Saturday Walk

This past week has been great for walking the dog. It has been a bit chilly in the morning. I have to admit that when it is hot and humid, even early in the morning, I don't enjoy taking Gypsy for a walk. She'll go no matter what the weather. Hot, cold, rain, snow, she could care less. She is walked often and I think much more than the other dogs in the neighborhood.

We were in the backyard this morning when I mentioned the "W" word. You can see how excited she gets. She hops around with excitement and runs into the garage and waits for me. Tail up and with happy feet.
Hey, lets go old man. Pick it up and grab my leash!!!
During the work week we walk much earlier in the morning. One day last week we went out into the backyard and she almost caught a Bunny that seemed to be eyeing the lettuce. Gyp took off after the intruder and this bunny took a wrong turn into a corner of the yard without an exit. Gypsy just narrowly missed it as the bunny took off toward the wood pile. All I heard was Gypsy's head impact the pile of wood.
That's going to leave a mark...
This morning we saw our fair share of rabbits along the way.

Gypsy got into a stare down with this little guy that is hiding under this bush. I think you can just make him out. Gypsy would have hung out there staring at this bunny all day long.

BUNNY BUFFET?

We have a little garden in our backyard. Sandi plants a few tomatoes and other veggies and we have fun with it. Today she took a few plants out that had seen better days and replaced them with Kale (the super food) and Lettuce. These are two of our favorites but unfortunately, favorites of the local bunny population. Being a savvy gardener, Sandi sprayed rabbit replant around the new plantings. I think it is well documented that we have an enormous rabbit population in our neighborhood. They are everywhere. When I walk Gypsy in the morning she is on full alert, checking out the numerous bunnies we see along the way. From time to time one will venture into our backyard and Gypsy will chase the intruder off in a second. So, today right after Sandi plants the new crop of kale and lettuce, and after spraying of the rabbit replant, I let Gypsy out the back door. She takes off like lightening, chasing a bunny that was making his way over to the new buffet.
Not on my watch you furry pest!!!
Gypsy came within a foot of that fluffy white tail before it disappeared into the wood pile. She might have lost a step with age but can still fly.

She ran laps around the perimeter of the yard making sure the garden was safe before she settled down and we went back inside. Once inside, she stood guard at the back window that overlooks the garden, ever vigilant.

Food Update

We are still making food for Gypsy. My fear was that she would eat it for a day or so and then begin turning her nose up at it. This has been the pattern in the past. Knock on wood...she is still into the homemade food. It is a combination of beef, white rice, peas, water, eggs, and I sometimes add some turkey. I'm going to stick a few carrots into the mix next time.

It looks to me that she might have put on a pound or two. Not sure, maybe it is only wishful thinking on my part. She has good energy and seems to be in great health with this food.

Hey, a bison burger from time to time would be appreciated!!!

Lizard Invasion

The cats love it when we leave the front door open for them. They usually will line up and take in what is going on outside. From time to time NOBELLS, the cat across the street will come over for a visit. The cats enjoy his visits and are always on the look out for him. We always have birds out front and the cats will spend hours looking out the door, in stealth mode, as if they could actually get a bird. They also like checking out the butterflies as they come by and check out the flowers. The other day all the cats were off causing trouble in other parts of the house when I saw Moose, the silly red cat, tuned into something out front.

Sometimes we think Moose is a half a bubble off. He has a tendency to hunt sun spots and other imaginary things, so I didn't pay too much attention to what was going on. When Moose didn't leave the door I checked out what was going on and saw that he was observing two little lizards run around the front porch. They were after a few crickets that were almost as big as they were. Non of the other cats tuned into the action, just Moose.

The next day Sandi goes out back with Gypsy and sitting just outside the garage door, sunning on the walkway, is another lizard.
They are all over the place!
Of course Gypsy sees this and leaps out the door, tail up and with gusto. Thankfully the lizard made it to a nearby bush.

 Now, whenever we go out the back door, she leaps out and sniffs the bush looking for that silly little lizard. She was on the sent of a lizard in this picture I think and she was pointing.
Hey Dad, that stinking lizard is over here!!!

After lizard sniffing the bush for a few minutes, she will then go back into her primary duty of making sure the backyard is free from bunnies and that our air space is not being violated by big black birds.

Missing Hair Bands

As you all know, the cats rule the roost around here. They are all good cats and generally well behaved. One of Sandi's favorites is a little boy Virgil. He is always getting into something. Either trying to get the other boys to chase him or to wrestle. He enjoys racing around the house at warp speed, dashing up the giant scratching posts we have, usually knocking them over. All of this only further endears him to Sandi. One of his most favorite things to do is to sneak into one of Sandi's drawers and steal her hair bands. He brings them downstairs and plays soccer with them for awhile. When he gets tired of this he usually will deposit them into a water bowl or if available, the toilet. When this happens guess who gets to go fishing?

 While doing some painting the other day I had to move the refrigerator. Jackpot! A load of missing hair bands. I tried to keep them out of sight from Virgil only to find two of them in the toilet a few minutes later.

Chow Hound Update

Well, it has been a week since we started making Gypsy the finicky eater homemade food. When we tried alternate diets in the past she would seem interested for a day or two then start turning her nose up at the new trial food. So far she seems to really like what we are giving her. She eats a big bowl in the morning and night. Last night she went over and stood my her bowl when it was dinner time. I think that is the first time she ever did that. I'm making a combination of ground beef, white rice, peas, and eggs. Last time I made it I tossed in some chicken hearts and gizzards.
What in the heck is a gizzard?
I'm not totally clear on what a gizzard is but she seems to like them.
It might be my imagination or wishful thinking but while you can still feel each rib, they are not quite as pronounced. Hopefully our Chow hound will put a pound or two on.

Chow Time

To say Gypsy is a finicky eater is putting it mildly. She sometimes will not eat more than a bite or two for days. I've tried different dry food. Mixing dry with canned food. High end food, and the low end food. I've tried mixing dry with chicken stock.  Nothing seems to excite her. I think this is just how she is wired. When we took her to puppy training she would spit out the treats we gave her for positive reinforcement. It has been very frustrating. If you look on-line there are many different "solutions" for a finicky eater. It can be very confusing. I decided to make my own doggy food for her. The slop shown above is my first attempt at it. Basically it is beef, peas, white rice, and eggs. Yesterday was her first day on it and she ate with gusto in the morning and night. This is not unusual when I try something new though. This morning when we came in from the yard she went over and stood by her food bowl. This is not a common occurrence with her. She ate up the first bowl I gave her and wanted more. When Moose the red cat came by to see what was going on, Gypsy actually gave him a growl. First time I ever heard that but maybe a sign that she likes this food?
Not sure how this will go long term. I might get a multi vitamin to mix with the food.
I will keep you posted.