Caturday update

Boy Meow-Meow has the right idea! A nice comfy nap. Oh--I wish I could but I've too much stuff to do. After all someone has to go shopping for his cat food.

Boy Meow Meow had a rough night cavorting and foraging.

I woke up early this morning. That happens when a dog (Frazzle) decides to stand on you and drop his favorite, smelly toy on your face, blech! 

 I tried to convince the hubbs to go out for breakfast this morning. His back is bothering him-again-so an online order and carryout from Bob Evans was our compromise. It was a quick 25 min round trip drive, they have designated carryout parking spots-so no trolling the parking lot- the carryout desk was open and the order was bagged to go. If only all things in my life were so efficient!

After a filling breakfast, Boy Meow Meow's nap idea was even more enticing. I have the windows open, as a very cool breeze blows through the house. According to the weather report we are expecting a high in the mid 60's. Yay! Today I am working on laundry, housework and if I have burst of energy I am going work on putting the gardens to bed for the winter. Also, I am couponing and need to go to the grocery. Oh the mundane joys of adulthood. Truly I don't mind. I actually am comforted by my routines.

The hubbs is working on rescreening a few window screens, so we can take advantage of the cool weather. I am so happy we finally are in the season were I can open the windows. Since the  A/C was turned off, the hubbs took advantage of the down time to give the furnace the once over and replace the filter. Before you know it the cold season will roll in and we will be running the heck out of the furnace--but not today. Today we enjoy peek-a-boo blue skies and a cool breeze.

What are y'all planning for your Saturday, err Caturday?

Saying goodbye to my boy

I have cried a river of tears the last 2 weeks as I dealt with the knowledge of my beloved boy Chubb's aka Tubblywubblybubblyboo time had come to cross the rainbow bridge. My mind knows it was the humane choice but my heart is broken. It doesn't matter how many times I have faced this decision in my life, I am still never quite prepared for the onslaught of grief.  

To some people they would say, "He is just an animal". But he wasn't. He was my companion, my confidant, my protector and my family.

I hope you all will take a moment to join me in celebrating the gift of nearly 12 years I was lucky enough to be Chubb's human.

You were a roly poly gangly furball with the big ears and even bigger paws. And absolutely irresistible.

Those long nights filled with whimpering and crying because you wouldn't go to sleep without me. And then there was the actual  puppy whimpering because you wouldn't go to sleep without me. The terrible toddler years. Oh, how many shoes, sunglasses, pillows, and blankets did we replace because of the teething stage? I would be so upset until I looked into your soulful brown eyes and I would just melt as you wagged your tail.

You were the annoying little brother dog always tagging along and hanging on (literally) to your patient older brother dog Maxwell. I think this is the epitome of puppy love.

Even when you outgrew the little brother description

There were the rambunctious tween years when you would have "mad dog" tantrums tearing through the house at top speed, leaving a trail of overturned chairs, tables and broken  everything  in your wake. You were the alpha male with attitude.

As you matured in a somewhat mellow fellow you found some of your favorite activities involved riding in the car, eating and sitting as close to mommy as possible...preferably in her lap. But your all time favorite activity was lounging. It didn't matter where...couch, floor, bed, doggie den or steps. 

 The last few years have been hard (for me) as your steps slowed, your vision faded and your muzzle turned frosty. The one thing that never changed is the unconditional love you had for me and I had for you.  I hope you feel no more pain, are running free with a never ending supply of "ewies" (that's rawhide chewies). I love you, Tubblywubblybubblyboo. You will always be my number 1 boy!

If it should be.... 

If it should be that I grow frail and weak,

and pain should keep me from my sleep,

then you must do what must be done,

for we know this last battle can't be won.

You will be sad, I understand,

but don't let grief then stay your hand,

for this day, more than the rest,

your love and friendship must stand the test.

We've had so many happy years,

what is to come can hold no fears.

Would you want me to suffer? So,

when the time comes, please let me go.

Take me where my needs they'll tend,

only stay with me until the end,

and hold me firm and speak to me,

until my eyes no longer see.

It is a kindness that you do to me,

although my tail it's last has waved,

from pain and suffering I have been saved.

Do not grieve, it should be you,

who must decide this thing to do.

We've been so close, we two these years,

Don't let your heart hold any tears.

by Julia Napier, copyright 1999

Happy July 4th

I hope everyone has a safe July 4th and that includes our furry friends

More pets are lost on Independence than any other day of the year.

What you can do to keep your pets safe:

Keep your pets indoors during fireworks

Never leave your pets unattended outdoors even in a fenced yard

Make sure your dog is microchipped and/ or wearing a current ID tag

Make sure the microchip information is accurate

Keep a current picture of your pet just in case

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Doggone destruction

How can a little furry fellow as cute as this be so destructive?

Oh sure he looks innocent  and unassuming. HA!

He ate:

 my  credit card

my office chair

my curtains

not to mention- the corner of my stairs, my cell phone charger, 2 tote bags, my clothepins bag -with all but 6 clothespins, 1 wicker basket, 2 small grapevine wreaths, 1 pair of flip flops, 1 pair of slippers, several towels, 1 fleece blanket, 2 throw rugs AND my awesome tweed blazer I found thrifting for $2.50 (spent $5 to dry clean) which I was only able to wear one time....SIIIIGGGGHHHH

I swear he is part billy goat!

I now have new curtains. Purchased from Target on clearance for $8 per panel (4 panels) which is a great price for 95 inch curtains. I used my Target card, saved 5% and used my remaining Target gift cards. I ended up paying $16.40 before taxes.

source-Target

I am not going to buy a new office chair. I am using my old folding wood chair with a $12 cushion (from Target).


My office chair, which Frazzle destroyed is going to be re-upholstered. I have leftover foam from another project and plenty of fabric, so stay tuned for that reveal. Which I need to do soon because this chair is killing my back! After an hour of sitting in this I feel like my back was the stage used for River Dance!

My redneck car pet barrier

Remember back in October when 2 of my dogs were involved in a very bad (EXPENSIVE) fight?

And remember when I talked about how we were handling the two warring dogs?

So far things have been peaceful. And by peaceful I mean there is an uneasy truce because of the physical barriers we are using to separate the dogs.

Well today I had a dilemma. I had 2 appointments within 30 minutes of each other for both dogs. With no time to take one, come back home and retrieve the other dog, I had to figure out how to transport both safely and with no fighting or bloodshed. The last thing I needed was the dogs to begin fighting, then I careen my car off the side of the road.

I don't have any extra cages nor would my little car hold them. So I had to get creative. 

I used an expandable baby/ pet gate and 2 bungee cords to reinforce the mesh pet barrier installed in my car. While it is not the most attractive (or stylish), it worked great! Not bad for 5 minutes worth of finagling. 

The dogs were calm with the big dog (Chubbs) in back and the smaller dog (Tovah) up front. I think they were happy just to go for a ride--until we reached our destination anyway.

Admittedly it is funny and I sure did get strange looks from people, I just grinned, waved and shrugged it off as they made faces then sped on by. Maybe for fun next time, I can duct tape or bungee strap a baby-doll in the back seat. haha

Sew Helpful

I was repairing a seam on some dress slacks

 When I was joined by a furry helper (Tovah)

 Don't mind me

 Sewing is hard work

 Sleeping on the job

Happy Sunday y'all

Welcome to the Canine Prison

Remember when I told y'all about two of my dogs getting in a particularly bad (AND EXPENSIVE) scuffle?

 You know-- the nearly $1000 dollar vet bill after assessment, surgery and meds?  The bill that is going to take me months to pay off. 

So I have been working really hard to re-integrate the dogs because it exhausting and sometimes confusing to maintain the series of muzzles, gates and barriers. While this is not exactly the most attractive decor element, it is all about the safety of the dogs since I don't have very many visitors.

I thought things were going well. I had been able to remove the muzzles, had them in the same room with me using the gates as a temporary barrier and they were calm (not trying to kill each other).

We worked our way up to them being in the same room as me and no barriers. We kept them separate for feeding and for potty breaks. They were separated and secured when we left the house--just to be on the safe side!

Chubbs (left) and Tovah (right)

I thought they were friends again. We worked our way up to being in the yard together at the same time, no muzzles.

as of 11/09/12

They were even playing again, then on Sunday night, Tovah attacked Chubbs. She is the aggressor and we have no ideal why. Fortunately we had them pulled apart in under 30 seconds but she slipped her collar and attacked a second time and my hand and arm were bit (by Tovah) in the process. So now I am sporting some pretty nasty contusions and bruises. However during that 30 second scuffle Tovah ended with several lacerations including a chunk out of her paw pad. Nothing severe enough to require stitches. It was a bloody mess though. I have  been cleaning her wounds every day, have her on pain meds and antibiotics once again. 

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. 

So I am back to gates, new muzzles and harnesses for both. She has an appointment for a full blood panel. I can only hope this is a chemical imbalance as opposed to a behavioral issue. She has been increasing in her aggression for nearly six months. Aggression with food, toys, towards the cat, the guinea pigs, the neighbors dogs, anyone or anything outside the house, some aggression towards Frazzle (the puppy) and now Chubbs. Obviously he is bigger and can protect himself but she has been injured twice now. I can not allow a third time. Re-homing is not an option. My animals are a lifetime commitment.

Chubbs is supposedly my "aggressive" dog but I trust him with the puppy more than I do Tovah. Just look how ferocious he is...haha

awww sharing the the comfy bed

 We joke and say he is the babysitter. He has exhibited no signs of aggression--other than the occasional back off  puppy your getting on my nerves growl. When that happens, he is tired and we kennel Frazzle or put him in the puppy playpen. If anything, Chubbs has shown considerable protectiveness over Frazzle.

Playing tug of war with the cat toy. Oops sorry Sam-Sam!

So for now it is separate rooms, feedings and potty breaks for Tovah. She is miserable being penned in another room, but until I can figure out what is wrong, this is what we are going to do. If it turns out Tovah has a behavioral issue then I will find a way to to correct it with training and maybe a few sessions with a canine behaviorist. 

Sad puppy, sad me

When pets attack

It  has been a rough couple of days around My Cozy Little Farmhouse.

Wednesday evening two of my dogs got into a fight. A very very bad fight.

Tovah (age 5 yrs, 30 lbs)

Chubbs (age 10 yrs, 78 lbs)

We don't know what provoked the fight. Or who started it. All we know it was an unfair fight. Chubbs (aptly named) outweighs Tovah by almost 50 lbs.. Tovah is 5 years younger than Chubbs and much faster but it didn't help her this time. Tovah needed surgery to repair the lacerations and punctures, poor little girl.

Not sure if any of you have ever had to use an after hours emergency pet hospital, but they are crazy expensive. You are already emotionally vulnerable because your pet is sick --or in my case, injured--and it is akin to being shook down mafia style. You have to pay up front for the estimated cost before they will treat your pet. I had to pay them nearly a $1000 up front before they would help her. Not that I really had the money. It resulted in 2 credit cards and effectively killing any remaining balances on either. 

The worst part was after calling in 4x through the night and being reassured she was next for surgery, was calling in at 6:30 in the morning to find she had laid their for 12 hours without the surgery. Sure she had pain meds and antibiotics, but they let her lay there covered in blood, with matted fur, in cold steel cage--PETRIFIED--for 12 hrs. Had I KNOWN that what they would do (basically nothing!) I would have brought her home and kept vigil with her during the night until our regular vet's office opened.

So I flew out of the house and picked her up. I took her to our vet, who assessed her immediately and put her in surgery. In less than 2 hours with our vet she was treated and comfortable. As for the other place, they "refunded" $440 on one of my cards and it is unknown when I will actually see it. So I paid $540 for an overnight stay with antibiotics and pain meds. Then an additional $380 for the regular vet. And here is why I love my vet office. They might be slightly more expensive than some other vet practices but they do amazing work. They told me pay $50 and I could make payments on the balance ($330) because in their words--"Since you were worked over by the emergency vet hospital".  That is why I have stayed with this practice for nearly 20 years.

The good news is Tovah will make a full recovery. She looks kinda rough with all of the bald patches and sutures on her neck and chest. But her sweet little demeanor is returning. It was a rough 2 days without her here. I didn't have her as my shadow--following me around the house; or climbing into my lap the second I sit down, and she wasn't here to take up the bed then grunt when I make her move over. 

The vet said I need to keep them apart  so she went to my daughter's house to stay for a night but is grieving pretty hard and on edge.  I am bringing her home. I will figure out the logistics. Tovah is actually my "grand-puppy". She was/ is my daughter's dog, but I have had "custody" of her for nearly 4 years. 

I will be getting 2 additional cages. All 3 dogs will be caged when we are not home--for their safety and the sanctity of my pocket book. Chubbs will wear a muzzle when out of the cage. They will all be supervised very closely!  He is definitely going to the vet for an evaluation. I will continue to monitor Chubbs, if he continues to show aggression towards any of the animals or people--then I will have a very difficult decision to make.

All I know is I love my fur-kids and I have been an emotional wreck the last few days. The hubbs isn't very happy about anything right now--not that I can fault him. I am also looking into pet insurance--well  because financially we can't take another hit like this.

This dogfight has had a physical,emotional and financial impact.  Let's hope peace soon resumes and it will be My Cozy Little Farmhouse again!

She let out a sigh and you could see her visibly relax, poor little girl

Wordless Wednesday #2

Wordless Wednesday #2

Say Hello

I really didn't plan on getting another pet. I already have 2 cats, 2 dogs and 2 guinea pigs. I am still grieving the loss of Wussie-Cat. 

We went to visit my Dad for his 68th birthday last Sunday. It was such a beautiful day. Poignant because it will be his last birthday because of the ugly monster that is Cancer.

My brother shows up with a puppy in tow, someone asked him if he could find it a good home or it was going to the pound. That is all it took! Most of you may not know--or not want to know--but most pounds (or animal shelters) are not NO-KILL. Meaning regardless of age, temperament etc... dogs are usually euthanized within 72 hours. And btw--those voluntary surrenders--you know the ones where people say the dog is "aggressive" to justify the surrender--yeah-those dogs are usually destroyed the same day.

 I did not make this decision lightly. Owning pets is a lifetime commitment. I am not working and yes money is tight but I will do without before my pets do. Period. They are my fur-kids. I realize I can't save them all but I do right by the ones I do save. Should I have adopted an older dog from the pound? yes.  The truth is the shelter he was going to was full. A euthanize list had been issued for 6-10 dogs because they were beyond capacity. Had he gone to the shelter one more dog would have ended up n the list or possibly him. I simply could not risk someone might  rescue or adopt him. I chose to be that someone. In case you didn't pick up on I am an animal lover and I am frequently involved in animal rescue. However, I will save that platform for another blog.

Seriously could you resist this cuteness?

 Of course the hubbs is No more animals! Then I launch into the spiel about shelters, how I will find it a home, yadda yadda...then end with Please please please!!!! The hubbs sighed knowing full well I was NOT leaving without that dog!!

OMG--Look at the face!

So say Hello to Frazzle the Beagle-mix pup. Best guess--he is now about 8 weeks old.
According to the vet he is just over 7 pounds and surprisingly healthy
He is a  fluffy fur-ball of sweet puppy breath, pudgy puppy belly and soft floppy ears.












He is in every sense of the word an infant.The first 2 nights I was up every 2 hours with him.  I really didn't need any more responsibility. But one look at his sweet little face and trusting little eyes; all the worries faded away. Regardless of the burden, cost, time commitment --I am in luuurvvveeee with this little guy. The hubbs pretended to be mad for all of 2 minutes. He too was charmed by the little puppy kisses and wiggling fur-ball. So much so, he held him in his lap for the entire hour drive home. He checks on Frazzle as soon as he gets up in the morning and before he goes to bed. haha sucker!!

I have several crates throughout the house as well as some baby gates  because he is so young he has imprinted on me and panics if he doesn't see or hear me.
The introduction the other dogs is slow  but trust needs to be built.
As a result I am spending more time with each dog to ensure they all know they are loved.









He is going to be a challenge.
 He is smart and feisty--kinda like me, haha!
He hasn't met a barricade he can't crash. He is constantly chewing, teething and mouthing on EVERYTHING- especially me.
I am his giant chew toy and he has razor sharp puppy teeth. Those little suckers hurt!

But he has brought much joy to me and the hubbs. 

And in some small manner I feel connected to my Dad since he is the one who named him. 

Say Goodbye

A week ago today we had to say goodbye to one our beloved pets.

Wussie-cat had been with us since she was about 4 weeks old. Some of you were introduced to her here and those of you who are family or close personal friends met her a long time ago. She was a few months past 18 years old. I am told by many this is a long lived for a cat. Regardless of their time with us-- it still hurts.

Unfortunately I don't have  a great number pictures of Wussie-cat because they are all pretty much a blur. She was such a bundle of energy! She lived up to her name because it was seldom she was seen by anyone other than close family.

She loved the Hubbs the best. He always joked she was the best dog because she would come running when you whistled and she would play fetch with aluminum foil ball or a crumpled cigarette pack. Originally her name was Pixie because she was so tiny--but because she was afraid of everything her name ended up being changed to Wussie-cat. The hubbs even had a little song for her he made up for her.

Even as a full grown cat she never weighed much over 5 pounds. She was always very petite and was often mistaken for a kitten.  She would often climb up the hubb's pants leg and then make her way to his shoulder where she would sit , although not for long. There wasn't a cardboard box, tote, basket or crate she didn't love! She was always finding little places to hide.

She had ninja claws of doom though! You didn't want to be on the receiving end of those! My favorite memory is when she made our 90 (plus) pound dog back out of the bed room--peeing from being scared-- (and she was all of maybe 3 pounds at the time). We almost peed ourselves laughing so hard.

I really miss her Meeer-wow and her obnoxiously loud purring. We were lucky to have in our lives for so long and gave her the best life we could.  I just hope when she crossed the rainbow bridge Kitty-bub and Gollie were there to meet her. And I hope she knows how much we loved her.

Welcome to the cat house

I am beginning to feel a little like the crazy cat-lady. Every time I turned around there was a cat in my way, on something, or in something. Case in point...

Cat #1

This is Wussie-Cat. When I first found her she was a several weeks old kitten  hiding behind a straw bale in a former coworker's barn. Her name is appropriate because she is afraid of everything! The funniest thing she ever did to live up to her name was when she came face to face with a large bull frog. She hissed and arched her back. Well the frog decided to puff himself out. They did this 2 or 3 times. However when the frog  raised up on his back legs and let out a loud croak --she completely freaked out! We nearly wet ourselves from laughing. Had we videotaped and submitted this to America's home videos- we would have won some kind of prize. I am pretty sure she is senile. I know she is partially deaf and blind. But given the fact she is 18 years old  you will have that. Today I caught her trying  to  climb  up the aluminum siding to get to the  the window. Maybe in an attempt to get my attention. She must have  really wanted in...and forgot where the door is. She decided the bathtub is a good place to hang out. I decided to go with it put a towel down along with some food and water to let her hang out for a while. 

Cat#2

This is Boy Meow-Meow. We have had him for about 4 years. He was about 2 when we adopted him. The hubbs takes the credit for him though. Some (cruel and asinine) person had shoved him in a pet carrier and left him by an apartment complex dumpster. Over a holiday weekend. We can only surmise he was there for several days without food or water. He will not go near a cat carrier to this day.He became my husband's maintenance cat hanging out around the maintenance garage. His name came about because he is so verbose and LOUD!.  One day the hubbs was walking the apartment complex grounds picking up trash when he he heard a very loud meowing. Meow, meow, MEOW, MEEEEYOOOOWWEHEW...and up over the hill comes this cat meowing and running as fast as he could towards my hubbs. Well the hubbs laughed so hard he cried and hence his name was born. I met Boy Meow-Meow a few weeks later and decided he needed to come home with us. Yeah- that was quite an adventurous 7 mile road home since he couldn't go in a pet carrier. I still carry the scars on my shoulder from that one! Totally worth it though...except when he has been hunting and decides to leave me presents...yuck! Anyhoo- today he decided to snooze in the back seat of my car. I jumped in the car to leave for some quick errands. Well he was none to happy with that!

Cat#3

This is Sam-Sam. Formerly known as Phillip. How do I know he was a Phillip? Well a little over a year ago, I was sitting in the cool October evening air mourning the loss of my lbc (little black cat) name Elby (L B C-get it?) when suddenly there is a fuzzy ball of fur running towards me meowing. This grey fuzzball was so cold  and of course hungry. He cried and cried wanting to come inside my house, but the hubbs was being mean and said NO MORE ANIMALS! And he meant it--that worked out well for him didn't it? ha So I was able to sneak feed him and hid a pet carrier on the porch so he had some shelter. Until the hubbs stone cold busted me one night. dah dah dummm! Well the hubbs said he had to go! I tearfully took him to the local animal control. He was scanned and found to have a chip. He used to belong to someone. He had a name (Phillip) and possibly a family. Phew I was informed he would be held  for 48 hrs. If his family didn't retrieve him he would be euthanized. OMG!  They gave me the owner's name and address. I called and sent a letter. I checked MySpace, Facebook and Twitter for the matching person's name but to no avail. If I didn't do something he was going to die! On the 3rd night I went to my hubbs and told him. There may have been a lot of tears involved. The hubbs gave me the 3 words I wanted to hear.Go get him. No need to tell  me twice. I may have squealed tires trying to get there before they closed. Twenty minutes and $50 later he was mine. We changed his name and brought him home. Doing time in the Big House must have traumatized him because he was (and still is) kinda skittish. He also wouldn't lay near me or purr for a very very long time. I didn't know a cat be clumsy--so boy is that the cat for me. He is the most ungraceful cat I have ever known! His nickname is Calamity Sam, because he is always breaking something!  I thought I was going to lose him a few weeks ago when he became really sick. I thought all the hard work of him trusting me was gone when I had to put him back in the pet carrier. Surprisingly he realized I wasn't going to dump him and seemed almost grateful when he new he was getting help. Now he loves on me and occasionally will even sleep next to me. It really is the little things, haha Well today he decided to make a bed out of a basket of clean white socks. Good thing they are the hubbs socks and not mine!

Well regardless of their antics, I love them all!

No pussy-footing around

So I decided to walk the garden and check the progress of all my plant babies. On my walk back to the garden I ended up with my garden buddy, Boy Meow-Meow.

Boy Meow-Meow

 It is kinda sweet  because my dog Gollie-gollie guru and my cat Kitty-BubbityBub used to be my garden buddies.  (None of my fur kids have normal names, lol) They would follow me around the yard and through the garden. sniffle I miss them so much! 

My Gollie-kins as an awkward puppy

Crazy ol Kitty Bub

So the strawberries are looking good. Flowering and a baby berry--YAY!

Tomatoes look good.

My Roma's are starting to flower!

Peppers are flowering

Anaheim pepper

Woot! A baby poblano

My Butternut squash is looking kinda puny.

My watermelon looks kinda flattened.

What the heck is going on? All the mounds I made for the squash, melon and cukes have been compressed.

HEY! One of my cukes is broken!

HMMMM...I wonder....

Could it be?...

GASP!!

NOOOOO!

BUSTED!!

Thanks a lot Benedict MeowMeow! Yes it is true! My Boy MeowMeow was the culprit. Don't let his handsome looks and charming demeanor be a guise for his nefarious plans.  He has been identified as potential threat. I shall be watching him closely!