2018 Christmas Border Collie

Happy holidays to all. Some have told me that they have not been receiving this blog upon publishing. I think that the new system asked recipients to confirm that they want to get the postings within five days. I am guessing that not everyone realized that they had to respond, so their email addresses were deleted from the list.

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I discovered a video taken by my dad of Olive and I playing “saucer” with the foam rubber Frisbee. I had to cut the length a bit before I could post it on this blog. Anyway, she is a natural at catching Frisbees or Frisbee like objects.

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This year Olive seems to have done better in presents than I did. In fact, as I took a break from writing this installment to walk Olive, a car came by, honked its horn, and out came one of my neighbors with a wrapped present for Olive! Nothing for me, of course. When we arrived home, I unwrapped it for Olive and we found a pink monkey plush toy. This one seems to be meant for human children rather than dogs, so I will keep it aside for when I can watch her play with it. She got a number of other squeaky toys from other friends and neighbors, so I don’t think she will feel deprived.

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This year I put up the tree in the living room in front of a large window in the back of my house. I think it is visible to the cars on the Route 2 expressway at the edge of the property. In the front of the house is a smaller tree in my dining room window. Both trees are lit with white LEDs. My other front windows have LED candles, and of course there is a wreath on my front door.

Darn, couldn't get Olive to pose in front of it.

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For this year’s holiday gift to this blog’s readers, I discovered a holiday video cartoon starring the newspaper comic character Ziggy. The cartoon is a bit sad and somewhat bizarre, but I liked it. With that, Olive and I wish all a happy new year.

Dogs in our lives

Regarding the question as to whether dogs (and cats) go to heaven: someone sent me this cartoon. I can only say “amen”.

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I have been asked who some of the dogs were that I mentioned in my “heaven” pack. Becka was a border collie that belonged to my friend Pat, formerly of Buffalo, now living in Texas. She impressed me by knowing the names of her toys. Pat could tell her to get a particular toy, and Becka would go and pick it out from the pile. I  have worked on and off with getting Olive to do that with her toys. Little by little she is getting the idea of “ball”, “big ball”, “kong”, and others. Although Becka has gone over the rainbow bridge, Pat recently sent me a photo.

Major was my grandfather’s dog, perhaps the first dog I ever had contact with. I recently found a photo among my dad’s miscellaneous paraphernalia that shows that I was certainly not afraid of Major. He seemed to be standing watch over me.

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Just this morning another cartoon was sent to me by another dog lover. I love it.

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Olive seems to have recovered quite nicely from her mishap last month. The fur is growing back over the scar, which is now barely noticeable.

Olive Loses a Sister

We got the bad news last week that Olive’s sister, Poco, was hit by a car and killed.

Poco was a very sweet dog, as is Olive. A few years back, before Olive came to stay with me, Poco spent a few days at my place. I remember thinking that I would love to have a dog like her.

The story was that she was hit as she crossed the road by Nanne’s wool farm. I think of that road as a quiet road with little traffic, so I was wondering how such a thing could have happened. It did not surprise me to hear that she was hit by a drunk driver who was speeding.

A photo taken by a friend of Nanne’s is below. She was Olive’s full sister, though she is missing the white stripe down her forehead that most border collies have. Nonetheless she was a beautiful, bright, and affectionate dog. She will be badly missed.

Poco--good doggy.

I found a wonderful sympathy card to send to Nanne (the front of the card is below). On the inside it reads “Heaven is brighter. Sorry for your loss”.

Heaven is a little brighter tonight.

I believe that any dog lover has a pack in heaven that includes all of the dogs that touched their lives. Mine will include at its core Olive, Smokey (the dog I had as a kid), Cleo (my mom's basset hound after Smokey went over the rainbow bridge) and Major (my grandfather's dog that I remember from very early childhood). Poco, Becka, Molly, and others will be members of the larger circle, welcome to run with the pack any time.

This whole incident makes me want to be more protective of Olive.

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Olive’s (now seemingly trivial) mishap was described her last blog entry. The staple looked like a piercing that is fashionable with many young people today. I am pleased to report that her staple was removed this morning. Note the light spot behind her left eye, where the staple was. 

No longer a hipster with a piercing.

We are not sure whether her fur will grow over the scar from her injury, but she is as lively as ever and can go back to playing with other dogs at Candlewick. I have instructed her not to jump at falling leaves.

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If anyone wants to argue that dogs don't go to heaven, I say "pooey to you!" If dogs don't go to heaven, then I want to go where all the dogs are going.

A bit of a mishap

On Thursday I went up to the Big E (Eastern States Exposition; the equivalent of a state fair for all six New England states) and left Olive at Candlewick for the day.

Around 3:00 there was a text message from the kennel to my phone. Somehow my phone did not ring, so I did not see that message until around 5:00 when, by then, there were two messages on my phone.

It turned out that Olive had a bit of a mishap. In the outdoor play area there were some falling leaves. Both Olive and another dog spotted a leave and both made a leap to catch it. It was a freak accident to be sure, but Olive ended up with a puncture wound on her face, about an inch from her eye. The people at the kennel cleaned it out, but decided it was deep enough to get her to a vet. Olive got one metal staple that has to be removed in two weeks. She also has to take antibiotics for the next ten days. While I am relieved that it could have been much worse, but gave her a lecture to be careful in the future. I also told her not to scratch at the staple lest I have to put a cone on her, something I know she would NOT like at all. She seems to have paid attention; I haven’t seen any sign of her scratching at it yet.

I left the fair shortly after getting the messages and calling the kennel back. My sister had picked her up and brought her home. When I got home she seemed fine, eating all of her supper and being as energetic on her walks as always.

I need to go grocery shopping today and among the items I will have to buy will be some roast beef from the deli. The best way to get her to take pills seems to be to wrap the pill in a slice of roast beef. This morning I tried to hide the pill in a small piece of my breakfast omelet. She separated the pill and spit it out on the floor. I then tried cheese. Same results. Then I remembered a small piece of leftover pork tenderloin in my refrigerator. I poked a small pocket into the meat with a knife and hid the pill there. That worked. Someone suggested using peanut butter, which I may try.

Staple behind her left eye

 Olive’s eye area looks worse than it actually is in that the vet had to shave some fur to put in the staple. I think that she will recover quite well. I am happy to say that she ate all of her breakfast and supper on Friday and was as lively as ever for her walks.

I spoke with the vet on Friday, who told me that Olive was just a sweetheart during the whole ordeal. She cautioned that while it would be OK to leave Olive at daycare during the next two weeks she should not do any rough playing with other dogs. As such, she will not be allowed to play with the other dogs when I bring her in Saturday. She won’t like that. I can and will pay a bit extra for some individual play time with a human and an individual walk. The staple comes out October 4.

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While at the craft area of the fair I spotted a display of Holiday ornaments that included a border collie tree ornament. Last year I bought a small porcelain border collie that was just the right size for my nativity creche. This year I will be adding a border collie to my Holiday tree.

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I thought this cartoon was cute, and would appeal to both wine lovers and border collie (or is it bordeaux collie?)  people.

One Sappy Dog?

Not sure how it happened. Last Sunday, just before Labor day, I noticed that Olive's underside was full of gunk. A closer look revealed that the gunk was sap, probably from a pine tree. She must have laid down in a puddle of the stuff, though I cannot imagine when or where this could have happened. I tried to cut out the worst chunks of the stuff, though she did not seem to want to cooperate. An internet search brought me to a website that suggested olive oil would dissolve the sap. It sounded messy and involved, so I decided to try getting a groomer the next day.

Well, the next day was Labor Day. I called the local Petco store, which offers grooming services. Being labor day, I am guessing that the people who might have known what to do were out. The person I talked to was trying to be helpful, but didn't seem to know much. Candlewick Kennels, where I usually have her formal grooming done, was closed for the day. I decided to wait another day.

On Tuesday I called Candlewick. The groomer I spoke with has worked with Olive in the past and was helpful, but the grooming department was booked solid for the day. I made an appointment for Wednesday. She suggested that if I wanted to try the olive oil treatment I bring a bottle of olive oil. I ran to the grocery store and picked up a small bottle of store brand olive oil. Cheaper than the top of the line pure Italian oil I usually get for myself (I tend to be fussy about my olive oil), but not what I would call inexpensive.

Finally this morning I got Olive to the groomer. Olive's fur is a bit shaggy, particularly on her underside, so I was resolved that the groomer would probably have to shear her to get the gunk out. I figured that the olive oil treatment might work on a short haired dog, probably not on a border collie.

I picked her up a few hours and $45 later. The groomer was able to get the gunk out without even using the olive oil. Only on the bottom of her paws did the groomer need to shave her. As usual, the groomer left a note that Olive is a sweetheart. Well, I already know that.

Below is a photo of Olive after getting home from the groomer. Notice the purple bandanna. She always seems to get one after a bath. I have a collection of them that I will someday figure out what to do with. Perhaps have them made into a quilt?

"What was that all about?"

Anyway, the ordeal is finally over. I think she noticed the gummy stuff and that it was making her uncomfortable, pulling at her skin. I did catch her licking at it at various times. Then again, maybe she was wondering what all the fuss was about.

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I have always thought of myself as a dog person, even though I like cats too. I trace my affinity for dogs back to early childhood when my paternal grandparents had a dog named "Major". On the other hand, my maternal grandparents had a large cat, while there were a number of cats roaming around our urban neighborhood often through our back yard.

Having fond memories of both cats and dogs, I can identify with the person in this short cartoon.

Happy 7th Birthday Olive!

I was told that Olive was born August 1, 2011. That makes her seven years old today. Unfortunately I have a routine medical procedure tomorrow and have to go without eating and do some prep work today. That limits what I can do with Olive for her birthday. It's raining today so I cannot even take her to the dog park😖

Oh, Well. Happy birthday Olive.

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Big news from Meadowcroft Farm (where Olive was born)

Olive is an auntie!

As stated before, Olive's mother Jenny is too old to have more litters, and her father Oliver died a bit over a year ago. A new border collie named Selkie is the new breeding dog while Olive's brother Gilly is the new stud dog. Does that make Selkie Olive's sister-in-law?

Olive had a play date with Selkie during our recent trip to Maine. The two seemed to get along.

In any event, Selkie recently had a litter. Below is a photo. Interesting how the newly born border collies resemble guinea pigs, but border collies they are and Olive is a proud aunt. I do hope to make a trip to Maine sometime soon (perhaps with Olive if Nanne ok's it) to meet the new members of Olive's extended family.

Selkie with Olive's nieces and nephews

Trips to Maine, Albany, and other fun places

Olive is fully recuperated from her oral surgery last April. For a while, even after she seemed to be fully healed, rough play with a tennis ball, would result in some bleeding in her gums; fortunately, that has not happened in at least a month.

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In early May I took Olive with me to visit an elderly relative near Albany NY at a senior housing complex. Although dogs are not allowed into the clubhouse, the complex was somewhat dog friendly and even had a fenced in dog play area.

My mom’s cousin Dora was delighted with Olive, made a nice lunch, and joined Olive and myself at the dog play area. Dora lives on the third floor, so that Olive and I had to take an elevator up to visit. Olive didn’t quite know what to make of the elevator ride, but she survived.

Olive playing with  my mom's cousin Dora

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I gave some serious consideration to buying a small summer getaway condominium apartment in the town of Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Olive and I went up to look at it in late May. I was pleased that Olive had no trouble getting up the stairs to the second-floor unit. Although I loved the unit and the town of Boothbay, a lively summer town (I understand that it was the model for Cabot’s Cove, Jessica Fletcher’s home town in the popular television mystery series “Murder She Wrote”), I decided that this was not the right time to make such a purchase.

We stayed with my good friend Laurie who came with us to look over the unit. I had purchased a small dog bed to use as a travel bed and two inexpensive plastic bowls for food and water. Olive adapted to the temporary situation well, staying in the closed guest room while Laurie, a few other friends, and I attended a contradance in a nearby town. There was one mishap: when we got home from the dance I discovered a puddle of pee on the linoleum floor. Fortunately, Laurie took it in stride; I cleaned up and there were no further problems.

We were not too far from Meadowcroft Farms, where Olive was born. We went there after viewing the unit in Boothbay Harbor where Olive had a play date with her new “sister in law” Selkie. Since Olive’s mother is too old to have any more litters and her father died more than a year ago, Selkie will be the new breeding dog while Olive’s brother Gillie will be the new sire. Olive and Selkie seemed to get along well; it was a good afternoon. I regret that I did not take a video or photo of Olive and Selkie playing together.

Olive at Nanne's Farm

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Olive adores and is adored by the neighborhood toddlers here at home. One parent took this photo of Olive leaping to catch a tennis ball. The showoff!

She's Airborn!

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On June 3 Olive and I both helped staff a booth at an art show in Manchester CT. The booth served a dual purpose of selling railroad photos as part of our "Whales to Rails" project and to disseminate information about the Cetacean Society International. It seems that Olive is getting to be something of an unofficial CSI mascot. 

Olive does her part to help whales

Olive recuperates

Olive went in for her surgery today at 7:30 a.m. I got a call shortly after noon that she was awake and recuperating well. I was able to pick her up an hour early at 3:00 p.m.

She is a bit groggy, her eyes dilated, she is minus two teeth, but she is home and the surgery went well, according to the vet staff. She now has clean white teeth. Some suture of her gums was necessary, but they are the kind that will dissolve on their own so no follow up should be necessary.

Home from a day at the vet hospital

She will be on a special diet of soft canned food for a few days. I tried giving her a can which she ate about half of. I was told that she would be a bit tired but would be back to her old self tomorrow. She was anxious to go for a walk as soon as we got home, even before going into the house, and seemed pretty much her usual self during the walk around the outer perimeter of the complex. She even insisted on stopping at the back doors of her favorite neighbors, but alas they were not home.

She is resting right now, and should not require any follow up trip back to the vet. I am simply glad to have her back home.

On March 25, 2015 a 3½ year old border collie named Olive was brought to my house to be fostered “only for a month or so” until a permanent home can be found for her. Well, three years later we are inseparable. Happy anniversary Olive.

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Olive loves to herd geese into the pond at the center of my townhouse condominium complex. I often let her loose as she typically comes back to me after chasing the geese into the pond. Last Monday I saw her disappear over a ridge near the edge of the pond. I walked down to get her, and she came to me when I called her, her bottom half covered with muck. Apparently, she wallowed into the muddy part of the pond (it gets that way in the early spring). I had hoped to just be able to rinse off the mud quickly and be done with it. Guess again. After rinsing the mud off she smelled awful. I ended up giving her a full bath. I am grateful that she cooperates when it’s bath time.

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Today was the day we paid a visit to the veterinarian for Olive’s annual checkup. I am happy to report that she is generally in good health except for one thing. One of her teeth seems to have gotten infected and was a bit loose. The vet recommended extracting the tooth. We have an appointment set for next Thursday. I was told to drop her off early in the morning at 7:30 and pick her up again at 4:00 p.m. No food that morning.

There was an alternative that the vet mentioned: I could take her to a canine dentist (apparently there is such a thing) for a root canal. I decided against that option.

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I am told that dogs are considered seniors after the age of 7 years. I have a hard time thinking of that lively dog as a senior, but it seems that she is not a puppy anymore. The vet did detect some early signs of arthritis. Great, we can deal with arthritis and growing old together. I found a chart to determine a dog’s equivalent age:

I notice that this chart indicates Olive won't be senior until she turns nine.

From the chart, Olive would be the equivalent of a human at 47 when she turns seven in August. That hardly seems old to me. She won’t catch up to me until she is about 11, at which point I will be 67. That’s a bit scary.

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I will be hosting an Easter dinner for family members Sunday. My cousin Nancy will be bringing her new adopted dog Harvey along. In the past others have brought their dogs to my house and there has been little problem. Olive was mostly a gracious hostess when her brother Gilly visited, had no problem when my friends Kathryn and Mark brought their corgi Archie, and generally seems ok with other dogs visiting. I am hopeful that she will be just as well behaved around her new “cousin”.