I was trying to organize old photos on the computer this morning, and was inspired to dedicate today's post to my Garden Dogs! If you are the type that can't stand it when others go on and on about their pets or kids, this post isn't for you, lol! If you can take it, read on! I received several comments on how well behaved my dogs looked in my camping trip pictures, and that made me laugh! So here's the real deal...
I followed a water trail through the house last night that led to a bucket filled with sanitizer for my brewing equipment. This is what I found:
The next one is when I arrived home and found Sprocket repotting my plants for me:
Bios:
Marley - age 7, Australian Shepherd, came to us last summer and she is a joy! Well behaved and obedient off leash unless there is a garden hose spraying, loves H2O, squirrels, herding & her family. She is also becoming quite the disc dog! Dislikes: thunderstorms, Sailor/Husband's sneezes, campfires and fireworks. Fun Facts: Marley was afraid of stairs when we got her, and within a day was climbing to the top of the kids fort, and can fly over a 6 foot fence from a sitting postion! Her name was Charley when we got her, but was changed to Marley since my husband Charlie used it as an excuse to not listen to me, i.e. "Oh, I thought you were talking to the dog".
Sprocket - age 1, came to us at 10 weeks old from Aussie Rescue. She is hell on paws. Likes: eating Legos, Lincoln Logs, remotes, digging in the sandbox, catching vermin, and waiting for ice to come out of refrigerator door dispenser.
Dislikes: I haven't found any yet! Her favorite toys are a wing from a stuffed loon and a stuffed sheep, and loves Marley more than life itself.
Fun Fact: Sprocket can't keep a secret - if she has some kind of contraband in her mouth, she runs around growling so we all know she is being naughty! Neurotic Dogs rock!
The day we brought Sprocket home from the Aussie Rescue. Marley is thinking "What the hell is this??? I said I wanted SHEEP, not this thing!!!"
Marley soon shone in new role as mommy and mentor, the two are inseparable, literally!
Marley showing Sprocket how to be a proper herding dog!
And speaking of herding dogs...can you think of anything more neurotic than 4 herding dogs over Christmas Break and no sheep????
This video captures Marley's OCD passion for water:
Marley after chewing off another hose nozzle and telling it who's boss.
The following two videos are of Bailey the Cattle Dog and her TV obsession. I pet-sit her and her Aussie "brother". If these 2 ever go missing, it's probably because I kidnapped them - I love them that much, lol! She will "ask" for the TV to be turned on even...funny stuff!
And no proper tribute to pets in this house would be complete without the Incredible Mr. Pickett. Kelly mentioned that one of her dogs set the standard for all her other pets - Pickett is the one who set the bar in this household! He showed up one day in 1999 with a portion of picket fence attached to a heavy chain hanging from his neck. He never left. I heard through the neighborhood grapevine that he lived at a crack house and was chained to a tree every day in all kinds of weather, no dog house, no water, and had been seen dumpster diving for at least 2 weeks. After 3 days of baths and removing over 100 ticks, treating him for heartworm disease, erlichia, and a few other ailments, we had The Pickster! He was a little over a year old, was obviously primarily a Bernese Mountain Dog, a breed who needs and craves human attention the way a fish needs water. We worried when we brought home baby #1 - Pickett was beside himself with joy! Baby #2: thought he had died and gone to heaven! He let the kids climb on him, throw toys at him (but that wasn't encouraged!), and was underfoot so much you always felt like you had legwarmers on. I miss him next to our backyard firepit in the evening (Marley is terrified and won't come near!). Whatever was going on, Pickett was going to be in the middle of it all! He was the type of dog who loved us fiercely and showed his gratitude in his eyes all the time. Berners' life expectancy is short, 6-8 years, but Pickett kept rockin' until he was 9! He died last year and set the bar high indeed for all future pets! I will stop rambling now, you can tell how much we loved him! And here he is!!
Aw, obviously a person after my own heart. We had a dog like your Mr. Picket, too. He was a Corgi, Shepherd mix we found as a stray in Denver, at just a couple months old. We were blessed with his love for 15 years. Broke my heart when he passed.
ReplyDeleteNow we have a little Pek-a-Poo we got from the local animal shelter, and she's a close second to Reggie. Might even be a tie...
OK, more tears. I hate when dogs leave us. Further more, the abuse that these animals receive at the hands of humans makes me sick. (See where my puppy-from-the-breeder-guilt cames from?)
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the doggy photos, stories, and movies!! Those dogs of yours have character. And the TV watching fella was a hoot!
As I said in my doggie post, my pup loves the water too. While I was in the bedroom reading this one of the kids let her upstairs (a no-no with all of those kid toys/choking hazards up there)....know where I found her? In the bathtub rolling around on the soggy wash cloth and bath toys from this morning, lol.
sb158! Glad you stopped by. I just went for a quick visit to your blog and WOW! Nice job, I am sure alot of hard work went into that, and it shows! I can't wait to return and read some of your posts after the kids go to bed and I have some time on my hands :)
ReplyDeleteKelly, that's funny about the bathtub! When I first found that water trail all over the house last night, I yelled at the kids - then after they insisted it was the puppy for the umpteenth time I decided to have a look in the bucket and sure enough, puppy toys...I laughed! My kids said "why do you get mad if we do it but when Sprocket does it it's funny?" They got me there.....!
LOL at the TV watching dogs! My cousin had one that sat on his own ottoman most of the day, watching westerns. He'd jump up and bark at the screen every time a horse rode by.
ReplyDeleteWe're dog sitting our son's Pomeranian, and he thinks he's part of the family. He's teaching our dogs to eat real dog food (they do it so he doesn't get it all). It's sure easier then the stuff I make for them! He's sitting under my computer chair right now, with his stuffed, blue wienie dog. I could grow to love him ;-)
I love this post! Thanks for introducing us to your dogs. My Aussie was sitting at my feet as I watched the videos and you should have seen his ears peak up when he heard the barking! Seeing your two together has brought me one step closer to getting another one. We've had Henry since he was six weeks old and he mothers everyone! Thanks goodness we have tolerant house cats (the barn cats, not so much!)
ReplyDeleteFiona, too bad you live so far...Marley needs a good lookin' Aussie boyfriend! Granny, the westerns thing made me laugh since one night I was watching a rerun of "The Thorn Birds" and Bailey the Cattle Dog kept lunging at the TV when the horses came on. We joked that my husband was going to have to make a plexiglass screen in front of the TV to protect it!
ReplyDeleteErin, it was really funny. As the horse would enter the screen stage left, the dog would lunge at it and bark, following it all the way across the screen. He used every square inch of that ottoman without falling off.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! It says so much for the nature of dogs to know Pickett was mistreated the way he was but still had so much love and devotion to give when you rescued him. So much fun to get to know the dogs in your life.
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