"Mousie"

As you all may know, our Poly is a great hunting dog, who has only barked through the fence and under the shed at the animals that were in the yard. This all changed this morning on the dogs first trip outside to do their "business".  Poly did her normal policing of the fence line around the whole yard and her customary trip around the shed just to make sure that the groundhogs and bunnies were in their rightful places. On one of her trips to the corner of the yard, where we have had to place bricks to keep her from digging a hole under the fence, something caught her eyes (or nose).  All I could see from my vantage point at the back door was her fiercely digging in the ground and poking her nose into the corner of the yard. She then went under the tree, which is also in the corner, to pick something up.  She then trotted over to the middle of the yard, proudly holding in her mouth the prize.  She dropped it near our patio, and then went to do her business.  Casey meandered over to investigate and ceremonially "marked" the area for himself after sniffing what it was.  At this point, I walked outside to see what prize she had so lovingly captured for us, and I discovered it was a recently deceased mouse.  What a good hunter we have!  She then picked it up again (by the tail) and did a victory lap in a small circle before dropping it again.  I let them enjoy their fun for a few minutes and then quietly deposited the catch in the trash when they were not looking any longer.

-Keith

Bully

Casey is a bully.  Period.  If Poly is sitting somewhere and Casey wants to be there, he will go and plop himself down, often sitting on her head.  He weighs about twice as much as her and knows it.  She gets her own "bully-ish" time in.  I often catch her biting at his legs.  They play rough and she regularly instigates.  He returns the favor by biting at her legs, too.  When she is feeling playful and he is not, he will go and seek refuge in his crate.  However, more often than not, he is the bully.

Groundhog

I've mentioned before that there is a groundhog which lives under our shed (along with a bunny).  Well this week, the groundhog has been taunting Casey and Poly.  It has been coming out from beneath the fence and wandering around the yard.  Poly sees this and barks her little head off, begging to go outside.  Casey recognizes her "there is a creature in our yard" bard and joins her at the back door.  Once, Casey jumped a good 4+ feet in the air out of excitement.  I've never seen him jump so high.


Before they go outside, they must first sit.  Poly is famous for putting her rear on the ground for a milli-second and looking at us, as if to say "what?  I sat!"  I then open and close the sliding door a few inches to let the critter know that it needs to return under the shed or slide under the turkey wire into the neighbor's yard.  So, Casey and Poly then race each other, taking off at full speed, for the shed.  They both try to fit as much of their bodies underneath as they can; they also like to dig at the rocks on which the shed sits and kick them into the yard.


It is difficult to get them both to come inside after they have spotted the groundhog or bunny.  This continues for several trips outside, sometimes into the next day.  They become totally obsessed!  If left inside, Poly will continue to bark, sometimes for more than an hour... even if she is locked out of the kitchen where the sliding glass door is.  She is one determined little thing!  Casey isn't totally innocent in this adventure.  He will also bark, but is more apt to quiet down when distracted from the door.  He does run from me if I attempt to grab him and bring him inside.  Poly does as well, but we have her dragging around a leash so she has become far easier to catch.


I have to wonder if the groundhog and bunny will ever get the point that there are crazy dogs living in our home and that they need to find someplace else to  reside rather than under our shed.  I can keep wishing...!

Mud

I took the dogs out bright and early this morning to find the ground wet.  This didn't bother Casey or Poly.  They both took off in the mud for the shed, to further investigate the bunny or groundhog living underneath it.  Poly proceeded to kick the stones out from under and onto the grass; we all learned that she fits between the shed and one side of the railroad tie walls surrounding it on 3 sides.  Casey took some of his time out there to DIG!  In the mud!!  It was right next to the door, too, so he didn't walk on the grass, so no opportunity to wipe it off onto the grass.


When he came inside, Casey was very good about sitting down on a towel and letting me wipe all 4 of his paws off.  I was surprised, since usually he is more interested in getting his muddy toes all over the living room carpet.  Yay Casey!  Poly was slightly less cooperative, yet still allowed Keith to clean off her paws.


Keith and I went to the pet store today and got a bag of treats for them - a kind they had never tried.  It was chicken jerky.  These guys love -- LOVE chicken!  Sometimes they get cut up breasts on top of their dog food.  Well, this jerky was no different.  It disappeared in no time at all!!  Casey ate the crumbs which fell from Poly's; she went over to where he was eating his, but there were no crumbs left on the floor, much to her disappointment.


Now, they are sound asleep, tired from another jaunt outside.  Oh, the life of our pups...

Bunny

There is a bunny (or several) living under the shed in our back yard.  Poly knows this and often spends her time outside trying to "befriend"  the little creature.  It's especially fun at 6:30 in the morning as she barks her little head off, running away from me in circles around the shed.  This morning Casey also wanted to "play" with the bunny.  My neighbors are going to turn us in for disturbing the peace.


Later in the morning, after Casey and Poly had finally come inside, they started barking again.  I went into the kitchen to check it out and saw that the bunny was in our neighbor's yard.  The pups saw it, too.  One morning I saw the little thing run across our yard with Poly chasing after him.  How is he possibly faster than she is?  I'm just glad to not get a "gift" from Poly!


Anyone out there interested in a bunny or two?  How about a possum?  Keith has seen one of those come from under the shed, too.  If I can catch Poly, I can catch the little rodent.

Fireworks

Yesterday was the 4th of July.  This is NOT Poly's favorite holiday.  While she loves having her Daddy home, she is certainly less than a fan of what this day means: fireworks.  Sure it's not as if we live next door to a fireworks location, we're close enough to a couple that she hears the BANG, BOOM and CRASH that they make.


We give her an all-natural remedy, albeit not exciting to her.  Last night, Keith gave it to her in a plate of pepperoni (I know, I know, an all-natural product in a very processed food); of course he had to give Casey a plate of pepperoni, too!  She wound up falling asleep during the displays.  Later, after Keith had come to bed, there was a thunderstorm and the noise of the storm affects her in the same way as fireworks.  She didn't bark or anything and made it through ok.  Let's hope she slept through the storm, too.  It's awful to see her when she's so scared by loud noises.  She just sits and trembles.  Sleep is good, sleep is very good.

Heat Wave

Today it was 99 degrees.  99 flipping degrees.  And muggy!  What did Poly and Casey want to do?  Lay in the grass... especially with the heat of the afternoon sun in the back yard.  Now, I was about dying standing out there for 5 mins and I'm not wearing a fur coat.  Casey even refused to come in a couple of times.  Even when they did come in, I couldn't get them to drink some water to try to alleviate some of that panting.  They both did spend some time on the non-carpeted floor, so I hope that was cool for them.


Once cooling off, both were sure to hop right onto the sofa/love seat to nap for hours on end.  It's just too hot for anything else.  They did finally drink some water, too.  It's as if they are being defiant teenagers; "No, I won't drink the water.  You can't make me!"


We got them one of those hard plastic kiddie pools.  Casey peed on (and in) it and Poly has NO interest.  We bought a couple of dog water toys, both made by Kong.  

Casey would go in to "rescue" the water Wubba, but climbed right back out after saving it.  I had hoped the pool would offer them some relief from the heat, but can't - won't - force them into it.


We were away for about a week last month and the pups went to stay at a Day Care/Boarding place.  Mr. Jim, the owner of this place, told us that he had introduced Casey and Poly to the kiddie pool with the same results... Casey hesitantly put his front toes in and Poly steered clear.  Today, Poly was slightly intrigued when I was "knocking" on the pool, but never got closer than about a foot away.  Maybe by the end of summer the two of them will realize the advantages of refreshing pool water.

Bones are Better Than Bones

Ok, alright, so I've been neglectful of this blog.  Forgive me?


We LOVE the Perk Valley Pet Eatery.  We get all of our food and toys there for all four kids. They sell only the best quality, all-natural, organic foods and their toys are of the highest quality.  They also have a bakery and they sell collars, leashes, harnesses, etc.  Not only that, but the owners, Gordon and Sue, and all of the employees are super knowledgeable.  I can't tell you the number of times I've gone to them with questions.  Not only all of that, but it's where we met Tori and Bert (the kitties) and adopted them from a rescue with whom Perk Valley works.


So, yesterday we asked how we can keep the big kids busy with something that doesn't require constant observation, while they're in the backyard.  We'd really prefer NO more holes be dug.  So, after some discussion we decided on fresh (but frozen), raw buffalo bones.  Given that Poly is a vizsla (Hungarian hunting dog), our guess was that she'd be ecstatic over this thing.  We also assumed that Casey would be happy -- that's not too hard.


We got the camera ready to take a video, went out back, and gave them each a bone.  He couldn't have been thrilled and began chomping away at it.  She sniffed it and left it be, wandering aimlessly around the yard.  After much encouragement, she finally took it.  Did she play with it?  No.  Chew on it?  No.  She went behind the shed and buried it!  She then sat next to Casey and watched him enjoy his bone.  It was too funny.  Well, it gets better.  Later, she went out and dug it up to play with the thing.  She did bury it again, but Daddy dug it up for her so she could play.  Later, she buried Casey's.  She is one unique little critter.  We love them both bunches and bunches!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Yes, I know we need rain and that we couldn't survive without it.  Try telling that to Poly!  She is a bit, ummmm, prissy.  She doesn't like to get wet, nor does she like to step on wet grass.  Last week we got a LOT of rain and it turned our backyard into a marsh because the ground was just saturated.  It was to the point where the kids were drinking out of puddles.  Gross!  Poly wound up having an accident due to refusing to go outside.  Honestly, I can't say I blame her; I sure prefer to take care of dry dogs.

It seems the ground hasn't fully dried out because puddles have already formed, making "going out" quite the chore with her.  He'll gladly go out and stay there.  He LOVES it outside - happy as a clam!  He just shakes off the water and goes along with whatever he was doing.  She shakes the water off in her little OCD way, incessantly.  She won't even do her business outside, even though she stands with me.... ok, ok, she's on the leash and can't go too far, but she walks in circles and never does anything.  I keep praying this doesn't result in another accident.

So, yeah, rain, rain go away!!!!  Poly has to pee some day!

(written weeks ago, but never published -- sorry)

Thunderstorm

We've had a number of thunderstorms in the past 24 hours.  While Casey isn't bothered by it, Ms. Poly shakes like crazy.  We feel horrible for her.  Keith and I have gotten her a "thundershirt" which we put on her during storms, but it only helps to a certain degree.  We're open for ideas. though <hint, hint>.  We will be asking the best pet store around, a local, family-owned store, for their suggestions.  If you live near me and want to know what the store is, drop me a line; I'll be more than happy to let you know about them because they really are amazing!

Sorry it's been so long since I've written, but life has gotten a little crazy around here.


Casey and Poly seem to be getting the hang of NOT destroying thing like furniture and blankets, which is a good thing.  They like to lay on the "people" furniture and sleep there for as long as possible.  They are, in fact, there right now as I type.


They are very fond of running around the back yard and digging holes.  Ok, the digging isn't our favorite thing, but there are a lot worse things they could be doing.  They love to chew on their bones.  Casey even took his out back last night, which made us laugh.  Any soft toys don't last very long... they get eaten into many pieces in no time.


Mr. Casey is very jealous.  The neighbor met Poly at the fence and Casey had to go running over, envious of not getting any attention.  He's a funny guy.

Casey Plays With Mr. Green Man

Casey's favorite toy was "Mr. Green Man."  He was (we thought) indestructible.  I've written about him before.  Well, Mr. Green Man went the way of the other toys this morning and he no longer squeaks.  In memorium, I thought I'd post a video of the fun.

Snow!!!

We had snow yesterday - a first for the pups.  Poly doesn't like the rain - at all - so we were pretty certain something wet AND cold on the ground was going to be the end of her being outside for the day.  She was very hesitant at first, but soon started playing with Casey (who also took his time putting his paws in the white stuff).  They ran around, chasing each other; they also made yellow and brown snow, in case you were worried  ;-)   Before we knew it, not an inch of the back yard was doggie footprint-less.

Enjoy some photos of their fun!

 Poly

 Casey (don't you just love his ears?)

 Poly

 Poly

 Casey looking for Poly

 Let the games begin...

 Yes, they play rough - but she holds her own and sometimes even instigates!

Casey

So that was our Saturday.  I hope you enjoyed seeing our cutie pies!

Good Doggies

Ok, well it may not start out sounding like they're so good, but trust me, it gets better!

Yesterday I had a couple of doctor appointments so the kids were left alone twice, the longest being 2-1/2 hours.  The first time, I came home and one of them (I believe it to be Casey) had an accident on one of the towels on the kitchen floor which we have by the door for muddy paws.  I also found that they had chewed the corner off of "their" cabinet.  Yes, we have a special hutch in our kitchen just to hold critter treats, toys, accessories, and gear.  I found a good number of pieces, though, so don't think they ingested much, if any of the wood shards.  Keith was the first one to come home from their second "alone" experience of the day.  He found everything to be in one piece and dry!!

Today has been a better day all around.  I am so excited with them.  They have been very good outside.  I was surprised that Casey wanted to come in so quickly on our last trip out back, but he climbed up the stairs and stood at the door staring at me as if to say "well, are you gonna let me in?"  He typically loves being outside and would stay out there for hours at a time.  Sadly for him, Keith and I are pretty emphatic that a human be out there with them at all times and we can't usually stay out there for hours.  Poly doesn't know a ton of commands and "come" wasn't working when she didn't want to follow Casey in.  The minute I came in and grabbed her leash, putting it on her, she followed me right inside.  Oh, that's another thing - we can sometimes let her out without a leash on and she isn't trying to climb under the fence to escape into the neighbor's yard (she only does it on the one side; makes me wonder what's going on that she doesn't want to go to the other side, except that they have two dogs of their own -- I would tend to think she'd rather be on the side with the dogs, but what do I know, I'm only human!).  It's been fun watching her run and see how fast she is... like a bullet!

Alright, scatterbrain, back to the topic.  When we came inside, I decided to do a few minutes of play/training with them.  Poly is still mastering "sit" while Casey is seeming to re-learn "come" (since he was either ignoring me or had forgotten the command when it was time to come in earlier in the day).  They both did SO great.  Poly does like to sit only until we reach for the treat; I guess she figures her "work" is done and she can do what *she* wants now.  Baby steps.  Casey will "wait" for me to take two steps back (I worked up from one to two today) and then come when I ask him to.  It was awesome!  It's hard training two dogs at the same time, but it seemed to work today and nobody got frustrated.  SUCCESS!

After that, I reminded them of their Kongs (which still have residue from the peanut butter/Kong peanut butter flavored squeeze stuff... Casey is the only dog alive who doesn't bend over backwards for human peanut butter) in the living room from earlier in the day and I grabbed a toy, lovingly known as "Mr. Green Man" which Casey had pulled out of the toy box this afternoon.  He's basically a neon green, round squeaking head with feet.  Round things are about the only toys Casey doesn't destroy and Mr. Green Man was a favorite of Kilter's.  We haven't yet suggested to Casey that Mr. Green Man has feet and are not going to encourage him to discover that one for himself; those feet will only last so long before Mr. Green Man has a double amputation.

Now they are relaxing... Casey is sunning at the back door and Poly has planted herself smack dab in the middle of the love seat, using nearly the entire thing.  Who knew 35 lbs could take up so much space?  Something tells me the bones and deer antlers are going to be next on the play list, but they can decide that for themselves... everything is in the toy box (a regular size crate) and they can just pull out what they want on their own.  I love to see what they chose and how they are so intentional once they decide what they want, just going right in for it!

The Bark

The other day, Poly was sound asleep and presumably dreaming about chasing some sort of prey (she is a hunting dog after all).  She began to bark and bark and bark to the point where she woke herself up.  Then, she started barking again having been awakened by a bark - no doubt she had to find out the source of that bark.  She was very confused, but I admit it was really funny to watch!  Is that wrong?  LOL