too many coyotes, but our neighborhood is heavily populated with kids on skateboards.  The Mutts are kept within their yard boundaries by means of an invisible fence.  They wear collars that warn them with a beep when are are near the boundary, and a little electrical buzz when they actually cross it.  Kids on bikes and skateboards go by multiple times a day and Cooper may give a half hearted attempt at chase, but stays in his yard. Trying to reward good behavior, over the last year we have been letting the dogs run without the collars. Yeah, my mistake.

Yesterday AH has gone on a food run and Cooper is outside waiting for his return.  I am sitting at this very computer with a good view of the front yard and Cooper.  I hear the sound of skateboard wheels, Cooper's deep WOOF and off he goes, right out into the street after the kid on the skateboard.  I run out the door yelling his name and watch as he chases this kid (who is now moving at speeds that I was not aware a skateboard was capable of) for a block or two.  Lucky for all of us Cooper is great at a sprint, but not so much for the long haul.  He got tired and happily came home.  And when I say happy, I mean he was SO happy it was just ridiculous.  He could have cared less that he was in serious trouble.  Samten, on the other hand, who had stayed in his yard like a good dog, was hiding under the table with his eyes covered while I scolded Cooper.

The good news: the new dog food that we have recently switched them to (Blue) is clearly working to make Cooper stronger and free of the hip pain he had been suffering from.

Bad news?: the collars are back on both dogs.  Samten is not amused.

Frank has a new haircut.

 

 

 

 

Frank, a.k.a Mr. Frankinsence and Purr, is such a nut.  Most of the time he a big old grouch and really wants nothing whatsoever to do with any of us, except Miss Magnolia who he has a bit of an off-and-on again relationship with.  They are off right now because Frank has his new summer do and Miss Magnolia, being a bit of a flake, does not recognize the new and improved Frank.  This being the case he must lower himself to receive affection from the humans.  Not to worry, he'll get back into Miss Magnolia's good graces any day now.  Until then he is always on my computer desk soaking in the heat from the Ot lamp that hangs there.  He paces the desk and insists that I stop all work and pay attention only to him.  As I type this he is hanging over the keyboard like a vulture.  In a week he won't remember my name, much less stalk me for attention.  I rather like his new do.  His little fuzzy paws and cute little rolls of kitty flesh.  Himmies, while very lovely cats, need constant grooming and occasionally professional hair help to keep them matt free and healthy, and to keep the rolling balls of cat hair to a minimum.

I admit to enjoying these few days of Frank's attention, but dude, I need to get some work done!

When the cure is worse that the problem.

I was going to begin this day with a fun post about something exciting that happened to me yesterday, and I promise I will get to that soon, but instead I think this is more important, especially for pet owners.

Yesterday afternoon I was running my hands over Samten and found a couple of wood ticks.  This is the beginning of tick season, so I wasn't surprised and I've pulled more than my share of ticks off of dogs, kids, and myself so it was no reason to freak out.  I called AH and asked him to stop at Petsmart and pick up some Frontline so we could begin doing the suggested application.  Living in a wooded area and with the dogs outside as much as they are, we've always felt it prudent to apply the flea and tick protection and  have never had any trouble or side effects on either dog.  Well, Petsmart did not have our usual brand, so AH picked up Sentry Pro XFC.  He applied it to Samten about 7:30 or so.  By 9:00 it was clear that something wasn't right.  Sam was very restless, licking the air and shaking his head like his ears were infected.  We decided it must be the Sentry so we quickly gave him a bath, with little or no effect.

Of course, as with all emergencies with pets and kids, the vet was closed so AH called the emergency vet who seemed pretty well acquainted with this sort of thing happening.  She suggested that we bathe Sam again, but this time in Dawn dishwashing liquid, so AH did.  Samten has a great many allergies, so we also gave him an antihistamine and still, he could not rest.  AH also called the number on the back of the box and got about the same information as the emergency vet.  After trying a few things it seemed that if we lay down next to Sam and stroked his head he would calm down, so AH (again with the wonderfulness) made a bed on the floor of the office and spent the night there. This morning Sam is still a little restless and still shakes his head a lot, but overall he is better.  Our vet opens at 1:00 and we'll call her and see if there is anything else we should do.  I am trying very hard not to over react, but after losing mother, the thought of losing this dog makes me walk a little on the crazy side of the street.

After doing some internet research it appears that this is a common problem with this product and other dogs have had similar reactions, or worse, including seizures and even death.  Apparently these drugs are not regulated by the FDA, but rather the EPA since they are considered pesticides.  Great.  All these years I've been poisoning our dogs.  We are so careful not to put any chemicals on our yard or gardens, but have been carelessly putting them on our dogs backs year after year.  Research also shows that the effects can be cumulative.

I think we dodged a pretty scary bullet with Sam.  He is eating, playing, wagging his tail, and showing improvement as the day goes on, but our eyes are certainly opened.  We are now researching a holistic or natural way to keep our dogs flea and tick free and suggestions are always welcome. If you're on facebook, AH has started a facebook page to raise awareness of the dangers of this product. 

First Dogs

The first family have a new first dog, Bo.  He a Portuguese Water Dog and SO adorable.  I hope he brings as much love to their family as our first dog look-a-like does to ours.

Samten, Tibetan Terrier/Standard Poodle and no relation to the First Dog.  Perhaps we can get him some work as a celebrity impersonator? :-)

March, the month of MUD, begins early.

We have been having some strange-o weather.  The last few days have been over warm and today we are expecting thunder storms, which are welcome, but lord-have-mercy, the mud.  There has been extreme snow melt and there isn't a square inch in the yard that hasn't got some consistency of mud.  We live on a corner lot and our dogs have a little over an acre to run as they please. Samten, who LIVES for the bunny/squirrel chase, spends all day outside sniffing out every little critter that every left a scent beneath the snow, coming back in wet and muddy up to his doggy arm pits.  At least he's having fun.

Yesterday AH went outside with a laundry basket and picked up the 75 or so tennis balls that Sam or Cooper took outside and didn't bring back in.  Along with the critter compulsion, Samten is also all about the ball.  AH stands on the back deck with a tennis racket and smacks the balls as far out into the field as he is able and off Sam goes (we call him rocket dog), quickly returning with the ball.  Cooper is not so much into the chase, but rather likes to carry them around in his mouth, usually 2 or 3 at a time, and then drops them and they are lost until Spring. Tennis balls: the simple, but versatile dog toy.

So, AH brings in all these balls and runs them through a wash cycle to get them mildew and mud free, dries them, and then brings them back up to refill the ball basket.  Samten is beside himself with joy.  He stands over the now full basket and sniffs them all, little tail wagging like crazy.  He picks out the ones he likes and drops them on the floor all over the room and finally collapses in doggie joy with the favored ball.
 

Even the month of MUD cannot diminish the dog love.  I cannot imagine life without them.

Can't we all just get along?

In Muttville, Wednesday night is family dinner night.  All local family members, including the furry ones, gather in our much-too-small dining room for dinner and conversation.  Now that LOST has begun again we get through dinner a little more quickly and adjourn to the family room where we can be entertained and perplexed by an hour of LOST.  Ever since our family welcomed Sadira, Kysa and Josh's dog, there has been a little pack posturing.   Sadira loves Samten.  She usually avoids Cooper who is the clear alpha, but pesters Samten constantly.  She is still a puppy and wants to play, but there is also some desire on her part to be Cooper's second in command.  Samten, who has always been much too serious a dog to be very playful is deeply annoyed by Sadira, but will generally do nothing aggressive to stop her.

So Wednesday night we were sitting in the family room watching LOST and Sadira decides that she ought to join her family on the loveseat and hops up and makes herself comfy.  The rule has always been no dogs on the furniture, but we were all paying more attention to the TV than the dogs and ignored her. (small deviation - see that orb on the wall behind the sofa?  I'm sure it has something to do with the flash, but perhaps we have astral visitors.) Samten, who is too smart for his own good, stands and observes Sadira on the sofa, contemplates for a moment and then jumps up on the couch between AH and I, lays his head on the pillow and settles right in.  We decide that occasional exceptions to any rule is acceptable and continue watching LOST and ignoring dogs.  A few minutes later Sadira gets down, comes over to Sam and puts her nose right up to his.  He curls a lip in warning and then snaps at her.  He was careful not to actually bite her, but it was clear he was finally letting her know what her boundaries were.  I don't know if it was because he was sitting between AH and I, or just plain fed up, but it sure got our attention.  Sadira backed off and it will be interesting to see if things change next Wednesday night.  We have decided to let the dogs work it out, but sometimes its hard not to feel a little sorry for Sam. We are lucky that they are all well trained (well, except for the furniture thing) and obedient animals and would love for them all to easy with each other.  Perhaps in time.