End of the World. Beginning of a new one. The Life of Amberwolf.

[amberwolf]

rainy rain rain this week. Friday we got a quarter inch here at the house. Today, so far, we've gotten more than half an inch, most of it in very short thunderstorms of a few minutes.

Presently I've got the aquarium pump sitting in the periodically-replenished giant lake of tens of thousands of gallons in the street, sucking the otherwise-wasted water from it into the frontyard, moving the hose from it around periodically to soak various areas, to try to get it all good and wet down as deep as I can, while the water's free.

Tiny's sick (arthritis flare up, mostly, so she hurts a lot and needs help up and down and walking out in the muddy yard so she doesn't slip and fall), so she's mostly ignoring the thunder; but Yogi is hiding right next to me wherever I go, even if it's outside in the storm he won't leave my side. :/


I had to spend most of yesterday afternoon and evening moving most of teh stuff out of one shed into the others, to make a space to park the trike/trailer, since even after many weeks have gone by after starting to reconfigure the guest bedroom/etc, Raine still hasn't gotten back to being able to move stuff back into the bedroom or otherwise clear the front room for parking the trike inside out of the rain, and have a good staging area to setup the stuff for the trailer where I can get it in and out quickly when coming home if it's raining. (So far, only had me move some empty boxes to a different stack, and toss out some others, which would give some space to park the trike itself, but it's not enough for what's needed).

Unfortunately I couldn't clear out enough space to park the trailer, too, so presently I still have to take all the blankets/etc out of the trailer to put them inside out of the rain whenever we're not actually out riding to or from work.

I meant to go back after a rest to do more, but I was so tired I couldn't. The problem is there just isn't enough space in the sheds to hold the stuff that needs to stay in them, and still have enough space to also park the trailer inside it.

Theoretically I could park the trailer inside the shed and the trike in the front room, but that would take so long to move each to it's respective area that if it was raining at the time, it'd be a huge mess. Much much easier to get them both parked in about the same place at nearly the same time.

Even easier is if I don't have to undo the trailer or re-hook it up each time, so what I am probably going to end up doing is moving the awning from the back porch to cover the area in front of the shed the trike is parked in instead.

I wanted to park the trailer in the shed and the trike just outside it, but the trailer is only a couple of inches narrower than the doorway and I can't back it in that straight while on the trike. I would try to drag the whole thing in backwards, but the centering spring on the trike's steering broke a few days ago, and I haven't been able to fix it yet in a way that will work when rolling the trike backwards from behind....

So unless I unhook the traielr the only option is to park trike in shed and have trailer just outside it (trike to hitchpoint is only a foot shorter than the shed). Then cover the trailer with some plastic sheets I have, which while they dont' totally keep all rain out keep much of it off if it's straight down with no wind.


Once the present thunderstorm ends, I'll see if I can manage to get an awning up outside the shed, big enough to keep as much rain off the trailer as possible even if there's some wind. Then I won't have to strip everything out of the trailer every day, so that Tiny wont' be riding in (and laying in all day at work) soaked wet blankets/padding.

 

[amberwolf]

Rain stopped completely in the afternoon, and hasn't restarted yet, but might in the next hour or two.

I couldn't move the existing awning, because I forgot that I'd helped the mulberry trees grow around it so they would hold it in place (against winds) and it would help them form a shade over the back porch for summer. :/

So assorted other recycled bits to the rescue: the stand from the swing, a few floor rails from a shed kit, some lids from styrofoam coolers, couple of plastic sheets, and the old hole-ey "tarp"-like cover that had blown into the yard years ago, which I'd previously used on the awning over the back door, until it started getting torn by storms and stuff, and it's been sitting in a shed waiting for me to have a chance to sew it up (which might never happen).

And a lot of zip ties.


So I put the stand just beyond the end of the trailer's back end, as that's as far as it could go using hte floor rails that I had to use for crossbeams from the shed face to the stand's top rail.

The stand happens to be enough wider than the shed door or the trailer to not have much worry about clearing it when backing out of the shed. I'ts also just about the same height as the top of the door.

I put four rails across the top, perpendicular to the face of the shed and the stand's top rail. They are screwed (using existing bolt-nut on the shed panels) to the top front edge of the shed roof, and ziptied to the top of the stand's rail. I didn't use screws on the rail because I was in as much of a hurry as I could be, in case the storms started up again (especially wind). I wanted to just get it assembled now, and then if I need to make it permanent I can dig up nuts/bolts/etc and drill holes as needed, or whatever other solution works out.

Then I laid out "shingles" of styrofoam lids (unmodified) overlapping from the top down. Mostly they are to stiffen the roof so that even in heavy rain there won't be trapped puddles on the "tarp" that cause it to sag (and possibly leak). It also gives more of a peaked shape to it so rain will run off faster. These are then ziptied first to each other on the top center row and bottom front row is tied to the stand rail, then the ones under those are tied to the ex-shed-floor-rails making the roof, and pressure from each on the next holds them all together.

Then the plastic sheets over that, ziptied at the edges. These are because the styrofoam overlap isn't perfect, and the next layer, the "tarp" has so many holes in it that it wo't keep all the water out.

Next is the "tarp", after I ziptied the biggest holes shut. It covers not only the awning, but the front 1/4 or so of the shed roof, and has bricks holding down it's shed-overlapped edges along with being tied down to the edges of the shed roof as tautly as I could make it, so air doesn't slip under it from wind and try to tear it off, as much as otherwise.

At the front, on the awning, it's tied near the corners, leaving the front edge loose enough that hanging down it'll cover much of the front, and be able tstill to be raised up and bungeed out of the way for getting the trike in and out (by riding it in/out).


I also setup a little alarm in there so I'll be alerted if someone tries to get in there or mess with it, and I can then go check on it (if the dogs, especially Yogi, don't go get them first). Cameras can also be monitored from in here, too, if I am just curious, or I can review the video later if anything happens.


It looks ugly, especially since I used the silver side of the "tarp" on top, rather than the dark green (to help it be cooler when it's sunny, if I keep this as something to use in the summer as a work area and protection from storms like now). I might flip it over and use the dark green side to help it match the yard better, if I redo this thing to make it permanent.


But it should work ok. I"ll have to wait to see how it performs, though, once the rain starts up again.


Pics below, and then after those, pics of a bunch of stuff around the yard--trees showing growth (one you can see Tiny behind, for sense of scale); a ring around another; I just dug that (couple inches deep) yesterday so it'll have more room for watering it's roots at their outer periphery. New lantana at outer fence on east side, front yard, also showing some pumpkins sprouting under trees in front yard in much-watered areas with some shade so summer sun won't nuke them. Etc etc. I don't know what the purple-flowered plants are, but I think they might be peas, possibly garbanzo beans, sprouting from seeds scattered out of an old birdseed bag I'd bought on clearance years ago.

Oh, and Yogi using hte cardboard spread otu over the mud (to keep Tiny from slipping in it, or me when I'm helping her around) as a nappy-spot, and then Tiny walking past him as she came out while I was taking pics; feeling better enough to walk around on her own at that moment, at least.

And one pic showing mulberries litter the ground after the storm; Yogi's been nomming on them but Tiny doesnt' care right now cus she doesnt' feel well enough.

In the pics from the street of the front of the house, you can see the aquarium pump sucking up the puddle, with a round paver on top of it to hold it in place.

Lantana and trees are shading the window AC unit in my bedroom window, to keep it more efficient in morning/evening when otherwise it'd be in direct sunlight and heating up. Same thing for the walls themselves, though the back wall hasn't got much lantana yet, the west wall is working on it--I just need to make a trellis of some type to hold the stuff up against the wall for more verticall shade.
.

 

[The Stig]

So lush!

 

[amberwolf]

Isn't really, though it might look that way in the pics.

It didnt' rain again since the above, so I have not yet seen whether the awning will hold up under rain.

Did get windy yesterday, 30MPH, with much higher gusts, and it was intact when I got home.


Spent the day today getting most of the backlog of yardwork done, so most of the grass/etc is trimmed, weeds pulled/cut/etc., and then a trip to the store mostly for Raine's groceries (I spent everything I could on dog food for the next several months a few days ago, since we had a lot on deep clearance, and it's really the only way I can afford to feed these giants)...but I must not have drank enough water and gotten too much sun cuz now I have a throbbing headache, mostly behind my right eye.

Wouldn't even be posting if I had anything else I could do but lay here and try not to think about it, and keep sipping liquids. It'll go away enough to sleep eventually, and tomorrow it'll probably be like it hadn't happened....


Tiny's worse off than I am, though, cuz her arthritis is still flared up, and she isn't reacting to the Tramadol anymore, just hte Novox, and it's not enough. The rescue is trying to get hte vets to give her Metacam, as it helps another one of theirs that is worse off than Tiny, but we havent' heard anything back yet about it.

See the Tiny's Wheelchair Project thread for more.

 

[jpgey]

Hello amberwolf, do you have a brand new camera ? Because your pictures looks better than before ( temp goes down, no straight ligne in the middle ?)

 

[amberwolf]

No, its' the same one; that's why the stuff is all discolored (bright green for instance). There aren't always lines thru it, but I'd guess that comes from a bad connection or other failure in the red CCD portion (leaving the rest of it greener than it should be).


If it ever stops taking usable pictures, I will take it apart and see if it's something I can fix myself, but I doubt that it is, so I don't want to do that until it's unusable without trying, otherwise I won't have a camera other than the one in my phone, which is not all that good. (better than nothing, though).



IN the meantime, pumpkins and spaghetti squash and some other things are beginning to grow quicker, as are all those little lantana I transplanted.

I also planted some of the cut-off branches of larger older lantana, thumb-thick or more at the base, in various places between new ones, where they'll get plenty of water, to see how many of them will root and grow again. I've done this before and it works about a third of the time, usually. More water increases the chances, but it also needs sun/warmth, so it doesnt' usually work in well-shaded areas that stay wetter.

I removed all the lantana stubs at ground level around the mulberry east of the back room/north of the driveway, and planted them out front in the "hedgerow" around the edge fo the yard too. I did the same with the small (but too large to dig up) lantana that had been at the base of one of the very young mulberries that's about my height, in the east row of the backyard--the lantana is now at the back fence on the northwest corner of the yard. It's already sprouted some leaves, though it can't have grown much in the way of roots yet.



The only major project I managed to do was to finally get the gates swapped on the south gate at the driveway, so that I don't have to open both the small and the big to get the trike and trailer thru it, but instead can just open the big. Couldn't do that before because the big was closer to the house and mostly blocked by the lantana there. So now the small is in it's place, and the big is on the side away from the house. Before and after pics below.




It was not a quick and easy thing, or I'd've done it when I built the trailer. The hinges on each gate are not in the same height-spot, and the hinge-pins couldn't just be moved. without redrilling new holes thru teh gateposts, which I don't knwo that I could do, as I have no bit long enouhg to go thru the whole post, and I cant' drill from the "back" side of them becuse the rest of the fences is in the way. So I had to undo the clamped-and-tack-welded-on hinge hooks on the gates themselves, move them to the rigth new heights, then reinstall the gates on tehir opposite sides.

I also need to weld on loops for the gate-pin rod on the small gate, a sthat used to be on the big gate, and I don't want to deal with it on that gate every time now, just to pin down the small one for easy open/close of the big one.


One other issue I havent' fixed yet is that when I moved back in after the fire-repairs, I ahd to "fix" the gateposts because someone had broken them both off at the ground level. I did that by welding three smaller tubes around the main post, that then stick down into the ground to "clamp" around the stub of post that's int eh concrete below ground.


Couldn't weld to that becuse it's too rusty and I couldn't get it clean enough, IIRC. Oddly the post tha tused to have the big gate is still firm, but the one on the small gate (now with the big one) is loose and needs re-fixing. I'll need to weld crosbars from that main gatepost to the fencepost a few inches from it which is stil securely in the ground, and then add an angled brace first pounded a couple feet into the ground and then intersecting with the gatepost, welded to it once cut and fit to it's face.

But even without that, right now I can still open the big gate and get the trike in and out much easier tan when I had to open both small and big.



Not much else about the yard/house itself other than that right now, though there's a "bit" about Tiny and Yogi in the wheelchair project thread, and some about the trike it it's thread, to be posted next.

 

[amberwolf]

it's been a really long week, with a bad end the day before my birthday. see here
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=68997&start=50#p1180630
for details, and replies to it are best done there, but the short version is that tiny is dead, and yogi and i are not taking it very well.

she was pretty sick the last week so i didn't get much else done besides daily watering and whatnot, but i did manage to move the 90ish gallon fishtank from the west window of the backrooms outside wall to the north wall under the bathroom window instead, to make room for planting lantana to shade the west wall and window and get the lantana sprouts transplanted there.

other than that, only thing i was really working on was her wheelchair and other support stuff for her, which all turned out to be pointless anyway.

 

[amberwolf]

been bad few days.

tried to wrok on trike to finish backend repairs/etc., coudln't even start. walked up to it and saw the trailer, wheelchair, etc., just walked away with tears. mostly puttered around the house, didn't accomplish anythign.

went back next day and moved traielr under tree more out of sight and pushed rest of crap to anohter shed. still coldn't do it. cleaned up some more of tiny's stuff. washed towesl, floor mats, area rugs, harnesses. couldnt' take it more and went out front and trimmed lantana nd trees mowed grass etc. forgot to water anythign last few days so di some of that.


today wnet out late morning after beingunable to to gte around to anything but feedign yogi, who is as depressed as i am. got as fr as starting to undo straps holding rack to dog crate and just stood there till i got so hot in midday sun that i felt dizzy. dunno how long. redid straps and went bck in to cool off. yogi was laygin in kitchedn again. tried to play but he did't want to. he did go bark at some noises from next door for a while, but thats all he did all day.


after that i mowed a little of the back yard but got too hot again. went inside and started clening up th music room, cuz its full of compurter junk from tring to make wokring systms to eplace what was lost in th fire, and all the compter or musi ro wire stuff i run across whn sorting stuff in the sheds . moved shelves in there and worked on roerganaizing it. ran across hgue hairball and fonnd myself staring at it, went back to mowing yard, but cord wouldnt' stay plugged in go t frustrated so went back in.


when i walked in teh bakc door yoig was sitting in front of tiny's feeding couch sniffin g it, and i dont remember from there to being on the floor with arsm around him crying with him wanting to get away cuz i was probalby squishing him.

then i let him go, he went back in te kitchen to mope some more. i took apart the feeding station stuff adn stackd her couch on top of the oher one by the back wall, since neither is used now and with raines stuff filling up so much of the house i can use the psace, and i wont' have to see it there empty forever now everytinme i walk out th e kichen to the back door.

in between all this stuff i went back to the cmupture and checked es and stuff to distract me from it all.

never did get rest fo backayad mowed or musicroom done. maybe eventally. just so tired. hard to sleep and hard ot be awake

back tow ork tomorrow maybe itll help. hope so.


edit; i forgot to add taht at breafkast ach morngn sun mon andtoday i coldnt stand to do nothing cz i always had tiny to handfeed but yogi dosn't need or want thta, so i took him fof a slow walk around the block each time. hel iked that, at least. dinnertime i'm too tired to do a walk with him and jsut wanna sleep but cant yet.

 

[spinningmagnets]

I'm sorry for your loss, Michael...

 

[amberwolf]

Yogi's new playmate arrived today, but he is not sure he wants one now.



Teddy is (probably) a "Saint Bassett", rather than a pure Saint Bernard, judging by her short legs and outward-pointing front feet, as well as some facial characteristics and a bit of her body language.


View attachment 3


She's adorably lovable and cute, which is a plus, and is infectious even to me the way I still feel about Tiny.

She also likes to be right up against you, likes to snuggle and be hugged (something not true of Yogi, nor was Tiny like that; Hachi was the last one I had like that...and even Teddy's fur, especially her ears and head, feel like Hachi's did, which makes all the rest even harder).





Cuz Yogi doesn't really like her...yet, anyway.

He seems to think she's invading, and tha'ts understandable. He actually lit into her once, in the house during introductions (which started in the front yard and went about as expected--he was much more interested in the people than Teddy; moved into backyard where he had some but not much interest in her, wanted more to just go in the house).

We pulled them apart easily enough, as Teddy was very surprised and confused about it, she didnt' want to continue it or evne really defend herself fully, but Yogi wanted to keep it up until fully pulled away.

He also glared at her as he was drinking water from his bowl, and at some other times later on.

What we're doing right now is swapping them around, with one of them on each side of a gate, so one is in the room with me and the other is outside it. Sometimes that's the bedroom, liek right now with Yogi in here and Teddy in the hall (with freedom to roam the house or go outside). Sometimes that's the backroom/yard, with one on the backroom/yard side of the gate, and one in the main house side.

If I hold Yogi's harness I can pass them by each other within a dog's length without him acting up, but he stares, whcih is a challenge she doesn't respond to. She just wants to be happy and play, but he wants Tiny back, not Teddy.


We tried roaming around the yard and he was mostly ok with that, pretty much just ignoring her. But once int eh house, I had to keep an eye on them and eventually he did it again, near the bedroom as I was stepping into the room and she started to follow, with him nearby in the hallway. PUlled him right away, but she really doesnt' understand what's going on.

I don't want to have this happen again, because I don't want her to be shy/afraid of him, or him get used to doing it.


He's pretty anxious, which isn't helping. The gabapentin he takes for his knee helps a little with that but only for a short time after taking it and not very much. Teddy has valium for pre-siezure meds (she has signs they are coming, which i have yet to see but knwo what they should be like if they happen), and after some research and discussion we're gonna try one of those to help calm him down, which might help him accept her.


Another possible issue is that she is not an alpha type, and neither is he; Tiny was alpha and without her to take charge of him he may not really know what to do, except that he feels he must "defend" against intruders, which Teddy still is, to him.


So we're going to continue the separated swapping, and see what (if any) improvment there is over the next several days.


It's likely that they will not be ready to be alone together when I have to go back to work Monday, so I might have to take one of them with me. If I have to do that I'll swap them each day for which one goes with me and which one stays. Probably will take Teddy the first day.


I *really* hope we can make this work, because *I* really like Teddy, and I think Yogi would love to play with her (she sure wants to play with him!), if only he can get past his anxiety and possibly territoriality.

If it doesnt' work out, Teddy may have to go back to the Saintuary, and either Yogi will permanently be a loner dog (which I don't know how well *I* can handle) or we'll have to see if there is an alpha female that he'll take orders from like he did Tiny.

But we'll try everything we can before we get to that point.

 

[erik_m]

Congratulations on the new family member. Teddy is a lucky dog. I'm sure it will work out.

 

[amberwolf]

The valium chilled Yogi out some, but he is still uneasy about Teddy everytime they pass each other. He hasnt' exactly lunged at her like yesterday, but he would still have gone after her if she'd been closer, a few times.

Another problem is that Teddy is a playful-nipper, so while she's outside trying to play with him, he doesnt' see it that way because of how he feels, and as far as he's concerned, she's attacking him. Because of the valium he's not as responsive to it as he would otherwise be, but he *would* respond if his reactions to it were faster, and if I weren't there to body block him.


Teddy is not interested in any of the toys, ropes, sticks, etc. She *only* wants to play directly with Yogi (or me), which would be great if he didn't feel the way he does right now. But Yogi wants to play with the sticks, via chase and tugowar, and isn't interested in direct play at all (at least, not right now; he might not be at all as Tiny was never that type so I don't know).


When I sit down between them in the kitchen doorway/front room, talking to Raine, then they'll both just chill and sprawl out and take all the attention I can give.

The bedroom is different, still, because it's a dead-end, so Teddy feels trapped if she's up on the bed, and gets defensive when Yogi walks into the room, enough so that Yogi picks it up and may think I'm being threatened and so he doesnt' respond to my command to laydown, and starts to walk towards us with a fixed stare at Teddy; he stops when I tell him to, but she's already a little upset at that point so won't laydown herself, either. So far the only way to deal with that is with the gate at the bedroom door, one outside one inside.

Feeding...Yogi actively growls while they are eating, even though Teddy is far on the other side of the backroom gate, and no matter which side each of them is on. He's still eating while doing it, and she just keeps eating and ignores him, as she's as much a vacuum-cleaner as Tiny was. He also eats with more intensity than usual, trying to get it all down quicker which he didnt' used to do even when Tiny and he had to be separated during dinnertime because Tiny would just walk over and eat his (and Yogi would just let her).

So Yogi's behavior now is quite a bit different than it was with Tiny; I think he was just plain smitten with Tiny when they first met, and possibly Tiny's initial rejection of him actually helped that. Eventually Tiny acknowledged his existence and got used to him and even enjoyed his company and playtime, and wanted to go with him whenever he went somewhere (vet, etc).

I can only hope that Yogi will also be like that with Teddy, eventually...but Tiny was never actively aggressive with Yogi like this, though she didn't want his company at first she didn't try to attack him; the worst she did was nip at him a couple times when he pestered her.

So....we wait and see, getting them together as closely and as often as I can, staying there to deter any potential attack before it starts because I know from experience with Nana and Bonnie that once that kind of thing starts, it can grow into a cycle easily. The attacker gets used to attacking, and the attacked gets afraid of even the proximity of the attacker, and out of fear begins to initiate the process themselves to try to prevent being attacked. Then the original attacker becomes afraid of being attacked, too, and it becomes an unbreakable cycle (at least, it was with Nana and Bonnie...and for them it wasn't even predictable, cuz they might go weeks without an issue, even playing together, then just BLAM they'd go at it for no reason I could see, even knowing them as well as I did).

I'll just ahve to try to slowly let them have time close to each other to learn to interact, and see if I can get them to trust each other. Me being there isn't going to help them do that, especially since I can't help but worry about them, and that worry is somethign they'll notice (especially Yogi), and potentially set him off. :/

 

[amberwolf]

Also, I've fallen in love with Teddy, even if Yogi hasn't yet.

Teddy has a bunch of adorable things about her, though the hardest part is that some of them are very similar to Tiny (the way she doesn't really give kisses, but rubs her nose around at your face and then "stutters" it away, for instance), and also to Hachi and Nana, two I lost in the fire.

Her fur and the way her skin hangs on her body feels exactly like Hachi's did, and even the way she sprawls upside down when snuggling against me, back feet straight back instead of splayed out, some of her grumbly noises when she's sleeping and I move and disturb her, etc. Her playfullness is a little like Hachi but more like Nana and the spinny propeller-tail and the way she stands looking at me then is very like Nana.

But I feel guilty, and kinda wrong, for liking her so very much, especially when Yogi doesnt' (hopefully just yet), and feel like i ought to feel like him---I expected it to be me that woudn't want to like her, while he'd be overjoyed to play, when it's almost totally the opposite.

She certainly seems to like me just fine, and Raine, though we haven't figured out exacly how she likes Mouse the cat yet--rare on toast, or just to watch.





Something had bothered me about Teddy's odor until late last night I realized she smelled like the cricket bins at work, or rather the trashcans people put the cricket waste in when they clean those bins out, since I can't go near the actual cricket bins. I have no idea why she would smell like that...but we'll see if it's something she had gotten on her before getting here in the next while, cuz I gave both her and Yogi a bath in the same Raspberry-scented shampoo that I used to use for Tiny (and sometimes Yogi), partly cuz Yogi really needed a bath anyway, and to remove the odor from Teddy, but most espeically to make her smell more familiar to him, in hopes it would help his acceptance of her.


She had no problems bathing, though as expected she ddint' want to get in the tub she didnt' resist it when I led her in it anyway. Tiny was like that too; but Yogi really doesn't want in there so it's a little tougher with him, though he'll stay and let me bathe him once he's in there. I haven't tried trimming her nails or chest/belly fur yet.

Since she's been pretty ok with everything else so far, then the nails I'll probably try grinding tonight, because I'm going to take her with me to work tomorrow, and it'll help keep her from skittering on the tile floors up there.

I kinda have to take one or the other of them with me when I go to work, until they are able to just accept each other, because keeping them apart when I'm not there means that one of them would have no escape route in case of fire/etc., and Raine might not be strong enough at any particular moment (especially right now) to get that one out of the house while also taking care of getting Mouse and himself out, too. So I will probably alternate taking one and then the other, so each has full access to house and yard when the other isn't there.

If I had the time off I'd just stay with them here until they got used to each other, but this is the most practical way I can figure out to deal with everything until then.

 

[oatnet]

Welcome Teddy!

 

[amberwolf]

Teddy tolerated the ride to and from work ok, though she didnt' wanna get into the trike's crate until I put one of her favorite treats in there beyond her reach from outside. Had to do that each time to get her in; once had to lift her into it anyway, while she was as unhelpful as possible.

She loved the walkies during breaks and lunch and before I started, especially meeting people; she LOVES attention and gets sad/bored very quickly when she's not the center of it, and just lays down like the world has ended.


She also tolerated being in the crate when I was working, well enough; I suppose it helped that I did the usual icepacks under the blanket-padding (Like Hachi did, Teddy "runs hot", especially compared to Tiny, but even a little warmer than Yogi's usual).


Yogi was incredibly disappointed that he wasnt' going with us; when I was getting the crate ready he climbed in there and laid down, but his paws and head stick out cuz the trike crate is a bit too small for him. I had to bait him with treats to get him to come out, cuz he realy really wanted to go. I would've taken him too in the trailer but I didn't have it ready and didnt' have time to make it so before I had to leave for work.

Ended up being a good thing anyway, though, as he'd started having a little diarrhea that morning, but it wasnt' bad, however by the time I got home he was pretty squirty, stinky gas too, and was feeling pretty terrible.

I actually thought at first that he'd hurt his other back leg and made the left one worse, as he had such trouble getting up, but shortly after that while I was checking him out for problems he suddnely decided he needed out RIGHT NOW and only a few feet from the door he squatted and squirted for a bit. Almost always he goes far away from the house to go potty, at the fence edges, so this was a desperate move on his part.

This went on throughout the night off and on. He seems to feel a lot better today, but he's still got the squirties so I'm giong to get him some anti-diarrheals while up at work today.

But he's gonna stay home again today, even though I had planned to take him with me to tday and leave Teddy here, just cuz I don't want him trapped in the crate trailer when he's gotta go, cuz I won't be able to take him out as often as he is going to need to go. If he's past this the next day, he'll go with me and Teddy will stay here.



It might be because he doesnt' feel as well, but he has been less grumpy about Teddy, last night, except when she gets right up there at his face. Then he'll still lift his lips and silently snarl at her, and he tried to go after her once but she didn't see it happen so she didnt' react, and I was there so stepped in between them before he could actually get moving. I think if he'd felt better he would've managed it before I could have.


Figuring it might still be a problem, I had bought one of the size 6 Baskerville basket muzzles at work. When Yogi and Tiny stayed up at work with me overnight (when the car had driven thru the front of the store a few months ago), and Scott's dog Pauly (still a big puppy, kinda like Teddy only way way more energetic and maybe a little psychotic about playtime) wouldn't leave Yogi alone, Yogi did this same thing with Pauly--but Pauly was faster than Yogi so he got away before Yogi could really go after him, and all Yogi wanted was to drive him off so he dind't pursue at all.

But because Pauly kept coming back to piss Yogi off, I figured at some point he might actually do something bad, or Pauly might not get away fast enough, or something, so I'd used this same type of muzzle on Yogi so that they coudl still both be free and socialize without fear of injury. He didn't like it much but he tolerated it well after a while, and then when he realized he couldnt' actually bite Pauly, he stopped trying and though they never got along they only had those few hours together.

So I'm trying the same thing wtih Yogi, when he and Teddy will be in close contact with each other in situations he's likely to go off at her in, like in the bedrooom or kitchen with me, he'll wear the muzzle so that if he does feel inclined to do it he wont' be able to hurt her, and is less likely to be inclined to try anyway.

It'll only be for short periods, and only supervised, so they can be closer to each other without me worrying about them and so without my worry/body language/etc. signalling either one that there is a problem, so less likely to cause one cuz of that. Also because they can be closer without risk of injury,. she won't be made afraid of him from repeated attacks, and he wont' be rewarded for the attacks by her running away, etc., so he might (hopefully) learn to live with her around a bit quicker.


It's still going to take time, possibly weeks, or even months, but we'll work it out eventually.

 

[amberwolf]

Situation is still about the same. Yogi doesn't want Teddy in his face or too near him. He doesn't seem to want to go near her if she's not near him, except if she goes into the house when they're outside, or if theyr'e in the house and she goes into the bedroom...so he still considers her a stranger and is being territorial.


I'm presently using the baskerville basket muzzle on him whenever they'd be in potential contact with each other, so that if something does happen he can't hurt her, and because if he has it on he's less likely to do something in the first place. He doesn't really like it, which is to be expected, but he's rewarded whenever we're about to put it on by eating treats out of it, and peanutbutter on it as we put it on so he can lick it clean, so it's not as much of a negative thing for him.

Then whenever they're going to be separate for a while, like when I'm going to sleep, I'll take it off of him. I'd rather be able to ahve them both together with me there, but that's not happening yet.

If for instance she gets too close to him, coming up to say hi or even just walk right past him, then even with teh muzzle he may snap at her and she'll yelp and retreat if possible but if she cant' retreat he'll keep after her until I clap my hands and get them physically away from each other.

This is definitely going to take time.


It doesn't help that he doesn't feel well, as the last few days he's had diarrhea. Been trying a generic peptobismol yesterday, it had some effect, will try a generic kaopectate next to see if it has more effect.

One thing I noted this morning is that he's still pooping out bits of chili beans and corn, which he hasn't had for days (when he got into the trash and grabbed a container being tossed out); in general beans seem to cause him problems because every time he's ever had any, he's always had really bad gas, really stinky and a lot of it, and sometimes diarrhea to go with it. So I suspect at this point his guts are really irritated from the amount he probably got (didn't see him take it or would ahve taken it away; just saw him with it a bit later and saw the leftover bits in the bottom, out in the yard).

So we'll see how things owrk out....

 

[amberwolf]

Update I forgot to post from May 15th.

Yogi's diarrhea seems to have finally stopped on it's own; he's back
to his usual soft-serve.


Teddy has started getting itchy, and chewing her hotspots and toes
(mostly front paws), and sometimes scratching itches on head or
elsewhere, so I changed her food from the chicken-based Nutro
Rotations to the salmon-based one to see if it's an allergy, since
both main proteins in it are different from the chicken version.


I gave her one of the valium (only 3 left now) but it didn't stop her
from chewing.

No signs of seizure so far, or any other trouble besides the chewing and itching her toes.

No signs of little friends yet, so most likely an allergy.


Teddy is a very happy dog, I've noticed, and only wants to be right
there with me as much as possible, and watches me rather than where
she's going on walks, sometimes. She's very stubborn in a passive
sort of way, very different from Tiny's obstinacy, which can make it a
challenge to get her to do stuff without physically guiding her to it
(when possible).

She has very selective hearing, and much of the time simply refuses to
do things (even stuff like "sit" or "lay down" or "up" or "come".
Using her favorite treats, tidbits at a time, gets some response but
mostly just her direct attention focused on the treat, rather than
what we're trying to learn. She definitely loves those treats...but
not most of the others I or other people have tried when we're at
work.

So while we're working on training of various sorts, it's even slower
going than it was with Yogi when he first came here.

Everyone that sees her that has any interest in dogs at all comes
right up and wants to say hi; I even had a woman pull her car out of
the long line to exit the parking lot just so she could come meet her,
pet her, and give/get hugs with her, while we were out on a potty walk
at work late last week. (also, she doesnt' ever want to go
potty on potty walks, only at home in the yard)

She's a people-magnet, and knows it and loves it.

Yogi only likes some people (more people like him than he does them),
so it's harder for him to socialize when we're up there, than it is
for Teddy.

 

[amberwolf]

Today's update:

Yogi hasn't completely accepted Teddy yet, but he doesn't freak out when she passes him or sticks her face in his, though he doesn't really like it either. So we haven't had to use the baskerville on him in close situations in at least several days I think it is.

I got him an Adaptil pheromone collar to help with the stress, and while I can't see any visible differences in his behaviors, it must be doing something. I didn't have enough money to buy the spray too, or I would have also gotten that and sprayed both of them with it periodically, in addition to the collar.

He isn't interested in playing *with* her, but at least now he doesn't stop playing and leave when she comes up to me to stare adoringly while I"m playing with Yogi.

I still haven't figured out anything that Teddy will play with, except if I get her excited enough we can sort of play chase with me limping after her or she me. Mostly she just wants to be right there with me and snuggle against me while I scratch her head, chin, tummy, etc.


Most of the time she sleeps up against me, while Yogi does his usual laying on my legs for a while, then on the floor, then back to my legs again, thru the night.

 

[amberwolf]

After the weekend of me home with both of them free to be together or apart as they like (though usually Teddy is somewhere in whatever room I'm in, or right next to me when outside, often right next to me pretty much anywhere), Yogi is getting closer to allowing her presence to not offend him as much.

He will still turn away if she goes toward him, especially if she comes right up to his face. But it's a step in the right direction.


I got both of them shaved down "below the waterline", so from about 2/3 of the way down their sides on chest and tummy, plus the front of their shoulders/chests, to help them cool off easier when laying down. I can see the difference in how Teddy feels; she would previously "roll around" a lot especially when on the bed; now she does it a lot less. Yogi's used to being shaved like that so he doesn't act any diferently now, but he did that too when we did it the first time.

She dislikes the clipper motors almost as much as he does; she's not quite as strong so I don't have to actually sit on her to do it like I do Yogi. :/ I pretty much did have to do some of that to dremel her claws though, cuz they were all pretty long a few days ago when I started using those coolbeds for them.

I'd forgotten to take her temperature before the shaving to compare with the after, but I did finally remember to start taking it so I can have a baseline if she ever gets sick. Turns out she is like Tiny, a "cool dog"--100.4F is what it was this morning at breakfast. (Yogi is more like 102F, more normal for dogs).

It's odd, though, because she *feels* hot, as if she has a fever, so something about her just lets the heat out easy, I guess. Hachi was also like that (and had the same sort of silky-soft fur; I've woken up several times with Teddy right there and thought it was Hachi snuggled up against me with feet in the air, till I fully woke and flash-remembered everything, which isn't much fun and not recommended).


I also weighed her, to start a baseline on that, and she comes up as about 115-120lbs. She's a little wiggly so it was hard to get a solid reading, as I have to hold her up while I"m standing on the scale, then weigh just myself and subtract that...and between the two of us the scale wraps over it's 280lb dial limit by somewhere between 5-10lbs. So since I'm presently a hair over 170lbs, then assuming measurement is still relatively accurate over it's limit, then subtracting that leaves 115-120lbs or so.

So she is significantly heavier than Tiny, who was about 90-95lbs when she died, and was typically between that and 105lbs at her heaviest times.

By comparison, Yogi is typically about 135-140lbs (couldn't weigh him today, doing it with Teddy was more than I should've tried). He's got a lot longer legs so he looks a lot bigger, but he's not really, apparently.




Also, I have a possible theory about Teddy's licking/scratching/reactions:

From what I've seen so far, she does it mostly a while after eating breakfast or dinner, but that's also when she has her meds (the Zonisamide). Since that's a sulfonamide-based compound, and such allergies are not all that uncommon (at least in humans), perhaps it is the Zonisamide itself she's reacting to?

Since she now has her new 500mg capsules, and will be taking them starting tomorrow, then if it is indeed the Zonisamide she should exhibit the symptoms either faster or more intensely, vs the 300mg capsules she's been taking. (which she had when she first came here cuz she was out of meds, and these were left from another dog at the rescue that didn't need them anymore).


I was thinking I could try Benadryl to reduce the reaction she has, but according to interaction checkers, it could cause overheating (even heatstroke some say), because it magnifies the heat increase caused by Zonisamide (which itself might explain why Teddy feels hotter).

I'm not sure what else I can get over the counter that is safe for dogs that might reduce her reaction and still be ok with the Zonisamide; I'm still researching that.


Of course, it might have nothing to do with any of that, and be environmental, or stress-related, or food-related, etc. Have to wait and see what I find out over time.

 

[dogman dan]

I'm so glad to see you got a new dog. Always cheers me up.

Not so glad the mixing is turning out so hard. Sometimes a dog just never fits in the pack the way you'd like. Bertha was like that, just wanted to be the only dog, period. But she did learn I did not want fights, so she just went around with a mild growl, and the others learned to mostly ignore it.

Far from ideal, but we lived with that crap from her for about 8 years. But very rarely a real fight, and generally only in the first week a new dog met her. It did become more of a problem when we lost our alpha dog. Suddenly Bertha thought she was it, but she was not. Not even close. Ellie Mae had kept her in line for years. With her gone, I had to step up my game. That was hard, since that was the month I got so sick.

Bear in mind also,,, as you improve, Yogi will see less need to guard you. You are a great pack leader, but you got weak there for a time. As you get stronger it will be better. You are doing all the right things already, and it will get to a level where you have no problems. Chances are,, they will have zero reason to fight while you are not home. It's definitely you that Yogi is fighting over.

And definitely, Teddy is a supermodel! People will love her!

 

[amberwolf]

Not so glad the mixing is turning out so hard. Sometimes a dog just never fits in the pack the way you'd like.

Yeah, it was like that with Nana, Bonnie, and Fred. Worked ok until Nana turned about 2 years old (typical age to take over a pack).

But it's getting better. Slowly.

Bear in mind also,,, as you improve, Yogi will see less need to guard you. You are a great pack leader, but you got weak there for a time. As you get stronger it will be better. You are doing all the right things already, and it will get to a level where you have no problems. Chances are,, they will have zero reason to fight while you are not home. It's definitely you that Yogi is fighting over.

Based on where and when the incidents happen, I don't think so--I think Yogi just didn't like her being in his face and/or nipping, cuz that's what she likes to do to greet everybody.

And definitely, Teddy is a supermodel! People will love her!

Oh, they do. They love Yogi, too, when he doesn't bark at them and scare them off. :lol:


Yogi has finally decided not to eat Teddy anymore. Still doesn't think she's worth paying any attention to.

I'm still taking one or the other of them to work with me on alternate days, but I think I can stop doing that after this coming weekend if all continues to go as well as it has been.

The only thing that worries me is that she is a nipper--she runs up to him to nip at his face, which he doesn't appreciate, and she does it repeatedly sometimes, and there's the chance she may do it enough to piss him off.

Not much I can do if she does, though, cuz she's not likely to change that behavior, so unless Yogi just decides to ignore it, or that it's ok at some point, she will have to deal with the consequences....


In other news, she's allergic to something, probably either in her food or her seizure meds, and so she licks until she bleeds sometimes, on her hips, base of tail, and feet. Have eliminated chicken, and rice; still trying salmon, potato, I forget what else is in the new food. Unfortunately she gets her meds with her meals, so her reaction could come from either one, as it peaks a little while after meal/meds time. I may try shifting mealtime a few hours from the meds time this weekend, and see if there is any change in reaction timing.

 

[amberwolf]

No problems with them on their own yesterday, according to Raine. Sometimes found sleeping a foot apart in the kitchen on the cool ceramic-tile floor, as bookends.

In other news, I've gotten a "promotion" at work, which means a teensy bit more money, which will help around the house, not having to scrimp or skip as much on various things. Unfortunately it basically amounts to being a closing-shift manager a couple days a week, without the manager-level pay or title. But it's better than a sharp stick in the eye.

 

[amberwolf]

Yogi and Teddy are still doing fine together; he plays a bit more now, not much though, before he just lays down and chews the stick instead of prancing with it.


Remember when I first moved back in, couple years back? There was a faucet that didn't work, out between two of the shed. The reason it didn't work was because of the way it had been plumbed: It was tied in via T to the main line to the house, from the alleyway supply line. But that supply line had been disconnected a few years back when the city moved teh supply lines and the meters to the front street.

When they did that, this faucet still worked; I didn't even know it was plumbed like that. But after the fire, when the internal house plumbing and stuff was all re-done, and the main supply line and shutoff valve were made to come out the front wall instead of the back wall, the outside stuff in back was not redone. However what had been the main shutoff valve in back was turned off, which disconnected the faucet out by the shed. Presumably the former supply lines had been capped off at the city end of things, as water never leaked from them even when that shutoff valve was still turned on.


But...while it was still shutoff, before I'd tried the shed faucet after the fire, the city/SRP utilities added in the new taller utility poles in the alley...and somehow they managed to spear the old alley supply pipe with the guy wire that stabilizes the new pole. Not much chance of it happening but they managed it anyway.

So...that meant that when I turned the old shutoff valve back on so that I could use that shed faucet (once I'd figured out that was why it didn't work), it gushed water out in the alley, from the punctured supply line right next to my fence. But the faucet worked, too, cuz I had left it on to see when the water came out.

Basically, that meant that
A) the water pipes still worked
B) the faucet still worked
C) if capped prior to the puncture, but after the faucet T-off, then that faucet would be functional and there'd be no leakage.

So I dug around until I found the T-junction, a few feet east of the faucet and a foot or so down, and found it was only PVC pipe, so real easy to cap. But then stuff happened, and I forgot which size it was everytime I was at the store to get a cap, eventually forgot all about it, remembered, forgot, etc., and eventually kinda got used to just not using the faucet, having made workarounds with garden hoses and Y-valves from the main backwall faucet.


Well, today on the way home from helping Bill install something at his house, I stopped by goodwill and found a bag of assorted PVC stuff which included several caps of different sizes, among other useful bits.

So when I got home, after greeting Yogi and Teddy and cooling off (was midafternoon, and in the high 90s), I dug out the dirt and stuff that had accumulated in the hole I'd never filled in (just covered with a board), and cut the pipe on the alley side of the faucet, then capped/glued both ends (just in case), and stuck a piece of the removed pipe between the caps to put pressure on them so there is no way the caps can come off even if the glue doesn't do it's job for some reason, once the stuff is reburied. Turned on the faucet so I'd know when the water was working.

Then I went to the back wall, and turned on the shutoff valve, and heard the rush of water for a moment, but it quickly stopped, after a couple of seconds.

I waited and checked both the faucet and the caps, no water, no leakage, etc. Just in case I'd totally messed up I also checked the alley, and no water there either.

I shut it all off and pulled the cap on the faucet side, as the glue hadn't set yet, then blew air into the faucet and heard it come out the uncapped end, along with a little gurgle of water.

So I know the faucet itself, and at least that few feet of pipe, isn't clogged up...and some water did make it down there. (I expect anythign that had been in the pipe before would ahve evaporated over the couple years since it was last turned on).

I reinstalled the cap. Then I shut off the main supply shutoff valve out front, and drained the pressure in teh pipes. Then I tried the same air-thru-pipe trick from one end to the other, with no success. SOmething is definitely stopping the flow, but i don't konw where the obstruction is, or what it is.

My main suspect is the valve itself. But if it is, I'll have to shut off the water then unsolder the pipes, replace the valve (with another valve or just a pipe), and then resolder the pipes. Wierd, though, that it worked and then stopped. My first thought was that it had a backflow-prevetner, but if it did then it must not be working all the time because it allowed water flow just fine a couple years ago, and nothing has changed since then, AFAIK.

I could test this if I can get a neighbor to let me run a hose to their faucet from the shed faucet, then shut off my water, open the back wall faucet and the shed faucet and the shutoff valve, and then turn their faucet on. If it works in taht direction, but hten not the other way, it means there is a backflow preventer that is just not always working, so that if I can disable that, I can use the existing valve. But to get to it I'd still ahve to desolder the pipes at the back of the house. (meaning all water to the house would be shut off until I get that all re-connected...so I'd have to do it all in one day).


I was gonna post pics of the stuff but by the time I got done out there it was too dark for that. See if I can fix that tomorrow.

 

[amberwolf]

Mmm...forgot to get the pics above. Is kinda hot right this minute, so not just this moment to go take them (about 130pm):

115F in the shade on the back porch
116F in the shade on the front porch.
125F-144F in the direct sun, depending on whether I hold the thermometer's sensor up in the air away from the ground at chest height (coolest), or set it down on the ground, in the grass (hotter) or in the dirt (hottest).
91F 8" down into the ground (sensor is a stainless steel spike) in the shade dirt or grass.
92F 8" down into the ground in the sun in grass.
100F 8" down into the ground in the sun in bare dirt.


Still, it's a couple degrees cooler (in the shade) than yesterday.


Probably not getting anything else done outside today. :/



Before it got over 100F out there (around 930am-ish) I got some of the bits for the Raine Trike
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=80951
sort-of-together in the same area. Some is still in a shed I have to pull half of it's contents out of to get to what I need, so that will probably not happen for a few days.


Yogi and Teddy are sprawled out in the house (Teddy is making sneaky stinky farts though, making Yogi usually go into whatever room Teddy is not in...she's usually stuck somewhere by my side so I can't really escape it).

Am having to water all the growing stuff (mostly lantana, pumpkins, cantaloupe) every day at least a little now, so it won't stop growing (or at worst die off). Some of a lot. But the mulberry shade trees are growing quickly, which is a plus...the minus is that they need a lot of water to do that.

Once they are covering most of the yard with a canopy, though, it will stay cooler all around the house and yard, even when it's pretty hot out there, as long as there's not much wind (which is most of the time).

Plus the lantana around the base of the house walls will shade the walls themselves from early and late sun, keeping the house a bit cooler, taking less energy to run the A/C.

 

[amberwolf]

So it finally went below 110F (in the shade), about 630pm.

Thus, here's some pics of the waterworks problem. And a link to the orignal ost about it
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=49550&p=886533
describng the issue, though I didnt' include a pic of the shutoff valves, and cant' find one in my saved pics so I guess I never took one?

Buried T, now capped past T:

Faucet supplied by T:

Complicated house pipe, includes output from house, and both former inlet pipes.

One thing I hadn't remembered from before is that the oldest shutoff valve, a rotary handle type closest to the house, is broken off at the handle. Thus, my problem might be that I am using the wrong shutoff valve to try to turn on water out to the faucet. I had thought that the lever handle (blue, farthest from house) was the one, but I'm pretty sure that's the newest because it would have been added to the outside of any old piping, so nothing would have to be squeezed in between house and old piping when the city rerouted the supply from alley to street years back.

So my whole problem may simply be that the handle is broken off that old supply line (though I have no idea who broke it off or when; I dug around and can't find it within a couple feet of the pipe, and no one else but me and the dogs would have been in the yard to do it that I am aware of--and I don't think any of us would have).

I wonder if there even *is* a way to replace that valve handle without replacing the whole valve? :/

I really don't want to unsolder and resolder pipes.


Some pics of Teddy and Yogi around the house now taht Yogi has just about accepted she's staying:








Some pics of Teddy following me around the yard while I got pics of other things.
View attachment 33

The trailer with a load of stainless steel "tubs" on it, rather than Yogi's crate. Dunno yet for sure what I will use them for, but was thinking the largest one could be mounted on legs with a drain installed in the bottom to use as a sink in the utility room, to replace the one I'd had before the fire that was taken and not replaced during the rebuild. (it was a really handy thing to have for quite a few uses). The drain would empty out in the yard, along with that already coming from the washer, to water the trees on the east side.





Some pics of how much some of the yard stuff has grown, and how much other stuff has not.
new lantana on west wall of back room and old stuff stil growng on west and north walls of bedroom





Backyard first, taken first from back fence/alley distance, west to east,





then along the east (street) fence, Also inlcudes a pic of my "lantana tree" experiment.




tjem the new stuff along the oustide of the east fence along the street and the driveway
View attachment 19

View attachment 18


then from near house at east yard toward west showing house and sheds.
View attachment 16



Then frontyard, which hasn't got nearly as much shade yet, but we're working on it.














Sure looks different than this satellite image from what might be almost a year ago, can't tell for sure: