Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Visiting Schipperke


 
 
We were playing on the ball field this morning when the Brea and Siri were distracted by a dog and man walking by.
 
 
It was Otto, an eight year old schipperke, visiting from California, and his person.

Otto
Otto seemed friendly enough, and calm, and so was Siri, but Brea was really, really rude, growling and showing her teeth.  I don't know what her problem was, but that's no way to get invited to the dog park.

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Brea's New Favorite Spot

A couple weeks ago, I bought new cushions for the dogs' crates.  Almost every time I came home, I found that Siri had chewed a new hole in hers and there was loose stuffing covering the floor of her crate.  I would stuff it back in and cover the hole with duct tape and spray the cushion with Bitter Apple, but Siri would just start a new hole the next time she was in the crate.

A couple days ago, I pulled the cushion out of the crate and left it on the living room floor.  Since then, Brea has been spending more time downstairs, lying on the cushion, and a little less time alone upstairs.  Also, both dogs have been using the cushion as a base for games, wrestling and pushing each other off the cushion.  It's getting a lot of hard use.

Siri is chewing on a piece of deer antler.

The boxes on the couch are to keep the dogs off; they both seem to view the couch as a launching pad.

Top picture taken with Canon A620 PowerShot, bottom two with iPhone 4.











Thursday, December 19, 2013

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Snow Day

Brea and Siri had an unexpected snow day today.  It started early this morning and the roads were covered by the time I left work.  My normal ten minute drive home took forty minutes today.


It was a wet, heavy snow, and I think the dogs were the only ones who really enjoyed it.


Saturday, November 30, 2013

One Year Later

It's been almost a year - December 6 - since I brought Siri home.  Remember how little she was?

December 18, 2012

Today

Today Siri weighs more than ninety pounds.

Brea is still reclusive, still spends more time alone, in my bedroom, than she does with Siri and Neighbor Cat and me, wherever we are in the house.  She's a lot less fearful outdoors, mainly, I think, thanks to Siri.  Siri's natural curiosity about everything has shown Brea that she doesn't need to be afraid of new objects that appear overnight, like trash cans.  And Brea really really likes to play with Siri on the ball field.  Except for the other day, when she found a lime green softball and decided she'd rather chew on that.  Today she's pooping out small lime green pieces of leather, or whatever that thing was made of.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Fifty Years Ago Today

Fifty years ago today, President Kennedy was killed in Dallas.  I was only five years old, so it didn't make much of an impression on me.  What I do remember clearly is that there was nothing on TV except news about the assassination  - on all three channels! - and it was the day my parents rescued a German Shepherd named Major.

Major belonged to a young couple that lived behind us, and he was kept tied up in their back yard.  They were gone a lot and often Major would get his chain wrapped around a tree until he couldn't move or reach his water dish, if he hadn't already emptied it or tipped it over.  Several times Dad climbed over the fence to untangle the dog and to refill his water dish.

On the night the President was killed the rain was just pouring.  I checked the weather records for that date and learned that more than two inches of rain fell in the St. Louis area that day.  Once more the dog was tangled up and couldn't move, so when Dad came home from work he went and freed the dog.  This time he brought the dog into our house and called the Jefferson County sheriff.  I was thrilled to death with this big wet dog.

In my memory, Major was a HUGE damp dog, and very gentle. He probably wasn't much bigger than Siri but to a five year old that's still a pretty big dog.  Eventually a sheriff's deputy came to the house and took a report, and he took Major away.  His owners moved away soon after that.  I was told that they didn't get the dog back, but I never learned what did happen to him.

I've had a thing for German Shepherds ever since.  I hope Major had a good life.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Closeup

Here's a closer view of a picture that I posted a few days ago:

Friday, November 8, 2013

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Brea's Favorite Game





Yay, Brea!
You can't catch me!
Okay, maybe you can...
Wait, don't go!
Okay, game over.







Monday, October 21, 2013

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Who Is This?

Siri seemed very interested in someone/something on the deck at the side of the house. 

It's Neighbor Cat's sister!
Next Door Neighbor Lady told me that Neighbor Cat has a sister, a litter mate, who recently escaped their house, apparently preferring the outdoor life (like her sister).  I would never have guessed that they were litter mates, because they only resemble each other in color.  The sister has long hair, whereas Neighbor Cat has short hair.

I'm not sure what the attraction is here - they have two dogs, I have two dogs (although mine seem to be a little bit calmer).  Maybe the cat is just looking for some peace and quiet, or maybe they like hunting in the cemetery next door.


Monday, September 30, 2013

Busy Day

First things first: run and play on the little league field:




Then home, eat, and take a nap. Then Siri had a followup checkup at the doctor's office for an ear infection.  Siri weighed a little over 86 lbs and the ear infection appears to be a thing of the past.

The home, another nap, and Brea's turn for a checkup and vaccinations.  Brea weighed in at 54 lbs.  The staff there commented on how she looked a little more muscular.  I'm not surprised, after the workout she gets playing with Siri, who is in a whole other weight class.

Brea didn't care about compliments - she just wanted to go home.

Then home again and another short walk, with entertainment provided by Neighbor Cat.


 













Monday, September 16, 2013

Trying to Sleep

Brea wishes I would leave her alone and let her sleep.

Monday, September 2, 2013

Playing Ball

The Little League Dads have been kind enough to groom the infield this week so Brea and Siri have some nice smooth dirt to play on.




One last look around before we go inside.