What the What??

Below is a picture of a dead fly.  I took this picture a month or so ago.  It is laying on our bed. Someone brought it to us.  When I went up a couple of hours later, it was gone.  Someone ate it.

Life with cats.  They giveth and they taketh away.

It's Snowing...Sort of

Damn but I love that stupid little guy.

Except when he sheds.

They say a picture says a 1000 words so I will let them speak.

More Rachisms

I have some sad news to report.  Rach is fine, but he will soon be leaving our house for his mommy's new digs.  Alaska Girl has found a roommate and a house locally and she is most likely leaving tonight. She slept on our couch last night since her sister's bed that she is borrowing is now at the new place.  While the cats will all be overjoyed and will probably throw a huge party tonight, I will miss that little dude.  I will miss our daily walks and I will miss talking to him.  At least HE listens to me.

So, in honor of Rach's new digs, I want to throw out a couple more Rachisms.

Leap for what you want!

Chase the ball and keep chasing it until you are trembling with exhaustion.  Then grab a breath and chase it some more.  I have seen this dog keep on going like the Ever Ready Bunny.  He never gives up. I truly think he would keep on until his paws bled.

Stay focused!  When Rach wants to chase something, his whole body changes.  He dances sideways, is taut and ready to go and is just as anxious as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.  But his eyes never leave the prize, whether it's a ball, a squirrel, or (his new favorite) a bunny. (The only thing that trips him up is when there is a squirrel on the left and a bunny on the right.  Decisions, decisions.)

Avoid being caught when it's time to leave a great place, but then leave graciously.  There's always the ride home!  Rach really does not ever want to leave the park.  Why should he?  There are other dogs, people, new toys, food, water; everything a dog could ever want AND he's not restrained.  But, after avoiding us for a while he gives in and allows us to lead him to the car.  Then he joyously hangs his head out of the window and drools.  He is totally in the moment.  Always.

So, here's to you Rach.  We will miss you.  Oh, and if the cops come by tonight, you know the cat party was awesome!

 PS:  Alaska Girl assures me that we will be allowed visitation rights and alternate weekends.  Yay.

Squirrel! or, How to Survive a Walk with The Rach

The Rach is a fun dog.  But he is difficult to walk.  In his humble (or not) opinion, all critters belong to him and he needs to go after them.  All of them.  He is especially focused on one critter in particular.  The squirrel.  He feels that it is imperative that he chase each and every squirrel that he encounters.  We don't like to get angry with him because it is only his instinct telling him what to do.  Tree the critter.  Of course, we are short on bears here in suburban Iowa, so The Rach has to focus on the squirrels.  All of them.  All. Of. Them.

We use a collar called the Gentle Leader.  It has completely transformed our walks and is the only way that I can manage him without dislocating both of my shoulders.  It does not, however, take the squirrel hunt out of the dog.  

We have a new DOLA (Dog Off Leash Area) here in town that is a mile or less from the house.  Since the weather was actually warmer than normal (for like the 3rd time this spring), I decided to walk him over.  Below is the transcript of our walk.  I know this because The Rach is so transparent and easy to read.

Walk walk walk walk 

SQUIRREL!  oh please oh please let me get it please please please ple...

Walk walk walk walk 

walk walk walk wa...

SQUIRREL!  I know I can get it it just went up that tree and I like to climb trees oh please oh please

Walk walk walk walk

walk walk wal...

SQUIRREL!  I can get it yes I can you are mean let me at it you are mean let me at it

Walk walk

SQUIRREL!  please please please let me at it

Walk walk walk walk

Well, you get the idea.  The squirrels are out after their long winter sleep.  And there are a lot of them.  And each one has been targeted by The Rach to fulfill his own personal squirrel vendetta.  It almost makes me wish we had bears.  Almost.

This little cutie came to the DOLA while we were there.

I know the pic is bad, but so cute!  Rach is so gentle.

A 'Rachism' in action:  share everything (more this week)

Pretty Boy!

  

The Societal Implications of Butt Sniffing

We are lucky to have two DOLA parks (Dog Off Leash Area) in our community.  They are fenced and well maintained.  I have gone with Rach and Swim Girl to the one by the Mississippi a couple of times now.  This past week as it was warming up (relatively speaking anyway), Swim Girl asked me to go with her to take him to the Dog Park.  I said okay and a little later I grabbed my camera and we left.

Sometimes I can see more when I am looking through my lens.  It was while I was snapping shots of The Rach that I realized our canines are far smarter than we are and we need to follow their lead.

So, I came up with some bullet points that I like to call "Rachisms".   Here are a few.

Enjoy the Ride!  Lean your head out of the window and soak it all in with the sun on your face and the wind in your hair.  Sometimes, getting there is the most fun of all.  And it's okay to drool in anticipation.

Tug and Pull Your Way to Where You Want to Go!  Rach cannot wait to get where he wants to be.   Now what was my excuse again?

Stay Calm and Sniff a Lot of Butts!  While the
doggies may run around like crazy once they are
inside the DOLA, when it comes to approaching a potential new friend they remain calm and sniff butts politely.  They know instinctively which animals may be too shy for company and they back off if warned.  But guess what?  They come
back and gently try again.  And again.  And again.  They try until it's time to go home or they have a new friend.  I bet we all know someone who needs that gentleness and I bet they have a pretty ferocious bark that keeps us away!

Greet Everyone!  Rach and the others never ignored a new dog coming into the area.  The new friend was greeted and his/her butt was sniffed.  Then normal activities resumed.  In this day of Social Networking, it's easy to forget how to actually sniff some butts and say hi!  I think it just might be time to put down the cell phone.

Well, I do have more "Rachisms", but you're supposed to always leave them wantin' more, so may I just say, Happy Butt Sniffing!

Is That Mud?

We don't go out much.  Not because we can't. It's more that I get involved in things around here and then I don't want to go anywhere because I am in my comfy clothes.

We went out for a couple of hours tonight.  We have learned to put the kitchen trash in the pantry, the bread in the oven and the bathroom trash on the sink.  You know, the normal things you do when you have a Karelian in the house.  We thought that we were gold.  We were wrong.

Swim Girl wants a special dessert for her birthday.  We will celebrate it tomorrow because I will be in the Valley of the Sun for her actual birthday.

She showed me a Facebook post with the recipe for her birthday 'cake'.  It requires Oreos, peanut butter cups, chocolate fudge pudding and whipped topping.  Nom nom.

Grocery Boy remembered to put the pb cups and Oreos in the pantry.  Good job.  He forgot to put the box of chocolate fudge pudding in there.  He should have remembered.

When Rach does not greet us at the door, something is up.  I hollered out to Alaska Girl, "Check and see what he has done.  He is hiding."

It didn't take us long to find it.  I will let the pictures speak.

I have to admit that we were laughing so hard that we couldn't even discipline him.  Then I saw his legs and really lost it.

Nope, that's not mud.  It's chocolate fudge pudding.  Oh and that's the 'box of shame' taped to his head.  I pulled out half of his neck fur when I took it off of him.  Alaska Girl will go get more pudding tomorrow.  Along with a Rug Doctor.

Not the Fur I Wanted

Some people like fur.  It is warm.  It is gloriously beautiful.

Some people hate fur and what it stands for.

I do not wear real fur . . . willingly.

I have mentioned that Rach is shedding.  A lot.  It is far warmer here than in his native land and his body has been adapting for the past month.  Alaska Girl spent about 10 minutes helping the little dude get rid of some of his extra fur.  This is the result.

Actually, this is just a small pile.  There is more scattered throughout the floor in the living room.  I even found some clinging to a lamp.  

She spent some time vacuuming it up with the hand vac and threw the pile away.  She's a good girl.  I know that she would have done this outside if it hadn't been raining.

It appears that parts of his coat are finished self destructing, so I believe that there may be a light at the end of our tunnel.  A very dim candle of a light, but a light none the less.  Now if we could just get him to stop obsessing about the cats.

Another Day in Paradise

I love our animals.  They each have their own distinct personalities and are endearing most of the time. Pluto the cat is the lover.  She is the only one who will go to anyone and let whoever pick her up.  Skittles is the diva.  She is so damn ridiculous she just makes me laugh out loud.  Her thoughts are visible, she is that predictable.  Squirt is a neurotic.  She will eat any paper or string that is left out and Swim Girl has had to put tape on her climber so that she won't eat the carpet fibers.  Still, she is cute as a button and has the most enormous eyes ever.

Then there is Rach.  All 60 pounds of him.  What's not to love?  He has a dog's unmitigated joy upon seeing you.  He will lick you and greet you until you have no choice but to acknowledge his existence.  Yesterday he nearly jumped OVER Swim Girl he was so excited.  She was standing up at the time.

He is always ready for a game of tug of war or chase the tennis ball; at least until he spies something better.  Squirrel!  He willingly goes on walks, even though he has to wear his gentle leader collar.  He will even clean your counters for you.  He will clean them of everything.  Including stuff you want.  Like, say, the bread.

When I got home today, I was greeted with enthusiasm, but then I thought he was acting a little ashamed.  That was when I looked up and saw the following in my living room

Yes, those are empty bread wrappers.

Rach can tear holes.

                                               Oh look.  Another one.

I must have interrupted the crime.  I will say that he is very neat.  I saw no bread crumbs.

Here he is trying to avoid eye contact and pretending that he is all ashamed.

Bad dog!  He does have his standards, however, as he left a package of hamburger buns on the counter.  I'll make sure not to buy that brand again.  Apparently they aren't appreciated.

It's An Emergency! (sort of)

Today is Saturday.  The Saturday before Christmas.  Rach had spent the night with friends of Alaska Girl and the kitties were in heaven because they could sleep with their people again.  So much so that even the Diva herself (Skittles) deigned to sleep on the bed. (Actually, they both slept on me for most of the night.  I'm not complaining, but they get heavy.)

I got up a little later than normal (around 7 a.m.) and worked out.  I was just settling down to my favorite Saturday morning breakfast of cereal straight out of the box (yes, I am still 10) when the phone rang.  It was Alaska Girl saying that a really annoying thing had happened.  I guessed that she had locked her keys in the Rach-Mobile (our old van).

She said that was correct but please listen to how it happened.  Ok, I'm game.

It seems that she had gone outside to start the Rach-Mobile.

Here is the Rach-Mobile in all it's 140,000+ miles of glory.

She had placed the Rach inside the running Rach-Mobile.

Here is the Rach with Computer Boy.

The Rach-Mobile has automatic door locks controlled by a master control.

Locked.

Unlocked.

Controls.

That's it.  You've got it.  The Rach locked up the car while it was running and she was outside.  Being the great mom that I am, I left with the spare key and rescued her dog.  I had a lovely chat with Ballerina Girl and her mom while I was there.  And all of this before breakfast.  

And now for your enjoyment a couple of pics of Rach in action.  

Go for launch.

Take off!

Got it!

We Bought a Zoo?

I don't know if we really bought a zoo, but we have inherited one.  By default.

We have 2 cats:  Pluto and Skittles.  Their many exploits have been published on this blog and on Facebook.  In August, Swim Girl brought her cat, The Squirt, home with her.  You will recall that there was enormous opposition from the two and that resulted in using feline pheremone diffusers to help calm them all down.  Skittles still hisses at Swim Girl, but the knock down, drag out fights have ended.  There is just hissing and spitting and chasing.

Just when we were getting used to being a TCH (Three Cat Household), we got a phone call from Alaska Girl.  She needed to move home.  With her dog.  Her 60 pound dog.  The one who chases bears up trees.  And chases moose.  And lynx.  And anything with fur.  Anywhere.  No matter what is in his way.  Like, oh, say tables and chairs.  Sigh.

We are now a TCHplusOD (Three Cat Household plus One Dog).  His name is Rachmaninoff or Rach (pronounced Rock) for short.  He is a Karelian Bear Dog .  Now if you go to this link and read about this dog, you will see that he needs several HOURS of exercise a day.  WTF?  We don't have several hours to work a dog.  Nor do we have the acres of land that they prefer.

Rach is a beautiful, well behaved dog.  Unless he thinks there is a squirrel or a rabbit around.  Or a cat.  Or maybe, three cats.  He will stop at nothing to get at what he thinks he needs to get.  If there is a rabbit outside and it hops away, he quickly races to a different window to follow the rabbit's progress.

The same general principal works with the cats.  The only problem with all of this is that he has a complete disregard for things like furniture, Christmas trees, plants, people, windows, screens, shelves full of glassware; you know, anything.  He jumped the couch in the first few seconds that he was in our home.

Pluto and Skittles now reside in the basement.  They are allowed out when Rach is gone.  The Squirt can come out too.  She now chases Pluto, but Skittles still owns her.  Rach has a screw in thing with a chain in the yard.  He still gets loose sometimes.  He has a Husky buddy across the street and they wrestle around at least once a day.  Then he comes home with Husky goober all over his neck.  Yecch.  Alaska Girl takes him to the dog park at least once a day.  We all try to walk him.  He is completely obsessed with the squirrels around here.  Basically it is like a dog with OCD.  Gives a new meaning to the phrase, "Squirrel!"

Despite all of this, I am happy to report that our yard is bear, moose and lynx free.

This is the King of the Couch.  His main position for guarding us from the fierce creatures in our yard.

 Ears up!  High alert!

Such a pretty boy!

The Squirt is attacking my tree!  Brat.

Game for Cats and an Air Freshener Just for Divas

You may know that we have recently become a TCH (Three Cat Household).  Not by choice.  When Swim Girl moved home from the East Coast, her cat (The Squirt) had to come with her.  She is nuts about that cat.  But, apparently not nuts enough to stay home.  She has been in Phoenix for the past couple of weeks so we get to babysit.

Normally this would be no problem.  There is a slight hiccup here.  Miss Diva Herself (Skittles) has yet to stop trying to kill The Squirt, so new kitty has to stay locked up in Swim Girl's room.  This means that her litter, food and water are all in there.  I go in and sit and watch my online classes for an hour or two a day, but there isn't much room for The Squirt to play with anything other than my feet.  I don't like that.  She has recently started to attack the window where a box elder bug is stuck on the screen.  I haven't the heart to take it off.  She enjoys it so damn much.

We are trying to rectify the 'attack the new cat' situation with something that I had never heard of before.  It is a plug in diffuser for cats.  It has a replaceable insert thing that is filled with liquid cat pheremones.  That's right; feline feel-good, Xanex-type stuff.  We can't smell it, but apparently the kitties can.  It's supposed to calm them down (just like Jasper in The Twilight Series does with his mood altering super power).  I plugged it in last week and I think it is working.  We will see tomorrow when there may be another post all about the demise of the The Squirt.

In the meantime, I have been feeling sorry for the newbie so I took in my iPad today and put it on the Game for Cats app.  Hallelujah and Praise the Lord, The Squirt is still too dumb to know it's a trick.  She had a blast trying to catch the laser on the screen.  Pluto and Skittles are way to worldly for the game, although if you catch Miss Diva Herself in a good mood she will play.

At least I had fun snapping pics and laughing.

Two paws should be better than one!

Where is it going over there?