Well it's been a long time since I've posted here and a lot has happened over the past few years. Most of our border collies have passed away & I am no longer breeding border collies. I still have 5 border collies ….. Casey, Biddy, Niamh, Devor, and Synergy. And of course several other pet and performance dogs of different breeds.
We are no longer competing in dog sports as all our competition dogs aged and retired, and some have passed away. Our focus now is on our Team K9 dog sport shows and our CanEquis equine/canine shows.
Very sadly, my Dad passed away in February at the age of 92yrs. Just 10 days shy of his 93rd birthday. He had been ill for several years & I spent most of the past 10yrs being his full time caregiver. He spent the last 5mths of his life in the Norfolk General Hospital in Simcoe, ON where he was awaiting placement in a Long Term Care home. He had been doing really well and was looking forward to several more years of life, and then developed a bronchitis that took his life within 4 days. Needless to say, my world has been shattered & I still feel as if I'll never recover. Thankfully I have a good therapist to help me put my life back together.
Our little herd of sheep is down to just two now. Big Ben, one of the originals is now 19yrs old. And little Giddeon, who is not so little anymore is now 11yrs old. Giddeon was almost a gonner the other day. He jumped the fence and was missing for 2 days and I thought he'd probably been taken by a coyote. Then on Tuesday afternoon when I was feeding the troops, I thought I heard an animal call out. At first I thought it was my neighbours cows across the road, but then I heard it again and it sounded closer. Could it be Giddeon? I called out to him and he called back to me. I kept calling to him and following the sound of his bleets & I finally came across him lying flat out on his left side, in the field, tangled up in electric wire fencing that had snapped. My neighbour rents my lower pasture for his cows and has electric fencing installed. It's not turned on right now as the cows have not yet arrived this summer. Giddeon was totally engulfed in this wire. It was around his legs, torso, and neck. I'm not sure how he had been there but he was soaked right to the skin, his wool saturated and heavy. He was very weak but thankfully had the strength to call out for help. Of course, I have no tools for this sort of thing so I ran back to the house to grab a steak knife (sharpest knife I have) and a pair of scissors. Then back out to the field to rescue Giddeon. Imagine if you will, me kneeling out in tall wet grass, "shearing" a sheep with a steak knife and scissors!! I had to rid him of his wool to get the wire untangled and also because the weight of his wool was too heavy for him to stand in his weakened state. It took me almost an hour to free him and then help him to his feet. He was too weak to get his legs under him but I managed to get him on his feet and help him to walk ….. leaning against me while I held up most of his weight for him …. back to the paddock where I lay him down leaning against a log so that he wouldn't be flat out on his side. It's not good for them to be on their sides for long. I then made up a straw bed for him just inside the barn door & moved him to that dry, warm location. He started to eat and drink, and tried to stand up on his own. Later that night he was up walking. Yesterday I found him downed on his side again, unable to get to his feet. I helped him up and he was walking, albeit wobbly, and went outside. Checks throughout the day saw him standing and walking, so it looks like he will survive his ordeal.
Our original goat herd has all passed away. Most to natural causes. Lucy though, was taken by a coyote. And her son Jacob was the last of the goats, and he died I think from a broken heart just a few weeks after Lucy. He pined terribly for her and went off his feed, which led to polio. Despite veterinary intervention Jacob did not survive. And I said no more goats. But then got a call about a little 12wk old buckling … a Nigerian Dwarf. So home he came and then he disappeared 24hrs later … escaped his pen and disappeared. His breeder and I looked everywhere for him and I posted signs in feed mills, and every mailbox in the area and still no sign of him. After a month I resigned myself that coyotes had probably taken him. Then 3 and a half months later doesn't he show up in the back barn! No idea where he was or how he survived on his own but he looked fantastic. He's now 10mths old and doing great. I call him Little Man.
Over the next little while I'll update the other pages and try to continue to post updates here.
July 15/11
Hot, hot, hot!!! That's how this summer is shaping up! My daily dog hikes have been put on hold lately as the weather has been too hot for any kind of strenuous outdoor activity. The lawn mower saga continues. And the grass keeps growing!! The latest faux pas was an idler wheel coming loose and falling off. We went to the store for a replacement part & they were back ordered 3wks!! Ugh ... another 3wks for the grass to grow even longer!!! The part finally came in yesterday and Dad got the machine up and running & got a patch mowed down for my new dog run to be erected. Yes I got a new dog run!! 10x10 x 6ft high. TSC stores had a 30% off sale a few weeks back & when I went to purchase a dog run they were out of stock. Since their computer said they had 4 left and clearly there were none to be had, the manager gave me a rain check on the discounted price & ordered a run for me. It comes in pre-assembled 10x6 panels & all I have to do is stand it up and connect the corners. Excellent!!! I don't have to build it!! I am so not a build it yourself type ... LOL The entire concept of Ikea is lost on me .... I mean really if I wanted to "build" my own furniture I'd be a carpenter!! When I pay money for something I don't want to have to build it myself ..... if I buy a sofa I want it delivered ready to sit on!! So this dog run is awesome .... pre-assembled .... super sale price .... and today it goes up!!
I've retired Rowdy from frisbee competitions. He is 10yrs old now & will only be doing demo's as far as frisbee is concerned. Demo's are easier on him because there is no pressure & we can do just his favourite moves and modify our routine longer or shorter depending on the hotness of the day. Now that he's not competing in frisbee he's gone back to flyball :-) He has raced in 2 tournaments since retiring from frisbee competition, & he'll be racing again in August. Apparently flyball is like riding a bike ..... you don't forget. Rowdy, Hannah, & Ace all re-entered the flyball rings after a 2yr hiatus, and ran as if they'd never been away from the lanes. Hannah is not very quick anymore but she sure did enjoy herself :-)
Next weekend is the Skyhoundz Qualifier frisbee competitions. Biddy and Kahlua will be competing in toss/fetch at the Saturday event. I don't expect them to Q for Worlds because there will be better throwers than me at the event, and also I have a carpal tunnel flare up in my right wrist .... aka my throwing arm! I'm on the fence as to whether or not to enter the Sunday events .... I'm thinking about debuting some of the youngsters.
Last weekend at flyball one of the girls told me about a dog swim club in Brantford. It's a full size dock diving pool that is heated and has salt water instead of chlorine. I'm going to be setting up a time to take Cracker (the rescue dog that had the hip surgery) there to help rehab his leg. He is still not walking as well as I'd like him to, so I'm hoping swimming will force him to use that leg more and build up his muscles so that he can walk properly again.
On the rescue front ..... Cracker had surgery to repair his damaged hip; Lil Jackie finally got adopted & it's been almost 4wks and so far, so good; Abby got adopted & re-named Gabby ... she is a companion dog for an autistic child & she is doing great!; we have an application in for Maddie.
Well that's it for this update!
March 2010
Well it's been awhile since I last updated this blog & a lot has happened. We lost several of our dear animal friends over the past 2yrs. Daphne, Ceilidgh, Buddy, one of the old sheep, and our 18yr old cockatiel Chatterbox. Each passing brings unbearable heartbreak but that's the price we pay for choosing to live with animals.
The rescue dog thing took wings & has a life of its own now ... I'll Stand By You All Breed Pet Rescue. You can check out the animals needing adoption at http://pets4adoption.blogspot.com/ and also on Petfinder at http://www.petfinder/shelters/ON374.html
I'm no longer working (teaching) at the hbspca ... I now have a small training facility in Burlington, Ontario. I share the facility with another girl who does doggie daycare. She has the daytime hours & I have the nights/weekends.
Along with the 'passings' of animals, we have also had a few newcomers and new births. We welcomed rescue dogs Gunner, Jed, & Shelby into our home; and we acquired the little beagle Chase after his adoptive home lost him & didn't want him back. Just as well though because since that time little Chase has developed epilepsy & is now a 'special needs' fellow.
I finally bred my "dream litter" .... Rowdy x Rodeo. In October 2009 little Nick was born, along with 2 sisters. Unfortunately the 2 female puppies died within the first 30hrs ... fading puppy syndrome the vet called it .... leaving Nick as the sole survivor. And survive he did ... he is now 2yrs old and thriving!! I repeated the breeding 9mths ago & Rodeo produced a beautiful healthy litter of 7 puppies!! Macey is in a flyball home; Dexter is in a multi dog sport home; Tibbie is in a multi dog sport home; Splitty & Rudder are still "technically" for sale (their homes backed out at the last minute); and Cowboy & Rylee are my pick puppies from the litter. It looks like Splitty & Rudder might also be mine if they don't find homes soon .... remember ... if you breed a litter & the pups don't sell .... they're yours!!! I'll have to come up with a better name for Splitty if she ends up staying!! This is an absolutely AWESOME combination > these pups are phenominal!! I wish I'd done this breeding sooner. Rodeo is still young enough to have another litter down the line but Rowdy is 10yrs old now. Nick is neutered & all the female pups from this last litter are spayed.
It's been a long cold rough winter of frozen burst water pipes, huge snow drifts (even the snow plow guy got stuck once!), and overcast dismal days. But today finally .... a hint of spring .... sunshine ... and the sheep/goats/llama have ventured outside to enjoy the milder weather. The air is full of the sounds of happy bleating .... LOVE that sound :-)
February 2009
Besslin Hope
Hope has been adopted by a good friend of the family and is now living in North Bay, Ontario
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October 18/2008
Rowdy performed in the Half Time Show at the Toronto Argonauts game at the Rogers Centre.
It was a great experience and lots of fun.
Rowdy was described as being, "pure joy"
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Tradegy Strikes!!
Puppy > Bayou Babe > Mud Bug
November 2007 - July 26 2008
The puppy with no name > we lost our little Babe this past Saturday afternoon. She was the puppy with no name. We've had her for 5mths and still called her Baby and Babe because no names 'stuck' to her.
This is the puppy that I adopted from the SPCA back in January. The puppy had generalized demodectic mange and was being treated with Advantage Multi which did not work to improve or cure her mange. She's had 5mths of treatments and last week had a flare up > her skin was really red and she had new hair loss patches in new places. Her last treatment was July 17.
On Friday her front legs were oozing and bleeding a bit from the mange and I calld the vet where I had an appt. that afternoon with the kid goat, to ask if Babe could come along for a quick look see and some different meds. They said because she (not me > "she") was a new client to them, they could not squeeze her in > they were too busy. I told them she was suffering and needed to be seen that day but they said no, they could not fit her in. So I said fine I'll look for another vet. I called around and no one would take her, and in the end the soonest appt I could get was for Tuesday in Simcoe. Friday during the daytime she was perfectly normal > playing, tugging on Scooters collar, wrestling, barking, spinning in circles. And playing with her 'boyfriend' Gibby (a dog that we baby sit). But Friday evening at suppertime she seemed a bit quiet. She ate about 2 mouthfuls of her supper and then left the rest, and was very quiet all evening. Saturday morning she was still quiet and not interested in food. We thought she was just uncomfortable because of the mange flare up. I thought about taking her with me that day, but she gets so violently carsick, that I decided to leave her at home > it didn't seem right, if she was already feeling crappy .. to put her in the car and make her carsick. I had to go to a demo in Cambridge and then from there to flyball in Rockton. I called home late afternoon to see how things were and my dad said she was in bad shape and had gone downhill dramatically since the morning. He said she walked around a little bit and then got up on his bed and that, at that time (when I called), she was not looking good at all and he feared she was dying. I freaked out and left all my dogs at the flyball tournament with the team, and Caitlin drove me home, with the intention of taking the puppy to the emerg vet. But by the time we got home, she had already passed away. We were about 45min away and Dad said she died about 1/2 hour before we got there. She was lying flat out on her side on Dads bed. He said that when I'd called she was lying on the bed moaning and seemed to be breathing in distress. Then he said her legs stiffened almost like a stretch, and she died. Her gums and tongue were snow white in colour. Dad was unable to do anything to help her as he had no vehicle here so was basically just trapped here on the farm. She was so active and happy right up until Friday night when she got quiet. And then less than 24hrs later she's dead. Just like that. I just don't understand. She was only 8mths old.
This is the puppy that we couldn't name > we never did find the perfect name for her > we called her Babe because she thought her name was Baby because we were not able to find a name for her. Her 'almost' name was Mud Bug which I had decided to keep as a nickname for her regardless of what her 'real' name ended up being.
I can't help but wonder if that's why we couldn't name her >> she wasn't meant to stay long.
In the immediate aftermath you just manage to do what has to be done. I held her and bundled her up in a blanket and then Caitlin and Dad dug a grave for her. As you come up our driveway, about 1/2 way up the driveway on the left hand side, under the tree with the Welcome To Our Funny Farm & Besslin Border Collies signs ...... there lies Babe.
While an autopsy would answer the "why" and "what happened" questions, it would not bring her back. An autopsy would also be very expensive and it just seems like money spent on something that will not change the outcome, would be better saved in case (God Forbid) one of the other dogs got sick and needed medical attention. The only bright light in all of this is that she did have a very happy life here. She played and wrestled everyday, and she had peanut butter stuffed bones to eat, and raw marrow bones, and empty water bottles to crunch and toss around; and she slept on the bed and on the sofa; and she got handouts from Dad at mealtimes (our dogs learn to beg really well!!); and she was my demo puppy at obedience classes at the SPCA; and she & Kahlua ran in the dog park every Monday night. She loved to sit on my computer chair. Her most favourite thing though was to jump up into my arms > whether I knew she was coming or not!! She was just a very happy active puppy. I just don't understand how she could from all of that, to gone .... in less than 24hrs.
I've since spoken with a friend who is a vet and she says that Babe most likely died from a systemic infection related to the demodex. She said that when the immune system is that severely weakened, and the demodex is that severe, dogs can get systemic infections. She said a septicemia would not necessarily show any obvious outward signs and can take them quickly.
She was a small dog but she was a big presence around here. Her energy and personality took up a lot of space. The house, despite having multiple other dogs in it, seems empty without her. I miss her little smiling face and her puppy kisses. My little Bayou Babe > Mud Bug > Puppy > Baby Cakes > Little One. The puppy with no name. The puppy from Bogalusa, Louisiana. The puppy who stole my heart. But I guess she wasn't meant to be ours for long :-(((
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Barbie had a little lamb ..... his fleece was white as snow .....June 17, 2008
Today Barbie gave birth to a little lamb. We've named him Giddeon. Unfortunatley Barbie doesn't have any milk to feed him, so I am bottle raising him. He is staying in the barn with Barbie so that she can 'mother' him, but I am bottle feeding him six times daily for the first couple of weeks. Then four to five feedings per day for the next couple of weeks, and then as he begins to nibble on hay and grain, he will require fewer feedings per day. He is being raised on a special lamb milk replacer formula.
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May 24, 2008 > Another Little Surprise Package!!
Well Jethro WAS a busy boy!!! This morning another little angel was born. This is Lucy with her newborn kid. Another little girl.
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May 22nd, 2008Surprise! Surprise!
Guess what I found when I went in to feed the barn critters last night?? Just as I was about to put the grain and carrots in Dory & Ellie-Mae's pen, I saw this little black thing. I thought it was Drifter my barn cat at first. Then I did a double take and realized it was a tiny kid. She wasn't there yesterday morning so she was born sometime between morning and suppertime. Little Ellie-Mae did it all by herself! I got an xpen and separated Ellie-Mae and her kid so that they can bond and be safe from any other critters knocking the little one down, but once the little one is a bit bigger then I'll put them back in with Dory. Dory is bleeting like crazy now that she is alone. She's used to having a stall mate.
Seeing as I separated Jethro & Ellie-Mae more than six months ago, and the gestation period for goats is 5mths, there is no way that Ellie-Mae got bred before I separated them. So all we can figure is that Jethro, unbeknownst to us, must have been going over the wall into Ellie-Mae's stall and then climbing back into his own stall. Which means he might have gotten at Lucy too!! So all the while we're thinking they're separated and safe, the little buggar is playing stud goat behind our backs!!
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April 21st, 2008
Very sad news today :-( Zeke died today. Jethro had climbed out of his stall and it appeared that Zeke tried to follow him and got hooked up on the fence. When I went over to the barn this afternoon I was greeted by Jethro & when I went put him back in his stall, I found Zeke hanging. My first impulse was to free him & then I realized that he was already dead. Poor Zeke > just 9mths old. We are very sad this evening.
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March 1st, 2008
Meet our new baby. She is a 3mth old Cattle Dog. She is from Bogalusa, Louisiana and came up to Ontario to the Hamilton./Burlington SPCA two weeks ago. She was transferred to the HBSPCA from the Boudreaux Animal Rescue Krewe in Louisiana. Eighty dogs came up to Ontario.It seems unbelievable that there are still dogs needing rescue in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but there are still many dogs that were not rescued and are living as strays, and they are reproducing faster than the rescue groups can find and rescue them. Thus, little ones like this are born on the streets ....... puppies of the dogs left homeless in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. And in some cases, puppies of the puppies born to the homeless dogs. Our little one has no name as yet. So far nothing has really suited her. So we'll wait and see how her personality develops and see what names come to mind.
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February. 2008
Jackie just accepted a contract position to teach dog obedience classes for the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA
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January 10th, 2008
Zeke joins our goat family. Today we picked up Jethro's twin brother Zeke. He had not sold and the breeder had him neutered, but still no one purchased him. She did not have room for him in her barn for the winter (just too many goats and over-crowding is not good for them), so she asked us to please take Zeke. He missed his mom and cried for the first couple of days, but he quickly remembered Jethro and Ellie-Mae and has bonded nicely to them. Now it's as if they had never been separated They are all 5mths old now.
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November 2007
Maeve appears on the cover of Dogs In Canada magazine
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November 10/07
Rowdy competed at the USDDN National Championships in Louisville, Kentucky
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October 5/07
Welcome Jethro & Ellie-Mae!
Today we brought home two new pygmy goat kids. Jethro & Ellie-Mae. Jethro is 9wks old and Ellie-Mae is 8wks old. They are beyond cute!!
Lucy is not impressed > she keeps head butting the pen they are in. Jacob is interested in them & I think will welcome them more quickly than Lucy will. It will take a little while for Lucy to accept them. Afterall she IS the Queen Bee around here :-)
Jethro & Ellie-Mae
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September 25/07
They're Here!! The Sheep Have Arrived!
Well yesterday we drove up to Rockwood and picked up our new sheep. Four Kahtadin/Barbado cross wethers; a purebred Barbado wether; and a purebred Barbado ewe (who might be bred & having lambs in February > time will tell!). Today we drove to Binbrook to pick up the two Dorset/Shetland lambs. So now we have a little flock of eight sheep. Lucy & Jacob were startled to see them in the barn and actually ran back outside. I had to coax them in with a cup of grain ...... silly goats :-) Zen is quite interested in them as well.
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September 7/07
Welcome Rabbits!
Today 3 new rabbits came to live at the farm. Cinnamon, a lop eared rabbit; Velvet, a pure black rabbit; and Tawny, a black rabbit with tan highlights. They join the 3 mini rex rabbits already in residence here .... Sable, Honey, and Patch. This week we built 'bunny runs' for the rabbits to live in. Sort of like miniature dog runs with dog (rabbit) houses filled with straw, and shade netting over the pens to protect them from the sun. The rabbits seem happy in their new habitats & it's nice to see them having so much room to hop around and lounge in the fresh air.
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September 5/07
It's Zen's first birthday!!
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August 23/07
Update on Zen .......
Well it's been 4mths since Zen first arrived and he is finally starting to bond to us. The most difficult part of getting Zen was that he wasn't welcoming of the attention I wanted to lavish upon him. I was told that it can take 4 or 5 months for a llama to bond to a new owner and it seems like Zen is right on schedule! Within the past month I've been able to hug him and stroke his muzzle. And he goes outside now and will lead nicely on the leash. And today a big breakthrough ...... he took carrot and apple treats from my hand for the first time!! He is very bonded to the goats and gets quite upset when they wander out of his eyesight. Next month we will be adding a small flock of sheep to the farm, so more friends for Zenny to watch over _________________________________________________
April 29/07He's Here!! Zen Comes To The Farm ...
We drove to Mount Forest to pick up Zen today. He is almost 8mths old now. Dad and I went to the Fur & Feather Show in Mt. Forest before going to get Zen. What an experience that was!! It was held at the fairgrounds and there was everything from chickens, ducks, emu's, goats, sheep, peacocks, pigeons, pet birds and parrots, rabbits, ferrets, horses, llama's, alpaca's, donkey's, swans ....... you name it!! After walking around the show for a couple of hours we headed off to where Zen was living. He is bigger than I thought he would be, but then again I was picturing him based on a
couple of 6mth old llama's I had met. What a difference 2mths in age can make to size! He is beautiful. We bought him a proper llama halter at the Fur & Feather show and Dianne (his breeder) put it on for us before we left her farm. He is not too sure about us but I'm sure it is a big adjustment for him leaving the other llama's and his mother for the first time. He travelled well in the van on the way home & we got him into the barn with very little fuss.
I do have some grooming to do on him though. He is full of burrs!! His breeders had new straw delivered for their animals bedding and when they opened the bales and put it down in the stalls they discovered the straw was full of burrs >> too late for the llamas though because the burrs attached to them quickly before all of the straw could be pulled out again. Oh well, I guess I'm going to learn how to groom a llama sooner than I thought!
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April 5/07
Update On Nuala
What a difference 11 days can make!! Nuala has put on weight and is starting to look a little better. She's been eating 4 meals a day! Cat kibble, canned cat food, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese & yogurt. Today I gave her deworming medication. I didn't feel that she was strong enough to withstand any kind of trauma on her little body prior to now.
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April 5/07 >> the construction of the new kennel room is nearing completion. All the interior walls are framed and insulated, the drywall is up and all that's left to do is paint the floor, and get the dogs moved in. We have installed 2 large picture windows to provide plenty of light and ventilation, and a cat door for Drifter to come and go as he pleases.
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March 26/07
Nuala
Today I couldn't believe it when I looked outside and saw the little stray cat I named Nuala last summer. I've been watching her since last June '06. She was the size of a 4mth old kitten then and she is no bigger now. She's likely a kitten born to a stray and has been a feral cat all her life. All last summer I would see her out hunting in the fields and I would put food out for her because over time I could see her getting thinner and thinner. But she was too wild to let me get near her. If I went within 50ft of her she would take off. The last time I saw her was in October 2006. She was skin and bones and so hungry that she actually approached to within about 10ft of me when I offered her food. But she would come no closer and took off if I tried to approach her. I had hoped that she would come back and that over a few days or a week I could get close to her. But she disappeared. I thought she had probably died of starvation or gotten killed, since at that time she looked so frail and as if she was flirting with death. I was totally shocked to look out the kitchen window today and see her out by the barn! I immediately grabbed some cat kibble and ran outside and called to her. At first she started to flee, but then she turned and came right up to me for the food. Drifter came along at that time and lay down beside her while she ate and I petted him to show her that he was not afraid and I wouldn't hurt her. She let me pet her while she ate. She is skin and bones, beaten up, her ears are frost bitten, and her tummy is distended. She is either pregnant or full of worms ..... or both! She is still developmentally the size of a 4mth old kitten but I know for a fact that she is at least a year of age because I've been watching her since last June. Skinny does not begin to describe the state she is in. She's weighs only 2 pounds!! And she has some snuffles going on as well. I'm not sure if she is strong enough to survive. I came back inside and got a kennel cab and then went back out to where she was still eating ravenously and I slowly moved the bowl inside the kennel and then closed the door once she went inside. Now I have her in a large dog crate with a litter box and bed > food and water > and warmth. It's a miracle she lived through the winter ....... and I'm so glad she trusted me enough to come here for help. I'm sure Drifter had a hand in it as well ........ perhaps leading her here and letting her know it was safe.
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March 2007
Lakefront Property Anyone?
After all the snow melted and it rained profusely, we ended up looking out at a small pond. It seems the creek broke it's banks and flooded the lower pasture. Now I know why that area of the property is deemed "hazzard land" :-)
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February 2007
AAhh!! Look What Happened To My Trailer!!
Came home today to find that the wind was so strong that it actually LIFTED the trailer open on one end. It was closed, locked down and covered with a tarp and now look at it!! There is damage to the canvas but I won't know for sure just how badly damaged it is until the summer when I can open it up properly.
