Category: dogs

Pretty Girl

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Lody really needed a bath, but I didn’t want to subject her to the stress of hauling her to either a groomer or a DIY setup. And I really don’t have a place to give a Collie a bath here. I had been intrigued by the idea of a mobile dog groomer, so today Kristy came by with her Sudsy Dogmobile. This was a modified horse trailer that had a warm water wash tub, drying apparatus and rubber mats throughout. Kristy spent a lot of time on Lody, and delivered back a sparkling Collie. Probably the last time Lody was this clean was the last time she was shown. Kristy even did a good job on her nails. Best of all, Lody didn’t seem too stressed out by the experience.  Although Smooth Collies don’t have as much of a coat as Rough Collies, it is still a job of work to get them clean.  I am very pleased.

Hap and Orion

Every night, Hap is shut in his stall while he finishes his ration of horse chow. Then I go to the barn and let him out to join the others to eat hay at the hay feeders. I’ve been leaving Orion, with some difficulty, at the gate while I do so. Rion has been doing his best to get through the gate with me since he doesn’t feel I should go anywhere without him.

This evening, I had let Hap out out of his stall and turned out the barn lights when I saw this small dark shape streaking toward me. I had barely identified it as Rion when he turned and dashed in front of Hap, who was joining the others at the feeder. Hap put his head down almost to the ground, and carefully placed his feet so he wouldn’t squash Rion. I called Rion who changed course again and dashed back to me. Rion seemed very proud of his success in joining me, presumably having found a place a very small dog could go under the mesh fence the separates the dog run from the horse field.

Hap has always been quite tolerant of dogs, and I am extremely grateful that he extended his tolerance to Rion tonight. I felt as though my life flashed before my eyes when I saw eight pound Rion on an apparent collision course with an eleven hundred pound horse.

Pedi Paws (Monkey See, Monkey Do)

Yesterday, I used my Pedi Paws pet nail trimmer for the first time. (There is an audio track that starts when you click this link.)  I received it from a friend for Christmas.  Lody is good about letting me do stuff with her paws, especially if there is hot dog jerky involved,  and adjusted to it easily.  (The instructions warn to accustom your animal to the noise without using it a few times using food treats, but Lody didn’t seem to mind the noise.)  I then tried to accustom Orion to the noise, and he backed away, so I discontinued trying.

This morning, I did another session with Lody.  This time, I let Orion stay in the room with Lody.  He was trying to bounce up in her face, but she didn’t seem to mind, so I worked on her claws for about three minutes, and gave her a couple of clicks and treats.  Afterward, I held the device close to Orion and he didn’t react.  I held one of his paws, and with difficulty, managed to locate a black claw in the black fluff of his foot.  He allowed me to grind the claw for ten seconds and I clicked and treated before he decided to object.  I guess he thought if it was okay for Auntie Lody, it was okay for him, too.

People have been recommending a Dremel for grinding claws for years, but the Pedi Paws has a shield around the grinder which makes it a lot easier to use.  For big dogs, more torque would be nice, but it seems to have plenty for small dogs and puppies.   What would be nice would be a similar attachment to go on a standard Dremel, so one would have both the shield and the torque for large dogs whose nails have been neglected.

More Orion

Yesterday, Lody and Rion were engaging in another session of The Collie’s Revenge. They had been playing for about ten minutes, and I happened to look over just as Rion flung himself on the floor with a piteous moan of frustration. Lody yawned very wide, and quite deliberately turned her head ostentatiously away from the opening, just long enough for Rion to scamper through.

A friend came by New Year’s Eve and helped to give Rion a bath.  Rion was quite cooperative, and really needed the bath, to judge from the grime in the tub.   Yesterday, while I was working in the kitchen, Rion started wading in the water bowl.  It was like the needed the bath to show him that you could do something with this stuff besides drink it.