Learning to Walk

It's been awhile since my leash training, but I don't recall having any trouble learning the basics. I can heel, sit and down real good. I'm a little fuzzy on that "Come Here!" part, but otherwise I know what I'm doing. Cap and Glynn already knew their parts when they came here, so talking walks is lots of fun with us terriers.

But those poor Boer goats! I've never seen anyone have as much trouble grasping the idea as Leo and Cedric. They are practicing so they can go to the big show next month, but they just don't understand how to walk on a leash. Leo bawls and jumps high in the air, then stomps his feet when he comes down. Cedric, on the other hand, simply folds up and lays down. Sometimes he sprawls on his side, and a couple of times I saw him roll over on his back with his feet in the air like he was pointing toward the moon. How silly is that? My Girl hefts him back upright and they try all over again. After a few steps, Cedric pulls that fainting goat act again.

I tried to show him how it's done, and I told him that walking is lots of fun. We get to run around and see new things, wade in the creek, sniff the chickens (but I told him not to pluck any when Mom's looking), and all kinds of great adventures can happen at the end of a leash.

Cedric says he's perfectly happy in his little barn on the hill. I guess he's not the adventuring kind of guy. Leo just nods and follows Cedric's lead.

I don't know how that show is going to look next month. I think they may be too heavy to pick up and carry by then.

~ Tell

An Intruder in our House

There was a stranger in our house this week. The Intruder came right in the front door with the key, and started messing around in the kitchen. He was opening drawers, turning on the oven and moving things back and forth. He carried a lot of stuff in that smelled interesting, but we weren't allowed to sniff any of it like we wanted to.

The more he moved around, the more fascinating the smells became. He seemed to make himself right at home like he lives here (which he doesn't). He even put a sheet and things on the dining table and lit some candles. That's kind of a no-no in our house. We weren't sure what to do about that, since Mom and Dad and The Kids were all gone. Glynn said we should hide, but Cap said we should just watched him real close. I tried to win him over with my charm, but he wasn't paying much attention to us.

Pretty soon Mom and Dad came home from work. Aha, I thought, now they'll catch this guy in the act of whatever he was doing! This is something I want to see!

But it turned out that The Intruder was welcome in our home after all. Dad had set the whole thing up as a surprise to Mom for their anniversary. The stranger was a gourmet chef and had fixed a candlelight dinner for them. There was salad, red snapper, steamed rice and vegetables, hot bread with REAL butter, and pinoche with raspberries. No wonder our beards were drooly!

Mom was so surprised, she didn't know what to say. She was stunned, and as our Australian friends would have put it, gob-smacked. She told her friends later that it was fun, fun, fun!

Now, if we can just find someone to spice up our doggy dishes the same way...maybe some parsley, and a little twist of lemon on the side...

Tell

The Summer Itchies

It's the height of summer here and very hot. We run around the yard when it's cool in the morning, or in the evening when Mom sits on the porch swing. Glynn even play-bowed for the family a few times today. It's been baby steps getting her to open up to people. She's just not too sure about all this snuggling we do, she thinks we're nuts sometimes. But give her some green grass and open yard, and just watch her go!

There's a big tub of water outside for us. Cap and Glynn like to drink from it, but I think it makes a great pool to cool off. I've even tried digging a hole in the bottom to find more water, and that always makes My Boy laugh.

I've been reading several blogs lately that talk about itching and scratching this time of year. Today, two terriers ask me about my secret to staying itch-free, so I'll share it and hope it helps someone else.

Five years ago, my first summer wasn't so fun. I had what some terriers call "The Summer Itchies." The irritation was terrible and about drove me insane. I scratched, I chewed, I rolled, then scratched some more. I had awful raw places and couldn't seem to stop. My hair fell out in patches and my skin was beet red. Dad finally said, "If we're going to have a dog that scratches, let's do something about it." We went to Doc's place and he drew a little blood for a test tube. I'd like to say I was brave about it, but I was just a wee pup back then and Mom had to bear hug me to be still. Doc sent that tube off to a lab and we waited to see what they could find.

About a week later, Doc looked at the test results and said I was the absolute worst case of allergies he'd ever seen. There was a whole page of pollens, weeds, trees, bugs and food ingredients on the bad list. Everything I touched, ate or even sniffed seemed to be on that paper. Everything but cats. I can have all the cats I want and not break out at all. Imagine that.

The lab made up two bottles of medicine especially for me. Has my name printed right on them, too. I get two shots on the first day of every month all year round. At first, there was only a little improvement, but after a few months I wasn't scratching at all, and my hair started growing back. Life was good again, I can tell you!

Mom puts a little sticker on the calender to remind her that it's my "shot day." Now that I'm a grown terrier, I know to stand still for the injections, and I always get a treat afterwards. It's only a tiny needle and I don't feel it at all.

So if there are any dogs out there that think this might help with their own itchies, I'd be glad to tell them more about it. There's also a link at the bottom of my page so you can look at the lab's web site and even write to them. They're always glad to hear from me and ask how I'm doing every time Mom calls to get a refill. They must be dog people there. They always remember my name.

~ Tell

A Chip on Her Shoulder

The Family thought it was a good idea when I got microchipped. In fact, they decided that all three of us could use a chip on our shoulder, so Mom gathered up Glynn next and took her to see Doc.

They sure got a surprise when they did. When he scanned Glynn's shoulders, she already had a chip! They wrote the number down and talked to Mom about it, and she brought Glynn home to decide what to do next.

If someone gave Glynn a microchip, that probably meant that she has a home somewhere. Is there a family out there wondering what happened to their little dog? Mom and Dad and My Kids talked about it alot. They came up with about a bazillion reasons that Glynn should stay with us. The main reason seems to be that we love her and don't want to let her go.

But they finally decided, hard as it was, to do the right thing. Mom said if one of us got lost, she would want us back and would be worried sick until we were home safe. Painful as it was to do, Dad called the microchip company and told them about Glynn.

It only took less than a minute to find out that no one had reported Glynn missing. In fact, her number had never been entered into the database. Who would go to the trouble to chip a dog, then not pay the few extra dollars to make sure they keep her safe? Since Glynn never talks about her past, we have no way of knowing.

Mom went ahead and told them to register Glynn with our family, so now she's here to stay. We're all very happy about it, and relieved! We didn't want to let her go. Cap and I love our little Sis.

Sometimes Glynn sits out on the grass, looks up and closes her eyes, and just soaks up the sun. Mom thinks she makes a very pretty little yard ornament when she sits still like that, but I wonder if it's because she's happy in our home.

I know we're all happy to have her here to stay.

~ Tell

For Dear Oscar

This poem is for my friend, Oscar, who left us too young...

HAVE YOU A DOG IN HEAVEN?
Have you a dog in Heaven, Lord? And do you pat its head?
Does he sit up and beg each night before he goes to bed?
Does he look up with shining eyes when he sees Your smilling face?
Does he wag his stubby little tail when he wants to run a race?

Have You a dog in Heaven, Lord? Is there room for just one more?
Cause my little dog died today; he'll be waiting at Your door.
Please take him into Heaven, Lord. And keep him there for me,
Just feed him, pet him, love him, Lord,
That's all he'll ask of Thee.

by Jean McColgan

Funny-Looking Friends

Today Glynn and I were checking the barns and we stumbled across a couple of strange creatures. I knew My Boy and My Girl had been spending a lot of time at the little barn up on the hill, but I didn't know what was in there.

At first I smelled something odd, so I looked inside. I'd never seen anything like these fellows before. They were white with red heads (like me), and very long ears. Funniest-looking dogs I've ever seen. I slipped through the fence and went right up to introduce myself to them, and they ran! Hey, they must want to play, I thought, so I bounced right along with them. We had fun romping together. They said their names are Leo and Cedric, and they are blue-blooded Boers. My Girl and My Boy are going to take them to shows this fall.

Glynn wasn't too sure about them and she just sniffed a little. She's a little shy like that. When we got back to the house, Cap said he didn't believe us at all.

Yeah, I guess it is something you would have to see for yourself.

Take care, friends, and stay cool this summer!

William Tell

In the Dog House, Again (sigh)

Yaaarrr, mateys! As you can see, I'm feeling a bit swash-buckly today after having my picture taken for my friend Jackson's beard and mustache competition. It was great fun -- lots of furry doggy faces in those photos. Congratulations to the winner, Pappy, and his outstanding mustache! Mom thought to enhance my good looks by dressing me up as a pirate. Just call me Captain William Tell Whistlebritches.

We had an exciting weekend at the farm. I managed to slip out the gate again and plucked another of the laying hens. I never kill any, just denude them. Mom got mad and called me a "chicken-pluckin' dog". Then she said that my escapade was one too many, and that someday I'm gonna get lost out there in the big wide world. So she took me to the vet and had me microchipped. It didn't hurt a bit, and now I beep when I'm scanned. Mom said it's too bad I can't be implanted with a GPA chip so she could track my whereabouts when I go AWOL. I don't mean to cause all this trouble, but I just can't seem to help myself. When I see an opportunity, I go for it!

As for the little speckled hen, she's not speaking to me today, and the rooster is keeping a beady eye on the flock. I guess this means I'm in the dog house for the moment. I try not to let it bother me too much, though. They never stay mad at me for long. I guess it's my good looks?

It's another rainy day outside with lots of thunder. Good day to stay indoors with the kids. Stay safe, wiry friends, until next time!

~ Tell