I had let my dogs out to go toilet and to play. I have a fenced in yard. After a bit I called for them to come in and my big male didn't come. I called several times and he still didn't come. Well him being a youngster I figured he was in to something so I walked around to see. I was in shock with what I found or should I say what chase found. I immediately got my guys back in the house and took dog food and poured it over the fence. This little guy wouldn't let me near him which was okay so I went in the house and watched thru my window as he finally went over to eat. I then fed him twice a day which I still am to get him up on his feet. He has lost all muscle mass which will take a while to fix but we're coming along pretty good. I named this poor little guy..Barney.

Look at this poor sick little face with one eye trying to close and squinty eyed in the other. This made my heart hurt to see this poor little guy. Just a little bag of bones laying there. BUT...things are looking up for Barney as look at those beautiful eyes now...

I couldn't get near him for a week course who's to say how this poor guy was being treated. He now loves me and I pet him and talk to him everyday. When he gets a little stronger I will let him in my fence. My guys like to play rough and might hurt him. He is staying in my shed right now. So I wonder how many other dogs are put out somewhere and starve to death. This is truly a shame. Barney..you came to the right house. We love you.

For ten lovely years, Raven has had the good life. She was found as a stray somewhere in Adams County, Colorado, and wound up in county dog prison. A rescue group plucked her from the animal shelter. They told me she was huddled in the corner of her cage, nose to the corner, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone. She apparently had been abused. So they took her to a foster home, gave her some basic obedience skills, but mostly helped build her confidence. By the time I adopted her, she was still scared but a wonderful dog with loads of potential.

It was rough going at first. She dug craters in my flower gardens, and demonstrated an amazing skill for snatching hapless sparrows from the birdbath, leaving their bodies for me to dispose. She also took out a few squirrels that had dropped their guard in pursuit of fallen apples from the tree. I had never lived with a dog that had such a wild streak; it was definitely a challenge. On the plus side, she was the best exercise buddy I ever had, smart, independent, easy to please. After the first six months passed, I realized that I had fallen hopelessly in love with another furry creature, something I was hesitant to do after losing my sweet little Bandit, Raven’s predecessor.

Raven and I lived alone for a year before I met Dave. Much to my delight, Raven shared my love for him. When he was coming over to pick me up for a date I would say, "Where's Dave?" and she would run to the front door to await his arrival. Thank goodness his relationship with her was as good as our own, since I needed someone who could also bond with my beloved pet.

Now Raven is an old lady dog. She struggles with health problems and chances are she will not live more than a year. I have been dreading her loss more than any other. Despite all the craziness during the first couple of years we lived together, or perhaps because of it, she has wiggled her way deeper into my heart than any other dog has managed to go. So I began pestering Dave to get a second dog, in hopes that would help ease the pain when Raven leaves us. He finally agreed.

Enter Tonka, a two-year old rescue found on the eastern plains of Colorado near Lamar. The woman who fostered him said a ditch rider discovered Tonka. The poor dog was thin and covered with fleas. But he was smart, willing to learn, and so eager to please. They turned Tonka over to the Colorado Correctional Industries K-9 Companion Program, where prison inmates train dogs in basic obedience skills. Knowing we wanted to adopt from this particular program, we made arrangements to meet three dogs that seemed to have what we were looking for. In the end, Tonka won our affection.

Introducing these two was my biggest worry. The first few days were difficult as they jockeyed to establish a pecking order. Raven snapped at Tonka every time he came anywhere near. She was not at all amused by this little interloper, with boundless energy and no idea of established protocol in her house. Eventually the tension eased and it turns out she kind of likes the little fellow. We are still not sure who leads in the pecking order. Some days it seems to be Raven, other days I’m positive it’s Tonka.

The transition will be difficult as we take on the long process of helping Tonka adapt to a forever home. It is obvious to me now that adding a second dog will do nothing to keep my heart from breaking when Raven crosses the rainbow bridge. Whenever I think of it, my eyes fill with tears. The best I can hope for is that Tonka will be willing to sit close while I grieve. But what I have learned since he came to us is that my heart has plenty of room for more than one dog. I’ve also learned how much I admire the spirit of these animals whose lives began so badly. That spirit should be a lesson for us all.

Well, I decided to drop out of obedience class.  I just haven't had the time, and I hate to admit, the energy to work with Sugar like I should.  We do get a good walk in everyday though and her "on leash" obedience couldn't please me more.  The yard work when we get a clear day wears me out and I seem to need the next day to re-coop.   Not used to that!  But, the wet spring we've had has kept me from being able to spread it out more.  Still behind.  And, the digging continues so I'm resetting a plant or two each day as I work on ways to share the yard with Sugar.  Not a bad price to pay for the Joy she brings.

Sugar has been a digger; I've figured out it's because she's a "hunter".  In my yard that means snakes and chipmunks; I think she's given up on the squirrels and birds--but she does chase them when she gets a chance!  First kill that I know of today.  At least I think it was dead; hard to tell, not getting close.  I saw her playing funny in the grass and went out. (Like a kid, she just "looked" like she was up to something out of the ordinary".) She had a garden snake, probably 2' long if it were stretched out--I wasn't doing that either!  Just picked it up with a rake and threw it in the Herbie (name of our local trash container, Rosie-recycles and Lennie takes away the yard waste.)    Going to be an interesting summer! 
 

Neither of us did great in class (3rd) this week.  Didn't work like we should have all week as it rained every day.  That and I was under par, nothing serious, but it just wasn't a good week. 

   Obedience training is going well; it's the puppy antics that I don't anticipate that continue to surprise me!  Had a yard covered with shredded newspaper yesterday!  I had put newspaper under mulch as I spread it; she found a corner, pulled it out and ran all around the yard with it.  When she had it sufficiently shredded she went back for more.  Looked like a snowstorm before I noticed it!  Amazingly, she didn't move the mulch! or hurt the plants.  Must have found a corner and "jerked" it up each time.  Couldn't be mad at her; she was just playing and no real harm done.  I've learned a lesson.  Should have taken a picture before I cleaned it up; didn't think of it.

        "Amma, it's starting to rain," Beth said, thoroughly distracted from her reading lesson with me.

       "Yup," I answered quickly, trying to keep her on task. "You can't walk home in the rain, so we might as well keep reading," I added. The summer afternoons are not the best time for tutoring I find but today we had no choice.

      The wind picked up and the rain came down in torrents. It was hard to see across the street to Bethy's house. The dogs whined and paced and I did my best to ignore them too. The lights flickered and went off.

     "Amma, what's happening?" Bethy said nervously. Just then the lights came back on for a moment then failed again. The wind changed directions and the rain beat against the side windows. The little tree near the porch danced around the window. Still ignoring the dogs and the storm,  Beth and I switched to math facts until it became calm.

      "Is it over Amma? Can I go home now before it starts again?" Bethy asked.

      "Sure darling. See you later," I answered as I waved her out the door. Then I proceeded to view the aftermath of the storm. The yard was thoroughly littered with pieces of bark and broken branches. Up the hill, towards the back of the yard, one third of a pine tree lay in the garden. It had missed the dog run and the house (thank God) and only flattened a few tomato plants. I was stunned. I had not heard it crack and come down.  Just thirty minutes before three dogs had been in that run. In fact, I had almost let them stay in the run. It has two dog houses where they can get out of the rain. Providentally though, I had asked Kyle to bring the dogs in before he left to see friends.

        "It's a miracle" I thought to myself. That tree is huge. It missed the house. It missed the fence. And I never even heard it come down. So does that answer the age old question -- If a tree falls in the woods and there is no one there to hear it, does it make any noise? Apparently not!

         Boy, does my husband have his work cut out for him!

  I am enjoying this new feature of AARP. org--at least new to me.  I hope you all will share your thoughts about life, teaching, learning, tattoos, NPR, reading, children and grandchildren, pets, cooking and whatever else fascinates you.

I am an alomost 56 year old out lesbian professor at a big public university and lvoe my work. This is eyar 21 for me in college teaching and I also taught 6 years in alternative high schools.  I teach mostly first year students every eyar and really find them wodnerful--fuill of big dreams, cocky, unsure, sweet, mean, handsome, not so handsome, kind, hard-working.  Too many our age see only the negative about this generation.  Talk to some before you sell them short.

Let's have,as the Robert Randolph Family Band says, "More love," in this hard old world.

Namaste,

Indigogirl 17