Our dog Bessie would like us to know that she caught a bird

Our dog Bessie would like us to know that the fledgeling bird that banged into our fence was her first live kill.  The robin was easy to catch!

The he trouble was after the bird was in her mouth a bunch of things started happening at once. Suddenly the yard was full of screaming birds!  Robins, cardinals, starlings, every bird in the neighborhood was calling fluttering, cawing, and screaching at Bessie.

 

Then there err was me, quickly coming up and looking at what it was that she had caught. A baby robin, still alive.

By the time I got putside with a big ziplock bag, the bird was dead, and I bagged it still intact.

 

Afterword: for the rest of the day Bessie was a bit to handle. She was far more aggressive than usual, throwing herself into windows and doors at full force.

Our dog Bessie loves her rope toy

It was a slow burn love affair. The rope toy sat abandoned for weeks, slowly gathering stray pieces of fur in the corner.

But then, one evening at home it got another chance at happiness. I got out the rope toy and gave it another chance as a tease toy. Her breed likes to chase, and maybe if I played chase with it she would discover that it is great for catching and shaking and chewing on, too. It worked! Two nights ago we played chase a little bit, and she got the biting part more than before.

Then last night- love bloomed! The rope could be thrown and fetched! Oh sweet mystery of life! Joy!

This morning, the affair continued even hotter- with some gentle tugging and pulling, too!

Authors note- It is so neat watching our girl learn to be a good dog!

Our dog Bessie would like us to know

that the big bouncy ball is the best toy ever!!!

Better than the log, better even than the tennis ball is the big bouncy ball!  Bessie bounces it, chases it, noses it, climbs on top of it (and then gets confused as to where it went!) and loves it till it deflates.  Once deflated, it is then carried, shaken, licked, and nuzzled until well and thoroughly gone.  Awesome!

The only bad part about this plan is that the balls only tend to last 2 days.  Two days of amazing, full-on play so good that we are left laughing and Bessie is so tired that she gives up.

Also going on in the yard- our first strawberry ripened beautifully, but was eaten before we got to it.  I hope it was Bessie, but I expect it was a squirrel.  Boo.

I am particularly excited about adding lily bulbs (oriental and daylily)!  I am hoping that the order from Michigan Bulb finally arrives today.  Their service has been painfully slow- 3 days processing before my order was shipped- it has been 10 days since I ordered and no plants yet.  I hope their bulbs are hearty and in good condition once they get here!

Our Dog Bessie’s new toy

Our dog Bessie would like us to know that the wood pile is awesome!  It smells great and tastes great too!

One of the log even had little branches coming off of it, that made a great handle:

Carrying it around and eating the branches was so great.  She was so happy she rolled around with the log for a while.

“It’s log, it’s log, it’s big, it’s heavy, it’s wood!”

Our Dog Bessie is much more fond…

…of the bathroom/laundry room.  It is a much better, bigger more open area, with a nice tile floor (she likes to lay with her belly flat to tile or hardwood).

The separation anxiety continues, though.  She doesn’t scratch or try to break out, but anything shred-able in reach is a goner.

To date:

• a roll of toilet paper
• the bottom half of the window blinds
• the foam liner inside the ironing board cover, which was open at the time. (!)
• a reed mat, all rolled up.

Dog proofing the room more and more each day and getting her tired out and full of love before she goes in there.

 

It is also helpful that she loves peanut butter in treat more than he loves us 😉

Our dog bessie is not fond of her kennel

Our dog Bessie would like us to know that the kennel we got her is terrifying. It is dark and hot and reminds her of the multiple shelters she has been caged in. The kennel is panic inducing, and even worse when you leave.

 

“When you aren’t here I am so sure you will never come back and I will be stuck in there forever, and maybe the people will take me away to the cages again. The only thing I can do it try to get out, and then I am in the house and you are still not here and I don’t know what to do and the panic grows and grows. I can’t breathe, there isn’t any water, and nothing to eat and you are still gone!!!!

 

I really want to be a good dog, and when you finally do come home after what feels like days and days and days I am so grateful! I am happy but nervous that I might have to go in that terrible dark cage again, so I am still pretty scared. That might make it difficult for me to go to the bathroom, sleep and be a good dog.”

New toy

Our dog Bessie would like to thank alpha female for the wonderful new toys. The clumps of dirt with thorny dead plants are good for chasing, pouncing, eating and rolling with. I especially like pretending it is a live animal and shaking it, then laying on my back and rolling with delight!

On the other hand, the padded bed you got me is okay, but I really prefer the hard wood floor for my napping.

Kthxbye!

Under the dresser, why??

Our dog Bessie would like you to know- she loves her rawhide bone and is thoroughly capable of hiding it well enough that she can’t reach it again.

Our dog Bessie would like you to know…

Our dog Bessie would like you to know quite a few things.

First, she is very happy to be with us.  She is glad to be out of the shelter, and in a cozy home.  She is ready to play, especially very very early in the morning, and is a big fan of doggie tv (windows) though she is often called to alert us to the goings on.

Last night I should have known that jumping up on the bed in the middle of the night by way of jumping up on my neck and shoulders was telling us that she needed to go out- who know?  Well, she knew, and soon we will understand better.  Tonight we will attempt to replace some light bulbs so that we can see in the backyard and make sure she has had a chance to go.

She would lso like us to know that playing in the exact same way every day is not quite interesting enough for her.  (australian shepard/rottie mix).  Yesterday’s fun of playing catch with the tennis ball was not as interesting as playing “oh how I hope I can catch a squirrel” by this morning.  Time to read up on ways to keep things interesting.

 

 

Our Dog Bessie

Meet Bessie, our new dog, who has quite a few important things for us to know. Love that she has a batman mask in her fur!