Make that "lion" and "Deckers" and "pters" (rhymes with "bears," short for pterodactyls); oh my! I know; if you have to explain the joke, it's not funny. 😉 At least you know what this post is about!
Chuckie is our ever-present little lion. The other day I was moving a hose around the lower yard, rescuing heat and drought stressed landscaping plants, when Chuckie scooted up the cherry tree and did his best 'siren call' to lure me over. I can't bend over to weed or harvest in the garden without getting a cat tail in the face. And he often beds down under the Japanese maples just outside the front door so he can be 'Chuckie-on-the-spot' if I step outside. Worse yet, he has figured out how to open the front screen door (it's one of those retractable 'invisible' screen doors) to let himself (and BUGS) in and Poppy out, which hampers my efforts to cool off the house late at night and in the early morning. 😖
Poppy doesn't mind if the house is warm; unlike me she loves summer. She'll ask to go out on the deck in the morning and BAKE in the hot sunshine for awhile, then she'll come in and claim our bed. In agility the heat actually helps her listen better by sapping a bit of her frenetic energy; too bad class is postponed on the hottest days!
This week we got to try something new; we went to a coursing practice. Two human friends and one dog friend went along; it was a great girls' night out. There were a lot of different breeds there, some new to the sport like us and some experienced; Poppy and her friend Glory both got to try it three times and did great. I took some video and photos of other dogs; unfortunately, I didn't have anyone to document Poppy!
From top to bottom: Pharaoh hounds (newbies), Dalmation (newbie) , Greyhound (experienced), Cardigan Welsh Corgi (newbie), Flat-Coat Retriever (newbie – Poppy's friend Glory), Poodle (experienced)
Last night Poppy got to play with her sister. The way they ran and tussled you'd never know it was in the 90s! Poppy's been practically comatose today, though. A tired terrier is a good terrier!
The chickies are now integrated into the flock. On Tuesday I removed the nursing cage that protected them and supervised for quite awhile. They explored inside and out, sticking together in their new, bigger world. At most the older hens are delivering an occasional peck when a youngster is near; none seem to be putting any energy into persecuting the babies. Nevertheless, the chickies spent Wednesday and Thursday entirely in the henhouse; I was glad to see them out in the run checking out some fruit and vegetable offerings today. I've renamed my Whiting True Blues. Chippy wasn't a good name for my lovely dark peeper, so she is now Spangle and her 'sister' is Splash. The other two are still Kate and Lottie.
That's it for now from . . .
6 comments:
I wondered what 'coursing' was - thank you for the great videos! I loved watching the corgi, with those short legs, tearing across the field. And thank you for the Chuckie pics - he is so darn cute. I hope your temperatures get back to normal - wish I could send you some of our rain. xo
Hi Susan, there's actually two varieties of coursing; a straight 100-yard dash, and a 300- or 600-yard (depending on size/type of dog) course with turns. But you only practice the straights so they don't learn to anticipate. I wish you could share some of your rain, too!
What a great post, Michelle!
That Chuckie is a real rascal now, isn't he? I was surprised that he can now open that screen door. That's not such a good thing, but he's a cutie!
The coursing pictures and videos are great. It's too bad you weren't able to get some pictures or videos of Poppy when she tried it. Maybe another time?
I like the new names for those two chickies - much better than their first ones. I'm glad they are all doing so well. I was a little concerned that they might not be.
I got a chuckle out of the pictures of Poppy and her sister playing. Obviously, they were having a lot of fun.
Glad you enjoyed it, Jeanne. Chuckie just has to rub against the screen or reach out and hook his claws into it for it to open, because it is a not-too-strong magnetic closure. I hope there's more coursing practice in Poppy's and my future; I'll see if I can recruit someone to record us.
I've not seen a screen like that. I know it wouldn't be good here at our house. We have storm doors on both front and back doors. They both have screens that can be use, by just raising the glass panel. When we bought the house, there were those old-fashioned wooden screen doors, both front and back. They were very old, too. They may have been original to the house when it was built in the 40s.
Thank you for my Rock Star fix! That Chuckie is simply adorable… and such a handsome feller ! ! Have a perfect wee, and great videos of those pups!
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