Tag: pets

  • Hop Woof

    It was cold and dark and late. I bundled up, put boots on Indy, and took her out to the backyard.

    I let her out the door first, and before I know what’s up, she dashes down the stairs and bounds across the yard.

    That is when I spot the rabbit leaping frantically away.

    Indy: BUNNY!
    Rabbit: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

    The rabbit dashes across the yard and slams head first into the chain link fence and bounces off.

    Rabbit: WTF?!
    Indy: BUNNY!

    Rabbit turns and runs the other direction, toward the wood fence.

    Indy: You want to be my friend?
    Rabbit: Holy shit! Fence! Dog!

    Rabbit turns and runs the other way.

    Indy: Whoa. Where’d you… Oh, okay! Tag! Fun!
    Rabbit: OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!

    Rabbit slams head first into the chain link fence and bounces off. Rabbit is dazed.

    Rabbit OMGWTFBBQEXCLAFUCKINGMATIONPOINTELEVENTYONEEXCLAMATIONPOINT
    Indy: BUNNY! LEMME SMELL YOUR BUTT!

    Rabbit shakes it off, turns again and runs straight toward me. Old lady dog clumsily changes course and tries to keep up, but is slowing down.

    Rabbit: OW MY HEAD! AAAAAAAAH! DOG PLUS HUMAN!

    I quietly try to get Indy’s attention, before the rabbit has a heart attack. The rabbit finds a pile of wood to hide under. Indy goes to sniff everyplace the rabbit was.

    I don’t think we woke any neighbors up.

  • An Incident

    I don’t know what happened.

    I know a few facts, and then I have my imagination.

    The new house has a large laundry room, upstairs. It is the largest laundry room I’ve ever had, with storage and counter space for folding. It is also where we have chosen to keep the kitty litter and where we feed the cats. It has a linoleum floor, so it was a sensible place for that.

    Indy likes to eat cat food, both before the cats have eaten it, and after. After is a special treat. Ugh.

    So, we do not want Indy to have access to the cat bowls or the litter box. This has been handled a variety of ways in the past, but at this house we went with a barrier method.

    We have a metal gate, like a baby gate, but it is a little bit taller, and it has a cat door built into it. We keep that in the laundry room door. The cats can get in and out through the door, and Indy cannot get in and out. She isn’t spry enough to jump it, and she is too large to fit through the cat door.

    One night this week we went out to dinner. When we got home Indy was downstairs. I went upstairs and found a slightly bent and dented metal gate on the floor at our master bedroom door, down the hall from the laundry room. There were a variety of dents, scrapes and gouges in the hallway wall. Willow was hiding under the master bedroom bed, shaking and traumatized. Xander was locked in the office.

    Xander being locked in the office is to the best of my knowledge and imagination, unrelated, other than it apparently being a lucky circumstance if Willow’s current state of sanity is any indication.

    What I envision happening is Indy thinking that there were tasty treats on the other side of that gate and giving a shot at getting in the way the cats do. It failed to work in her favor, and she got stuck and freaked out. At which point I think she managed to rip the gate out of the doorway (bending it a bit). Then I picture Freaked Out Dogzilla, with a giant, sharp cornered, metal collar staggering frantically through the hall. I wish we had video.

    Somewhere in this story is Willow. I’m not sure where, but the cat is NOT HAPPY. It took about 20 hours before she would willingly leave the space under our bed. She doesn’t want to be in the laundry room. I think Dogzilla with the metal collar destroying the walls was SCARY.

    I have another, insane cartoon vision, where the cat door was nudged shut. Willow tried to sneak between the posts and got stuck. She freaked out and caused Indy to investigate. Indy got stuck in the cat door, ripped the gate out of the doorway and went raging down the hall wearing a giant sharp cornered metal collar with a cat dangling from it. I don’t really think this happened, but it makes me laugh when I think about it. (I cringe too, I am not 100% cruel and coldhearted, but come on – It looks hysterical).

    Now, whatever happened, I’d like to believe that Indy will never do it again, but sadly because of the senility, I’m not so sure. Ugh

    Of course, it is also possible that somebody let themselves into the house, carefully removed the gate, bent it up and damaged our wall, locked Xander into the office, tortured Willow, and then left the house and locked up behind them.

    Willow knows what happened, but she isn’t talking.

  • Indy found her inner husky, but now it’s coming out in clumps

    Indy is a rescue dog. She is at the very least a husky/shepherd mix, and might have some other stuff thrown in. She has a GSD nose, stance and coloration, and a husky coat and tail.

    She was a So Cal dog and has always hated rain and wetness. Also, she is getting older and has arthritis, so I was pretty concerned about this move to MN where she was concerned. So concerned, that I actually considered whether I should try to find her a place to stay in So Cal, even though it would mean breaking up our family.

    She absolutely THRIVED in the MN winter though. She has loved it. It took years off of her. She even lost some of the gray from her coat. It has been so fun to see her running around in the snow, a cute ball of puff.

    Now however? She is not a cute ball of puff. She is a mess. She is blowing her coat so much worse than she ever has before. It is just… o.O

    She is embarrassing.

    London is barely tufting at all so far.

    When a double coated dog is blowing their coat, people who are unfamiliar with this process will ask what is wrong with the dog.

    This year, Indy is blowing so much more fur than usual that WE keep asking what is wrong with the dog.

    Poor Indy.

    Poor us.

    There is finally an end in sight, as more of her body is summer coat than winter right now. She looks so much smaller than she did a month ago it is crazy.

    I knew she had really packed on an impressive winter coat this year, but… I had not realized just how much of a difference it was.

    The house is disgusting. We can’t keep up with it. Plus her undercoat is black, and the carpet is cream.

    Anyhow, things have warmed up enough that I am doing night walks again. I prefer this since that way we don’t run into other people out walking their dogs.

    It is still staying below freezing on many days, but there are also many days above freezing.

    Also? Our back door locks again. When it got really cold, the whole back portion of the house shifted and the storm door and door quit lining up properly with the jam. The storm door still can’t lock, and the door latch still doesn’t line up, but the deadbolt can be forced closed again as of last night. This is exciting to me. The kitchen table is still wobbly (this also happened with the cold weather and the shifting of the house), but I am hoping it will improve soon too.

    Also also? I still am sucking at sleeping.

    Indy, when she was cute –

     

  • not warm

    -19°F
    Feels Like
    -36°F

    A WIND CHILL WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA… INCLUDING THE TWIN CITIES METRO AREA… AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN UNTIL NOON ON FRIDAY.

    A WIND CHILL WARNING MEANS THE COMBINATION OF VERY COLD AIR AND WINDS WILL CREATE DANGEROUSLY COLD WIND CHILL VALUES. THIS WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA OR DEATH IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. WHEN VENTURING OUTDOORS… MAKE SURE THAT YOU DRESS IN LAYERS… AND WEAR A HAT AND GLOVES.

    WIND SPEEDS AROUND 5 MPH WILL BE COMMON TONIGHT. COMBINED WITH LOWS OF 20 TO 30 BELOW… WIND CHILL VALUES WILL DROP TO 35 TO 50 BELOW BY FRIDAY MORNING. THEREFORE THE WIND CHILL WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL NOON ON FRIDAY.

    London got to go on a short walk/run today. Based on the troubles yesterday I only let Indy out for brief trips to the yard. She still enjoys the snow, but is happy to get back inside. By limiting her time we did not have another limping incident.

    I’ve decided that “feels like -20°F” or lower means that Indy doesn’t get a walk. I have ordered booties for her (and London too, just in case). If those help enough then we can set a new cut off for skipping the walk.

    I’ve also decided that “-15°F” or lower means that I really don’t like being outside much.

    So far both of the cars are doing okay. The cold does have an impact on gas mileage and also on things like power steering and start up, etc. They are both doing better than a lot of my husband’s coworkers cars.

    When it gets this cold outside, the furnace does not do a great job of keeping it comfortably warm inside. Especially anywhere near a window, or even a wall. The insulation in this house is not impressive.

  • Too Cold

    It is really cold right now.

    It is painfully cold. The wind chill really really has a significant impact at these temperatures.

    Today we bundled up to take the dogs out for a walk. We took the excited dogs out through the backyard and out the back gate. Then we follow this trail through small ravine and get up to the big path behind out house. We even managed to get up to the patch without either kungfuzap or I slipping and falling.

    As soon as we got up there, Indy trudged off to the side and squatted to pee. Then she started to sniff around, and then… Suddenly it was obvious she was miserable and in pain. She was on 3 legs with one foot dangling, but her other foot was hurting too, so she tried to switch favored feet, but the one she put down, she wasn’t controlling properly, and she set it down, standing on the top side of it. This of course made her stumble. Her legs were shaking like crazy, her tail was firmly between her legs.

    I leg her immediately back inside, worried the whole time that she would fall, and I wasn’t sure how on earth I would carry her if she collapsed, because the thing about dressing up like the little brother from A Christmas Story, is that you just aren’t very physically functional. She limped and shook the whole way back in the house. I got back in and sent the kid and London out for a quick run. I told her to run him so they both stayed warmer and to keep an eye on him for signs of discomfort, etc. I then attended to Indy.

    She was just pressing up against me. I was checking her feet for signs of injury. Her legs were still shaking. Then Willow came over and was rubbing against her and boofing and rubbing against her face. This has NEVER happened before. Willow doesn’t like the dogs. Xander likes Indy, but not Willow. It completely freaked me out. I thought that maybe it wasn’t the cold and their was actually something else wrong with her and she was dying and Willow knew it. Ugh.

    Anyhow, slowly has she warmed up, she started to be able to put normal weight on her feet again and eventually she laid down to rest. After she seemed recovered, I just took her out in the backyard so she could finish going to the bathroom. She hurried and did her business with NO extra sniffing around or playing and happily rushed back inside.

    So. Apparently? “Feels like -24” is too cold for Indy. London was still okay, but he obviously felt it.

    I went out to look for booties for her, but didn’t find any in stock. I hadn’t gotten any before because most people report pretty poor results with older dogs who are not used to them, but she needs to be able to get out there and go to the bathroom without injuring her paws, and if this is going to be an extra harsh winter, I need to work something out.

    If I ever were to custom build a house here, I think it would have to involve an indoor dog bathroom room. I have a design all planned out in my head.

  • Dog Brains

    Indy looks at something new and her first question is “Is it dangerous?”
    London looks at something new and his first question is “Is it food?”

    I consider the answer to each of these questions to be important when I encounter something new.

    I side with Indy though. Threat assessment first. Although, even if it is dangerous, it might still be tasty.

  • Hat and Shit – because what is a post from me without some mention of shit?

    Today I bought a hat for $4.99 at the grocery store.

    Brr!

    No sales tax on clothing in Minnesota.

    It looks dumb, but my ears are warmer.

    Yesterday, when I walked the dogs, unbeknownst to me, the baggie had a hole in the bottom of it. So… Do I need to spell it out? I did my pick-up duty and discovered I had shit on my knit glove. Today, I had no gloves on the walk. At least I had a hat.

  • posting from my phone

    The mobile interface is very limited. Hopefully I will have a new and better phone tomorrow. I really hope to have internet installed on Monday.

    Woke up to fire news from the place I am honestly still thinking of as “home”, and have continued to monitor the situation all day. Just exchanged some txtmsgs with my neighbor a few minutes ago.

    Unpacking is going slowly. Climate adjustment is also going slowly. My skin hates the change.

    Dogs are… annoying. Indy hates the weather and in her typical weather hating response is going on bathroom strikes. London caught a possum in the backyard, and now only wants to catch more things, and is also becoming a bathroom problem, because he is too busy looking for something to catch and doesn’t want to waste time pooping. Great. I fear for the carpet.

    The cats are doing great.

    The fish is still alive.

    It has been warmer the past two days than it was when we first got here, but is still on the chilly side.

    Wonderful friend arrives on Monday to provide us with a week of company and unpacking help.

    On Monday they are predicting a high of 29 degrees. I hope wonderful friend brings warm clothes.

    I predict I will cook a lot more soup here.

  • quick update

    I am in Kansas for the night. Had an unpleasant interaction with a teenager working at fast food place in Oklahoma earlier today. Maybe I’ll write about it later. I’m not sure what they are teaching in Oklahoma along the lines of customer service or professionalism, but I do know that at least one person can say “fuck” loudly and often.

    I’m not really reading stuff that you guys are posting right now, although I plan to catch up in full once I get to where I am going (and get internet turned on). Please email me anything you really want me to know. I get email on my phone.

    Fish is still alive. <a href=”http://moblog.net/view/861915/fish-in-the-microwave” target=”_blank”>It is in the microwave</a>.

    Dogs and cats are still alive. Willow is the happiest of the bunch.

    Need to try to get some sleep now.

    P.S. the furnace never got fixed