Never Say Never!

How could anything go wrong? It's so easy. Rosie & Penny hear the cookie jar open (having observed  our predictable "getting ready to leave" behavior) and they make a dash to their respective kennels. They know that they will have cookies and a nap when they pop into their cozy "boxes". The kennels are the "airline approved" type...plastic, top & bottom bolted together, with a wire grill door. Totally safe. Totally ok to leave the dogs unsupervised for several hours. Or so we thought.

Last Saturday, we went to a plant nursery and loaded up on stuff for the garden. When we returned home, I decided to leave the dogs in the house and in their boxes for just a few minutes more while we unloaded the truck. This way, I wouldn't have to worry about the dogs and the open alley gate where the truck was parked. I had done this many times before. With my unloading chores complete, I went inside to fetch the dogs. Oh! My! Gosh! Penny's vocabulary and pronunciation limitations don't allow her to explain what had happened. I found her attached at the snout to the wire grill door. Her nose was sticking through one very small hole and her lower jaw was sticking through another. She was pretty well through the holes, and the wire was pressing painfully into her gum and against her teeth. She couldn't budge loose. Her totally safe, ok place had become a torture chamber.

Somehow, somehow, somehow, we managed to help poor Penny. And here's what we learned from the experience:

1. A good pair of wire cutters (and a strong, desperate hand) can cut through very hard metal if someone you love is stuck.
2. The fire department doesn't make emergency calls to save animals. 
3.  Dogs recover from trauma quicker than humans. 
4.  Never, never, ever say never. Nothing is 100% safe.

 The worst picture of all...Poor Penny stuck on the door...was never taken. We were too busy rescuing her!

  The side-by-side kennels.     

                                          

The hole we cut in the door.

 All is forgiven, and all's well that ends well.

Every Little Bit Helps

Hi!  Here's a link to A Superbowl Twist that will add a little excitement for you as you watch the big game this weekend. I'm eager to help raise money for a very worthy cause...fighting cancer! I have no idea if anyone actually reads what I write here, but I thought if I have even an audience of one, perhaps that one terrific person might want to help. You never know. The picture above is of Adam (my son) during his first triathlon a few months ago. He is very passionate about his training and his fundraising. If you're able to help, THANK YOU! Here's a link to his team fundraising page.

Mine

Please visit the following "photo sharing" page to view a story told in photos. The story is titled 
Mine. I hope you enjoy it!

pssssst! Here's a sneak peek:

Did ssssssssssomebody call for an exxxxxxxxxcavation expert?

Rosie was on the hunt this afternoon, relentlessly digging under some hollow cement slump blocks stacked up against the house. She patrols this area often, but today it was much more than a patrol. She knew something was there and she wasn't going to be deterred until she got to the bottom of the situation. Well, she sure did! She's a very efficient excavator, clearing loose dirt out of the way as she progresses with further digging. She dug deep enough for her to get her head in the hole and that was just as far as she needed to go. Carlos stood by and watched helplessly as Rosie pulled out a small roof rat. She had her jaws clamped down on it mid torso and she shook it violently until it was lifeless. Poor little critter never stood a chance against that combination of nose, teeth and determination. Once she knew it was dead, she dropped it. She looked up at Carlos as if to say matter-of-factly "Ok, my job's done here." Good dog! New nickname: Jaws.

 See more photos at http://indoxienationsharephotos.shutterfly.com/pictures/15#15

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree

Actually, the apples often don't even fall. Millie and Rosie pick them. While they are well within Millie's reach, Rosie climbs the tree to get to them! That's pretty funny, when we find her scaffolded on the lower limbs, with plenty of apples surrounding her.

This morning, I found Millie quietly strolling away from the trees (we have Anna and Dorsett, both very well suited to Arizona) with two lovely apples and some leaves in her mouth. She generally doesn't eat them...just holds them in her mouth as her treasures. Rosie had just rolled, nibbled and chewed one of her own.

Mine!

The peaches are all gone, but our next crop is in!

Millie to her friends: "An apple a day keeps the vet away!"

Gorgeous Rosie is two!

Long Dog Hunting

Tail Power

Sweeeeeeeeet!

Taking a break

Question of the Day: If a dog was already "terrible" before she turned two, does it mean that now she will be more terrible as an official two-year-old? Our little Rosie is a doll of a dog...playful, cuddly, clever, licky, kissy, curious, gentle, and the consummate huntress. She's also learning not to be a pain in the patootie on walks, when she routinely raises her fur and aggressively protects her turf (the whole world is her turf) against any approaching dog. Most of the time she shows proper respect for our big dog, Millie. But it is an uneasy truce and Rosie also sneaks in a nip at the lip from time to time...definitely disrespectful behavior in canine social circles. Millie's 50-pound advantage and a much bigger mouth with sharp teeth haven't deterred Rosie from thinking that she runs the show. We learned from older sister Penny that doxies seem to take two full years to complete their dog apprenticeships and move out of puppyhood. Now, we have learned from Rosie that some dogs never move out of puppyhood. Rosie knows how to turn on the "puppy cute" and still has a look about her that says "Resistance is futile. You are powerless against my cuteness. Surrender, mere human!"

Happy Birthday, Ro-Ro-No-No :-)

Season 9?

Here's a little bit of trivia about me...I loved the series "24". January rolled around this year and I was faced with a sad and lonely emptiness on Monday nights, as there was no new season to unfold. I can't claim that I was "the perfect 24 fan": I only started watching in Season 3. But then that gave me the real-fan experience of watching Seasons 1 & 2 in uninterrupted marathons to catch up. That nonstop red-eye express ratchets up the adrenalin rush a few pegs.

With yesterday's miraculous events out in the open, I think I can say with almost 100% certainly that I know where Jack Bauer is! At the end of Season 8, Jack walks out of our lives and his own persona and begins life with no identity, off the grid. Hey, wait a minute! Isn't that the way they were describing SEAL Team 6 today? Jack is on SEAL Team 6!! I'm sure in the coming days we're going to see pictures of 39 Navy SEALS with flak jackets and helmets, plus one without either...vintage Jack! And we'll probably hear tapes of the moments before this century's "shot heard around the world"...target Usama will say "Go to Hell", and Jack will reply breathlessly "You first." Bang!

Whoever you guys are who pulled off the Bauer-esque mission of surgically removing Usama Bin Laden from daily action, THANK YOU! I hope if my Marine Cpl. were here (he's my "24" buddy and currently deployed), he would have a chuckle at my idea for a Season 9. No disrespect intended.