Monday, February 9, 2009

My Favorite Dog


(a short break from the story)

A couple of weeks ago Scout was annoying me because she suddenly started whining to go out at odd times. She's usually quite good about "sleeping in", for example, on our day off. But she whined during our Sunday afternoon nap, for example. She whined to go out early Monday morning, too.

So I watched her for a little while early in the morning. I found out why she was anxious to get outside. She had found a new toy.

It was a dead mouse.

This was during the cold spell (the 20 below cold spell), so I'm sure that the mouse was frozen solid.
***
Lately I have been contemplating getting a special kind of (expensive) brush for Scout. This is her shedding season, and it's been coming out in tufts. We vacuum three times a day, we brush her all the time, and the fur just keeps coming out. By all rights, she should be bald by now. But she's not. But I priced the brush, and it's $59.95. She's a pretty expensive dog.
***
Scout has always had a sensitive stomach. We have finally found a prescription dog food that, though expensive, works well for her. She hasn't been sick for a long time. We have even let her have a piece of popcorn on occasion, with no ill effects.

On Saturday, we ran out of food. Our vet is usually open on Saturday morning, so we called to get a new bag. They were out for continuing education. For the last two days we have been back to the rice and boiled hamburger diet. We got a new bag of food today.

Yesterday I brought home a coffee cake, a special treat from a local grocery store. For those of you "in the know", it was from Lunds, so you know it was a kind of a "high end" coffee cake. We each indulged in a piece after church on Sunday.

Scout ate the rest.

It's a good thing she's so cute.

UPDATE ON SCOUT:
This morning (Tuesday) I took Scout out for her walk, as is my habit, and then let her run in the back yard until her breakfast time. It was a very wet and sloppy morning, and when I first saw her sitting at the back door, I thought she was covered with mud. On closer inspection, it turned out that she was covered -- but not with mud.


She was covered with burrs. From her head and ears to her tail.

We are still pulling them out -- gently. Some, on her ears, are so embedded that when we try to take them out, she screams. ("Scream" is the word my husband uses for the sound she makes.)

My next task: to find the place in our back yard where the burrs are coming from, and get rid of all of them.

11 comments:

Lindy said...

Well, she IS cute.

If you're thinking of the FURminator, it's worth every penny but I think they can be had for significantly less on-line. Or just try an undercoat rake. Much less expensive and often gets the fur that traditional brushes miss.

I feed Rowan Flint River Ranch. It's all organic, baked not fried, and no corn. He does great on it. And, best of all, they deliver it right to your door. You feed a smaller amount, which the dogs don't mind, so it winds up being comparable in price to the better brands. I wouldn't feed anything else. I can put you in touch with my dealer if you're interested. He's great.

So, if I'm such a know it all, why can't I train him not to jump on me when he gets excited? Oy, these dogs.

Thanks for the great picture. I'm hopelessly captivated by her.

Barbara B. said...

Yep, Scout is indeed cute!

And popcorn! Now you can take Scout to the movies! :)

Fran said...

It is great to see Scout.

It appears that Gracie can and will eat anything, but we do try to feed her good stuff only.

BooBoo the cat and the ongoing digestive issues have led us down the road of many foods.

We went the organic route, which luckily works for Rowan, but did not work for BooBoo.

Right now we are using prescription food and it is VERY expensive. I can't tell if it is working because the cat is also on meds, which are working.

We send our canine and kitty love and prayers to you all.

I don't know anything about Lund's coffee cake other than I would like a piece!!

Magdalene6127 said...

I used to have a dog that ate the butter left out to soften for baking cookies.

Their cuteness is definitely a useful adaptation to prolong their lives.

Lori said...

Yes cuteness is a survival tool. Works for children too. Ha!

I love the pictures of Scout.

And a dead mouse. Eek!

Rev SS said...

LOL! She is cute. (and very lovable, right?)

SWAT gitu loch said...
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SWAT gitu loch said...
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Diane M. Roth said...

does anyone understand the above comment?

Anonymous said...

Our dog tends to run our lives, so I know what you mean :)

Ruth Hull Chatlien said...

I'm so sorry to hear about the burrs. They are not fun to get out of fur.

Sniper's comment has me mystified too.