Carnival with Friends

Sammy is ready for the puppy swap, NOW!

Dixie needs a new bed. And I won't have quite so many eggs this spring.

You know, they say if you tie a dead chicken to the dog's neck and leave it for a few days, he'll never go after your chickens again. I'm using "the dead hen in the basket following you around" technique. Sammy seems to be getting the idea. Well, at least the idea that mommy is a little upset and maybe dangerous today.

Thursday, March 12, 2009
I sort of have to convince Sammy to wear his vest, but once we get it on him he is working fine. We went to Target last night and had no difficulties at all. I circled the store several times because I could not find the gadget I was looking for, and he seemed to enjoy himself. He even scrounged some popcorn. For Sammy, that’s pretty relaxed and carefree.
Yesterday, he was enjoying some cooler weather and forgot to put on the breaks at the back porch. He slammed into the back door and knocked himself coo coo for a few minutes. He limped around and staggered into the house for first aid. I gave him some Arnica on his tongue and he snapped out of his stupor. He had to pull himself together to get the unwelcome little pellets off his tongue. All better now. It’s been raining for two days and the school is full of sick children. I’ve not had time to take Sammy out for exercise and he is amazingly calm. He just took a spin around the rye grass yard and he seems to be satisfied. We are going to enjoy a quiet evening in front of the fire.

Sammy is huge. Sorry I have not blogged in so long. My life is just too full of Sammy. He is huge. It’s fun to take him out and guess what is going to spook him next. He still has little panic attacks about new places and will avoid the vest by running away from me. However, once he has been to a particular place two or three times, he loves going there. His favorite places include Pet stores, the vet, any park and he loves walks in our own neighborhood. He was a perfect puppy at Casino Night. Was a little scared of downtown noises at first, but quickly became accustomed to the walk out to the grassy area for breaks. He was really good at finding our room each time we came off the elevator. Only once did he stop at the wrong door, where he quickly sorted out his mistake and continued on to the correct room. I remember Toby stopping at every room every time. Some how, Toby never could find the correct door.
Sammy has been neutered. He was really going after his stitches, so he had to wear the plastic cone for a week. When it was time to take the stitches out, he just had one left, so I snipped it myself. He busted his first two cones running into trees and doorframes. He never could get the width of the cone…never slowed him down a bit. He just busted past the tension. Seemed to work for him.
I spent an hour with Sammy in Whole Earth Provisions sorting out a stuffed toy, 4 ft Giraffe wearing a cowboy hat. He kept trying to bolt and escape from the store. He eventually ate all the treats under the giraffe, but was quite distressed by the experience. He was so funny and entertaining to all that passed. Then we found the dog toy department and now he loves that store. He destroyed the rubber Kong-like bone that we bought there. It took him about 30 minutes to rip it to shreds. I had pushed treats down into the hole, so he was quite motivated. He is improving so fast, he changes every day.
Tonight I screamed when a rat ran over my foot in the chicken coop. Toby used to freak out and run to the house. Sammy actually waited for me to emerge from the scary coop and walked back to the house with me. Maybe he’s not such a weenie after all. Who wouldn’t be afraid of a giraffe in a cowboy hat?Sammy is a handsome charmer. The employees in Whole Earth love him. People can’t keep their hands off of him because he ducks under their hand as he passes so they are forced to pet him.