Early Monday morning, around 2 a.m., I could hear dogs barking outside. At first it didn't really register, but then Georgia started barking and running around the bed to poke at me. I decided to go out and check on the cats, because I had left Squirt and Jewel out for the night and the barking dogs were in our front yard or driveway. When I turned on the light, the dog ran off and I called Squirt and Jewel inside. It didn't take much convincing, because they were ready to come in. I didn't know if the dogs had been barking at them, but they both seemed to be fine - aside from being scared. I was amazed at Georgia for being persistent enough to wake me up and make sure I went to check on her kitties.
This evening, I got some very sad news that Cody Cat, the neighbor kitty, didn't make it that night. Apparently the dogs got him. I don't know if it happened before I went out, or if that's what they were doing when I went out because I never saw him. It's entirely possible that he put himself between Jewel and a dog, because they were buds and I've seen him rescue her from a cat fight once before. It makes me very sad, and scared for my kitties. They will not be able to be indoor/outdoor cats for a while, because I just can't take the chance of losing them like that. I don't see a point in purposely exposing them to what has now become a real threat. Those dogs have been terrorizing the neighborhood for a while (I feel like it's the same dogs that killed Smokey), and they will be back at our house. Because there are more cats there that aren't dead yet, they will come back. It makes me sick. They aren't going to understand why they can't go out to play.
On a brighter note, we have a contract on our house now. If everything goes well, we should close on the 21st of July!! This is great news and an answered prayer. I am seeing many prayers answered lately. Prayer is a POWERFUL thing. Don't underestimate it.
Anyway, I'm in Des Moines for the week, and I have to get back to work now. Later.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
We Need Rain!!
I'm tired of all the dirt in my house! I have this theory that if it wasn't so dusty, there wouldn't be nearly as much dirt tracked inside after pool time. Maybe I'm wrong, but right now the yard is a big dust pit - mix it with a wet dog and you get dirt in the house. I could get rid of the pool, but I have a feeling that two dogs would find that unacceptable. Or I could try to convince some more grass to grow in the bald spots, but that would require RAIN. I can handle a few muddy paw prints, but right now she comes in covered in dirt because it sticks to her wet fur. Whatever, we've settled on putting down pine chips in the worst area and Georgia now has a sponge bath every night when she comes inside. She actually seems to really like that part, so I guess we are okay there. Oh, and she's MUCH dirtier than Oscar. It's as if her number one goal every day is to get as dirty as possible. And now that we have two dogs and the backyard is non-stop doggy fun, she's always dirty. :)
Oscar is doing great; his sore is almost healed and I hope to put a collar on him by the end of the week. I really want to get him out on the leash so he can have a change of scenery, and of course so he can learn to walk nicely. Plus, leashing him will make training two dogs at once MUCH easier. Training a puppy with an attention span of a gnat can be quite frustrating - add in a big brown dog to distract him at every second, and you want to pull your hair out. Somehow, though, he's learned quite a lot. He's very good at SIT, and sits now to be petted without being told. I'm so proud of him. :) He's breaking my heart though because he wants to come in the house with Georgia so bad; he tries to follow her inside every time now. :( I'll admit that I've already fallen for him; and I'd keep him if he could be an indoor/outdoor dog with Georgia. I may end up keeping him anyway if we can't find him a home, so I guess I need to harden my heart.
I've rambled long enough. Later.
Oscar is doing great; his sore is almost healed and I hope to put a collar on him by the end of the week. I really want to get him out on the leash so he can have a change of scenery, and of course so he can learn to walk nicely. Plus, leashing him will make training two dogs at once MUCH easier. Training a puppy with an attention span of a gnat can be quite frustrating - add in a big brown dog to distract him at every second, and you want to pull your hair out. Somehow, though, he's learned quite a lot. He's very good at SIT, and sits now to be petted without being told. I'm so proud of him. :) He's breaking my heart though because he wants to come in the house with Georgia so bad; he tries to follow her inside every time now. :( I'll admit that I've already fallen for him; and I'd keep him if he could be an indoor/outdoor dog with Georgia. I may end up keeping him anyway if we can't find him a home, so I guess I need to harden my heart.
I've rambled long enough. Later.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
It's Official
Oscar is officially up for adoption with the Friends of Cats and Dogs Foundation. To see his ad, click the following link, type 1625 into the ad number field, and click Submit. http://www.fcdf.org/fcdfflyer.php3
We found out from the vet that he is healthy except for his neck wound. He is not neutered yet, but we already have an appointment to take care of that. He got his first round of puppy shots and rabies vaccination and some antibiotics for his neck. His neck is looking great, too. I can't believe how fast it's healing!
Also, the aggression issues seem to have subsided. Georgia stuck her head in his food bowl during breakfast this morning, and he gave no reaction. No growling or anything. Yay!! I'm so proud of him. He has also learned to sit, and the stinky smell is gone! We've had lots of small victories over the past few days. He's doing great, he and Georgia play so well together, and he's a real sweetheart. I'm excited about finding him a good home, because I think he's going to be a great dog. If you know anyone who is looking for a large dog, please direct them to his ad, or to me. If we can find a home for this one, we'll have a vacancy for the next dog Rob brings home from the logging road. ;)
We found out from the vet that he is healthy except for his neck wound. He is not neutered yet, but we already have an appointment to take care of that. He got his first round of puppy shots and rabies vaccination and some antibiotics for his neck. His neck is looking great, too. I can't believe how fast it's healing!
Also, the aggression issues seem to have subsided. Georgia stuck her head in his food bowl during breakfast this morning, and he gave no reaction. No growling or anything. Yay!! I'm so proud of him. He has also learned to sit, and the stinky smell is gone! We've had lots of small victories over the past few days. He's doing great, he and Georgia play so well together, and he's a real sweetheart. I'm excited about finding him a good home, because I think he's going to be a great dog. If you know anyone who is looking for a large dog, please direct them to his ad, or to me. If we can find a home for this one, we'll have a vacancy for the next dog Rob brings home from the logging road. ;)
Monday, June 12, 2006
Meet Oscar
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This is Oscar, so named because Rob found him in a trash pile. Of course he brought him to me, because he knew I couldn't turn him away. We are pretty sure he's a lab/shepherd mix. He's about 6 months old, the best I can tell, and has been mistreated. He apparently had been wearing some sort of chain or wire around his neck and broke out of it. The underside of his neck is a nasty, raw, open sore; the rest of his neck has scabs on it. He seems fairly healthy, other than that. He's going to the vet today for a thorough checkup and treatment for his neck. He's also a little skittish around men, which makes me think he was probably abused.
I think I'm still in shock at having another dog at my house. He was only going to stay Saturday night until my brother could take him to the humane society Sunday, but Dave couldn't handle the thought of that. So, he made a deal: Oscar can stay outside in our backyard as long as Rob pays half of everything. That's what we are working on right now. I'm still going to try to find him a home where he can be an inside/outside/only dog, though. We just don't have the space for him and another large kennel in our house right now. He gets along pretty well with Georgia, though he's a little territorial over food and space. We are already working to correct that, but it's difficult since he can't wear a collar right now. To top it off, Georgia is such a submissive dog, she's a little intimidated by him when they aren't playing because he jumped on her when she sniffed the spot he's been using as a bed on our portch. We are working with her too, so she won't be scared to walk across the porch to come inside. Other than that, they play very well together.
He's smart, and has basically learned not to jump up (with a few reminders) and he learned how to retrieve yesterday. He's so sweet and starved for love and attention. I will do the best I can to provide that, and hopefully I can find him a good home. Wish us luck.
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This is Oscar, so named because Rob found him in a trash pile. Of course he brought him to me, because he knew I couldn't turn him away. We are pretty sure he's a lab/shepherd mix. He's about 6 months old, the best I can tell, and has been mistreated. He apparently had been wearing some sort of chain or wire around his neck and broke out of it. The underside of his neck is a nasty, raw, open sore; the rest of his neck has scabs on it. He seems fairly healthy, other than that. He's going to the vet today for a thorough checkup and treatment for his neck. He's also a little skittish around men, which makes me think he was probably abused.
I think I'm still in shock at having another dog at my house. He was only going to stay Saturday night until my brother could take him to the humane society Sunday, but Dave couldn't handle the thought of that. So, he made a deal: Oscar can stay outside in our backyard as long as Rob pays half of everything. That's what we are working on right now. I'm still going to try to find him a home where he can be an inside/outside/only dog, though. We just don't have the space for him and another large kennel in our house right now. He gets along pretty well with Georgia, though he's a little territorial over food and space. We are already working to correct that, but it's difficult since he can't wear a collar right now. To top it off, Georgia is such a submissive dog, she's a little intimidated by him when they aren't playing because he jumped on her when she sniffed the spot he's been using as a bed on our portch. We are working with her too, so she won't be scared to walk across the porch to come inside. Other than that, they play very well together.
He's smart, and has basically learned not to jump up (with a few reminders) and he learned how to retrieve yesterday. He's so sweet and starved for love and attention. I will do the best I can to provide that, and hopefully I can find him a good home. Wish us luck.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
I Thought I Should Check In
Life moves so fast! We stay busy and the days just fly by. Gypsy was spayed on Monday, and this morning she finally made an appearance. She's been hiding under the guest room bed for three days. Not that I blame her, but I was glad to see her out and about this morning. She was also working on removing those stitches herself. It looks like she's got one of them partially untied already. The incision looks good though, so I am not going to worry about it. Crazy cat. As tiny as she was before, now her sides are caved in and she looks like she's starving. I'm sure she'll fill out in no time, but it's a little freaky when they look so skinny.
What else? Dave's job is going better. He's learning a lot and each day he seems to have a better day. I'm so thankful for that because it was kinda rough in the beginning. It's really hard to go from knowing nearly everything you need to know, to knowing virtually nothing. He catches on quick though, so he's doing well.
My job has picked up some. I got another project, so I'll be travelling to Des Moines again at the end of this month. I'll be there for a full week this time. I'm really looking forward to seeing Des Moines in the summer. I thought it was a nice city even when it was 9 degrees outside during the day (I'm so Southern), so I can't wait to see it with leaves and flowers. The drawback: my Monday morning flight leaves at 6:50 IN THE FREAKING MORNING!! Rest assured I'll be sleeping on that one. :)
Georgia destroyed Dave's glasses last night. :) I think it's quite funny because 1: they were the old ones he uses as spare and 2: he's left them on the end table at eye level for three days. I knew it was going to happen, and I couldn't help but be amused. I know I should have moved them for him, but I'm not his mom. :) He thought it was amusing too, so don't worry. He knew he shouldn't have left them there.
I harvested the first red tomato the other day. It's a little one, but it was ready for picking. We've got a ton of tomatoes on the plants, but they aren't ready to pick yet. Most of them are going to be decent-sized, too, I think.
The church hunt is going well. We feel like we might know where God wants us, but will continue to visit and pray for a while longer. Our house has not sold yet; in fact, we've not had an offer. I think we are going to lower the asking price a little. Dave is ready to get it sold, and so am I really, just so we don't have to worry about it anymore. Hopefully it will happen soon, like by the end of the summer since I have to start re-paying my student loans next month. (Yikes!!)
I think that's enough for now. I'm starting to ramble. :)
What else? Dave's job is going better. He's learning a lot and each day he seems to have a better day. I'm so thankful for that because it was kinda rough in the beginning. It's really hard to go from knowing nearly everything you need to know, to knowing virtually nothing. He catches on quick though, so he's doing well.
My job has picked up some. I got another project, so I'll be travelling to Des Moines again at the end of this month. I'll be there for a full week this time. I'm really looking forward to seeing Des Moines in the summer. I thought it was a nice city even when it was 9 degrees outside during the day (I'm so Southern), so I can't wait to see it with leaves and flowers. The drawback: my Monday morning flight leaves at 6:50 IN THE FREAKING MORNING!! Rest assured I'll be sleeping on that one. :)
Georgia destroyed Dave's glasses last night. :) I think it's quite funny because 1: they were the old ones he uses as spare and 2: he's left them on the end table at eye level for three days. I knew it was going to happen, and I couldn't help but be amused. I know I should have moved them for him, but I'm not his mom. :) He thought it was amusing too, so don't worry. He knew he shouldn't have left them there.
I harvested the first red tomato the other day. It's a little one, but it was ready for picking. We've got a ton of tomatoes on the plants, but they aren't ready to pick yet. Most of them are going to be decent-sized, too, I think.
The church hunt is going well. We feel like we might know where God wants us, but will continue to visit and pray for a while longer. Our house has not sold yet; in fact, we've not had an offer. I think we are going to lower the asking price a little. Dave is ready to get it sold, and so am I really, just so we don't have to worry about it anymore. Hopefully it will happen soon, like by the end of the summer since I have to start re-paying my student loans next month. (Yikes!!)
I think that's enough for now. I'm starting to ramble. :)
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