and about time!!!

If you look at the tabs above on this page you’ll see that I’ve added a new page “Skye“.  On this page you’ll find all the info about Skye!

one of these things is not like the others…

Picture by: dunno source Caption by: dunno source via Loldog Builder

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I swear, I can almost see him grow in his sleep.  From 5.2kgs to 6.5kgs in three weeks – that’s an average of 400+ grams per week.  And it’s all gone into his legs.

I can’t honestly say how toilet training is coming along, as when he whines I take him outside and he goes – but frequently not that much.  On the other hand, occasionally he’ll just take off into another room and in the space of 5 seconds will pee without apparent warning.  But we persevere.

With a mouth full of emerging teeth he’s a chewing monster, so I keep plenty of chew toys to hand.  On fine days, a hard-bottomed plastic pool with a few ice cubes in it keeps him busy for a fair while, and the ice should help numb his gums and ease some of that teething stress.  Another useful toy is a squishy blue ball that is basically a mesh you can put things into.  I put in some treats, but he can’t actually get them out.   Keeps him busy (and frustrated) for quite a while – then I will help him get a couple out, so it’s not a futile effort.

I’m mindful that some people recommend putting peanut butter into a Kong, but I can’t help but feel that peanut butter is a really bad thing to come into contact with teeth that are never brushed.  I would rather he ate a carrot, which will clean his teeth and not provide any additional calories to his diet.

Bite inhibition training continues and I can tell when he needs a nap, as it all goes out the window.  When he starts ignoring my ‘don’t bite’ command, then he gets time out, which seems to work.

However, Kai is proving to be extremely food-motivated.  I feed him Eukenuba three times a day on wet days, or on fine days, twice a day with a raw lamb bone at lunch time, but with him growing so fast, he’s always hungry.  But this means he’s very quick to learn new commands.  Now that he understands the process – word+action=food (around 30% of the time), he is coming on very quickly.

We have a pretty reliable sit, wait, come (when food is involved) and come round to heel, although ‘down’ is taking a bit longer to process.  I’ve also started introducing ’stand’ as in competitive obedience distance control, it’s better for the dog to stand before he lies down so that his paws don’t move forwards.

His retrieve is coming along very nicely and he’s proving to be a natural.  Lots of praise when the ball is returned right to me, and silence when it’s not… then after a while I will get his treat ball and tempt him back to me to be treated for returning the ball.  This doesn’t happen often – I’m always very careful not to chase him when he has the ball, or give him any attention if he runs away with it.  So far so good.

There is one thing that’s bothering me though.  I’ve been using Vitapet’s JerHigh treats to reward him, and since then he’s developed worsening diarrhea.   As I wrote this I did a quick internet search  and found this website which indicated that the product could cause kidney failure and potentially death!

FDA Warning

While the kidney failure and death seem unlikely, there’s no doubt that the diarrhea is real and a reaction to only small amounts of the product, so I would caution people not to feed these treats – the resultant upset for the puppy isn’t worth it.

Kai really is becomming a lovely little man, with a soft, sensitive nature but plenty of curiosity and energy.

Kai being a goofball

Ounooi-hulle dink ek is nie ‘n opregte Kollie nie. Hulle het al so gedink toe hulle my gered het. Hulle dink ek is ‘n kruising tussen ‘n Kollie en ‘n Beagle. Siestog, kyk net daardie Beagle-foto wat Ounooi hier vir julle wys. Daar is ander wat meer opvreetbaar is. Hierdie foto’s van my het Ounooi vanoggend deur die sitkamervenster geneem. Sy wou nie die agterdeur oopmaak nie, anders sou my aandag afgetrek wees en sou ek sommer dadelik ophou snuif-snuif ronddraf oor die hele grasperk. Dus, Ounooi maak so bietjie verskoning, want sy moes dit deur die venster neem en op een stadium het my oog haar gevang, kyk net hoe loer ek vir haar.

Elke oggend moet ek eers oor die hele grasperk rondhardloop, ek moet elke graspolletjie uitsnuffel en deursoek en seker maak van al die diertjies en goggatjies wat die vorige nag hier rondgesluip het. Soms herken en die spoortjies van dieselfde besoekertjies en waai my stert geweldig as ek dieselfde diertjie se reuk kry. Ounooi dink ek wil die hele grasperk opruik, soos ek tekere gaan. Sy’s reg, ek moet seker maak wie ons tuin besoek en seker maak dis nie intruders nie. Ek weet hier loop baie keer krimpvarkies oor die grasperk. Oubaas het al enetjie gekry en my aan hom laat ruik, dit was so oulik om hom te sien en ek weet hy besoek ons tuin elke aand.

Op hierdie twee foto’s kan julle sien hoe speel ek met ‘n dik buiteband wat Oubaas vir my gegee het. Ek gebruik selfs my poot om die ding te rol en te kyk wat gebeur. Oubaas is baie slim as dit by speelgoed vir honne kom, hy gee altyd vir my goed wat my lank kan besig hou.

Hier ruik ek weer my krimpvark-maatjie. Ek het my stert so bietjie woes gewaai, maar julle kan dit ongelukkig nie op die foto sien nie.

Image: findoutaboutdogbreeds

Ek dink hierdie Beagle brakkie is baie, baie cute. Ounooi-hulle het lank terug ‘n Oubaas geken, Oubaas Johan, en hy het ‘n Beagle gehad en toe word sy hond gesteel! Dis darem nie mooi nie. Oubaas Johan was baie hartseer en Ounooi-hulle het my vertel watse oulike hond die honne was.

A Guest Blog By Mollie the Border Collie

1. Come in the house all bi-ped and buffoonish. Pretend like you’re not going anywhere so that the two dogs who CAN’T come don’t get excited for no reason
{Dude, we know you’re going as soon as you walk in the door. Get over yourself!}

2. Go upstairs and undress. Run nekkid down the stairs to grab whatever you left wherever, holding all the big jiggly parts of yourself together with your very short arms
{I should mention, it doesn’t work. And yeah, you do need to get some drapes on the window at the front door!}

3. Jiggle back upstairs. Make strange grunting and groaning noises as you try to smoosh abnormally large teats into sports bra. Curse while trying to pull on tight running pants, jiggle jiggle jiggle jiggle.
{hahaha. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Woof}

4. Run back down the stairs with minimal jiggling thanks to lycra and a minute amount of spandex…turn on heel and run back up stairs to grab forgotten running socks
{and they say dogs have lower intelligence….}

5. Be a dirty trick player while you’re up there by luring one non-running dog into his kennel.
{Yeah we all hear you with the ‘Good boy blahblahblah’. If you could hear us, we’d be saying ‘Get ready to flee, tricksy meal-on-legs’!}

6. Put on running shoes. And running sweater. Go out into the backyard to see if you will be warm enough, and then turn around to go back in only to realize that you LOCKED the door behind yourself.
{Nicely done, little wonder you have apes in your family tree!}

7. Try to climb chain-link fence to get in the front door, which is unlocked and wide open
{Hey you burglar, come on in and make yourself at home!}

8. Fall.
{Woof, snicker, snort, Woof!}

9. BLEEP BLEEEEEP BLEEEEEEEEEEP (insert curses here)
{Idiot}

10. Climb over the fence. Stand on the other side in victory, huffing and panting like a sumo drag queen.
{No, we don’t think you are Rocky and we’d like you to not hum that tune, kthx.}

11. Enter house via unlocked front door. Realize that running shoes are dirty and no amount of tip-toeing will get you to the back door without making a big mess. Remove shoes and FINALLY let the beleguered and superior Canis lupus familiaris inside.
{After all this, you really must acknowledge our superiority. Now, FEED ME peon!}

12. Make a huge deal of retying your shoes, all the while asking me if I knew there was a proper way to tie laces.
{Honestly, you aren’t intelligent enough to understand my language. But suffer, I must.}

13. Put the dreaded collar on me and finally, FINALLY leave the house.
{You will pay for this, it’s all a part of my Evil Plan to Rule the World! Mwahahahaha!}

14. Run, walk, run, walk, run, walk, blah de blah blah.
{Just move already, would you?!?}

15. Blahblahblahblah end up at the off-leash park and NOW I am running!
{You could stand to learn a thing or eleven from me}

The End

{You, too, can be a runner if you just ignore these 15 steps and be one with your inner DOG!!}

We sheared on Saturday. I used a new shearer this year and he did a fabulous job. He was fast (70 + Jacobs shorn before noon) and the fleeces and the sheep look great.

I am grateful for all the help I had. Linda gathered up and bagged wool all day. Other friends weighed wool, answered questions from visitors, etc.

My son, Chris, made sure that the shearer didn’t run out of sheep.

We also sheared Colleen’s CVM-cross sheep (while she took care of my shop) and…

Diane’s goats. I have to admit they are stunning in full fleece.

These are Chris’ goats and don’t need to be shorn, but they never miss a chance to sneak some a meal.

I didn’t skirt nearly as many fleeces as I thought I would. We just barely kept up with the fleeces that people wanted to purchase. I missed my friend, Joan, who usually spends all day at the skirting table.  I think it might be worth switching shearing back to Sunday so she can be here!

Here is one fleece spread out.  People asked about how to tell a good fleece, which is better than another, etc. I honestly answered that I don’t have any sheep whose fleece I don’t like.

The sunny day certainly helped make shearing day pleasant and I’m sure the sheep appreciated the warm sun.

Take a look at this shorn lamb. There was some discussion earlier this year about tri-colored Jacob sheep (if such a thing exists). I didn’t know this lamb had those gray spots until she was shorn! I’ve never had another like this.

Here is another pretty lamb.

This is Violet, loading into her van. That’s a cooperative sheep! Violet lived here until about a month ago. She is a wonderful friendly ewe and I’m so glad that she has a great home now with two other Meridian sheep at Aimee’s place.

Rusty’s brother, Jake, came to visit at the end of the day. The dogs were not too happy about posing for a brotherly photo.

But they were going to make sure these lambs stayed put.

There are more shearing photos that can be accessed on Picassa by going to my website and clicking on the photo in the shearing article.

SO many adorable things in my life today!

Two cats (I was told neither of them go near people – one is pseudo feral) were loving my lavished attention this afternoon … so sweet, lovable (exactly what I need a lot of the time – something to appreciate my love) …

And then! Two puppies (I don’t even really like dogs that much) were doing the whole i’m-gonna-pretend-to-be-scared-and-then-try-eat-this-leaf-and-your-hand-at-the-same-time thing. Adorable; a black labrador and a border collie.

And when I got to my little house, ‘my’ other cat came looking for me! He heard me come back and ran inside to come find me

Hey? Oh hello Pill. What? Oh. Yes collie is a funny word

© Carolee Clark

 ”Be Kind”
by Carolee Clark
10″ x 10″
acrylic on wrapped canvas
$49 + $7 shipping within US

Click here for larger image.

I intend to give 10% of the sale of this painting to the local humane society.

When Deuce first arrived, Kate was very put out.  She was down right sullen for almost a week and was acting so wierd that I was afraid she was sick or something.  Luckily she snapped out of it and the sillyness began…

Can you see the smile on Kate’s face?  We have been going for a daily walk out in the pasture – Kate and Deuce running circles, my son on his bike, and I actually walk

Kate is amazingly tolerant of her puppy antics.

They could run, jump, wrestle, and play all day long. 

I think Deuce has been spending a little too much time with her though…

I don’t think I have ever seen a Lab with ‘eye’.  ‘Eye’ is the term used for the Border Collie stare.

Deuce is growing up fast…

and is quite the retriever.  She blasts into the water and dives for the object if it sinks.

I’m glad they have become friends!

some new photos of Pan. Its amazing to see how he’s developing. He’s one HOT dog

Rodzinna wyprawa do Poznania.

Watch this video of Gigit and Lisa getting a lesson from Molly at Double-M Stock Ranch. Gigit is tuned to the sheep that she ignores a cat crossing the training arena.

Today was a perfect day for the Farm Club (see link on the right).   Sunny, but not hot, no wind.  Five people came to spend the day on the farm. We worked in the morning and played in the afternoon.

I had sorted out the spring lambs from the adult ewes. We separated the rams–they’re done for the year. We treated all the ewe lambs, replaced ear tags (remove baby lamb tags and replace with larger, easier-to-read tags), and took photos of the few lambs that I have not yet registered. We also vaccinated the 2-month old lambs. It was great having help with all of this.

We sent Rusty out to get the second group of sheep:

After we finished with sheep chores we moved on to a few others.

Jill and Jackie sorted out this electro-net fence that had been tangled.

Kathy swept the barn.

Then it was time for lunch and relaxing. I appreciated the help with farm chores and enjoyed the company. I look forward to Farm Day in the spring.

Hallo alle kinderboekliefhebbers – my Ounooi is die grootste van almal, niemand kan haar wen nie – woef! Hier is hoe die boekie lyk. Ounooi het twee van die boekies, maar o weë, hulle is weggepak tussen al die miljuisende bokse goete van haar en sy’t toe besluit dit sou makliker wees om te google vir ‘n ander een en na ‘n baie, baie lang gegoogle, het sy die boek by Maroela-boeke in die Kaap opgespoor. Baie e-posse is heen-en-weer gestuur tussen Ounooi en Oubaas Neels van Maroela-boeke, want op ‘n stadium was die boek nie meer beskikbaar nie en toe laat weet Oubaas Neels haar later hulle het weer een ingekry. Sjoe, dit het Ounooi lank geneem, ek dink ek was nog nie gebore nie toe die eerste e-posse heen-en-weer gestuur is! Die boek is toe vir Ounooi se sus gepos, want Ounooi moes meer as R500 se boeke gekoop het vir Maroela om dit na die ukay te stuur. Toe kon Ounooi se sussa dit weer vir haar pos. Ounooi was so baie bly. Hierdie einste boek het trane in haar oë gebring – van al die gelag! –  toe sy vir die eerste keer uit hom voorgelees het  vir gr5-jkinners in SA toentertyd. Die kinders het net so lekker gelag vir ou Keiser. Hulle wou net elke week weer en weer en weer van Keiser hoor en Ounooi het altyd net die laaste 5 minute van die les vir hulle gelees. Partykeer het sy hulle bederf en dan dit 10 minute gemaak. Ek dink van daardie jkinnertjies het al moedeloos geraak, want hulle wou net die hele boek op een slag hoor! Ounooi gaan vir julle bietjie dele uit hierdie boek hier plaas, maar as ek julle is, kry ek hom sommer in die hande – as hy ooit nog iewers beskikbaar gaan wees, want Ounooi het al haar dae gehad om die boek in die hande te kry.

11-03-2008 

Good friends on a fall day

There is heartbreaking news from the family today. We’ve learned that it is time to say good bye to Ickus, our great friend and the best Border collie in the world. Ickus, a.k.a. ”Icky” & “Icky Puppy”, has lived well beyond expectations. Before his first birthday, he received the diagnosis of having severe hip dysplasia in both back legs. All indications pointed to a well shortened life. We’ve been truly blessed because at 10 years of age, his best years have really been the most recent ones. He has provided endless love, companionship, and memories that will be everlasting. Today is Wednesday, November 4th and, as currently planned, we’ll take him to his Veterinarian on Friday, November 7th to “let him go”. Although we realized the time was drawing near we’re caught off guard but the suddenness of his decline and are feeling tremendous grief. This extremely difficult decision was reached after taking Icky to his vet yesterday. The doctor indicated that Icky is experiencing end-phase severe hip dysplasia. In just the last week alone his pain has increased greatly and his mobility has decreased significantly. Icky is widely loved in our small neighborhood. Passers by admire Icky’s herding, hiding, lawn mower chasing, soccer ball dribbling, and ball stalking on a daily basis. Icky is, even to this very moment, most happy being outside with a rubber duck in his mouth, a soccer ball under paw, and with family and friends nearby. Amazingly, Jack and I just now dusted ourselves off after playing outside in the leaves with Icky Puppy by our side every step of the way.

11-05-2008

Well friends, Today, Wednesday, November 5th, will be Icky’s last earthly day. It was obvious last night that prolonging this would be only for us. We’ll see him off this afternoon. It is another incredibly beautiful day today to celebrate his life. He, as usual, has spent time outside playing today, looking beautiful as he always has. Kate said good bye to him this morning before school and Jack has lovingly been playing with him today. After dropping Kate at school Jack and I stopped and got Icky some yummy treats and a squeaky toy. Icky LOVES to unwrap presents (really!). Blessings ~ Mike

11-05-2008

Our buddy is gone but not forgotten. With tears, love, and everlasting memories, we’ve said good bye to our “Icky Puppy”. He passed away November 5th, 2008 with Beth and me at his side. What a truly beautiful and spectacular dog – to the very end.

Please enjoy these pictures of him.  Please leave a comment about Icky and / or any other pet if you wish. Blessings ~ Mike, Beth, Kate & Jack