The hot weather has limited activities, too, but here are some pictures from a recent break from the heat:
Friday, July 26, 2013
It's Been Awhile!
I truly haven't forgotten about the blog. It's just been very quiet here at Hillcroft, at least dog wise. We've been very busy with other things like getting our property ready to host a family reunion and now we're on baby watch, waiting for our first grandson to arrive.
The hot weather has limited activities, too, but here are some pictures from a recent break from the heat:
The hot weather has limited activities, too, but here are some pictures from a recent break from the heat:
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Being Naughty Is So Much Fun!
It's a good thing that Gemma is so darn cute because sometimes she is so darn hard to live with! She is eager to please but also willful, sweet but stubborn, smart but obstinate, obedient but headstrong...hmm, what some might say is the behavior of a typical smooth coat Collie!
Gemma is usually the instigator in any hi-jinx in the kennel. If gates are left unlocked, she quickly releases her pals and off they go for a run around the dog yard. If she can only get out of her own kennel, she goes directly to the plastic poop bags and shreds them. Once, she even distributed bags to her locked kennel mates so they could enjoy the fun--what a mess to clean up!
Running is Gemma's passion. I usually use a lead to walk Gemma from her kennel to the big yard on play days or else she will spend about ten minutes just running around and around the kennel. And, nothing tires her out! After a long sprint like that, she still has the energy to chase Jackson or her brother in the yard, making them pay when they can't stay one step ahead of her. Only Dixie is able to keep pace with Gemma and match her energy.
Gemma is also a hoarder. She will steal every toy from the kennels from either side of her and keep them just out of reach so the rightful owners can't pull them back under the fence. And any stuffed toy is a goner within minutes. She eviscerates the toy and scatters the stuffing so it looks like a sudden snowfall.
Gemma oozes attitude but sometimes it's not good! Out in public, she will make someone complete mush, getting them to make over her and coo at her, then she will turn and look at me as if to say "Hah"! and completely ignore me once her adoring fans are gone. In one very memorable show, she looked unbeatable--outside the ring. Once the judge was watching her, Gemma refused to cooperate, wouldn't stand still, wouldn't move properly (unless the judge was looking at someone else) and when the judge was giving me advice as he handed me my second place ribbon, I swear she narrowed her eyes and went "pbbbt" at him!
Her newest bad habit is to start a barking contest with Ref as I'm taking the food bowls into the kennel. Ref is always torn between quieting down when I tell him to stop, or listen to his sister. His head turns back and forth as Gemma and I both command his attention and he tries to please us both by making a huffing sound. He always looks relieved when I give him his food bowl so he doesn't have to chance displeasing his sister!
And Gemma's response when I tell her to quiet? Usually, she turns her head and continues to bark--I guess she thinks if she can't see me, she can't hear me. When I am adamant that the barking will stop, she goes outside, pushing the limits just a bit further before snuggling up to make amends.
She is an exasperating character but we wouldn't want Gemma any other way!
Gemma is usually the instigator in any hi-jinx in the kennel. If gates are left unlocked, she quickly releases her pals and off they go for a run around the dog yard. If she can only get out of her own kennel, she goes directly to the plastic poop bags and shreds them. Once, she even distributed bags to her locked kennel mates so they could enjoy the fun--what a mess to clean up!
Running is Gemma's passion. I usually use a lead to walk Gemma from her kennel to the big yard on play days or else she will spend about ten minutes just running around and around the kennel. And, nothing tires her out! After a long sprint like that, she still has the energy to chase Jackson or her brother in the yard, making them pay when they can't stay one step ahead of her. Only Dixie is able to keep pace with Gemma and match her energy.
Gemma is also a hoarder. She will steal every toy from the kennels from either side of her and keep them just out of reach so the rightful owners can't pull them back under the fence. And any stuffed toy is a goner within minutes. She eviscerates the toy and scatters the stuffing so it looks like a sudden snowfall.
Gemma oozes attitude but sometimes it's not good! Out in public, she will make someone complete mush, getting them to make over her and coo at her, then she will turn and look at me as if to say "Hah"! and completely ignore me once her adoring fans are gone. In one very memorable show, she looked unbeatable--outside the ring. Once the judge was watching her, Gemma refused to cooperate, wouldn't stand still, wouldn't move properly (unless the judge was looking at someone else) and when the judge was giving me advice as he handed me my second place ribbon, I swear she narrowed her eyes and went "pbbbt" at him!
Her newest bad habit is to start a barking contest with Ref as I'm taking the food bowls into the kennel. Ref is always torn between quieting down when I tell him to stop, or listen to his sister. His head turns back and forth as Gemma and I both command his attention and he tries to please us both by making a huffing sound. He always looks relieved when I give him his food bowl so he doesn't have to chance displeasing his sister!
And Gemma's response when I tell her to quiet? Usually, she turns her head and continues to bark--I guess she thinks if she can't see me, she can't hear me. When I am adamant that the barking will stop, she goes outside, pushing the limits just a bit further before snuggling up to make amends.
She is an exasperating character but we wouldn't want Gemma any other way!
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Seeing The Not Too Distant Future
Mosby is now the old man of Hillcroft. He will be 12 in July and has all the characteristics of a senior dog. He had slowed down in the last year or so, but didn't really show his age until lately. Once he stepped on that path, though, it seems he is rapidly heading towards his final months.
The gray is starting to cover his muzzle and face, his eyes are cloudy and his hearing is not sharp. Often, he has weakness in his back legs and he acts as if his joints bother him. He's lost weight, even though he eats every meal. His appetite is not alway strong so it may take him longer to eat his food, often needing encouragement to finish.
Mosby still enjoys going outside and socializing with the other dogs. He likes to sniff around the trees in the back yard and doze in the sunshine in the recent, spring-like weather. Sometimes, he'll even break into a trot as we go back and forth to the kennel!
But, a recent development is that Mosby is showing signs of dementia. It started about a month ago with periods of restlessness and barking, about mid morning. Even though Claire and Lauren are in the house with Mosby, we realized that he felt alone. This was easily solved by turning on the tv. Either the voices or the movement comforted Mosby as he would watch for awhile, then go soundly to sleep.
Lately, Mosby has become worse, needing a very rigid routine to make him comfortable. Since the kennel is what he knows best, that's where he heads if given the opportunity when something out of the norm happens. When Lauren jostled him as we came inside to see if food was left in his bowl, he immediately made a u-turn and ran out the open door, going to the kennel. The same thing happened when a mop I had left by the back door got knocked over and landed on Mosby as he was coming inside.
When these incidents happen, Mosby goes into a complete panic and is so frantic that he doesn't respond to me or seem to recognize me. It's so hard to see him like this when he's always been such a happy, carefree dog. It brings back a memory of our trip home from Clarion with Mosby, when we made a puppy potty stop. I had Mosby on a long lead and he was running to me after I called him. I heard a woman say nearby, "look how that puppy loves her"!
I need to concentrate on memories like that and help Mosby cope with his aging body and mind. While the recent developments are happening more frequently, we have many more normal days. We know what makes Mosby comfortable and happy and if that means more time in the kennel as it gets warmer, rather than in the house with us, well, so be it. We always treasure every day we get with our seniors!
The gray is starting to cover his muzzle and face, his eyes are cloudy and his hearing is not sharp. Often, he has weakness in his back legs and he acts as if his joints bother him. He's lost weight, even though he eats every meal. His appetite is not alway strong so it may take him longer to eat his food, often needing encouragement to finish.
Mosby still enjoys going outside and socializing with the other dogs. He likes to sniff around the trees in the back yard and doze in the sunshine in the recent, spring-like weather. Sometimes, he'll even break into a trot as we go back and forth to the kennel!
But, a recent development is that Mosby is showing signs of dementia. It started about a month ago with periods of restlessness and barking, about mid morning. Even though Claire and Lauren are in the house with Mosby, we realized that he felt alone. This was easily solved by turning on the tv. Either the voices or the movement comforted Mosby as he would watch for awhile, then go soundly to sleep.
Lately, Mosby has become worse, needing a very rigid routine to make him comfortable. Since the kennel is what he knows best, that's where he heads if given the opportunity when something out of the norm happens. When Lauren jostled him as we came inside to see if food was left in his bowl, he immediately made a u-turn and ran out the open door, going to the kennel. The same thing happened when a mop I had left by the back door got knocked over and landed on Mosby as he was coming inside.
When these incidents happen, Mosby goes into a complete panic and is so frantic that he doesn't respond to me or seem to recognize me. It's so hard to see him like this when he's always been such a happy, carefree dog. It brings back a memory of our trip home from Clarion with Mosby, when we made a puppy potty stop. I had Mosby on a long lead and he was running to me after I called him. I heard a woman say nearby, "look how that puppy loves her"!
I need to concentrate on memories like that and help Mosby cope with his aging body and mind. While the recent developments are happening more frequently, we have many more normal days. We know what makes Mosby comfortable and happy and if that means more time in the kennel as it gets warmer, rather than in the house with us, well, so be it. We always treasure every day we get with our seniors!
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
We're Having a Snow Day!
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| Lauren always enjoys the snow! |
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| Claire wants to get back inside and on her couch! |
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Valentine's Day Treats
I very much enjoy giving the dogs a little goodie every day, usually after they've had their breakfast. Most days, it's something ready made--we stocked up when Costco had a sale on all beef treats--but sometimes I do the baking or lately, dehydrating. (more on that in a future post)
I almost always bake something for an individual dog's birthday, which all get to enjoy and also for Christmas. I've started collecting recipes, have a couple of treat cookbooks and am now including other holidays for homemade treats.
Today being Valentine's Day, I was looking for a cookie that I could make heart shaped, preferably with a red hue to it. I also wanted to include my dog walking clients as recipients and needed an inexpensive recipe that made a large quantity. I found a recipe in Doggy Desserts by Cheryl Gianfrancesco that pretty much fit the bill. While the treats didn't come out as red as I had hoped, it was easy enough to use a heart shaped cookie cutter instead of the dog bone shape and not have it affect the baking time or the results. The Collies loved it!
I almost always bake something for an individual dog's birthday, which all get to enjoy and also for Christmas. I've started collecting recipes, have a couple of treat cookbooks and am now including other holidays for homemade treats.
Today being Valentine's Day, I was looking for a cookie that I could make heart shaped, preferably with a red hue to it. I also wanted to include my dog walking clients as recipients and needed an inexpensive recipe that made a large quantity. I found a recipe in Doggy Desserts by Cheryl Gianfrancesco that pretty much fit the bill. While the treats didn't come out as red as I had hoped, it was easy enough to use a heart shaped cookie cutter instead of the dog bone shape and not have it affect the baking time or the results. The Collies loved it!
Red Bones
1/4 cup freeze dried liver (available at pet stores)
1 cup water
1/2 cup all natural tomato juice, no salt added
3 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1 cup wheat germ
Place freeze-dried liver chunks in a blender, and blend to a powder. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients. Knead the dough on a floured surface. Roll out the dough to 1/4 thickness, and cut shapes with a dog bone cookie cutter. Put the cookies on a baking sheet, 1/2 inch apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. When done, the cookies should be firm to the touch. Turn the oven off, and leave the cookies in for 1 to 2 hours to harden.
Yield: Approximately 80 two-inch cookies
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| The finished treats! |
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| Enough treats to give to my dog walking clients, too! |
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Visit to the Dog Park
We've had some teasers of springs the last couple of weeks and I've taken advantage of it. Besides washing my vehicle for a temporary respite of owning a road salt/muddy Sequoia, I spent a warm Sunday at the dog park with Gibson.
I wanted some solo time with Gibson and wanted a place he could have fun. It's been a couple of years since I visited the park but remembered it's usually a bit on the muddy side. Since Gibson was already overdue for a bath, I thought that would be a great destination for our outing!
Our first stop was by the pond, to watch the geese swim lazily about. Gibson seemed bored by this and anxious to be where the action was, so after getting a couple of photos, off we went.
Gibson is very social with our own dogs, always in the mix of things, but at the dog park, he's very stand offish, prefering to watch the other dogs. He also likes to check out the various scent markings from the other dogs, which takes a lot of time. By the time Gibson's ready to play with the different groups, they've given up on him and ignore him as he makes an attempt to join in. Sometimes, I feel like I'm watching groups of children interacting instead of dogs!
Since I'm not a regular at the park, I don't interact much with the other owners, which gives me lots of time for observing. People can be as funny as dogs! I would think, being dog lovers, everyone would be petting and playing with all the dogs, but that's not the case. Often, if Gibson would walk by someone, they would back up or ignore him. Balls dropped at their feet by a dog not their own, would also be ignored. That's when I remembered why we don't take advantage of the dog park that often. Besides always seeming a bit muddy, or in very dry weather, very buggy, it's not a great place for socialization!
Gibson did start to play more readily with newcomers but when his frequency of circling back to where I was seated increased, I figured he was ready to go home. He readily jumped into the Sequoia, but seemed tired and content. We both enjoyed our spring preview and our anxious for more outings!
I wanted some solo time with Gibson and wanted a place he could have fun. It's been a couple of years since I visited the park but remembered it's usually a bit on the muddy side. Since Gibson was already overdue for a bath, I thought that would be a great destination for our outing!
Our first stop was by the pond, to watch the geese swim lazily about. Gibson seemed bored by this and anxious to be where the action was, so after getting a couple of photos, off we went.
Gibson is very social with our own dogs, always in the mix of things, but at the dog park, he's very stand offish, prefering to watch the other dogs. He also likes to check out the various scent markings from the other dogs, which takes a lot of time. By the time Gibson's ready to play with the different groups, they've given up on him and ignore him as he makes an attempt to join in. Sometimes, I feel like I'm watching groups of children interacting instead of dogs!
Since I'm not a regular at the park, I don't interact much with the other owners, which gives me lots of time for observing. People can be as funny as dogs! I would think, being dog lovers, everyone would be petting and playing with all the dogs, but that's not the case. Often, if Gibson would walk by someone, they would back up or ignore him. Balls dropped at their feet by a dog not their own, would also be ignored. That's when I remembered why we don't take advantage of the dog park that often. Besides always seeming a bit muddy, or in very dry weather, very buggy, it's not a great place for socialization!
Gibson did start to play more readily with newcomers but when his frequency of circling back to where I was seated increased, I figured he was ready to go home. He readily jumped into the Sequoia, but seemed tired and content. We both enjoyed our spring preview and our anxious for more outings!
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| Good day for a swim! |
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| Gibson and a new friend explore a good scent. |
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| The Corgi had no problem keeping up with the big guys! |
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| Follow the Leader? |
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Happy Birthday, Lauren!
Lauren turned 9 years old on January 20. I can't believe this delightful girl is now a senior citizen. It seems only yesterday that she became a part of our family and an important part of our kennel.
We celebrated in the usual way--a bath for Lauren with extra grooming and pampering and special treats!
I have a few dog treat cookbooks but I also like to try some new recipes from the All Natural Dog Treat blog. For Lauren's special day, I chose the Carrot Cheese Puffs recipe. I knew it would be a hit as it has one of her favorite foods--cheese! Not only did Lauren enjoy it, but all the other dogs gobbled it down, too!
We celebrated in the usual way--a bath for Lauren with extra grooming and pampering and special treats!
I have a few dog treat cookbooks but I also like to try some new recipes from the All Natural Dog Treat blog. For Lauren's special day, I chose the Carrot Cheese Puffs recipe. I knew it would be a hit as it has one of her favorite foods--cheese! Not only did Lauren enjoy it, but all the other dogs gobbled it down, too!
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| The finished treats, fresh from the oven! |
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| Lauren enjoying her first birthday treat. |
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