The Old Folks Home

[microchick]

So true. I can't fault them for trying to protect me.

Ron your pictures are gorgeous.

Beer can I love the picture of the northern lights. The fires are just spooky, tho

 

[CapricornFarm]

Micro, is your tetanus shot up to date? With those puncture wounds, i would not risk it.

 

[microchick]

Yep Cap, sure is. I asked the doc last year about a booster. He said new recommendations say every 10 years, clean or dirty wound. I had my last one in 10 so I'm still covered. I have a bottle of Cephalexin on hand that should cover infection. My left hand is so sore. I think I pushed my hand into the bigger dog's mouth trying to break his hold and he just clamped down harder. Lucky no bones are broken, but I yelled at him and he let go. I don't think he even realized that he had my hand in his mouth till then.

You live with dogs long enough (cats too) and you tend to forget that they are animals and not human members of the family. DH and I do not have children or close family. It's just him, me and our animals. I think it makes them acting ike what they really are a little more painful when it happens. But one of my favorite advices to pet owners is, you can't hold it against a dog, cat, chicken, cow or horse for acting like what they really are. We don't hit our animals so the two guilty parties got the mother of all dress downs. In fact it's safe to say any Amish riding by the house probably heard a few swear words that they had never heard before. Those two dogs are still acting contrite.

 

[perchie.girl]

So true. I can't fault them for trying to protect me.

I am glad you saw it that way.... pack dynamics....

deb

 

[chickadoodles]

Love your pics Ron. I love northern Cali.

Penny and Beer sorry about the fires hopefully they will get them under control soon.
Good deal on the Tee shirts Penny.

 

[Bunnylady]

Meanwhile, two dogs are acting very contrite. Very weird behavior considering the fact that Lucy is the Alpha female and they adore her under normal conditions.

So true. I can't fault them for trying to protect me.

I'm so sorry you got chewed up, microchick, and I hope you heal up quickly. But I'm not sure that the other two dogs thought they were 'protecting' you at all. You said that just before all the drama started, Lucy yipped. I think that may be your clue right there - the other dogs didn't think Lucy was attacking you, they thought you were attacking Lucy for some reason so they jumped in and ganged up on her, too. You said Lucy is "older," is she "older" enough to be starting to be a bit, um, unfit and infirm? Pack dynamics may be shifting; as much as we may love them and try to project human traits onto them, dogs are dogs and they can be brutal to each other like that.

 

[microchick]

Lu is 13 now and outside of some hip arthritis and being as deaf as a board she is in good health. But you may have a point. Our 9 year old Australian Cattle Dog has what we suspect is degenerative Myelopathy and we have seen the pack dynamics change towards him. Ding has always been the alpha dog, Lu the Alpha female but with him developing neurological problems, Buck, the younger male, has been acting more dominate towards them. We never let things go too far with the dominance posturing but this was the first outbreak of real violence between them..

Definitely a different angle to look at things. Thanks for pointing it out to me, Bunnylady.

 

[getaclue]

I know this may sound nuts, but pour straight Clorox into the animal bite. I learned this long ago, and have had occasion to use it multiple times. The circus, next door to where I grew up, kept bottle of it near the animal pens, and cages that were most likely to bite. It doesn't burn.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Did i show you guys my skylight?

 

[Beer can]

Some varmints ate about half the plants in my garden. There will be death!

It'd take a cow to eat half my garden right now. I'd invite it if it would go down the rows and eat the weeds Lol!
All the weeds are edible though been feeding them to the chickens, can't remember all the names, one short to the ground one I actually tried this yr grows abundantly in my garden if I keep the taller weeds down, purslane, was super good.
Nothing gets in my garden and I have no fence. Cracks me up when I see people on FB post pics of their new little garden with a fence a bear would have trouble with lol. Last vegan predator that tried out my produce was a fat woodchuck, I didn't try eating that one though, don't see any rabbits anymore
Did have a deer invasion last winter but I don't think that counts? Had a huge patch of kale that just kept going, I swear it was still growing, snow and ice would knock it down, warm up and thaw and I was making kale omelets again, feeding it to the chickens also. One day end of January I walked over to pick some for the birds holy crap, where did it go? It was 3'x20' 2-3' high, completely disappeared...