Fascinating markings

I was just checking out KDs pics here and on the shelter page and I realized I haven't gotten a good picture of her front legs/brisket. She has the most fascinating color splotches. It reminds me a lot of the reticulation patterns on a giraffe. She is too short to be crossed with a giraffe, but perhaps a toy pygmy giraffe :-) .

KD going back to the shelter for a bit

We have another dog at the shelter that needs to get out of the shelter environment and into a home for a bit. Adrien is a boxer and she will be going to Austin Boxer Rescue when they have a foster home, but in the interim, she really needs some away time. So, KD will be staying at the shelter for a couple of weeks. I am sure she won't be happy to be staying, but she will do fine there and Adrien isn't.

KD has had Emma over for a number of more playdates. They get along great. Emma likes stringy tug ropes and will carry them in her mouth and thrash them around. KD grabs the other end and plays tug with her. Now it isn't a fair contest as KD is 6 times as large, but yesterday KD was bringing the tug toy to her and fling it at Emma's mouth to get her to grab on and play. KD kept bringing it back after she had tugged away from Emma. The only time that Emma gets a bit concerned about playing with Emma is when they start playing chase around the yard. KD gets a bit wild and Emma will flee into the house and under the kitchen table and KD will be barreling behind her and then turn around and run out to the yard and Emma usually follows for more chase.

I will miss having KD around, but will see her at the shelter on the weekends. She will come right back here after Adrien is gone.

Bark, bark, bark

KD is a barker when someone she doesn't know comes. The pest control guy was here today and she was barking and running away and barking. I finally had to put her out. The cleaning ladies put her out when they come because she does the same thing. I really need to put her on a leash before opening the door. She really is under control on leash and pays attention.

Another Emma visit

Had another visit and day over with Emma and she and KD got along great. They play well together and there isn't any aggression over dog beds or treats. No squeaky toys this time and no issues. KD loves those squeakies.

Why does it always have to be the dead flat things

KD loves to sniff around and I have a bad habit of taking her for a walk in the evening on a flexi-leash and letting her wander ahead. A couple of weeks ago when we were out walking, she picked up something dead and flat and I had to get her back to me and force her to drop it. Yesterday morning when we were out walking, she was trailing behind me a bit sniffing a fence line. I started to cross the street and she came to catch up. I looked down and there in her mouth was a dead squirrel (best guess). I gave her a quick yank on the leash and she dropped it. Yuck.

Aggression over toys

The last time that KD was adopted, she was returned for aggression over toys. Apparently the meet and greet with their dog had gone fine, but when they all got home, there was some problems with the dogs and toys. KD has shared space at the shelter in the outdoor runs with Hermes and with Valerie, so I know she can get along with other dogs. I had Lori's dog Emma over again the other day and she had some of her toys with her. KD loves stuffed squeaky toys and got ahold of Emma's little bone and I didn't notice it, but apparently Emma did, because I heard growling and squealing and I had to tell KD to get off of Emma (who is 1/6th her size) and send KD outside to break things up. It was then that I discovered she had the little stuffed toy. She ran around with it playing keep away until I grabbed a leash and she immediately came over to get a walk. When I took it out of her mouth, it was already torn open and the squeaker destroyed. In the past visits, Emma and she have gotten along fine. Emma even has a habit of taking KD's comforter spot and her bones. It seems there are some things that are the trigger and squeaky stuffed toys is on the list.

No KD interest at the shelter, but another step to the doggy sandbox

We went to the shelter today. It was very busy. There was a Girl Scout group there doing a workday, there were volunteers, all sorts of visitors and it was just people all day until the late 4s. One person asked some questions about KD, but nothing came of it. Valerie had a meet and greet and it went great and she went home. I took some pea gravel from the pile in the yard and put a layer in the sandbox in progress in the yard. I think one more load and it will be sand time.

Emma went home

KD and Emma had a nice visit but Emma got to go home today. KD got along great with her. Perhaps she could go to a house with a smaller dog?

Another Emma visit

My friend Lori had a bad asthma attack yesterday (but she is okay). The hospital wanted to keep her for a day or so to make sure things don't get bad again, so we are dogsitting her dog Emma. Emma and KD get along just fine. Emma is a tiny sub-7lb. toy poodle and is like a teacup to KD's bull in a china shop, but they are getting somewhat better at playing with each other. Emma will chase KD around the yard. KD figured out that if she takes Emma's little stuffed toy and runs around the yard with it, Emma will give chase. I had to take up the little stuffed toys and there haven't been any problems. I think she will be staying another night, but things seem to be going fine so I don't have any worries.

Bark, bark, bark ....

There are 3 days off school at the beginning of this week and so Ben has had some buddies and their computers over for a LAN party. Well, KD has been quite distrustful of a couple of the boys and will look at them in the next room and keep her distance and bark. I gave them some treats to give to her, but it didn't seem to help.

I have been working on the doggy sandbox more this past week. I decided that I just wasn't keeping up with the pond and that I was going to take the rocks from the pond and put them on the bottom of the garden area as the base and take the dirt from the garden and backfill where the pond was. It is the end of an era, but it just seemed to make sense. I need to plant grass where the pond was and I need to get gravel/sand to finish the sandbox. The shelter has a big pile of pea gravel left over from a project which I can have, I just need to get over there with a truck and wheelbarrow and haul it home. I might ask Bill though I just borrowed his truck on Friday to bring home a used sofa I bought on craigslist. The old sofa was so past bad and really needed to go. The new one is in relatively good shape and was inexpensive. Hopefully it will hold up to foster dogs, but if not, it was inexpensive and I can always go back to craigslist for a replacement.

Watson was adopted and went home

Watson was adopted this past week and went to his new family on 2/1. Glad he found a home relatively quickly. I also read in the volunteer update that Hermes is doing great and is much beloved. Another great match. Now on to finding that perfect home for KD.