Another Dog Story

Well, since I haven't had any time with the horses in the last few weeks, here is another dog story for you....

We attended our annual Harper Family Reunion in South Carolina during the weekend of Oct. 10. We all meet at an old farmstead that my Great-grandfather purchased ages ago for $1,000. The original farm house burned down after being struck by lightening, so they rebuilt another rustic cabin that is large enough to accommodate a couple of families. It's way out in the woods and overlooks a huge lake. If you didn't know it was there, you'd never find it! It is the greatest place in the world to go "get away!"

So, imagine our surprise when 4 starving puppies showed up out of no where just minutes before the family gathering!

They just came out of the woods! But they were the friendliest, sweetest, hungriest little things you have ever seen! They were so skinny, they had no meat on their TOES! I kept thinking their feet looked strange, but I didn't know if it was due to their strange, unknown breeding, or the fact that they were walking skeletons.

We fed them the only dog food my parents had....my folks travel everywhere with Gertie, their dog child...so luckily we were able to give them dog food along with the other food scraps they received...

They got lots of love....and gave some love, too...

There were 3 girls and one little boy...



They were the hit of the reunion. Everyone felt so sorry for them, but no one wanted one. It was kind of sad. But luckily, my dear sweet cousin's husband decided not to attend the reunion, so my cousin decided to let her middle son take one home. P and his puppy bonded very quickly.

P named his puppy Daisy. They are doing great together - and this is one LUCKY puppy! She sleeps with P at night!

And of course I wanted to take the other 3 home with me, but we just adopted Sam and now have 3 dogs of our own!

So, Sunday came and it was time to leave. What in the world were we going to do with these puppies?? The pound was closed on Sunday and we couldn't just leave them in the mountains to die.

My dear parents decided the puppies would go home with them and they would take them to the pound. My oldest son convinced them to keep one of the puppies....(even my Dad is enjoying them!)

So how do you pick just one?

B loves this one....

We call this little fellow "Possum"...and everyone loves Possum!

A loves this one...

Gertie dog doesn't really want any of them...

D loves this one...

It is too hard to decide, so my folks are thinking about keeping the 2 little girls and finding the perfect, loving home for the little boy, Possum...

Here is one of the girls... D calls this one "Bootsie." (My parents call her "Ears.")

Below is my Mom's favorite that D calls Alex...

She looks like one happy puppy. :)

I'll let you know what happens.

What Do You Do?

What do you do when a dejected, half starved, skittish doggie shows up at your house and you have a big heart that has a soft spot for lost, abused, or abandoned animals?

You start feeding them, talking to them, and becoming their friend. Then you open your home to them.

Meet Sam.

Sam showed up in early July and just kind of hung around the house. He walked with his head and tail down, jumping at the slightest noise. He wouldn't let anyone get close enough to touch him and everyone/everything made him so nervous.

Finally he allowed my middle child to pet him. They became friends and Sam followed B around the house. Then Sam let A pet him, then finally my oldest, D. After a while, Sam decided that since I was the food lady, he might let me pet him as well. Soon Sam began relaxing around us and hanging out in the driveway.

Over the last couple of weeks he has made an amazing transformation into the sweetest, friendliest, loving-est, most appreciative dog ever!

Last Thursday, A and I took Sam and our other two doggies to the vet for shots. Now Sam has his own set of tags - a rabies tag and an ID tag with my name on it, complete with a brand new collar.

I hope he decides to stay for a long, long time.

Quick Update on Filly pony

Sorry to be absent for so long! Kids and work and everything else is keeping me from blogging! I miss it and you guys!

This is Filly:

She is a 14.1 hand, 8 year old TB/paint cross, with issues. And for some crazy reason, I don't want to part with her.

I see so much potential in this pony, but don't have her close enough where I can work her enough.

I went to see Filly at L's on Sunday. We had a longe lesson. Filly was going along great, then all of a sudden had one of her panic attacks and went running backwards, jabbing the ground with her front legs. I couldn't stay on and hit the ground pretty hard. I didn't get hurt, just mad at myself for my clumsiness. Not sure what Filly's reaction was to, but I did get back on and continued the lesson. After changing directions, L longed Filly in side reins for a bit. She had one more panic attack, then was fine.

Going around quite nicely now!

Lots of walk-trot-walk-halt transitions.

I call them panic attacks because one minute she is fine, then the next minute she is flying backwards. After talking to the vet today, we are going to check her teeth, then go from there. If it is pain she is reacting to, I want to find out ASAP. If it is naughtiness, I am wanting to deal with it in the appropriate manner. Our major problem is consistency. Lack of time does not help the situation. Consistent work would work wonders on this pony.

Anyway, here are some photos of her in side reins. I've only worked her in them a few times, and L hasn't worked her in them at all. Filly went very well in them on Sunday and seemed to like the consistent contact with her mouth. We'll make them a regular part of her training program now.

L didn't work her in the side reins for very long, just long enough to feel her out and know what we are going to do next week.

As soon as I get a chance, I'll give you the rundown on this pony....her background, how long I've owned her, her issues...you won't believe her before and after photos from when I first got her in May of 2004!

I Love It!

One of my very best friends who I talk about a lot in this blog, e-mailed a gift to me last week. One of her friends does water colors, so she did one of Buck from my favorite photo of him.

But you know artists. They are their own biggest critics. S said her friend didn't like the background in this one, so she wanted to do another. I have to say that I believe this version is absolutely beautiful. She captured Buck to a T.

See what you think:

Hey S, please tell your kind and very talented friend that if she did this awesome on the water color above, I can't wait to see the next one she does!

Family Time

Wow, it has been a busy past couple of weeks! My husband's cousin came to stay with us beginning August 28 - September 8. It was wonderful having her here and getting to know her better. She lives in California, so it is not often we get to see her.

(Here is my hubby on the left, C squeezed in the middle and my husband's brother on the right)

All of us with C.

Surprise!

Nothing like kissin' cousins!

Having C stay with us has been wonderful! We never got to Pike Road to play with the horses, but we got to spend a lot of time hanging out and catching up. As a 21 year old college student, she has done a lot of things. She has studied abroad, even living in South Africa for 5 months teaching. C is brilliant! We look forward to seeing all of the wonderful things she will accomplish in the future.

Can't wait for her to come back and stay again.

Thank you Sunny in SD!

Wow! I am so totally honored to receive this award

from a new and wonderful friend I have come to know in this exciting world of blogging, It's Sunny in SD. This is a blog I came across one day on another site I frequent, and now read it every chance I get. :) Thank you so much Sunny D!

It's now my turn to share this award.


In no particular order, here are a few of the ladies whose blogs I've come to look forward to seeing updated...

• Suzi's Blahg (This is not always horse related, but Suzi is an avid horsewoman and does have a horse-related blog...she just doesn't have the time to keep it updated!)
• From Hell to Heaven: Saving Argus
• The Many Misadventures of McKinna McHorse
• Pandora's Box

Like Sunny D, I'd like to reserve the right to nominate a couple more down the road as I happen across them!

The catch is.............there are a few rules:

The winner can put the logo on her blog.
Link the person from whom you received your award.
Nominate at least 3 other blogs, but as many as 7 (or more!).
Put links of those blogs on your blog.
Leave a message on the blogs of those you have nominated.

So, go nominate your friends' blogs so the award can be passed along to those so well deserving. :)

Thanks again Sunny!

Buck Memento

Just wanted to share one more special "Buck" item. For those of you who know me in person, you know I love Breyer model horses. To appease me when I was younger, my parents would buy models for me, hoping I would settle for them rather than a real pony....now I have two terrible addictions....real horses and plastic horses. :)

Here is a sample of what my husband has to put up with:

There are more tucked away in shelves in our living room and a few at my office...the last time I counted, there were right around 400 models. Absurd, I know. However, there is one particular model that is my most prized possession. Knowing how much I love models, real horses, and my beloved pony Buck, my husband surprised me one Christmas with this:

A friend told him about a lady living in our little town that custom painted model horses, so he contacted her. She picked out the stablemate mold she thought was most appropriate and painted him to perfection. This wonderful memento of Buck sits on our mantle, a constant reminder of a special little pinto pony loved by all who met him. Thank you honey for such a thoughtful keepsake!