Apollo

Categories Apollo, Artemis, Dog

Wild life

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I’ve mentioned before that we’ve got wild turkeys out back.  We see them off and on, though I don’t believe Apollo has ever actually seen them, I know he’s smelled them though. 

This morning when I took the dogs out for their morning potty break I could hear what sounded like (at first listen) a bunch of kids laughing/yelling off the back of the property.  Which didn’t make sense since thats miles of forest….then I realized it was turkeys making all that noise.  Apollo was not amused.  He braced into a very aggressive stance and started huffing.  Arty was oblivious.  Since Arty had finished his business, and Apollo showed no sign of starting I coaxed them back to the house…only to get DRAGGED in the door by Apollo.    When I left for work Husband took the dogs out again, normal schedule, and he says that shortly after I left the turkeys started back up again.  Apollo turned and booked it for the house with all speed and determination.  Since he weighed in at 98lbs a couple weeks ago there’s not much that’ll stop him from going in the direction he wants to go……when Husband texted me to tell me I had to laugh at my goofy puppy…..

Then this afternoon on my way home a BIG dark and white bird, with a white head soared over the road….and just now when I took the dogs out an equally big bird soared overhead….I’m thinking we got Bald Eagles nearby!

Categories Apollo, Dog

Its true, you can get anything on Craigslist

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After chatting online with some other folks who feed their dogs raw I decided to go ahead and put an ad on Craigslist for “Free Unwanted Meat” specifying that freezer-burnt and pushing “use by” dates was ok, outright spoiled was not (I’ve sold stuff online quite a bit and am already familiar with basic safety).  Got two hits in 24hrs, one of which didn’t pan out, but the other netted me two whole roaster chickens, a whole turkey, a 4lb (beef) pot roast, assorted chicken parts, and some venison.  All freezer-burnt.  Totally worth the 1/2hr each way drive even with gas prices the way they are.  Took Apollo a day to finish off the roast, one of the chickens is next…

Categories Apollo, Dog, Rants

I called animal control on my neighbors

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These folks moved in across the street over the summer.  Nice enough family, 4 kids (2 of each), and a dog.  Then shortly after they got a puppy.  Not exactly breaking news I know, especially here, except their method of letting the dos out for potty and exercise was to open the door, let out the dogs, and close the door.  No fence, no tie out, no supervision.  Now maybe at their last place the dog really did stay in their yard.  I doubt it personally, but, benefit of the doubt and all that.  

A couple months after they moved in Apollo started having his “OMG there’s a DOG in MY yard!!!” snits later at night ( previously he’d occasionally have a fit over a dog that was walked by but that was it), normally he loves other dogs, but not if they’re uninvited in his yard.  Took me a while to actually catch a look at the dog in question, and sure enough, the older dog from across the street.  Sigh, no sign of the puppy, but when I get across the street she’s sitting on the porch.  So I ask them to please keep their dogs out of my yard cause Apollo goes ballistic.  They say they will.

Yup, no such luck.  We keep seeing both dogs in the yard.  And I’m starting to get annoyed at picking up strange dog poo, cause I don’t really know these dogs and all sorts of diseases are passed along that way, but I’m trying to be patient to give them time to retrain.  But finally, end of January, I chase the dogs back across the street and say something to them again.

This past Monday I finally got frustrated and called animal comtrol and she said she’d be out there that day.  Didn’t actually see her, but MOST times I’ve seen the dogs since out someone’s been out with them.  Not that having someone out stops them from heading across the street if said person isn’t watching……And tonight their older dog was in my yard again, much to Apollo’s frustration….never mind the rest of the issues I have with their practice (and there are lots) our street has no street lights, and no posted speed limit, which means that even at night people SPEED down past my house to stand on their brakes so they can make the 90degree turn.  Neither dog is white or even really light colored.  I’m not going to be happy when someone knocks on my door to tell me that a dog ran out of my yard into the street and they hit it….

Categories Apollo, Artemis, Dog, Nothing Much

New dog tags

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For the puppies, not me.

 

For Apollo:

 

and for Arty:

 

Tags from Fetching Tags (these are the “Super” style which allows you to pick your own phrase).  They filled the order nice and quick, and I really like the look.  They had to go an extra step for Apollo’s, technically his phrase is one letter to many, but they made it fit for me.   The other side has their name and my phone number so its an actual tag and not just a phrase too.

 

And yes I paid for them, and was not asked to review them, and am not receiving anything for reviewing them.

Categories Apollo, Nothing Much

Weather

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This is the current weather map:

They were predicting as much as a foot for some areas, I donno about us but I can promise that the wind has blown away the majority of the snow.  There was a couple inches on most of the yard first thing this morning, 6 to a foot in sheltered spots.  Not sure how much has fallen since.  Apollo’s THRILLED.  Taking him out now requires LONG periods of time as he’ll walk several steps, then dive into the snow to roll in it, get up, walk several steps, dive into the snow…..

Categories Apollo, Dog

Its official: Winter’s over

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Apollo’s shedding his winter coat.  He started growing it in back in August (I freaked, can you say sign of a bad winter coming???), but since December has been slowly shedding.  Now however its truly loose, running my hand down his shoulder nets me a handfull of gold fluff.  Guess the birds looking for nest lining better get their acts in gear….

Categories Apollo, Dog

Poor Apollo

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First something walks through his yard earlier this week sending him into protection overdrive.  He’s STILL carefully sniffing over, and then peeing on, the original scent mark in the front yard.

Then this morning two different sets of kids knock on the door selling stuff for school. He totally went nuts “somebodies at the DOOR and I didn’t hear them drive IN!!”. The second time worse than the first, the poor girl at the door about fainted when the giant barking head abruptly appeared at higher than her eye level at the door. Not sure she believed me when I said he’s friendly….

Now the poor giant puppy is flinching at every sound, jerking out of his nap to half bark, before realizing that its ok and going back to sleep……

Edited: I’m thinking we’re going to have to do some desensitizing to people “appearing” at the front door if he’s going to be this twitchy afterwards.  He’s ok if he gets the “warning” of hearing a vehicle in the drive, but when they walk up the first warning is the knock on the door….

Categories Apollo, Dog

Apollo is seriously upset about something

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I have no idea what either.

Took him out to go pee, and he started sniffing something on the ground, scent trail of some kind (not unusual, between neighbor dogs, coyotes and possibly foxes, not to mention other wildlife this is pretty normal).  He peed on it a couple times, but kept getting more and more agitated, till he finally dragged me back to the house, in the door, and proceeded to check every window and door he has access too.  He’s now switching back and forth between front and back windows searching for whatever it is….