Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Ideas For Gardens
Thursday, September 27, 2012
My Garden Remains Quiet But For One Charming Friend
Monday, April 2, 2012
Look Who is Back! The Birds Are Returning to Their Haunts
Look Who is Back! The Birds Are Returning to Their Haunts
The weather has turned a startling warm here. I went outside this morning to sweep off my front walk as a Robin pecked for a worm in my neighbor's front yard.
I went out back to open the screens a bit for warmth to come in, and to sweep the porch. Two Robins emerged from my large pine tree. They were very interested in each other--the male more so, the female less. I interrupted. They were unafraid of me, but they scurried away a little, the female to the neighboring yard, the male dropping down to the yard behind the house. Yes, it is Spring, and that time again.
The Geese have been settled in for several weeks, and the Crows squawk about. Today, a Blue Jay ate on the small feeder. The Blackbirds have returned also, so I will not longer fill the large feeder. At this moment a Blackbird is 'going at' my small feeder, and as around six birds come at a time, the feeder will soon be empty. Since there are thousands in the area when they return (I have seen them in trees in the fields above this area) I do not feel badly in denying them.
The snow is almost gone. Spring is truly in the air. I love it. I'm glad to have you back, Spring!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Have You Ever Seen a Butterfly Bird?
Puppies Anyone? Breeding Versus Shelters
One of the most moving sights I have enjoyed is that of newborn puppies drinking their mother's milk. They latch on to the teat, arch their little backs, push down on their hind legs, grab their mother's breast, and begin the push, pull rhythm on the teats. This has never failed to move me. The mothers do not seem to mind. I said newborns, because once the little ones develop teeth, for the mothers, it is a different story. How each mother handles it is unique.No doubt the sight of newborns feeding would be a joy to all breeders of their favorite animals. In my case, it was the breeding of Shetland Sheepdog bitches. My experience is small; there are many breeders out there with a vast amount of knowledge and experience in that particular area.I support breeders who are wise in their business practices. Those I have known are responsible members of their communities--as they wish their dogs to be. There is a lot to be said, however, for the many animals already in shelters who need homes. More and more I have come to believe their needs must be addressed. The fault, I believe, lies with irresponsible citizens, who get dogs without a long-term plan in caring for them. Thus, helpless animals are thrust upon society's resources. It was partly these irresponsible people who turned me off breeding. One cannot be in control of where puppies go. One needs the wisdom of Solomon to read people, and I did not have it.Support good breeders, by all means, but take a look in at the shelters. You may just find the love of your life there.There are many animal shelters, even ones specific to a breed. I know of two shelters south and east of me, where abandoned animals of all stripes are taken in. These places are not hard to find, nor are the abandoned animals in registered sites, where the kill rate is alarming. As one shelter lady said to me, when I rescued some abandoned feral cats in my area, 'Feed them; they are God's creatures.' She even offered to give me food. No one is supporting her financially. Here is another place we can help. The goodness of the heart does not fill the stomachs of these many dogs, cats, etc. Wild animals belong in the wild, but domestic animals do not.I hope we can do our part to support animals wherever there is a need. Rescue an abandoned dog or cat, rather than purchase it from a shop or puppy mill.
Raccoons and Their Supposed Invasions into My Roof
I need to bring you up to date on my Raccoons. I wrote questioning whether Raccoons had invaded my attic. Friends came to check. One was a young construction worker who gladly scrambled up onto my roof, the other a close friend who has rebuilt his house. They looked, and looked, and looked, and found no access. No hole was large enough to allow a Raccoon to enter.All very well, said I, but they were there. I heard them above my head, scrambling and vociferating. I know those sounds from the time Raccoons lived for some months under my house. The men looked at me a little strangely. It was a puzzle. No access. I did not doubt what I heard, and was a little nervous about their return. If they came looking for a breeding area the female was already pregnant. That meant they would return, in my way of thinking. Yet, how did they get in? The only thing the men found were mouse droppings, which was no surprise. In a huge attic, mice could easily find a small hole somewhere--but a big one?I worried it in my mind, and called a professional exterminator. He would know that breeding Raccoons were protected by government law. This man found the same thing--no access. What do you people think of that? What would you do? Have you had a similar experience? I had been certain my roof was tight.At my insistence the man looked further. It was possible the Raccoons found a way somewhere down below. (They cannot get into the crawl spaces, so if they found a way down there, why would they not stay like before?) He said they might have found some entrance to crawl into the walls of the older house, and make their way up to and between layers of protection, to "under" the roof above my head. There is a tar and gravel roof left by the builder above which he put the roof trusses. They stayed only a matter of five minutes, so they must have decided it would be too difficult for their "kits" when they had to lead them out.The man looked still further and found a small brown trail in the snow leading to the old shed next door. An appropriate larger hole gaped in the wall near the roof. An old, downed tree root made easy access to crawl up the old wall of the shed.I feel a tremendous relief. They were settled there, no doubt sleeping while we trampled below. My roof was safe--at least for now. They may visit next year--but that is Next Year.
Love and Loyalty in Training Dogs
Much has been written about Positive and Negative reinforcement in dog training, so I mean to speak only of my experiences.I took a number of puppies through basic Novice obedience courses. It is the owner who must take his or her own dog through these trials, and it is the owner who must be trained. Of course the puppies (and dogs) learn along the way.What I did come across in obedience training was negative reinforcement. For example, I had to pinch my dog's ear, causing her pain, before she would take the dumbell. It truly disturbed me. Our Sheltie club joined with a sister club to invite a special dog trainer as a visiting speaker. He trained dogs for police work, bomb, and drug sniffing, etc. What startled me was his statement that he could train a dog for sixteen hours, (my memory is a bit vague here) without treats, and the dog wanted to go on. My eyes were opened. I never again used negative reinforcement.It is pleasant to see a dog walking beside its owner with no leash, ignoring everyone around it but its owner. It is true some dogs are more easily trained than others, but it is a joy to see such a responsible dog and owner knowing the work behind it.I imagine many are aware that to take a dog through trials, it must be registered, in Canada by the Canadian Kennel Club, and in the U.S. by the American Kennel Club. Some clubs offer a basic obedience class for mixed breeds. The Novice classes include Basic obedience and Companion Dog (CD), the Open class, Companion Dog Excellent, (CDX), and the Utility class (UD). The latter dogs are used in movies and television, for instance. There are many other specialized degrees and training.A wonderful poet named Anonymous wrote, "You can't buy loyalty, they say. I bought it, though the other day. You can't buy friendship tried and true. Well, just the same, I bought that too..." The poem is used by most dog breeders, so you can find the rest of it on any breeder's site. Some may think the words trite, but I have found them certainly true. The reason I mention this poem is because of the following.I took a favorite female dog through her CD degree. At the time, I belonged to a local woman's group who looked for interesting items for their meetings. I was asked to talk on my dog since they knew I bred dogs, and because we met in a hall and not a restaurant, I was able to bring my 'girl' along. I had her sitting on a small table, high enough so that all of the one hundred plus women could see her. I was in the midst of quoting the above poem, when unconsciously I put out my hand and touched her head. She looked up at me with adoring eyes, and the whole room let out a collective sigh. I promptly forgot the words to the poem, and had to think hard to get back on track. I will never forget that incident, or my darling Katya, although I took her to other gatherings, putting her through her paces.My favorite dog quote is by H. L. Mencken. "Living with a dog is easy, like living with an idealist." You are the most important person in their world. It is humbling. May we be worthy of their charge