Merry Christmas from Olive and George

Despite Olive’s commentary in the last posting, she has been just wonderful with my tree. It doesn’t seem to bother her that it is in my living room, nor does the smaller artificial tree in my dining room window seem to bother her. If she has even noticed the existence of the ornaments, she makes no attempt to get at them. I had been apprehensive about how she would react to having trees and other decorations in the house, but needn’t have worried.

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As I have posted before, Olive and I are taking “Family Dog II” obedience class. Last the instructor had us do something new. We humans have been working on having our dogs come to us when we call. Last night the instructor put a number of obstacles and distractions between the dogs and their humans. A mechanical rabbit that jumped around, for example. Another was a mechanical toy of three cats singing “Jolly Old St. Nicholas”. Various other toys were scattered around. When it was Olive’s turn she began running straight to me when I called her, at first ignoring all of the distractions. Well, as she got near me she suddenly noticed a toy, stopped to pick it up. She started running toward me again, then stopped and ran back a short way as if to say “look what I found—let’s play!” I must be getting used to Olive doing such things in class, as I was amused and started laughing. She finally did come to me, with the toy of course. I think that the instructor and the rest of the class were amused as well. I took the toy from her and replaced it in the “obstacle course” before the next dog had his turn.

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As this is our last posting before Christmas, Olive and I thought we would pass to you as a sort of a Christmas gift one of my favorite Christmas cartoons (from the 1930s) via You Tube. An eccentric inventor (who some might recognize as Betty Boop’s grandfather) saves Christmas for a group of neglected children at a badly run orphanage. I like the way that the cartoon morphs at the end into a pitch for Christmas Seals, which I am guessing would have been for sale in the theater lobby. Enjoy!

Christmas Comes but Once a Year

 

Have a great Holiday!

Olive's view of the Holiday Season

This is Olive writing. I’ve taken over the keyboard for this posting.

My human has gone nuttier than the squirrels. Last Saturday he came in with a tree—a tree no less—and planted it in the living room! Now that would be crazy enough, but he lectured me about staying away from it, then put all these little light bulbs on it. Now just what good is that supposed to do? He then throws all these shiny things on it. It takes up a full corner of the room! At least he didn’t put it over my napping spot.

The Saturday before last he left me and spent the day at some place he calls “the mall”. He came back with a pile of boxes, none smelling like anything good to eat. You would think he would at least open them to see if there is anything useful? No, he spends most of Sunday wrapping them with colored paper. All those things are now underneath that weird tree!

Some of the family came by, and I though “thank heavens, they’re going to do an intervention”. No, they all oooh and ahhhh over the tree in the corner and sing songs about “decking the halls” (whatever that is) and “God rest ye merry gentlemen let nothing you dismay” (what the heck does that mean?).

I hope that this is only a phase that humans go through now and then, and things will be back to normal soon. At least I am still being fed, my bed upstairs is unaffected, and I am still getting my walks to sniff at trees outside where they belong, study squirrels, and chase geese back into the pond. The human also plays saucer with me in the back when I remind him to. I’m grateful that the human didn’t try to bring a pond or squirrels into the living room!

Signing off now. Yes, this is a short post but you try using a keyboard with paws and no thumbs. Thank heavens for auto correct.

--Olive

Olive Graduates/Happy Thanksgiving Olive

Sunday, November 22, was the last class for “Family Dog 1”, the introductory class at “Tails U Win” training center. Yes, there was a graduation ceremony of sorts.

The last class was a bit different from the previous six. We began with a contest of sorts where we humans were to call our dogs from the far end of the room. The first dog to make it to his/her human and sit down won. When I called Olive she made a beeline for me at top speed. I had a large dog biscuit in my hand and figured we had this race wrapped up. Guess again. She got to me, grabbed the biscuit, and refused to stay or sit. Just about every other dog was sitting while Olive was still dancing around with her biscuit. Oh, well, I couldn’t be mad at her but how embarrassing!

After a bit of time practicing some of the commands and behaviors we had been working on, the staff brought out something new. It was a long wide flexible tube that the dogs were to run through to their humans. The tube could be lengthened and shortened like an accordion. About this time my sister and brother-in-law came by to see Olive “graduate”. That distracted Olive, of course, not that I wasn’t happy to have them around. The first pass through the tube (or tunnel) was with the tube at its shortest to get the dogs used to going through. Olive was a bit hesitant, but when she realized that I was at the other end calling to her she went through. The tube was lengthened to about half its full length and the exercise repeated. Finally the tube was stretched to its full length. All of the dogs did well except for a shy greyhound that just didn’t want to go through. I was glad that Olive came through and seemed to think it was fun!

The last part of the class called upon the humans to demonstrate a trick we had been practicing. I had been trying to concentrate on the useful basic commands like “sit”, “stay”, and “come” rather than cute tricks like “roll over” or “shake hands”, so I was a bit unsure as to what we could do, but I decided to demonstrate “with me” (what some would call “heel”), something I have been emphasizing with Olive and she seemed to be catching on to. Well, there was a lot of noise and distraction in that room; not a bad thing in itself but at this point Olive was not fully concentrating on me. It took a few tries, but she finally did a passable “with me”. How embarrassing!

As in the photo below, Olive did get her diploma. We begin “Family Dog 2” on December 6.

(That was a plastic bag emptied of treats that I have in my right hand.)

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Thanksgiving this year was a small affair compared to previous years. Olive joined us and met my uncle and aunt from Virginia. After dinner I drove down to Norwalk, CT where an aunt lives but left Olive with my sister. I was told that Olive behaved herself reasonably well. A friend of my sister’s came by with her 2½ year old daughter who gave Olive a good run. Olive was exhausted by the time my sister took her back home to my house.

In Norwalk my cousin Nancy is fostering a large male rescued Rottweiler named “Trey”. I was told that Trey is not friendly to other dogs, so I decided to leave Olive with my sister. Well, Trey took to me right away, putting his head on my lap and seemed reluctant to leave me. Perhaps he smelled Olive and decided that I was a dog person? Nancy told me that Trey will not be with her very long as someone in Texas wants to adopt him. If Olive smelled Trey on me, she didn’t indicate that she thought anything amiss when I got home.

Goose Dog?

This is the season when geese are descending on the pond in the center of the townhouse complex I live in. Goose poop all over the place! Geese strutting around and honking as if they own the place! As I have mentioned before, border collies are reputed to make great goose dogs. Since day one I have been looking at putting Olive to work keeping those geese in line.

Until recently I was running with Olive after the geese when we saw them congregating near the pond. Geese are not very smart birds, so I have been led to believe, and think that a border collie (or I suppose most other dogs) are wolves and will flee. That seems to be the case with Olive. She shows no fear of geese. Lately I have been just letting go of the leash and letting her at ‘em, chasing those geese into the pond. Olive seems to love it. What really pleases me is that after the geese are all in the water I call Olive to “come” and she immediately makes a beeline for me. Perhaps she is more ready for geese herding lessons than I had thought.

Currently I have her in a class called “Family Dog 1” which ends this coming Sunday. I have already signed up and paid for the next class, “Family Dog 2”. That runs into January. The training center, “Tails U Win”, does sometimes offer a “Family Dog 3”. If they do after January I will likely enroll Olive. If not, there is a “Good Canine Citizen” class that we might take. That should bring us into the Spring when I hope to get Olive into training as a herding dog at a facility in a nearby town that specializes in such training. When I spoke with them by phone I was told that they could train Olive as a goose dog. The question mark is that they told me that Connecticut would require me to be licensed as a wildlife management officer. What that entails I haven’t really looked into as yet. If it’s a matter of reading a few books and taking an exam, I might go for it. If I’m required to get a degree in wildlife management from a university, probably not.

I suppose that technically I should not be letting Olive loose after the geese. I don't even have any authorization from the complex association, though virtually everyone in my complex despises the goose and their omnipresent poop and will probably not complain to whatever State office oversees this.

With Thanksgiving next week Olive will be part of my family’s celebration. I only hope that she will behave herself and not pester everyone during dinner. Two commands I would like to teach her: “Stop barking” and “go lay down and be quiet until we finish dinner”.

How embarrasing!

I took Olive to another obedience class last Sunday. She catches on quickly and seems to impress even the instructors. On the other hand, she tried several times to snitch a few treats from the next dog. After all the fuss I went through to put together a variety of treats she would like, including grilling some chicken. I told her she should consider herself lucky: not every dog person grills chicken just for their dogs!

During training the instructors asked each human whether their dogs would be ok participating in a free play time at the end of the session. I was quick to say how great Olive is with other dogs (so they tell me at the doggie day care place). I spoke too soon. So what does Olive do? She runs and finds a tennis ball, then comes and pesters me to throw it for her, ignoring the other dogs. When she showed signs of guarding the ball, the instructors asked me to take her out. I was so embarrassed!

I actually should have seen it coming. At the dog park Olive will be polite to other dogs but when other dogs want to play with her she will look at me as if to say “can we go chase tennis balls now?” I did hear one of the instructors say something about Olive “being a border collie”, and said something to Olive about being “a bit bossy”. Well, no one ever said that partnering with a border collie would be a bed of roses (not that I ever regret it or doubt that she is one of the best things that could have ever happened to me).

On Wednesday I went to an endodontist for a root canal. What fun! Actually the procedure went fairly well, better than I had expected, though I would hardly call it a great way to spend a morning. On the way home I stopped at a pharmacy to fill the antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medicine that the endodontist prescribed. Wouldn’t you know that there was a line of some five geriatrics in front of me, and every one of them argued with the pharmacist about something or other. It delayed me about an hour. When I finally got home I immediately took Olive out for a walk, had a can of liquid meal replacement I bought at the pharmacy (I did not feel like chewing anything), and tried to settle down, though I was not in the best of moods. Olive seemed to understand that. There was no pestering though she did lay at my feet and got up to check on me from time to time. I was much better today and Olive was back to pestering me to throw her ball, take her for walks, etc.

Good to be back to normal!

Star Pupil

Sunday was Olive's second "Family Dog" class at "Tails U Win". I am happy to report that she catches on fast. The instructor "borrowed" her at one point to demonstrate walk etiquette, and thanked me afterward that my dog made her (the instructor) look good. Now if only I could get Olive to make ME look good.

Most of what is being taught is pretty basic: sit, lie down, responding to her name, behavior Olive already knows. We started on using hand signals, some of which Olive already seemed to know. At least she followed my signal to "lay down" (I pointed to the floor in front of her), though it took me a bit of trying to get her to catch on to "sit". There I didn't know what signal she might have been taught previously, so I made a circular motion with my hand to indicate her rump should go down. We were told to make the hand signal, then give the verbal command if she didn't respond. After a while a dog will associate the hand signal with the verbal command. Sure enough Olive caught on after a few tries. Imagine her thoughts in dialogue with me as:

Me: hand signal for sit.

Olive thinks: I don't know what that means.

Me: "Sit!"

Olive thinks: Well, why didn't you say so?

After several tries, Olive realizes "oh, I guess that hand motion means sit".

My only wish was that I had practiced hand targeting with her a bit more. That is where after getting her attention I hold out my hand flat near her. The object is that she should turn to sniff my hand and follow it if I move it one way or another. This is a stepping stone to getting her to follow me in a walking situation. She follows my hand, I click the clicker and reinforce with a treat. Even before the class started I had been working on "with me" (what some would call "heel") with some success. At first I tried to use "heel" as a command and got little response. Somehow I started using "with me" instead and got a much better response. Since then I have been using "with me" exclusively. I can see where hand targeting would be a help in firming this skill up.

For training treats to use at the class, the instruction to the humans was to bring five different kinds of treats and a hungry dog. I gave Olive her usual breakfast Sunday, but nothing else that day until class time. For treats I brought a small amount of her usual food (Blue Seal Active Dog Formula), cut up a "Dentastix" treat into small bights, bagged a handful of small dog biscuits that a friend had given us, bagged a handful of "training treat" pellets that I picked up in the grocery store, and cut up some leftover grilled chicken from the day before that I packed in a small plastic container and brought to class in a small cooler with an ice pack to keep it cold. Olive eagerly went for each of all five treats, though I think she liked the chicken best.

Now our task is to practice what we did last Sunday until our next class on the 25th.

Bath Time!

I found out what a "bully stick" is. You don't want to know!

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This afternoon will be Olive's first day at the dog training class. Last week, as I mentioned, was for humans only.

This morning I went to church and then for breakfast with my dad and nephew; my sister and brother-in-law are away for the weekend. After getting home I immediately took Olive out for a walk, figuring that she would need one after being in the house for about three  hours. While walking she suddenly started rolling in some grass. I gave it little thought, as she often does that. Shortly afterward, however, I noticed a putrid smell and realized it was coming from my dog. Then I noticed some yellowish substance over some white parts of her coat. When we got home the smell was even worse. I gave her a good brushing, which seemed to help, but the smell was still strong. With the obedience class tonight the last thing I wanted was to bring a foul smelling canine to the first class.

Fortunately some friends whose dog recently died had given me a box full of dog supplies. Among them was a bottle of deodorizing dog shampoo. I had never given Olive a bath before--she had a bath at the kennel when I left her for a week last July, and I brush her daily, but she is for the most part a clean dog and baths never seemed urgently needed. This time, however, I knew I had to do something.

I read the directions on the shampoo bottle, then filled my bathtub with lukewarm water (I was careful not to make it hot). Not knowing what to expect, I changed into swim trunks and nothing else. That turned out to be a good move.

Getting Olive into the tub proved a challenge; she was very reluctant, though not defiant. I finally got her in and wet down the affected fur areas with an old plastic cup. Once I got her in the tub she was surprisingly cooperative. I messaged the shampoo into the yellow areas. It took a bit of work, but it seemed that the foul stuff, whatever it was (I probably don't want to know), was washing out. Finally I figured I was at the point where it was going to be the best we were going to do so I rinsed her off as thoroughly as I could. It wasn't a full bath, but I didn't want to push things.

Getting her out of the tub was a good deal easier than getting her in. I simply said "OK, we can dry off now" and she jumped out. I dried her off as best I could with an old towel, then cleaned up the bathroom. Olive is downstairs right now drying off. There is still some of the smell, but I believe the situation is much better than it was before the bath.

Well, now I have an idea of how to give Olive a bath. I will try to give her one every few months, or when she really needs one as she did today.

OK, I will have to watch her when we go for our next walk and keep her away from the spot she rolled in this morning, I am hoping that no one at the class tonight will go "Ew, what's that smell". Stay tuned for a report on Olive's experience with obedience class.

Olive starts school

Last night there was an orientation session for those humans who will be bringing their dogs to the obedience class at "Tails U Win". The place was not hard to find, next to a restaurant called "Adam's Mill", an establishment with a local reputation as a place for fine dining that has me utterly baffled. Well, in past decades in the same town there were "Willy's Steakhouse" and "the Marco Polo" that also had reputations as fine dining establishments that similarly baffled the least demanding clientele. But I digress.

While waiting in the parking lot for things to get started, I spotted a woman with a border collie! Of course I had to introduce myself as a BC person, and found that she was the instructor. That was reassuring to know that the instructor knows border collies.

This session was clarified as "for people only--do not bring your dog". Of course, there had to be someone who missed that boldface notice and the email to that effect a few days ago and showed up with his dog. He seemed like a nice dog though a bit hyper. Staff was gracious and took him (the dog) to another area. I felt sorry for him (the dog, not the human).

Much of the session dwelt on the basics. Dogs on a leash, don't feed your dog before class, bring treats, a properly fitted collar or harness, bring a bed or mat for your dog to lie on. We were each given a folder of handouts and a "clicker". Some homework was also assigned. Much of the assignment is introducing the dog to the "clicker", a device that makes a snapping noise similar to the little tin devices many of us had as kids. We were instructed to click whenever our dogs exhibited desirable behavior, then reward. For example, if we command "sit" we should click the instant her rump hits the floor, then praise or give a treat. It seems that dogs soon take the clicks as affirmation of good behavior. A handout outlines the "name game" that we should play with our dog some ten times per day over the next week. We say our dog's name one time only and click immediately as he/she turns to look at us. As soon as we click, reward with small pieces of treat, praise, part of her dinner, toys, games, or anything else the dog really likes. I tried it with Olive a few times last night after I got home and she took right to it.

The rest of the homework consisted of reading the material in the folder and thinking about long and short term goals. After class I stopped in their store and picked up a treat pouch that I can wear on a belt during class. In the folder was a coupon for a free "bully stick" with a purchase over $5. Since the pouch cost well over $5 I took the stick. I am not sure what is in it, but a bully stick is a long stick for a dog to chew on. It looks like a stick one might find in the woods, perhaps made of rawhide. Olive took it right away and has already done some work on it. I will ask next time what it's made of, but I am certain that it's ok for dogs, since it's sold as a dog treat.

Now this morning a spring broke on my garage door, so I am waiting for the garage door service company to call me back and schedule someone to come out and repair it. Olive helped by barking at me from the house as I looked at the door and tried to figure out what happened. OK, one of the goals is to get her to stop barking when I command her to.

Stay tuned for more adventures in obedience class.

The "Dog Listener"

Last night a “dog listener” by the name of Pat Wright gave a talk at my local library. The library anticipated that the talk would be so well attended that reservations were required to attend. I applied, but found that the talk was already full so that I was put on a waiting list. Yesterday afternoon I got a call that there were enough cancellations that I could attend. The community room at the library was indeed full, but I took a sugar cookie (I had to skip dessert to make it there at 6:30, so didn’t feel guilty) and found a seat.

I had no idea how much I was doing wrong, according to Ms. Wright. I’m sure that there are other dog experts with ideas that might differ to some extent, but her talk centered on four behaviors of a pack leader that Ms. Wright urged us dog people to emulate. According to Ms. Wright, most or all problems with dogs stem from confusion over who is in charge.

1. Pack leaders always eat first. According to Ms. Wright, before feeding our dogs we should always eat something ourselves in front of the dog. That signals to the dog that we have taken our share of the “kill” and now the lower ranked pack member may take what’s left. My routine has been to get up in the morning, take Olive for her first walk, come back home, measure out her breakfast into her bowl, then prepare my own breakfast (oatmeal, eggs, whatever). According to Ms. W I am putting Olive in charge of the food and ceding authority as pack leader. In addition, Ms. W recommended taking the food away after a certain amount of time if the dog did not eat it all. In fact, she recommended removing the bowl altogether and storing it out of her reach even if she ate all of the food; in a dog’s mind, the bowl is part of the kill, just as the bones are in the wild. In the wild, if the dog does not eat right away and walks off, something else (another dog, some other animal) will take it.
   
   
   This morning I made sure to eat my own breakfast before giving Olive hers. She seldom eats before mid-morning anyway, so it was not much of a change. In fact, I’m not even sure she noticed. Taking the bowl away is something I am more reluctant to do, as I don’t want to force her to eat if she doesn’t feel right. Olive usually finishes her breakfast by supper time, but sometimes will leave a nearly full bowl past noon. I might start by removing the breakfast bowl at noon, and the supper bowl at bedtime, though she usually eats her supper within an hour or so.
   
   
2. Pack leaders come and go as they please without any hellos or goodbyes. According to Ms. Wright, if a dog goes crazy greeting her human when the human comes home, she is expressing confusion over who is in charge. To make a fuss over the dog (“hi, Fido, did you miss me? Kiss, kiss, kiss) is to reinforce that confusion. The better thing to do is to first do whatever needs to be done, then attend to the dog if she needs to be walked or whatever.
   
   
   Olive doesn’t usually go crazy when I get home. She usually stays in her bed in an alcove under the window near the top of the stairs while I am out, and calmly comes out to see me when I get home. Nevertheless, last night when I got home last night I took care of a few items before taking her out for her late night walk. Again, not much of a change; I’m not sure Olive even noticed.
   
   
3. Pack leaders protect the pack. While we may think we are taking a pleasant walk through the park, in the dog’s mind we are out in a dangerous place. Remaining calm and reassuring signals to the dog that there is nothing to worry about. If the dog starts barking and we start shouting “stop barking! Be Quiet”, in the dog’s mind we are joining in with her barking.
   
   
   This is a bit more nuanced, so that I want to read one of the books Ms. Wright recommended to see what I might improve on. Only rarely does Olive bark at other people or dogs. When she does bark unexpectedly, I can usually calm her down in short order.
   
   
4. Pack leaders take the lead. We should be deciding where and when to do things, not the dog. Ideally, when a human walks a dog on a leash, the leash should form a “J” between the human’s hand and the dog’s collar. When a dogs pulls at the leash and jumps around, she is not sure who is supposed to be leading.
   
   
   Again, I will need to read up on this. I am hoping that the upcoming obedience class will provide ways to establish myself as the leader. Even as I am writing this Olive is pestering me for a walk. Well, I think I could let Olive choose where to poop (as long as it’s not in the house).

Ms. Wright was a student of and English dog listener by the name of Jan Fennell. The book Ms. Wright recommended is “The Dog Listener” by Ms. Fennell. I only hope that the book is better laid out than Ms. Fennel’s website, which is cluttered, confusing, and disorganized!

Finding an Obedience Class

I have not given up on getting Olive into a herding class at Nutmeg Farms, a training facility not far from Hartford that uses real sheep. I decided, however, that a more basic obedience class would be a better first step, then perhaps we will go to Nutmeg in the Spring.

My town's parks and recreation office listed some dog training classes in its Fall brochure. One, titled "Dog Focus", sounded like a good one for Olive. The class description indicated that it was for dogs who are obedient at home but seem to forget everything when out and about. When we are out for walks Olive gets so focused on squirrels that she is oblivious to everything else. My commands, as well as oncoming cars (!) are completely tuned out while she stares at the squirrel she is engrossed with at the moment. I was looking forward to taking Olive to that class on Wednesday mornings and expected her to do well.

Unfortunately, last night I got an email notice that the class has been canceled. I called this morning about another class called "Out and About with your Dog" that was scheduled for early Wednesday afternoons, and was told that was canceled as well.

I did not want to waste this Fall as far as dog training goes. An internet search brought me to an organization in a nearby town called "Tails-U-Win" that I have heard good things about. I registered Olive for a basic "Family Dog" class on Sunday afternoons beginning October 4. So Olive and I will be going to school together.

I was especially happy to see the name of a woman named Sue Sternberg in their website. I knew Sue some years back when she was the fiddler for the New England contra dance band "Wild Asparagus". I haven't seen her in quite some time, though I did hear that she was a highly regarded dog expert and had left her career as a professional musician to pursue a career in dog training. To my knowledge, Sue is now living in upstate New York, so it is unlikely that she will be at any of the classes, but apparently "Tails-U-Win" uses some of her methods. I checked a box to receive Sue's newsletter.

So soon Olive and I will be off on a new adventure at dog training class. You can be sure that there will be a lot about it in this blog.

At Play

Olive loves to chase after her foam rubber Frisbee (I call it “saucer” when I want her to get it, as opposed to her “ball” or her “kong”). Several times I demonstrated to people how she would catch it while attached to her 26-foot long leash, although Olive has never shown any inclination to bolt. About two months ago I considered that when we went to the local dog park I would take her off leash and let her run. She generally kept close to me and was very good about coming to me when I called her. I decided to try taking her off leash in the wide grassy field behind my townhouse, keeping her leashes handy just in case. I have to confess that I was not surprised that she stayed reasonably close to my back deck, focusing on the saucer and behaving quite well. Since then I often bring her out back after our periodic walks during the day, let her loose to chase the saucer, and have had no real problems. Only once did she run off; when a rabbit ran across the field near us she took off after it. Even then she obeyed when I yelled at her to get back and never was out of my sight. One of my neighbors marvels that she is so well behaved that I can let her loose. I am not sure whether I am technically violating the association rules at my complex, but no one has complained yet. She is clearly under my control. She seems to like that she is able to run and jump in a manner that she never could when she was on the long leash. Border collies require a great deal of exercise, and I am glad to have found a way that seems to satisfy that need.

Some friends brought Olive a “kong” toy, a somewhat conic hollow rubber toy that I can put food in through a hole at one end, about an inch in diameter. It’s a challenge to the dog to figure out how to get the food out. Olive seems to love the challenge, and is learning how to shake the food out. Most mornings she delays eating her breakfast, though she usually eats it eventually. I find that putting a small amount of her dry dogfood in there and sitting with her while she tackles the challenge of getting the food out stimulates her appetite. She will empty the toy, then look at me to see if I will refill it, which I sometimes do. After the second fill, she will often go over to her dish and eat what is left there. This seems to have become a sort of morning ritual for us. I had heard of kong toys, but it took someone buying Olive one to really get her started on it and make me see just what a hit it is with her.

Another morning ritual is brushing her with a soft wire brush. She loves being groomed like that and will lay still, except to shift positions as if she is saying “could you get this side?” It makes for a great bonding time. We do it nearly every day.

It amazes me how many people around my complex now know Olive. Some will even come out while we are walking by to play with her. Most have no idea who I am, but they know and love Olive!

Still Adjusting

I haven't posted in the past few weeks mainly because I have been spending them trying to adjust to simply having a dog. I love my border collie endlessly and wouldn't trade her for anything. In fact, I am wondering how I ever got along without her. That being said, adjusting my schedule, routine, even my house to having a dog is a long slog.

This summer has been particularly humid; humidity affects me much more than heat does. After walking Olive it takes a bit of time to recover before I can do things like practice my fiddle playing. That has been cutting into my practice time. Housecleaning seems to be a bit more problematic than it used to be also. Not only is Olive tracking dead grass, leaves, and twigs into the house (to say nothing of her shedding), I am less inclined to lug the vacuum cleaner around after a walk in the hot humid weather. I am looking forward to drier fall weather.

Border collies are a very active breed and require a lot of exercise. I normally take her for eight short (about one third mile) walks per day, followed most of the time by playing for some ten to fifteen minutes with her foam rubber "saucer". I really don't mind the walks, as they are much needed exercise for me. Adjusting my schedule around them so that I can get my housecleaning and other things done is a challenge.

I will probably be adjusting at least until we have been together a full year. Winter will pose a challenge, particularly if this coming winter is as severe as last year's. How will Olive react to a decorated tree in my living room? How will I get my Holiday shopping done? No doubt I will find a way, but the first time for any event with a dog will be dicey.

Of course, I am not the only one adjusting. Olive seems to be adapting well to my routine. She has been eating well twice a day, has learned to not bother me when I am napping or sleeping, mostly keeps quiet while I am practicing my fiddle or watching TV in my downstairs room (which she cannot get to due to the spiral staircase). She is starting to learn not to pester me to throw her ball when I am eating. Little by little we are adjusting to each other.

Happy Birthday Olive!

Olive was born, so I have been told, on August 1, 2011. I wished her a happy birthday when she jumped onto my bed to say "good morning", but was unsure how else to celebrate. I took her to the dog park, which she loves, where we found quite a few dogs with their people frolicking before the day got too hot. Olive chased some tennis balls, made friends with a dog named "Lady", and was as pooped as I have ever seen her by the time I called her to go home. I was glad I had brought a bottle of water and her canvas dish, as she seemed especially thirsty. Since we got back I have been indulging her desire to play catch with the foam rubber saucer, play catch in the house with a light rubber ball, and go for walks every two hours. I keep telling myself I should do it because it's her birthday; isn't that, though, what I do every day?

Under other circumstances I would have taken today to drive out to the Falcon Ridge folk festival near the point where Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York come together. There was a time I would go with my tent and stay for the entire festival. Now, however, I am still recovering from my week at Ashokan fiddle camp, it seems like a long drive, and beside that, how could I run out on Olive on her birthday? I am still contemplating going out there for Sunday, but will have to see  how I feel in the morning.

Since getting home a week ago Olive has settled back into what passes for a normal routine. I took her back to Candlewick on Tuesday for the day while I went north for a fiddle lesson. She seems to have taken to the place as a child might take to school: happy to go there, happier to go home at the end of the day.

I have been asked why I chose a border collie as a pet. The truth is that after Nanne left Olive with me to "foster" for a month, she decided that she liked it at my house and wanted to stay. I did not choose her; she chose me. Today on her birthday I can honestly say I am so glad she did.

Olive goes to camp

Anyone who has been reading this blog knows that I was having separation anxiety over leaving Olive at a kennel while I went off to fiddle camp for a week. Olive compounded the situation by being an absolute sweetheart the week before I left her off. I think that she knew something was up as I assembled my tent, sleeping bag, and other gear I would need. On Saturday morning I got up as usual, took her for three walks, gave her breakfast, and finally took a deep breath and drove her to the kennel. It sure looked to me as if she was giving me a devastated look of abandonment when I handed her leash over to the kennel staff member who checked her in.

I had a good time at camp, as I have had every year for the past twenty five years. For formal classes I took a class on English-style fiddling, a class in playing harmony, a waltz orchestra class, and a class on "how to jam" during the sixth and last time slot. The last one was a bit basic, though I still learned a few useful things. In past years I joined a Quebecoise jam session during that sixth time slot; I hated to miss it this year.

I have long been friendly with a couple from Massachusetts that goes to the camp every year. I discovered that they have a border collie of their own. It was nice to commiserate with someone who missed "Angus" as much as I missed Olive.

Normally I sleep late on Saturday of the camp, have a leisurely breakfast, break down my tent, pack up my gear, and take my time getting back home, stopping at a large shopping mall in Danbury Connecticut for lunch and to look for a birthday present for my dad, as well as to pick up anything that I was kicking myself for not having during the week. This year I broke down my tent and packed on Friday afternoon, partook of our Friday night "review" program (each class gets up and performs), and sacked out in my sleeping bag on an empty bunk in the dormitory. I got up at 5, showered, loaded what little I had left into my car, and was on the road by six, stopping for coffee at a diner along the way. My excuse was that my sister was throwing a family gathering Saturday afternoon that I wanted to get to on time. I have to admit that wanting to get my dog back was also a factor.

I got home around 9:30, emptied my gear onto my living room floor, and arrived at the kennel around 10:30. I was told that Olive ate well, had a grand time with the other dogs, played catch with a staff member during her daily individual play time (for which I paid extra), and seemed happy the whole week. They brought her out fresh from a bath, she looked at me as if to say "oh, is it time to go home now?" and gave me a kiss. She hopped right into my car for the ride  home, and pulled me straight to the front door when I got her out. After a short time for her to savor being back home and sniff at that pile of stuff in the living room wondering what it was, we went for a walk, then another. At 2:00 we went to my sister's, where Olive had more fun training all the people there, including a little girl who couldn't have been much over four years old. Olive delighted all by showing how she could catch her doggy toy in midair, over and over and over......

After the party was over we went home where Olive collapsed on her bed and slept soundly through the night. Today she seems quite back to normal, pestering me for walks and to play catch. Nice to know that she was fine at the kennel and all my worrying was overblown.

I am contemplating going to a similar fiddle camp in Maine later in August, which I hear still has some room for additional campers. I feel much better about leaving Olive at the kennel. Hmmmm.....stay tuned.

Olive goes to daycare

A bit apprehensive about leaving Olive in a kennel for a week, even though Candlewick is spotless and seems very well run, I decided to give her some experience with their doggy daycare program. I had a meeting to attend last Wednesday, so I left her at Candlewick for some four hours.

Candlewick conducts an evaluation for each candidate for the daycare program. Dogs that don't quite fit in are not allowed into the daycare program, though they may come back for grooming services or overnight. I am happy to report that Olive passed with flying colors. They even provided a "report card" and posted a photo of her on their facebook page!

 

 

"My dog is an honor student at Candlewick Kennels"

 

 

Olive's first day at daycare

 

 

To give her a bit more experience and attempt to establish with her that Candlewick is a good place, I left her there again yesterday while I went north to Amherst for a fiddle lesson. Since I would be at my Tuesday supper group until around 9:00 p.m. I arranged to have my sister pick her up around 5:00. Olive was dropped off at my home and left inside with food and water. She seemed perfectly fine when I got home, while my sister reported that, according to the staff, Olive was exemplary. Perhaps they should provide bumper stickers proclaiming "My dog is an honor student at Candlewick Kennels". I might also keep an eye out for one that says "My border collie is smarter than your honor student".

 

I am still apprehensive about leaving her for a week, but I do feel better knowing that her experiences at Candlewick so far have been positive.

 

 

*********************************************************************

 

At the dog park last Monday I ran into another dog person with a border collie. Her dog "Tess" got along well with Olive. This person told me about an operation in a nearby town that trains dogs as herders, including a program to train goose dogs. The operation is run by someone who travels around the world training herding dogs. As soon as I got home I found "Nutmeg Farms of Portland CT" on the internet and called them, leaving a message. I got a call back within a few hours. An introductory class will be offered in September. I asked to be signed up. Yes, Olive already has a good idea about how to herd sheep, but I don't have any sheep for her to herd. Nutmeg Farms does. That is something to look forward to.

 

I mentioned that I am interested in training Olive as a goose dog. That may be doable, but I was told that to use Olive in that manner I would have to be licensed as a wildlife officer in Connecticut. The penalties for not being licensed are stiff. That is something I will have to look into further.

Olive the Sea Dog

I am always looking for activities that Olive and I can share together. Few museums allow dogs; the Mystic Seaport in southeastern Connecticut does allow dogs on the grounds (though not in buildings or on the ships).

Mystic Seaport is a recreated 1840s era whaling port. That portion of Connecticut (New London County) was a major whaling center, especially the city of New London, for a time America's second largest whaling port (after New Bedford). Today New London County hosts the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and America's largest submarine base. The Mystic Seaport complex includes historic buildings relocated there from around New England, some new buildings constructed to house various exhibits, and a few old ships in the water particularly the Charles W. Morgan, thought to be the oldest intact wooden whaling ship in the world. Perhaps most appropriate is a full fledged boatyard construction facility where the Amistad slave ship was recreated, the Morgan was recently overhauled, and the recreated Mayflower (of Pilgrim fame) was repaired. I say appropriate because Mystic Seaport occupies land that was once the celebrated Greenman shipyard, where a number of wooden ships were constructed during the 1800s.

I decided to give Olive a chance to show what kind of sea dog she would have been. I packed her canvas water dish and arranged to meet my friend Laurie (who lives nearby) for lunch at the "Spouter Tavern", an old seaport tavern now a working restaurant within the Seaport that has outdoor seating. When we got there Olive seemed a bit bewildered at all the activity and noise. It was a great day weather-wise for a visit to the Seaport, so there was a significant crowd. Olive got especially excited when a horse-drawn wagon (a standard ride that families seem to enjoy) came by. To calm her down I filled a bottle of water and took her to the shaded pavilion on the "village green" near the center of the complex. It was quieter and cooler there, though many people stopped to pet Olive. She loved the attention.

At the arranged time we met Laurie for lunch. Olive kept looking for something--anything--to get me to toss to her. I let Laurie take her while I ran into a souvenir shop that I remembered had some toys. The best I could find was a foam-rubber lobster. To my surprise they also had dog biscuits, at $2 each. I had forgotten to bring any dog treats, so I bit the bullet and paid for one.

Well, Olive is a Maine Native. Of course she would love the "lobstah".

Service at the tavern was a bit slow, though the sandwiches were large and satisfying. As it would happen, the horse-drawn wagon ride came right by the tavern's outdoor seating area, causing Olive to bark each time it came around.

After lunch we walked around the complex. I took a few photos of Laurie and Olive at an old anchor at the edge of the "village green". The light was a bit harsh so that the photo came out looking as if Olive and Laurie were sitting on sand rather than lush green grass.

Olive and Laurie at an old ship's anchor.

Olive was clearly getting tired, so we bid Mystic farewell and headed home. Food, water, and air conditioning! Doggy heaven!

Fourth of July

What to do with Olive when I am going to be away for a week? That is the dilemma I have been facing with my annual week at Ashokan fiddle camp coming up in late July. A few friends have offered to take her for a week, but with work schedules and other drawbacks none of them really sounded ideal. Talking with other dog people in my town, everyone seems to have praise for one Candlewick Kennels right here in Glastonbury. My mom used to occasionally bring her basset hound there back in the 90s, so I thought to check it out. They gave me a tour of the entire facility and I was impressed; the place is spotless. I made a reservation for Olive July 18-25 when I will be away. The largest cages were all taken, but remembering that Nanne keeps her dogs in crates made me feel better about the standard cages, which are actually roomier than crates I have seen. I will be paying extra for some daily individual play time with a human so that she can chase the foam rubber saucer that she loves to do so much. Yes, she is allowed to have personal toys that I will leave with her.

On the down side when I saw the dogs all playing very well together in a large play room I wondered whether it might be a bit overwhelming for Olive; at the dog park she is polite to other dogs but is usually uninterested when another dog wants to play with her. She seems to prefer chasing tennis balls that I throw. Another drawback is that this kennel is expensive; then again I suppose one gets what one pays for, and I want Olive to have the best. Yes, I am experiencing separation anxiety, but I decided this would be good for Olive. Not only will she be well cared for, it will give her some time to socialize with other dogs.

On July 3 I took Olive to the dog park again. Often at that time in the morning we have the park to ourselves, but this time there were quite a number of dogs with their humans. I tried to encourage Olive to play with the other dogs, with only modest success. I am looking at bringing Olive to Candlewick for a half day this week (they take dogs for day-care as well as overnight) to get a taste of what she is in for, and to allow the Candlewick staff to "evaluate" her for playing with other dogs, something they tell me is standard when they get a new client.

On July 4 I took Olive with me to my sister's house for a family barbecue. My niece and her husband were visiting from Bogota Columbia where they are living. Olive amused everyone with her eagerness to play with various toys my sister keeps for her, and of course demanded attention from everyone.

Above, Olive with me, my sister, and a July 4 table centerpiece.

Old Songs Weekend

Every June I head out to the annual Old Songs weekend folk music festival at an old county fair ground near the rural town of Altamont, New York. Unfortunately dogs (except for service dogs) are not allowed on the festival grounds so that I could not bring Olive with me. Fortunately I had several offers from dog-loving friends to look after her for the weekend. I decided on my sister and brother-in-law, since Olive seems very comfortable with them and their home.

The festival includes a tenting area which is what I have been doing since I started going there in 1991. I have a small tent just large enough to sleep in comfortably (with the help of an air mattress) but small enough so that putting it up and taking it down can be easily and quickly done by one person. I had a good time Friday night and Saturday; a session of Quebecoise music alone was well worth the trip. Unfortunately the weather turned quite wet Saturday night just before the evening's main concert program. My tent seems to have developed a small leak (which I believe I can easily fix with a spray sealant) making sleeping on rainy Saturday night much less pleasant than dry Friday night. In the morning I evaluated the schedule and found that most of what I had been planning to do would be outdoors. The weather outlook was not good, so I reluctantly took down my tent in the rain and stashed it in my car, changed into some dry clothes, and left the festival for hot coffee and a vegetable omelet breakfast at a nearby diner. My tent and sleeping bag were wet enough that I wanted to put them in a place to dry before any mildew developed. I also was anxious to get back to my border collie.

When I got home I figured that I could get a number of things done more easily and quickly without Olive pestering me to toss her ball or otherwise pay attention to her. I set up my tent in my living room to dry, hung the sleeping bag in my dry basement on a clothesline, did a load of laundry, and took a shower. Then I called my sister and let her know I was on my way.

As I expected, Olive was quite happy to see me after a two day separation. I was informed over tea that she was reasonably well-behaved, ate well, and kept the family busy. Hmmm.....doesn't sound as if she missed me THAT much. :-(

My friends Kathryn and Mark, who I visited in the Berkshires a few weeks ago, have sent me some photos taken during the visit (see my previous blog entry). The photos were impressive.

Note the viaduct in the background, the remnants of an old mill.

"Look at me in the water!"

At the Buhrmaster Barn contra dance: her eyes are aglow with happiness (and camera flash)!

Videos of Olive's First Contra Dance

The contra dance at the Buhrmaster Barn that I mentioned in my last post is on You Tube.

Olive’s first contra dance, which I mentioned in my last post, has been posted on You Tube. You will see her at 8:02 on the video posted at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfAyOiH8J_I

There is some footage of Kathryn dancing, and a glimpse of me. Some more of the dance is at the following posting, with a good shots of Olive at 3:40.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eS8_GjozhM

Olive the water dog/Olive's first contra dance

I am fortunate to have a young neighbor who loves dogs and who seemed eager to act as a sitter for Olive when I broached the subject with her and her mom. Saturday was the annual sea music festival in Mystic, CT. I considered bringing Olive along, as dogs are allowed on the seaport grounds, but decided to leave her home as I might want to attend some performances at indoor venues. As such I asked my neighbor to look in on Olive around early afternoon. I had resolved to skip the evening concert and leave after the daytime activities ended. I thought that Olive might not take well to someone entering our unit without me, but my sitter reported that Olive greeted her with a kiss and was a perfect lady. This means that I can use her again when I need to leave Olive at home for more than a few hours.

On Sunday my friends Kathryn and Mark, who lives in the Berkshire region of Massachusetts, suggested that I bring Olive up to play with their two corgis. They also suggested that I consider going to a dog-friendly contra dance near Albany. I packed a few things for Olive, including her canvas water dish, and we drove up.

We did a light hike along a well maintained trail near the ruins of some nineteenth century mills. I took Olive off leash for a time. She was reasonably well behaved and came whenever I called her, but I got a bit concerned that she was running off the trail frequently and jumping into a stream that looked to have some significant currents. I put the leash back on and resolved to work on a “with me” command or “heel” command for future such activities, as well as routine walks. We did discover, however, that Olive loves the water! She seemed to like the feel of it against her skin and didn’t mind sitting or even laying down in the shallow water. Kathryn took some photos and a video, which I will post on this blog (if I can) when Kathryn is able to send them to me.

After the hike we went to the dog-friendly contra dance at the Buhrmaster Barn in the town of Colonie, New York. Olive seemed to be a hit with many of the dancers, and reveled in the attention she got. I joked that I had to pay admission but my “date” did not. I had no problem getting people to stay with her while I did a few dances, always choosing a spot in a line where Olive could see me. The music and all the activity did not seem to bother her. We left about half way through the dance so that I could get home at a reasonable time. I am sorry that there is not a similar dance closer to me so that Olive and I could go more often. Again, I will post photos that Kathryn took when I can.

We hit some construction traffic tie-ups on I-91 heading back to Connecticut, so we didn’t get home until nearly eleven. Both of us were exhausted. I was quite pleased with Olive’s behavior.

Today was a day of heavy rain. I tried out a rain hiking outfit that I bought at LL Bean just for the purpose of taking Olive out in the rain. It worked well, though my shoes got quite wet and I kicked myself for not getting a rain hat to go along with the outfit. After each walk Olive and I played with the foam rubber saucer in the rain. Olive seemed to love it. Each time I had to call it when it looked as if she was getting tired. I think the rain outfit was a good investment.

Party Girl

A group of friends gets together most Tuesday nights for supper, usually at one person's or another's house. Last Tuesday was my turn to host.

I was a bit apprehensive about what Olive's reaction would be to a group of people occupying our home, but I needn't have worried. I fed her at 5:00 (her usual time); people began arriving around 7:00. Some of the people she already knew, and she fit right in with the crowd as a whole. Eight or nine people is the usual attendance; this time there were 14. At one point she withdrew to my downstairs bathroom, where she likes to be when it gets warm and humid to lay on the cool floor tiles. I had thought she might go upstairs to her own bed (where there were no people) to withdraw, but it did not seem to be the case. For the most part she was with everyone. There was little begging (if any) for food; she conducted herself as a perfect lady. I was very pleased with her.

Most of the dishes were done before the crowd left. Once it was just the two of us again, she seemed a bit relieved. I did a small amount of cleaning up, taking the trash out, and decided to leave what cleaning was undone for the next day. Wednesday morning I got up to walk and feed Olive, then went to a nearby breakfast spot. I then decided that Olive needed a break as well and took her to the dog park. That seemed to get her back to her normal self. When we got home I finished the washing, vacuumed the living room and dining room, put the rooms back to their normal state, and breathed a sigh of relief. By then I was exhausted and just relaxed the rest of the day, eating a plate of leftover potato salad and green salad for lunch, leftover vegetable casserole and pork chops with the last of the potato salad for supper.

I sometimes save comic strips I come across on line, especially if I can relate to them from my experience with Olive. Here are a few. Enjoy!

Errata

As I related previously, I discovered how to automatically send copies of my blogs to interested people. I set the system up so that the people who were getting my "Life with Olive" bulletins would get this one. As before, if you would rather not get the blog automatically just let me know and I will remove your email address. No offense will be taken.

Sorry to repeat the above part of my last posting; It seems that the list of people I had intended to send my blog to did not register properly so that only a few of the people received my last entry. I believe that the problem was that only ten addresses are allowed; I had more than ten. As such I had to pare the list down.

This morning I took Olive to the dog park for exercise. Many mornings we have the entire park to ourselves, though this morning there were a number of other dogs there. Olive politely greeted them and allowed them to sniff her; she was, however, more interested in chasing tennis balls that I threw. As we were finishing up, two of the other dogs quarreled. Olive was the perfect lady and ignored them (as their people tried to halt the fight). If those two were trying to impress her by fighting, Olive was having none of it. I was very pleased with her behavior.

Lunch Date

The rain we had recently seemed to have put Olive under the weather. She was just not herself last Sunday, which may in part have been because I had to leave her alone while I spent much of the day volunteering at a whale exhibit at a nearby science museum, sponsored by the Cetacean Society International, of which I am a board member. I was grateful that she seemed to be back to her old self on Monday.

Today I had to leave her again for the morning while I did my shift as a volunteer tutor at an adult literacy program in Hartford. I felt guilty about leaving her alone part of the day again, so I started thinking about what we might do together today. This morning's Hartford Courant (newspaper) answered me with a review of a beach-style seafood restaurant in Rocky Hill, a suburb across the river from Glastonbury. The restaurant is called Shad Row, near the launch of a historic ferry between Rocky Hill and the village of South Glastonbury, reputed to be the oldest continuously operated ferry in the U.S. What caught my attention was a note that the place is dog friendly. I decided to take Olive out for lunch. Immediately after finishing my tutoring shift, I drove home, got Olive, and we drove to the place.

The restaurant has no indoor seating, just tables on a deck overlooking the Connecticut River. It is quite casual, despite full waiter service. When we got there it was more crowded than I had expected, though we found a shaded table right away. I poured some water into Olive's canvas water dish, and she made herself comfortable. Some nearby patrons immediately made friends with her, and the restaurant owner even came by to pet her. I thanked her for making the place dog-friendly, to which she responded that she would not have had it any other way. Service was a bit laid back, though prompt and courteous. I played it safe and ordered fish & chips with coleslaw, though next time I might try one of the edgier offerings. I had brought along a dog treat for Olive, which I gave her as soon as my lunch came. Olive was a perfect lady; several patrons commented on what a sweet dog she is and how beautiful she is (as if we didn't already know). A helpful waiter snapped a picture of the two of us on the deck.

After lunch we walked around the grassy area of a nearby riverfront park, which Olive seemed to enjoy. We got home around 2:30.

The review of Shad Row is available online at http://www.courant.com/features/food/hc-alacarte-shad-row-rocky-hill-0604-20150529-story.html

Note: I discovered how to automatically send copies of my blogs to interested people. I set the system up so that the people who were getting my "Life with Olive" bulletins would get this one. As before, if you would rather not get the blog automatically just let me know and I will remove your email address. No offense will be taken.

Tennis Balls, Tennis Balls, Tennis Balls

My friend Pat, who lived with an amazing border collie for some fifteen years, commented to me in a recent email "Have you bought stock in tennis balls yet?" I had to laugh, and responded with another question: "Gee, how did you know that Olive loves tennis balls?"

There must be something about border collies and tennis balls. While taking Olive for a walk a few days ago, she somehow found an old tennis ball at the side of the road and picked it up, carrying it as if it were a prize trophy. I took it from her and put it in my pocket, promising her that I would take it with us the next time we went to the dog park.

My friend Carol some weeks back gave me a scoop designed for throwing tennis balls. I take it along whenever we go to the dog park. I take Olive off her leash, and use the scoop to throw tennis balls to chase after. I find we can burn a lot of border collie energy without my even breaking out into a sweat. With the scoop I can throw tennis balls a long way without much effort. Olive loves that game so much that she loses track of how tired she is getting. When she shows signs of being tired, I start moving toward the dog park entrance, then call her. She always comes right to me and lets me put the leash back on. This morning she was clearly exhausted, and needed to stop twice during the short walk back to my car. I didn't mind so much the stops, but the mosquitos are especially brutal right now so that I didn't relish standing still and being mosquito food. When we finally got back to my car I had brought along her canvas water dish and a bottle of water which I poured for her. She drank much of it, still clearly winded from all that exercise.

Again, I was very pleased with Olive's behavior at the dog park. When we first got there someone had a small yapping dog that snarled at Olive. Fortunately they were leaving; Olive ignored him/her. Later someone came with what may have been a shepherd cross, though this one was friendly. Olive was a perfect lady.

Last Tuesday my sister, who Olive seems to have taken to, took Olive for the afternoon while I went to Amherst MA for a fiddle lesson. I went to my Tuesday supper group from Massachusetts and got back to my sister's house around 9:15. Olive's training of my sister and her family seems to be going well, as my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew seemed "border collied" out. When I got Olive back to our house she immediately wanted to play "catch" with the ball some more. Well, border collies are clearly  not for everyone, but this one is certainly for me. I am also thrilled that she is so comfortable with my sister's home and family, though I suspect my sister and brother-in-law are not always so sure.

A daytrip adventure

It's hard to believe that Olive and I have been together eight weeks. On one hand, it seems like she came to me only yesterday, on the other hand it seems like we have been through so much together it could not possibly have happened in only eight weeks. Of course, we have only just begun and we have (I hope) many years of being together and memorable experiences together ahead of us.

After my fiddle lesson yesterday I decided to head straight home to Olive. Although my sister spent part of the day with her, she had to drop Olive off at my place around 3:00 p.m. If I stopped to relax with coffee and a magazine as I often do and then simply go to my Tuesday supper group that would have left her alone for at least six hours. I figured that was too long. I got home, took Olive for her walk, brushed her, then headed up to Windsor. I got home around 9:30, and wouldn't you know it, it started to pour. I thought Olive wanted to get her last walk of the night even with heavy rain, so I put on a rain jacket and girded myself for a very wet walk. It seemed that Olive changed her mind when it started lightning and thundering. She rushed me through the walk and made a beeline to her bed upstairs. When the thunder subsided I showered and turned in myself. At that point Olive seemed to want to stay with me; after she had dried off she curled up on the bed near me and stayed there for the night. Scared of thunder? Nervous because I left her for so much of the day? I can only guess.

Today I thought to do something of an adventure with her. Since I had to come up with something we could both do, I thought we could check out a state forest, Natchaug forest, in Windham county in the rural eastern part of the state. Within the forest is a small park dedicated to Connecticut native GENERAL NATHANIEL LYON, a Civil War hero. After a bit of hiking and searching we found it. It's a rather odd memorial in that it consists of a stone chimney, all that remains of his homestead.

 

Olive was curious as to what this thing was. I suspect that this chimney was in the middle of the house against an exterior wall, one side in a kitchen, a second side in a living room, a third side in perhaps a dining room or bedroom, and the fourth side on the outside of the house. Note the box to the left of the fire area, which may have been an oven for baking. As such, this would have been the kitchen side.

 

According to a website, "Lyon proved to be a tower of strength for the Union side, as he quickly fought and won several battles....Finally, in the fierce action at Wilson's Creek [Missouri] on August 10, 1861, he audaciously led his outnumbered troops forward and was mortally wounded....Lyon was considered a Northern hero, and from 10,000 to 15,000 persons, including many notables, attended his funeral at Eastford."

 

I was saddened that the "monument" seemed rather neglected. The lawn around it looked as if it had not been mowed yet this year, there was no plaque identifying it as General Lyon's, and the chimney itself seemed to be deteriorating. Windham County was once bustling with textile mills, including one in nearby Phoenixville. During the late 1950s and 1960s much of that work went to anti-union Southern states, and from there to China and other third-world countries. Many of the small mill towns are now disappeared or are barely noticeable remnants of an earlier era. Willimantic, the largest town in the county and once the center of Connecticut's textile industry, is still a sizable town but quite depressed. Ditto for Putnam, perhaps the county's second largest town, not far from the Natchaug forest. There has been much talk about promoting tourism in the area; how can we promote tourism when we neglect our historic sites? Much of the state forest seemed neglected, the paved roads deteriorating, trails not maintained. In a depressed area hiring some teenagers as summer help to mow the lawn and maintain the trails could make a big difference. Hiring a stone mason to see what could be done to preserve the chimney and a paving company to repair the roads (or remove them if they are not needed) would provide work for a local business. Alas, Republican politicians continually scream about "austerity" while they cut taxes for the rich and large corporations. No country in the history of the world has ever "austeritied" their way to prosperity.

I had brought along a lunch which we ate at a dilapidated picnic table near a broken and rusted charcoal grill. I had a doggie snack for Olive while I ate a sandwich and apple with a Pepsi. As we finished up, a group of people came by. They bypassed the dilapidated picnic tables and sat on a fence around the chimney while eating their lunch. I didn't really have any contact with them, just loaded my things back into my car and left them to enjoy the monument.

On the way home we passed an ice cream stand. I was tempted to stop, but decided that the Pepsi was enough sugar for the day.

I had stopped at an outdoor equipment store yesterday and picked up a canvas water dish for Olive. I figured I could keep it in my pack and pour some water into it for Olive to drink. I tried that, but Olive would not drink. I am guessing that she didn't understand that it was a water dish for her. I will try to use it at home and see if she will use it. Perhaps she will get the idea in time for our next adventure.

This and that

During our visit to the vet, I was told that I should brush Olive's teeth daily. My immediate reaction was that I have enough trouble remembering to brush and floss my own teeth; how am I going to brush my dog's? Well, that is not the problem. I am trying to remember to brush her coat daily and brushing her teeth with a special dog toothbrush that fits over my finger seems a natural extension. Sounds like the problem is solved, right? Well, Olive doesn't mind her coat being brushed at all, but she is not so cooperative with her teeth. It seemed fairly easy when the vet's assistant did it, not so easy when I attempted to do it at home. I found a video on the internet that didn't seem to help me much. For now I am trying to get her used to the taste of the dog toothpaste (poultry flavored). She seems to like licking it off my finger. I will be stopping at the vet's office this afternoon to pick up a nail clipper; perhaps I can get a few ideas from the staff.

I am somewhat intrigued at the prospect of using Olive as a goose dog to keep geese away from the pond in the center of our townhouse complex. Research is a bit problematic in that what is on the internet seems to be mostly advertising for outfits that are offering to bring their own border collies in to chase off the geese for a fee. I am looking to offer the service gratis to my own homeowners' association. I will have to do some more digging.

I found a dog obedience class in my town that I would like to bring Olive to. She is already a fairly well behaved dog so that I think she will do well, though I would like to teach her to stop barking on command, to stop pulling at the leash, and to pay attention to me rather than being so focused on squirrels. A class begins in August, though if I go away to fiddle camp in Maine I will have to miss the first class. Perhaps I could get my friend Katie or my sister to take her in my stead. I did want to try this fiddle camp in addition to the camp at Ashokan NY that I attend annually, but I suppose it might have to wait until next year--I hate the thought of leaving Olive behind for Ashokan and then repeating it a few weeks later.

A relative of mine makes his own excellent wine each year and throws a dinner and wine tasting each year when he bottles the wine from the large vats he uses to ferment it. Since dinner is outdoors, I had hoped to show Olive off, but it seems that a few of my relatives in attendance would have been uncomfortable with a dog around. I respected their wishes, though I have trouble understanding why anyone would  have a problem being around dogs.

I took Olive to the dog park again this morning. There were a number of people and dogs there this time. The dogs were quite friendly, though Olive is a bit shy with groups of dogs. She seemed to want to get away and chase tennis balls, which we did until she showed signs of being tired. In all, I thought she was every bit a lady with the other dogs and was quite pleased with her behavior.

First Visit to the Vet, Visiting my Niece, and a Graduation

Last Friday was Olive’s initial visit to her new veterinarian. I was pleased when I checked out the local vet practices on line that the vet I brought my dogs to way back, Dr. Keish, was still involved with his old practice. It seems that he is mostly retired, but his daughter, Dr. Pampreen, is a licensed vet and seems to have taken over the practice. She seemed quite knowledgeable and competent, gave Olive a thorough checkup, updates on all of her shots and medications, and a clean bill of health. Olive behaved perfectly in the vet’s office, even when the vet drew a blood sample and gave her shots. I was comfortable registering Olive as her patient. Her staff took Olive’s photo for their records, which I am posting here.

 

Olive looks a bit defiant in the photo. She did not seem scared, but a bit bewildered as to what was going on there.

 

My only concern is that Olive seems to have lost nearly five pounds since last December. I had been giving her two cups of dry food per day, but decided to increase that by a half cup per day and monitor Olive’s weight. The flea/tick medicine the vet prescribed, NexGard, was the same that Nanne suggested. The heartworm medicine, Heartgard7 plus, is a different brand, but I am confident that it will be quite effective and works in the same manner as the heartworm medicine that Nanne suggested. As for the cost, well, keeping a dog these days is NOT cheap.  $$$

On Saturday my niece Katie flew up for a very short visit from her home in Bogota, Columbia. We had hoped that she would bring her schnauzer, Dogmatix, to stay here permanently while she flew back to prepare for a move herself (with her husband Andrew) to the U.S. to pursue a graduate degree. At the last minute Katie decided to accept a promotion from her employer in Columbia and stay another year. So Olive will not meet her “cousin” for at least another year. At least she was able to meet Katie, however briefly.

Sunday was a big day for my Cousin Donna’s daughter, Lisa, who graduated from my old alma mater, the University of Connecticut. Lisa and I have long been close, and I was quite honored that Lisa reserved a ticket for me to attend the commencement. I left Olive with my sister around 1:30 and drove out with Lisa’s aunt and grandparents to the University. After the ceremony, we had a modest celebration at a restaurant in Lisa’s home town of Cromwell. My sister had deposited Olive at my house before heading to Cromwell herself, so Olive was there to greet me with her tail wagging when I got home late at night.

Olive seems to have taken to barking at relatively little provocation. I am attempting to break her of that by being reassuring and calming whenever she starts. We will see how that goes.