Sunday, October 29, 2006

Pics II - Rojo


Photo 1 -Rojo + Me from Back

Rojo - No Longer - L-Wood


Rojo - 7-8 weeks old with me - 9 pounds - loveable - came yesterday.

He's a handful, but well worth hit - loves kids, animals and us!

L-Wood was adopted away from us - snapped at our younger child and scared him, was way too anti-social etc. - his new home with another Labradoodle and no kids will work much better.

Thanks!

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Dog Days

Yesterday morning - the dog was "not happy" in its crate in the living room. It was 5:00 a.m. and I was hoping to sleep until 7-8:00 p.m. because I was exhausted. Twas not to be!!!

L-Wood was happy to go on a walk. After perhaps 40 yards of walking he showed that he clearly had diarrhea. Twice more he went or tried to go while we were out. After a usual sized walk he had food and water, but didn't eat anything.

I let him walk free in our house (as I had started doing because he'd been fine). Within a few minutes I heard and saw the end of him peeing on our living room rug. I mildly chastized him, took him outside and he didn't go any more.

I then put him in his crate and he seemed comfortable there. It was now only about 6:30 a.m.!

He seemed fine in the crate as the boys watched tv after they got up. About 11:30 a.m. I tried to take him out of the crate for another walk and he wouldn't move. I didn't want to drag him out extremely forcibly so I left him there. I took a shower and tried again and again he refused to come out.

I left home with our older son alone with L-Wood (crated). At 12:40 p.m. I got a call from my step-son that he'd pooped - diarrhea inside and outside the crate. I came home, put the dog in the backyard on his chain and cleaned up the mess.

I called the vet from the younger boy's soccer game (he'd had a play date in the morning with the coach's son) and at their behest brought him in. He had parasites, 2 meds and came home where he stayed in the yard - eating the bland food they'd given me for him.

He seemed fine and normal thereafter. My partner came home late last night. This morning - I took him on a long walk. He peed on the walk and seemed very normal.

I left him in the yard when I left for working out - partner still asleep.

At 9:40 I get a phone call - he'd somehow gotten his leash unsnapped and escaped. At about 10:20 or so - I sight him about a block from our house - heading back towards the creek when I called him from a good 100 yards away. He crossed the creek (again) and disappeared again.

I walked and B drove looking for him - without success. About 11:25 p.m. - the vet's office called. Someone had found him, put a leash around his neck and brought him to the vet. He had nothing to identify him and his microchip wasn't detectible.

We picked him up and got him a new collar and a new crate so he has two crates. Friday the private trainer will be here for a 2 hour lesson! Will peace begin then?

L-Wood is a good boy - but needs to settle down - and not be so scared and distant. The vet says it may take 6-8 weeks for this to happen. He was certainly traumatized in his earlier life.

Friday - Stuart - the cat - sweet and small - calmly slowly came towards L-Wood and he was scared of Stuart! He'd previously let Stuart - sniff him several days earlier.

Hopefully - things will be calm for awhile now!

Thanks~!

Monday, October 16, 2006

L-Wood

L-Wood is our new Labradoodle (Dog). Saturday we chose him among a number of Labradoodles - very scared at first - but sociable with the other dogs. Yesterday, somewhat sedated, we drove him 5 hours home. He is the most timid dog I've ever been around, though that will change. His sensitivity is obvious.

He's growled twice, but not barked at all. This morning he didn't want to leave his cage as I took him out and it took over five minutes to get him out of his cage. L-Wood met his first dog here and was very happy to do so. He likes other dogs, though seemed scared yesterday of a dog in its own yard.

Hopefully he'll adjust well in the coming days and weeks so we can enjoy our time together very much. Our younger son in particular loves animals and wants close ties with him.

We've already had a lot of walks together and now that he's eaten and drunk water I'll take him out again. We want him to be housebroken as soon as possible!

A new part of our lives!

Thanks!

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

North Korea - Nuclear Testing

For me the current "Crises" related to North Korea's conducting a nuclear test and the resulting "lack of options" that the United States has is very illustrative and interesting.

How we can insist that the U.S. will not negotiate with North Korea directly is absurd and non-defensible to me. While the U.S. Government may prefer to have a negotiation with other major world powers is understandable. To insist however that we will not talk is crazy, pretentious and self-defeating.

The more that a situation is dangerous in the world, the more important it is that we keep communication open. The fact that North Korea is so isolated and so "dangerous" is all the more reason that we should be striving to talk with its leadership.

Whether we think it rational (and I do) or not, the North Korean leadership feels that they are in danger of a U.S. invasion or other interference in their existence or leadership. Whether they really want "peace" with the U.S. can be questioned and is by many people.

There is a danger of a future nuclear war in the world which is certainly increased as North Korea and other countries get nuclear weapons. As the United States is the only country which has used such weapons in actual wars, having killed many people with them, we are hardly the "innocent bystanders" on this issue. Though this happened six years before I was born, my government did this.

The U.S. has long supported the governments of India, Pakistan and Israel which all have nuclear weapons. Until or unless we are willing to limit our own actions and have agreements which include most, if not all, nuclear powers, we have no moral right to insist that the North Korean Government do anything.

Hearing our Government talk on this and similar issues I'm left with this lingering disgust in my mouth - we're not the pure good or better than others - as we're talked of.

We are no better or worse than others in many ways. We are THE military power in the world and many people in many countries have good reasons to fear us. We continue to push others around and act like a bully. We're far from innocent!

Thanks!

Monday, October 02, 2006

A Few Minutes of Total Peace - Yom Kippur

This afternoon I took almost a half hour to sit along the creek in back of our house. It was a mid-60's fall afternoon with filtered sunlight. It was so peaceful to watch and hear the flowing water in the creek.

Then I saw a single, male duck walking upstream towards me. He flew in the air into our back yard briefly and then jumped back down into the water. I thought at first that my presence was bothering him and keeping him from walking past where I was sitting on the shore.

He moved slowly along the far edge of the creek and went past me upstream after a few minutes and disappeared from my view.

The waters were beautiful and soothing. My spirit was a little troubled, but soothed by the beauty I felt - something so simple, but so important to my heart and soul.

Thanks you!