Dremel Training

Winston is so good about maintenance things like filing his hooves, cleaning his ears and eyes and clearing out his scent glands that I decided I would see how he would react to the Dremel. I would love to get him comfortable enough with it that I could work on his fast growing tusks and when necessary on his hooves.

When he was a piglet we taught him two commands that come in handy for this training. The first is touch which means to touch something with his snout. We started with the Dremel off and did touch several times, then turned it on and did it several more times. He doesn't love anything that makes noise (vacuum cleaner, mopper, etc) but he is motivated by cookies so he played along. The second command is take which means he should open his mouth and put it around whatever you are asking him to take. While I didn't actually let him take the Dremel I did want him to feel what it would be like in and around his mouth. He did very well with it both on and off.

Over the next few weeks we will spend short training sessions getting familiar with the tool touching him while on and we will eventually work up to touching his tusks while its on. We have a ways to  go for sure but I am optimistic with how well the first session went today.

An Open Letter to Pet Dumpers

To Whom it May Concern -

I am writing to address the rampant dumping of pets that is happening in this nation and likely all over the world. It is my humble opinion that when you get a pet it is a lifelong commitment, a promise to them that you will stick by them through good and bad, thick and thin. Sadly, I am in the minority. I fear many people find their pets are disposable and that when their life situations change its fine just to dump and run. I get it - life happens and its hard. But, quite honestly, I stand in judgement of these folks. Maybe I am the one who is wrong but I just don't get it. There is simply no circumstance that would result in me dumping one of my animals.

We have cats, my husband has become more and more allergic as he has gotten older. Did we ever consider getting rid of them? No, we tried to find a solution of keeping the kitties confined to a specific part of the house so there is limited exposure for my husband. Pigs, pigs are incredibly hard. They are incredibly rewarding, but incredibly hard. Winston went through a destructive phase. Did we want to send him to the shelter? No. When he got almost four times bigger than the breeder told us he would get - again we never considered sending him away. When we got the puppies we had issues with the pig and the dogs interfacing. Get rid of the dogs or the pig? No! We worked out a solution where they never interface. Is it hard? Yes! Is it a pain in the ass? Yes? Is it my obligation to come up with solutions that keep them safe? Yes! We have a fifteen year old dog - she is ailing, she has accidents in the house, she makes me a tiny bit crazy. Am I going to dump her at a shelter? NO! I am going to care for her until her quality of life is such that we make that terrible choice to send her over the rainbow bridge or until she passes away, whichever comes first. I adopted her as a puppy, she dedicated her life to bringing our family joy and it's the least I can do for her.

Having animals is an expensive, sometimes stressful endeavor. They bring so much joy but there are challenges. If you aren't willing to work through the challenges the don't get them. Think ahead. Ask yourself - 'Can I keep this (insert animal here) if I have a baby?' 'Can we take (insert animal here) if we move?' 'Can I figure out solutions to difficult behavioral problems when they arise?' 'Can I make a unbreakable promise to watch over (insert animal here) for the duration of their life - no matter what?' If you can't make a lifelong commitment - then skip it.

Did you know that only 1 in 4 pigs is with their original owner? Seriously? 75% give up. Shelters and sanctuaries are bursting. And breeders, don't get me started - how about if you suspend breeding until every one if those pigs has a forever home? Did you know November is Adopt a Senior Dog month? The problem of dumping your senior dog is so bad that we now have a month dedicated to getting them adopted? Really? This is my 'pet peeve' - pun intended.

Please make the right decision, think of all possible scenarios and skip adopting the critter if you aren't in for the long haul -

End of rant!

Happy Birthday Bash and Fiona!!

I can't believe that my baby ferrets are four years old!!  Time goes too fast.  These two are our youngest of the bunch. Fiona is engaged, playful and affectionate. Bash is a bit shy at first but then he wants to play rough and tumble. He is all boy!  I love these two crazy kids and am so thankful they are a part of our family.  Happy Birthday little ones!!

The beautiful Miss Fiona

The handsome Bash

Happy Halloween from the Pups and the Pig

It's gotten crazy - the amount of money you can spend on Halloween costumes for your pets. Emma used to be a great sport about wearing whatever we got for her. Now that she is an elderly lady - she is not so excited about the prospect. The puppies - well - they are wild children who have be photographed one at a time or else they eat each others costumes. And then there is the piglet - who is fairly cooperative but not a huge fan. Then there are the kitties and the ferrets - I gave that one up several years ago. So, this year we went simple, and cheap. Happy Halloween from the gang:

Juliett - with her pumpkin hair bows

and her pumpkin fairy tutu

Charli with her witches' bow

and her witches tutu that rendered her paralyzed

Tango looking quite dapper in his tuxedo bandana

And - the ham himself - Prince Winston:

And last - but most definitely not least - the Divine Miss Em with her Merry Halloween bandana

Hope you have a happy and safe Halloween!!

Happy 2nd Birthday to the Puppies

I haven't blogged in ages but I can't think of a better reason to do a post than to wish those three crazy puppies a happy birthday!  I can't believe they are two years old. Here is what they looked like as babies:

In the car on the way home

My favorite puppy pic

They had a good day filled with play time, new toys, tons of attention and lots of treats. I took a few pics of their birthday cupcakes:

Juliett

Charli

Tango

We shared birthday cupcakes with Emma and Winston as well:

Winston

Emma

I had to chuckle - in addition to their cupcakes the whole gang got a pumpkin spice dog treat. I think that September 21 is the one day that Winston is happy to have canine siblings:

I can't imagine our crazy household without these three - I love them to pieces!  Happy Birthday Tango, Charli and Juliett!!

Ferret and Piggy Vet Visit

Yesterday's vet visit went well - 8 critters cared for in about one and a half hours - not too shabby.  First off - the good news is that everyone seems pretty darn healthy. We are still waiting to hear about blood results on Kai and Winston but I am not expecting anything catastrophic in either case. We took blood on Kai to confirm his weight loss was related to coat change and not something that needs treatment and we took blood on Winston because that's what we do every year to stay on top of his health.

The ferrets were very well behaved and cooperative.  I have a couple of pics of Tabby, who went first. Tabs has developed a freckle on her nose. I had the vet check it out to confirm it is just a freckle and not something more scary. Thankfully - freckle confirmed!

Tabby, Bash, Theo, Kai, Fiona - these guys all got vaccinations - rabies and distemper, adrenal disease prevention implants and physicals.

Implant

Vaccination

Madison - who has active adrenal disease had already received her updated implant a few months ago, as well as her vaccines so she only had a physical.

Violet had her vaccinations at one of her glucose check appointments a few months ago as well so she had a physical and got her implant updated.

All in all - the state of the business is pretty darn good!

Winston - ah piggy boy.  The reality of it is - it's challenging to vet a pig. He screamed like a banshee when they put the meds in his snout. I don't think this was because of the medicine but more because they have to use gravity so they life his front feet off the ground and sit his butt on the floor. To say he didn't like it would be an understatement.

He staggered around like a drunken piggy and then we flipped him on his back. Pigs are prey animals so this part is very scary for them instinctively. He screamed for a bit but once I talked to him and gave him loves he settled down. He was on his back for a bit - they did a blood draw, vaccinations, physical, hoof trim, tusk trim. He did pretty well and all of us involved felt like the appointment went just about as well as it could have gone. Winston spent the afternoon sleeping of his meds. The ferrets were no worse for the wear and everyone seems happy today.  I am glad it's over and done with for another year.

I had to chuckle. The dogs wigged out when they heard Winston screaming - seems like they might want to murder him but they don't appreciate anyone else attempting to do it for them.  LOL

General Updates

Well - so much for blogging more frequently - there really isn't enough time in the day.  Let's get up to date on how things are going here:

Kitties - we will start here because there is not much to say.  Kitties are all doing well - they seem happy and healthy and all is right in the feline world.

Piggers - Winston is doing great. He is on a really good schedule and has gotten over being pissed off that the puppies came home. He spent a couple of weeks issuing me special piggy memos letting me know that he was unhappy. That has finally calmed down and he is doing well. He spends a good bit of time outdoors. For the most part he is out by himself - although there have been a few times he is out at the same time as one of the girl pups. I have not had him outside with Tango - although there have been some cases of incidental/accidental contact that have occurred with no aggression from either party.

Emma - the old girl is doing well - she is a bit senile, a bit deaf, a bit blind and a bit annoying at times but she keeps going strong.  She's 15 now and we pretty much let her do her thing. She is happy the pups are back!

Pups - they are adjusting quite well to being home under a new set of rules.  Pup parents are still going to school - I think a few more lessons left. They are much improved dogs I must say and I am enjoying spending time every day with them one on one. I am quite please with their progress. It's interesting - Juliett is the worrier - she stresses out - wants to do it right and hates being in trouble. Tango is the stubborn one - the boundary tester who likes to see what he can get away with before he gets in trouble. And Charli - she was my difficult child before we went to training - she has blossomed. She loves the structure and is really thriving having new rules - never would have guessed....

Ferrets - the crazy little business is doing just great! Violet continues to do well - her weight, appetite, energy, level of engagement - they are all fantastic. Kai is a bit thinner than I would like - I believe this to be related to his coat change. Male ferrets can lose up to 30% of their body weight with changing from winter to summer coat. With a ferret like Bash who is quite stocky its not as noticeable but with a long, lean ferret like Kai - he looks thinner for sure.  His appetite, energy levels, etc are all fine but I have been supplementing his food a few times a day. All the ferrets LOVE to eat from the syringe (something I taught them when Harlow - our FIP ferret was ill a few years ago). So - I make up some gravy and give Kai a supplemental feeding a few times a day. I also give some to Violet as its good from a blood sugar perspective for her to eat often. And - then I have to share with each of the other ferrets - they all take turns getting a little taste from the syringe. Mind you - if I dump the gravy into their bowl - no interest. They are so silly.

The exotic vet comes for a house call on the 27th. I will have him give Kai a good once over to be sure he is fine. Winston will also get his annual stuff done - vaccines, physical, annual blood draw, tusk trim, hoof trim - its stressful for him and for me...but it has to happen... The ferrets will get their updated adrenal disease prevention implants - all but Madison who already had hers updated a few months ago.

That's it from here - maybe some camera trap pics and some critter pics as well in the next week or so....

The Beautiful Turkeys

One of the favorite wildlife visitors around here are the turkeys. We have three males and several females that pass through. They are here for a week or two and then we don't see them for a week or two and then they are back. I love seeing them:

They're Baaccckkkk.....

Oh my goodness - I am so happy that my little zoo is complete once again.  We picked up the puppies from school this morning and I am thrilled to have them home. This first week is going to be tough with trying to acclimate them back into our environment under a who new set of rules. Here are the primary focuses we have for the next week:

1. No paws on people, no paws on stuff - this means no jumping, scratching at the door, getting on the furniture, etc.
2. No teeth on people (play biting) and no teeth on stuff that is not theirs - this means no chewing up shoes, paper, etc.
3. Dogs under human control at all times - this means on a leash or in a crate 100% of the time this week - ugh.
4. CALM - the theme of the week is calm - don't stir them up - don't talk to them in a crazy, excited 'dog voice', don't yell at them - just conversational corrections and interactions.

So - I didn't love the idea of that much crate time so luckily the kitchen is large enough that we can have three 'dog stations'. Each gets a dog bed, toys, a bone, a water bowl. They are connected to a leash that is connected to something stationary.  For instance - Juliett's leash is hooked to the leg of the kitchen table. They are far enough apart they can see each other but cannot interact. So far it has gone well.

In addition, I am keen to get them better at going in the car so I have decided that my Starbucks run will have a dog in tow each time. Today I took Charli (because she hates the car the most). She did okay, she did not get in trouble for being afraid and the return trip was much calmer than the way there. We will keep working on it.

All in all - the change in the dogs is remarkable. They are much more calm. They were always fairly mellow, but they are calm as well. Their leash manners are amazing - they had none when we started as we were terrible and never leash trained them. Obedience has vastly improved. If you tell them to do something or stop doing something they listen. Now, there are still times they need corrected and they are only three weeks in to training so its not perfect but its great.

All in all - so far so good.  Thankfully I have a long weekend and can spend a good bit of time doing dog things over the next few days. In the next 7 - 10 days we will head back to training center with all three pups to do another session and expand the scope of their world slowly but surely.  By August - they should have a good amount of freedom and be in the beginning stages of maintenance mode.

Emma is thrilled they are home.  Winston hasn't seen them yet - that is a few weeks away....

I will keep posting as we make progress - I will try to get some pictures over the weekend as well.  Happy Friday!!

Tango

Charli

Emma

Juliett

Blogging Hiatus

Gosh  - its been forever since I blogged.  I needed a bit of a hiatus I guess. This is the longest I have gone without blogging since I started in 2011.

Lots and not a lot has been happening around here. The humans have been far too busy as of late. The critters have been pretty status quo.

• Emma is doing well. Having an older dog definitely has some challenges but we are fortunate that she is in good health and going strong.
• As you probably know - the puppies (who aren't really puppies anymore - can you believe that they will be two in September?) are off to school. They come home on Friday, the 25th of May. I can't wait to get them home - I have missed them so much!!
• Winston the pig is enjoying his dog vacation. He is doing fantastic - loving the warmer weather and the time outside.
• Violet - the insulinoma ferret continues to do well!  She is bright, happy and active.
• The rest of the ferret gang are all doing just great. They are all in the process of losing their winter coat and blubber and thinning out with less weight and thinner hair. All of them are full of energy.
• The kitties are all doing just great as well. Aggie continues to do well at 22. Oliver and Phoebe seem to be quite stable on the hyperthyroid front and they are all happy and engaged and enjoying some time in the sun in their outside playspace.

I haven't checked the camera traps in a bit so I will make my way down there and find some good shots to share with you guys in the coming days. Additionally - I will provide a full report on what it's like with pups once we get them home.

June is busy - parties, visitors, vet visits for the pig and the ferrets - whew - there is always so much on the plate.

Hopefully I can get back on a more regular blogging schedule as well...fingers crossed!!

Weekend in Review

It's been a good weekend so far.  Midday on Sunday and I just got done running errands. I am pleased to report that I can leave the puppies unattended for short stints now without them tearing things up or getting into things they shouldn't.  In fact, when I got home today, I returned to find Charli and Juliett sound asleep in their crates which was totally voluntary as they were snoozing on the bed when I left.  Tango and Emma were napping on the bedroom floor.  Nothing out of place - such good dogs. I got them new toys at Costco and they seem to be a hit - all three are playing away as I type. They also got new banana peanut butter cookies which Winston has taste tested and approved.

Everyone seems happy and healthy. Violet continues to do well and Oliver is lively and ornery as ever - showing no signs of anything being amiss. Winston is a happy piggy in that we have had much nicer weather and he is spending the bulk of his days outside.  Today - not so much - its raining.  He did go out for a bit and get some grazing in before it started to sprinkle.  The rest of the ferrets and kitties are well.  This week I hope to tackle some spring cleaning in their rooms - getting rid of old, torn up toys, doing a deep clean to include windows, baseboards, etc and rearranging their rooms - they do love it when things are a bit different than the same old thing.

Next up for vet visits will be Charli and Tango next month - I haven't scheduled them yet. Then we will get the home visit for Winston and the ferrets - everyone but Madison needs their adrenal disease prevention pellet updated.  Since she has active adrenal disease she already got hers updated a couple of months ago. Then it will be time for a checkup for Aggie and Emma - it never stops!

I never posted the camera trap photos from the past week - there was one bird pic and a BUNCH of deer photos - they are prolific this time of year.  I will only post the good ones. It's also been windy - I the camera captured the windy leaves in kind of a cool shot - I will post that one as well.  While I am in critterland this week I will try to take some shots of the kitties and ferrets and post them as well.