Blog Archives
Gavin doesn’t fit under a potted palm but you try to tell him that…
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Yesterday Gavin entertained me by trying to hide under the potted palm in the waiting room. The receptionists and I were in the giggles. He crawled under a chair in the exam room, closed his eyes, and ducked his head in the old ‘if I can’t see you, you can’t see me’ routine. Didn’t work, the vet tech cracked up and took his temperature anyway.
When Dr O came in, Gavin tried to ooze under the door. That didn’t work either. Dr. O laughed at him and did a complete examination. He even snuck in a quick peek down Gavin’s mouth as far as Gavin would open it.
Gavin didn’t get his shots. No, he managed to come down with a case of the squirts. All night long and for most of the day before his scheduled 2:30 appointment, I took him out every two hours…or less. He came home with two bottles of medications and he is back on the old hamburger and rice diet.
I didn’t want to take both dogs in together. I tried that last time and Chicken Dog had Patty all apprehensive. She usually enjoys her vet visits. That’s why I made two separate appointments. However, now Gavin is tagging along to Patty’s appointment on the second to get his shots. DH can come along and enjoy Chicken Dog’s entertaining antics and then he can take him to the car while Patty gets her check up.
This should be interesting…
Posted in Dog related, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
There’s nothing like clean, sweet smelling dogs
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Gavin has a vet appointment today so yesterday was bath day. There’s no way I was taking Mr. Stinky in without a bath first. Patty’s appointment is the second so she’s clean too. I don’t bathe them as often as I should because they don’t make it easy.
DH was taking a nap when I hauled Patty up the stairs first. She wasn’t happy about going up there because she’d seen me take the dog towels up earlier. She knew what I had on my mind. A little coaxing and a cookie tossed in the tub soothed her for a bit. Then I turned on the water. Patty froze. Actually, I’m glad she did, bathing the brindle statue was easy. A soap and rinse later she was out of the tub and covered in towels loving the rubbing. She bounded down the stairs never once thinking of anything but another cookie and some drying time in her crate.
I took a short break.
Oh, boy it was Gavin’s turn. Getting him upstairs and into the tub, no problem, he jumped in right after the cookie I tossed onto the mat. Water on.
“Oh, no you don’t, Mom.” He backed into the far corner.
The tub is six feet long, the doors, the way I had them set, block four feet, and I was straining to reach him. I got him wet, soaped, rinsed. He kept shaking and got me wet, soaped, wet, and a ring on his bath collar hit me in the knuckle breaking a vein. Out of the tub, covered in towels, he managed to shake once more, soaking the entire bathroom and me again.
I took a long break before I went back up and cleaned the bathroom.
Nope, there’s never a dull moment around here.
Posted in Dog related, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
Miss Patty hides
Posted by doggonedmysteries
We crate the pups when we aren’t here to supervise during the day. They enjoy getting into things too much to leave them to their own devices. Today I thought Mr. Houdini dog taught baby sister Patty how to open her crate door. It wasn’t so. It seems that DH hadn’t latched her door properly.
DH had gone upstairs for a nap while I was outside working in the gardens. He’d crated the dogs. When I came in Gavin was snoozing in his crate but Patty was nowhere to be found. Then I heard her thunder down the stairs. She zoomed around the corner at the bottom of the steps and about jumped out of her skin to see me standing there.
She dove into her crate and hid in the back. Her guilt was so palpable I thought I’d better go see what she’d been doing upstairs. She hadn’t touched anything in the bathroom. DH had his room’s door closed. The laundry basket waiting to have clothes unloaded had the back room door blocked. That left the bedroom.
Oh yeah, she’d been in there. She had used the bed for a trampoline. Pillows were scattered, some on the floor, and the bedspread was askew.
Posted in Dog related, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Dog, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Recreation, Rescue Dogs, Stairway, Writer, Writing
Dogs and cameras
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Did you ever sit there and think; “Now there are several minutes of my life that I won’t get back” I did tonight. I wanted to put up a new picture of Patty but she wasn’t cooperating. One of her best tricks is ‘stick ‘em up’ I wanted a shot of that. Twenty minutes later and I still didn’t have a picture.
Did you know that it is impossible to take a picture and work a dog at the same time? You also need to be quick on the button to catch the dog doing the trick. I wasn’t. Butt shots as she walked out of the picture didn’t work.
Tomorrow, I’ll ask DH to have her do the trick while I attempt to snap a good picture. I’m certain Patty will do better when she has her Daddy asking her to do her trick. She’ll do anything for him.
The next problem will be to keep Gavin from trying to hog the shutter time. He likes the camera. He never enjoyed the show ring but he certainly enjoys getting his picture taken. I can’t pick it up without having him try to get my attention. “Look at me, I’ll give my paw.”
Posted in Dog related, hobbies, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, digital photography, digital photos, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, photo ops missed, photograhy, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
A little flag waving in honor of yesterday
Posted by doggonedmysteries
After a day loaded with food, fireworks, and military band music, it was nice to take time to remember why we celebrate the 4th of July.
The freedoms we have are precious gifts given to us by those visionaries who fought hard to achieve the birth of a great nation. What an amazing accomplishment. Do not let their dream fade in apathy.
Hang tightly to those freedoms and be proud of who we are as a nation.
This is a great country. It is my country and I’m proud of it. I am grateful to be a citizen.
Posted in Holidays
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Jewelry, Life, Love, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Necklaces, Pet humor, Pets, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
The old dog needs a new trick
Posted by doggonedmysteries
DH points a finger gun at the dogs. “Stick ‘em up.”
Patty’s paws shoot for the ceiling and she balances perfectly. She gets a cookie. Gavin raises one paw and gives a bit of hop with the other. That’s the best he’s going to give DH. He’s not fond of the trick since he can’t sit up and hold his balance. He gets a cookie anyway.
DH is bored. The dogs are bored. The hot weather is keeping DH in the house. TV sucks there’s nothing on worth watching during the day. DH wants to teach them a new trick.
I told DH to try teaching them to roll over because Gavin excels at lying down. He’s not getting any younger. Gavin will be nine in November. The poor dog is beginning to show his age a bit. His bully runs are not as frequent nor do they last as long. He not only takes naps but the dog goes to bed at seven in the evening.
This should be interesting. Patty is smart and quick on the uptake. Gavin figures if it isn’t give paw, down, or kennel up, it’s not worth learning but then again there is that promise of a cookie…
Posted in Dog related, hobbies, Misc, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, dog tricks, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
Surprise! A new look.
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I thought it was time for a change. I hope you like it. One thing I noticed was the print is larger, which I like. However, it is lighter, which I don’t like.
I may have to play a little.
The Blogrolls are now on the bottom of the page along with everything else that isn’t a post. Not sure if I like that, but we’ll see.
This is going to take some getting used to. I hope you all like the changes. If not, let me know. I do want your opinions.
Posted in Misc, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Fish, Food, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Koi, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pennwriters, Pets, Pond, Ponds, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
How to repair a hole in a wall
Posted by doggonedmysteries
There’s a hole in the wall behind Patty’s crate.
How did that get there?
The idiot dog put it there.
Sure, blame the dog.
Really, she did it. No, she didn’t use a hammer or put her paw through it, she used her crate.
Patty is a high energy Bull Terrier. Patty will run full tilt into her crate and slam into the back of it. One of these days, I expect to find her unconscious in there with that I-meant-to-do-it look on her face. The last time she ran full tilt into her crate, it hit the wall so hard that it knocked a hole in the plaster. It’s not dry wall this is an old plaster and lath wall.
I will clear away any loose dust and plaster and undercut the edges. I’ll dampen the hole and edges, fill it with patching plaster, not quite even to the wall, and then score the surface of the patching plaster. Let it dry for 24 hours. Then I’ll apply joint compound even with the rest of the wall. This doesn’t have to be perfect since I painted the wall with textured paint, which I’ll apply after the joint compound is dry.
Have I done this before? Oh, yeah. Many times, between DH’s frequent falls and two high energy BTs I’ve become an expert.
Posted in Dog related, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, comedy, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, DIY, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Home repairs, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Rescue Dogs, the dog did it, Writer, Writing
The pups are after the compost bin again
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I have a compost bin. We do the coffee grounds, tea bags, any kitchen waste that’s not meat—all of it goes in the compost heap. There’s one teensy problem though. We put banana peels in there because they are great for the garden. The problem is with the banana peels I have to keep the bin blocked off so the dogs can’t get near it.
You see my dogs adore bananas. You could say they are bananas for bananas. We can’t open a peel without having the two dogs plaster themselves to our side until they each get some. Therefore, they would scavenge the peels from the compost pile if they could.
Last year Gavin tried his darnedest to climb into the bin because he smelled his favorite treat in there. In an instant he was stuck. I then had to climb over obstacles to pry him out of there. I need a better way to block the bin.
Yesterday Patty attempted a raid on the bin. With her long legs, she might have made it. It’s a good thing she was on the retractable leash at the time.
Posted in Dog related, My blog, my garden, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
Missed that photo op
Posted by doggonedmysteries
High jinks come on the heels of days of rain and chilly temperatures. Both dogs and owners are bored. Is there a better time to play games, then on a rainy day?
We played hide the cookies and do you remember this trick? Gavin and Patty will do almost anything for a cookie. I’d wind them up and put them through their paces. Gavin is faster at doing a down than Patty is. She’s not fond of that trick I think she has issues. Patty does a pretty stick ‘em up. Gavin hasn’t her balance but he beats her paws up on doing a down.
Patty sense of smell is sharper than Gavin’s but I think his vision is better than hers is. Gavin easily frustrates where Patty has patience. Patty gets wild and hucklebutts on the couch while Gavin dashes from kitchen to living room and back again.
Finally, tired out Gavin settled next to me in my chair and soon was snoring. Patty hopped into her Daddy’s chair, rolled upside down with paws in the air and soft snores soon came from that direction. Dang it the camera was in the kitchen and Gavin was asleep with his head on my shoulder. I wasn’t getting that picture.
Posted in Dog related, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Photo I wished I'd taken, photo ops missed, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
Pilling the dogs
Posted by doggonedmysteries
We should own stock in the OTC allergy medicine company. I take two a day, the vet has Gavin on three a day, and Patty is on two. Then there are days when the pollen count is high and even DH needs them.
Pilling a Bull Terrier isn’t easy when you have one like Gavin. You want to what? Open my mouth? I don’t think so. Our vet has collapsed in the giggles while trying to get a look inside Gavin’s mouth and he’s a big guy. Gavin will clamp his mouth shut and you can’t get in there with a crow bar. On the other hand, Patty is easy.
At least she’s easy if she hasn’t seen you give Gavin his pill. Gavin gets peanut butter on a spoon with his pill on top. He’d eat a building if you covered it in peanut butter. Patty sees him get peanut butter and she wants hers served the same way.
I don’t blame her I like peanut butter too but I like mine on crackers or in a sandwich with jelly. Have you ever tried a peanut butter and jalapeño jelly sandwich? It’s good. Yeah, I’m weird.
Posted in Dog related, Food, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Food, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
Can two objects occupy the same space?
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Today Gavin proved that the answer to that question is no. How did he prove it? Well, that’s the story for tonight.
I had Gavin out in the yard. He was behaving, sniffing around looking for a place to mark, when the kids across the street began doing a mad dash up and down the sidewalk. Gavin got excited and began to bark at them. Me, being the idiot I am, decided it was time to leash him and take him inside before he became too wound up.
He was standing still at the front fence barking at the kids. I reached for his collar to snap on the leash so I could drag him away from the fence. At that moment he decided to dart to his left. Where was I standing? I was at his left.
Now if you’ve never met a Bull Terrier in person you have no concept of what their heads are like. Think cinder block and you’ll have a decent idea.
Think fast, if I was at his left, and he dashed to his left, can two objects occupy the same space at the same time? The previously mentioned objects being Gavin’s cinder block head and my freaking knee, I say NAY. I also said ouch, and many other words in a sailor’s vernacular that tinged the air around me a lovely, bright shade of blue.
Yeah, go ahead and call me a klutz. You can even call Gavin an idiot for not looking where he was going. Now, if you all will excuse me, I need to pack my knee in ice again.
Posted in Dog related, Misc, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, can two objects occupy the same space?, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, relative theories and all that stuff, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
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