Ranch Life in Llano Mar-Apr 2013

They call it a vacation. But do I get to take a breather? Nooooo, there are donkeys and cattle to control, and of course I step up to the plate. Get this, my human sister feeds treats to the donkeys and ignores my "starvation" looks! And the cattle, no fences so they are just wandering everywhere, mooing and doing all that cow stuff (and bull stuff, yeah there was one that woke up on the wrong side of the barn, for sure.)

PLUS stairs up to the bedrooms. Ugh. I might have made a misstep once so my strategy is to look pitiful and someone might carry me. Also, found a good trick about stickers in the grass! If you think you might be in an area where there are stickers, immediately hold your paw up and some human will feel sorry for you and if you are lucky, will pick you up so you don't have to watch out for the dumb stickers.

Also, we had a long conversation with a bunch of guy turkeys. We'd say something and they would gobble gobble and this went on for several minutes. Mom said something about them looking for some hens. How hard is that? I saw chickens everywhere.

I heard coyotes at night and also saw bats flying at dusk. Pretty cool. I wanna go back and this time I'm gonna practice my techniques on stairs and stickers from the get-go. If I'm gonna have to do animal control, I deserve some PERKS!

Far West Texas Trip

Once again, the Davis Mountains called us back. All those critters needed reminding that Mad-Dog takes no prisoners. Including the whole family of wild pigs on the ranch. 5 babies! And my mom was going "Oh, how cute." Get real, Mom, did you not notice the hog traps everywhere? I did, and they smelled very interesting! I offered my services as trap-guard, but no one listened...

There were only 2 young bulls in our pasture this time, but of course I immediately put them in their place. This one hereford had the nerve not to be scared - I think once he might have intended to get pushy, but my mom was there. I dunno about those horns.

And a few bunnies here and there to chase under the fence. And again my mom is doing the "cute" thing about them. Jeez.

In Terlingua, my mom, ever the bleeding heart, puts out a whole loaf of bread practically in strategic places for the local coyote. He showed up at dusk and from the looks of it, he's been doing well at those cabins. I was not allowed to confront the coyote. We probably would have bonded, both being canines etc. And having pointy ears. He might have let me have a piece of bread. I'll never know.

Most of the time was pretty relaxing, took a lot of naps in the sun. We always did animal rides in the mornng and at night. Saw a ton of deer which I expressed interest in and saw a fox or two, which I guess I'm supposed to gravitate to, my being a toy fox terrier and all.

WHY ME?

Just got back from Caprock Canyons! Cool place with tons of critters to monitor - let's see, ya had your buffalo, your deer, your pheasants, your sandhill cranes, your wild hogs, your turkeys, your coyotes, your foxes and even one skunk crossing the road! BUT and this is the sad part, residing there is Queenie, the Barn Cat. This place is a Bed&Barn, 3 bedroom house on one end, stable and corral on the other - you just open the bathroom door, and there are horses and a tack room, hay - all that barn stuff. Also, there is the cat. She acts like she owns the place. Doesn't look scared at all when she sees me. IN FACT she likes to act like she is stalking me - it's downright creepy. You go out on the front porch and she scrambles to the front of the house; you go out the bathroom door, there she is! And she has this little "I'm so cool" look on her dumb cat face (I'll put a pic of her on my page). AND she's always trying to make friends with my mom and dad. You know that icky rubbing against your legs thing they do. So we had a great time - but this is the third time Barn Cat has been there, so I guess it's a cross I have to bear. Couple of my Dogster buds have offered to go out there first and let her know what's what, but I think the owner of the Bed&Barn likes her - she eats mice and stuff. Dawg, hasn't he heard of mouse traps?

Rocky Mountain High

We stayed in Taos, Pagosa Springs, Silverton, Delores, Soccoro, and Roswell, the longest in Taos Ski Valley which was way up 9200 ft. A husky dog greeted us first off and she wasn't even the house dog! And the owner had a BIG cat - 22 lb. Elwood. We looked at each other a lot and I barked at him, when behind the window. Hey, I'm not stupid...We took drives all over and walked around all those places. They got some strange animals up there. One day while on a drive in the mountains, Dad brakes for this animal who is sunbathing in the middle of the highway, actually on the center stripe. He lumbers off into the woods - I find out it's a marmot. Then in Colorado at our cabin, there is an army of chipmunks and ground squirrels (neither resemble the tree rats at my house). I get to bark a lot at them, but of course cannot chase them, "They're so cute." my mom whines. Bite-size squirrels is what they are, specially those chipmunk things. Saw a snow-shoe rabbit - that dude had humongous feet! And deer and antelope and stuff like that. Bunch of elk crossing signs everywhere, but no elk. And mountain sheep - same thing. Guess my reputation had preceded me. Went to White Sands - radical place but it was like 102 outside and I was really appreciating the AC about then. Last night we were at Roswell, where the aliens ended up and it was a big stink. There were little green aliens all over. Even a KFC had a sign "Aliens Welcome." But you know, they won't let DOGS come in, wazzup with that???

Caprock Canyon March 2011

I don't know what was the best thing about this trip - the pigs or the deer - oh wait it was all the smells on the walks in the state park, yep that's the ticket. There were a couple of drawbacks - mainly one dumb cat named Queenie who lived in the barn and was a real smarty-pants. Coming up to my mom and dad and rubbing on their legs, trying to sneak in the house - at least twice successfully. Trying to PLAY with me, OMD! I showed her, by Dog, I would eat some of her catfood every chance I got - ha ha! And then there was Bandit, the boy horse, who lived there too - he was pretty cool and he loved my mom and dad - it was a carrot and oats kinda thing. But anyhoo, we saw a bunch of wild pigs roaming around - you shoulda heard my mom trying to call them - snort snort. (Don't give up your day job, mom, oh wait you DON'T have a day job.) She thinks she is a good turkey caller too - and they were everywhere. Deer out the wazoo, buffalo, a couple of coyotes, and a ton of dead skunks - wazzup with that? It was scary cuz there were wildfires everywhere - a couple pretty close to us! Spig and her family visited a couple of days, and of course she has to have an attitude - always does - but I grinned and bore it. All in all, I would say it was a terrific 2 weeks and I'm ready for the next trip!

Christmas and New Years at Buffalo Gap

We stayed at the trailer on the mountain for 2 weeks. It was very relaxing. So relaxing. Ya see it was pretty cold and dawg it made good napping. Yeah I know I was in the middle of the cedar brakes where animals run and play and I know I shoulda been chasing those critters, but as you can see from the first 6 pictures on my page, I did a lot of thinking about it.

Serving My Country

So we go for a couple of weeks to the Davis Mountains, north of the Rio Grande where there is news about something happening on the border all the time. There are Border Patrol everywhere down there and check stations where they ask you what your citizenship is and there's a big ole German Shepherd ready to sniff your car if you look suspicious. And there are eyes in the sky - a big ole blimp thing floating over Marfa, tracking possible drug dealers - it's always there. So because I, because I am a patriot, and because we already had our roof replaced this spring, decided to pitch in. I will post a few pics of me in action.

While I was on the ranch, I was in charge of 3 Hereford bulls (The Twins and Wooly Bully) and my throat is sore from straightening THEM out.

Mom and Dad fed foxes every night but once again, my pawrents wouldn't let me go after them OR THE STINKY PIGS EITHER. And one morning coyotes sounded like they surrounded the cabin...Did I get to chase them off? Noooooooo.

But we had a great time!

The Days at the Gap

We moved our trailer to our friends' place in the country. It's cool, tons of critters. However the sad news is I am having to consider legal action against my pawrents. Here is the deal:

Fact: There is a deer-feeder very close to the porch
Fact: Deer come every day to eat corn
Fact: I am not allowed to chase the deer
Fact: This totally denies me, Maddi - FastDawg - the
right to pursue happiness as per the Declaration of Independence

Your support is welcomed!

Mad-Dog, the Extreme Toy Fox Terrier

April and May 2010

Wow, I have been a travelin fool. My pawrents are something called retired - I think it means they stay with me all the time and still provide kibble and soccer balls (priorities you know). So in April we go back to the Bed & Barn in Quitaque. Only one horse this time - still in training - but 3 CATS. Barn cats. Crazy things. But I lay the law down and all is cool. I put a picture on my page of this weirdo deer we saw the second day - I mean it was around Easter so we are thinking EASTER BONNET - it IS pink for Dog's sake. We saw a lot of deer without hats too! So remember the movie TWISTER - one night the storm chasers were all around in weird cars and trucks. The clouds were scary too but we didn't have a tornado - someplace else did - and Mom kept practicing yelling "COW!" Don't ask - she's weird. We stayed 2 weeks out there and had a blast. Saw some prairie dogs too - fast little things, but too shy to socialize with.

Then in May we go to Caddo Lake, home of BIGFOOT which my mom and I practically ran into the last spring we were at the bayou. All the usual suspects, bunnies, squirrels, beavers, 8 million water birds - a lot of which make barking noises - go figure - and a big ole turtle in our back yard and an armadillo, helping himself to OUR pier. I, of couse, showed him the error of his ways. My mom and her friend Jac said they saw a gator off the pier - we have our private pier and it goes WAY out into the lake - but dad and Jac's husband didn't believe them. Such cynics!

So now I am waiting to see what this retirement thing is going to bring next. But guess what? I'M READY!

Mad-Dog, the Extreme Toy Fox Terrier

January 25, 2010 - Story of the Caprock Canyon Vacation

OMD, it was as big as a cow and as ugly as sin - it was a WILD HOG. And that is one of the things I have to tell about in this entry. We went to Quitaque, TX and stayed in a Bed and Barn, yep we shared quarters with 2 horses, who my Mom named Gracie and Joe, and I had to go out to the barn part every once and a while and put them in their place. Horses tend to get uppity...

My bud Spig (Jack Russell) and her people came too and we had a ball. Out in the middle of nowhere - the town has 400 people in it and the country has a million deer. There was this information letter at the B&B that said - THIS IS RATTLESNAKE COUNTRY - DO NOT LEAVE THE DOORS OPEN! But cuz it was really cold, they weren't around. Grass burrs, though, there was a bunch of them.

We got stuck in the snow and had to get pulled out by a tractor. That was fun - and that was the first night! It jerked us so hard my mom and me almost hit the ceiling and I had to calm Mom down cuz she thought we were gonna have to spend the night in the truck, which woulda been okay for me cuz my bathroom is right outside the truck door - BOL

And some kind of wild cat came into the barn one night and tore open the trash and made weird moaning noises which also upset Mom. He left big pawprints in the sand in the barn. And a skunk came too! And coyotes! Yippee - bring on the wildlife!

Get this - think we are going back SOON!!!!!