Tag Archives: dogs

Pointers

Posted on June 12, 2013 | 1 comment

Yes, you’ve all been to a museum and seen a painting of a Pointer showing it’s owner/handler the location of the prey so that it can be flushed out by the Retriever. I think that’s how hunting goes, but failed riflery at age 12.

This is actually about pointing. While preparing dinner I heard the audio and missed the video of a science show that was talking about pointing.

It said that children learn it early, dogs understand it but primates do not.

The key to this is that they say pointing is essential to teamwork, and we’re all about that. I point, you look at me, look at the direction to which I am pointing and voila, we just saw the bear or lion that’s come to kill us. Teamwork.

Think about it. Laser pointers, Kanban boards. It’s all about pointing. If I throw a ball for my dog and she’s busy meeting a new dog, I just point at it and she goes and gets it. For my old dog, she didn’t like balls at first so I had to start out by tossing her favorite stuffed animal. As she got older she knew every car in the neighborhood so when my sister visited she heard the diesel engine and had a basket full of stuffed animals and would go crazy finding the right one with which to greet her!

I adopted another flawed (had to take out her hips) dog for the past ten years and she loves chasing a ball but nothing like a tennis ball or stuffed animal can be left anywhere near her at home because she’ll tear it apart in seconds.

Primates cannot point? I find that unusual and must look it up further. I do get the teamwork philosophy. Write back and I’ll look at what you want me to….. Point taken, Dee

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Old Friends

Posted on October 22, 2011 | Leave a comment

I know I’m supposed to be cooking but have been doing some simple staple meals these days.  It’s about time to cook a stew.  Tonight I still have the thermostat on to put on heat under 68 degrees and air over 72 degrees but I closed the windows.

That means winter.  Do you know what it means when they put red poles at the end of your driveway?  That’s for the snow removal equipment, and high end equipment they have.  Today they also constructed a concrete haven for salt for the local roads.  They don’t kid about snow here.

But I wanted to talk about old friends.  A very old friend of mine, Savannah, a Yorkie in San Diego, died a year ago and she had a very special gift, to tell big dogs to cut out their antics and shut up.  And as this three-pound dog in a dress told them off, they listened.

Cassie was a very sweet dog owned by neighbors, who died suddenly last Christmas. He now has a very unruly (but eminintly trainable) dog that’s doing better and is about 10 months old.

Tonight I found out that our neighbor’s Golden Retriever is gone.  No word from the owners but we sent a card and I’ll bring over some flowers in the morning.  Riley was a sweet girl that only cared about her squeaky football but liked people as well.  She will be missed.

When folks met her for the first time, one said, “Doesn’t she live the life of Riley!”  So that was her name for 12 years.  I know her folks so I know she did have a great life.

I still miss my guys, at least Chani has a tree in our old park, not that she was allowed to chase her ball there – because of control freaks.

A girlfriend we met in Texas and I spent a lot of time with in Scotland, her mother just died.  No, I’m not placing her below dogs, and I just found this out. We will help out as much as we can, which is probably very little as she has a large family and circle of close friends 1,500 miles away.

People shy away from death and hospitals. I have an aversion to both as well.  We didn’t have to decide with my mother.  She chose hospice and lived two weeks.  With our pets we get to decide to ease their suffering even though they will be dearly missed.  Then if we “man-up” we sit by them and hold them through it.  I’ve done it four times now and know…

that Riley will not be the last.  One day I’ll go to the vet with Zoe and have a clear health scan, then be back in weeks in distress. I’ll hold her and hopefully Jim will, too, and we’ll plant a tree for her.  Or a bush, something mice can hide under. She’d like that.  In honor of the fallen, Dee

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Maureen Dowd

Posted on June 8, 2011 | Leave a comment

In her Op-Ed, Your Tweetin’ Heart, about Cong. Weiner’s tweeting scandal, she says that the Congressman is a dog.

As no more comments were allowed on the NYTimes site, I must use this venue to say that this categorization denigrates a human’s best friend, the dog.

My dog is much better behaved than Congressman Weiner. OK, she’s killed a mouse or two and eats grass or dead things from time to time and throws up on our bed 48 hours later. She doesn’t send naked photos to other dogs on social media sites or do that and lie about it. Both me and my dog feel bad for the Congressman’s wife of less than a year, who married a jerk.

I love Ms. Dowd’s NYTimes editorials and have followed her over the years, but comparing a lying public servant to a dog does a disservice to dogs. Cheers, Dee

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Causes, and Friends

Posted on September 11, 2010 | Leave a comment

We spent years trying to get legal leash-free areas in public parks for us and our dogs. We ended up with a small core group, and its interesting that our dogs rarely or never met each other. We had meetings to get business taken care of, make it brief, assign tasks and go our separate ways.

My dog died awaiting closure of this issue nine years ago, all while I attended community meetings nearly every night and got certified as a pseudo-community advocate. Others followed with the last I heard of today. It’s tough to get back in the game and champion the cause when grieving for the dog whose cause you wanted to champion. I stayed in it, but it was difficult. Years later and several moves hence it’s easier to look back on it with some clarity.

Our dogs may be gone but we’ve maintained a friendship over many years. Perhaps my colleagues were always expert in this area of public debate and causes. I was not. Only willing and able and a fast learner. We’ve gone through battle together. Even though I’m no longer in residence, the cause remains the same, dog or not. That’s how I felt but it took a couple of weeks to get there after my dog died.

We have a wonderful dog now, and we had to have her hips taken out as a pup. No, she will never replace my old one but she’s ours and is happy to be with us and is a very different creature. Today I give honor to Hilde, a very special dog who died. I give thanks to Miss C. for stepping up and taking care of our girl for a few days. This gal is not yet ten but wants to be a Vet so I bought her Dr. Pitcairn’s Natural Health for Dogs and Cats, that is my bible for pet care. Mine is a much older edition, in storage of course.

Now her parents know she has to be an Aggie! Don’t worry, we have enough family around there to take care of her. RIP, Hilde, you weren’t fun to walk but you were definitely loved. Cheers, Dee

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Four Girls Four

Posted on March 27, 2010 | 3 comments

This girl group (I should say ladies’ group) was composed of Rosemary Clooney, Rose Marie, Helen O’Connell and Margaret Whiting.

They were fantastic singing classic big band and other songs, and I was lucky to see them in the early 1980’s at Chautauqua. Tonight I’m surrounded by Two Guys Two, my husband and a work pal are here, for the weekend for skiing (not my Jim). I’m working on dishes and while they set up a movie, they start into total work mode and start talking tech.

In the midst of the work conversation and had settled on a movie, I broke in and told them I’d been to a seminar this past week. We learned that while the Greater Sandhill Cranes mated for life, one guy asked why the male bird had to show his feathers for the gal every year. I said it was like dinner and a movie. Most people laughed.

While we’ve been together over eight years (seven married) it’s always interesting to meet fellow colleagues. Yes. it is always better to have other guys, gals/wives around for a social event. At home, taking care of weekend guests, it’s different.

It’s always a treat to have guests here, we wouldn’t have had an extra bedroom except to have people visit us in this gorgeous location. Several folks have and it’s always good to see them, cook for them, and see them off.

Now there are folks who want to kick us off this place and we don’t want to leave. What I hate more is that someone who sees me regularly on a public route with my dog on a leash (when his is not) goes home and has wife send a letter saying we’re not allowed to have a dog.

This morning I picked up a beer can that had been buried in the snow and put it in the trash, my dear husband shoveled the trail himself after he got home from work yesterday, and now I’m wondering why we’re such bad neighbors. After all, our dog is six now and we’ve had her six years so why are we supposed to get rid of her to pay a fortune for a lovely home that we care for diligently, and are recognized as great neighbors.

It would be nice to just have a break, to be recognized for being good neighbors and not be ostracized by one couple for having a friendly, special needs dog who does nothing to hurt anyone. Hope y’all are having a good weekend. We enjoyed our long drive today! Cheers, Dee

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Posted in Editorial, Pet, Utah

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For the Dog Who Has Everything…

Posted on November 16, 2009 | Leave a comment

Do you remember your grandmother’s ice cream machine? A big wooden tub that encased a small can, which was hand-cranked (the kids lined up for that one) or electric. She placed ice and rock salt around the metal can inside the wooden enclosure. Why salt? To make the ice colder and freeze the delicious blueberry (or whatever) ice cream was inside.

As we settle into our first long winter of deep snows, one ski resort is already open. We anticipate much plowing will be done and also, the HOA here is salt-happy. What happens when your dog goes out on ice and snow saturated with rock salt? Her paws freeze and she limps until the hurt is gone, then when she arrives home, even after toweling off she licks her paws.

There are two solutions: booties, which most dogs hate and I can’t imagine doing that first thing in the morning; and a new trick we’ve found out from neighbors, paw wax. We can’t find it at the local pet stores so had to get it online, it should arrive later this week. Looks like it’s going to be a very cold but sunny, snow-free week so if we stick to the trails instead of driveways and roads, she should be OK.

So, what do you get for the pup in northern climes? Try paw wax. We ordered a brand called Mushers and will let you know how it works. Zoe didn’t understand why it took me so long to get ready this morning in 13 degree Farenheit weather. It was the boots! Coat, hat, gloves, but my feet were protected by socks and boots and hers aren’t, at least until later this week. Oh, I gave away her grosgrain ribbon jingle bell collar to a pup last year, so we got her a green velvet one with golden bells. She has to be bathed and groomed before we take her photo with that collar!

I’m still trying to find a capon. There’s a new farmers’ market in walking distance, indoors. I bought a “culotte” of lamb, that is frozen. I’m going to thaw it out later in the week, marinate it in good olive oil, garlic, rosemary and perhaps some balsamic vinegar and we’ll grill it. It’s local lamb. I also bought a fresh loaf of artisan cranberry-orange bread that I immediately wrapped and froze for either cranberry trifle or bread pudding. It may become the base of a Thanksgiving dessert.

I made pizza last night, from scratch of course. It was very good and we still have an entire pizza left over to heat up another night. I wanted to make roasted winter squash soup today but may run out of time as I’ve been cleaning and doing loads and loads of laundry, winter jackets and all. Fabric softener in the wash seems to make a difference. Right now inside is 23% humidity, a desert-like environment in which skin dries and cracks and electricity crackles every time I touch something or take off a sweater. Let’s hope this helps.

Thanks for tuning in to the early winter edition of Dee’s mountain cooking blog! Cheers, Dee

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Farewell, Molly

Posted on August 16, 2009 | 2 comments

Ms. Molly said goodbye to the world she’s had with Val and family for 32 years, today. The horse that was bought by Jim’s grandfather, who died many years ago. The trouble is, our cousin and vet and Zoe’s hip surgeon had to do it herself. I’ve helped several of my pets go to the beyond when they were unable to lead anything resembling a normal life, but this is too much to bear. I had to watch a vet, she is one.

Most people kick children out of the nest at 18 or 21. This horse was hers for 32 years. Val is a strong woman, as a vet she works on small and large animals all the time, but Molly was always there.

We thank Val the Vet and our same cousin for taking such good care of our Zoe, who has no hips but made her own. We wish Val and her family well overcoming this loss while we are assuaged by knowing that several of Molly’s offspring are moving up in endurance racing and there’s a “grandson” who also shows promise in that regard.

My husband won’t miss Molly much because when she was pregnant the first time and the foal started kicking, she thought it was Jim, and it wasn’t but she kicked him nonetheless. Every time he visited the farm she hated him. That’s his story. I still don’t think he’s glad that she’s gone. I will tell you in no uncertain terms that this horse is not going to dog meat. I hope she’ll be buried near Pork Chop. In memoriam, Dee

RIP Molly, Dee

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Texas

Posted on March 6, 2009 | 2 comments

Dee’s Texas Journal
Sunday, May 09, 2004

Happy Mother’s Day!

It’s funny how someone gets married, or has a baby, or gets a dog, and everything changes. Well we’ve now done the married and puppy things and life is really different.

And so is Texas. After we went to Paris (the Texas one) for Jim’s brother John’s surprise birthday party last month we enjoyed the wildflowers everywhere, en route and here in Austin. We have walked among the infamous Texas bluebonnets, black-eyed susans, and others that were on display for all to see.

The most Texan things that come to mind over the past few weeks include music; receiving presents in the form of CD’s of Lyle Lovett and Jerry Jeff Walker. While we love them we are balancing our lives with some Cheryl Crow, Norah Jones and an old Dave Mason. I try to add to Jim’s work CD selection as needed.

We are enjoying time with our new pup, Zoe. She is growing so fast; fifteen weeks old and smart as a whip. She is selectively obedient. Indoors she fetches, sits, lies down and comes when called. Outside, we may as well forget all of it. Like a cattle dog, she lies 1/3 of the way of a Lab’s route to her ball, and chases the dog in. At least she is being socialized with other dogs and people.

This past week Zoe found the glass doors of the fireplace and, looking into them, whined to see the puppy on the other side! After weeks of going out on our patio with the bird feeder in place, she just realized that there are birds out there!

All of this makes one appreciate life. I certainly enjoy my life with Jim, and Zoe, with its inevitable ups and downs.

Next weekend Jim and I are going on a Magical Mystery Date, the first “date” of ours that I’ve engineered. All Jim knows is that we will be within a two-hour drive of Austin, for two nights, and that Zoe is going into a kennel for the first time so that we can be by ourselves. Don’t worry, dog lovers, we went there to check out the kennel and she’ll be outside on a farm for 7-8 hours per day.

Notes from today: Our magical date was a fiasco of epic proportions. It was at a downtown hotel where we ended up with a corporate party room with a Murphy bed, our car broke down en route and we were late for the boat tour and had spent all cash on the car and the boat didn’t accept credit cards, the ATM at the hotel broke, you get the idea. We went on a bat tour to see the 750,000 Mexican freetail bats head out at night for food. We only saw about 3,000. [I’m bat-cursed as we’ve done this again and no bats came out when Jim’s grandmother visited and we took her out on the paddleboat tour.]

The next morning at the hotel I heard the bats come back en masse to the Congress Street Bridge at 5:30 a.m. I didn’t have the heart to awaken Jim. Letting him sleep was the least I could do, as we still had to take a taxi to pick up our fixed car. Cheers, Dee

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