Molly and Todd Go to School

This is Todd, he's Moon and Molly's half brother. He's a week younger than Molly, and in this picture he's trying sooooooo hard to sit still and be a good doggie!


In this picture Molly demonstrates that she needs to work on her sitting quietly and waiting for class to start skills.

This is Molly after class showing off her beautiful profile. Did I mention Molly is only a week older than Todd? Molly is big boned.


This is a happy dog after her first day of class-she really digs the whole school scene!

Glo's Woes

See, the left (to your right) eye cap did not pull off.


Here, the right (to your left) eyecap shed as it was supposed to do, leaving a clear eye.

  

We got the mist applied in time, and the other cap came off-two clear eyes.  Glo's head is about half the size of my thumb, his neck the size of my pinky-so I was not looking forward to figuring out how to get the eye cap off.

A warm little Glo

GloWorm is shedding and he retained an eyecap. Shedding is a very cranky time for snakes, and Green Tree Pythons are notorious for not being handleable or even workable. That dear beast understood I was trying to help him and held still while I misted warm water under his shed skin to loosen it up for him. A snake letting you near his head is the ultimate in trust and my own eyes got misty because he really is an extraordinary animal.

I think we got to it in time to loosen it up and have him shed it naturally. Snakes really are "lower animals" but there is still a spark of divinity in them-I really believe that because I've seen them respond to honest sincere intention to help-and they certainly don't have the brainpower to process that. But they do have the soulpower.

Today is all about Moon

Moonie is having his dreaded surgery today, so please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. I am leaving him at the Vet's until Monday, because there is no way to keep him quiet here or out of the dirt.

Neutering is so worth the temporary stress and minimal expense. Male dogs are far less expensive to have neutered, and yet it seems to be up to the owners of the females to make the choice. Just because YOU don't have any females does not mean YOUR male dog can't get out and impregnate a zillion others. Keeping your dog intact does not make you more of a man, it makes you a complete idiot in my book.

Pet over population is a serious problem and will continue to be as long as people do not spay and neuter their animals. If you can't afford the shots/spay neuter (and there are low cost options) you can't afford a dog. Period.

I love Moon completely, but he does not need to sire a litter to fulfill himself or me.  His breeders can take care of worrying about the bloodline-I just want to enjoy my dog.

Photo Barrage

I wish this was just a little sharper-I love this funny face, and I love the little old man whiskers-of course, I just love this horse, Prize. Former show horse, now elder statesman.



Strudel displays her no nonsense German sensibilities.


Casper is just beautiful-what can I say? (also kind, gentle, brave, smart, etc....)


This is a line in the sand-Ady Bea is the hardest creature on earth to photograph-this is the best on got on day one. Rematch scheduled.

BC's ARE different

I love to observe my dogs from the house-watching them interact without any interference from me. It's very clear from the elaborate games they concoct that the BC's take play to a whole new level. When Molly and Moon are creating a game, the other dogs can't follow and quit.

Today's game was Who Gets the rope/ball toy. Moon had IT (the toy), and Molly would circle and circle, then stalk, until she could lure Moon into chasing her. Then she'd run ever more elaborate patterns until he was focused on chasing her and not guarding the toy, because the only way she could get it was if she just casually ran a pattern by the toy and snatched it. If she got it, Moon would let her play with it a bit, then take it and place it back in "the spot" for the game to start again.

It seemed to me that there was cooperative behavior, training behavior and learning behavior going on in this simple game.

Molly was testing boundaries-figuring out where to circle, and how to lure Moon (she had to crouch and stalk him before he'd run) and sometimes Moon would run with the toy and sometimes not. He would pummel Molly if she was obvious in trying to trick him, but when she succeeded, he'd enjoy her success. Very entertaining and fascinating to watch.

These dogs are scarey smart.

Molly starts Puppy class on Saturday-and tomorrow Moon goes to the vet intact, and comes back two balls short of a load.

Animal Wednesday-Oliver doesn't live here any more

APRIL FOOLS! HAW-did I get you? Come on, you KNOW I did, admit it, your heart stopped and you feared you might never hear from Mr. Bird again. Oh, that was funny funny funny.

I've trained the human they call Sol to whistle back at me-he's a smart human. He's always working on things-he and his wife Sandra. Very busy human beings. They keep me entertained, so I like them. All that pounding and clanking and that wonderful saw-oh, I love it when the saw starts whining. Noise is just the best thing, almost as good as peanuts. How can anybody NOT love sounds?

I can make sounds too-not just with my beak. I can ring bells and knock on wood=oh yes yes yes-I am multi talented.

The Moon is going to have his "surgery" on Friday. Glad I keep my things tucked inside, no one is going to chop THEM off. That's what you get for leaving them out for the world to see. Modesty is a dying virtue.

The woman and I have been sharing something called "almonds" which seem to me to be just nuts without their shells. They come in a in canister, and lately she's been saying "would you like a nut dear?" and letting me pick my own out of the can. Oh, I love that. I can pick my OWN nuts out! wwwwwwweeeeeeee. I'm a big, big bird now. I look around and try to pick out the very best one, then we both stand there and eat together-but I can hold my nut with my foot! (I use my beak to pick the nut out of the can-no feets in the can!)

HAW!!!!! I hope you all have a great day-and be sure and make lots of good noises!