Visitors Must Use Manners

The weather in the mornings are now cool and enjoyable. The dogs and I take every opportunity to be outside taking in the cool breezes and passing wildlife. An occassional coyote will amble by, the hummingbirds have returned and flutter quite close, but my favorite is the quail. I love everything about them: their strut; their calls; and most of all how they act as a family unit. The quail seem to have a regular route around the neighborhood. They visit our yard about 6:30 every morning. I throw seed into the rocks to encourage these regular visits. On a normal day we have about 1o quail visitors. This morning the quail announcement seemed to go out that there was ample food and the quail swarmed in. Within minutes we had over 30 pecking through the yard. All the while, Trekker lay on his pillow watching the amazing sight. Soon the quail began to quarrel over who got what section of the yard. This seemed to annoy Trek. He would leap off the pillow and run through the middle of the eating, quarrelling quail and send them running out of our yard. Then he'd make a couple laps through the perimeter of our yard to make sure all the quail were gone. When satisfied his job was done he'd return to his pillow. The food was too much to resist and the quail would gingerly return. Trekker would watch patiently from his pillow until another argument would pursue and then he'd leap off the pillow to clear our yard again of quarrelling quail. This happened over a half a dozen times. It was quite a sight to watch. I believe the moral of this story is, visitors are welcome, but we'll send you packing if you aren't pleasant!

Corgis Don't Forget

Most of the house projects are done, I'm feeling healthier than I have in months, and the mornings are cooler. All this adds up to-- I need to start working Trekker again. For the past week Trekker an I have been out, working through our paces. We run through all the basics, including meets and greets and staying while a rabbit goes by. Trekker is a master. After a year and a half of living here and not doing much obedience work I expected a rusty corgi and what I got was a corgi who remembered everything he had been taught. He learned by the third day that running shoes mean we're heading out, otherwise mom lives in sandals.

Both of us miss the camaraderie of working along side other dogs and owners. I thought when we were ready for another class there would be lots of classes around us to choose from. Wrong! We live on the wrong side of the city. But travel if must, Trekker and I will be in the class starting in the end of September. It's part obedience and beginning agility. I know Trekker is ready, but I'm hoping I'll be able to keep up too.

Life is Good

Summer in Arizona is hard and for the hearty, and I have not been feeling so hearty. When the heat soars to 115 in the day and only cools to the mid 90s in the day everything is affected. The fruit trees leaves are yellow and sad, I’m told it is sunburn and won’t hurt the tree. The palm has fronds that have browned beyond repair; I’m told that happens to protect the rest of the fronds from heat reflected off the rock landscape. The rabbits have been eating the lower leaves of the grapefruit tree just to get some water. Everything I have potted and diligently watered through the summer has died. The dogs and I have been lethargic and even a little depressed. For them going outside to relieve themselves has been a chore. Nothing has escaped the Arizona heat. If it were like this year around only a fool would live here. But at the moment of feeling the most despondent cool air has begun to arrive!

The nights are beginning to cool, which means the dogs and I can be out on the patio in the morning. It is wonderful! I do my best reading and relaxing there. Trekker is in heaven. He had forgotten there is a world of rabbits, quail and even the occasional lizard to chase and harass. Shiloh hobbles to the large pillow placed out there for yet another nap in his old state. As he lies down even a sigh can be heard from him, the cool weather is coming back and life is beginning to be good again. Trekker and I took our first evening walk in ages. We both felt good and alive again. In this new awakening I have gotten the urge to blog again so my theme for today is good and needs to be rejoiced.

Coyote Fear

We've made it to Arizona and have been here for a week. The house closed prior to getting arriving and we had a fence put in so the dogs could run their new home. Very proactive of us until we found out about coyotes. Oh the horror stories told about how you have to watch your dogs every second or otherwise a coyote will attack them. We're told not to walk them after dark or a dusk. I don't know what is true and what is urban legend, but I'm on alert! The fenced backyard is only used only during daylight hours and I'm ever on watch duty. We have a regular coyote who walks by at about 8:30 in the morning so we never go out at that time. Dark and dusk, we use the front courtyard that has 9 foot walls. Those coyotes are not going to get my dogs! Anybody know the truth?

On a lighter note, Shiloh just is unsure of this desert landscape. We have no grass so the business has to be done on the rocks. Each time he looks at me like, "Are you really sure you want me to go? This just doesn't seem right." Trekker, on the other hand, feels that when the feeling comes who cares where.

Heart Pounding Experience

A few minute dog emergency and my heart is still pounding and my hands shaking two hours later. Thankfully both dogs are safe but for a few minutes I wasn't sure what the outcome would be. Oh my babies... I was reading and Trekker and Shiloh were wrestling, all quite normal. Then the tone changed. It took me a few seconds to figure out what had happening. Trekker's rolled leather collar had caught on Shiloh's teeth and wrapped on his lower jaw. The more they panicked and struggled the tighter the collar was getting until it bagan to cut off Trekker's air. I tried to untangle them all the while yelling for my husbands help. No luck. I tried unbuckle the collar. No luck it was too tight. It quickly became clear that if I couldn't unbuckle it I couldn't cut it off either. It was only with one of us holding Shiloh down and Trekker up that we could work them free. This was no easy feat with both dogs in a scared frenzy. Trekker was left wheezing and Shiloh rubbing his jaw on the carpet. After checking them over carefully there appears to be no real damge. Trekker's collar is now setting on the table and tomorrow he will have one that is safer for dog play. I thank my lucky stars that Rich was home and still shake at what could have happened.

Help Needed

Trekker and I need help. In the past few weeks Trekker seems to have come into his own and is doing great in weekly class. It was suggested today by our dog obedience instructor that we should try a rally novice competition. I've been searching the Internet and can't find exactly what we need to know, any suggestions on where to look? Thanks.

Favorite Place at New House

On the Mend

We checked in with our own doctor today. Trek will be on antibiotics for a week and will tire faster but is definitely on the mend. He agreed with my diagnosis of Trekker eating the wrong thing and not any of the scare pieces the emergency vet was throwing out. When I told him about the anti-corgi comment he was amazed that another vet would say something like that about a whole breed.

During your shows have you run into breeders in Arizona that you respected?

How to not spend the 4th of July!

My July 4th morning started early, about 2 am with Trekker throwing up all over our bed. At first I figured that he had just eaten the wrong thing in our day of yard work, I got him outside and the bed cleaned up. The throwing up continued. When everyone else's morning rolled around I tried to get our vet on the phone, no such luck. Dah, it's the 4th of July.

Off to the emergency clinic we go and wait and wait and wait. After two hours of waiting and being told it may be another 2 hours I decide to take him home. He hadn't thrown up in that amount of time and was taking water. His temp normal. Later he begins throwing up again and is now refusing water. He is one sick puppy. Back to the emergency room. This time it's less than an hour's wait. Of course they run tests and everything comes back right around the normal range, but he has become dehydrated. They give him fluids and a shot to keep from throwing up any more and we head for home. By this time it's 8 pm and I'm much poorer.

By morning he was taking water and interested in the world around him. As the day progressed Trekker is feeling better. He's run to investigate and is now eating small quantities of rice mixed with a little tuna. Tomorrow we'll visit our vet to make sure we're really mending. My best guess is that Trek got into weeds that Rich sprayed.

The vet at the emergency room I'm not too fond of. He tells me that he's not to fond of corgis because they are bad tempered. Mine is the first that isn't and he's a keeper. My thought--if Trekker hadn't been feeling so bad maybe he wouldn't have liked him either. Dogs usually are on the mark for their likes and dislikes. The vet is just not a keeper.

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Work Begins As Move Is Made

Downsizing to half our material possessions, selling a house, finding a rental and moving has certainly taken its toll on training for our therapy dog certification. The move to the rental took place a week ago and as we wait for the job transfer to Arizona Trekker and I started back to training this morning. I am thrilled with his memory. His heal was right on the mark and he had great turns. On the other hand, his stays were short and he would prefer not to down. With the test the 21st of July I won’t be able to slack off anymore.
Back to the move…Every rental house that I saw as a possibility said no dogs. Being the brazen person that I am I called and said let me tell you why you’d like me and my dogs as a renters.
1. My house sold in 22 days with 2 dogs present…
2. The older dog has his canine good citizen and therapy dog certifications.
3. The younger dog is being trained and should have them before summer is out.
Each owner agreed that if we’d like to rent they would be happy for “all of us” to be there. We picked a house close by, but half the size of ours. It has a large fenced yard for the dogs. They were the ones we worried most about in this transition. Once the furniture arrived with their scent they were content. Where we are is home to them. Trekker quickly discovered that the chair in the front room has a perfect street view and the arm has become his perch to world. With Shiloh’s age it’s getting harder for him to climb up on furniture so he’s content to lie on the floor. When Trekker sounds the alarm he stands, looks out, and adds to the ruckus. Both seem to be well adjusted. I’m working on the fact that I don’t need to know about every person and car moving about outside. Me, I’m not sure that I’m cut out for renting and am counting my time. My hope is to move again by Christmas and not have to deal with icy roads.