oct 31 2020

 pups first night as big dogs in the kennel/barn

the house is amazingly quiet-- i have just the 2 --- malarky and  the other  sizzle look alike  --who's name i can never remember....

2020 10 31

It's a big step but a very welcome one to have the 13  pups go to the barn and they seem very happy ---two at a time the Good company it's relatively warm there seems to have been no trouble ... I hate to think of what it looks like because we haven't got all the little dog houses attached to the kennel yet so that the snow sliding off the roof will be inclined to hit them in the head if they try and come out to pee   --   so very often they'll just go pee in their kennels so we have a double whammy to deal with this morning no little houses and new puppies that don't know they're supposed to go out    ---  anyway God bless whoever does the barn this morning ..  we have cameras though---   they explore cameras which everybody gets show kennel nine and 10---   nine is one of our biggest kennels which can easily accommodate four or five puppies not only in the 4 by eight loft but there are also kuranda beds on the ground...   kennell 10 is usually good for only two puppies this size as are the rest of the kennels down the way I don't know who organized the supplemental cameras .but apparently as part of some home secure project or business we now have two more cameras that our staff can call up on their cell phones and keep their eye on what's happening in kettles seven and eight and I think we have one more camera coming 4 for 5 and six .

With all the dogs having " in out privileges "  if so much easier and nicer for them  . the only bad part as we do least lose heat out the doors even though we have barriers hanging they are swinging barriers and could hardly be called airtight especially when the dogs eat half of them but it works …  I have noticed in the very cold that the thermometer I have hanging at the level of their sleeping lofts will be 45 to 50 degrees on a really bad night   and their water bucket on the ground will be frozen .. so those sleeping lofts are a stroke of genius given to me by our friendly ghost Goldie (the ghost of the left hand drawer ) who is actually responsible for many of the things that happen around here . 

 The rest of the story on those sleeping lofts is that the partridgeberry house development next door is responsible for their creation because I drove through there when they were framing those houses and was appalled at the lumber they were throwing out so I offered to pull my trailer around there throw all the lumber in the trailer which saved them a dump fee and I ended up with enough lumber to build most of those sleeping lofts in kennels one through 10 .  ------

. the rest of that story is that one night without a sound I lost 30 chickens  ,, I have a feeling they had themselves a barbecue somewhere .. it wasn't long after that that two turkeys disappeared .. if that had been raccoons there would have been more left behind  feathers/ headless carcass  or something...  .

  Betty who was one of my original volunteers and I design those sleeping lofts with Cardboard box parts and duct tape    and I remember making sure that my taller dogs could fit under them as they go under them to get outside to go the bathroom hopefully I've never seen any other kennles designed like this.  I started with ramps and then I realized if I put in steps they would teach themselves to do stairs without my having to work at it so some of my kennels have steps and some have ramps and I have one kennel kettle 8 is my geriatic kennle where the ramp is much longer and therefore at a less steep angle . 

?  May we now have a discussion about buckets …???    with great Danes you don't put out a water dish--- you put out a bucket .. and as life went on I bought stainless steel buckets which many camera people helped  buy….   There is all kinds of stainless steel .. at one point I found a bargain on those ice buckets that hotels have and thought I did a great thing by buying ten of those .. it wasn't three months before they started to rust..    not all that shiny is stainless steel .. We don't need the super duper restaurant quality Vol raff stainless steel buckets at about $80.00 each but there are very nice dog buckets at about 20 dollars ..  I also think we don't want 5 gallon buckets because we just throw away so much water sounds funny but I think these six quart size is better for us .  two other topics with regard to buckets is there is a difference between food quality ones and dog buckets .    But visually --- the food quality ones have a lip that straight and not bent/ curled   becausw the buckets where the lip curls around becomes a place that could trap germs ..  ..

 the other bucket topic for kennel management is when the pups are small you cannot or should not clip the bucket to the wall just in case the puppy gets upside down in the bucket you want the bucket to tip over .. however these monsters  at 50+ pounds....   are now big enough they won't tip anything over .. so therefore the bucket must be clipped right inside the door of the kenn le where you may trip over it which is fine because that means you also will notice whether it's spotlessly clean

 you don't put a water bucket in the back corner because it could be empty or filthy you want it right up front well you can see it when you walk by

 thus endeth the bucket lesson for the day .

oct 30 2020 repetition

 training concept..

 some of you have heard this story befopre

2020 10 30

I was giving a talk to a four age group ( wow… that was a 4H group)   quite a while ago about training great Danes and I had thumper with me . thumper was a stud dog who's related to an awful lot of our dogs ..   nice dog ..   as I went into a question and answer. Someone said the problem with great Danes is they don't retrieve .. that's that's fairly true but they can be taught so I wanted to show that and I pulled my wallet out and dropped it and ask thumper who was about 10 feet away if he'd come over and pick up my wallet for me which he did immediately and handed it to me and went back and laid down without any further command for me ….. somebody in the back  said "  I didn't see that can you make him do it again “   so without thinking I took out my wallet and dropped it and ask him  for to come pick it up and he looked up at me and very clearly said FU .. and I had to pick it up myself ..  this is a great lesson and training our dogs at any rate -----once they've got it don't repeat it to the point of insanity stand up sit down stand up sit down lie down get up no so when you want to do it repetitive task break it up so that you do something else between ------the typical one at the moment is backing up a dog so you can get them between the seats on an airplane .. the tendency is to have the dog back up and you say oh goody aren't you nice and thank you and things and then you pull him forward and then you want to do it again so you ask him to do it again well that dog the second time round is thinking why do I have to do this ------sometimes they'll do it but they will very quickly sour .. same with jumping in a car jump in the car fine thank you goodbye but don't ask him to jump out and jump in and jump out and jump in that's insulting their intelligence if you want to do a repetitive thing like that take the backing up,--  back him up Pat them for doing it tell him good Gore give him a cookie whatever and then walk forward and go do something else like shuffle things on a table or whatever or sit down yourself or do something and then ask him to back up again well that will be far more logical to the dog ..  there is some expression about people if you have to do the same thing over and over again with the same result somehow it's related to insanity----- well I think you have to remember that with dogs too---   once they've got the idea give me a break then repeat it .

 

That concept is not the same as the concept of achieving boredom which is also critical to our trading process ..  you can take a young puppy  to a street corner and  not expect them to behave perfectly when they've never seen that kind of traffic or heard air brakes or 16 people coming over to Pat them all at once .. so with puppies there is a process of achieving boredom .. in nice weather there is a very nice Stonewall in Georgetown which is about four car lengths away from a traffic light where there is also a pothole .. so it's a perfect situation for t rucks  to come along hit a pothole and then they hear air brakes stop for the traffic light and then step on the gas and roar away it gives you a chance to train for a lot of things all at once why you sit on the Stonewall and drink coffee the puppies have got to become bored with them before you try and teach them right left up down etc I don't even make them lay down in that situation I just make sure they stand within 6 inches of my knee .. well I drink coffee .. sometimes it takes a lot of coffee before they become bored with the cacophony .. now there's a good one .

----

I don't know if you had a formal introduction two our   chef .. mike. Just in case  You haven't heard ,,, someone called me to tell me there was such a thing as a chef for seniors .   being a senior I called immediately and Mike came in his  white coat And  in the course of a couple hours made four complete dinners for us four containers of four dinners

..  and thus was installed as our relatively permanent chef ..  although he no longer cooks in our kitchen with a white coat on .. he prepares it all in his house or somewhere and then brings it all and puts it in our refrigerators .. that's approximately 16 meals except … because I bought a slightly bigger container each of those 16 is  really  two full dinners ..  so that people who volunteer here are entitled to take one package per week out of the refrigerator on an as available basis .  the meals are terrific ..  we get to choose what meals ..  and he charges to make them and just gives us the shopping list to pay the cost of materials .. so the fact that we want more shrimp or steak that he ordinarily would put in doesn't make any difference to him and makes it easier to split up .. we have volunteers who take one and share it with a parent or husband .. and then there's Janine who is not the greatest cook in the world ---  actually I don't think she's the worst either---  she just doesn't cook .

Mike will cook about anything..Last week   we had twice baked potatoes chicken quesadilla and baked Haddock …  for tomorrow I've asked him for coconut crusted shrimp .. some sort of chicken with stir fry rice in steak with root vegetables … 

That chefs for seniors is some sort of franchise it comes out of Idaho or someplace but it's certainly something to look into he does a wonderful job and is tremendously reasonable if you have a couple people to get together and have  them do three or four meals at a time

So at noon today he should appear with at least 12 containers which really is at least 24 meals at slightly less than $10 each .. we wash and  return the containers .

 ----

There is someone who is  taking their service dog around for  “porch viasits” to “shut ins”   but does not want any publicity  -- so I said I would not tell asnyone..

I will just put it forth as a good idea witha well trained dog…

----

OCT 29 2020 4 PIGS

 i had some training comments to put in the daily doggie , but gwen tells me i should have a trainers meeting to discuss thee concep-ts befor they hear the concept in the daily doggie... 

2020 10 29

That's just one more thing I shouldn't talk about in the daily doggy until I do something else .. sometimes I feel like I'm being shot at from all angles if I discuss anything but the weather ..  and it's about to snow on tomorrow Friday wow …

I had a close call in front of the camera yesterday when I went into the arena and there were two very happy dogs in there who wanted to jump on me and nearly knocked me over so I swung at them to stop it and then I thought oh Lord that was in front of the camera and somebody is going to get mad at me for hitting the dogs but I not supposed to get knocked over either ..  I did make the dog come back to me and behave nicely and stand in front of me but there was that instinct to make him stop jumping ..

It never ceases to amaze me that I've written over 3000 of these things without getting myself in legal trouble somehow .. however I think you all have to approach the daily doggy as just something that is rattling through my head at that moment

.I got going yesterday I just touched briefly on the concept of how do you find trainers ---my opinion is you find them –the fine tuning is not something  you can get from A BOOIK….  Sometimes a 10 year old kid it's perfect --     and my further comment which was not in yesterday's daily doggy is that of the two kinds of dog trainers at the moment obedience trainers or agility trainers I think my preference would be to try an agility trainer for a service dog because the agility trainers are working with the dogs in a little bit different atmosphere thAn the strict obedience of  “commands”   heel  sit stay down come  ---to go further  I need to have a trainers coffee….   All 10 feet apart.. in the rain----    or snow !!

I COULD DO AN ENTIRE DAILY DOGGIE OF THINGS I MUST NOT DISCUSS  ----AND FOR ME THAT IS HARD.

 

However I think I found one topic I haven't discussed is that maluka honey dressing for wounds .. I told you I'm hard pressed for topicS   -- you've seen THAT HONEY  advertised as having antibiotic properties and very good for several different kinds of skin problems ……I  certainly have that three corner TEAR  in my leg where the tractor attacked me ,     so I bought some … and with great care before I got up this morning I tried to change the dressing on my leg ..  I know a little bit about honey so I was exceedingly careful the handle the impregnated Gause square with tweezers and placed it carefully on my laceration covered it up with gauze and wrapped it in what I call vet wrap ..  with all care I took I then had honey on the inside of my forearm a tiny bit on the bedspread and a small quantity on my other leg .. I just about had to take a bath to get rid of what didn't belong there .. and it's not that easy to get rid of honey .

 

However---- …  TRUE STORY      I do have a story  IN MY Resume , about honey …when I was in the business of providing animals for commercials this was the worst job I ever took on and I tried to talk them out of it--- as nearly impossible----   but somebody said they really wanted to do it and I was the only one who would even attempt to put four pigs in harness in front of Santa's sleigh for a hood milk commercial ---.they gave me 9 days to pull this off .. I went and borrowed four pigs from Mr Scott in Newbury who has a pig farm .. I rented them -------there's not a lot of places you can rent pigs ,   but Mr Scott was always very cooperative and I always paid him …..  I got the four pigs in my barn and tried for seven days to even get near them without them screaming .. I was not doing well AND WAS LITERALLY IN TEARS WONDERINGHOW TO PULL OFF THIS JOB WITH THESE WILD PIGS THAT I COULD NOT EVEN TOUCH AFTER A WEEK.    and then it must have been Goldie with a stroke of genius .. I put some honey in a spray bottle which I then diluted so would come out the little nozzle and I was those pigs best friends I found that I could control them by just spraying honey into their mouth and they would follow that wherever you took them ..  I made a harness for them because there is no such thing as a pig harness that I know of---  aNd the day of the job I loaded them up on the big trailer with the spray bottles of honey and trundle off to the studio where I found that not only was I to be in front of this sleigh but that was up on an 18 inch platform .. so with four basically wild pigs and their only control being with spray honey I had four people with four bottles in front of four pigs to get them lined up and then to duck down out of the shot and take the picture .. I have to add that the way I had these guys lined up I ran a rope through the left harness of the right pig and the right harness of the left pig and ran that back in a loop to a 200 pound guy who held on for dear life I had two sets of those so that when the pigs pulled forward they pull themselves together... ? YOU GOT  THE PICTURE???    well now I had to get them in front of the wagon lesleigh which meant that we had to have other people hold the sleigh up on one runner while we got the ropes back behind the sleigh with the two men hanging on for dear life while the pigS  strain forward to the spray bottles of honey .. WHICH IF THE  HONEY WAS NOT IN THIER MOJUTHS, THEY SCREECHED   AS ONLY A PIG CAN DO.....

the whole job was made even more challenging by the fact that they were blowing plastic snow so we get these pigs all lined up they blow snow---  we duck down with these spray bottles of honey and my son in law and I had the two front pigs I really don't think he sprayed me on purpose but suffice to say both of us had an awful lot of plastic snow glued to us before that job was done . I WAS TOLD THEY GOT 14 USEABLE VIDEO CLIPS OF MY STRUGGLE.  THE PRODUCER APPOLOGISED.. HE SAID HE HAD NO IDEA PIGS WERE LIKE THAT...   

 six months later I still ran into sticky snow in my TRUCK

oct 28 2020

 2020 10 28

Ransacking Walmart

I would love to know what is in the carriages of all the people who ran into Walmart and ransacked the place  …  what would you take in a great hurry ?     expecting the police at any minute you'd be in the front of the store which always has ladies Outerwear and underwear So what do you do  scoop up 18 shirts for different sizes stuff up in the carriage and  r un ? ..  I mean you you don't get a chance to look for your size .. or would you risk it and run for the electronic area which is always in the back somewhere .    Or I suppose you could run for the rifles but what do you do with this stuff .?  

When we had a horse  at Suffolk downs racetrack and knew some of the people around the place there was a routine where every once in awhile a tractor trailer would appear which would be emptied in about 42 seconds---   everybody would grab .. but they had a friendly store owner who would then sell the stuff for them I think it was Fred's .. Fred would have a sale on televisions or some such ---- This was before computers had the ability to track every set of  hair curlers all the way from China to Walmart to the sale thereof . NOW IT IS HARDLY SAFE TO STEAL THINGS??????  

 

I was astounded to get the notice from Amazon that my order a light bulbs had been delivered and the notice included a picture of our purple dog house Which is our place or FedEx etc to leave things ..  there are people who would be worried about that but you know with all that's going on around if anybody really wants to know where my light bulbs landed they're welcome to that information .

---.

FY I of the day ----  little light bulbs   

  I have an emergency lighting system and since it's getting colder I better get it organized ..  I have a little INEXPENSIVE  electronic gizmo (? honeywell $19.99?)   which is basically a switch to turn on something if the temperature drops below a certain number ---in my case 55 degrees ..  I have a light  IN A WINDOW….  Plugged into that so that if the light goes on I know the temperature dropped and I can tell from the house .. 

 

problem being if the light is off it could also be    the electricity is off or the light bulb is broken so attached to the same circuit I have a very tiny light bulb--- three what I think it's A  refrigerator light bulb---  that is plugged oin so that if you look if you see one one light bulb you know the electricity is working if you see two light bulbs you know the temperature has dropped ..  if you see no light bulbs you don't know what's happening and better get out there ----- so my system of little light bulbs I have to get put in shape very shortly ..       By the time you have  THE nUt house , the Deagle house , THE   barn , THE GUEST , LAUNDRY AND ICU.. BUILDINGS    …   IN VERY SNOWY WEATHER… YOU COULD ADD THE TRACTOR’S ENGINE HEATER… THAT IS A LOT OF LITTLE LIGHT BULBS…..

AND I PREFER THE LIGHT SOCKET TYOPE THAT YOU PLUG DIRECTLY INTO AN OUTLET.    One of those is also useful in a toolbox when you're standing at the end of 100 foot  extension cord and wondering if the other end is plugged in or did somebody trip over it .   the lack of one of these just cause me to go buy a new skilsaw because in the middle of a of a project  my ancient and honorable skill saw quit . so I logically decided it had died ..  when an actual fact one of the dogs had tripped over the cord and it was only later when Bud came along and plug the cord in that the saw again worked .. so I now have a new saw ,

----

One reason I have so many tools and equipment is that my theory of farm management is that when  you hire someone to do a job… -----    you watch them do it .. then you go buy the necessary equipment to do it yourself the next time----  and even if you  Use the equipment once and then threw it all away --  you'd still be way ahead .. so I don't throw away all the equipment   BUT IT DOES it pile up much like the concrete mixer which we just used to stir up all the tickets for the Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr souvenirs ..  Having the correct power tools and knowing approximately how to use them has saved us a great deal of time and money .  Using these power tools is a lot safer then electric sewing machine … I would wager how that percentage wise more people are hurt with sewing machines ---  well maybe not      plus using equipment you're not too sure of leads to some pretty amusing screw ups ….   like finding out when you order a truck full of concrete you have to take it all whether you want it or not ..   thus improving our ability to use a Calculator .  Dave Barry who writes or did write for the Miami Harold .. once explained that problem by describing why his front yard had a free form lump of concrete in it …  Dave Barry is a funny writer if he's still around …

--

moving on with the puppies

I do think it's time we broke them into twos ..   which means that the kennels on the puppy hill side all should be puppy proofed to the extent that the ramps going up into the sleeping quarters  should have a barrier so they don't fall off the ramp ..  that's why I knew I needed a skill saw today and ended up buying one thinking the other one didn't work .. we have a lot of plywood .. ,  screws, AND   drills .. which should make it a very quick project   8 9 10 ARE ALREADY PUPPY PROOF

 

The other FYI is that when I built these raised sleeping lofts 42 inches off the ground some of them have ramps to them but a couple have steps .. so these puppies get a chance to practice going up and down stairs ..  I've seen too many great Danes they don't know where to put their feet ..on the stairs ..

I remember having to drive two hours North to rescue a service dog I had donated to someone  IN MAINE   who was stuck in the second floor of their house ad  just would not come down the stairs ----  which were narrow and wooden and slippery … but it was after that that I decided that the sleeping lofts well have the dogs automatically practiced thE   concept   OF … stairs  .

------

Hi  Carlene!

Just wanted to give you a quick update on Dolly and I. We are doing good and staying healthy.  

We are still working from home,  but run to the office several times a week.  Just a quick in and out.  

COVID is increasing in our area again,  so we have been trying to stay out of the public more than we did during the summer months. 

We did go and vote today!! Some things just need to be done. 😊 Tomorrow we have a vet appointment to get Dolly's rabies shot and a good look over.  She was due the end of this month.  

Keep safe and thank you for the amazing lifestyle that Dolly affords me to have.  I am very thankful.  My life is vastly different than it was 7 years ago! I really appreciate the work you do and your dedication to keeping it going.  💕

Brenda & Dolly 

OCT 27 2020

 i got sidetracked    

#1.

ADI sent me things i don't read, but still  complain  about

so after a long spiel  i concluded......

 

I would like to suggest to you (ADI)  

 quality training should be the backbone of ADI,

 and

you find real trainers- you don’t make them.

 Therefore…  Adi should be more welcoming while being more selective at who they eventually call “ master trainers. “

A MASTER TRAINER IS A PERSON WHO HAS PRODUCED  PERFECTLY TRAINED HAPPY DOGS.. NOT SOMEONE WHO HAS READ A BOOK. AND THERE IS NO AGE LIMIT.... SOMETIMES A 10 YEAR OLD COULD QUALIFY....   

#2. 

 you know you are in trouble when you have to go over the "shipped" notices  to try and figure out if you actually did push teh "order" button  on 6 items

#3. .

janine is riding today and stitch  needs to be picked up out of her truck aT ABOUT 10:00.. PLUS SHE HAS ANOTHER HORSE BEING DELIVERED HERE TODAY FOR ?2R4 HOURS  AND WILL BE ON  THE DONKEY CAMERA IN TEH STALL.-- ALLI KNOW IS BIG BLACK "HARNESS HORSE" ????

#4.

SHE WAntS  to broing mo bacfk for a weekend--- so you all can see her...  she is now on a speciaal diet as she "chokes"  -- sort of the megaspohagus in horses... so moisten special food aND LET HER EAT HAY???.. 

RUSHING 

 REMINDER...   CHAOS  APPT AT 10:30 TOMORROW...   

2020 10 26

MY VET LOGIC…   CHAOS HAD A UTI -----14 PIDDLES ON ONE LINDA WALK------  SO WE TOO K HER TO THE VET ( DR NIKI) In Newburyport---  we had medication here but I don't like to give that unless it's under the direction of someone who's been to veterinary school …  And doctor Nikki put her on two meds And then waited for the urine and blood reports to come back at which time she called and said she wanted to do an ultrasound .. now chaos being 11 years old full of all kinds of lumps and bumps but doing very nicely LOSING weight  On her special  PURINA weight management food ..  so I did ask what difference the results of an ultrasound would make in her care .. which I think is a very legitimate question to ask because a dog that old with that many bumps on her----   if you look very hard you're going to come up with something THAT somebody is going to want to cut off … so I don't want anybody getting too curious with her because she's she's fine she's happy Ed she no longer has the UTI ..  but doctor Nikki did say something about the results of the ultrasound could change the medication she was on ..   that being the case I said fine.    I would not have agreed to any further test if she had said well don't you want to know the exact diagnosis becausw my answer to that would have been no ..  And I won't agree to biopsying those lumps she has .. because I have seen in a very old dog the surgery removing such lumps in one dog kill ED them on the table and the other one was miserable for six months and then died ..  so chaos is fine .. she did have a little bit of trouble getting out of the back of my car because I parked it on a Hill and she had slid into the back door and couldn't get her back feet under her … so we have those kind of accommodations to make ..  but that's sort of normal for us old gals every once in awhile we need a lift ..  but she will be going tomorrow for an ultrasound .. And we will take it from there ….whatever it is

….----

TRUE STORY   ----  And then there's the story of my knees probably 20 years ago both my knees began to complain … I am sure I was given the advice by my husband  (MD)  “lose 20 pounds and you would  have FEWER  problemS ”   which was his answer about anything  FROM ATHLETES FOOT TO A NOSEBLEED…AND  HE WAS VAGUELY CORRECT…….... at any rate I did go to an orthopedic surgeon who said I needed surgery and I opted to do one KNEE  at a time so that I wouldn't be totally laid up with two surgical knees ..  so I very carefully put a magic marker on my right knee and was wheeled into the operating room for them to carve it up which they did . and it hurt ..  by the time the pain had gone away from the surgery ..  my other knee was fine also with no surgery .. I remembered that   ….  Surgeons do prescribe surgery …

 

Also true story…  I knew the surgeon well – and he knew about m y dogs…. so when I was to come infor AN APPPT, HE ASKED ME TO BRING A DOG AND PRETEND IT WAS A SEEING EYE DOG….  APPARENTLY HIS RECEPTIONIST WAS DUE TOHAVE EYE SURGERY AND WAS NERVOUS… I WAS TO SAY I HAD EYE SURGERY AND IT DID NOT GO WELL……   HE KNEW HIS RECEPTIONIST WELL AND WE  ALL HAD A GOOD LAUGH OVER THE  CONCEP-T….

 

I THINK IT IS TRUE THAT YOU NEVER FORGET SOMEONE WHO MADE  YOU REALLY LAUGH.. BUT EASILY FORGET THE  OPPOSITE KIND.

 PUPPPIES….. PLAN AHEAD….. THEY ( PAM JUDY STACY ETC ) ARE NOW USING THE N EW FEEDER I BUILT FOR 8 PUPS AT A TIME…Yesterday I watched how they split the 15 into two groups in kennel  nine and 10 put out eight dishes at a time and let one group out where they wolfed down the food while standing on their back legs and when they were done they were awfully good at returning to the kennel where they got cookies….   at which point Pam let out the second group who behaved much the same so these puppies are thinking now .. the only reason they were able to do it so was we had Judy pallmann staCY run laps around the flat field and put just a few miles on these creatures before you ask them to do anything besides fight … once they had the exercise they were fine Judy Pam and Stacy we're also more fit  the routine for taking them back “HOME”   in the afternoon goes equally as well half of the time   while someone guards the front gate they run up and into the house condo or for them on a rotating basis go into the nuthouse and then the three I'm working with land in the kitchen … progress is hopefully being made I'm told by Haley and Judy with the Leafs training project .. You should be able to see the m  eeting a\T a yellow feeder and the puppy Hill camera ..

----

FYI...COSTCO IS NOW SELLING COV TEST KITS.. SO I ORDERED TWO.. NOT REALLY SURE WHY... IT JUST SEEMED TO BE THE THING TO DO.... IF IT IS NEGATIVE AND I GO PUMP GAS. IT COULD THEN BE WRONG.. SO I AM  NOT SURE WHY I DID ORDER SOME..    IT IS A BIT CONTRARY TO PARAGRAPH ONE IN THIS DAILY DOGGIE..  

SORRY,.   

 HERE IS TEH LINK TO OUR CHICKEN SHATTING

https://www.memsaic.com/servicedogwall  AND THERE I S A WHERE TO START  FOR NEW COMERS 

 

oct 25 2020

 COMPLAINING   --a delightful little old lady... in line to vote.. said  she was told.....  

if she did not vote she had no right to complain ... and she enjoyed her right to complain too much to not get her vote in.

YOU GO FOR IT LADY !!!

THERE WAS ANOTEHR---AGAIN AN OLDER COUPLE WANDERING AROUND MICHIGAn somewhere with  those signboards strapped over their shoulders.. they prefered to demonstrate in the morning... those nighttime demos were to late and too crowded...   

so all these  young people running around DEFYING  CURFEW     taKE A NOTE...-- THAT OLDER  COUPLE AT 11 AM GOT MORE P UBLICITY THAN THE BUNCH WHO TIPPED OVER A POLICE CRUIZER IN OREGON AT MIDNIGHT..

LONG LONG AGO  I REMEMBER ----- THEN CANDIDATE OBAMA SAYING HE COUDL NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT EXACTLY WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY TIPPING OVER A POLICE CRUISER...... AND ... I DON'T REMEMBER MUCH ...

----

SITTING IN MY HEATED COLF CART.....   I WATCH ALL MANNERS OF THINGGS  NAMELY--------BUD DESEARVES BETTER THAN CRAWLING AROUND LOOKING UNDER A MACHINE...   BESIDES HE AGE IS EFFECTING HIS CURIOSISTY ABOUT WHY SOMETHING DOES NOT RUN.    I KNOW I HAVE SEEN HYDRALIC TABLES--- VETS HAVE THEM FOR HUGE DOGS..... WELL BUD NEEDS A BIGGER VERSION.... 

2020 10 25

  SO.........next project

A quick look through my MENTAL version of northern tool catalog I know they have those tables and they're not expensive the problem with them at least the $300 variety is that the table is not very big namely 20 inches by 36 inches…   bud's curiosity gets far bigger than that ..,  and I found that the proper one for him would be about $3000 and he certainly is worth that---   he gets more than that amount of work done ..  and then I realized we already have the perfect vehicle anyway if you want to call it a vehicle .. that  PURPLE forklift which we can't driveAROUND THE YARD MUCH…..   because it really is made to work on a warehouse floor concrete something and once you get it stuck you have a 24 hour job to try and get it out ---  we've done that .. but that still---- with its Forks ---  would be a perfect thing for Bud to use to lift all manner of broken  EQUI-PMENT  up in the air so he didn't have to crawl around ..  and heaven knows it's strong enough to lift  any equipment we now own . plus it seems to work unlike gasoline engines which I have trouble with----  this thing is gas ..  ..

Mulling this over I decided we needed to pour A  concrete pad to set this thing on because even now on the hot top it's SINKING slowly .

if I poured a concrete pad---- which having done this before is only one phone call away ---  we then would need to oHAVE some provision for keeping the rain off BUDS head which would mean building a building which  would be fun except I don't think we have room to do that----   by the time you figure getting electricity to the area it would get complicated ..  and then I remembered the back of that white G tent    the floor is pretty solid  with what was once the  TORN UP pool patio from the people across the pond .. namely about five or six inch thick chunks 24 INCH ALMOST SQUARES….  which I put together like a puzzle in the back of the  G  tent .. standing there with Bud we decided that those blocks really ought to be able to hold up that forklift -----if it doesn't we're going to have an awful mess .. but it's worth a shot so the next step is too clear a path through the G TENT to drive that forklift on so we could have it land on those concrete blocks and then just leave it there as a portable elevator it really would be a perfect solution ..G TENT already PROVIDING A  ROOF … WITH some clever use of  tarps we own he might even be able to use the bullet heaters to keep it vaguely warm ..   IT  Smacks of creativity for which we are famous .. and now all we need is some kind of very strong metal iron steel pallet sort of thing to use as the tabletop .. they must make THEM  somewhere .. if not there's my friendly welding guy in topsfield …. who's been very kind about making weird things for service dog project .

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PROJECT  “SPILL OVER” IS  A CONSTANT CONCERN HERE..I bought those nice Amish tables for  SITTING AT IN that G tent and now have found I had to move them all into the tea tent because the G tent has an amazing collection of ongoing projects …   and if I'm not careful the ongoing projects spill over into the nice tables in the tea tent ..

.. Like putting together the doors to the chicken Palace ..  at any rate the whole place is usable .. and mark will be along today to cook hamburgers I think he said so or was that next Sunday ..  maybe both Next Sunday the week from today is a chating Sunday where I hope we have some more chicken bricks gone .. I am horrified to think that anybody who reads this thing does not know about chicken bricks ..  it's possible to click around our website and see that keep clicking on the chickens .. and if you can't figure out how to do it which a lot of older people like me can't .. just send us checks in $10 about and Donna will assign you a quick pic .. and that will help us pay the payroll .

I suppose there are new people who don't understand The T TENT  and G tent .

quickly ..I SOLD MY CABOOSE .. WHICH ONCE SAT WHERE THE  T TENT NOW IS...... BUT WE LIKED SITTING IN THAT AREA wattching the barn...    the tea tent was once the ice T 10 where we sat and drank Arizona iced tea by the gallon .. that tea tent was is made from two huge pine trees from puppy Hill which had  ominously begun to sag toward the barn ..  I hired an old  TREE company  do cut them down and I stood by the grand father who owned the company and I asked him to make a mark in the sand as to where the top of the tree was going to land and he was only   four inches off ..  these trees have to be 80 feet how tall they are very big .. once on the ground I asked around and found there was such a thing as a portable sawmill ..  and contacted a guy who came in and made lumber out of those trees full width lumber so a 2 by 4 is actually 2 by 4 .. and with very little help ..   and some of the lumber from George Myers fence he just took down ...  I built that T-1tent .. with more courage than  knowledge and it's done very well some of the boards in the roof  are really wide boards ..  that's 15 years ago and it is sagging a little in the back but it hasn't fallen down .

 

the G TENT   was an aviary I once had there where I had beautiful partridges and Peacocks .. I had made that aviary out of pieces sold to make green houses

consequently it was not tremendously strong and we had a Blizzard with an awful lot of snow and it collapsed ..  not only had it collapsed but my wooden indoor arena 60 by 100   had collapsed also .. I replaced that with a clear span heavy duty agricultural large buildings .60 x 80  .   notable here is the fact that the Ipswich building inspector did not approve of those and wanted me to use his  his friend to put up another wooden arena ..  hence the comment “ you're out of your League you're only a woman “

that arena has been wonderful so when the aviary collapsed I bought another smaller version .. the camera people made fun of it calling it a garage for giraffes which was how it got its G tent name ..     it certainly is higher than I needed .. but I like the archS  snow for shedding  SNOW .And that's where we now are .

the amount of equipment and just plain stuff ..   necessary to run this place is horrendous .. TAKE simple leaf raking .. the GE company community service bunch  came here to rake leaves one year bringing 30 ranks with THEM   …   to that has also been donated a backpack blower to at least blow leaves off the driveway ..  and somebody else  donated  a rolling blower which will blow things off the driveway  into the neighbors yard almost . brown leaves and pine cones hide things the dogs leave behind 

  so de-leafing is critical....   

 just the problem of leaves has made two projects  necessary    The forklift to repair equipment ….  T  he new chicken coop has made the old chicken coop not being used ..  so guess where the rates are .. AnD A  generic collection of shovels and crowbars .

 

ALL THIS GROWTH--- +AND NOW…. SOMEONE HAS LEFT A WELL BUILT “KISSING BOOTH” AT OUR FRONT DOOR.    SO THAT WILL GO THO THE ARENA…

I guess we ought to call the whole CONCEPT  the  battle of the bulge . 

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2020 10 24 CATS

 2020 10 24

 

Cats..  we have had cats in m y lifetime here….  Barn cats…. Mostlty that just moved in…. there were more feral cats  20 or 30 years ago then there are now so I just basically ignored cats and they worked on the rodents in the barn and other than that seemed perfectly happy in the hayloft -----   but  they are trouble….    firstly they do carry fleas---   Secondly they had children in the hayloft and as the kittens   began to run around a kitten would fall down the partition between the wall and the outside texture 111 and we would hear this mewing and howling then it became a federal project to figure out exactly where the kitten was and how we could carve a hole in the texture 111 above the kitten and there and reach in and get it out----   which we did many times I dare say dozens of times--   consequently the bottom part of the barn a lot of holes of it but did let the water in and is now rotting…  looks awful and we want to replace the bottom 4 feet of texture 111 ..  a volunteer started to get the project going and ordered the T1-11 and is that in the Gtent  for too long and people began to use it for other projects ..  a few of the four by 8 sheets did get cut in half so we have some half sheets and some full sheets but not enough to do the job .. somebody else decided they needed painting so bought the paint  not quite the same color… but purple….   and painted them but not enough of them ..in  in preparation for replacing the bottom 4 feet of the barn I made all those little dog house tunnels to really shape the whole place up .. and all the whole project just sits.

 

I thought we were waiting for some kind of flashing the go between the existing T111 and these 4 foot patches .. I just assumed somebody else was in charge of this project it ignored the whole thing .   but it doesn't seem to be going anywhere and winter is coming .. we probably have not more than two or three nice days ahead of us to replace the bottom of the barn which shouldn't take very long .. but I just didn't know about this flashing between the T1-11 ..  after spending about 1/2 an hour now on line what I imagine we need seems to be called   Z  flashing  ..  that's certainly the shape we need and I started to order some but now I've heard but whoever ordered the original texture  t 111  has a supply of it stashed as in hidden somewhere   here   so that nobody used it ..

Having got the feeding tables done I looked at that collection of texture 111 and figured we better get going .. in my mind and not physically doing anything I figured we'd stretch the string log the barn at 4 feet and then run the skilsaw along the line at the depth of that extra T111 which is probably 3 eights ..  and my  ancient and honorable skilsaw died yesterday ..

\ so now we need a new skill saw.. all because of cats…… and I still have not located the z flashing on the property.. but I found the kind of string that does not stretch  -------Such is crazy acres  …

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Puppies???  I am working on  “my 3” with the leSAH TRAINING…. AND IHAVE SUGGESTED LYNN GET THE  REST IN PROCESS…

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I ALSO DID A REPORT ON THE CHICKEN BRICKS FOR 2019 ---- FOR OUR INCOME….THERE ARE 2 SOURCES……..  $192,004.20   WAS CASH RECEIVED FROM  THE 12 “WALLS” FROM MEMSAIC OFFICE   -- HOWEVER….. THE TOTAL RECEIVED THRU OUR OFFICE IS  ALREADY MIXED WITH OTHER INCOME AND IS NOT QUITE AS “CLEAN”  -------WE SOLD 4551 “QUICK PICKS” THRU OUR OFFICE nd entered by donna    so thaq tis another  $45,510 ..  WHEN I SAY  YOU CAMERA PEOPLE ARE OUR LIFEBLOOD… I AM NOT KIDDING…  - I AM SO VERY THANKFUL FOR ALL THE PEOPLE WHO REMEMBER TO BUY  A $10 BRICK A MONTH.. OR MORE IF THEY CAN AFFORD IT….

NOVEMBER’S SHATTING IS COMING   -- IT IS ONE OF THOSE MONTHS WHERE THE “FIRST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH”   IS THE 1^ST OF THE MONTH..AND THE HARDEST TO SELL OUT…. 

ONE WEEK FROM  TOMORROW IS THE SHATTING…. SO DO YOUR BEST..

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"My service dog is a passport to a life not dominated by my disability"

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We were just in Walmart and I stood back and watched Scott & Bumble walking together.  It’s not often that Scott has the confidence to break off on his own.  He is STILL, in his mind, convinced he’s 

going to fall and need me to help him.  When I realized he was walking ahead, I went the other way, unbeknownst to him.  I wanted to remind him, not-so-subtly, that Bumble is a much better partner than I ever was or could hope to be.  Each day, they bond more and more, even 20 months out from being paired.  I marvel at how Bumble is anticipating what comes next and bracing Scott without being asked.  I marvel at how Bumble is blocking at all the right moments.  I marvel at how this huge, goofy, bundle of entertainment dives in to his work vest and immediately turns in to a graceful, stately, intense working man.  Even almost two years since witnessing this team’s first day home, I truly, truly marvel.  You really can’t fully appreciate this achievement until you live with it.  And you can’t gain the freedom and independence the handler does until you are selected by your partner. 

Yes.  Every day, I still marvel.

-Lyn Clements

OCT 23 2020 TRAINING "NOT TO"

 

TRAINING 101....    HOW TO EXPLAIN TO A PUPPY THAT CERTAIN BEHAVIORS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE???   

2020 10 23

 

Puppies and children have to know discipline and if this is upsetting to anybody my apologies -----but rather than REstrict or prevent a dog from eating MY  dinner off my table there has to be some communication .. with with pups two or three months old I use couple fingers--- two fingers and I strike the offending part usually the nose .just lightly but significantly and if they repeat the effort to eat my dinner they get another--- THE  IDEA ---you don't have to do that more than about twice before they decide it's not going to work .. if you take your hand and push them away then they resent being pushed away and their mind is still on eating your dinner …   if they attempt to eat your dinner and they find they get banged in the nose not hard but bag they get a chance to think about it and decide they better do something else I explain this in great detail 2 some of the puppy handlers yesterday ---  as one of the puppies was eating her shoe that still had her foot in it she tried to push it away that didn't work it just came back stronger so I said take two fingers and strike the puppy in the nose he can't hit too hard with two fingers that's not a problem and the puppy stopped for a split second and went back to do it again which point I sent him again two fingers and she did which the puppy backed up and looked at the show turned around and walked away .. I told her at that point she trained that puppy and Furthermore I wanted to know if that same puppy ever did that again .. the only report I've had so far is it didn't happen yesterday but that was a learning experience ---two fingers snapped on the nose a little bit and the puppy just decides but that's not a good idea ..

 

that's one of the many basic concepts of training our service dogs ---- you don't push them away and let them wonder why they can't do something you show them that certain behaviors are not acceptable and they decide to do something else ..  that makes for a much more livable puppy dog . . 

 With so many dogs in the house namely my usual 4 plus three puppies in the main part of the house it is crowded at times those puppies are getting big .. and feeding them without any argument over food has to be addressed immediately with great care .. we feed the the young puppies first so they're not starving and the big dogs would not dare get in anybody elses bowls they know better .. but turn around and now feed the big dogs with three lose puppies those puppies have to learn not to try and steal the big dogs food which could have some severe problems .. this is where the AAAAATTTT  AAAATTTT  command with the 2 fingers comes into play …  Along with Bentleys low growl .. these puppies back up and sit down and watch the  dogs eat ..   the big  Lesson they are learning is not to do something . .. which is critical as their  other training progresses.   A critical concept-OF NOT DOING SOMETHING IS  for children too…..

 

however it has been pointed out to me they are getting awfully big .. then it's time they all were leash trained .. which may only take 10 minutes to get them to accept the leash primarily but times 15 that's a practically a full days work….  I started with my 3---- well two of them anyway ---- with a very loosely but I have two today get to the restriction part .. where I actually restrict their movement with the Figure 8 leash .. I'm slightly behind schedule .. it's the restriction that's going to confuse them .. and you have to quietly explain it to him until they accept what's called ---with horses at any rate---   the lesson of the rope .. the rope must always ultimately win .

I suppose the comperable  situation with children is to have to go to school in the first place.. 

 

Now it's about that eight puppy feeder I have to work on today after I get some more lumber .. there is nothing in the world  that says a construction project has to be symmetrical ..  because of the plastic and would and things like that I decided not to put the legs at the end of the feeder .. and with clever use of diagonals hopefully it will stay together .  

before I get the lumber I have to go to the dump because the trailer is filled with the contents of the old chicken coop .. and thanks to COV I don't take people in my car just dogs  ----   so I hope  the hydraulics work to put it way up in the air and dump it without any help with my hands ..   I should be able to push the up button , then drive forward 3 feet and push the down button .. then drive home …   I know these people at the dump .. sorry transfer station ..  I frequent the place regularly .. and have the reputation for being one of the few people male or female . who can a back up a trailer in tight quarters ..   my reputation is also helped by the fact but if my load gets stuck in the trailer I usually give somebody $10 to help me..  This transfer station offers its unique lesson in making assumptions …

while sitting there one day waiting for a slot to back into , I asked this 20 year old kid what he was doing working in the transfer station .. he said it pays very well then he had a huge tuition bill  in Harvard Business School to pay .. 

One must never assume that the person picking strawberries in California is not capable well anything else ..  given  a different situations they might be the ones too salv many medical problems    like cancer and   COV .

I had an extremely bright relative - the kind with total recall of everything he ever read --    An awful lot of the world was beneath him ..  Including me – to try and approximate reality, I   always wanted to take him into Boston in  his usual ragtag outfit ---  drop him off on a corner .. and just to complicate things take his glasses home with me then see how well he did in a week ..    I also thought that concept would be very educational done up in a board game like monopoly ..where  you get cards like “ earn $3 sweeping sidewalk in front of McDonald's “ ,   “ sold place in line at the MV Reg for $5”,   “ lost 2 quarters in hole in pocket”…  

COULD BE DONE.

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Re reading dictated material is almost as much fun as my typos and misspellings if I type it …   there are several things that dictation constantly gets wrong and the combination of  The three different twos   can be fun ..

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A REMINDER    IF YOU CAN... OUR chicken brick  DONATIONS COUDL USE SOME HELP  

OCT 22 2020

 root cANALS    GOT A FEW STORIES THERE.....  THE WORD MINGY COMES TO MIND ..  I ATTTEMPTED TO HAVE A ROOT CANAL DONE ONCE-- AND IT WAS  #1 PAINFUL...#2 A TOTAL FAILURE RESULTING IN PULLING IT ALL OUT;,, SO THE NEXT TIME I HAD NEED FOR A ROOT CANAL  MY HUSBAND SUGGESTED A MINGY SOLUTION---  THAT  I GO TO AN ORAL SURGEON (MD) AND PULL OUT THE TOOTH TO START WITH..  SAVED ALOT OF GRIEF AND AGGRIVATION... ... AND MONEY...AS THE MD  WAS COVERED BY BLUE CROSS INSURANCE !!  LAST WEEK      LINDA STARTED THE PROCEEDURE.. AND I SUGGESTD IT MIGHT BE CHEAPER TO HAVE IT PULLED IN THE FIRST PLACE...  SHE THOUGHT THAT WAS RIDICULOUS.... SHE WILL BE LATE TODAY BECAUSE IT FELL  APART AND IS GOING BACK TO HAVE IT REPAIRED....  I AM SMILING... A LITTLE TOOTHLESSLY  BUT SMILING.....

MY TEETH ALL STILL WORK FINE.... OBVIOUSLY .

MOVING ON WITH THE TEETH  TOPIC...    MOST OF YOU  CP OLD TIMERS REMEMBER   I WAS ONE OF THE FLUROIDE STUDIES  IN  NEWBURGH NEW YORK  WHERE NEWBURGH HAd tehe floruide in the drinking water    and kingston n.y. did not-- and all those thousnads of grade school children spent an hour a month spitting in tiny little bottles..  it must have been the hour that was sacrificed to spelling lessons...    that may explain any educational questions you might have about my  spelling.

at least i can have a first hand knowledge of  he word  "placebo"   and teh cov question of... did the person who died get the vacine or a placebo????-- we- the general public  may never kniow.

there is news that wanders off with no folllowup... 

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2020 10 22

This gets to be an odd combination of typing and dictating .

 

A COUSIN OF MINE… DICK PRICE FROM MIDDLETOWN NEW YORK. Sent me a letter yesterday  .he included a small screwdriver which I remember my father   AS  E.CARL PRICE, FARM EQUIPMENT CO.    had made to give away to people way back 1940 something ….   I can remember how pleased he was with these small screwdrivers  had his name on them ..   MY FATHER USED TO SAY HE WENT TO CORNELL… AND HE DID.. FOR A 2 MONTH COURSE GIVEN TO “FARM BOYS” DURING THE WINTER  MONTHS  WHEN THEY  WERE NOT AS NEEDED ON THE FARM.  ….      it was nice of DICK to send it to me .   In his letter he also says he reads this daily doggy so forgive me   if I use this to communicate ..   I think I remember that that he and his brother both had polio during the time when there  were iron lungs to being used ..  and both he and his brother then went on to graduate marine training successfully ..  I'm wondering how all that worked out and if you have any information to pass on to people send it to me it  WOULD be interesting .

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THIS TABLE AT WHICH I NOW SI T WAS MADE BY FATHER IN SHOP CLASS… IN 1914—BACK WHEN  YOUNG BOYS WERE INSTRUCTED IN  CONSTRUCTION .. NOT DESTRUCTION… WHILE THE FEMALE PEOPLE   WERE LEARNING TO BOIL WATER AND IRON SHRTS. ---    THIS DESK IS 3’ X 4’   BACK WHEN THE PRICE OF  MATERIALS DID NOT OUTWEIGH THE  INSTRUCTIOAL VALUE.   NOW BOYS ( OR GIRLS)  DON’T EVEN MAKE BIRD HOUSES IN SHOP CLASS.  ..  EVEN THOSE MATERIALS ARE TOO EXPENSIVE..

I WOULD SAY “THEY ONLY TEACH THAT KIND OF SKILL IN CHINA-“ -- EXCEPT.. THERE ARE A FEW HERE… GENERALLY IN AMISH COUNTRY… AND TEHRE IS A LANCASTER BUSINESS BOOK…. LISTING EVERYTHING  FROM MANURE SPREADERS TO BIRD HOUSES… ALL MADE HERE….

Long live mike ROWE   .

 

 

Moving on to the Bailey chair which if you remember correctly was a specialized chair to help with the mega safaga's  puppy ..  she has outgrown the little chair before the next size one has arrived .. I'm told it was mailed yesterday and I certainly hope so because she's outgrown the little one and it has been very successful   I had every hope of getting this medium sized chair to use while I ordered the large size for an adult Dane but the production seems to be a little slower than I anticipated . I hope we get there before we have a problem problem with  megaesophagus it's very often something like the  PNE monia where they aspirate . the megaesophagus it is basically some kind of pouch or bulge in the swallowing Department which retains food and doesn't slide quickly into the stomach .that's a medical lesson for the day.. sort of .

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YESSTERDAY   WAS RABIES SHOOTING DAY…… BRYAN  (DVM) WAS HERE .. AND HE SAID HE WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH OUR HELP  AT SHUFFLING ?20? DOGS AND PUPS  PAST HIS SYRINGE  DEPARTMENT..    THER ARE SOOOOO MANY BKACK PUPS… HE WAS AMAZWD WITH THE  “ NO THAT IS NOT KARL, KARL HAS 3 WHITEHIRS ON HIS NOSE.” KIND OF THING…  LONG LIVE HARLEQUINS !!  REALLY WHITE WITH LOTS OF BLACK SPOTS… MUCH EASIER TO DECIPHER.

 

SDP HAS  A SUPER CREW.. EVERYBODY GETS EXERCISE SND FINALLY RUNS UP 4 AT A TIME TO THE BACK PORCH FOR SUPPER AND SLEEP.   8. IN THE CONDO … OR 4 IN THE NUTT HOUSE,. 3 IN THE KITCHEN.   THAT WILL WORK TIL THEY GET OVER 50 POUNDS EACH…  THEN KENNEL 10 AND 11 WILL H AVE TO BECOME OVERNIGHT SLEEPING….

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SO TODAY SCHEDULE----.. ONE  MORE  ROAD TO TRAVEL… GOT TO GET  A FEW MORE 2 X 6’S TO PUT LEGS ON THE FEEDER FOR 8  TO GO IN THE ARENA..   MAYBE EVEN GO TO THE DUMP….  TO EMPTY THE TRAILER IN TH MEANTIEM/..

Hi Carlene,

 

Marnie wanted to check in with you, so Mom is typing this message on her behalf.  Marnie wants you to know that things are going swimmingly even though keeping Mom upright can be difficult some days.  Marnie works really hard at it and sometimes she can stop Mom from hitting the ground.  The other times, well she is there to help Mom up—which has become easier for Mom after lots of practice.  Marnie wants you to know that she loves going out with her vest even though she and Mom don’t go out everyday because….well, because there aren’t many safe places to go with an immune suppressed Mom.  But, Marnie says she loves running with her Doodle brother in the front acreage which she does get to do everyday.  Marnie and her Doodle (Hamilton) are best friends.  They play fight and snuggle most of the day.  Marnie says she is even learning to like the little old Sheltie who tries to run the house.  Marnie says she doesn’t have much else to report but she wants to make sure you know that she and her Mom feel blessed to have been paired by your wonderful SDP and they thank you for your vision and work in creating and running SDP all of these years.

 

Best from Marnie & Peggy

Good Morning!

Eve Finn and I flew to Omaha on Sunday For Eve’s surgery which was yesterday. It went very well. It turned out to be an easy straight forward procedure with minimal trauma and pain. Which is nice for a change. Finn has of course been an amazing travel companion impressing everyone who comes across him with his impeccable manners! Not only that but Eve’s doting companion. Pictures included of him giving her a wellness check finalized with this tiny little lick he gives with his giant tongue yet never slobbery. And upon her return a wagging tail & a more extensive wellness check spending a little more time smelling her breath but again giving his approval before backing away. Also the video is what it looks like when I take him out to do his business every time. Leaving her room I lead the way, returning he leads the way. Often I have to remind him to wait for me!! 🤣!

In about a month she can start some therapy and work on weight bearing & walking again assuming all heals well!! Finn will certainly play a vital role in that rehab process!!

So much gratitude &love in our hearts for all SDP & it’s volunteers has done for Eve as well as for the CP family we have gained along the way!

♥️Deb, Eve and Finn

GM

These three books might be of interest, especially to newcomers to SDP:

Amazon.com - "Service Dog Project" - Carlene White

Amazon.com - "Dogs, Donkeys and Circus Performers" - Janine Jacques (Carlene's Daughter)

Amazon.com - "Knot Today" - Scott Aubin (Recipient of SDP dog.)

LAUREL