ALOT OF BUSINESS TO TEND TO..
YESTERDAY STARTED WITH MY JUMPING OUT OF JAMMIES TO DRIVE TEH TRACTOR TO UNLOAD THE 8 PALLETS OF PURINA DOG FOOD BEFORE 7AM-- AND AFTER SUPPER I WAS ASLEEP THE PHONERANG DAISY WAS BEATING UP HER FOAL-- SO I COVERED JAMMIES- GRABBED A LIGHT AND FLEW TO THE BARN-- BY THEN THE FOAL WAS NURSING-- BUT I HAD SEEN THE BITING WRESTLING SO I WHIFFLE BATTED MY WAY OUT OF THAT ONE... AND GOT THE BABY OUT OF THE STALL-- DOGS OR DONKEYS DO NOT LIKE TO BE SURPRISED-- AND A LIGHT BONK ON THE NOSE WITH THE WHIFFLE BAT IS ALL IT TAKES TO GET THEIR ATTENTION ON WHIFFLE BATTING AND NOT CHILD ABUSE. DAISY IS WIERD-- AND KICKS PEOPLE-- JANINE HAS A HOME FOR HER WHEER SHE CAN BE TURNED OUT WITH BIG HORSES ,JUST BE COLORFUL-- AND NOT GET EXPOSED TO SMALL CHILDREN. SO SHE IS OUT AS SOON AS HER HOOF IS BETTER...
BY THEN PAM HAD JOINED ME-- AND WE TALKED ABOUT IT BEING 8 OCLOCK-- IT SEEMED DARK.. SO AS I DROVE THE GOLF CART BACK UP HTE HILL IN THE COLD....I BEGAN TO RECITE "IN WINTER I GET UP AT NIGHT, AND DRESS BY YELLOW CANDLE LIGHT" SO I FIGURED I'D JUST HAVE COFFEE AND STAY UP- TIL MICHELLE TOLD ME IT WAS 8PM NOT 8AM..
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LIONEL- LOVELY HAPPY MERLE PUP OF GUSSIES.. OCASIONALLY PRODUCES MILK IN A SNEEZY MANEUVER WHICH HAS US CONFUSED... OTHERWISE SEEMS HEALTHY.. FUN,, RUNS FASTEST... DOES HAVE SOME EXTRA SKIN ON ONE SIDE OF HIS FACE - AND THE SAME SIDE THE EYE DOES SEEM TO BE COVERED BY THE 3RD EYELID... SO SOMETHING IS WIERD BAOUT HIS HEAD... YET TO BE DETERMINED... GEORGE IS ON IT...
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LARGE DISCUSSION ON PEE-ING-- WHICH WAS TO BE MY TRAINIG TOPIC OF THE DAY....
STARTING WITH NEW BORN PUPS.. NICE PADDED FLUFFY NEST-- WHOLE AREA IS PADDED SO MOMMY CAN LIE ON EITHER SIDE AS SHE CHOOSES TO ALTERNATE SIDES. PUPS CAN'T REALLY PEE UNLESS MOMMY LICKS THEM-- WHICH SHE LICKS UP AS IT IS PRODUCED..... ( AND IF THERE IS NO MOMMY TO LICK THEM, A PERSON HAS TO DO THE CHORE ... WE CALL IT WIZZING THE PUPS BY STROKING THE AREA WITH TOILET PAPER TO EMPTY THEIR BALDDERW OTHEY CAN GET PRETTY UNCOMFORTABLE...) AND THE NEST STAYS "CLEAN" --- PUPS AT THAT POINT CAN NOT WALK-- MOMMY DOES THE HOUSE KEEPING AND ALL IS WELL....
THEN THEY LEARN TO WALK-- WE CALL IT "BELLIES UP..". MEANING BELLIES OFF THE GROUND... AND TEHY START WANDERTING FROM MOM WHO "CALLS THEM BACK BY BLOWING WARM BREATH AT THEM,,- AND AT THAT POINT WE STILL PAD THE WHOLE AREA PRETTY WELL ( HARD ON THE LAUNDRY-- THOSE MOVING BLANKETS SOMEONE GAVE USARE IDEAL "TRACTION") AS THEY GET BETTER AT WALKING - AT ABOUT 15 DAYS, THEY SEEM TO WALK AWAY ABOUT A FOOT... AND PEE JUST OUT OF MOMMY'S REACH--TEH MOVING BLANKET WORKS WELL TO THIS POINT-- THE PEE PRODUCED IS MINIMAL...
NEXT STEP IS TO PROVIDE A SOFT FLUFFY AREA .. ENOUGH FOR MOM TO LIE DOWN ON EITHER SIDE- AND MAKE A DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE SOFT FLUFFY AREA AND FLAT-- COLD -- PEE PADS- SO THEY DO SEEM TO WALK OFF THE FLUFFY AREA ONTO T TH PEE PADS ---SQUAT --AND TURN AROND AND GO BACK TO TH EWARM FLUFFY.
IF WE HUMANS GET IT STRAIGHT, THE PUPS ARE 94% "POTTY TRAINED" AT THIS POINT ( 4 WEEKS)
JUST SO YOU ALL KNOW..... AT GREAT LEGNTH... WE HAVE TESTED ALL THOSE PEE PADS THAT TELL YOU THEY AVE SOME SCENT TO ATTRACT THE PUPPIES... AND FOUND THEM NO MORE ATTRACTIVE THAN THE GENERIC PEE PADS... THERE SEEMS TO BE A NATURAL INSTINCT TO GO PEE SOMEWHERE BESIDES IN THEIR "NEST". IT COULD ALSO BE "LET ME GET AWAY FROM THAT WILD MOM WHO FLIPS ME UPSIDE DOW N TO EMPTY MY BLADDER.... I AC DO IT MYSELF OUT OF HER REACH"
WHATEVER... BY ENCOURAGIGN THE NATURAL INSTINCT MAKES LIFE SIMPLER.. AND LESS LAUNDRY.
THIS ALSO MEANS THAT IF YOU DO NOT PROVIDE THE PROVISIONS FOR THE NATURAL INSTINCT... THEN YOU GET INTO THE PUPPIES SLIDING AROUND IN SMELLY POO. TO ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN MEANS SOMEWHERE DOWN THE LINE THE PUPS MAY BECOME WALKIN POOPERS THAT JUST DON'T CARE... THOSE ARE NOT SERVICE DOGS.
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I SPENT ALOT OF TIME READING A BUNCH OF LETTERS WHICH I WROTE TO A HIGH SCHOOL FRIEND DARWIN-- WHICH HE FOUND..TO SET THE SCENE... I WAS AT COLBY COLLEGE IN MAINE-- HE WAS WORKING AS PHOTOGRAPHER...IN NEW YORK CITY. HIS LIFE WAS EVOLVING FROM A HIGH SCHOOL GIRLFRIEND TO ONE OF MY FRIENDS FROM COLBY..AND I TOO WAS EVOLVING FROM HIGH SCHOOL BOYFRIEND TO SCOTTISH BOYFRIEND TO ANY AVAILABLE BATCHLOR IN BOSTON.. EXCEPT ONE WAS NOT A BACHELOR...
THE RELATIVITY OF ... MONEY..... DAR WANTED TO COME VISIT HIS NEWLY DISCOVERED GIRLFIEND "JACKIE" FROM COLBY. ( THEY DID MARRY).. AND THE GAS AND TOLLS FROM NY TO MAINE WOULD COST OVER $30-- A HUGE EXPENSE...THIS IS 1959... AND I HAD A 2 JOB OFFERS $70 AND $86.50 /WEEK... IN BOSTON...
WHEN DID YOU LAST HEAR A PAYCHECK QUOTED IN THE CENTS COLUMN???? I HAVE TO ADD... FOR THOSE TEACHERS AND YOUNG STUDENTS READING THIS......AS WE--- ANOTHER COLBY GRADUATE AND I- LOOKED FOR JOBS, WITH THE SAME DEGREE... SHE MAJORED IN ENGLISH-- I MAJORED IN MATH-- ..ALL HER OFFERS WERE $70 TO $75 AND MINE WERE $86.50 TP $98-- A HUGE DIFFERENCE THEN..
I TOOK $98 WEEKLY-- TRACKNG SATELITES FOR SMITHSONAIN - LESSON... KIDS MAJOR IN MATH OR SCIENCE AND YOU WILL PROBABLY MAKE MUCH MORE MONEY THAN ENGILSH OR GREEK HISTORY.
I WAS VERY FORTUNATE TO BE A MATH MAJOR... I HAD TO BE ... I COULDN'T SPEL.
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ANOTHER HISTORY BIT.
I REMEMBER JACKIE TELLING ME THAT EVENTUALLY WE WOULD NOT USE CASH, BUT WOULD CARRY AROUND LITTLE PLASTIC CARDS INSTEAD OF MONEY..
I TOLD HER SHE WAS NUTS.
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NOTICE I FORGET TO WARN PEOPLE..... IF YOU SEND ME STUFF YOU DON'T WANT PUBLISHED.. YOU GOTTA LABEL IT "NOT FOR PUBLICATION"
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Dear Carlene,
It's only been a week since I first arrived at Crazy Acres to spend a couple of days with you, the staff/volunteers and the Danes, but I already miss the sights and sounds around the farm. I've already sent a letter which you should have in a day or two, but wanted to thank you again for such a wonderful experience while I'm thinking about it. The work you all do is amazing,, it's been so fun for me to learn about and follow the many lives you have changed.
Spending time with you and the volunteers laughing about the unique problems and situations you and I have to deal with daily was something that I'll cherish and remember next time I find myself on the ground after a fall.
This is the first time I've spent a significant amount of time up close with a dane , and they definitely sparked my admiration for the goofy, loving personality of the breed. We happily shared the bed, although she was a lot more interested in sleeping on top of me than spreading out and sharing space equally.
Thank you so much for everything you all do day in and day out. You don't just train Great Danes that change countless lives, you also inspire confidence and welcome strangers into a judgement-free, healing atmosphere that you work hard to maintain. I'm so thankful that I stumbled across SDP, and I can't wait to be back in the future!
Warmest thanks,
Erica
