What is That?

First call of the day: a turkey running loose on Main Street.

The call came in through 911. At first I thought it was just the peacocks. But when I got to Main Street I saw that it was an actual turkey. (Best guess, female. Possibly a juvenile male. Honestly, I'm not good with turkeys outside of Thanksgiving dinner.) She was calm enough to let me get within ten feet of her. Even then she wasn't aggressive, just evasive.

Knowing that nobody would believe me, I took this picture:

To the horror of the complainant, that's all I did. Our city ordinances don't prohibit turkeys strolling down the street.

This job is many things -- lucky for you, boring isn't on of them! I'm sure there will be more crazy stuff to share later. TTFN, -- K

Baby Trooper

A friend of mine went to visit Trooper and his siblings back when they were babies. When my friend found out that the puppy she called "Moose" is now with us, she sent me some pictures. Below is the litter at about 7 weeks. They're all incredibly cute. Can you pick out Trooper?

Trooper and his siblings

Don't feel bad, I couldn't either. But his breeder could! Trooper was known then as Mr. Purple (as denoted by the purple collar). He's the cutie on the far left.

I didn't meet Trooper until almost three months later. He was 4 1/2 months old when I brought him home. He was still incredibly cute. See:

Trooper on his ride home

I think bringing Trooper in as an an older pup was easier for our schedule. He didn't require the intense care that is needed at 8 weeks. I was able to take 3 weeks of vacation time (I called it Pupturnity Leave) when I brought Jedi home. Hubby was only working part time while going to school and we had 3 adult children living at home. Jedi had constant attention and was never crated for long periods of time.

Things have changed in the past 5 years. The kids have moved out and Hubby is now working full time. Fortunately, Trooper's breeder had worked with him before he came to our home. He knew "sit," "back," "no" and a few basic manners. He was used to a crate and walking on a leash. He was extremely close to being potty trained. He was more independent and could entertain himself for short periods of time. All this made the transition easier.

My biggest fears about bringing home an older puppy were:

1. It would be harder to bond with us and
2. He might have problems assimilating into the family.

I couldn't have been more wrong! Trooper absolutely adores me and Hubby and has fit right into the pack. His presence put a little pep in Roxy's step her last few weeks. He and Jedi hold WrestleMania several times daily in my living room (and hallway, kitchen, and back yard). Trooper is smart and has caught on quickly to regular household routines.


Trooper sleeps under my desk while I'm on the computer

By the same token, Hubby, Jedi and I are all madly in love with this goofy, energetic, cuddly puppy. I'll always be grateful to J-Lyn for sending me that email six weeks ago. I look forward to sharing all the Trooper stories yet to come. -- K

The Invincible Snake

The dogs got a new toy that I hope will last for a while -- a squeaky snake from the Outward Hound Invincibles line.


The snake is three feet long and has six large squeakers that are designed to keep squeaking even after punctured. (Too bad Roxy isn't here to test that. She could kill a squeaky in minutes!) The snake is stuffing free and has double-layered, double-stitched seams. Good thing too, as the boys are really stress-testing this toy.


Jedi and Trooper play tug-of-war with the snake. Even funnier is watching Trooper drag the snake across the room to chew on it -- the toy is as long as he is! Trooper is still teething and I think the chewing helps relieve some of the discomfort. I'll let you know if this thing passes the GSD test. -- K

A Moment of Silence . . .

. . . for the Jedi Mobile

The car in happier days

A couple years back I told you about buying a car for my dog. I liked my Jedi Mobile. Hubby, Jedi and I took it up to Maryland, Virginia and South Carolina when we did our road trip last April. Everything was great . . . then I turned 50.

The day after my birthday I was stopped at a red light, thinking about getting home and meeting RK for a walk. Before the light changed I was rear-ended and jammed into the car in front of me. I was car four of a five car pile-up. Some young twit in a Honda (Car #1) wasn't paying attention -- I'll bet she was texting! -- and didn't notice the light was red. There were no skid marks from her vehicle. (I looked.)

Twit was going at least 50 MPH and slammed into a Mustang (Car #2). The Mustang hit a Jeep (Car #3) which hit me (Car #4) and I hit a Toyota (Car #5). The Jeep had a rear bike rack and a nice Rubicon package on the front. The accessories protected that car from body damage, but did quite the number on me and the Mustang. Both of us were towed from the scene. My car was actually lifted up in the rear and the force of the hit drove me forward. When all was said and done, my front end was under my back end. Yeah, it sucked.

I ended up with whiplash and bruised bowls from the seatbelt. I didn't even know that was a thing! I was sore and nauseated for several weeks. My 50 year old body doesn't heal like it used to. The silver lining -- I have a new dog mobile (along with a new car payment). I found a 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan with the Fold and Go seats. I can seat up to seven people, or I can do this:

Not my actual van. Mine is black and has much more dog hair.

This layout is great for dogs. Rarely do I put up the back seats. Even with her bum leg, Roxy was able to climb in and out of the van. She loved car rides, so we gave her as many as possible -- sometimes it was just a trip around the block. The side windows roll down, so she'd stick her nose out the window and grin the entire time. I have a thick blanket that I lay on the floor so the dogs don't get their feet caught in the seat anchors. The inside is incredibly roomy. I expect to be able to fit two large dog crates and everything else needed for a show weekend inside the van. (I'll test that hypothesis in September -- our potential first show!)

I hate buying cars, but I think we did pretty good. (Hubby is awesome.) Before I go, I want to share my car buying tips.

1. Get a pre-approved loan from your bank ahead of time. It saves a lot of headache at the dealer.
2. Enterprise Rent-a-Car sells their used rentals. You get the Carfax report and a full dealer warranty. Even the local dealers didn't offer a warranty on used cars.

So now I've got new wheels and a new show puppy. I hope to have new things to share soon. Stay tuned, -- K

P.S. The day after my accident my Facebook account was hacked. My 50s didn't start out all that great. Thankfully, they seem to be improving.

More Dog Park Drama

Picture from the condo's website
(I added the arrow)

We have a dog park in my small beach town, and it is a major pain in the butt. I've discussed some of the dog park drama and the lack of dog park etiquette in the past. Well, things have just gotten worse.

When the dog park was built 10 years ago, it was nestled behind some businesses and next to a wooded lot. Great care was taken to keep the dog park patrons away from the nearby church grounds. (Mostly) everybody was happy.

Two years ago the wooded lot was bought and razed. Then waaay too many expensive condos were built in its place. Many people were unhappy.


Condo layout from the site
(The dog park is clearly marked)

The condo developers jumped through hoops to work with the City. The pond in the dog park was enlarged to accommodate the construction. The developers removed the debris that the patrons fussed about. (The site used to be a dump.) The developers also redesigned the south end of the park, adding trees and attractive fencing as part of the deal.

People have been in the condos for about 6 months, and now we're getting complaints from the residents about barking, especially in the cooler early morning hours. Seriously!

The dog park doesn't officially open until 7:30 AM. However, the RFID key card reader lets people in anytime. Surely the IT department could fix that with a simple program update. NO! When I brought it up, you'd think I was asking them to cure cancer. Instead, I had to go in at 6 AM to handle the problem. I spent an hour and a half sitting at the park telling early birds to go get a cup of coffee and come back at 7:30. Most of them were annoyed but understanding.

Just wondering, why would people choose to live next to a dog park if they can't bear to hear dogs barking? I guess we'll call it job security. I've said it before, "Stupid people pay my mortgage." -- K

Trooper's Droopy Ears

I took a picture of Trooper on Sunday and his ears were standing up like Boot Camp Marines. I woke up Thursday morning and his left ear was completely horizontal. My pup looked miserable and was shaking his head.

I was concerned, maybe borderline panicky. If Trooper's ears don't stand up, his show career is over before it even started! Several thoughts went through my head:

• Was it an ear infection? I couldn't see anything, but it did feel warm. 
• If he keeps shaking his head he might develop a hematoma. Even if drained early, a hematoma can ruin a dog's ear set.
• Did Jedi hurt Trooper's ear while they were playing? Was I not monitoring them close enough?
• Is Trooper just teething? I had heard that teething could drop ears temporarily.
• Do I need to tape his ear? Sometimes a young ear is "set" (much like a bone) so that it stays in the right position until the cartilage firms up.

Things weren't any better Friday morning so I called the vet. Then I called RK (Jedi's breeder) and asked if she would tape Trooper's ear. I'd rather be accused of overreacting than to miss something that could be fixable.

The vet asked about the position of Trooper's ears before the droop. I broke out my phone and showed him pictures. (I've got quite a few!) The vet noticed that Trooper's right ear is not as perky as it was last week either.

The vet did a complete physical exam. The boy is healthy. His ear didn't seem to have any damage (so Jedi's off the hook for now). The ears were a little dirty, but no inflammation. I left with some ear cleaner and was told to hold off taping for now.

During the exam the vet noticed that all Trooper's baby canine teeth are missing as well as half the molars. Poor Trooper is teething big time. The discomfort is what's causing his ears to droop. Trooper is chewing everything he can fit into his mouth right now. We've given him a variety of approved chew things (as opposed to pot holders, leashes and the remote) to help relieve the pressure. His favorites seem to be a stuffed pumpkin and a bully stick.

So now we wait. I've been cleaning Trooper's ears daily (not easy) and checking his teeth (equally difficult). His ears aren't drooping as much, but they're still not where they need to be. I'll keep you posted! -- K

Pocket Pet Products Worth Using

I've cared small caged mammals for 40+ years, both personally and professionally. Rats, mice, hamsters, ferrets, guinea pigs, rabbits -- you name it, I've cleaned it. And I've picked up a few things over the years that I'd like to share.

Keeping cages clean is important. Mice and rats aren't known to be clean animals. They pee and poop whenever and wherever the urge hits. The smell of rodent urine can be pretty pungent. And since the rat cage is in my living room, it's important to me that it stays clean. I use Nature's Miracle Cage Cleaner to wipe things down between cleanings. (Rats pee on everything. ick.) I can only find it a PetSmart.

Bedding is important. Years ago we used cedar shavings. They masked the smell of urine pretty well. As time went on, however, it was discovered that the cedar oil was harmful to the animals' respiratory systems. We later switched to pine and aspen shavings. Lately I've discovered something new -- paper bedding! I absolutely LOVE it. It keeps the smell down better than the wood shavings ever did. I find that I'm changing the cage less these days. The bedding is vacuum packed, so the package is deceivingly small. And the bedding comes in a variety of colors so your pets' cages can match your décor. I've found the best price for this stuff is at Walmart.

A favorite of my girls is the Kaytee Sleeper Play Tunnel. It hangs from the top of the cage and there is a 90% chance that a rat is inside it. Unfortunately, my rat Pink likes to chew it as well as sleep in it. (Pink isn't the smartest rat I've ever owned.) I have to replace the tunnel every 6 weeks or so. Good think they're cheap on Amazon!

I find rats to be fun, smart and affectionate. (Except for Pink -- she bites!) It's important to keep them healthy and happy. The things above make that easier for me. Do you have a favorite pocket pet product? -- K