End of Year Thoughts

I’ve wanted to write a post for several weeks (months), but I could never come up with something interesting to write about.

Sure, Marleigh and Eevee got into a fight because Eevee felt like Marleigh had disobeyed the rules.

Sure, Orion is still the most loveable, soft pain in the rear puppy-dog.

The beagles are still doing what beagles do and so are the Shih Tzu. Luna is…well Luna. Am I missing anyone else?

Marleigh and Eevee – numbers one and two.

Orion – number three.

Beagles – numbers four and five.

Shih Tzu – numbers six and seven.

Luna – number eight.

Yep, everyone is accounted for. Counting dogs, now that’s something we do multiple times a day. When you have several dogs, you have to make sure everyone is inside (or outside in some cases) or someone gets left outside/inside. Marleigh got spayed last week and during the twenty-four hours that she was at my mom’s house, I had to remind myself that she wouldn’t be included in the daily count. Believe me, it slipped me up. Even now Marleigh if kept separate from the other dogs so she can recover without over stimulating herself and I keep forgetting why I’m missing a dog in the back, then I remember that Marleigh is in a crate in another room.

I have an interesting story that happened last week. It was the morning after we brought Marleigh home from being spayed. I had her out front on a leash so she could use the bathroom. In the backyard, the beagles were being especially noisy. Mind you, it was almost six in the morning and their barks echoed. I took Marleigh back inside and went out back to bring in the others. Everyone came in except Orion and he had something in his mouth.

It took us about five minutes to get a good look at what he had. He’d killed a raccoon! I’m going to stop the story here for a second. I don’t mind raccoons. We’ve had raccoons living in the roof and we have co-existed just fine. However, I do know that raccoons can tear up a person (Sy almost lost a finger due to trying to catch and release a young one) and they have no problems killing small dogs and cats. So, seeing Orion with a dead raccoon in his mouth and all of my dogs were unharmed, I was pleased. I hate seeing other animals die, but my pups come first.

We managed to get the raccoon from Orion and got him in the house. We checked every dog over and over and were relieved that no one was harmed. We think that the commotion that we heard was the beagles keeping the raccoon at bay so Orion could protect his pack. Basically, the hounds and the livestock guardian dog were doing their jobs and we couldn’t be more pleased.

Another thing that surprised me about Orion killing the raccoon is that Orion has caught opossums in the past and he’s never harmed them. He doesn’t shake them, he just carries them around in his mouth and doesn’t leave a mark on them. When its safe, the possum wanders off and no one is worse for the wear. I don’t know what it was about the raccoon, but it was personal. I don’t think any raccoons are going to come anywhere near our yard anytime soon.

Other than that, life with the pups (and life in general) is pretty calm. I’m not complaining though. I’d rather a calm life than one that is busy-busy.

I have no year-end reviews. Very few resolutions. Honestly, I want next year to be like this year: calm, few (if any) emergencies, good health for my friends and family, and a couple more pups that’s it. Nothing more; nothing less. I hope the same for you, your family, and your friends.

Until next year: take care of your pack and they’ll take care of you.

Beagle Fever

I’m not sure when it happened. It just did. We didn’t mean for it to happen. After all, prior to getting Sahara, I never wanted a beagle…until I did. Sy always wanted a Corgi, until his comment about living in the country and being able to get more beagles. The thing about his comment, I wouldn’t mind moving to the country to get another couple beagles either.

That was when I realized, we’ve become beagle people.

Though we love all of our dogs, Sahara and Toby have a special place in our hearts. Perhaps it is Sahara’s playfulness and endearing (annoying) dramatic fits. Perhaps it is Toby’s soulful eyes that just asks us to love him and nothing more. We don’t know, but the beagles have taken over.

It’s not just the humans that have Beagle Fever, Orion and Eevee have developed it as well. When the beagles bay, it means something interesting is going on and Orion and Eevee run to wherever the beagles are to see what is going on. Frequently, I see Eevee pretending to be a beagle herself and tracking scents with Sahara and Toby. We now refer the three of them (Sahara, Toby, and Eevee) as the three heads of Cerberus, or simply Cerberus.

I didn’t realize how bad Orion has it either until I was playing dog howls the other day.

We’ve been watching Mother’s dogs Ebony and Marleigh, mother’s husky puppy (more on her in another post). Marleigh doesn’t howl. I can’t get her to howl with me. So I decided to play videos of dogs howling to get her to howl. It didn’t work. I then played the howls to see if Orion would howl. He didn’t care about any of them until I played a video of a beagle baying. He stood up and watched the TV intently, waiting to see what had this beagle so excited. Once it was over, he went back to not caring about the other dog howls.

I don’t know how to explain the feeling that I had when that happened. Dumbfounded is probably the best way to sum it up. Sy and I were dumbfounded. We just witnessed our dog filter out (i.e. not even bothering to acknowledge) the noise of other dogs (huskies, wolves, cocker spaniels, and a fox terrier) and only respond to an alerting beagle. My guess is that the beagle was the only thing relevant. Maybe, in his mind, the other dogs were just talking to hear themselves talk; that their words were meaningless and didn’t apply to his current circumstances. However, the beagle has something to say; something to show; something to actually talk about. I don’t know. I’m just guessing.

Yesterday, Sy and I, even “joked” about getting a third beagle to mask that we have a BUNCH (7, well currently 9) dogs. We’d just tell people: “We have three beagles so sorry about all of the noise. They just don’t know when to quit.” No. No. No. Don’t even think about it. Don’t. Even. Think. About. It.

That’s all I have for this post. Sorry if it didn’t make any sense. I just write these as streams-of-consciousness sometimes without worrying too much about it. I do have a few more posts in mind, but with my track record, I probably won’t post anything for another month.

Anyway, until next time…if your beagles siblings tell them there is a possum in the tree, believe them. There is a possum in that tree.

Seven Forever

I didn’t take Buddy’s death as hard as I took Haley’s. I thought I would, but I didn’t. I do miss him, but it isn’t to the extent as how much I miss Haley. I miss her so much that if I could guarantee a few more years of quality of life, I would have walked to the ends of the earth to do so. Haley was part of me. She was a thorn in my side, but sometimes late at night I think of her and I wish so much that I could hug her once more. That being said, this month marks the first anniversary of her death.

So, what have the pups, husband, and I been up to. A lot. April hit us hard, but we somehow managed it. Between needing to cut down trees, replacing part of our sewer system, needing to buy a new washer and dryer, and a tornado hitting our city. Our house didn’t sustain any damage, but the people on the other side of town did. Some houses were destroyed. Fortunately, I don’t think our city sustained any deaths of people. Trees on the other hand…

We were without electricity for three days and had to conserve the batteries on our phones during the evening and charge our phones at work. It was difficult, but the nine of us survived and thrived. It was “fun” while it lasted, but I was so happy when we had the Internet again.

So, what about the pups?

We fostered a little Blue Heeler mix for a month or two. Her previous owners had to move and they couldn’t take her with them and were just planning on dropping her off at the pound. We took her in and used all of our means to find her a home, but nothing panned out. We resolved to keep her, but she and Eevee didn’t get along. They had a couple fights where we had to pull them off of each other, but then it turned into a Cold War and there was tension in the air. Stella, the foster, wanted Eevee to like her, but Eevee wanted to have little to do with her. 

So I asked around in our city to see if someone wanted a heeler. I got two responses. Response one: the lady wanted Stella as a companion to her dog whose “sibling” had died sometime ago and she thought the dog was lonely (the dog wasn’t lonely, she had daily playdates with the neighbor’s three dogs). She couldn’t make up her mind if she wanted Stella or not, and I had an uneasy feeling about the whole situation. We silently agreed that it wasn’t the home for Stella. Two days later the tornado hit her neighborhood. Her house didn’t sustain much damage or at least the front of the house; however, I realized that this was the uneasy feeling that we both had.

Response two: an older gentleman wanted a sweet pup to be his companion. He had several acres of land for her to run, but mostly he wanted her to be his ears. He was hard of hearing, so he wanted a dog to alert him when someone came to the door. Also, he wanted a dog to get along with his cat. I was leery that Stella and the cat would get along, but when they met a hiss was all Stella needed. The guy called me a week or so after he got Stella and gave me an update. Stella was doing great and was alerting him of visitors. She and that cat didn’t like each other, but they could coexist within the same room and would even lay on the floor within a few feet of each other. I consider that a happy ending.

Around the same time I was finding Stella a home, a family was getting rid of their Beagle because he got car sick and since they were constantly on the go, they couldn’t take him with them when they went. Sy and I are homebodies and since we already had three car sick pups (Luna, Eevee, and Sahara), we didn’t mind adding another car sick pup to the mix. His former owners called him Beagle, but we call him Toby, but he also answers to: Bean, Toe Beans, and Beagle boy. I vowed I would never bring another male dog into the house, but I did and Toby has been a dream. For some odd reason, his presence has been calming on the whole house. Go figure.

Like Eevee and Sahara, he loves to sing. Sometimes early in the morning, the three of them will howl and harmonize with each other. I’ve heard of wolves harmonizing with each other and I’ve seen videos of Huskies harmonizing with each other, but I’ve never experienced it personally. Now I have and it is the most magical thing. I know that sounds stupid, but I love hearing them howl.

Like Sahara, and seemingly most Beagles, he’s dramatic and makes even the smallest of offenses into a few seconds of him screaming at us. Since Sahara does this to her, we’ve learned to humor the dog and even apologize for brushing up against him without his permission. 

I’ve decided that I love Beagles. I’ve also decided that for some odd reason I love having seven dogs which is weird because I don’t like the number seven. I don’t even like odd numbers in general, yet somehow I’ve developed a thing for seven dogs. However, I think this is the last group of seven that I’ll have. This is a perfect crew. Our house is harmonious and I don’t think we’ll ever have that again. So I’ve concluded that once this pack is gone, I’ll only have four dogs: a Great Pyrnees, a Shih Tzu, a Beagle, and a Corgi. I hope that future crew will be as harmonious as this one.

Until next time, don’t ignore your instincts. That scent trail will lead to a squirrel.

Moving On

People close to me ask me about this Black Lives Matter (BLM) riots that are going on. I think all of these riots are stupid and don’t prove anything. If Black Lives Matter then why are they harming other people. I mean shouldn’t the lives of the people they harm matter too?

Working for a newspaper is a double edged sword. I get to hear the news before it is made public, but also I get to hear the nitty-gritty; the things that people don’t hear. All of this makes me sad. So I’ll think about something else.

When BF and I are about to walk out the door, the girls decide to start barking at each other. It starts with intense stares, glaring almost. Next one of the girls insults one of her sisters. Then all of them (actually Clara, Luna, Eevee, and Sahara) start barking at each other, hurling bad names and your mama comments at each other like a game of verbal volleyball. Their intention: to delay us from leaving in the morning. They hope that one of us will come back there and fuss at them, or at the very least call out to them. I try to ignore them, but from time to time I tell them to knock it off. We walk out the door and as soon as that front door is closed they stop. Crazy dogs.

My mom’s Yorkie got put to sleep about a month ago. A spider bit her and it turned necrotic overnight. There was nothing they could do for her and the kindest thing was to put her down.

Going home is weird without her. She was a tiny tyrant, but she was family and I’ll miss her. Not as much as my mom. She realized that Midget’s live was intertwined in her life and the lives of Ebony and Nikki. For several days, the three of them were lost without her. Ebony and Nikki have slowly moved on, but my mom is still heartbroken. Perhaps one day I’ll get her another third dog (or drop Luna off at her house and run), but not right now.

The disadvantage to having seven dogs is that looking for a house is difficult. BF and I are trying to move closer to my mom and we’ve seen a few nice houses (and even more not so nice), but the question on our mind is always, “is the backyard big enough for seven dogs.” The dogs are used to a huge backyard and not just any backyard will do.

Another problem is us moving depends on several factors happening in succession or, preferably, simultaneously. I need to find out if I got this job, then I need to find a house and finally I need to sell the house. Unfortunately it seems like things are going out of order. More people are inquiring about the house (four or five within the past month) and I have yet to hear back from the school (where I might work) or found a suitable place to move. I know it will all work out in the end, but the suspense is killing me. I want to know where this story is going. Can I flip forward a few chapters and see how things turn out. I need spoilers!

Well that’s what’s going on in my life. It’s a shame that it can be summed up in just a few paragraphs. Until next time, when you says “your mama [insert insult here]” to your puppy sibling, you might be talking about your mama too. Just saying.

Beagle is as Beagle Does

Sahara’s nose got the better of her this morning. Normally she comes in the house when called. Oftentimes she is by the back door waiting for it to open, but sometimes that ol’ Beagle nose takes over and distracts her from what BF and I would like for her to do. Note: I didn’t say what she’s supposed to do as I appreciate the fact that as a Beagle following her nose is what she’s supposed to do.

BF kept calling Sahara and I told him that he needed to just go get her as this is what I have to do sometimes. He’d start toward Sahara and she’d run toward him…then her nose would take her in a different direction. Finally BF snatched her up and carried her in the house. He put her in the crate and the look she gave us almost broke my heart. She looked so sad, so defeated. The poor baby’s fun had been ruined and she was not happy.

I look forward to going home in a little over an hour. Today has been a tough day. I’m agitated, my head hurts, the pollen count is high, and I’ve had an anxiety attack. I just want to go home, plop on the couch and cuddle with one of my dogs.

I took Sahara and Eevee on a walk after church on Saturday. As I was rounding the corner of my block, I saw some of my fellow church members. As soon as Sahara saw them, she wanted to jump up on them, be pet; just in general trying to get their attention.

Eevee, on the other hand, was trying to get away from them. She’s not that fond of people outside of BF, Mother, and me–the people who she’s grown up with. She’s always been leery of strangers, preferring to bark at them from a distance rather than trying to get to know them. I regret that I was never able to take her out and socialize with her. The thought of her getting car sick and stressed out prevented me from taking her places. Funny thing is taking her places helps the car sickness or so the vet says. It seems counter-intuitive and I’m sure it works, I just afraid to try it. On the other hand, if we’re planning on moving, it would be best to get them (Eevee, Luna, and Sahara) accustomed to the car. Fortunately, we’re only moving an hour away, so a little vomit in the car won’t be the worst thing in the world…

What I would love to do when I get home is do some crafting. I’ve wanted to do some collage art for a little over a week now, but haven’t been able to do it for one reason or another (*cough* lazy *cough*). What will actually happen is I’m going to plop on the couch (with or without a dog) and watch some Netflix as that will probably be all the energy that I will have.

Yet another random post, but it popped into my brain. Until next time, go where your nose takes you…

Happy Puppies and the End of Another Year

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I suppose many people are doing the end of the year reflection. This wasn’t a bad year, in fact it was great. I added Eevee and Sahara to the family and everyone is getting along so well.

I remember when we got Scarlet as a companion for Buddy and that didn’t end well. Then, on a whim, we got Eevee and now she and Buddy are good friends. Who would have thought that when I got a dog for myself she would end up being friends with Buddy as well.

So what does my 2020 look like? I’m hoping it comes with a new job in a new house in a new city. Well old city. I’m moving back to Sulphur. Homesickness set in and I’m raring to move back.

We’re looking for a house with a large yard and either neighbors who don’t mind dogs or a house in a neighborhood that has a lot of dogs. Sulphur has a decent pupulation (not a typo) so I think my pups will fit in and maybe make some doggy friends.

I don’t really have much else to say. I was just popping in one last time before the new year. I hope you enjoyed the pictures of Eevee and Sahara.

Until next time…happy new year!

In the Walls

Last week, I came home to Buddy chewing on the baby gate bars and on the wall beside the utility room door. I dropped everything and went to see what was wrong. Despite my best efforts, he wouldn’t leave that spot alone, not even to go outside and he loves being outside.

I inspected the area and concluded there must be something between the walls and I hoped it wasn’t a snake. I wasn’t sure though. I tried pulling at the paneling, using a hammer…to no avail. Then a brilliant idea hit me. Get the Beagle to see if there really was something. So out I went to fetch Sahara.

I brought her in and showed her the spot that Buddy was chewing at. Sahara sniffed around and bayed. I had my answer. There was something in the wall. Yes, I know I can’t take a Chow’s and Beagle’s bark for it, but their senses are better than mine and I trust them.

I was already frustrated and sat on the floor to cry. I’d had a stressful day at work, bf got off late and wouldn’t be home for another hour, and since Mother lives an hour away, she couldn’t help either. Sweet Sahara climbed in my lap and tried to comfort me. Normally she’s crazy, but she was calm and stood still while I petted her and cried.

After I calmed down, I put my ear to the wall. I heard some scratching. Definitely not a snake. Maybe a baby raccoon? A mouse? Probably a mouse. When I tapped the wall the scratching stopped and the dogs lost interest in the spot. Eventually whatever it was moved on and Buddy and Sahara were ready to do something else so I kicked them outside. Buddy was happy to go. Sahara…not as much. She’s a homebody.

More happened in that story–not much though; this is just the Reader’s Digest version. The longer version would have simultaneous incidents: Sahara searching the kitchen for something, Buddy alternating between the wall and wanting to go into the main part of the house, me crying, me on the phone, me hoping it wasn’t a snake, me contemplating on selling my house and letting the new owners handle the raccoons, and many other things.

I still want to sell my house, but at the moment it isn’t feasible. The raccoons are driving me crazy so either I stay put or bite the bullet and put my house on the market. Neither sounds ideal. Perhaps after BF and I get married we’ll get something figured out. Until then, I get to put up with my noisy upstairs neighbors for a bit longer.

Not much of a entry. I do have some picture to share sometime in the future. They’re of Eevee and Sahara playing. I find the pictures precious.

Until next time, seek out and destroy…the food that is.

Full (Dog) House

Sorry I haven’t written much. I recently changed positions at work which means that I have less time to write blog posts, but here is one.

If someone told me a few years ago that I’d share my home with seven dogs, I would believe them. Dogs have always been in my life and I suspect they will always be in my life.

My dogs are what get me up in the morning even on days I’m depressed, especially on days I’m depressed. Fortunately since my medicine got adjusted, I’ve had fewer depressed and manic episodes.

Unfortunately, this medicine adjustment has restored me to my actual personality: feeling nothing and everything at once.

But I digress…

This week Buddy, Sahara, and I finally had a breakthrough and it all started with a hole in the fence. Buddy, Luna, and possibly Eevee found/dug a hole under the fence into the neighbor’s yard. Mind you, I have a privacy fence and the neighbors have a regular fence that has a four to five foot high hole in it. There’s about a six inch gap between these fences.

So the three of them were getting into the neighbor’s yard. On Sunday, while bf, a friend of mine, and I were tearing down a shed to get to the hole, Buddy slipped through. Around that time the neighbor’s dog was let into the backyard. I watched and held my breath as Buddy approached the other dog. I expected a fight, but it never happened. Buddy hip-checked the other dog, causing it to yowl in annoyance, and then trotted away probably laughing to himself. That was when I realized that Buddy isn’t dog aggressive. Buddy is just a jerk and has a twisted sense of humor. What a relief.

The shed got torn down and the fence got fixed.

On Monday, at my Mother’s insistence, I took Sahara outside while leaving Buddy loose (normally I tie him out). Buddy was curious about her at first, but never did his hip-check thing. Instead he went to the back fence and tried to figure out how to get on the other side of the fence. Another relief. Though they aren’t ready to play with each other, they don’t mind being in the same vicinity of each other. A peaceful household once again.

Yesterday, I watched the dogs roam around the backyard and I counted and recounted them. There were seven dogs, but it didn’t look like it. Even with seven dogs, my backyard is big enough for even more dogs to enjoy it. Not that I’m going to get another dog…yet. Part of me wants another hound…a Basset or another Beagle would be fun. Another part of me wants a larger dog a Great Pyrenees, a St. Bernard, or a German Shepherd. However, I would only get a large dog if something should happen to Buddy and Buddy isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Sahara’s baying used to get on my nerves, but now I’ve gotten used to it. It’s an acquired sound. I watched videos and read books about the sound, but nothing prepared me for how a Beagle actually sounded. It’s still annoying when I’m trying to talk on the phone, but that’s life with a hound.

Nothing else exciting is going on at the house. The Shih Tzus are doing well. Molly has gone into a stubborn phase and requires being carried inside rather than her actually walking. Haley’s allergies are acting up, but other than that she’s still as bratty and demanding as always. Clara is still cute and tries to use it to get out of doing what she doesn’t want to do.

All in all, life is pretty good right now. BF and I got raises which means the dogs can live an even more comfortable life than they already are living. They’ve trained us right.

Until next time, show your siblings and strangers that you mean them no harm by giving them a friendly hip check (then run away laughing as they yowl about the injustice of it all).

Seven Dog Life

Yesterday I felt like a bad dog mom. My dogs don’t get the attention they deserve. They’re normally kept in their bedroom to keep them out of the way (they’re royal terrors). I feel so bad that they’re not allowed to hang out on the couch with BF and me. Then I remember, I have a couple dogs (Luna and Sahara) that don’t know the meaning of chilling out on the couch. They prefer to get into things, steal stuff, and in general act like little heathens.

Living with seven dogs isn’t difficult. I look forward to the day when Buddy and Sahara can interact without a baby gate between them. I wish it happened yesterday, but I realize that Sahara has only been with us for about three weeks. I need to give it time.

I’ve come to the conclusion that when this pack of dogs has died off, I’m only going to keep three dogs at a time: a Shih Tzu, a Beagle, and some kind of terrier (probably a Yorkie). By that time, I hope that I’ll have a bigger house…well not necessarily bigger, I need a more open house on one floor. I keep saying that I’m going to wait five years, but can I wait that long? I probably should so I can pay off some bills…

This is a random post, I know. I’m sleepy and bored. I have an ad I need to design, but I don’t feel like creating it even though it is simply recreating a business card. I want to do everything else but what I’m supposed to.

I wish I worked from home, not that I’d get much done there either. At least I’d be comfortable and be able to nap as needed.

All seven of my dogs have found their voices…mealtime is noisy. I need to train them out of it. I tried. Really, I have. Luna just won’t be trained and if I can’t get her under control I can’t get Eevee or Sahara under control. If you haven’t guessed, Luna is my troublemaker.

I love her. She is a great dog. I just wish she would shut up. I have made headway with her though. When I pet her, instead of ruffling her fur, I pet her with long slow strokes that promote a calmer demeanor. It is amazing the change. I’ve even tried it on Sahara and it puts her right to sleep. Eevee is a bit trickier, but she’ll get there.

Eevee will be 9 months tomorrow. I feel like she should be older. It feels like I’ve had her forever. The same thing goes for each of my dogs, especially Haley who has been with me through a lot of the major and minor events of my life. Haley and I are a pair and have a closer bond with each other than any of the other dogs. The day I lose her will be the day I lose a part of myself.

But let’s not think about that. Haley is alive and well and annoying. Every evening, when BF and I are watching TV, she makes sure to bark us out for eating in front of her, for keeping her up past her bedtime, and sometimes just for the fun of it. She likes to talk back and we have plenty of arguments with her. I’m glad I don’t speak dog as I’m sure Haley has a colorful vocabulary.

So, I think I’ve reached the end of this random post. If you’ve read this far, props. If you understand this post, double props. If you live with a human that eats in front of you, but doesn’t share, my sympathy.

Until next time, the louder you bark the quicker the human responds.

Origins: Sahara

Last one, I promise. Well she has to be the last one, BF put his foot down and said no more dogs. He thinks seven is enough. I agree, at least I think seven is enough considering the house we live in. If we lived in the country…I probably will only have seven.

So who is “last one, I promise?” Her name is Sahara (formerly Sugar) and she’s a red and white Beagle just shy of two years old. I didn’t pay a cent for her and she was already fixed, up to date on her shots, on heartworm medication, etc. Everything a person could look for in a family pet. Did I mention she was free?

I was lurking on Craigslist (yes I know…) Pets and had been searching for a Beagle for a couple months. It was a passive searching. Only once did I call to see what the “rehoming fee” was ($300 without shots). I’d come to the conclusion that it wasn’t meant to be.

Bored one day at work, I checked CL again. Much to my surprise there was a listing for a free Beagle. I read the description and I thought that there was no way the dog was still available. She was. I agreed to adopt her and brought her home that night.

She got carsick and vomited on my backseat as we were pulling into the driveway. Not to worry. I had bought a seat cover for my backseat specifically for my pups that get carsick (Luna, Eevee, and now Sahara). All I did was scoop out the vomit and wiped it down with some baby wipes.

The first couple days Sahara was fairly mild. She liked to relax on the couch, play with toys, and sniff around. Then she got comfortable in the house and her wild side emerged. She jumps on the couch with gusto. She isn’t content to relax, but has to be petted all the time. If she’s not being petted, she has to get into something. I’ve taken so many things from her in the course of five minutes: plastic bags, spools of ribbon, spools of thread, socks, rags, and anything else she can get her mouth on. She is no respecter of objects.

She doesn’t mind the other dogs. She likes to bark at Buddy when he barks at her. She enjoys playing with Eevee who has a compatible energy level. The other girls are indifferent toward her and she is toward them.

I’m working on getting Buddy to accept her. I’m bribing him to like her. Whenever she’s around I give both of them lots of treats and praise. I’m hoping that Buddy will accept her by this time next month. If all goes well, sooner.

I feel like I’m not making any sense in this entry. It’s probably because there is activity all around me. I don’t know. Anyway, that’s it for right now. Until next time, keep your pack members close and make sure new pack members come with a bribe.

Oh, and here is a picture of Sahara. It’s from the ad that I responded to. Enjoy!