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Dog Sittin’
I introduced Thor a couple years ago. Thor passed on and crossed the Rainbow Bridge last month. He went from fine fettle to riddled with cancer in just three days. Thor’s family was devastated. They got two new German Shepherd pups. Keeping with a theme, the pups are Odin and Loki.
Their owner, a veterinary surgeon who is one of the Lovely and Talented Mrs. Mongo’s best friends, had a conference and decided that the whole crew, her, her kids, her boyfriend and her boyfriend’s kids (5 kids in all) would go to the conference and make at sort of a vacation. Her boyfriend is one of my best friends, a former SEAL who I worked with for years and who retired whilst working for me.
They originally had a teenager lined up to watch the house and dogs. Then, thinking about the probability of the teenager throwing a kegger at the house, pulled us into house/dog sit over the next two weekends. Then, the teenager never showed to get the download on carrying for the pups and the other three dogs. So, I and the Mrs. have the gig for the week.
When I got home from work Wednesday night, the Lovely and Talented Mrs. Mongo informed me that Thursday night when I got home, we’d be going to the Vet’s house to get the download on care and feeding of the animals. That we would do for the next week+. I handled the information that my next nine days had been ‘jacked with my usually calm and equanimity. But still, the Vet’s a good friend and she deserves to be able to take time off with her loved ones without worrying about her critters. The critters are:
- Princess Leia: She’s my GSD, but it’s not like we’re going anywhere without her.
- Talla: Another GSD. Also occasionally called Taliban, with cause. About 7 years old. Moves, plays and chews non-stop.
- Becket: A grumpy, pugnacious, snaggle-toothed-with-an-underbite terrier mix. If Becket doesn’t know you or know you well, he has a tendency to sneak up behind you and bite your heel/calf. First time he tried that with me, I patiently explained how if he tried it again I was going to drop-kick him through the goalposts of life. We’ve been good, since then.
- Fiona: An adorable long-haired, miniature Daschund, with one brown and one blue eye. She’s a sweety, and brooks no shenanigans or trespass from all the other, larger dogs.
As for the two new pups, they are very young; their ears haven’t stood up yet. Too, if going with a Norse naming theme, the dogs are named appropriately.
-Odin: He’s going to be monster-sized. He’s pretty internally focused, not interested in pleasing others, and bats the other, smaller dogs out of the way without hesitation (the plucky smaller dogs then rage on him; he’ll catch on). He dwarfs Loki, and he only has three weeks age on him.
-Loki: He’s always up to some type of mischief. He always attacks from ambush. Sometimes, he’ll attack just because he’s got the opportunity to ambush, not because he has any kind of agenda in mind.
I like dogs. Heck, I love dogs. Moving into another person’s house for nine days to take care of someone else’s curs though, wasn’t really in the plan. Still, the bonds of friendship come with obligations.
And, her house and property are okay, I guess. It’s not like we’ll be roughing it. Mostly.
I don’t usually carry my phone around with me, hoping to take a great selfie or catch some phenom on video, but I’ll try to keep my phone close to capture these little darlin’s as we go through the week.
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What a good friend you are, taking on such tough duty!! I wish I could watch the circus–uh, or whatever you’d call it. At least the digs are tolerable.
That’s really nice of you. Veterinarians need a break from work and their animal friends and patients from time to time.
You and your wife get the Medal of Kindness from me too. :-)
C’mon, Mongo…. show the pups.
And the beer fridge is only stocked with imports.
Do the dogs swim? Do they only jump into the water if people do?
I look after a neighbor’s dog sometimes. It looks like dingo, but behaves like a dingbat. The owner is an excitable person, so it’s small wonder the dog needs a choke collar not to drag someone up a tree.
Coolest dog I ever tended was my brother’s husky. My brother and I were born in New Orleans, raised in Texas. So it was providential that his dog had black fur around his eyes like a fleur-de-lis and a bare spot on his nose shaped like Texas.
But honestly I prefer my sister’s boxer. He sits quietly and obeys. Boring like me.
Talla will jump into the pool without a moment’s hesitation. The rest of the dogs view the pool with suspicion.
I did a couple of weeks minding the animals of a fellow church member many years ago. Two dogs, a cat, three horses, and a hutch full of rabbits. The rabbits were easiest: food in over here, water over there, scoop out the rabbit poop from under the hutch. Same deal with the cat, with the litter box replacing the hutch. The horses needed to be exercised a bit, but that was easy too.
The dogs were great. I was told that neither of them would come when called. We took care of that little detail first thing. They were reliably coming over when called after about a week.
Dear Boss,
So sorry to hear about Thor. Lived that story with Duke and his galloping leukemia in 2004.
What are your rates? I have a nice four-page Excel spreadsheet (probably runs to six pages if you need the “large type” edition), color coded and outlining responsibilities (in military time if you prefer), detailing activities, meals, and requirements for the dogs, cats, rabbits, sheep and goats in our absence. My feed bins are all clearly labeled. I will leave enough food for the duration of your visit (for the animals. You’re on your own). There are only two kinds of litter: for the cats and for the rabbits. Please don’t get them mixed up (they’re labeled too).
There’s no pool. There is a creek at the bottom of the field that’s been regularly overflowing because of coal mine subsidence and record-breaking rainfall. I call it the “headwaters of the Mississippi” due to the fact that it flows directly into Buffalo Creek, which flows into Wheeling Creek, which flows into the Ohio River which flows . . . Well. You get the idea. (I know they’re not really “headwaters,” but that’s what we, around here, faux farmers and snotty academics that we are, call a “poetic conceit.”) If you’re lucky, the lower ground will flood while you’re here, and you can take the tractor down, get it stuck in the mud up to its axles, and then figure out how to free it. That’s always fun.
If you’d prefer something a little more relaxing, there’s always the spa:
Believe it or not, we received grant money to develop the spring and put this in. And we’re grateful. So is Levi, one of my two Great Pyrenees. (He is, actually, as I’ve said in a post or two before, the Greatest Pyrenees. I won’t leave him with just anyone. Please think of it as an honor that I’m even considering this.)
The only other thing I should mention is that there’s still a fair amount of “schtuff” in the barn that needs to be shoveled out. When you have time.
Do, please, give this some serious thought, and then phone me so we can discuss. Pretty sure you won’t regret it.
Thanks.
Ricochet She
PS: How’s TLATMM at shearing sheep?
Loki, taking a much needed break after a morning of mayhem and mischief.
Dearest She,
Yeah. No.
As I may have mentioned before, I spent summers working on my grandfather’s ranch.
One of the reasons I did the whole Academy/Infantry/Special Operations thing was it was the only way to get out of ranching without breaking the old man’s heart.
Let me get with the LATMM on the sheep shearing. I know she can’t/hasn’t/doesn’t. But there’s some kind of naughty game I can make out of it, somewhere in there.
The lads, Odin and Loki, after their introduction to Pool 101.
The pool session wiped them out. They needed some R&R.
Did the LATMM take the photo while they were keeping two wary eyes on you? Or did you take the photo while they were plaintively looking at the LATMM as if to ask, “How do you survive living with this monster?”
Pups need their downtime.
(Look at those paws. They’re gonna be monsters.)
They look like a couple of sports! Did I count six dogs?? Looks like the new pups under your guidance, will be in tip top shape when the owner gets back from siesta (or they’ll be spoiled rotten mush….)…..
@ctlaw, the latter.
True dat.
Woof!
I have forgiven a vague suspiciousness I once held against the Boss for not loving The Lord of the Rings. Loving dogs—and caring for the darlings—is the mark of a good human. I love the new pups’ names!
I really love dogs.
Thanks for the pic, Boss.
Mongo, These have your name written all over them.
https://www.wtnh.com/news/animals-and-wildlife/husband-and-wife-dogs-up-for-adoption-together/
Fiona, with the David Bowie eyes, just because GSDs shouldn’t get all the attention all the time.
All the hounds, looking for their end-of-the-day penne in alfredo sauce. Good dogs.