What did you do with your flock today?

[ChicksnMore]

I'm so sorry all of your efforts to retrieve Tuck have not payed off yet. He is so adorable, no wonder some human won't give him up. Keep posting and doing the foot work ♡♡♡♡ you are in my good thoughts.

Yeah, I think we were all a bad influence to eachother with our caring, hoarding tendencies . Obviously we needed time away to regroup and regain sanity . I'll try to be better.

For me, losing Forest was pivotal. I had so much anger towards myself for not being there for him. Made me cat manic but forced me to slow in other areas. Now, I'm working towards balance.... right?

Give the girls a virtual hug from us, tell Kimi we are proud, study hard, be smart, and don't drink too much, lol.
Looking forward to more catch up and photos.

I'm feeling a lot of anger at myself too. I know I messed up somewhere there or he would still be cuddled up with me right now. I think part of my grief is simply because I'm so used to having part of my mind constantly aware of where Tuck is...I let my awareness slip for a moment and lost him. I have to believe that someone has him. That somewhere out there, he's safely warm, with a full belly and someone to be his touchstone. He's always been the dog that needed to be near me every second..he even slept in my lap while I ate. So small and quiet that you'd never know he was there unless I ate the last bite without sharing. I don't know how he knew...but my quietly sleeping baby would lift his head, look at me and make the saddest sound if I forgot his tidbit was supposed to be the last bite.
Anyway...I'm obsessed right now.

Balance right? I know you're right but man that's hard sometimes.

 

[ChicksnMore]

Ok...so some happier dog stuff. Well, kinda happier. We had a neighbor move away and leave behind all 3 of their unaltered dogs. One boy and two girls. Both girls pregnant. One of my other neighbors knew about it and was taking the dogs food and water until one of the girls gave birth and all the puppies died. She got busy getting our shelter involved in helping the other two, and brought me the remaining pregnant girl in case she gave birth before the shelter stepped in. So we ended up with 9 adorable little floofballs to find homes for. Well...8, because we kept one .
Im happy to say the last puppy got it's home last night, and i think all went to good homes.

Didn't Goose grow up to be beautiful?

What a picture flood! Just a few more...the next is the pup we're keeping. Her name is Blue.

And last are a few pictures of the puppies in there new homes. We asked a rehoming fee to try to make sure they went to good homes...but we waved it once they were here and i was sure it felt like a good home. Some shared pictures as a thank you.

I've never had the pleasure of a momma dog giving birth, or the discomfort of sending babies out into the unknown. But I think it went well. It was definitely a blessing for me.

 

[kurby22]

Ok...so some happier dog stuff. Well, kinda happier. We had a neighbor move away and leave behind all 3 of their unaltered dogs. One boy and two girls. Both girls pregnant. One of my other neighbors knew about it and was taking the dogs food and water until one of the girls gave birth and all the puppies died. She got busy getting our shelter involved in helping the other two, and brought me the remaining pregnant girl in case she gave birth before the shelter stepped in. So we ended up with 9 adorable little floofballs to find homes for. Well...8, because we kept one .
Im happy to say the last puppy got it's home last night, and i think all went to good homes.
View attachment 4017641View attachment 4017642View attachment 4017643View attachment 4017644View attachment 4017645View attachment 4017646View attachment 4017648View attachment 4017650View attachment 4017651View attachment 4017652View attachment 4017653View attachment 4017654View attachment 4017655View attachment 4017656View attachment 4017658View attachment 4017659View attachment 4017660View attachment 4017661View attachment 4017662Didn't Goose grow up to be beautiful?View attachment 4017664View attachment 4017665
What a picture flood! Just a few more...the next is the pup we're keeping. Her name is Blue.View attachment 4017666
And last are a few pictures of the puppies in there new homes. We asked a rehoming fee to try to make sure they went to good homes...but we waved it once they were here and i was sure it felt like a good home. Some shared pictures as a thank you.View attachment 4017667View attachment 4017668View attachment 4017669
I've never had the pleasure of a momma dog giving birth, or the discomfort of sending babies out into the unknown. But I think it went well. It was definitely a blessing for me.

Oh my goodness!! Puppy overload!! How you managed not to keep them all! Blue is adorable!! And Goose did grow out nicely! Love will do that

 

[TropicalBabies]

Ok...so some happier dog stuff. Well, kinda happier. We had a neighbor move away and leave behind all 3 of their unaltered dogs. One boy and two girls. Both girls pregnant. One of my other neighbors knew about it and was taking the dogs food and water until one of the girls gave birth and all the puppies died. She got busy getting our shelter involved in helping the other two, and brought me the remaining pregnant girl in case she gave birth before the shelter stepped in. So we ended up with 9 adorable little floofballs to find homes for. Well...8, because we kept one .
Im happy to say the last puppy got it's home last night, and i think all went to good homes.
View attachment 4017641View attachment 4017642View attachment 4017643View attachment 4017644View attachment 4017645View attachment 4017646View attachment 4017648View attachment 4017650View attachment 4017651View attachment 4017652View attachment 4017653View attachment 4017654View attachment 4017655View attachment 4017656View attachment 4017658View attachment 4017659View attachment 4017660View attachment 4017661View attachment 4017662Didn't Goose grow up to be beautiful?View attachment 4017664View attachment 4017665
What a picture flood! Just a few more...the next is the pup we're keeping. Her name is Blue.View attachment 4017666
And last are a few pictures of the puppies in there new homes. We asked a rehoming fee to try to make sure they went to good homes...but we waved it once they were here and i was sure it felt like a good home. Some shared pictures as a thank you.View attachment 4017667View attachment 4017668View attachment 4017669
I've never had the pleasure of a momma dog giving birth, or the discomfort of sending babies out into the unknown. But I think it went well. It was definitely a blessing for me.

Wow! Puppy therapy . I needed that!!! It must have been hard rehoming them. They are beautiful pups. I'm so glad that you stepped in to help as usual. Bet your home feels empty without all that chaos
Enjoy while you can right?
Goose is handsome ♡♡♡ I like how he is playing with pups as opposed to being jealous. That is very cool character. Mom is a real looker. What is going to happen to mom? Hope get fixed #1, lol.
Anywho, awesome share!!!!

 

[Shetland lover]

Sounds like we're all downsizing and for the same reasons ! It's so good to hear how you're doing. I just love all the pictures of your wonderful kiddo. Such a beautiful smile! I'm really glad you're readjusting your work load. I don't know how you manage to find any you time! I need a little me time, so I'm a firm believer that we all need that....
Tami's in her second year of college here and I've been missing her like crazy. She's loving college life and home for the holidays though. It feels good to just hear her breathing ! Ah, moms are strange eh?
I'll try to get some pictures of the birdies later today and give a fuller update. So many changes around here!
Biggest one right now is that I lost my sweet, darling, amazing, perfect blessing Tuck. We spent 7 years together almost every second of our lives. I don't even know what happened. We were working in the yard with my ancient puppies, and when I called everyone to come in...Tuck was gone. I've walked the streets calling and calling several days, put 400 flyers in all the mailboxes on several streets, checked the shelter daily, posted all over online, giant signs my kid made for me...and just nothing. I've never lost a pet before...anyway...I'm an emotional train wreck at the moment. But...kids and hubby are home, it's the holidays..and we smile and try to make sure everyone's happy. And in spite of everything, it has been a good holiday too.
TuckView attachment 4017209View attachment 4017210View attachment 4017211View attachment 4017213View attachment 4017214
So much else to share on changes! Think I'll do it in little bits though...I haven't actually had any alone time to let myself grieve yet, and sharing stirs the pot so to speak.
On the bright side...everything else around here is good news! I'll share some of that a little later.
Its really good to hear everyone's voices again.

I have no words

 

[Shetland lover]

Mimi (Miyuki) is 3 this year, so she’s still young. She’s got a lot of odd neuroses, including weakened back legs and lack of balance. She also never seems to gain much weight and goes from fine to ravenous very quickly. It also seems like she can’t see very well and she chews very weirdly, like part of her mouth is paralyzed or something. Poor girl—that’s what I get for buying from a backyard breeder :-(. She’s had a full blood panel done and all her bloodwork is clean, even from the crystals in the urine she had as a baby. She does constantly battle fleas though…it’s like they know she’s weak and the flea meds do nothing for them. I’ve done some googling and think she must have some sort of chronic kidney disease or similar…so I don’t expect her to live very long :-( But we love her as much as she will let us…and my new leather couch is suffering greatly from it. She loses her balance and clings to the leather when falling…it is what it is. Any suggestions to aid her in being more comfortable? You always have great advice!

Speaking of Koda the rat killer! He got this gnarly dude last night!

View attachment 4017318

He was so big he took up the entire length of the poop bin I scooped him into. I do feel u though…if I found one still alive I’d probably try helping it too . I once sobbed for an entire day trying to save a mouse on a sticky trap. My mom may never be forgiven for using those things. They’re inhumane!

Not to leave you with the sad picture only…here are a couple of my pretty birdies.

View attachment 4017322
This is Francois. He’s a bantam BC Marans I got back in May from a breeder nearby. He is one of my favorite birds and has been my buddy since he was a baby. He likes to come inside and sit in my lap for loves and then after 10 mins or so he gets up and walks to the back door to go back outside. He has a healthy respect for people but seems to be liked by the flocks.

View attachment 4017324
This is Petunia, she’s a Lavender Cuckoo Ameraucana and she thinks it’s funny to dunk her entire head in water when you put her in her show cage after making her all pretty and floofy.

View attachment 4017325
And this is ‘Green 69’ we might’ve settled on Queenie but she goes by her band number so much easier. She’s our bantam Ameraucanas that won Open and JR Champion AOCCL in Reno and then allowed the ladies to prune out half her beard a week before the next show so she didn’t even place there . So many misbehaving birds! She’s in isolation now and she HATES it and yells at us daily. She has opinions and she’s not at all afraid of sharing them!!

I had a cat with ckd, Moe. He was an absolute flea magnet too. I moved into a house which had been empty 9 months and he went from being flea-free to flea-ridden in a week! He was an indoor cat.
He was senior when he came to me and had to have several teeth removed, which is how we found out he had ckd. Looking back, he had many of the symptoms. One of his main symptoms was vomiting after 100% protein meals e.g. a can of tuna. He also had some ataxia and would lose his balance frequently. He had poor eyesight too. It was very hard to keep body condition and he would go from barely eating to being unfillable. There was no medication available and 'treatment' consisted of prescription only food. We had him for 4 wonderful years before he passed and was estimated to be around 17 yrs old.

Things have changed a lot in care for cats with ckd. There are now decent meds and much improved care.
You've probably seen it but this website is a brilliant resource:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...EQFnoECAoQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1vEqOALhClMI9IHGCLpBsc
I've used Tanya's website as her advice on encouraging sick kitties to eat is applicable to all cats.I just wish there'd been something like it when Moe was alive.
Hopefully, with a few adjustments, Miyuki can fare better and stay with you longer.

Francois is a stunning boy! He sounds an absolute delight.
And Petunia, gorgeous colour and such a mischievous expression. Queenie is gorgeous too - no wonder she wowed the judges at Reno. I love your birds - you know I'm a sucker for a chicken beard.

And go Koda! Unlike my cats, he sees the job through. My cats just bring the rats in and let them loose in the house

 

[Shetland lover]

Ok...so some happier dog stuff. Well, kinda happier. We had a neighbor move away and leave behind all 3 of their unaltered dogs. One boy and two girls. Both girls pregnant. One of my other neighbors knew about it and was taking the dogs food and water until one of the girls gave birth and all the puppies died. She got busy getting our shelter involved in helping the other two, and brought me the remaining pregnant girl in case she gave birth before the shelter stepped in. So we ended up with 9 adorable little floofballs to find homes for. Well...8, because we kept one .
Im happy to say the last puppy got it's home last night, and i think all went to good homes.
View attachment 4017641View attachment 4017642View attachment 4017643View attachment 4017644View attachment 4017645View attachment 4017646View attachment 4017648View attachment 4017650View attachment 4017651View attachment 4017652View attachment 4017653View attachment 4017654View attachment 4017655View attachment 4017656View attachment 4017658View attachment 4017659View attachment 4017660View attachment 4017661View attachment 4017662Didn't Goose grow up to be beautiful?View attachment 4017664View attachment 4017665
What a picture flood! Just a few more...the next is the pup we're keeping. Her name is Blue.View attachment 4017666
And last are a few pictures of the puppies in there new homes. We asked a rehoming fee to try to make sure they went to good homes...but we waved it once they were here and i was sure it felt like a good home. Some shared pictures as a thank you.View attachment 4017667View attachment 4017668View attachment 4017669
I've never had the pleasure of a momma dog giving birth, or the discomfort of sending babies out into the unknown. But I think it went well. It was definitely a blessing for me.

Oh my gosh! Doggy babies!!!
They couldn't have hoped for a better start in life than with you. Shame on your neighbour who left their dogs to fend for themselves.

 

[ValerieJ]

I'm feeling a lot of anger at myself too. I know I messed up somewhere there or he would still be cuddled up with me right now. I think part of my grief is simply because I'm so used to having part of my mind constantly aware of where Tuck is...I let my awareness slip for a moment and lost him. I have to believe that someone has him. That somewhere out there, he's safely warm, with a full belly and someone to be his touchstone. He's always been the dog that needed to be near me every second..he even slept in my lap while I ate. So small and quiet that you'd never know he was there unless I ate the last bite without sharing. I don't know how he knew...but my quietly sleeping baby would lift his head, look at me and make the saddest sound if I forgot his tidbit was supposed to be the last bite.
Anyway...I'm obsessed right now.

Balance right? I know you're right but man that's hard sometimes.

I don't have any words. It is so hard to not know for sure what happened. I too hope he is safe and warm and fed, and has a lap to lay on who will give him the last bite.

 

[PopoMyers]

Oh, what beautiful kitties! They look a lot like my first cat. She was exactly the same colour and very similar markings. She was a very skinny adult stray and just wandered up to me in my garden. I was 11 yrs old and used a LOT of emotional blackmail keep her!
It's so good to hear from you. How are your flock doing?

The girls are steady and safe. Lost a couple to what may have been reproductive issues. One was a Blue Sapphire, the other was Onyx's baby who was half BS, with BCM and Cream Legbar. No more predation since the electric fence installation. Have been having 4 pullets out of 13 molting since fall started , so they aren't laying. Unusual but not impossible, I guess? One of the leghorns has had a bumble on the top of her foot, which doesn't impede her gait at all. Those leghorns are so skittish, though, and being that she roosts on the top of the inside roof rafter makes her hard to catch to do surgery. Condensation on the tarps have been making the soil damp in the run, but at least the place where they dust bathe is staying dry. How were your Holidays? Happy New Year!

 

[PopoMyers]

View attachment 4016383

This would make a good submission for POW. Beautiful!