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Down Jessie's Trail

nice days

The weather has been warm lately so we have gotten to play lots outside. With warm weather and deer mating season comes the ticks though! Mom finally decided to use frontline on me after a lot of reading and asking dogsters what they use that is chemical or natural. Maybe come December we won't have to use this chemical stuff anymore and garlic pills and ACV will be good enough.

My trick training is going slow but making progress. Mom taught me how to walk well on my hind legs. She tries to get me to go backwards and I am so excited that I give her the wrong cue. But I'm still learning!

Outside Mom is playing a lot of frisbee with me and my brother. I'm getting better at catching it in the air! Of course it's a soft frisbee!

~We are thinking of dogster Tessa Sue and believe strongly she is at the Rainbow Bridge waiting for her owners hugs and belly rubs again one day. RIP.~

So I saw a deer crawling up Jessie's collar....

on our walk this morning. I took the end of her leash and tried to swat it off. It didn't budge. I picked up a stick and tried to crush it or get it off, it didn't work. So I took the collar off (hate doing that for fear right at that moment she'd run away with no tags even though she's chipped still it's always scary to me) Anyway she's a good girl mostly though so no running away. But anyway, so suddenly I can't see the tick on the collar anymore and have no idea where it went. I checked Jessie's neck and didn't see it, so I put the collar back on and we continued walking. The tick had jumped on my pants! Jessie and I really dislike ticks!

Anyway Jessie will take over and blog now:

Hi Jessie here. Last night was a holiday the humans called Halloween. Mom took me and Henry to our Auntie's house so she could help Auntie answer the door for trick-or-treaters. Little people (Mom's cousins) were there giggling a lot and wearing makeup. The house smelled of pizza and candy! But Henry and I behaved ourselves. However after we got home that night, the house near Mom's was having a late Halloween party and all the cars and people's noises made me bark a lot.

Finally I settled down with my kong. Mom has been stuffing our kongs with raw ground bison, topped with greek yogurt. Then when we are done she washes them with apple cider vinegar and sometimes dish soap. We love our night time snacky kongs!

Our raw food diet is going good too. I am suspicious of Mom though. She seems happily awaiting for something to arrive....we suspect more food for us! We overheard Mom talking about deer necks. Yummmm.......can't wait!

off leash is illegal

Mom hates conflicts. Even very small ones. She hates getting angry at people and acting out on that and she hates when people are angry or act out in response or first at her.

Mom would normally be enjoying Halloween. Heck, Mom loves all holidays, the childlike spirit the day brings, and of course seeing all the children enjoying it.

But she had an encounter with someone. It would be a small encounter for others maybe, but Mom shakes her head at being so sensitive and she upset someone else wrongfully and feels terrible about it. But she says she's going to make amends.

What happened was, Mom lets me and my brother off leash many places that are safe (no cars, streets, or anyone around). But this is illegal in many of the places.

Mom doesn't think she is above the law. I guess she thinks of that saying, "if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it does it make a sound...."

She really feels strongly that dogs should have limited freedom. I like that she thinks this!! But many others would not, and do not.

At the end of Mom's deadend street is a public walkway that leads to a small secluded woods path. It is a nice place for us dogs and other dogs to go for a walk. There are lots of smells around and shrubs and holes to explore. Plus there is a little river and "pool" for us.

All would be perfect, however the public walkway goes through the backyards of houses. The last house before the woods is a woman's family who do not like dogs off leash. They have a yorkie who is dog aggressive and are probably afraid of dogs getting close.

But she and her daughter dislike it so much that even though me (Jessie) and Henry (my brother dog) are on leash, she yells at Mom every time she sees us to "leash your dogs". Mom ignore her now. She used to say "they are leashed!" but she would either not respond or say to leash them again. Me and Henry just don't look at her.

If their grandkids are out, they pull the kids (toddlers) behind their body as if to shelter them, even though we're on leash and not pulling toward them. We walk calmly.

Today the daughter came out and yelled "Leash your dogs" Mom said even though she was in the wrong because she does let us off leash in the woods, "Why do you have to harass people all the time?"

She got really offended, started talking to herself and walking in a circle saying "I harass?! I harass?!"

So Mom said a little gentler "My dogs don't even go up to your dog, I promise they won't go up to your dog at all"

She said "OH yeah? Try it now, let your dog off leash now and see." Her dog was on her deck. But Mom was a little nervous about her challenge, like thinking she might want to call the cops if she did, so Mom said "no" and walked up the hill to the woods.

Well the daughter got her dog and walked up to the woods and Mom asked "Are you following me?" She hadn't let us dogs off leash yet.

She said something like "make sure you keep your dogs on leash"

Mom said "Fine, I'll walk this way" and went in the other direction and she didn't follow.

2 other dog owners Mom knows let their dogs off leash on this little woods path also, and they say they get yelled at by the same women too. None of us dogs ever bothered her yorkie.

It bothers Mom though. She likes to be apologetic not confrontational and likes peace. So she's going to write a letter apologizing and asking if it's ok we dogs are off leash only when she's not around.

THEN Mom will feel better and enjoy the day!