Afternoon Cancelled By Rain

You would not believe this if I told you but I will any way because it's true. A little after 4am I am woken up by the sound of the metal crate door swinging open. The room is dark as is the hallway until I flipped the lights switch. By the time I am at the hallway, Watson is halfway to the kitchen. I chase him, turning lights on behind him. I slide the patio door open and he runs, jumps off the deck into the yard and pees.

Henry Is One Year Old Today

It is hard to believe a year has passed already. Last year I received an email from the breeder telling me I had made cut to choose a puppy. Before we knew the size of the litter, I didn't know if I would have a pick last summer. Well Henry had nine siblings and I was number five in line. I knew by his two week old photo he was the one I wanted. I would not know until weeks later if I was going to luck out or not. I did as you have seen. He was pretty proud of himself this morning before 6am. It wasn't birds he heard but something in the air he smelled.

Walter Springs Into Action

It was a surprise this morning as we stepped outside, the hounds and the dog went into the play mode almost immediately. Walter checked in with me before he sprinted and jumped off the patio deck into the yard. One a side note by 7:02am all three were in the computer room with Walter and Henry sound to sleep with Watson chewing on a pork slab. Of of course overnight, Watson got taller, stronger and more stubborn. Here are the photos from this mornings activities.

Hounds & Dog Like AC

As usual the day started early with Watson sleeping through the night. Totally amazing for a hound that is not even 9 weeks old yet. (Monday) They went outside long enough to check some of the area before they had breakfast and were back at it soon after. I need a fence and once I have one installed the hounds and the dog will love running free, full speed. I had a few things I wanted to do today that related to my '57 VW bug, so I was at AutoZone a little after 7:30am to pick up three quarts of oil. 

Walter Back To Normal

Walter slept well last night and I was woken by his snoring a couple of times. He was ready to eat and sprinted back inside after his first trip outside this morning. He looked normal, acted normal and ate faster than normal. Watson is getting more like a bloodhound by the day. He is starting to ignore me and Henry now, doing his own thing. He ran the backyard today leash free and laster hooked to the cable, using Henry's long cord as the main one. Henry is just Henry. Very laidback and nothing bothers him until the neighbors start petting the puppy ... then he starts barking.

A Busy Day For All

From 7am on it was a very busy day. Walter was at the vet to be neutered by 7:30am. Then the two hounds kept me pretty busy. I picked up Water at 4pm, took off his Ecollar because he didn't need one. He cannot reach that far with his mouth to bother the stitches. He came out of his meds around 6:30pm and started acting normal. I felt so sorry for him in that collar that I did not take any photos. So ... not a lot of words tonight due to time and even now I am talking on the phone. Enjoy the photos.

Watson Changes Everyday

The day started off with some teaching by Henry. If you are going to explore the berm Watson needed to know the ins and outs of the steep incline. I am told there should be snakes around since they cut the field behind the berm but I haven't seen any yet. I am sure that Henry would let me know if they ran into any. Not rattlesnakes fortunately and most likely harmless. I could tell that Watson is getting strong and taller as he trotted across the kitchen floor this morning knowing he was going to be fed.

High Speed Runs & Chases

The past few days the hounds and the dog have been inspecting the other side of the yard. Maybe they know an invisible fence is coming and they will be able to spend some time over there too. It is people that determine which direction they go when they step out of the house. If either neighbor is outside they head that way. Yet, if one of them is mowing their yard, the hounds will sit and watch while the dog sprints back to the patio door to be let inside. They are getting use to the new puppy with similar daily routines. It was nice cool weather today so they spent a lot of time outside while I sat and watched without a camera. LOTS of photos in this post.

Walter Decides To Have Some Fun

Walter let us sleep a little longer this morning so our day didn't start until a little after 6am. They headed outside this morning all unleashed. I could tell with Henry chasing birds on the ground that he was going to have to be tethered but I was going to wait and see what Watson did. When I came back outside after getting my camera and the card that was still in the computer, I saw Henry looking at something but I didn't see Watson.

Watson Expands His Boundaries

I knew yesterday as nice as it seemed letting Henry and Watson run tether free, it is not a good thing for training nor a hound at any age. Hounds have noses and they are oblivious when they smell a scent they like. Prior to this I have been thinking of what kind of fencing to put up. I want to let the dogs outside and let them be on their own when they want to and ONLY when I am home. So as Walter watched from the patio a little after 5:30am, Watson was going to go right past tethered Henry into the neighbors yard like he did yesterday as we were visiting.

Day Two Of High Activity

They may have updated their ranking on the official AKC site but many years ago they listed the Basset Hound and Bloodhound in the 70's of all breeds for being smart. I knew different even back in 1987 that was not accurate. Harry was more than smart and quite a problem solver. As you see Watson is blowing that ranking off the charts as he sleeps right in front of the register that is blowing out cold air from the central air system. I am not quite smart as he is, I have some videos below that I will need some expert advice on making them better. The longest one was almost 45Mb in size. Is there a way to compress the file before I upload it?

You'd Better Sit Down

The days since Saturday have been up and down. Nothing done outside the norm really and with hot weather arriving finally there has been a lot of time spent inside during the day, except for early morning and last afternoon/early evening. For some reason, the other night I typed "Bloodhound Rescue In Indiana" into DuckDuckGo search engine and found one site in particular that gave me the results I was looking for ... until I read each ad for them. Every one up for adoption in four different states had "resource aggression". I had to look that up since I had no idea what they were taking about.

Walter and Henry Moving On

First of all I realize that this does not happen to just me. That it happens or has happened to all dog and cat owners, any owners of pets. My old friend from high school just put his old boxer down days before Stella. He has had boxes longer than I have had basset hounds (1987). So we all know how we feel and when I am on the other side I never know what to say to a friend when it happens. There are not any words although well intended, that makes things feel better ... time and good memories are about the only thing that gets you through the time after putting down your best friend. Today I posted at the top of the blog "Stella's Story" with close to 100 photos included. I guess it's a little like therapy but also a tribute to a hound that many loved and many wanted to see on this blog.

When I returned home Saturday morning without Stella, Walter ran from room to room then out to the garage looking for her. He made her his best friend when he arrived that night in April 2020 at 8 weeks old. Even before Stella left for the vet he did his normal morning routine of cleaning her ears, her eyes and her nose. She would always hold up her head and lean for areas he would lick clean.

Saturday afternoon he found the perfect spot under the high ceiling fan that was blowing cold air from the AC down to the floor. He prefers inside and the AC when its 93° and humid outside.

RIP Stella

 

August 19, 2009 - June 12, 2021

Stella Has An Appointment

It wasn't easy but as of yesterday Stella has an appointment, but the earliest she can be seen is June 15th a week from today. I had two vets at the top of my list. I called them as soon as they opened and was told "we are not accepting new clients". Hmmmm, I better start looking. So I went to search for Vets in Evansville Indiana and started at the top of the list on Yelp. 13 calls in a row told me the same thing ... "we are not accepting new clients". A town of 120,000 people, more than 14 vets in the area and not one of them accepting new clients ????

Stella - VWs - Landscaping

I hope to get Stella into the vet on Monday when I call. She is now limping with every step she takes, even on her front legs. Some think she has arthritis. Feeling her stomach I fear she also has a tumor. I have been giving her this supplement for years for her hips. I could see a major difference when I started but now wonder if it makes any difference at all. Her smiles are normal, she wags her tail, her appetite is normal and water intake. One day in the backyard grass she even tried trotting a short distance. One of the vets at the new place I plan on taking all of my dogs, specializes in older dogs with these types of issues and treating with alternative methods. I don't want her to spend the rest of her life living on prednisone.