Mutiny by the Girls

So, it is snowy here in the Midwest.  We have had about 2 steady weeks where the ground has been covered with the powdery, white stuff.  The kids have been in heaven.  The dogs like to frolic and play  but it is short lived.  The Girls, well for some reason they seem to think that I am to blame for the cold and snow.  For the most part, they have hung out under our deck where there is no snow and we have spread straw for them to borough down in.  When we go to shut the coop at night, we get the typical clacking and clucking of them expressing their distaste at our choice of weather conditions.  I guess they thought they were going to live in Florida, I don't really know.  But for the past few days, they have actually been storming my deck door demanding access to the house!  I guess the word has spread that we have heating inside our home and they just don't feel they should have to settle for heat lamps and straw.  They might be chickens (and one duck that thinks she is a chicken), but they are not uncivilized.  So, while I am working away at the kitchen table I start hearing the faint taps at the glass door.  Then the taps increase in number and sound.  Before long, this is what I am faced with at my door.

Now how do you say no to those faces??  I think the Girls want a heated coop next year.

Adopt a Pet  You never know what you will find!! 

Teaching An Old Chicken New Tricks

You have heard the saying you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, well we all know it is not true. You can in fact teach an old dog new tricks and you can teach an old chicken new tricks, too. Not those weird tricks you see at carnivals in small towns where the chicken can do math. Who needs a chicken that can do arithmetic? No, real tricks like jump for the Doritos. Now I am telling you, you have not seen a chicken get air like Michael Jordan until you have baited them with Doritos. I know what you are thinking, how did the revelation of chickens love for the tasty, nacho cheese chips come to light?

Well, it all started one peaceful, warm summer evening when the whole family was outside enjoying the balmy night. We were in our lounge chairs bored out of our minds getting eaten alive by the mosquitoes eating you guessed it Doritos. Well, that sparked the interest of the Girls. Now, I read somewhere that chickens would eat mosquitoes, but I can attest that the Girls have not made a dent in the mosquito population in my backyard. In fact, my Girls refuse to eat anything that is alive like a worm, bug or mosquito. So if you are considering chickens for the pest control benefits forget about it.

So, we have determined that the Girls don’t like normal chicken fare like bugs, but who would have thought they would like Doritos? So, I am in my lounge chair lounging, yelling at the kids and stuffing my face with Doritos and Twinkie jumps up in my lap. This in itself is not out of the ordinary. She is quite the snuggle birdie. But then she went after my Doritos! She snatched my chip right out of my hand. Now, they are chickens but they are not uncivilized. They don’t just normally take food from Momma’s hand well, not Momma’s food. Oh, but they could not resist the Doritos. Soon the whole flock was gathered around me clamoring for a spot hoping to get a chip. And that is when the idea came to us, chicken competition.

We decided survival of the fittest would rule, so we held up the orange triangle that held such power over the flock. We lifted it about 2 feet over their heads in an attempt to taunt them. Just to let them know how was in charge you know. And then it happened, to my amazement Robin cleared the 2 feet and nabbed her a chip. That was when we became fascinated with the chip jump. Robin is the reigning champ and no we don’t have the official measurement of her jump. But she usually comes out of the mix with the Dorito. And no, they won’t jump for a regular potato chip. We have tried various snacks to see which their favorite is and Doritos win hands down. And yes, we have way too much time on our hands.

PETA disclaimer: No chickens were harmed in the amusing of ourselves; however some humans have come out with some nasty scratches.

The Girls

A Tail of Two Dogs

I will never forget the first time our eyes met. I knew right then and there he was the one for me without a doubt. Those deep amber eyes like no color I had ever seen before pierced straight through to my soul. In an instant we knew all that we needed to know about each other. It was beyond description. That first meeting occurred 4 years ago at Open Door Sanctuary. No, it is not a dating service, it is an animal shelter and it is where I met the love of my life! Blue Independence Ray, a beautiful Coon Hound, Beagle mix (we think). I call his breed a Coonadoodle.




Our family had decided that we wanted to adopt a pet from a shelter in order to save a dog’s life. We had no particular need of a purebred animal; we just wanted a great family pet. And that is what we got! Blue is the best dog ever. He speaks 3 languages fluently, cycles with me emotionally and he can read my mind. Yes, he is telepathic and I think partly psychic. He knows just what I need to cheer me up and he is always there when I need him. I cannot believe someone just chained him to the shelter fence one Christmas night. Blue is just perfect (aside from the prescription eyeglasses he chewed up), how could someone not want him? We ended up loving him so much that we decided to adopt a friend for Blue. So, along came Sweet Pea aka Petey. Our life has never been the same!



Petey turned our life upside down the moment she entered the house. She is a little (code word for fat) Beagle female that we found at a county shelter. At first she was so sweet and innocent. She just sat on your lap and loved on you. She stole our hearts. She was a well, sweet pea hence the name. Then came the truth; she was not sweet she was sick. She had kennel cough. She would hack and hack until she barfed all over the place. It was like having a new born baby; we were up all night taking care of her. So we got antibiotics and Robitussin cough syrup and nursed the little angel back to health. Then Blue got the cough! He then hacked until he barfed at all hours of the day and night. We were miserable until the cough passed. My steam cleaner had never been used so much!



Well, soon all the dogs were healthy and then the true personality of our little sweet pea came out. It turns out she is a bossy, little doggie. She was bossing Blue, she was bossing the neighbor’s Rottweiler, she was bossing the kids, and she was even trying to boss the boss of the house (that would be me). That is when her name changed from Sweet Pea to Petey because there is nothing sweet about her. So why keep such a bossy dog you ask? Well, because the little skunk wiggled her way into my heart at some point when I was rubbing her throat trying to ease her cough or maybe it was when I was scrubbing her barf off the floor. That dog even had me fluffing her pillows for her. What a diva! And what a sucker I was. But you know me and you know I jest. I love her to death and would not sell her for any amount of money. Blue on the other hand will consider any reasonable offer.



So, what did we gain other than the priceless antics and loads of entertainment by adopting a shelter dog? Well, even though Petey had a rough start at our house with the kennel cough, we reaped some benefits by adopting dogs that were past the puppy stage. Both dogs were under a year old when we got them so they were trainable and cute, but they were both past puppy teeth. You know those razor sharp teeth that slice anything including skin at the slightest glance. So, aside from my glasses and countless pairs of socks neither dog has done any real chewing damage. (Those of you who know puppies know this is really very little damage.) Dogs are dogs and they chew, so please give your dog something to chew! You cannot expect them to just not chew, so teach them appropriate chewing. There, I am off my soapbox now.



The other great thing about their age was that they were potty trained! That is worth the adoption fee alone. I showed them the door, let them out and viola they were good to go. They were also old enough to know some obedience commands like sit, down, hump my leg. So, leash training and continued obedience training was easier so we could get to the really important tricks like hog the bed and lick the food off the kids’ faces.



So, please if you are thinking about adopting a pet from a shelter do it! If you are thinking of buying a pet from a breeder, check your local shelter first. You will not regret it. That is if you have patience and a sense of humor. If you do not possess these traits then get a Zhu Zhu pet, you can take the battery out if them when they get annoying. Well, I have to finish this article, Blue just told me it is nap time and I want to get a good spot on the bed. And yes, he told me telepathically.