Tag: Dogs
I Spy
I spy something in the meadow. Sometimes you have to look very closely …
And sometimes, they just come rushing to greet you – like my buddy Noah, who I see fairly often.
I love my workday walks on the trail behind our offices.
I never know who, or what, I’ll meet.
Today I spied Presley and Sienna.
I almost mistook Presley for a Jack Rabbit.
Presley, it turns out, is on his third home.
He started as an apartment dog, but needed space to run and dig.
Then, he became a family dog, until he got lost in the shuffle of kids and kid activity schedules.
Hopefully, he has found his third and final home with Wendy. She volunteers at a local shelter and seems to truly understand the needs of a high energy Weimaraner.
Sienna certainly seems to enjoy his company.
If a tired dog is a happy dog, then Presley and Sienna must be very happy dogs indeed.
Great to meet you. See you in the meadow. 🙂
Wordless Wednesday: Woody
Wordless Wednesday: Marshall Tucker
Catching Up
For those of you suffering through snow and ice, let me catch you up on our Northern California garden!
The Narcissus arrived – a bit early thanks to all that water in December (and woefully, none in January).
The roses took a final bow following a brief freeze…
and let us know that their time had come. January is the month for pruning roses In Northern California. By my count, there are 41 of them in the garden proper with another 20 along the perimeter. To help get the job done, Ina brought a fresh recruit. Beth is a knowledgeable and focused gardener – and a great addition.
St. Francis, Patron Saint of Animals, took a serious tumble from his housing in a high wind storm.
Sadly, we were unable to revive him. Given his stature, a proper burial was planned at the base of the podium. Because of conflicts with her plantings, however, Maria wanted to save space and lay him to rest with his head upright.
While discussing the inappropriateness of this plot, Scrappy misplaced his ball, adding insult to injury.
The plantings were displaced to create a proper resting place; the ball was retrieved…
and disaster was averted.
You might remember Yule – the frightened dog that Maria took home to foster. Well, that was two weeks ago, and she is not showing any signs of giving him up at this point! He has adapted really well at home and become much more confident and clearly relaxed.
He is an excellent garden dog. Another great addition to our team.
Late in the day, one of our longer term residents went home. At only six years old and gorgeous, you’d think that Ernie had everything going for him.
But he is one of those very independent dogs that doesn’t connect right way to people. Not to mention that his manners were less than perfect. He went home for a time with our dog photographer/whisperer, Rob, to work on those. Today, it paid off. His new people spent a lot of time with him and learning about him. Their “going home” photo (thanks Rob) reflects a match that was worth the wait.
Happy life, Ernie!
Wordless Wednesday: Red
Holiday Cheer
Saturday morning, there were two adoptions on the weekly board. By evening there were seven. This is all the cheer I need to make my holiday bright.
“What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”
~ Dr. Seuss
But, try as we might to empty the kennels before Christmas Eve, there are always new recruits.
Darbee snagged the coveted office dog spot, which makes her Judy’s (current) favorite.
This adorable little girl looks like a cross between a Golden and a Corgi with a little Basset Hound rolled in for good measure.
Yule was a stray, rescued from the shelter. Part Golden, part Great Pyrenees.
Scared and very thin, his wary face turned to smiles in Maria’s hands (which means she found a way out of gardening chores!)
The rains have turned our garden and walking paths to lakes and mud, but after three years of drought, no one is complaining. The rice field next door once again supports migrating geese and herons.
And the bees were enjoying the last of the roses and the blooming Ceanothus on a late, warm, December day.
Nature’s Yuletide decorations cannot be beat.
Why Heaven Made Dogs
“If Heaven made him — earth can find some use for him.” ~ Chinese Proverb
As our garden matures, it has found purpose beyond beauty. Our compost now makes soil. Our passion vine feeds caterpillars –
that turn into beautiful Gulf Fritillary butterflies.
Nature has a way of creating purposeful pairs…Monarchs and their symbiotic relationship with Butterfly Weed;
Birds and their perches;
Lizards and turtles?
Apparently in our garden – if no where else. Spring needs Fall;
Bees need flowers;
And dogs need homes. Among others, Daphne and Delilah found theirs together this weekend…
And Indy, too.
And why did heaven make dogs?
“Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love, they depart to teach us about loss. A new dog never replaces an old dog; it merely expands the heart. If you have loved many dogs, your heart is very big.” ~ E. Jong
Perfect Fits
In a garden, it’s important to think ahead about a plant’s attributes, needs, and the space it will fill (not to mention a gardener’s skill). For example: Ina’s green thumb and her grasses…another path lost!
These weed trees (even the arborist couldn’t identify them!) were planted before we arrived on the scene at the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden. Over the course of three seasons, they grew to a height of about 20 feet and they were still headed skyward. Scraggly, branches shooting out in all directions, with roots as big as their trunks.
Without a lot of forethought, a Mulberry, Rosebud and two 20-feet (and growing) weed trees were planted in one garden bed. Something had to go! Ina felled the middle one a few weeks ago; covered it with a black plastic bucket and left it to rot. Since we planned on replacing the one on the end with a pretty “Purple Pony” Flowering Plum, the stump and roots had to go. Three people (thanks Maria and Frank!); two saws; one power tool; and a sledge hammer later…we were ready to plant.
This Flowering Plum variety is a dwarf cultivar and will max out at 12-15 feet. Its flowers will be beautiful in the spring; its deep purple provides the perfect complement to the adjacent yellow and pink roses. The birds will feast on its fruit.
I’m sure the weed trees had their purpose – somewhere else. But they were not a good fit for our garden. Understanding their nature would have spared my aching muscles and their sad end.
With dogs, it is equally important to assess characteristics and personality in order to find the right fit. While we struggled with the tree, a parade of puppies was being taken to the adjacent yard for assessments.
These are the same tiny things I showed you a few weeks ago – now full of spit and vinegar, and ready to go home! To make good matches, we need to understand their unique personalities and temperaments. Do they play nicely;
do they come when called; do they chase a ball…and will they return, or bogart it?
Do they like to cuddle? Or will they squirm if held?
Do they prefer the company of humans or dogs?
You can read about the test and the pups on the Homeward Bound blog (linked here), including a gallery of the individual puppies and a touching video capturing their very first days. Two have been adopted as of today. Ten more to go! We’re hoping for perfect fits for all!
Wordless Wednesday: Special Bond
A little rain must fall
“Dark clouds become heaven’s flowers when kissed by light.” ~ Rabindranath Tagore
We were blessed to wake to rain early Saturday morning.
We are grateful for every drop during this long drought. Rain meant a day of dogs instead of gardening. Time with the pups; another blessing.
Sunday, then, brought twice the load of garden chores; fall is such a busy time in the garden – second only to spring. The day also began with a beautiful fog blanketing all of Homeward Bound including our Memorial Garden.
The soft light captured the fall colors and turned them into illuminated canvases.
Peaking through, I caught a glimpse of couple of favorites out for a stroll: Miss Dazy…
And Victor Mature.
Inside the shed, I found this touching note:
To the garden angels,
This is Rusty’s companion, Rosie. Three weeks after we lost him to Hemangiosarcoma, she let us know she couldn’t go on without him and we lost her, too. Could you put her in the rose garden next to Rusty?
Thanks, Carole
They belong together.
“Be still, sad heart! And cease repining; behind the clouds is the sun still shining; thy fate is the common fate of all, into each life some rain must fall.” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Happy Homecomings
We like every dog to know they are special, but when you help hundreds of dogs each year on their journeys home, being original about naming them can be a little difficult. So each month, we turn to themes. Composers, poets, artists…and this month: cars. I know. It’s just wrong.
Meet Mercedes.
And Rambler.
But Odyssey?? Just look at that disgust on his face.
Selecting cars as the theme this month turns out to be a bit apropos – given how much time our teammates just spent in them.
This is Marley.
He is an extremely thunder-phobic dog who happened to live in Illinois: not good a good place for dogs afraid of thunder. He is so frightened by thunderstorms that he will hurt himself if left alone during one. He is very closely bonded to his sister, Harlo. So the decision was made to send them together to a place where thunderstorms are extremely rare. That place is the Sacramento Valley – home of Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue.
Miss Harlo is a mellow girl, who made the trip by plane without incident. But Marley was having none of that. Even sedated, he freaked out. Time for the Golden Taxi!
Three teams of two relayed to ferry him two thousand miles over three days. Last night he was reunited with his sister in a touching welcome home. (Thanks to Rob Kessel for capturing the moment.)
Because special needs dogs need special plans, we had already contacted a family on our waiting list. Previous adopters, they were looking for a canine companion for their Ella. Instead of one, they fell for two. It’s a perfect match!
Tonight, Marley and Harlo are beginning a new chapter together in a loving home.
Meanwhile, I have been reunited with Maria – one of my bonded gardeners who went A.W.O.L. for three weeks and finally returned. I was so happy to have company again, I let her dress the Memorial Garden in silly fall regalia.
Sammy wasn’t so sure about these scary scarecrows – but with Steve by her side…it’s all good!
Happy homecoming and next chapter to Marley and Harlo. Welcome home, Maria! The garden missed you!
Gardens For Goldens 