Mr. Hop-A-Long

So, Samson being the big "puppy" he is, strained his ACL a couple days ago. We took him to the vet and decided no x-rays were needed yet and she gave us some pain killer/anti-inflamitory pills for him to take. She also told us we need to keep his activity limited, has she met our dog?

Samson is recovering well, even putting weight on his injured hind leg now and then. I find it amazing how fast he can move on three legs. Today, being nice and sunny, was very hard to keep him from running around like a mad dog.

His big brown eyes look like they want to explode from pent up excitement. Whenever we walk near the door he dances on his three good legs in anticipation of a good romp. How do you make a dog understand that he needs to rest? If anyone knows, please fill me in. I guess I should have also asked for a prescription of doggie valium for the next two weeks.

I like my critters

So, I made through my third speech this morning. I felt awful about it because I did not have as much time to prepare so I was nervous, but people in class said it was really good. How strange. I did the usual “tug at your heartstrings” speech about the abuse of traveling circus animals and why those circuses should be banned.

I find it strange that we can have more compassion for animals than other humans, not that there is anything wrong with that. If you want to turn me into a snarling maniac who will whoop your ass up one side and down the other, just purposely hurt my dog or cat.

I like people, but we can be real assholes towards animals, and I don’t always understand why. My cat likes to mutilate birds on the bedroom carpet and leave us a gift of guts and feathers to clean up. Sometimes this pisses me off, but I can’t hurt her as it is in her nature to hunt. I can tell her no and hope she gets the hint we love her without the presents.

My dog likes to do what my husband calls “crop dusting”, meaning he will come in from outside, walk in front of us while silently farting, and then go back outside leaving us with his butt fragrance. I don’t know if he does this on purpose, I swear that sometimes I see him smile when he slips back out the dog door. It could be revenge for baby talking to him, or putting the wig on him at Halloween and proceeding to point and laugh hysterically. It is just something he does and we accept it as part of the dog he is, maybe adding a little probiotics to his dinner to settle the tummy.

So I beg people to be nice to animals, what have they really ever done to you? And if they did do something to you, are you sure you didn’t deserve it? We should never underestimate the intelligence or compassion of an animal. I have seen animals that act more of what we consider human than some humans themselves.

Spring

Spring is in the air. The sun has been shining for a few days, the temperature creeping up a little further each day, and the bird songs are returning. I fired up the grill yesterday and cooked some chicken for dinner, the smell of fire cooked meat tantalizing my nose.

While it was cooking I sat on the warm wood of the deck steps, surrounded by snow piles. The sun heated my skin, no jacket was needed, the first for the year. My two cats wandered out to join me in my basking and we listened to the birds and watched them flitter from tree to tree. The dog was lying in the snow happily chewing on a bone while the sun warmed his back.

I would have been disappointed when the chicken was done if I had not been so hungry, as it ended my first glimpse of spring. But it is on its way and there will be more to see tomorrow.

My Dog

Samson is my dog. Not because I own him, I took him in for a friend, no money was given. He has been with me for almost 8 years and stayed by my side through the good and the bad, that is what makes him my dog.

When we go for a walk he reads my body language and knows when to run or when to stay close. We have a mutual appreciation and love for each other that has grown into an indestructible bond. He sometimes loves me a little less during his bath, and I sometimes love him a little less when he pukes on the bed.

We have consoled and kept each other company through the good and the bad. He accepted my husband happily into our little family, but our bond remains strong. I fear the day when I have to say goodbye, it will be very hard.

Samson is my dog, just as much as I am his human.

Good Day

Do you ever just have a good day? I am having one of those, nothing spectacular or exciting, just a plain good day. I admit I am excited to be going back to school next week, I checked and it has been 8 years since I last took a college course. I made contact with a friend I haven’t seen in almost 15 years, that is pretty neat. That actually happened a few days ago but we have been conversing back and forth since. Hopefully we will get together soon and catch up.

Samson and I went for a walk being a balmy 35 degrees out. I also gave him a bath. Ok, so the bathing process is not fun and I usually get soaked, but his reaction afterward is fun. He rolls around on his bed trying to dry off and being silly. I treat him with a biscuit and he lets me trim his nails, then the brushing commences. At present time he is snoozing next to me on the couch, wore out from the activity.

So none of this sounds exciting, right? I know, but I have a smile on my face anyway and am in a really good mood. It is a shame to have such a good mood and no one to share it with, except Samson and the cats. I am in such a good mood I think I will pass on the cleaning chores today and enjoy a good book instead. Good things are coming, I can feel it.

May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house. – George Carlin

Loving My Pets

Yes, I am still alive. Time slipped away from me and into other issues of life. Hubby went back to work today, yah! Of course that means it is cold and snowy now, boo! Still no word from the college program people, but they suspect that it will be soon.

Thanksgiving we hosted my family and provided a tasty turkey dinner. We ate too much and felt sleepy afterwards proving the meal successful. If we fed our enemies turkey dinners during war it would probably make them a lot easier to find, they would all be napping.

Samson loves snow. I find it odd that I wound up with a dog who loves snow when I despise it. He relishes in grabbing pine cones off the snow laden limbs and tossing them about so he can stick his whole head in the snow to search for it. Samson also enjoys rolling on his back in an area that has been freshly shoveled or even on ice patches, haven’t figured that one out yet.

Samson has also been trying new food. For some reason I started researching pet food and realized that I wasn’t actually feeding him good food, although I thought it was pretty good. This led to more research on how to read labels and ingredient descriptions and reviews, etc. So the search began for better food for Samson and the kitties. We visited three pet stores and wrote down what they carried and the price, allowing me to do a spreadsheet on Excel. With the spreadsheet we picked eight brands and compared top 10 ingredients, cost, protein percentage, fat percentage, and calorie count. We found that some of the premium dry foods cost the same as some supermarket foods, crazy.

Another thing I discovered is most of the premium foods have websites and if you email them and request a sample of their food they will happily send some. Taste of the Wild blew me away by sending six sample bags (three different flavors) for the dog and two for the cats. I was only turned down by two brands that said they guarantee their food and if your pet didn’t eat it you could return the bag. So if you are shopping for a new pet foods don’t be afraid to ask for samples. Also ask at the pet stores, a store we visited gave us some samples that the company sent them.

The only downside to new food for Samson has been his gas problem, which has been very unpleasant, but I believe it will end when his tummy adjusts. Until then we are trying a little yogurt and pure pumpkin to help with digestion. The cats have taken to some new food very well and Squeaky has been acting like a kitten again, all playful and feisty, and we are still in the switching process. They had a lot of food left so we are stretching the mixing process.

I would like to end this with a website I found very helpful in my research, I thank them for their time and effort in providing the information.
www.petfoodratings.net

Escape (Not The Pina Colada Song)

Samson and I escaped today. Ok, maybe not the whole day, but for a few hours. Feeling sadness set in after paying for car repairs I decided that we should go somewhere and enjoy the very pleasant day. (60 deg in November?) We made our way through the twists and turns to Sturgeon Bay. It was beautiful and not a soul around. We had free reign of the miles of beach and dunes. The wind was a bit brisk at times making me wish I had a warmer coat, but when we changed directions it was at my back and easier to deal with.

We spent over an hour walking the beach and it made me feel so much better. Samson splashed in the water, not going deep because of the waves and it had to be cold. (brrr) With no leash to hold him back he relished in running the dunes and checking out all the smells his nose picked up while not straying beyond my sight. Armed with a camera, he became my target as my fun became watching him frolic in the sand and water.

I am glad we went and enjoyed the sun and beach; it was just what I needed. Sometimes life just feels crappy and it takes a little cost-free adventure like that to put it back in perspective. Now I can go back to cleaning house and paying bills and all that normal stuff without cringing quite so much. At least I won the football pool this week.