August 14, 2014

The Puppy Has a New Home

I also wanted to show you the tomatoes I picked this morning.



There are eighty tomatoes in the basket and I threw out five or six that the mockingbirds pecked. In the interest of full selective disclosure, I have to tell you that this is two days' worth but I wasn't home to pick them on Wednesday. Still not a bad haul even at forty-five per day.

I wasn't going to can or freeze anything this year because we were going to sell the house, but we've tabled that idea for awhile so it looks like I am going to be canning tomorrow. I'd do it today but I managed to shove a splinter under my fingernail this morning while picking up something on the deck, and now I'm sitting here with a poultice on the end of my finger trying to draw out the splinter.

Now on to the puppy update. Grandma K asked about the puppy and I thought I had told about her, but I've been pretty scattered lately. Sorry about that.

If you remember, I had placed ads on several lost and found pet websites, craigslist, put up flyers at vets' offices, and called all the local shelters. No one was looking for this puppy and she wasn't chipped. The vet thought she was no more than nine weeks old, so we got her first set of shots and then placed ads at every rescue website I could find, and on craig's list too. I got a lot of emails and realized that I really didn't know how to screen out the users who would sell her to laboratories for experiments, degenerates who would use her as bait for fighting animals, and just ill-suited families. She is a catahoula cattle dog, possibly pure-bed, with high energy and herding instincts. When she was running and playing with us, she often nipped our heels as she ran by. Herding behavior, but not really a desirable trait for a family dog.

One lady who emailed was seventy-six years old, one said they had been looking for the perfect family dog for two years, and one said that he fell in love with the picture of the puppy and wanted to come get her immediately. Then a man called who said they had a year old catahoula mix and they wanted another dog for her to play with and run off some of that energy. They lived about fifteen miles away, active in their church, and knew all about the nipping and herding. When the family came over to meet the puppy, they all fell in love with her but couldn't take her right away because they were going on a youth trip with their church.

In that second week, our affection for her grew but we also came to realize that we are just too old for such a high energy dog. The family called the minute they got home from their trip Sunday afternoon and came over to get her. The puppy wasn't as timid with them as she had been with us when we found her on the side of the road and we tried to get her to come to us. She didn't seem sad to leave us behind, and Buddy the cat wasn't the least bit sad to see her go.

The puppy may have been anxious to get away from the cat after a confrontation Saturday afternoon.. I didn't witness it so I can only guess what happened.

It was another of our 100+ degree days and I had blocked off the hall in the garage for the puppy and turned on the air conditioner. Buddy was in the adjoining office, curled up on his cushion and both were and content in their respective places when I left. A couple of hours later, I opened the outer door to give the puppy a potty break, and Buddy bolted out the door. The partition had been pulled down (and it was in there tightly), and the puppy was in the corner of the office, huddled and trembling on Hubby's duffle bag. I suspect the cat jumped the partition to see if the outer door was open, either not knowing or forgetting that the puppy was there. Once on the other side and coming face to face with the puppy (it's a 3x5 foot space), they both felt the fight or flight response and the cat's response was to fight while the puppy's was to flight. There wasn't a scratch on the puppy but the was a trail of "water" to the corner. Who knows what really happened but it didn't seem to permanently traumatized as her new owners say she gets along well with their cat.

The new owners sent me this video of the puppy with their dog. Don't feel you have to watch; it's not hilarious or riveting. It's just a a happy puppy in her new home.



8 comments:

  1. Great to hear the pup is in a good home and that Buddy is once more prince of the castle.

    Yummy looking tomatoes. I'd eat my fair share before canning, as I love homegrown tomatoes.

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    1. I eat more than I should though I read somewhere lately that tomatoes are one of the things people with arthritis should avoid.

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  2. That is great news about the puppy finding a new home!! The video was sweet and it was nice of the family to send it to you.

    Hope the splinter comes out soon.

    Happy Canning ~ FlowerLady

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  3. Sounds like the best result for your found puppy... what did they name her?

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  4. Wonderful resolution for puppy! I am so glad you were so cautious about placement. All sorts of things happen to poor homeless animals these days.

    The tomatoes look really great! I never have luck with tomatoes, Usually the plants simply shrivel and die! I hope that splinter comes out quickly, and without any side effects.

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    1. The splinter didn't come out. I kept the poultice on it all night and it was still there this morning. It doesn't hurt quite as bad and I hope it grows out with the fingernail. I'm not going to do anything more unless it causes a problem. It hurts bad enough to dig a splinter out of my hand with a needle, I can't imagine it under my nail.

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  5. Ah it's nice there's a new home and a good one at that! :)

    Enjoy your canning! :)

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  6. Nice looking tomatoes! Hope you got them all canned.

    The puppy looks really happy in his new home. That has to make you feel good.

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