Sad Day.

Bobby had to go to the vets today to be put to sleep.

Yesterday she was hunting rock chucks (marmots).  Later we watched her walk home very very slowly. She wouldn't eat her dinner.  She just wanted to pant and face the wall.  Later, I invoked the name of her arch-nemesis Andy, our deceased cat, and got her to eat some cheese and dog biscuits.  (Bobby would eat anything if she thought Andy was going to get it).  She seemed to rally.  She even got up with me and Teddy at 3am to chase some deer from the garden.  Her barks woke everyone up.  This morning she was in a very bad way.

While waiting for the vet to get to his office this afternoon, I spent the time telling her she was a good dog and soon as she got over this 'bad turn' we would go get the 'rock chucks' and 'coyotes' and 'deer' and 'hawks'.  Then we were getting 'doggie biscuits'.  Despite her sad state, she perked up her ears at all the words she loved to hear.  She seemed to start to slip away just before she left for the vets.  Maybe we should have kept her here....

Bobby, thanks for protecting the chickens from the hawks and coyotes.  Thanks for chasing all those deer out of the garden and keeping those rock chucks on their toes.  Thanks for being such a good friend to Foxsun.  We will bravely try to carry on without you.

Bobby.  Airedale Terror.  March 28th 2002 - April 26th 2012.

Cats and Birds

I was thinking it's about time I gave an update on what has been going on around here. Today's update is going to be about;

The Cats and Birds.

Muffin is still on mouse patrol at the little old house I use as my art studio. I spend several hours with her most days. She came home 'on leave' over the weekend and had fun playing outside with her old friends. The reason Muffin is sent off every winter is because she piddles in this house.....and not in the litter box. If allowed to, she pees down the heating/air conditioning vents! There's a big litter box for the cats to go, if they can't wait until they are let out. Muffin will not use the same box as the boy cats, so instead of keeping her outside in the bitter cold, I take her to my studio where it's warm. She actually caught a mouse there one day.

Here she is today when I bought her home 'on leave'. The other pets were so glad to see her. Tommy gave her a good chasing.

Tommy Two Tone, Max and Patches are in fine health and spirits. Max and Patches still fight even though they are both elderly now. Since the weather warmed up, they have managed to stay awake long enough to go outside to hunt gophers. They are good gopher hunters because they both excel at keeping perfectly still for hours on end. Max bought home a whopper. At first I thought it was a baby bunny and went to take a peek. Ugh..Horrible cat had sawed the poor rodents head clean off!

Here's old Max. I'm surprised his whiskers are not blood stained!

And here's Patches hunting gophers.

Here comes Tommy Two Tone.....looking for mischief.

Old Andy is no longer with us. He went to the Happy Hunting grounds in the sky.

I went to take pictures of the chickens but they had gone to bed. That didn't stop me though.

Our rooster, Jet Lag was really mad that I had the nerve to look in on him while he was relaxing at home with his women folk.

I lured some of them out with food. I don't know why they go to bed so early. Our two little ducks showed up for some grub as well. Another drake came here last week and was trying to make Ducky Girl fly off with him. All hell broke loose. Ducky Boy went completely mental and because Ducky Girl will only fly close to the house, the stranger duck couldn't get her to leave. Even the dogs were barking at the ruckus. I kept the ducks locked up for a few days until the interloper gave up and left.

Coming soon, there will be updates on the other animals and what we have been up to here on our farm.