Going to the Dogs

The Dogs Guide to Human Words!

2009-10-10T14:16:00.000-07:00

Here is what we will tell you about today. Words. Humans have good words and bad words. We, Stella and Lena, have decided that it is time to bury all bad human words. I Stella will start to dig the hole right now. Here is what will go deep into the hole.

First, the words "BAD DOG". These are the very, very worst of all human words. We do not want to hear them ever again. Ha! Into the very bottom of the hole.

Next in is the word "NO." We dogs hates this word. "No" goes in right on top of "bad dog."

Okay, get ready now for these next words, "Back", "Inside", and "Down". These are not as bad as the first two but still, who needs them? Not us.

Oh noes, we almost forgot. The third baddest of human words - "time for a bath." Mom said this to both of us last week. It was really awful what happened next. Why does she do these kind of bad things to us? She says she loves us but she makes cold water squirt all over us. Bad mom! There. See how it feels!

Now for the good words. We plan to train mom to say these lots and lots of times. I Lena will tell you about some of my bestest human words.

Good Dog. This is what mom says when she is happy with us and gives us smiles and hugs and yummsy things to eat. We have to do what her words tell us to get her to say this "good dog" to us.

Cookies - Almost the best. Sometimes mom just yells "Cookies" because she loves us and we run and wriggle and she gives us cookies. Sometimes we have to show her all of our special tricks before she will gives them to us.

Bonesos - Not sure which is better actually, bonesos or cookies.

More words we like and want to hear more of. Lots more of. Here they are . . . Walk. Go. Get in the truck. Up. Lets Go. Hugs. Squeekie. Zoomies .

There, you see there are many human words that are the best and can be said just as easy as the words that we have decided must go and are now going to be buried once and for all.

The Last Day of Summer Vacation

2009-08-30T18:59:00.001-07:00

We have to speak, we do. If we wait for mom to write the words for our blog, we will be putting on ice skates in that hot place down there, far under the ground.

Today is a very, very sad day. Tomorrow we start the time when mom gets up early and kicks us out of our softies on the bed. She will make us go outside in the cold and damp grass while she showers and dresses in fancy clothes that she says we can't shed on. Then she leaves us. Everyday. For a long time.

Mom is not happy either. She says that summer vacation is over. We don't know what a vacation is but when mom is with us all day, we sure have fun. Here are lots of pictures of us, having fun for weeks and weeks and weeks. Mom says this is what summer vacations are for. Fun. We say they are for the dogs. We likes them the best.

Here I, Stella, am doing walkies in my easy leader. See how it matches my special colors.

Sometimes mom hitches us together and we go for walkies.

Ha ha, here I Lena gots to go camping with mom without Stella. It would have been
perfect but somehow that stupid Red Horse got to come along and I had to stay at the
tent when mom and Red Horse got to ride on lots and lots of trails.

Oh ha ha ha. And here's I Stella playing the game called "pay backs" on Lena.

We like to steal the horses' water cuz they always steals mom's attention from us.

But horses do one good thing - they make the very best stinkies
to roll in, lots and lots of stinkies.

We love to run chases.

Really loves it.

Zoomies are even better than walkies.

I Lena am a versatile dog and do many jobs. Here I am watching the ocean.

Here is the water trying to trick me by tasting of too much salt.

I didn't like that so I am pawing the tricksy water.

Heh, heh, and here I am again teaching Stella the not-so-scary pit bull who is the alpha dog . . . er, hope mom isn't watching cuz she will say SHE is the alpha dog.

This is my "aren't I a good, cute dog" face I saves just for mom. I am waiting for her to say "OK" so I can runs across the street into the place where Red Horse lives. I am happy becuz I am going to get to roll in my bestest most favorite smells, horse stinkies. Did I tell you I don't just roll in them? Horse stinkies are yummy to crunch on.

We know there haven't been too many blog stories about us lately, but we want everyone to know it is cuz of all our fun. At least we have lots of fun times to dream about while we wait for mom to come home from work. We have to go through the wet times and the cold times and the windy times before next summer fun times returns for us.

Wordless Wednesday: Wiggles

2009-08-12T11:56:00.001-07:00

Lena: Oh Oh!

2009-06-28T23:13:00.000-07:00

Lena is Going Horse Camping!

2009-05-28T20:00:00.001-07:00

Be back on Sunday!!!

Lena doesn't know it yet, but she is going horse camping for the weekend at Cuneo Creek Trail Camp. She is so comfortable and sensible around horses, I think she'll have a blast even though she can't go out on the trail.

Stella will stress too much around so many horses so she will get to hang with my son's dogs Ben and Willow. She'll have her own fun weekend playing with her extended family.

Remember the Animals who Served

2009-05-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

Today please remember the many animals who gave their lives,

conscripted to serve humans in war:

Statistics of the heavy, heavy toll of war born by those

who had no choice (stats from BBC article, 11/24/2004 ).

Horses - Eight million killed in WWI alone, carrying men, arms and supplies into battle

Pigeons - 200,000 used as messengers in WWII. Of 17,000 parachuted into enemy territory, fewer than one in eight returned.

Dogs - used to hunt mines and search for the wounded. Still routinely used today

Mules - used as transport in the Burmese jungle, with their vocal chords slashed to keep them quiet

Camels, oxen and elephants - used for similar purposes elsewhere

Dolphins and sea lions - used today to find underwater mines and protect ships

Glow worms - used in WWI as an aid for map reading

Lena Giving Me the Post-bath, Still Not Forgiven Look

2009-05-12T23:08:00.000-07:00

Lena's Revenge!

2009-04-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

One of our local feed stores, "The Farm Store" sponsors many fun events supporting local animal rescues. Yesterday Stella, Lena and I went to their "Save a Life" Rescue Fair and had a fun and horrific (from their perspective) time. Attendence was awesome and there were SO MANY dogs. One very popular booth was the BATH Booth, a fundraiser for Heart of the Redwoods Horse Rescue. Baths! Lena and Stella both needed baths and so, much to their dismay, we made donations for two.

When happy, Lena's face radiates her pleasure. When peeved beyond belief, Lena's face shows her determined . . . lust for revenge!!! Hear her thoughts, "Mom will pay dearly for this!"

That was yesterday. It did not take long for Lena and Stella to get their chance to pay mom back and remove all traces of the nasty bath. Today in the general pasture Lena found exactly what she needed to enact her revenge. She found this . . .

And then she and Stella did this . . .

And this . . .

Happy dogs!! All is once again right with their world. They've got the good stuff back where it belongs, all over their bodies. Hmmmm.

I know two dogs who have a sorry surprise coming tonight at bedtime when they find their stinky selves aren't welcome in their usual spot at the foot of my bed.

Dogs On Thursday

2009-04-15T23:34:00.000-07:00

A love of the trail, any trail.

Any time, any place - Lena is always ready for the trail. Wind, rain, mud, snow, ice, nothing fazes her. She thinks the finest word in the human vocabulary is "Go." Even better than "Cookie."

Visit Dogs on Thursday and meet more fun-loving dogs (like there was another kind?). Wish them happy 100th memeday while you are there.

Wordless Wednesday: Go?

2009-04-15T12:32:00.001-07:00

Softies

2009-04-13T08:02:00.000-07:00

Stella loves her softies. She absolutely detests the hard ground. Where does she sleep? Where any pittie is happiest sleeping, on the bed. If we visit friends in the evening, come 9:00 she begins her campaign to get me to leave so she can go to bed. First, a nose bump. Then a trip to the door with a suggestive glance my way. Next, the whining begins - quiet at first, gathering volume when I ignore it. When shushed, she lays at my feet, her relentless stare blasting me with pit bull mind control "home, home, home, home, home."

Having lived with Stella for four years now, she has educated me regarding the delicate preferences of her breed.

Macho? Oh please. She hates to get her feet wet, prefers the warm inside to the cold outside, and the comfort of my truck seat to the wilds of the general pasture. And she ALWAYS wants to cushion her naps with the softest surface available. Dog beds? Acceptable. The bed? Preferable. Is this trait something unique to my dog? Not even. Here is Ben, my son's dog. Favorite place? The sofa. Next favorite? The bed. Read pittie blogs - the softie theme is common.

Knowing this passion and longing for comfort, cozies, and softies, my heart breaks when I see the living conditions endured by pit bulls who live in the despair of fight kennels. Chained, isolated, and forced to live on cold ground or concrete. No comfort. No softies. Even worse, no contact, no kind touch. Pit Bull hell. Yet from these horrific conditions - cruel for any living creature, agony for these comfort loving dogs, have come amazing survivors whose capacity to love and enjoy love somehow remained intact.

Learn more about the "second lives" of 10 dogs who survived the Michael Vick abuse at his infamous Bad Newz Kennels. Visit The Vick Dog Blog.

Wordless Wednesday: Our Friends

2009-04-08T06:26:00.001-07:00

Beach Day

2009-04-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

Sun, Friends, Stinky Piles to Role In, Waves, Chase = World Class Walkies

The Price of Doggie Delight

2009-03-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

Another heavenly dog day in the general pasture.

Stella gets to have a grand, full scale romp, complete with rolling in and

eating nasties and smelling traces of the wild night life.

Only one flaw to Stella's delightful day. The GP is full of those dang horses. What a price to pay! Ah, at the end she is surrounded by giant, non-dog friendly equines. Fifteen. And mean Elsie, the horse who started all of Stella's equine concerns, is watching.

And Stella shivers and shakes and keeps her distance. I hope she finds the lingering aroma of the very same equines' droppings reward enough for having to contend with the full herd.

Wordless Wednesday: Let's Go Lena!

2009-03-11T11:42:00.000-07:00

What's Better Than Zoomies? WATER ZOOMIES!!!

2009-03-01T18:03:00.000-08:00

While Stella has some worries about meeting up with a certain little mean horse in the general pasture, a bit of courage pays off BIG TIME. Stella gets to explore, sniff, pee, roll, eat nasties, and do zoomies all over the pasture. What could be more fun? Well, how about WATER ZOOMIES!

Saturday!! TIME FOR SOME DOG FUN!

2009-02-28T12:07:00.000-08:00

Got dog. Got camera. We'll be back soon.

UPDATE: Mom bambozzled us ! It turned into a "shop till you drop" day. Blech! See Sunday for the real thing.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-25T21:36:00.001-08:00

WHAZZAT?

Protecting Stella

2009-02-23T11:18:00.000-08:00

In this picture Stella is worried. There are horses about and while both of my horses are kind, Stella has been bullied by some of the horses in the general pasture. Still, she comes with me when I ask her to - she shivers and shakes and quietly keeps far from any horse, yet she comes with me. She is courageous.

Tender is this girl. Her favorite pastime is cuddling. Her place is next to me on the bed. She loves her "softies" above all else. Stella has the greatest capacity for pure JOY of any dog I've been blessed to share the trail with. Her heart is endless, as is her desire to share it with all humans who can read the invisible "hug me" sign that rides above her head.

She loves to chew, sigh. I try to keep her supplied with abundent chewies. And pull? Wish I had a cart for her or the time to find sled pulling contests. She has never showed agression - unless I'm threatened. Once, along on an isolated beach a man (not a freindly type of guy) approached - Stella showed an assortment of growls and barks I didn't recognize. The man cut us a wide berth. Once a dog came onto our property and approached me. Stella approached the dog who growled at her. She responded. They became physical. Both dogs were uninjured.

Are these pitbull traits? Well, the joyousness and extreme hugability sure seem unique to Stella, of all my dear dogs. The bravery? I've known many brave dogs. The pulling? I hear this is a breed trait. The barking/growliness at the sleasoid man? I've had many dogs stand up for me. The jumping the trespassing dog who showed agression - same thing, other dogs have done the same, worse actually. But I have friends, I meet people all the time so see Stella and don't see the ginormous baby lovebug I know - they see a "pit bull" a "dangerous dog". This grieves me deeply and scares me to my core.

And so I am vigilant. Hyper-vigliant. We avoid other dogs when walking. Stella is ALWAYS on a leash when out in public. I don't like to leave her outside in my fenced backyard if I am not home. Actually, I prefer to have her with me always, but this is not possible. I am not worried about Stella waging harm on any part of the world. I am terrified of the world's prejudices regarding pit bulls harming Stella.

My most dangerous dog, ever? Here he is . . . my sweet Riley.

And him a golden retriever and possibly greyhound mix. Not a trace of pit bull. But Riley had to be watched every second the couple of years before his early and heartbreaking death by hit and run driver. Riley would, with great stealth, reach out and snap at passerbys. He once bit (while leashed and with no harm thank goodness) a little girl who passed us on the trail. Before he was killed, he bit three people (gratefully with minimal harm). He was unpredictable in his animosity and, I hate to say, a truely dangerous dog.

Regardless of beliefs, facts, preferences, opionions, or prejudices regarding dogs, breeds, and biting, knowing how to prevent bites is an essential responsiblity for all dog owners. Please visit this short and excellent blog entry on Dog Bite Prevention.

Not So Innocent, Not One Little Bit!

2009-02-20T23:27:00.000-08:00

This face, the face of my dog Lena, is deceptively sweet and innocent. Don't be fooled. Not for one minute. You see the face of a world class TRASH HOUND.

I come home, put my key in the lock, and notice it is strangely quiet on the other side of the door. Stepping inside I am not welcomed by my wriggling, tail-wagging, two dog welcome home committee. The house is silent.

Into my office I go. Immediately my eye is drawn to the gleam of empty cans strewn across the empty dog bed. "OH NO, not again," I moan. In the kitchen the trash can has been overturned. Used cartons of soy milk leak their remaining drops onto the floor. My kitchen is covered with nasty trash.

And where are my two dogs? Hiding under the desk. And this one, cute little thing, she is trying to hide under Stella, pretending not to see me, hoping Stella takes the rap.

BAD DOG!!!!!! LENA, BAD DOG!!!!!!

Oh, how long can anyone be angry with a dog who is so damn cute?

Humboldt County Animal Shelter - THANK YOU . . .

2009-02-19T11:07:00.001-08:00

For Dogs on Thursday I want to say "Thank You, Thank You" to my local shelter for not judging Stella by a breed's mismanagement and fating her to destruction without opportunity to develop her glorious, sweet, funny, joyous, tender, loyal, baby self.

Stella is a goodly part pit bull and she is my dearest companion. Being her caretaker requires responsibility - to maintain my status as the leader of our pack but more than that, responsiblity to protect her from the prejudices of the world.

The tragedy of the Wilkesboro Pit Bulls - killed by the state after they were betrayed by the worst in our own species, goes to the heart of our

human tendency to grievously generalize gross inaccuracies and then act with tragic outcomes. While a County shelter may be overwhelmed with the burden of caring for 146 dogs, they had ample offers of help and a model of success demonstrated by the successful rehab of the Vick dogs. So why didn't they accept the offered aid? Cuz according to HSUS staff, Vicks was a lousy breeder and didn't raise "true" fighters unlike the the reptile Edward Faron (my apologies to the species), owner of Wildside Kennels, who was responsible for these dogs misery. So 146 dogs - INCLUDING 60 PUPPIES - were killed WITHOUT EVALUATION!!!!!!

Looking at Stella, I am again so grateful to the Humboldt County Shelter for thoroughly evaluating ALL dogs. For not succumbing to breed prejudices. Thank you!

Be sure to check out other pack blogs

over at "Dogs on Thursday"

Walking the Dog

2009-02-18T15:59:00.001-08:00

Oh yeah, I'm gonna walk the dog . . .

Look at those three sweet faces!!! Missing Max sneaks up on me, sometimes a welcome memory, sometimes overwhelming loss.

Lena and Stella will tell you that it has been too long since we have gone for a walk - a DOG walk, just for walkings sake. Everynight we walk (one dog with me, one protecting our home), but that is focused on getting or caring for Red and Lyra (grrrrrr, horses!).

Our last dog walk was with our friend Katie and her mom Liz a couple of weeks before Katie birthed 12 puppies. Eleven survived and are now 7 weeks old. Those eleven pups form a ginormous horde of cuteness (unless you are a cat). Visit them at Katie's blog.

Today is a good day to resume walking the dog for the dogs' sakes. Yesterday my back went out. No warning - well, not quite true. I knew my hips were aching and one leg was clearly longer than the other. And I put off going to the chiropractor one day too long. While I woke up barely able to walk, my chiropractor's gentle adjustment helped immensely. Today I am much better, but STIFF. And needing to walk. Stella and Lena have only one comment, "ABOUT TIME!"

Dogs on Thursday - Stella Reflected

2009-01-21T22:58:00.001-08:00

Lena, a Hardworking Dog

2009-01-07T21:55:00.000-08:00

Yay! It is time for Dogs on Thursday!!!

Besides her incredible cuteness and hard core herding dog attitude, Leena is a hardworking dog. Every other day she is the "ride along" dog and gets to go to the ranch for the evening (yeah, mom spends dang near EVERY night up there with those two stupid horses, if me and Stella didn't "ride along" we'd never get to be with her. We're talkin' doggie devotion here.)

This is one of Lena's very favorite things to do (!?! Hmmm, thinking bones, fighting raccoons, chasing cats, jumping the fence, jumping on people, and going to the beach . . . well, maybe its on the list of the top 10 things I like to do). She LOVES to run circles around me while I find the horses in the 40 acre general pasture. (True. It smells like HEAVEN).

Eating and rolling in digusting things completes her perfect night.

(Hey! Fifteen horses make a lot of delicious smelling piles. I take my pasture patrol seriously.)

(Wait a minute - what is Red Horse doing here????? This is a DOGS ONLY blog - Read the name "Going to the Dogs"! No where does it mention a red horse. OUT OF HERE DUDE! Mom has another blog for you.)

(Good, he's gone!)

A hardworking dog is a happy dog.

Wordless Wednesday - Stella

2009-01-07T00:19:00.001-08:00

Skywatch Friday #25

2009-01-02T11:59:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Skywatch Friday #25

A leaf clings to its branch on New Year's Day.

Lena waits beside Max's burial site.

Dogs on Thursday (one day late)

2009-01-02T10:20:00.000-08:00

I just discovered this dogcentric meme "Dogs on Thursday" and am so excited (yeah, us too) because I'm finding blog meme's an incredibly fun way to travel the globe and meet new folk. And this one is about DOGS!!!! (finally, something just for us!) Ah, if you notice an echo in here it is not your imagination - Stella and Lena are getting pretty insistent on having their point of view be heard (you ain't seen nothing yet).

I'm signing up for Dogs on Thursday one day late and starting by honoring some of the dear ones who have graced my life over the last few decades. I was thinking that my "pack" has shrunk to only two, but then noticed the size of my heart pack and felt great comfort. Although you have already met some of the members, I am so honored to introduce you to the dogs who have shared, protected, loved, comforted, and laughed with me through my years as a single mom raising Jesse to this present time.

Sugar Bear

1975-1986

Oscar

1984-1998

Riley

1999-2005

Max

1999-2008

Lena

2004 (year she joined our pack, her birth date is unknown)

Stella

These wonderful dogs have enriched my life beyond words and been my partners in the day to day business of living. I'm pleased to introduce them to you on my first Dogs on Thursday.

My Max

2008-12-29T11:39:00.000-08:00

When I first saw him, he was chained in the backyard wearing a bandana around his neck - a four month old puppy who had been abandoned along a mountain road. His rescuer had named him Buck after the hunting trip that led to his discovery. There was no question, not an instant of hesitation, I knew he was my dog. He knew it too. "Buck" never paused as he trotted beside me out of that house and into the beginning of our too short nine years together. Hopping into the front seat of my old valiant, he wagged his tail, leaned into the seat and was ready to go. Whenever I asked, Max was always ready to go.

Max, you are forever in my heart,
yet how desperately
I miss you by my side.

My Beloved Steadfast Max is Gone

2008-12-28T11:45:00.000-08:00

In His Sweet Memory 1999 - December 28 2008

JUST MY DOG

He is my other eyes that can see above
the clouds; my other ears that hear above
the winds. He is the part of me that can
reach out into the sea.

He has told me a thousand times over that
I am his reason for being: by the way he
rests against my leg; by the way he thumps
his tail at my smallest smile; by the way he
shows his hurt when I leave without taking him.
(I think it makes him sick with worry when he
is not along to care for me.)

When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive.
When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile.
When I am happy, he is joy unbounded.
When I am a fool, he ignores it.
When I succeed, he brags.
Without him, I am only another woman. With him,
I am all-powerful.
He is loyalty itself.
He has taught me the meaning of devotion.
With him, I know a secret comfort and a
private peace. He has brought me understanding
where before I was ignorant.
His head on my knee can heal my human hurts.
His presence by my side is protection against
my fears of dark and unknown things.
He has promised to wait for me...
...wherever--in case I need him.
And I expect I will--as I always have.

He is just my dog. --- Gene Hill ---

Dogs Just Wanna Have Fun!

2008-12-20T19:31:00.000-08:00

Put 3 good pittie friends together in a back yard with one Tuffie Mega Ring and what do you have? Three VERY happy dogs doing the two things they love best - fetch AND tug-of-war. Recognize Stella?

She is with Ben and Willow, my son's two dogs. Both were adopted through the Wylie Animal Rescue Foundation (WARF) in Incline Village, CA. Both dogs lived with at my house for a couple of years while Jesse and Shauna saved for their first house. When these three get together, it is a wild time! We have been quite pleased with Tuffie Dog Toys. They seem to be the one brand that Stella AKA Mouth of Doom is not able to shred.

Vampire Dog and the Mouth of Doom

2008-12-17T10:38:00.000-08:00

One thing I love and appreciate about my canine friends - they keep me amused and laughing, two great stress relievers.

Touched by Winter

2008-12-14T00:17:00.000-08:00

When I viewed these pictures of Max, taken December 4th, I came face to face with the reality that my steadfast one is quickly aging. Winter is claiming my sweet dog. While his face may be more silver than golden, Max's spirit is strong and playful still. He has canine discoid lupus. I think this has speeded the aging process for my boy.

Skywatch Friday No. 22

2008-12-12T00:45:00.000-08:00

Stella in the sky.

Skywatch Friday.

Otis - Trail Dog, Friend and Protector for 14 Years

2008-12-09T21:02:00.001-08:00

Last July Otis was the youngest looking 14 year old dog you might hope to meet. His amazing vitality, a joy to watch over the years, served him well in his senior years. Then, within a matter of days, Otis began to age. It happened quickly - he lost muscle tone, his hind end began to waiver. Worry shadowed his eyes, he was not used to being the vulnerable one.

One Saturday in November my dear friend, Otis' mom, called to say he was gone. That morning he could no longer walk and she knew it was time to say goodbye. Goodbye Otis, Good Boy! Thanks for all the laughs, the carefully guarded camps, the joyous, wild runs at the beach. And thanks for teaching Riley to swim. May Riley be there to greet you on the far side of the Rainbow Bridge.

Riley - My Forever Dog

2008-12-08T16:26:00.000-08:00

Parted by death on April 23, 2005 a few hours after
my dear boy was hit by a hit-and-run driver.

Throughout my life I've been fortunate to love and be loved by many amazing dogs. Riley is one held forever in the center of my heart. One day, a few months after my son Jesse and I said goodbye to our dear friend Oscar, I got an urge to visit our local shelter. Slowly I walked up and down the aisles, looking into the stricken, wild, angry, grieving eyes of the dogs in the cages. Many a fine dog, but nowhere did I see "my" dog. Then, in the very last cage, was a little golden retriever mix puppy. He saw me, whined, lifted one paw in greeting and gave me a hopeful wag with his tail. We fell instantly in love.

Riley grew up long, lean, and golden. Throughout his life we put in many, many miles backpacking in the Trinity Alps Wilderness with Max, my friend Liz and her dogs Otis and Peaches. They were trail dogs and were a sight to behold - four large dogs coming down the trail, each with their own dog pack, accompanying the two middle aged women who gamely trudged up the hills. Riley learned to swim in Caribou Basin with the help of his friend Otis who put a helpful paw on Riley's back to stabilize him and position him lower in the water.

Never sure of Riley's heritage, I liked to believe that he was a golden retriever/greyhound mix. He loved to run. When the trail dogs went to the beach they would play "chase the gazelle" trailing behind Riley as he flowed in front of the pack, so beautiful as he led his friends in wild joy across the sand. They would try endless maneuvers to catch him, but with Riley's grace and speed it was rare that his friends would win the game . Silly boy just never learned not to drink from the ocean!

Miss you always, sweet dog of mine.

Too Late for Skywatch Friday

2008-12-07T02:21:00.000-08:00

This photo is from Florence, Oregon on a trip to visit my Dad who lives in Blaine, Washington. Stella ran and ran and ran in the water. It is one of my favorite memories.

Lena - Cute with Attitude

2008-12-07T01:50:00.001-08:00

OK, I just couldn't resist her cuteness when I saw her sitting next to a volunteer at a Bones Rescue Adoption event at The Farm Store in Eureka. All that cuteness was only a cover for her Aussie/Kelpie obsession with herding me with her every waking breath. Wherever I walk through my house, Lena is sure to follow - exactly three inches behind me.

Lena loves going to Freshwater Stables. She is fearless among the horses, regarding them with the professional assurance that comes from the blood of generations of herding dogs running through her veins. She knows every inch of the general pasture and excels at finding piles of stinky unmentionables to wriggle and roll in.

There is not a fence made that can contain Lena. I have caught her flying over a five foot gate, perching on the top like a cat, and bounding free when she didn't think I was looking. If I am at home, she will stay put. Otherwise I do not dare leave her in my fenced backyard. She wares a tag with her name and my phone number so I can be contacted if she runs away. Before her Bones' rescue, Lena was picked up by Animal Control in Redding as she ran down a sidewalk. No doubt she had just flown over her former owner's fence and was looking for something or someone to herd.

The Steadfast One . . .

2008-12-06T10:28:00.000-08:00

. . . is Max. Years ago I was doing a home visit and heard there was a puppy chained in the yard next door. The woman who answered the door told me that her son had found the puppy wandering along a mountain road, possible abandoned there. He was about 4 months old and wore a red bandanna around his neck. We recognized each other the instant our eyes met. My offer of a home was accepted and Max trotted beside me, hopped into the car, and was ready to go. Ten years later Max is still always ready to go.

More About Stella

2008-11-28T10:25:00.000-08:00

Stella had been at the Humboldt County Pound for a few months when she met mom for the first time. One of us, Riley, had just been killed by a evil, curse their hides, hit and run driver (we will tell the story later) and mom, though heartbroken, figured there was room in our pack needing to be filled. Back then Stella was called Skids, can you believe such a dumb name, cuz she had fallen out of something moving and skinned off the top of her head. She still has a tiny diamond scar.

When Stella saw mom both new they were meant for each other. Stell roodled (she talks) at mom, flipped over on her back, and looked all adorable. Mom sort of chuckled, not bad as she had been crying for days. The rest of us were pretty low, missing Riley, and Stella's riotous humor and enthusiasm helped us to grieve Riley without becoming depressed.

Some people are scared of Stella when they first see her. We call that doggie breedism. Stella is the most gentle and kind of us. She has a gentle spirit and the gift of connecting with people from her heart. She makes friends wherever she goes. Here are some of her favorite things:

Going to the Farm Store where dogs can come inside and choose their own treats
Anything soft
Tug-of-war
Roodling
Doing tricks
Running in circles
Visiting her friends
Cookies
Playing the game "Scritches"

Stella used to like to go into the general pasture to visit the horses with mom. This big, nasty bully changed all that. The bully's name is Elsie. One day, when Stella was minding her business, following mom through the GP, Elsie charged her and tried to butt Stellish with her head. Since then, horses scare Stella. She still goes into the GP with mom, but it isn't much fun anymore cuz Stella is worried that some mean horse will pick on her.

The Bully Named Elsie (Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr)

Stella loves to visit mom's father in Blaine, Washington where she is best friends with Rosie, a little poodle. Mom cracks up how people stop and stare at Rosie and Stella playing. We think Stella is about 7 or 8 years old. She would be a great spy dog because she has natural camoflague. Her friend Esther Garvey says she looks like one of the wild dogs around Zinder. Heh, heh - hear that ELSIE!!!! Mess with Stella and she'll get her WILD DOG friends to chase your mean self!

Skywatch Friday

2008-11-28T03:58:00.001-08:00

Skywatch - Lena runs through the general pasture at Freshwater Valley Stables.

All Eyes On Us

2008-11-28T03:37:00.001-08:00

And get them off the dang horses folks! OK. Sure our mom takes an occasional picture of us and posts it on Baba Yaga's Mirror. Whatever. We are sick of riding second saddle (grrrrrr) to Red and Lyra. We demand better food, more walks, and OUR OWN BLOG. Got it, right here!

So here is Stella, she is the bed hog dog. Dang lazy thing won't even get up to pee in the morning unless mom screams her name. Stella is a pit bull/german shepherd mix. She is a myth-breaker when it comes to unsavory beliefs about pitties. Stella is the heart dog.

And check out Max - Mr. Substantial! Max has not paid many visits to the ranch lately. He has discoid lupus and it has slowed him down. Max is a lab/rhodie ridgeback comb. He is the steadfast dog.

Meet Lena, the escape artist. Kind folks read about her running away awhile ago and gave mom alot of enouragement on the horsie smorsie blog. She follows mom around the house about 3 inches behind her. Well, what do you expect for an Aussie/Kelpie girl? Herding dogs just got to herd. Lena is the watching dog.