A Roll Of Hay Scares Stella

Sunday morning started hot and muggy as soon as I went out side until past midnight. I was pretty sure they would be back to bale this hay Sunday afternoon with possible rain on Monday.

With their field cut, Sadie and Stella had to investigate all of the new smells and any animals that were hiding under the hay. I found one on the walk yesterday afternoon that looked like a mole. It was squeaking as Sadie poked it with her nose.

It's easier for me to see them and now I can tell where they were going recently when I couldn't find them. They were getting pretty far away and out in the center of the immediate area.

Stella continued her morning exploration around the edge of the property, moving along the edge of the yard and trees.

On the border of the grass and river rock is a large mole track where they have pushed up dirt and about 4" of rock. It might be time to spread some grub worm killer today before it rains.

By the time they had finished lunch it was scorching hot and you could smell the hay even more as it dried out.

Heidi is still refusing to walk in the field but does get outside for her normal trips. I was looking back through photos of her in her file and her skin has stabilized this past year. Many months there is not that much difference in appearance with occasional flare ups.

While sitting at the kitchen table playing Mahjong and staying cool with the AC running at 100% I saw a small tractor with a rake on the back then another pulling a baler ... I was hoping they were coming to the field.

The confusion I had was they were coming from the opposite direction from where they live. They do not live near here. I am pretty sure it's the same farmers that baled it last year. My neighbor that lives a couple of houses north of me owns the field and lets one of his friends take the hay.

It was good to look out the window and see they were in the process of raking it and baling it at the same time. I'm not sure if their baler was out of adjustment, needed a tune up or what (I'm not a farmer) but it was not picking up all the hay as it moved through the field.

It looks like they have a new tractor this year but I couldn't get close enough quick enough to see the company label.

On the second lap, that baler backed up a little bit and dropped a large roll of hay close to the yard. After they were finished the hounds and I went out to inspect. Stella didn't know what it was.

Stella figured if she barked and howled at it, that it might go away but it didn't move.

She is still suspicious of it.

It was early in the afternoon, around 3:30pm and really hot ... but the hounds wanted their afternoon walk.

Here you can see the path we made this past year. That path to the left was made by Sadie as she would veer off as we walked back to the house.

This is where I think I saw the mole. I heard it and Sadie refused to move so I walked back to see what she had found. I am not sure why I didn't get photos of it.

Stella was on her own time ... you can see some of the hay they left behind. Not quite enough that would make a whole roll but if they would make another pass just to pick up the hay they left it would be an amount worth doing. It's more than I have ever seen left in the field.

With this front and rear loader they can move two rolls at one time. I noticed they had moved 7 rolls off to the opposite side of the field and had 10 more rolls to move. Last year they brought in a long trailer and hauled all 16 rolls out of the field. This almost makes me wonder if it is someone different this year getting the hay.

As we got back from our walk yesterday afternoon, both Sadie and Stella had to make one final pass around that roll of hay next to the yard and make sure nothing else was in the yard before they would come inside.

At 10:45pm last night it was still 82° and humid ... this morning at 6:30am it didn't feel much different.

It was a good weekend in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Sadie Is 8 Years Old Today

Sadie turns 8 years old today and still acts like a puppy in someways. You can read here a lot about her first 7 years, so today I'll just write about this past year. She is living proof not to give up on hounds when they are puppies and destructive, no matter what you try.

She also had separation anxiety up until the age of 5 years old. At that time I was working and gone around ten hours per day from the time I drove to work and returned home. She would spend those times in the biggest indoor heavy wire kennel you could buy. It wasn't much taller than she was but it was long enough for her to turn around. The teeth that she has lost or are damaged today is from her attempts of chewing her way out of that steel rod kennel.

When I would relay the stories of her destruction as she was growing up (many were funny) to co-workers, ALL of them suggested I get rid of her. ALL of them suggested she was a nut case ... she wasn't, she was just a bloodhound, a breed that is somewhat obnoxious when they are young.

So I turned down those opinions, and even the one person that wanted her, because I never give my hounds away no matter what. As she grew older she turned into a great house dog that has the run of the house.

She still loves to roam the field, taught as a 12 week old puppy by Winston. He showed her where all the good spots were in the field and could tell she had tracking tendencies.

Even with fewer teeth, she still likes to chew on an occasional stick. Where she use to use just her small front teeth, now she will try to get the stick further back in her jaw.

Last August I decided to get a 2nd bloodhound, more to help Stella have a permanent home and not really realizing just how much she would change Sadie's life for the better. That first night Sadie wasn't real excited about her new companion ... she had always been the "leader of the pack" ... still is.

After spending all of her 7 years with short legged basset hounds while following The Bloodhound Property Laws, she now had a hound almost as big as she was, just as strong and also followed those same Bloodhound Property Laws.

Her life was about to change ... as it turns out it was for the better.

Stella had Sadie running more and playing like she was a puppy again. It reminded me of the time Sadie was a puppy and was tormenting Winston with her abundance of puppy energy.

Sadie shared her water, gave Stella the chance to choose what bones and balls she wanted but still kept her bed and daily meals off limits. I bought this dog bed the day I picked up Heidi and for Heidi ... but Sadie took over the bed and Heidi decided my bed was a better place to sleep anyway.

She still likes a game of fetch, inside on bad weather days or outside. Once she is playing that game it is all she focuses on, even when Stella tries to get her to play.

Stella has also taught Sadie how to lay down and relax, enjoy the sunshine, and the yard without having to explore and track stuff all the time.

Of course after the week camping trip to Colorado and Utah last June, Sadie has liked riding in the FJ. She and Stella make all the local trips around town as long as I am not going for groceries and the temps are below 80° if I am stopping somewhere. If we are just out driving with no stops, then she rides with the air conditioning on.

Last December the morning that Winston hurt his back and couldn't walk, it was the first time I could ever remember that Sadie got up on my bed. Being the "leader of the pack" she knew something was wrong with him ... She showed concern for him the next few weeks.

The morning I came back without Winston ... Sadie knew her good friend was gone. Winston was the basset hound she chased as a puppy, played with him as a puppy and would sleep with him when it was cold outside.

She could tell what happened to Winston.

She continues to roam the field, run in the backyard just like Winston taught her as a puppy. She still gets so excited for her daily walks and her meals that she hops up and down on her back legs when the word food is mentioned. She always grabs my hand with her mouth as we start the daily walk ... every time.

She is still 'the leader of the pack'

Deep in thought about what she will be doing in year 9 ... never a dull moment in her life in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.