Life Flows On

Four out of the six colonies survived the winter which we find pretty miraculous.  We will harvest honey this year.  We've already lost (and captured!) a swarm- more on that to come.

Easter pies- sour cherry and blueberry 

swine decimation 

Two of the culprits.  The other two are no more.  Stay tuned for more on this- we made our own bacon.

 

The adoration goes both ways.

guarding his yard (from squirrels, that is)

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This Dog.

Can you guess his love language?

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I Didn't Know About Dogs: Part 3

You can read about how we became Turkey's new family in Part 1 and Part 2.

We've been dog owners for a total of two and a half months.  Turkey adjusted very well. We are so thankful for this because we've heard stories of dogs who had a very hard time being separated from their first owners.  Turkey spent his whole five and a half years with another family.  The fact that he's been able to so quickly build trust and form attachment to our family shows how much credit his first owners deserve.

I'm learning so much.

1) My mama instincts evidently transfer to dogs I really like.  I wasn't ready for this.  I almost feel like I'm fostering- trying to get to know the needs of my new dependent.  How are they sleeping?  Eating?  Is he acting differently today?  Is he adjusting well? Does he need more attention?  More exercise? What's the best food for him? Is he warm enough?

People. I'm scaring myself.  I am NOT a dog person.  I AM a Turkey-person now.  That is for sure. My best guess is that I may need another real foster placement SOON.

blending in

2) Our family hikes are even more fun than they used to be.  We love to hike and go for walks but we don't go nearly enough.  Having a dog gives us one more reason to get out there because he needs exercise, too.  The first time we took Turkey along, the girls (especially) could hardly stand it that we let him off leash.  But Jamey had learned on trail runs with him that he is an awesome dog to take in the woods.

 enjoying the outcropping and sunset at the top

Here's what happens.  He runs way ahead on the trail, occasionally venturing into the woods.  He's out of sight for a couple minutes and all of a sudden there is a streak of movement way on up ahead. He's racing back to touch base/check on us.  Then, he takes off down the trail again.  He checks in if the trail splits on the way out but remembers/smells the right trail on the way back.  He likely covers two to three times the miles we do on any given hike and never stays out of our sight for very long.

He generally likes his blanket by prefers lying on a person.

3) Vizslas are a curious breed.  They are incredibly affectionate.  They can become nervous when overstimulated or frightened and show it chattering their teeth or quivering.  They also chatter their teeth and quiver when they're cold (see below).  It's our understanding that Turkey's parents and he were bred as hunting dogs although Turkey wasn't trained as one.  Despite the lack of training, he points (nose pointing, left front leg raised and tail straight out while holding incredible still) when he discovers a hiding critter.  He will hold that position until we acknowledge that we see it.  If we tell him to "get it", he flushes it out and chases it but as of yet hasn't caught anything.  I think he very well could if he wanted to.

under the school table

4) I now buy toys and clothes for a dog.  Vizslas lose most of their heat from their chest/belly where they have the least hair.  They also lack an undercoat so they can easily get cold.  They have to be inside dogs because they can't handle the winter (or parts of fall and spring for that matter).  When Turkey is cold, he will chatter and shiver- a sign he needs help keeping warm- even inside.

Because he has such a large chest, it was tricky for me to find a coat that fit him and his wide chest well.  Duluth Trading Company makes one that fits well (shown above).

5) I am so thankful he's an adult dog.  In dog years, Turkey is about Jamey and my age.  He's graying around the face and likes to lay around come sun down.  From what I've read Vizsla puppies have an incredible amount of energy.  Videos (like this one) on youtube show how much energy these dogs have to exhaust.  Turkey's five and a half years are just about perfect for us- he enjoys his regular runs with Jamey but can also be content to have a lazy afternoon lying about the house. Thank goodness.

sacked out after a long run together

6) Dog adoption and foster care seem to be related.  Animals are part of God's amazing creation and are here for our enjoyment and awe just like the rest of His creation.  While I know that they experience a wide range of emotions and physical pain similar to people, these characteristics (to me) point to the fact that we share the same Creator, not that we are the same.  

Because of all the similarities, I can see why and how some people consider their pets as important (or more important) than the humans in their life.  I hate that some animals are mistreated and abandoned and I'm glad that there are rescue centers and the SPCA to match those unwanted to good homes.

But.  There are children in very similar situations that need homes, too.  Pets can be easier, I know. Part of me was relieved that adopting this dog would push off our next foster placement as we got used to him and him to us.  Taking on another placement is scary- I won't lie and say it isn't. But thankfully, it has made me realize that child foster care/adoption is even more important.  There is another child out there waiting for us.  I thought that Turkey might tempt me away from the hardness that foster care can be but instead he's reminded me how much love we're capable of and that the quality of our love can span birth children, adopted dog AND foster child.  Or so I think:-).

We await God's timing and in the meantime, I'm learning how much I didn't know about dogs.  It's a good thing I love to learn.

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I Didn't Know About Dogs: Part 2

Read Part 1 here.

So having a 65-pound animal the height of my waist walking about our house initially proved a little intimidating for some of us.  

For the first 30 minutes, that is.  Once Turkey quit racing around our house trying to check out where he'd be staying for the weekend, we all (and by we all, I mean myself and my girls) got a little braver. We started reaching out to him and let him lean up against us- a sign that he thinks you're okay and would really like to be pet by you.

Thankfully, we really had no other plans that weekend except church so we spent a lot of time getting to know him.  We learned to read his signals.  A paw up on your leg means, "Please take me potty." Two paws up on your leg (or chest) meant, "Please take me potty, NOW," or, "I'd really like to lick/kiss your face and since you're standing, I need to put my paws on you to reach."

We learned that he's obsessed with squirrels and rabbits and will race from window to window, trying to get the very best view of any varmints he spots out in the yard.

We learned that his request to go out to go potty is very similar to his request to be taken out to chase squirrels and rabbits and that some of us aren't quite strong enough to keep him from taking us along with him (sometimes scooting on our bottom while calling for help- our youngest learned this one best).

We learned that Turkey had been SO well trained and loved. He respected our possessions, didn't beg at the table, doesn't bark (unless asked to speak or to let us know someone is at our door) and entered his crate obediently any time we asked.

We learned that he loves to cuddle- beside us, on top of us, between us...you name it.  We learned that he knows tricks and loves to perform them whether we have treats or not.  We learned that he loves to run and that even when Jamey sprints, Turkey seems to only need to trot to keep up.

It still felt a bit odd to have an indoor creature- especially one that seemed so large. But in spite of this and the what-are-we-getting-ourselves-into feeling, when the time came to give him back to his owners at the end of the weekend, we told them that if they chose us, we'd love to be his new family.

We think he felt okay with the idea, too, because when our whole family stood in a circle visiting with the father of the owner family (Turkey's favorite person), Turkey made his way around the circle, taking turns to lean on each of us- something his owner was surprised to see.

Within hours of dropping him off and after tears and pleas from the kids like, "He just has to be our dog", and, "They have to pick us," his owners messaged us that they did indeed choose us.

In one week, Turkey would be ours for good.  To be honest, I was still a bit nervous.  But that dog...I was starting to understand a little bit about dogs.

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I Didn't Know About Dogs: Part 1

I didn't grow up with dogs.  We had fish (that died), rabbits (that died), guinea pigs (that died), gerbils (that developed tumors and died), and cats (that went crazy...and-then died).

Jamey grew up with an assortment of dogs.  He has fond memories of them as he was growing up.

I, on the other hand, have always been afraid of dogs (and still am, actually).  I'm not sure if I'm repressing traumatic memories of some incident that now escapes me or what but I've always been intimidated by dogs.  Even the small ones.  As an adult, I've been secretly pleased that my girls are a little afraid of dogs because people willingly put their dogs away when we come over.  I'm not proud of this, mind you, because I know how miserable it is to be afraid of them.

But Jamey (and all three kids, actually) thought that we should one day get a dog of our own.  I felt selfish denying them even the privilege of a discussion about it so we read up on different breeds and talked about how it might work.  It never seemed like quite the right time even though our youngest is six years old and we thought the kids were prime dog-having age.

Oh, and there's this thing I've always said: NO INDOOR PETS.  Our pigs live outside, our chickens live outside, our duck lives outside, our bees live outside, and our cat lives outside.  I have allowed fish in the past (they've died) and there is a hamster that lives in a cage in the girls' room but I've never touched her nor lifted a finger to care for her.  (Shh...I pretend she isn't even there and the girls take good care of her.)

Back to dogs.  When we were reading up on breeds, we kept coming back to Vizslas.  They appealed to us because they love exercise (Jamey runs), are very loyal, are very clean (they clean themselves like cats), and have very short hair (very little shedding and little doggy smell).  They've acquired the nickname "velcro" dogs because they LOVE being with their people.  As in, next to them, on top of them, following behind them, etc. Since we're home almost all the time, we felt like we could manage a very social dog.  In fact, we wanted a dog that engaged the kids a lot so they'd be invested in it and its care.  The breed also reminded us of Jamey's aunt and uncles's German Short-haired Pointer- a dog all of us admire.

But Vizsla puppies are expensive and I had NO interest in raising a puppy at this stage in life anyway.  My foot was put down HARD about that.  Also, we (okay, I) didn't know how we could trust a grown dog to be safe with our kids and any other little people that come into our house. Our life is busy.  The timing never seemed right.  The dog discussion was put on the back burner.

Evidently, Someone smelled the discussion simmering.  One Friday afternoon a friend posted on facebook that friends of hers were looking for a new home for their dog.  Attached was a picture of an adult male Vizsla.  As soon as Jamey came home, I showed him the picture (this shows you how much this dog-fearing woman loves her family, no?) and he was soon on the phone with the owners. They were going away for the weekend.  Would we like to dog-sit so we could get to know him?

Since I felt it really was the only way we could see what life with a dog might look like and be able to make an informed decision, we. said. yes.

And I was scared to death.

(Part 2 coming soon.) Pin It