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Pet People

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Minnie visits the country by Skeeter




The Saints sister dog Minnie is back home in Virginia all safe and sound from her big Georgia adventures! On her first two days with us it rained. Outside time was less then planned while dirt and leaves were a challenge to keep off the floor. Minnie was really good about letting us clean her paws. I had to think of Sandy and the foot baths with Scooter or is it Zoe that gets the paw treatment?

Minnie broke her leash one morning while chasing a bunny into the woods! Luckily the squeaking of her ball had her back in our arms in no time at all. The Saint bought a new leash but we found out a new leash is only as good as the person using it! She slipped out of the new leash when the Saint tried to keep her under control after a strange man approached us while on a walk. Collar and leash over the head trick and into the woods up the street! A harness worked to keep her in control from then on. She learned to walk calmly by our side soon afterwards.

We were taking her out to play or walk around our yard (30-45 minutes) and woods every 2 to 3 hours from 6 in the morning until 10 at night. We became comfortable enough to let her run free while chasing the ball in the back yard after a few days. She loved the freedom of running in the leaves and we loved watching her being so happy while running and playing like a true puppy! Oh, how we wish we had a completely fenced in yard!

Minnie seems to love all animals she crosses paths with to include the horses across the street. It was cute the day she met them and one horse in particular, Topaz would come running to visit her when we took her across the street to sniff noses. Jetta the old Chow mix from next door came by to visit but once seeing how much energy Minnie had, she was only interesting in stealing Minnie’s bone. Funny how quickly those old arthritic legs moved while running off with that bone! Minnie and I found the bone buried under some leaves in a few days while in the woods. Jetta would see us and come over to move it when we were not looking. We kept finding it until about the fourth move when it disappeared. Was a funny game those two were playing…

Minnie enjoyed her time inside also. She would watch squirrels from the sunroom window when not napping or playing with us. I would work on teaching her tricks by giving her treats (mostly her uneaten food, shhh don’t tell her). She already knew the basics of sit and lay from her Petsmart training. I taught her to crawl across the floor on her belly in one afternoon! I tried the clicker thing that Adrienne suggested but it scared the dickens out of her so I gave up on that one. I sent it home with Mom and Dad B in case they wanted to pursue it further. The Saint and I together worked on keeping her from begging at the dinner table also. She was a quick learner with us but was not happy with us banning her from the table. In time she stopped begging all together! She taught us to not bring snacks into the Sitting/TV area. This happened after she stole a chicken strip from my plate that was on the coffee table! Argggg, sneaky girl and my lack of supervision while changing the channel on the TV were at fault. The expression on her innocent/guilty face was funny as heck as she gulped down her meaty prize!

The Saint had his supervision tested also while inside. A wicker chair leg was chewed a bit when Minnie became bored. Again, that TV was more important then keeping and eye on the bored fur baby! The Saint had a talent of ignoring the squeaking of toys after a few days. Hum, I wonder where he learned to ignore endless noise. Blah, blah, Okay, I taught him well…

The cats adjusted to Minnie taking over their favorite room in the house and they both made efforts to get to know Minnie. Sheba would creep into the room and climb upon the Monkey tree (top level) safely away while watching us play with Minnie. She instigated and braved a nose sniff with Minnie as we froze in our boots! She also sneak into a window to bird watch by the last day of Minnie’s visit. Cheetah would sit at the closed French doors and chat with Minnie safely behind glass. I am not sure what she said to Minnie but doggie never once tried to attack the girls with her aggressive play movements. Cheetah the scardy cat made it as far as the open window to the sunroom from the house behind the futon. I am sure with a few more days; she too would be in the room. We assumed that after 13 days of Minnie’s visit, the cats had decided Minnie was here to stay and they needed to become friends!

The cats were happy to get their sunroom back when Minnie left us. They showed joy by bringing us 5 toy mice into the bedroom during that first night! I was happy to get caught up on my sleep with Minnie’s absence but I do miss that sweet Minnie Girl greeting me each morning! She was always so happy to see me. It reminded me how, there is nothing like the love of a dog…

She has some major people issues but we think this visit with us to the country was a great hurdle for her to overcome...

It was a strange set of events when Mom and Dad B returned but that is a post for another time…

Over all Dog summery…
Dog running away twice-100% stress.
No fenced yard-100% stress.
New leash from Petsmart- Bank Loan.
Lack of sleep-100% walking zombie.
Cleaning-25% extra work.
Cooking meals-13 straight days, arggg.
Tail Wags &, Face Licks-PRICELESS

posted by Skeeter at 1/12/2008 08:37:00 AM

4 Comments:

Blogger Adrienne said...

The Saint looks so thrilled that you are taking his picture. It's good that Minnie is getting socialized to all kinds of situations. Good job Skeeter!

Saturday, January 12, 2008 11:09:00 AM  
Blogger tina said...

I think the Saint is a great subject for pictures and ALWAYS seems to be a good sport.

Stress over for the time being. Mission accomplished. Good job on dog sitting.

Sunday, January 13, 2008 7:42:00 AM  
Blogger Sandy said...

I just love your Minnie tales! See, you can soon handle a little dog, one that is already trained, housbroken and out of puppy stage.LOL.

Minnie has come so far since she first came into the family! How is she doing back at home?

Sunday, January 13, 2008 2:47:00 PM  
Blogger Skeeter said...

Minnie is trying to get back to her old ways while at home. I have a few more things to touch on about her as to how she acted when Mom and Dad B returned to our house from their trip. It is strange but too long to chat here so I will post on it with my next posting.....

Wednesday, January 16, 2008 4:30:00 PM  

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Pet People

Sandy Britt, an animal welfare advocate and volunteer with Clarksville rescue organizations, takes care of three dogs: Zoe, Scooter and Peanut; two cats: Catfish and Tarzan; and one husband, Glen, and according to him she takes care of them in that order.
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