Awesome Weekend

The weather was awesome here. On Fri morning (Mom is off on Fridays) I had to go to the groomer. Mom put a big fuzzy throw over the other front seat & let me sit up front with her. Cool! Mom had just given me one of my 'itch' pills, which make me sleepy so I slept the whole way, waking up only when we pulled in the groomers. I did cry just a bit when Mom left. Mom went to meet her girlfriend for breakfast. I knew it was Jan as I smelled her dogs on Mom when she picked me up later. Jan fosters pitbulls & is very active in their rescue. After Mom picked me up from the groomers we went home & Mom started sweeping & tidying up the barn. Mom & Dad were going after a new horse the next day & they needed to get his stall all ready.
Sat. morning after breakfast, Mom put me in the outside kennel. I was NOT happy about this because I saw they had the truck hooked up to the little trailer. I think every time that truck comes out of the garage that I should be in it. I let it be known too. But Mom & Dad left without me. Several hours later they came back with a new horse. All the horses out in the pasture were excited to meet the new guy so I had lots to bark at as the horses all milled around the new guy right by my kennel. Sat. night Mom gave her horse a bath & Dad was busy grooming his new horse so I knew they must be planning to go somewhere riding the next day.
On Sun. morning right after breakfast, Mom put me in the outside kennel. AGAIN, I was NOT happy. I knew they were leaving again without me. Mom & Dad were gone a good part of the day. Actually it's not too bad when they are gone & I am out in the kennel as I can lay on the deck & watch the horses in the pasture. Mom & Dad finally pulled in late Sun afternoon, unloaded the horses & FINALLY paid some attention to me! Geeze! Mom said she saw my Aussie friend, Izzy, at the campground & that she thought Izzy's Mom had a new puppy. But turned out Izzy had a hair cut & Mom just didn't recognize her at first. I hung out with Mom & Dad the rest of the day.
Mom said pretty soon we will start camping again. I can't wait. It's been a boring hot summer.
Well, I better go now. I need to bark at the new horse when he comes up to the water tank. He doesn't know the routine around here so I need to be sure he understands that I am the "Queen of the Barn".
Later.....Shelby

Cooler Weather & Rain

Oh boy! Finally some cooler weather & some rain. Things are beginning to look green again. This past weekend was busy for Mom & Dad as they spent both days working in the yard. Dad decided to re-level all the landscape blocks holding the gravel in the drive-way to the barn. Now that was kinda boring to me. I laid under the tree & watched him for awhile but couldn't stay awake. Mom was bored so she got the push mower out & mowed ALL the road ditches all the way down to the next road. Of course, it was mostly just a weed here & there as nothing has been growing in the heat & drought. I don't know why she likes to mow so much & push mow at that! Uck! But she likes getting the exercise & making things look nice too. Since she was so close to the road I couldn't go with her. Mom & Dad said it would have been a great weekend to go riding/camping. Yea! But they hadn't made any reservations at the park & decided they would be riding regularly in a couple of weeks anyway so better get stuff done around home. :-( B-o-r-i-n-g! When Dad got the Ranger out & me & Wren did get to ride around on it for awhile. The trouble with that is.......we don't want to get off when it stops. Dad has to make us get off---just like to be there ready when it goes again. I did get a time-out on Sat. evening for mauling the barn cat. Well, not really mauling him.....just herding him around. I guess Dad got tired of watching me push the cat here & there & told me to get on the settee & stay there. :-( Thank goodness Mom popped in the barn when she did because I got to go water the flower beds with her. :-) The neighbor man was walking down the road while we were in the front watering. He stopped to chat with Mom. I was going to run to him & bark but Mom yelled right before I got the chance. So I had to sit & stay as she won't allow me to go that close to the road. I did sneak up where they were talking once, but Mom made me go right back & lay by the flower bed. Darn it! Dad was watching me & told Mom he was amazed that I went right back to the flower bed & laid down while she stood by the road & chatted with the neighbor. Mom just smiled & patted her pocket.....saying, "it's all about getting that treat at the end". Yep, I can be good knowing I will get my favorite bacon treat when we are all done. :-)
Well that's about it for this past weekend. Sure will be glad when we start camping & doing some fun stuff.
Bark at you all later......Shelby

Trip To The Vet For Allergy Shot

I want to thank everyone for the cupcakes. Mom couldn't believe when she logged on there were so many cupcakes for me! Hmmmmmm..........
There hasn't been much happening around our house except for 'hot & dry' so Mom hasn't posted much lately. On Friday I did have to go to the vet for an allergy shot. I start itching every fall & this year it was a few weeks earlier than normal. The vet said molds in the air is what causes my itching problem. Mom & Dad noticed me licking & biting at my feet so Mom thought it was time for a shot. I really don't mind going to the vet at all. First of all, when I sat on the scale, Mom clapped because I had lost 3 lbs since Feb. Cool! Now can we get ice cream on the way home? I got my shot & the vet gave me a cookie because I sat there & didn't even flinch. Of course, Mom was holding a yummy bacon treat in front of my nose which I was intently concentrating on while the vet gave me a shot. :-) The girl at the counter thought I was such a good girl that she gave me a cookie too. Whewwww Whoooo! Two cookies & a bacon treat ALL for a little ole shot! That works for me! It's all about the food for me!
Sat. I hung out mostly with Dad as he worked in the barn. Mom was busy in the house & I HATE housework. On Sun. morning we were all awaken by a bad storm. It was thundering so loud & the rain was intense. When it got daylight, we had 3 big trees down in our yard. Dad cut them up with his chain saw & the neighborman brought his tractor over & drug the big pieces to the back of his property where we will cut them up more & burn them next winter. I got to help with the clean up & ride around with Dad on the Ranger. After the cleanup was all done, we just hung out on the patio. I did sleep a lot, but my allergy meds makes me sleepy.
Well that's all for now. Gotta catch up on doggie pals diaries as it's been awhile since Mom has logged on.
Bark at you later........Shelby

Hot! Hot! Hot!

I sound like a broken record. But that's what it has been here, hot & dry. Mom & Dad are still watering flowers & shrubs every evening so I do get to help Mom do that in the evenings. Last Sat. & Sun. Mom & Dad worked in the building out in the pasture the horses use to get out of the weather. The birds had been tearing up the insulation on the ceiling so Dad decided to put plywood over it. Of course, that meant that Mom had to paint it. Dad had the electric saw out there working on the ceiling while Mom was giving the walls a 2nd coat. Us dogs were having a ball running & chasing each other. Well, until me & Wren got tangled up & both went rolling in the dust. I guess we created quite a dust cloud while Mom was painting & she yelled at us both sending us to the barn to settle down. Geeze! She gets 'testy' when it's hot. Later though Mom let me come out & hang out with them after Dad got the new ceiling up & was helping Mom paint. But then Dad discovered a small damaged place on the inside wall in the wood that wasps were going in & out of. Yikes! Mom ran & got the wasp spray & filled the hole full of spray. The wasp starting flying out of there like crazy & there were lots of them. I was laying a few feet away & here they came after me. They got on me so Mom started screaming for Dad to help get them off of me. I wasn't sure what I was suppose to do. Mom was yelling & trying to scape them off of me with a paint scraper. Dad would step on them once Mom flicked them off of me. Whew! That was scary. Mom couldn't believe I didn't get stung. Honestly, I wasn't sure what was happening or what I should do. Mom said I didn't get stung because the wasp were so droggy from the spray they probably weren't able to sting. Dad filled the hole with wood putty & painted over it. At least that little bit of excitement was over.
The neighbor lady stopped by to give Mom some dog food for Louie the hound dog. The neighbor lady lost her dog last week & her dog ate the same food that Louie eats. It was a bag full of soft dog food, which Mom says I can't have but since Louie is getting old Mom mixes the wet food with his dry. Louie has trouble eating the dry food now unless Mom mixes it with gravies. Hmmmm.........it sure smells good & I would love to have just a bite, but Mom & Dad start yelling at me if I even go near Louie's dish when he's eating. It's hard though 'cause it sure smells good!
Oh yea, I did get in some serious trouble Sun. evening. The barn cat came in the barn so all us dogs went to greet him. I kinda like to 'herd' him around & the cat doesn't seem to mind it. Louie, the hound, came over & started sniffing the cat. Well, I didn't like him doing that because I was busy with the cat. I growled & showed my teeth at Louie. Wrong thing to do! Louie came right back at me with a growl & snarl. Dad jumped up & grabbed me by the back of the neck & shoved me over in the corner yelling at me the whole time. I never moved because I knew Dad meant business. I knew that behavior is not allowed but I kinda forgot when Louie came near the cat when I was playing with the cat. But I am ALWAYS the one that gets in trouble for it. They never said one word to Louie & he growled & showed his teeth back at me. Mom says it's because I am an 'alpha' dog but her & Dad are the 'alpha' people & they have the last say. I am not sure I understand all that but I do know I will think twice before I show my teeth to Louie again! (*sob-sob*)
Well bark at you all later........Shelby

Still HOT, HOT, HOT!

Yep, we had another week of record breaking heat & no rain. Mom took me Sat. morning to get my hair all shaved off again. I didn't really want to stay when I saw Mom leaving & cried a little bit. My regular lady, Michelle, was busy so a strange lady took me back for my bath. I didn't know her at all. I don't mind going back with Michelle but I didn't want to go with a stranger. But I was all happy when I saw Mom come to pick me up. I can see everyone coming in the front door thru the big windows while I am on the clipping table. When I heard the door bell ring as Mom opened the door, I started wiggling all over. Michelle could hardly get my hair bows in. Who cares! I hate those silly hair bows anyway! Mom takes them out of my hair as soon as I get home. She has saved them all & has a crystal box full, as well as a drawer full of scarfs. I always get a scarf too, but Mom has to take that off as well because Wren likes to grab it & drag me around. When we got home Wren didn't growl at me as she is now used to my shorter hair cut.
We couldn't do much outside because it was so hot. Wren had to stay inside in air conditioning because she kept getting sick when she came out in the heat. Whewwww! I don't get sick as I am used to it but I do enjoy laying in front of the big fan in the barn. Dad waxed the trailer & had a big fan on that side of the barn so I hung out with him on Sun. while Mom mowed some weeds around the horse pasture. Dad kept telling Mom to stop because it was so hot & he was afraid she would get sick but Mom kept on mowing even though me & Dad sure couldn't see anything to mow as the grass is all dried & brown.
My Mom's sister & her dog, Rosie, may come to stay with us for awhile when they sell their house in AR. They will be moving to Louisville, KY, which will be so much closer. We are all excited. Rosie, is a Pitbull & very sweet. We like to show her around the barn & horse pasture. Rosie had never seen a horse before so she wasn't too sure about them. Rosie had never seen much snow either but we had snow when she visited before so she got to play in the horse pasture with us in the snow.
Bark at you all later...........Shelby

Hot! Hot! Hot!

Whew! This past week has been brutally hot & humid with NO rain! I can't even remember when I last saw Mom & Dad mowing the grass. Everything is brown & grunchy. During the day, Dad has been leaving me in the barn instead of my kennel. Even though I have a nice tree that shades my kennel & a wooden deck, Mom & Dad were afraid it was just too hot out there for me. I don't mind staying in the barn while they are at work because the horses at inside during the day now so I need to be in there to look after them. Plus, I can snooze on one of the settees. My Weim sister, of course, stays inside the house while they are at work. But she stays in a big crate all day. I would not like that at all as I need to be with "my herd" which happens to be 3 horses. Although I stay in a crate when we are camping while Mom & Dad are out riding. But I much prefer to be outside where I can see the horses. Plus I like to 'boss' the barn cat around now & then. *grins*
Well, Mom is on this 'teeth brushing kick'. For the past week, she has been brushing my teeth every evening. (rolling eyes in head) Heck, Mom I thought that is why you gave me a greenie every day.........to keep my teeth healthy........and NOW I have to have my teeth brushed as well! I really don't mind it too much because I like the dog flavored tooth paste. **smiles** Of course, my Weim sister wanted in on the act so now Mom is brushing her teeth as well. As for our hound dog, Louie, he has opted to 'pass on the brushing'! LOL! Smart boy!
No fireworks around our place as it would have been far too dangerous because of the drought. Us dogs were all fine with that as the fireworks & popping noise always scared us in the past.
I think I am going to the groomer Sat. as I heard Mom tell Dad to put it on the calendar. Mom always asks for the groomer, Michelle. I like Michelle--she gives me cheese treats & last time she even shared her lunch with me. Hmmmmm...
Bark at you all later.........Shelby

Heat Wave

It's been awhile since me & Mom sat down at the 'puter' to update my diary. But that's mostly because there hasn't been much happening. We are in a heat wave right now. I am sure glad Mom got my hair all cut off last month. In fact, Dad said I could use another 'buzz job' as my hair is starting to grow out again. Dad said I am getting a bit fuzzy looking. *frown* What's that suppose to mean?? We haven't had rain in quite awhile & the grass is all brown & crunchy. The horses have to come inside the barn under fans during the day so they won't get all sunburned & so the bugs won't bother them so much.
Mom & Dad have been watering the flower beds every night. Mom always lets me go with her to help. She just mentions the word 'water' & I start getting excited. I LOVE to help water the plants. Wren doesn't get to go with Dad to water because she won't stay close by him & the cars fly up & down our road. Me, I stay right by Mom, lying down next to the flower bed she is watering, following her when she moves to the next one. But mostly I LOVE watering because Mom ALWAYS has a treat in her pocket for me after we are all done & I have been good. :-)
But this hot weather does wear on me & sometimes I get a bit grumpy with the other dogs. I got into trouble twice so far this week for showing my teeth to Wren when she was running & bumped into me. She is fast & much bigger, almost knocking me down when she hits me. So, of course, I get mad. But little good it does me as I am ALWAYS the one that gets in trouble. Dad really yells at me for being 'snippy'. I usually run to Mom but get no sympathy there either. Mom said I am 'alpha' & cannot be allowed to be 'snippy' with the other dogs. ~Whatever!~ Wren gets by with ALL kinds of stuff. (grumble)
Last weekend Mom decided to paint the inside of the horses' run-in shed a darker color. She thought it might keep the bugs down as the horses hang out in there when out in the pasture to get away from the bugs. I helped her.......well, maybe I just laid out there while she painted. It was all shaded so not too bad.
Well, like I said, not much happening for me lately.
Bark at you all later..........Shelby

My Summer Cut

It's sure been hot here--in the 90's. Mom took me for my summer cut this past Sat. Wow! Pet Agree was packed with dogs getting hair cuts. It has never been that busy before. I made friends with a really nice cockapoo while we waited to check in. He was a cool guy & very friendly. I also met a nice schnauzer & a part-border collie while we waited. I got snarled at by a chihahua but the owner said she didn't like any dogs so I didn't take it personally. When I got home, my Weim sister didn't even recognize me. She growled at me & I ran into Dad's workshop room to hide from her. I know she was making fun of me. But I do feel much better & it's so much easier for Mom to bath me. Michelle, the lady that clips me, said she didn't find one flea or tick on me. Mom was concerned because I had so much hair & we had been camping in the woods for the past 5 weekends. Mom had found a tick or two on me but they were dead. I guess that expensive heart worm stuff (Trifexis) really does kill fleas & ticks too. :-)
Not much happened at our house over Memorial Day weekend. It was so hot Mom & Dad did not take the horses out. They stayed home & worked in the yard trimming bushes & trees. We did have company on Sun. afternoon. They had a little 3 yr boy who liked to make me do tricks. I was fine with it for awhile since I was getting a treat each time. But it was hot & after awhile of him yelling at me to do my tricks, I decided I had had enough & stayed by Mom. Mom could tell I was done, & told the little boy I was tired. I guess the little guy has an Aussie pup & is used to playing rough with him. Well, I am not used to playing rough or being poked so I was starting to get a bit 'testy' & Mom knew it. Thank you Mom!
We are heading for the horse campground this weekend. Mom said it is suppose to be much cooler. We dogs always get excited & can tell when we see Mom & Dad putting things in the camper. I stay on Mom's heels so she won't forget to take me.
Oh yea. Mom's cousin has a new shelty puppy named "Poppy". She lost her shelty of 8 yrs earlier this Spring & heart-broken over it. Mom said another lucky puppy will get a great home. Mom is waiting to see pictures. I bet she is a cutie.
Bark at you all later.........Shelby

What great weather!

We sure had some nice weather camping last weekend. It was much cooler. This time, I managed to stay out of trouble before we left. I sure didn't want another one of those "power showers" like the week before! We got to the campground early Thurs. morning & it was great. There weren't a lot of folks there yet & it was quiet & so peaceful. Mom & Dad went for a ride & then in the evening went to visit some folks they have known & been friends with for over 30 yrs! Of course, me & Wren got to go with them. We just laid around while the Mom & Dad visited with them. I didn't mind since it was quite a long walk from our campsite to their campsite--about a mile.
My Aussie friend, Izzy & her Mom stopped by to visit on Sat. evening. I love to play with Izzy--she is so sweet. Dad had to put Wren in her crate though because she kept barking & barking at Izzy & even acted a bit aggressive. Guess she didn't want me playing with Izzy, but me & Izzy are the same kind & seem to know it. We got home from the campground early Sun. because they had cut the hay & Mom & Dad had to get it in the barn. I don't think Mom & Dad were too happy about having to do that as they were tired from camping/riding, but it has to be done.
That's about all the news.......going camping again this weekend. It is suppose to be much warmer & I still have my winter coat. Whew! Hope Mom remembers the big fan for me! Mom said I have an appointment to get my hair all cut off next week. I can't wait!
Bark at you later.......Shelby

In BIG Trouble

Mom had been sick with a bad cold most of last week, even staying home from work one day. The plans were to leave Thurs. morning for the campground. Mom & Dad were taking a few days off work…….well Dad was since Mom is off on Fridays anyway. Wed. when Mom got home from home she started washing her horse. Since Dad gets home first he had already washed his horse & was brushing her dry. Mom pretty much had the camper all ready with clothes & food so all she had to do was wash her horse. So once Mom was done with washing her horse, brushed him dry, put his sheet blanket on him for the night, she sat down with Dad to take a break. While Mom & Dad had been busy with the horses us dogs were out in the horse pasture running around & playing tag. Exhausted from running, I decided to go inside the barn & check on Mom. I was taking a little break with Mom & Dad laying between the two settees when Mom kept saying, “pewww-wweee somebody must have stepped in something”. Then Dad noticed me……………….OMG! Mom & Dad both started yelling at me at the same time. Yea, I had rolled in some fresh green horse manure but other than that I sure didn’t understand why they were so upset & yelling at me! Yikes! They seemed so upset & disgusted with me I was beginning to worry. Mom jumped up, snapped on my lead & dragged me to the horse wash bay! Oh, no……..I knew what that meant………a bath! I couldn’t believe it when Mom sprayed me with the horse’s EZ wash soap. Mom I am a dog…….not a horse! But I could tell Mom was not in the mood for me to give her any trouble! Geeze! She was mad at me! Guess I am lucky she didn’t wash me with the power washer! After my bath, Mom put down a towel in front of the floor fan in the barn & gave me strict orders NOT to move from that spot until I was told. Wow! I had no idea my rolling in a little fresh horse do-do would make Mom so mad. I guess it was the fact that she didn’t feel all that great & she thought she was all done in the barn until she got a ‘whiff’ of me. Needless to say, I sat on that towel in front of the fan as quiet as a mouse until Mom told me I could get up.
We left for the campground early the next morning. We didn’t get our regular site but we had a good site. It was very warm & quite humid all weekend. Mom said the horses were good……..Dad was riding his mare so no issues there. There was a thunderstorm Friday night which scared me & my Weim sister pretty bad. When camping, we have to stay in the back of the trailer (where the horses ride) in our crates. Even though Mom had the fans running back there for us, the thunder was really loud & we could hear the rain beating down……AND it even hailed. The horses didn’t have their canopies up over them but Mom & Dad had put their blankets on them so they didn’t seem to mind the storm while tied at the hitching rail, but me & Wren were sure scared & glad when it was over.
The rest of the weekend was uneventful with Mom & Dad riding during the day & taking me & Wren for walks through the camp in the evening. Boy! I was sure tired when we got home after 4 days of camping!
We are leaving for the horse camp again in the morning for another 4 day weekend. Mom said the weather should be much better, cooler this weekend & no rain/t’storms. Good! I hate storms.
Better go & see if there is anything I need to bark at…………..Shelby