Category: pets

Snowdays!

On By stefrobrtsIn alki, barclay, farm, pets, snow4 Comments

We got an early blast of winter weather. Snow at Christmas is just about unheard of around here! But lucky us, it started snowing a couple days ago. First day we got around fine in the Stealth, because it has front wheel drive. The van is useless in the snow, and it was a bit hairy getting it home the first day. It was snowing hard and I closed the shop early and slowly drove home in the van, and it hasn’t moved since.

The next day we headed out in the Stealth to go to work, and hit a slick spot and put it in the ditch! Luckily it was a shallow ditch, so the only damage was a few scratches from the bushes. Kyle came and pulled us out with his monster truck. Our hero! Once we got safely into town Dave bought cable chains for the car and then he was able to safely drive between town and home.

Yesterday (Saturday) Dave had a matinee play, so he dropped me and Barclay off at work in the morning, and I was there all day, watching the snow come down down down. Only a couple customers came by all day because of the snow, so it was just me and Barclay entertaining ourselves for hours on end! He didn’t make it back to pick me up until after 7, so it was heading for 8 when we got home.

Since Saturday was so bad we decided to close today (Sunday) and just stay home and enjoy the snow. And it snowed all evening and this is what we woke up to.


8 inches of snow with a nice icy crust on top! That’s a LOT of snow for the pacific NW. I can hear it occasionally falling off the trees with a crash!

Alki didn’t like it at all! She just wanted to get back inside! Barclay liked it so much he went way out in the pasture and just sat and watched and listened.

The sheep didn’t seem to mind. Some had snow on their backs, even though there’s a cozy covered stall for them to use. The chickens didn’t want to come out of the coop, so I fed them in there and moved their water nice and close. The llamas also do not seem to care about the weather, though they are staying under the shelter for the most part.

I don’t think there is anything quite as beautiful as fir trees weighted down with snow. Days like this make me feel so lucky to be able to live out here in the country!

Crazy time of year!

On By stefrobrtsIn barclay, farm, pets3 Comments
(neither of those is me 🙂 that’s members of the 501st who came to our grand opening)

Because we own a mail order toy store this is the busiest time of year for us. We don’t really enjoy the holidays, it’s not a month of time off work, gathering with friends and family, decorating the house. It’s a solid month or more of hard work, late nights, and coming home and dropping on the couch exhausted, right before getting back up and running out to the shop to pack more packages. And this year, with the retail part of the store, we have to be manning the physical location as well. 7 Days a week. With no days off. And for some reason Dave decided this would be a good time to do a play?

We close the store at 6pm, but sometimes customers wander in late, and I’m never one to send money away. Seemed like I couldn’t get them all out the other night, and I didn’t get to lock up until 6:30. By the time I got home it was fully dark and Dave was gone to rehearsal, and as Barclay and I walked up to the porch (Barclay goes to work with me sometimes), I noticed the motion sensor light was on. Because there was a llama on the porch. Patrone ran off into the yard and disappeared into the darkness. So Barclay and I went out there and I was annoyed to discover all the llamas in the front yard. Barclay was delighted, he was running around playing with them while Houdini tried to stomp him! All the while the sheep and goats were bleating their disapproval – they wanted to run around the front yard too!

I went and got a flashlight and gloves, because it was COLD, and found the llamas had pushed down the wire fence, and that was why they were in the yard. So I got my tools and fixed the fence by flashlight, then took some grain and put it in the paddock in their bowls, so they just about bowled me over getting to it. About this time I noticed Barclay was gone. But he soon showed up again, he had been out in the field. So we went back inside where it was light…

And he was filthy up to his knees, plus a big smudge on his forehead right between the eyes! Looks like he must have been out digging through fresh molehills! So into the tub he goes for a foot rinse. And I finally got onto making dinner about 8pm. And people wonder why I’m so tired!

Barclay’s herding lesson

On By stefrobrtsIn barclay, farm, pets6 Comments


Barclay had his 4th herding lesson today. This is at Brigand’s Hideaway in Brush Prairie. They have lots of sheep to use and a round pen. There are always lots of people there working sheep with their dogs.

He has been doing really well, but he still likes to grab at the sheep. Normally the teacher uses a regular fiberglass staff to guide him, but today she brought a rake. When she said she would ‘bring the rake next time’, I thought it would be some fancy tool, but no, it’s a rake 🙂

Here’s Barclay trying to grab a sheep from behind.

So she uses the rake to put a barrier between him and the sheep, and it’s wider than the staff so he notices it more, but he can still see through it.


Guiding him with the rake she had him doing smooth circles around the sheep. She also was able to reverse him and get him to circle the sheep in the other direction. She can spot every little good thing he does, and point it out. And she’s really gentle with him and gives him breaks, and doesn’t push him too hard or stress him out. I think we all have fun! Except maybe the sheep.

By the time we headed home he was tired and dirty, and slept all afternoon!

Does this easygoing training method work? Well this morning I was letting the sheep hang out in the front yard while I cleaned their stall, and I forgot to close the gate to the main pasture. I spotted it about the same time mom-sheep did, and we raced for the gate, but the herd beat me to it and blasted out into the main pasture! Oh no, how was I going to get the sheep and goats out of there by myself, with 2 acres for them to run around, and Dave already gone to work? Barclay raced out after them and they went around the corner of the paddock where I couldn’t see them. I was still wondering what I was going to do when suddenly here come the sheep – with Barclay behind them!! Zoom, back through the gate they go into the yard! I was so happy I hugged him and showered him with treats!! Normally he would have chased them all over the pasture with no rhyme or reason, but for some reason he turned them around and brought them back to me – maybe just dumb luck, but it was just what I needed!

Update on Alki

On By stefrobrtsIn alki, pets3 Comments

Well, the oncologist examined the sample and didn’t find anything too abnormal in it. She was more concerned about Alki tinkling more frequently. So she’s putting her on a round of antibiotics in case it’s a mild bladder infection. She says if it continues after that we might need an ultrasound to see what’s going on in there.

Where’s that cat?

On By stefrobrtsIn cats, mighty, pets2 Comments

While I was outside geting the chickens settled in, and wearing Barclay out for the evening, I kept hearing a meow – meow – meow. But where was she? I was looking all around, but couldn’t see her. Meow – meow – meow…

How the heck did she get up THERE!!? I’m sure she could have figured out how to get back down, but she kept looking like she was going to jump from places that were still pretty high up, so I finally grabbed a ladder and helped her down. Silly cat!

Hope for the future

On By stefrobrtsIn alki, barclay, pets2 Comments


Like many Americans we were glued to the TV last night watching the election results. The dogs even sacked out in the front room with us and didn’t cause any trouble most of the evening, dozing away while the results rolled in. I have to say we were very happy with the outcome. Obama seems like the right man for the job. I think he’ll represent us to the rest of the world intelligently, and with a dignity we have been lacking for a long time. I liked the plans he laid out, and I realize they may or may not pan out, I’m not some starry-eyed idealist, I know how political promises work. Either way, it’s better than when Bush won by 51% and declared he had a mandate to ignore the other 49% of the country. Obamas speech last night inviting all of us to work together again was a good sign for the future.

Barclay and the ‘flirt pole’

On By stefrobrtsIn barclay, petsLeave a comment

I built a ‘flirt pole’ for Barclay. This is a dog toy that is similar to a ‘cat fishing pole’, where you have a dangly toy on a stick and the cat goes nuts for it. Well, same thing, but dog sized! I took a stick, drilled a hole in the end and put an old rope through it, knotted one end and tied a toy to the other. Because the rope goes through the stick I can pull it back and make the rope longer or shorter depending on what game we’re playing with it.

The flirt gives us some extra training opportunities, like learning ‘drop’, ‘sit’ and to ‘wait’ until released to play!

Then I swing the toy around, drag it on the ground, flip it in the air, and he goes nuts chasing it!

And since he loves to tug the stick gives me a little extra leverage 🙂


Nothing sweeter than chewing on your catch! Barclay had no interest in this toy until I tied it to a rope!

This is a great way to run off all that puppy energy, doesn’t take long to wear him out.

Afterwards there’s nothing like a dip in the pool – or the sheep trough, whatever you have handy!