I love having a dog around: If you have a dog, you will have several occasions to smile and laugh every day.
Around here, when a dog dies it leaves such a hole in my life that I immediately get another dog to fill the hole. The experts say one should take time to grieve, but I can't stand the vacancy and Cliff can't stand me crying, so within two days of the death of one dog, we're off to find another.
I've gone to the shelter for my last two dogs, and I've chosen a grown dog each time. This means I get a dog with baggage, psycho behavior that they wouldn't have had if I'd raised them myself from a puppy. We laugh when Iris attacks dogs and animals on TV, but when she literally tries to kill my sister-in-law's mini-dachshund, it isn't funny at all. It's scary. Part of the reason for such behavior is her breeding. She's half whippet, a breed that goes after small animals (although she carefully avoids any confrontation with a cat; go figure). That's her worst trait; that and the shedding. Sadie, her predecessor, was a hair factory, but Iris is worse.
I've had the thought that maybe we should just put Iris down for her aggressiveness toward small dogs, but that would be hard.
What I do is research a lot. Don't tell Iris, but I'm shopping for the dog I will have when she dies. Although at my age, she is liable to outlive me.
Dogs I've already owned: German Shepherd, Fox Terriers, Rat Terriers, Chihuahua, Chow, and Miniature Poodle. The Chihuahua didn't shed enough to be troublesome, but she wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. The poodle didn't shed and was very bright, but she was snooty and thought she was better than us: After having her for a year or so, we gave her to my parents; she lived to the ripe old age of eighteen and was treated like a queen. As for the terriers, we had a good one and some not-so-good. I loved our German Shepherd, but I wouldn't want one in the house, and we don't have a fenced yard where we could keep an outside dog. I do not want to lose another dog to the highway.
I've heard good and bad things about Jack Russell Terriers. I like a high-energy dog. There's a local breeder, and we were considering getting one of his puppies (after Iris dies) until I found out that they can be pretty bad shedders.
So I've surfed the Internet for information on non-shedding dogs, and I've asked questions of people who own them.
For a long time I considered a Yorkie. They don't shed. They don't have to be groomed. Perfect! Then I found out they are prone to a lot of health problems. We're retired; veteranarians are expensive. Besides, dogs with health problems make me cry. Cliff hates that.
I've studied the Schnauzer, both standard and mini. They seem to be non-shedders and they are playful, but they require expensive grooming. Still, I was leaning toward the breed until I found out that they, too, have myriad health problems.
Originally I wasn't going to think about a poodle, but they are amazingly healthy. I don't think my parents ever had to take Maleah to the vet, except for some dental work when she was an old lady. In her old age, though, she developed a terrible odor, worse than just a "doggy" odor. Perhaps a vet might have done something about that; I don't know. And with poodles, again, there are the expensive visits to the groomer. I've wondered about perhaps finding a poodle cross.
And then there's the Maltese: Non-shedding, healthy, and playful. Unfortunately, this dog would either require daily grooming or an expensive groomer. I know a lady in Texas who owns a Maltese, and he doesn't have hair like this. She must have him clipped from time to time. He's a smart, funny dog who sings along when someone plays the piano.
Maybe it would be best if Iris outlives me. I'll just have to keep her away from small dogs so she won't kill them.
I have little to tell about today; no exciting happenings, nothing new.
OK, here's something: Cliff said, "If we keep having winters like this, maybe we will start spending winters in Texas like your sister."
"I can't see you making it a whole winter without your tractors," I said. "Perhaps we should try it for one month; we could trailer the Gold Wing down and ride all the time we're there. I'll check on rental prices for some of the park models down there."
$1,000 a month ended that discussion. I suggested we just visit my sister for a week.
Are you tired of snow pictures yet?
That's Iris, two-thirds of the way up Angina hill; yes, this is the incline that made Cliff have chest pains every day for over a month. Lord only knows what kept him from having a heart attack right in the middle of that slope.
I wonder what she's looking for?
Here's something I've been studying up on: Dogs that don't shed, or shed very little. When Iris croaks, believe me, I'm going to have my head about me enough to get a non-shedding breed. I'm not fond of poodles, but I wouldn't mind a poodle mix. Schnauzers seem like a nice breed. Yorkies are tiny and cute, but from what I've read they're sometimes difficult to house-break, and will take over if you let them. I'd consider them, though, just because of the cute factor.
No, I'm not getting rid of Iris; once I get a dog, it's a commitment, like marriage. She fits in here just fine, hair and all. I'm getting used to vacuuming every. single. day. She's happy with us and, except for the shedding, we're happy with her.
The preceding pictures were from yesterday's walk; the following ones are from today.
There's my poor, neglected cabin, surrounded by trees covered with hoarfrost.
It looks like a Christmas card, doesn't it? Before our walk in the woods was over, the frost was falling on us in flakes, just like snowflakes.
Walking was harder today because of the little bit of thawing yesterday. A crust froze back on top of the snow and really made it difficult.
That's about all I know for today; hopefully inspiration will visit me tomorrow.
