A Question, Wildlife and Dogs

Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable. ~Plato

I'm doing a random poll today ... okay, I admit it's not THAT random, but still.

Do you think it's believable that grown men in their 20s and early 30s, siblings from a blue collar family, would still rough house? Would you find it odd to see one tackle the other and wrestle on the front lawn? This is outside of physical sports (like football and hockey) where you would expect it.

I'm curious to hear your response.

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My battle with wildlife in my gardens has already begun. Around my well pump I have piles of spring bulbs, mostly daffodils and tulips. Two days ago, I went to check them out and found deer prints in the soil and ALL My tulips eaten down to nubs.

*sigh*

And so it begins.

Lest I forget that we do live out in the wild, last night upon our return home from agility class (it was dark) we returned to a moose in our yard. Moose are really, really, really big. Truthfully, unless you've seen one IRL, you can't begin to understand how huge they are.

More, they have pretty much no fear, not of people, cars, dogs... so you sit and watch them stroll away.

They are truly amazing. We haven't had a moose in my yard (that I've seen anyway) for many, many years. I honestly hope we don't again. They're quite intimidating.

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A recipe for disaster: last night as the agility classes were turning over (advanced goes out one door, intermediate comes in another) two of our "reactive" dogs decided to ... um.... react.

One is a pit bull who loves people, likes about half the dogs she knows, but has zero tolerance for other alpha females. Her owner is about 5'2" and the dog is about 70 lbs of solid muscle.

The other is a lab mix, ditto the above. Loves people (in fact one of her favorite people is my DD ... the dog cries when she sees her), tolerates many dogs, but has no tolerance for any kind of bad behavior on the part of other dogs. Her owner is fairly tall (about 5'6") but very slim and the dog is about 90 lbs of solid muscle.

They saw each other, coming and going last night. The pit recognized an alpha female and starting barking, the lab was having none of that and responded in kind. Both dogs dug in and headed for each other, dragging their owners... oh boy. I happened to be close enough to the lab (who I trust completely not to tag me ... I don't know the pit that well, she's pretty new to class), so I grabbed hold of her and helped drag her away. But WOW! It was incredibly intense.

The dogs were all wound up yesterday. I suspect it was because of the rain... they hadn't been able to get their wiggles out during the day. It made for a very interesting class. The busy dogs were busier, the cranky dogs were crankier, the goofy dogs were goofier. Wonder what tonight at the beginning class will hold (aside from me having to push a 80 lb timid Doberman over the walk-it)?

I really do love dogs.

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You Are Regular

You are lively and energetic. You are constantly seeking the new challenges. You are easily inspired and are always coming up with new ideas. You have a lot of enthusiasm. You stay adaptable and flexible. You want to be agile and ready for anything. You are a rule breaker to the extreme. You get a thrill from pushing boundaries and breaking taboos.

Are You Regular or Decaf?

About 75% right ...

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Art and Arfs

Artists can color the sky red because they know it's blue. Those of us who aren't artists must color things the way they really are or people might think we're stupid. ~Jules Feiffer

The art show was a little bit of a letdown this year -- they only put items out on the first floor and, while ALL of DD's stuff was shown (as opposed to last time when only two were up), there wasn't a lot to see.

We got there really early and ended up getting in and out almost before the show officially began, which was good, because by the time we left, the little art center was PACKED like a can of sardines.

In any case, and without further ado, here are DD's pieces of art.

Her barn (which was the first thing they did, and which she hurried through -- I think she learned her lesson, though, because her other items were fabulous):



This painting of fruit really looks amazing. While it's not perfect, you can really see her effort in the shiny spots on the fruit, etc. I was impressed:



Lastly, her glass mosaic. She was the only one in her class unafraid to grind class, so she did it for everyone (and has the nicks to prove it!):



In any case, we were able to get there, look at everything and still get to beginning agility on time.

Agility this week was a little crazy, though (Is there a full moon? New moon? Planets aligned funky?). We had dog fights both nights. Weds, the little Yorkie with aggression issues was grouchier than usual. I wasn't running in the class (my knee is not doing well ... another story for another day) so, I was in charge. I just love him to death, I really do, which is a good thing.

There was one run, though, that really just entailed taking very few steps and sending the dog out, so I decided to try it. DD sat down next to the Yorkie's mom (well, aunt really -- her sister hasn't been able to come lately), and when Dakota's run was over, she called her.

Bad idea.

Though this Yorkie doesn't mind Dakota for the most part, THIS time Dakota stepped on him and it set him off. DD threw her hand down in between them to keep Dakota from being bitten and got bitten herself. No blood, but her hand is bruised and he broke the skin. HOWEVER, before anyone gets up in arms -- she wasn't badly hurt, and was more concerned for the dogs. After class, she even gave the Yorkie lots of love... because he's reactive (was attacked BADLY by dogs as a puppy), but always has so much remorse afterward and would never intentionally bite a human. He's a work in progress... and we love to work with him. Besides, if DD decides to work with dogs as a career (and right now, that's in the running for certain) she's going to get bitten.

Last night, we have two dogs who are both there to get over their issues with other dogs. Unfortunately, one of them got away from her owner and ... of course... went charging over to the other one who had spent the class barking at her. I guess she'd just had it. I was closest, so leaped up, pulled them apart and then stood between them (her owner had her leash by now). Neither dog was hurt, just slobbered on, but we really don't usually have this many problems.

We won't talk about how I hurt my knee again. I jumped up without thinking. It's instinctive to try to keep the dogs safe.

Never a dull moment. And, I'm just praying my knee holds out for the next three weeks...

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I'm obscenely behind on visiting blogs ... I feel like I say that all the time, but I have such a strong desire to visit with you all. I hate missing. I'm gonna give it the old college try today (the plan is to stay home ALL DAY). Of course, DH is home and sick (he has a wicked cold), so who knows what the day may bring.

Please know I'm thinking of y'all!

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You Are a Perfectionist

You can see the big picture, but you sometimes find it overwhelming. You need to break things down into small chunks. You act quickly but not impulsively. You think through your actions, even if only briefly. You are a big dreamer. Your head is in the clouds with your latest scheme, and it's sometimes difficult to get you back down to earth. You are content and harmonious. You've made your peace with the world.

The Soap Bubble Test

Hmmm.... about 75% corrrect (the last is wrong, sadly).

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