Ellen Fitzgerald Sang It, Too

It seems like fall is right around the corner. The weather has cooled to a tolerable degree, and it's nice to get out and romp a bit with My Boy in the evenings. Went for a romp without him last night. Got in trouble for it. Didn't much care, though, except I'm back on leash now. Cramps my style somewhat.


Sometimes we take in critters other than cats and dogs to foster. Yesterday the Animal Control Officer brought us a young bird. I have a feeling he won't be with us too long. His landing gear works well, but his flappers need a little exercise before he takes off. A couple days of R&R should have him sailing right out the door. The first inkling I had that another bird was in the house was when I heard, "Woo-oo-oo-oo..." What a sad sound. My Boy says that it is called a turtledove, also a mourning dove because they have such a sad song.

I wonder if he knows Melancholy Baby? I can hum a few bars to get him started...
~Tell

I Try My Hand at Reading Sign

Been missing out on my blogging lately, mainly because we've been so busy this summer. Been fostering a few fellow doggies down on their luck. First there was a ginormous Wolf-hybrid named Cherokee. He was a bit aloof, so I didn't get to know him too well while he was here. Honestly, I don't know what Mom was thinking when she took him in. He howled night and day. I was a bit alarmed at how he licked his chops when he looked at me, too. Anyway, he went on to a nice rescue. Then we played host to Ol' Red, the bloodhound. We had a great time together. He taught all of us how to bay. I was pretty impressed at his ability to sling slobbers when he shook his head, too. I tried a few times but I don't have the jowls for that trick. Made myself dizzy trying. Last I saw of Red, he was heading to a rescue in Colorado. Hope he sends us a postcard from the Rockies. And last, we had a graceful old Boxer named Nell. She was quite prim and proper, used the Queen's English and all, but I got her to snort when she laughed. The old gal was quite entertaining when she loosened up.

On our daily walks, we ran across a few footprints in the pasture. Being a Louis L'Amour fan (I'm named after a Sackett character, by the way), I like to try my hand at reading tracks. This first one looks like a coyote track. Smelled like one, too.

Dragging me right along, My Boy and I ran across a raccoon track. Almost looks human, doesn't it?

Then there was this track. We puzzled over it for a while, and never did figure it out. I suspect a three-toed Sasquatch was wandering about. That's when we decided to go home and lock the door.

Wishing everyone a happy Labor Day weekend! My Boy will be in the Labor Day Parade on Monday. Maybe he'll let me ride the float and throw some candy, too!

~Tell

I Got What I Wished For!

So there I was, endlessly grousing about the lack of wiry pups to help in this area, when what do you suppose we got?


That's right! An Airedale! Rowdy is a nine-month-old pup with impeccable manners. My Family totally fell in love with him while he stayed with us for a couple of days. He got a flea bath, vaccinations, heartworm test and (whisper) neutered while he visited, but did he hold any of that against us? No, sirree Bob. He was tail-waggin' happy the whole time. Rowdy left this morning with a nice lady from Oklahoma Airedale Rescue, and methinks he took a little piece of Mom's heart with him when he walked out the door. What a classy gentleman he was. Good luck finding your furever home, Rowdy. Somebody out there is going to love you!

~Tell

Love Those Fosters

With the temperatures soaring over 100 degrees here in Oklahoma, we're staying cool as much as we can. No riding in the pickup for us this week because of the heat. The grass is turning a little brown and getting crunchy under our feet. One of my favorite things to do is stand under the spray when Mom is watering the grass and flowers. I can really soak that cool water up and then shake it off! Glynn gave it a try but decided after a few minutes that she didn't much care for it. Cap said it wasn't his cup of tea, either.

We're so thankful for caring dogs and their families, like our friend Mackie. He takes in fellow wire fox terriers that need a place to stay until they find their furever homes. It warms the heart to know that these unfortunate pups are getting the help they need and finally know they are loved. Great job, Mackie! As much as we'd like to take in some foster wires, we just don't seem to be able to find any in our neck of the woods. Boxers and Dobies, yes. Jack Russels, oh yeah. Even a few kitties have come and gone. But no wires like me. Not even close. This is as good as we get...

Our latest foster is a barred owl with a broken wing. Fortunately, it's already beginning to heal and it won't be long before he's on the fly again. We get a lot of birds of prey from the game wardens, but Mom draws the line at possums and raccoons in the house. Anything that climbs up her pants leg makes her squeal (hee hee).

~Tell

Bye, Bye Puppy

Good news for our little foster girl. She found her furever home in record time. Actually, she came and went out of my life so fast my head is spinning. I hear girls do that to you sometimes. Anyway, as much as I miss her, I'm glad to see her settled with a family all her own. That's just what she needed. It was nice to see her gaining confidence over the three days she was here. She had just started doing Snoopy dances around Mom's feet at chow time when her new owner declared her a keeper. Call it puppy love, I guess.
Now on to other things. My Boy and I like to take walks in the woods together. Actually, he walks and I run. I cover more ground that he does. I find some very interesting things to investigate and sniff. Sometimes roll in. Then Dad got a idea and bought a Trailcam to hang in the woods. It's an outdoor camera that takes pictures when something moves in front of it. We found a great photo of a doe the first time we checked the camera chip inside. It's fun to see what moves around in the woods when we're not there. Isn't she lovely?

Then we found something that made us sit up and take notice. Can you guess what this creature is? Not a dog, or a cat, or a cow, or any of the other things I see around the farm.

Dad says it is a feral hog trying to eat our camera! Hogs will eat about anything, and lots of things they shouldn't. They can be dangerous, too, when surprised. Now, not only do I have to worry about My Boy and myself getting eaten by a Sasquatch, I have to worry about wild pigs, too. I've seen that movie Old Yeller, and it wasn't pretty. No sirree. A hog is nothing to mess with.
~Tell

I Think I'm in Love!

Dad came in yesterday with the cutest little puppy ever. I think I'm in love! He found her at a city pound on her last day. He scooped her up and brought her home.

She's a Jack Russell terrier, a bit shell-shocked and subdued at the moment but I'm sure she'll bounce out of that with time. I'm not allowed to rough-house with her until she overcomes her shyness. We're also working on some people-skills. I did get to sniff her through the crate door, but it made her curl up in a fetal position and hide her head, even though I wagged my tail as hard as I could. The vet says she has a skin problem caused by unsanitary conditions, mainly on her feet and tail, but that will clear up soon enough. Hopefully in a few days we'll be officially introduced and I can teach her how to have some fun on the farm. I'll bet she's never even seen a chicken up close.Right now her favorite place is to snuggle up on My Girl's lap. She feels really safe there, and she gets lots of loving and touching. Mom says the puppy is not going up for adoption until she's spayed and had all her puppy shots caught up to date. I vote to keep her myself, but since there's three of us terriers, plus ol' Buckaroo, we've kinda got a full house as it is. Ah, come on, Mom! How can you resist those eyes?

~Tell

Another Person's Treasure

Here's a photo of our latest foster dog. This puppy's owner says he wouldn't stay in the yard and was too much trouble, so he didn't want him anymore. I don't know who could look at this face and not fall in love with those chocolate eyes. So he came home with us today, and we call him Buck. Or as My Boy calls him, Buckaroo Bonzai. After a nice flea bath, a new collar and a trip to the vet for vaccinations, he says he feels like a new dog. My new buddy Buck's a lot of fun, though he's all clumsy puppy at the moment and tends to body slam when he moves too fast. Slick tile floors aren't his cup of tea, either, but he's learning might fast which way is up.

Hey, I'm a lot of trouble myself and I don't always sit/stay where I'm supposed to, but Mom and Dad wouldn't get rid of me, ever! Mom says being troublesome is part of my charm. So if The Family can love me, warts and all, they can take in a prodigal pup who needs adult supervision most of the time. This one might even stay permanently, since Dad is especially fond of English Pointers and had one when he was a kid.

And do you know what Dad's called his first birddog? Buck, of course!

~Tell