Good Things

The joy of being thankful!

• After weeks of rain and the coldest October temperatures ever – today was sunny and warm!  And the forecast is for at least two more days of the same.
• The secure outdoor run on Fort Peepage (now re-named Fort Crowage as we have two roosters and you can imagine how that  sounds) is completed and the peeps love it.
• The peeps, who should probably now be referred to as cluckers (question – if I let them go broody, will that make them mother cluckers?), rewarded me with their first banty-sized eggs the day we finished the outdoor run.  (Do hens who feel safe and happy lay more eggs?)
• I took Charlie to the local pet food store yesterday where he let three new people feed him treats without snarking at them.  Granted I did have to coach them on the “no look, no touch, no talk” protocol – but since he accomplished this even while being in a strange place after a somewhat stressful car ride – I am THRILLED.  We’ll be back for more of this shortly.
• Audie showed Charlie how to hunt and kill mice today.  English Shepherds 2 – mice 0.  And one crazy baby-killing dingo Kelpie happily playing cat-and-mouse games with pathetic, tattered little mouse corpses.  I’m just happy that a few less of the vile, disease-riddled little bastards will invade my house to ruin food purchased for those of use who are meant to live here.
• Charlie is now going into his kennel when I just point at it and say “kennel”.  He cheerfully eats and sleeps in it without a bit of fuss.  He lives in the house full-time now.
• In other developments, Charlie is now able to ride in a crate in my van without barfing, panting or otherwise freaking out.  I have to admit that most of the credit for this goes to Audie.  I have an XXXXXL soft crate (big enough to put two friendly Leonbergers into at the same time) that I have now put into my van.  I’ve been taking Charlie and Audie for short rides together in it (like down the driveway and back – 1/2 mile total trip) for a week or so and that seems to have done the trick.  Audie loves to ride in the car.  Car rides mean adventures.  Hikes, ice-cream, visits to friends, trips to the bank or the store.  Swimming.  Herding.  Car rides rock.  It only took a few rides with the perpetually cheerful Audie (who, btw, Charlie idolizes) to make a 180-degree change in Charlie’s attitude.  Being able to drive him around to meet new people should significantly accelerate my ability to teach Charlie that people are a cool – or at least neutral – thing, rather than an entree.

After a fine day of work outside in the sun I’m relaxing with a glass of syrah while a pack of tired, happy dogs nap on the floor around me – Life is good.