Squirrel in our Patio

Annie came and woke Cathy up this morning, terribly concerned about something. She led Cathy to the back door where Cathy discovered this squirrel inside our screened patio. It must have found its way through the tear in the screen that Annie created the last time she bolted out the back door after the squirrel. How ironic.

Anyway, the squirrel was in no hurry to leave but instead took a nap above the screen doorway. Cathy was amused and enjoyed having a new friend for the day. Annie was not amused.

We first noticed it when Andrew started intentionally hitting the lamp pull-chain ball against the lamp rod. The other three of us (who live here) immediately urged Andrew to stop before Annie went crazy barking. Then we realized she wasn’t there to bark and there really wasn’t any reason not to do this. Then Cathy got the tin foil out and braced herself for the explosion of canine insanity as Annie lunged at the foil. And then she realized that wouldn’t happen either. I bumped into the dishwasher, causing the latch to snap shut, and I prepared for Annie’s kitchen patrol to come shake me down for the infraction. That didn’t happen either.

And we have begun to see how miserably trapped we are in our own home. We can now run the vacuum cleaner, open the back blinds in the afternoon and let the sun reflections in, get CD’s out of their case, use tinfoil, put away reflective pot lids, close the dishwasher, turn the lamps on and off and use flashlights in the house – all without getting barked at for five minutes.

Those are just the things we’ve realized in the last two days. Who knows what the next few days will reveal?

In this case, parting has not been sweet sorrow at all, only sweet.

Thank you for watching her, Kelloggs!

Sandhill Cranes In Our Backyard

These two adult sandhill cranes (red caps) picked off a helpless baby snake from our yard this morning for their baby crane. From the picture you can see why these birds exist in plentiful numbers here in Central Florida. They aren’t intimidated by suburbia in the least, let alone a snake.

Everyone hates snakes which makes me like them more. I had one as a pet when I was a kid, so they have my sympathy and protection. The cranes have just lost both. (Yes, I know it’s the natural order of things. I’m just trying to keep the tabloid interesting here.)

I took two things out the back door when I took this picture; my camera and the dog. Rather than fly away like most backyard animals, they turned and gave me and the dog the once-over. Annie was even barking at them, but they didn’t flinch. I suppose if I had a beak like theirs I would think it might be fun sport to jab it into a yappy little dog like Annie. Especially after devouring a snake.

Muffin & Annie

Annie stayed with her best friend, Muffin, while we were in St. Louis last week, and now Muffin came to live with us for a few days while her parents are away. While she is here, she’s teaching Annie some new tricks.

At Muffin’s house all the good stuff is out of reach of the dogs, but at our house it’s just above dog-nose level. This is where Muffin has the advantage because she is taller than Annie and can locate the canister with the doggie treats. Annie never knew this before today, but Muffin showed her all about it.

First you locate the canister then knock it off the shelf with your nose. This causes the lid to fall off, and then the rest is easy.

When Cathy came back home she said dog treat wrappers were spread around the house and hardly a milk bone was left. Annie slinked off into her corner with a guilty look on her face, but Muffin couldn’t have been happier. Any place that puts the cookies on the lower shelf is all right in her book!

Annie Trying To Avoid The Vet

Living with a dog is not unlike living with a perpetual 2 year old. They’re not very sophisticated, but they do learn.

Annie loves going for car rides. We’re not exactly sure why, but we think it has something to do with the fact that if she is in the car she is not getting left behind for several days. Often the car rides end up at the vet, but that doesn’t occur to her when she gets in. It used to be she never realized she was at the vet until she smelled the entrance, but now she recognizes things a little sooner – as we drive into the vet’s parking lot.

This is a picture of Annie cowering in the back of the van behind the seats shortly after arriving at the vet’s last week for her cone. She has another vet trip scheduled tomorrow morning to get her stitches out. I wonder how long it will be before she decides it’s safer not getting into the car in the first place.

Annie’s Cone

Just when we thought life with Annie couldn’t get any nuttier, she takes it one step further.

Last week Annie had a tumor on her leg removed. She chewed out the stitches, so this morning the vet fitted her with a cone so she can’t chew on her leg anymore! It’s funny watching her bump into corners. She’s not quite sure what to make of it yet.

Annie’s New Harness

While I accept grace from God rather than karma, I am happy to see the animal world in my house get a little karma. That is, what comes around goes around. Or rather, what you send around comes back around to you.

Annie, as you know from previous posts, is terribly neurotic. This is entertaining, but what you may not know is how much she barks. The list of things which send her off barking grows every day, and some days it drives all of use crazy. About five days ago this began to change.

One night she couldn’t stop coughing, and this continued into the morning. It subsided for a couple days but resumed later until we took her to the vet. The vet says she has a collapsing trachea, something common in small dogs as they age. When Annie gets excited, like when she’s barking, she starts coughing and gagging. It is harmless, if not a bit annoying, but we couldn’t have come up with a more effective remedy for the barking! The vet also recommended a harness rather than a collar; less pressure on her throat when she tries chasing the neighborhood cat or the egrets in the backyard.

This made things even funnier. She won’t hardly walk with this harness on. I’m not sure if she’s embarrassed or confused, but it slows her down to almost a standstill. We know there is nothing wrong with her, so this has provided a new level of entertainment.

In a week or two this will probably all be past, but it has been a gratifying relief from the barking while it lasts.

[Update 7 Dec: Yep. It wasn't a collapsing trachea after all. Probably just kennel cough. The barking has resumed to previous levels, but Annie is back to her old self again.]

This surprised all of us. We thought the cat had Annie under complete control, but when the brawls begin the cat turns and runs. Like any dog, a cat in full retreat transforms Annie into a crazed cat-killing lunatic until we jump in and calm her down.

It would be really cool to get this on video, but the skirmishes happen suddenly and end as quickly as they begin.

Annie’s New Nemesis, Cat

Last week when the cold weather hit, the local stray cat which Audrey has been feeding kicked the “Let-Your- Neighborhood-Cat- In” campaign up to the next level. With big saucer eyes she peered in our back door and meowed for all she was worth. It worked.

Cat immediately endeared herself to all the right people. Right away she curled up on the couch with Andrew who had been wanting a pet which preferred him. Since Audrey is allergic to cats, the mere presence of a cat being cute in the house was enough to please her. And Cathy’s world was far better knowing she had reduced feline suffering in the world. My warnings about fleas, dirt, scratched up furniture, and the alienation of Annie fell on deaf ears.

Before I knew it the question had become, “Can she spend the night in Andrew’s room?” We completely skipped the “Can Cat come in the house and stay for a couple hours?” stage.

Furthermore, Cat clearly established her authority over Annie. A few swift claw swipes to the curious, but stupid, dog face made this point. An extra loud hiss and a show of sharp little cat teeth made the point emphatically. Poor Annie isn’t sure what to do, so she generally goes about business as though the cat doesn’t exist. It appears to be a coping mechanism.

As I write, Andrew is searching for Cat so he can put her out and go to bed. I think Cat knows this and is hiding so she can stay inside all night. I’m sure the whole thing is part of her plan to live inside permanently.

I have a bad feeling about all of this.