Wylie - our resident coyote

We have a coyote that lives in our woods somewhere and we often see it wandering through the meadow. I am unsure as to whether it is male or female. If I had to guess I would say its a girl because its not all that big. Wylie is a good name - it could go either way.

Wylie is respectful of us, never getting too close to the yard, the dogs or the pig. Whenever the humans are out he/she goes in the other direction. Its a peaceful, symbiotic relationship. If he/she could step it up on snakes and mice I would be greatly appreciative!  :)

The camera traps often snap some great pictures of this gorgeous creature. These were all taken between mid April and today.

Agatha - 1997 - 2019 - Rest in Peace Sweet Girl

It brings me such sadness to share that yesterday morning we lost our sweet Aggie kitty. I had gotten up early (4:30 am) to feed Miss Violet (ferret) and at that point Aggie was fine. She ate, got some loves, gave me some purrs and found a spot to snooze on her bed. When I went in around 8:30 am I found her in her forever sleep. She was comfortable, had been basking in the sun and slipped away peacefully to the rainbow bridge. It was quick and painless and she no illnesses or aliments - I wish that for all my critters, family and friends - a long life with no issues and a peaceful passing.

Aggie has been with me literally for half my life. She came to me as a three week old kitten when I was 26 years old. She has lived with me in three states, and five residences. She has survived me getting my 26 year old act together and finding my way to being an adult. She warmly accepted having a dad - my husband - and grudgingly dealt with the stream of new critters that found their way into our lives. She has known all of my critters from my first kitty Isabel to the latest addition of the three pups. While she wasn't always a fan she was a pretty go with the flow cat and always adjusted well.

Aggie was incredibly healthy - I never had to take her to the vet for anything other than routine checks, shots, etc. She has never been sick or taken medication. There was no indication that yesterday was to be her last day. I think her almost 24 year old body just gave out. While we have known that this day was coming and we have tried to prepare ourselves, it doesn't really feel easier now that she's gone. Our family feels incomplete.

We have been paying some extra special attention to Phoebe. She is our only kitty now and while she and Aggie weren't particularly close she is still having to adjust. Yesterday had me out of sorts for the bulk of the day. I wasn't overwrought with sadness, but more feeling an emptiness that something important is missing. It's so hard to lose your furry kids. I take comfort in the fact that Aggie had an incredibly long life. She was healthy up to the very end and she was spoiled rotten for the duration.

I will miss you terribly sweet kitty girl. Thank you for a lifetime of companionship and love.

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!!