A Work in Progress - Our Sammy

As many of you know, Sammy came to us in late spring. He was big, doppy, and totally incorrigible. I loved him from the very beginning. So did my youngest son, Ryan. Chuck wasn't so sure. After all, our other dogs knew what they were supposed to do and Sammy didn't. On top of not knowing what he should do, Sammy did anything he wanted to do which included going into the living room (sacred area for my husband's comfort) and unloading the dishwasher, cupboards, and counters on a regular basis.

Sammy was a third wheel. He didn't know how big he was and even though Maddie and Annabelle weren't threatened by him, they had their own little niche in life. The girls more or less ignored him for most of the time. Occasionally Sammy would run over one of them and that wasn't a happy time. Spring led to summer. We took Sammy to an introductory obedience class and worked and worked with him at home. By mid-summer he was housebroken and had an inkling of what was a good idea and what was not. Chuck even began to develop a fondness for Sammy. He began to play big dog games with him and seemed to really soften up towards our gentle giant.

Now that fall has arrived (in full force) and Chuck is getting ready to retire, Sammy is included in all family events. He loves to go for walks in the park and stays right by our sides. In fact, just like Annabelle and Maddie, wherever I am, Sammy is. Yes he takes up more space but I certainly don't care. As for Maddie and Annabelle, they've taken Sammy into their little pack. Annabelle's still head honcho and puts Sammy in his place from time to time but Sammy's okay with that. After our last Newfie died I swore I'd never get another because I couldn't go through the pain. Well, I guess I will someday because Sammy's worth it. The joy he brings to my life is immeasurable

And the humor he and Chuck both bring to me just can't be said in words. Our Sammy can't always be called a "good boy" yet, but he can be called amazing...simply amazing. I sure do love him.

Sammy's a work in progress and a good retirement project for Chuck...don't you think?

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Sammy Sammy Sammy

Meet Sammy! He's our foster Newfoundland. If you look very closely you'll see little tiny Annabelle on the couch behind him. The girls are adjusting just fine. I'll have them tell you about Sammy with their own words later this week.


Sammy came to us on Friday. He'd been a couple places before he got here. One place had called him Mongo. The other Sampson. I tried both names on him and he didn't respond much to either. Since I preferred Sampson we stuck closely with that.

Why did we agree to foster such an enormous dog? Because we love Newfoundlands and frankly, I signed up with a Newfoundland rescue group to do what I love...have a Newfoundland in my life. I've told you all about Bud, our last Newfie. He lived to be 11-years-old and was just about the greatest dog on earth. Sammy isn't a traditional color. In fact he isn't recognized by the AKC. But Sammy is a traditional Newfoundland. Gentle, kind, clumsy, messy, and funny. Sammy's already won our hearts...all 100 * pounds of him.

Does he have any issues? Yes a few. He's really young (a year) so he came with no manners. He's already doing better. Sammy doesn't like it much when we leave. I have a feeling he's been left once too many times. We're going to work with Sammy to make him as confident as he can be. Then we're going to work hard to make ourselves let him go when the time comes.

By the way, my sister-in-law just visited a wonderful winery where she was greeted by MIRA, a Newfoundland. Go see her post and photos!

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Our Walks Might Never Be the Same....

We're making the photos small so we don't shock you too much.

But we have one thing to say:

She wants us to be all hugs and kisses on Mother's Day but EEEEEGADS! Look who's moving in with us for an undetermined amount of time! She's gone and lost her mind!

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Divine Intervention?

I honestly believe that sometimes things happen for a reason. About a month ago, my sister Julia, lost her beloved Georgia. Georgia was a beautiful Great Pyrenees with a heart as big as Texas...where my sister lives.

Julia was devastated, as we all are when we lose one of our family members. "I probably won't get another dog," Julia said to me. "There will never be another Georgia and cats are easier to take care of anyway."

Julia's cats are terrific. Each of them as their own distinct personality. And honestly Julia was/is right. There will NEVER be another Georgia. Never.

I wanted to help Julia through her grief but I know from my own experiences that you never really get over losing a dog (or cat) that is in your life. Somehow, you resume your normal life but it seems empty for awhile, no matter how full your house is with people or other pets.

After Georgia's death, Julia went to work as usual. I'm not certain of the timeline on this, but it wasn't long after Georgia's death that Julia began to notice a dog that would come into the parking bays where she worked. Julia took Georgia's food to work with her and began to feed and water the stray on a daily basis.

She even went back on weekends and when she couldn't go, she asked someone who worked weekends to cover for her.

It gets better. Julia noticed that the dog was flea infested. She took in the proper medication and applied it to the dog that now greeted her on a daily basis. "She's an odd looking girl," Julia said to me. "Her one ear flops down kind of funny."

"Are you taking her home?" I asked Julia.

"I'm gong to try to find her a home," was Julia's response on a Monday. "Well, maybe I'll take her home on Friday when I get the fleas under control," she went on to say.

On Thursday her story was different when she called. "I brought the dog home with me tonight," Julia said matter of factly.

"Why'd you do that?" I asked. "I thought you weren't going to take her home until you got the fleas under control?"

"She ran after my car when I started to leave last night," Julia said, "What could I do? I brought her home and put her in the tub and gave her a really good flea bath. She's a nice distraction," Julia told me.

I smiled to myself. My sister's nice distraction was not a dog she would have chosen. It was a dog that chose her. Sometimes life's simple that way.

Meet Isabella! She's a happy girl. Isabella is smiling with me!

My sister is terrific, don't you think?

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She's Boring...Very Boring!

Quite frankly, she's been boring us to death. As you can see, I'm half asleep and Maddie's about to fall over.

All she talks about is meeting her deadlines for magazine articles (which aren't even about us), horses, trail rides, and rescue dogs! Good grief!!

When was the last time you heard one word from us?

Well, we've decided it's time to get her attention. She needs to know that we've noticed what she's been doing. Spring has sprung and we're going to spruce up her blog while she babbles about other things in her life.

The first thing we did was to move her GUEST BOOK to the top of the page. She loves to look at all her friends when they leave pictures, but we thought she'd take more notice if it was the first thing she saw when she opened her blog.

Once upon a time it was her goal to fill her GUEST BOOK with cute little animal faces from all around the world. She wants all kinds of animals even though we tried to convince her to stick to dogs. She's hard headed that woman! Just ask our dad if you don't believe us!

So, as a favor to us, (if you haven't already) would you please sign her GUEST BOOK and leave a picture. And if you don't have a picture, just leave one of yourself! She's hard headed, but not picky! She just wants to know who you are.

AND...as much as we hate to say this, if you're a rescue dog or horse, would you please mention that when you sign THE book? I'm sure she'll take us for extra walks when she sees what we've done!!!

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Two Stories in One

Please forgive me for neglecting my blog this past week. I've missed reading yours and I plan to catch up in the next few days. Things have been totally chaotic to say the least. Between dogs and horses I've been quite busy. I can't complain though. I'm certainly doing what I love. I'll get to the horse story later this week. For now I want to share two stories with happy endings....those are the best kind, aren't they? Above is a photo of me, Sara, and my youngest son Ryan. Maddie's little head is in the shot too. Ryan came over to help me take Sara to the vet. I was afraid she wouldn't want to jump in the car and at 130 pounds, it would have been hard to lift her!

Ryan adored Sara. In fact, he threatened to kidnap her. I convinced Ryan that Sara had a good home waiting for her. Ryan...in fact all of my boys...grew up with Newfoundlands. If the right Newfie comes along, it will have a home with Ryan and Heather.

Sara sat nicely at the vet's office and waited her turn. She checked out just fine so she was ready to travel again. Today Sara reached her new home in Minnesota. I've talked to Sara's new owner, Sarah....yes, Sarah....and I'm happy to report that she couldn't be going to a better home. Owner Sarah sent me pictures of her dogs and her home. Dog Sara is about as close to Newfoundland paradise as she can get. Her long journey has come to an end.

While we were at the vet's office, Dr. French told us an awful story about a dog that had been brought into her office (the day before) by a good Samaritan. The dog (now named Petey) was being badly beaten with a baseball bat by a sick sick man. The good Samaritan got Petey away from the man...thank God. Sadly Petey was beaten so badly that Dr. French had to amputate his leg. She neutered him at the same time.

"Could you get Petey and his story out into your rescue network?" Dr. French asked me. "He's a sweet sweet dog. Just hours after I removed his leg he was up and out of his crate giving all of us kisses."

I posted Petey on Wednesday. Petey's story tugged at the heart strings of many good kind people. Today is only Sunday and sweet Petey has already been adopted. He has a home where his wounds will heal and his heart will mend. Petey will be loved but more than that, Petey will learn to feel safe and free from harm. Petey will give back all the love that he receives and then some.

The horrible man who did this to Petey is a measly speck of dirt who should be punished. The good kind people who came to Petey's rescue are the salt of the earth. They can find their reward in Petey's eyes.

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Sweet Sara

Sweet Sara arrived on Saturday night. After dinner, a few tail wags, and a walk around the block, Sara was pooped. So was Annabelle, she never moved from the couch.

It didn't take long for Sara to feel pretty cozy. She drifted off to sleep while I watched her remembering why I love Newfoundlands so much.

Maddie seemed to think that Sara needed a friend for the evening. She made sure to give Sara a good welcome sniff or two. Sara just sighed. I'm sure she was thinking, "What's up with this little yapper?!"

Before the night was over, Maddie gave up her usual place on the couch for a spot next to her new BFF, Sara. Annabelle didn't notice. She was down for the call. What good girls they all are. We'll share some more photos of Sara with you soon.

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Great News!

It was a happy day and a sad day for Alexa.

My granddaughter got attached to Tipper very quickly.

Networking surely pays off! Today Tipper went home with a family who has one calm child and a fenced yard. Thanks to all of you who helped to spread the word for me and wished us good luck.

Better yet...there are three other families waiting in line if Tipper doesn't work out for the first family. One of the families wants me to email them all the dog postings that come through my email. What an awesome thing to have loving people waiting for homeless dogs. Having Tipper with us was good in more ways than one.

I'm smiling from ear to ear. Three cheers for Tipper!

P.S. I had Tipper's new owners sign a contract stating that they would provide a loving home and vet care. In addition, if it doesn't work out with them, the contract states that Tipper will come back here. I don't want Tipper to ever be in the sad situation that she was before. Do you think I'm obsessed?

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Dog Days of Winter

Wouldn't you think that I could get some peace and quiet? The dog days aren't just for the hot summer! I was okay with the computer keys clicking away, in fact I was just about to doze off
when the blender shocked the beejebers out of me.

After the blender went off the dishwasher went on. The phone rang. The door slammed. What next? I wondered. Then I heard Maddie sneezing. She sneezes to get what she wants. First one sneeze. Nothing. Then two sneezes. Still nothing. THREE SNEEZES! Will someone please get Maddie her treats?

Finally! Mom caved. I heard the pantry door open and the tasty package crinkle. What took you so long? I thought to myself.

Normally I'd be right in there waiting for my treats. In fact, I'd be sitting up like a groundhog...or at least that's what mom says I do. Today I just want my nap. I deserve my nap. I NEED MY NAP!

I got my nap. The sound of Maddie crunching on her dog biscuits lulled me to sleep. I wonder if everyone needs naps like me?

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Happy New Year, Friends!

Annabelle would like to wish you a Happy New Year, but as you can see, she's chilling out from all the Christmas activities. In this photo, she's sitting with...or rather on...her Aunt Dee. The girl is plumb tuckered out!

And Maddie's beyond tuckered out she's pretty much unconscious! I know she's dreaming about all the stories we'll have to tell you in 2010 and all the stories that you'll share with us.

Getting to know all of you has been so much fun and we can't wait to get back to our regular blogging routine. We've laughed with you, we've cried with you, and we've become friends with you. Thank you so much.

Tango probably would like to say Happy New Year too but he's in deep doo doo. On Christmas day he took his girlfriend Tantra and went on a jaunt off the farm and down some country roads. I'll let Tango share that as the first story of the New Year. For now, he's in time-out!

HAPPY NEW YEAR from all of us!!!

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The Christmas Story As Read to Bru and Captain Jack

I couldn't believe my luck last night. I was at a camera store (buying a Christmas present) and right in front of me in line was the lady you see in the photo. Her name is Wendy. I came to find out that she was picking up photos taken the day she read...or tried to read...The Christmas Story to her dog, Bru and her Shetland pony, Captain Jack. One thing led to another and of course, we started talking about our dogs and horses. Wendy pulled out her package of photos and began to share.

I asked the obvious question: "Could I scan these and put them on my blog for my friends to see?" I asked.

Wendy hesitated for a minute...but just a minute...and answered, "Of course! I was just having a little fun...Captain Jack isn't always in the house, but I brought him to get pictures to show my friends!"
I understood completely! Like most of the rest of us, Captain Jack and Bru aren't just animals, they are Wendy's heart.


It took awhile for Wendy to get things started what with Bru and Captain Jack being the curious fellows that they are. Clearly Wendy has the patience of Job and her animals are beyond adorable.
I noticed the foot...err I mean hoof...prints on the carpet and asked what they were. "Oh Captain Jack just tracked in a little water," she answered.

Good enough for me!



In the end, Wendy read the special story to her wonderful little (big) guys. And the beauty of Wendy reading The Christmas Story to Bru and Captain Jack is that I got lucky enough to share these special Christmas photos with you!

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The Girls' Poetic Walk and Our 100th Post!

Annabelle's Poem

Out for a walk
Just Maddie and me
I tossed out a bet
She'd be first one to pee

Maddie marched on
all happy and smug
She only stopped once
to just sniff a bug

I waited and watched
and walked on quite proud
when all of a sudden

Mom said something out loud

"We have to go home"
she said to our dad
"I've gotta go fast
and I've gotta go bad"

How could Mom do this
I barked loud and clear
It just wasn't fair
and our house wasn't near

So needless to say
I lost the big bet
But Mom got home
Before she got wet!

Maddie's Poem

　

Annabelle's bark
is worse than her bite
Yep she lost her bet
and there wasn't a fight

She didn't try hard
to continue our stroll
cause when we got home
she spotted a hole

Belle knew that to dig
was far better yet
than what she could win
from her ridiculous bet!
　
　
　
　

And the hole that she dug

was behind a fine stone

and I knew it was best

to just leave her alone.

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The Difference in Dogs

I have always known this to be true, but yesterday it struck me again. Dogs are as different in personalities as people.


I was in Texas visiting my sister for a long weekend. Maddie and Annabelle were well cared for by my husband Chuck, but they missed me nonetheless and were exuberant when I got home. I missed them too, but being at my sister's is the next best thing to home because she has a dog and four cats!

Anyway, back to what I was starting to say...Chuck opened the door from the garage to our house and Annabelle bolted out to see me. Chuck was frantically calling Annabelle back inside. I wasn't. Why? Because I know that Annabelle won't take off. She won't go anywhere that I'm not. She'll be calm and focused.

I opened up the car door to get out more luggage and Annabelle jumped in the driver's seat and waited patiently for me. Then she followed me into the house.

Maddie on the other hand would have jumped up to greet me, run down the street, and chase after whatever it was that attracted her attention. Then she would have become slightly confused and spatially challenged looking this way and that. Maddie's a lot like me.

For me, the key to respecting my girls (or any of the dogs I've had) is understanding that they are just like us with different personalities and challenges.

The only difference between dogs and us was best said by Josh Billings: "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself."
Too bad most people can't learn from dogs!

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OH PLEASE!

So they think I'm not the brightest bulb on the tree. They call me a ditz. Well, guess who gets a boatload of attention without having to do stupid tricks or even behave very well? WINK WINK! You guessed it....ME!

Kelly was smart. I'll give him that. He had a much bigger vocabulary than I do. And Annabelle aims to please. She does whatever Mom says. She's even got Dad jumping though hoops. I say, "Go for it Annabelle...you go girl!" When Dad gets on the floor to play with Annabelle, I go right over and lick the salt from his potato chips right off his hands. Annabelle makes it easier for me to reach him. Who's a ditz?

Then there's Tango. He does tricks to get treats. He bows. He kisses. He pushes balls and pulls ropes. He takes Mom on long rides. Then he gets all gussied up and wins ribbons at horse shows just to make Mom happy.

I don't have to do a darn thing but look cute and snuggle WHEN I'M COLD.

Who's not the brightest bulb on the tree?

YOU TELL ME!

Love from the true genius,
Maddie

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With Love from Annabelle and Maddie

This is our cousin Jake. Mom babysits for him whenever our Aunt Dee and Uncle Mike go away. During football season, she goes over to play with him almost every Saturday. The good thing is, that whenever our mom and dad go away, Aunt Dee comes over and takes care of us!

The first thing Jake always does when Mom gets to his house is sit up so she can hold his paw. Jake loves to have his paw held. He sits up pretty darn good for a big guy, doesn't he? Jake sits like this for as long as my mom will hold his paw. He's a strong boy! Mom says he has a great back. Guess that's cause her back hurts all the time!

Click on this picture to get a good look at Maddie's face. I'm going to save it and use it for blackmail the next time I can think of a good reason! Maddie hadn't seen cousin Jake for awhile and you can tell by the look on her face that she's not as calm as me. I had to remind Maddie to use her manners. Good grief!

"The first thing you do when you visit your cousin," I told Maddie, "Is to give him a kiss on the cheek...that's what families do. Then stop with the terrified look...it makes you look like your eyes are going to pop out. You don't want to scare cousin Jake do you?"

"The next thing to do," I told my sister, "Is to turn your face just slightly so that Jake can lick your ear. That's what families do too! It's called AFFECTION," I told Maddie. "Then if you're lucky, Jake will let you go with him to his big backyard. You're going to want to do that," I told her.

Maddie went and sat by the fireplace for awhile and thought about what I said...she's like that. Jake waited patiently for her to get herself together. Finally she did.

Then we all went outside for a nice long walk around the woods. Mom left the camera in the house or we'd have pictures of that too.

In case your wondering why we're talking today instead of our mom, it's because we convinced her it was our turn. I told Maddie I'd talk this time. Maybe by next time, Maddie will be brave enough to do the talking. She's a little ditzy, but she's quite creative. In fact, she's a little like our mom, but don't tell her I said that!

You'll hear much more from us later. We're gonna give Mom the old boot from time to time.

Oh! Wait a minute. One more thing. Maddie said I am suppose to tell you to scroll down to the very bottom of this page. Mom added a guest book so we can see who you are. Maddie needs to put a face with a name. Go figure!

Love,

Annabelle and Maddie

P.S How'd I do?

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Three Dog (not mine) Day...Really!

I really need to carry a camera in my pocket. The story I'm about to tell you is true, but without photos it might be a little hard to believe (unless you've known me for a very long time).

Last week I left my friend's barn and headed to the barn where I board Tango. The day was as hot as it could possibly be and the scorching sun was literally baking the pavement on the country road. As if that wasn't bad enough, the humidity had to be at least 90 percent. It was awful.


Anyway, I hadn't traveled far when I noticed two large dogs in the middle of the road between two cornfields. One dog was a husky. Both of the dogs looked confused and exhausted.

Out of the window of my car I could clearly see collars on both dogs...and tags. "Good!" I thought to myself. "I'll get the phone number off their tags and find their owner."

I pulled to the side of the road, put on my hazard lights, and got out of my jeep. I called to the dogs. The husky was a little shy, but the other dog wasn't. He saw my open car door and smelled the air conditioning. Quick as a flash, the big muddy dog was panting in my backseat.

Next came the husky, who had clearly encountered a skunk along the way. I took a deep breath, got in the car, and managed to get the phone number off the big dog's tag...I tried (HA!) to stay clear of the skunky husky. The owner of the dogs answered his phone almost immediately. "I've been looking for them everywhere," he said. "Give me directions to where you are and I'll come and get them."

I gave the man directions to my barn and edged back onto the road towards my barn and Tango. Before I could make the first turn, the husky was in my lap...yes he was. It gets better. Now a dump truck was behind me and he wasn't happy. The driver kept laying on his horn urging me to move faster.

I COULDN'T! Not with a husky in my lap. So it went on that way until I pulled into the parking lot of my barn. Nothing is ever subtle in my life and this was no exception. Since all of the people at the barn heard the dump truck's blaring horn, they assumed horses had gotten loose and were on the highway. People came running from all directions. They were thankful that the horses were safe and amused that I couldn't get out of the car for reasons I've already told you.

Long story short (at least this story), the dogs' owner came and got them. My car smelled like skunk, dogs, and mud but I had a nice ride on Tango anyway.

After I rode Tango, I decided to go to a store that carries horse supplies to pick up some fly spray. The store is located about five miles from my barn...of course easily accessible by country roads. I hadn't gone far when I noticed a pit bull dog IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD.

I closed my eyes and drove around the dog. Really I did. "No more dogs today... I just can't," I told myself.

I made it to Horse World, chatted with the owners, got my fly spray and headed back to the barn. I had actually forgotten about the pit until I SAW HER AGAIN. This time, I couldn't drive by. She was clearly being attacked by horse flies and I know how bad they are right now.

Once again I put on my hazard lights, opened my car door, and got out. The pit was friendly enough. In fact, she even let me slap the flies on her back (which gave me great satisfaction). It was then that I noticed she had on one of those shock collars that keep dogs inside electric fences. "Poor thing," I thought to myself.

I called the pit to my car and was going to drive up and down the road to find out where she lived. The fly-bitten-pit didn't want to get in my car and I wasn't going to argue with her so.....I locked my car, left the pit where she was and went walking up and down the road, knocking on doors until I found where she lived.

In the end, I was a dirty mess, my car smelled, and my husband wasn't happy. But I considered it a fine day. Why? Because three big lost dogs went home. Am I a sap or what?

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Finally - They're Bonding

I noticed it yesterday. Annabelle was licking Maddie's ear and Maddie wasn't growling. Finally. I do believe they're bonding. It's been really hard for Maddie. She was just ten-weeks-old when we brought her home.

Kelly was here and ready to take charge. I'll never forget their first meeting. Kelly was in the backyard. I sat Maddie down in the grass. Kelly came over, sniffed her once, twice, three times, and then rolled her like a little ball.

From that moment on, Maddie followed Kelly's every lead. In fact, Kelly actually housebroke her. When Kelly went outside, Maddie followed. She did whatever Kelly did.

When Kelly died, Maddie was lost. She spent hours looking for him. It was heartbreaking. Annabelle had never really bonded with Kelly or Maddie. She was the newest rescue member of our pack and was truly the odd dog out.

After Kelly died, Annabelle did the same things she always did. Poor Maddie kept looking and waiting for Kelly. My sister-in-law, Dee told me Annabelle and Maddie would bond with time and she was right.

This morning was chilly. I was sitting on the couch with a blanket over me. Annabelle was half in my lap (like Kelly used to be) and Maddie jumped up and snuggled against her...just like she used to do with Kelly.

Time doesn't erase loving memories but it does help heal broken hearts. Things are looking up. Maybe Maddie won't be so sad anymore.

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I Missed My Dogs!

I just got back from a wonderful long weekend with two lifelong friends. We had a terrific time but I couldn't wait to get home. Wanna know why? I missed my dogs! My husband stayed home and took care of Maddie and Annabelle, so they were just fine but I missed them anyway. Is that silly or what?!

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Maddie the Mouse and Me

There will be no photo for this one. First of all, no one was around to take the photo. And even if someone had been nearby, I really don't want a photo of me chasing Maddie around the yard (in the rain) wearing my tattered flimsy nightgown.

"Why was I chasing Maddie in the rain?" you ask.

Because she finally did what Annabelle has been trying to do all summer. She caught a chipmunk...rather a mouse.

I saw it from my upstairs window. I'm obsessive when my dogs are outside even though my yard is fenced and safe. I still look out to make sure everything's okay. This time when I looked out I saw Maddie flitting furiously this way and that.

Then I saw it. My little Maddie went in for the attack. I knew she had something in her mouth, but I didn't know what.

I cast modesty to the wind and ran downstairs and out the back door, bare feet and all. "Drop it!" I demanded.

Maddie looked at me and thought about swallowing the now obvious little mouse in her mouth whole. I've told you Maddie's not the brightest bulb on the tree...just sweet.

Well, for a few minutes this morning, she even lost her sweetness title. I began to clap my hands. "DROP IT!" I yelled again.

Maddie looked at me sheepishly. It began to rain harder and harder. A clap of thunder accompanied my next demand for Maddie to drop the mouse. I think Maddie thought the thunder was going to get her (remember, she's afraid of storms) so she finally dropped the little rodent and ran inside through my opened back door...leaving me and the mouse.

At first, I thought the mouse was a baby. It really was cute. Okay...I know mice are bad, but this was a cute mouse and it was breathing its last breath.

I guess some people would have killed it to put it out of its misery, but I'm not one of those people. I just can't. I went dripping back inside and got a paper towel and a shoe box. I picked the little mouse up, put it in the shoebox, and took the shoebox into my garage. It died a few minutes later - in my garage and out of the rain.

Okay. I'm a sap. At least Maddie didn't eat a mouse. I did what I could and there's one less rodent in the world. Who needs coyotes? Not me. I've got Maddie. Somehow, this doesn't seem like Mother Nature at work though...it just seems disgusting.

Wish I could get Maddie to use some mouthwash!

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We Love Visitors!

I love it when I can get a signal on my cell phone at the barn...because often I can't.

When I can, I'm always thrilled to answer a call and have someone say, "Are you at the barn? We want to drop by."

This particular photo was taken when my friends Jeff and Rae were out for a drive with one of their dogs, Erin. Erin had never met horses before and Jeff and Rae felt like she was up for an adventure. The three horses in the picture happen to be very young Friesians. They were really curious about Erin.

Erin sniffed. The three horses lowered their heads and snorted a bit. I'm pretty sure Erin yawned and said, "You guys may be big, but you're amazingly boring. Snorting does not impress me in the least!"

And I'm fairly certain at least one of the Friesians said, "Whatcha doing on that side of the fence? If you wanna play, you gotta come in! Snort. Snort."

Erin has manners and good sense. She politely stayed right where she was. It was fun to watch the interaction between four animals who had never met before. It was even more fun to have company.

If you're ever out and about, drop by! I don't know where Tango was in this photo, but I'm sure he'd come out to see you. He might even do a trick or two!

Jeff and Rae are coming out again tomorrow with more dogs. Tango wrote it on his calendar so he won't forget!

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