All about Animals

The city is getting back to normal with its outdoor events. Today is the day for the All about Animals and  the West End Fair, both local and free events. I took Zeke on the last event a few years ago, but the heat drove us home early.

It was in the low 50s when I awoke, and a bit warmer when I finally took my three RV dogs, Gretchen, Sahne and Sweetie, for their morning lap. A woman ahead of me on the street to my south, Linda Vista, was walking her two shepherds and that got Gretchen and Sahne barking and pulling. And pulling hard. To avoid a disaster, I turned us all around to walk in the opposite direction. This action got the dog entangled in the leashes. My pulling them in the opposite direction also pushed them toward each other, and quickly a dog fight ensued between the sisters, with Sweetie caught in the middle. When I let go of Sweetie do that she wouldn't be involved, she quickly began attacking Gretchen. Shit. 

Jay, Anna's husband, witnessed this all and came to my rescue when he saw the two sisters now on their hind legs biting each other. He grabbed the leashes of Gretchen and Sweetie while I took Sahne home to rest in the truck. Gretchen got the worse of the two, with a bleeding lower lip.

So much for a peaceful togetherness with Gretchen and Sahne. 

I did my Saturday chore of washing clothes. Ñot because I like the chore, but I find tumbling My dirty clothes a bit soothing. I get the easy stains out this way. My little tumbler works well getting dirt and stains out with prior soaking, but greasy stains are still better cleaned at the laundromat, and for some reason going to the laundromat inconveniences me because I'm away from the dogs who need me.

Carr Peak with Sahne and Ellen

I hadn't done a peak since October, and that was the first time I went with Sahne. She's a great hiking dog who stays by my side. I think there will be many more hikes with her 

Ellen and I agreed that we felt ready for a peak again. We met at the lower parking lot with another gal she works with, Lori. She looked famiar but I couldn't place from where.

We drove in separate cars to the Old Sawmill trailhead. it was a cool 47F, clear sky, and breezy at the start; good hiking weather.  The sky, however was thick with dust from the recent fires around  Bisbee and yesterday's high winds. The dry spring so far has brought in an early fire season.

But not a sign of wild flowers besides yellow alpine flowers and daffodils. Everything still looks so dry. Bushes are leafing out, but the Aspen are still in pre-bud mode

We met a dog runner going up, and a couple coming down. The gal had told Ellen that she had spotted illegals further down the trail  I never did see any trash.

I was expecting more hikers today.But at least we had water trickling at the falls. The cool water was a treat for Sahne. We even met one of two birders by the springs on our way back to the cars.

The hike took us two hours for the ascent and 90 minutes for the descent. Not our best time together as Ellen's lungs are still healing.

Easter weekend

It was a quiet weekend for me as I'm not a practicing Christian.  Gretchen jumped on my chest in my sleep Friday morning, which hurt immensely and woke me up screaming. I've had a bruised chest since then. I feel the pain when I inhale deeply.That dog is definitely not the smartest dog in the pack.

Besides yesterday's hike with Ellen, I didn't get out much as I wanted to make progress on the house. Good God, do I have a lot of stuff. My office stuff is mostly salvageable but I'm determined to get rid of most of the books.

Tomorrow and Tuesday we are expecting highs in the 90s. I filled the kiddie pool with water for the dogs in the house to get ready for the heat. I hope Sweetie and Gretchen will be ok in the RV. It will get very hot for them by 4pm so I won't stick around much at school and instead perhaps take them up Miller Canyon in the shade when I get home.

It seems as if all I do is stuff for the dogs. Besides food for myself, I spend most of what I buy on the dogs. I got two new collars for Hansel and Gretel on Friday, chosing to buy top-of the line Kong collars.  I buy cheap canned food though, to make up for the Blue Buffalo kibble and other brands I pick up on sale. There are also Minnie's meds. 

I found the contents of the bottle of furomeside that Gretchen bit open a week or so ago in a quilt that the dogs pushed down the couch in the RV. I had thought that she had swallowed the 100 pills, so finding most of them in the couch was good news. That dog does enough crazy stuff to cause me extra work whenever I come home. 

Minnie and Sadie are still doing fine. Minnie seems to be in good spirits and lays by the front door, something she has always done. Sometimes she blocks the door when I come in to feed the pack. Sadie's rear right leg is getting weaker than her rear left leg, but she can still walk and feed and water herself. Both dogs still have their appetite, too. But I think Kevin would have wanted me to put both dogs down by now. Taking care of these dogs at least gives me something to do, even if I'm already over my head with the house.

Little bird and hike up Holenstein mine

We had a pastel sunrise this morning. I was up by 535 to first walk Gretchen solo. Sweetie slept in the truck overnight and I kept her there until it was her turn to walk.

As I neared the intersection of Madeleine and Circle S Road, I saw what looked to be a big pile of dog shit in the road. Gretchen also seemed curious, but as we neared the dark puke, it turned out to be an injured dove. There were small down feathers near the crime scene, with more feathers near an oak tree where birds tend to gather. The bird most likely escaped the talons of an unfortunate hawk

I picked up the little bird and took it home, placing it in an old hamster cage I got from Chip a few years ago. It was docile but mobile. I gave it wild bird  seeds and water and placed it in a small flower pot lined with tissue, then covered the cage with a burned shirt of mine to give it shade. I could see the hawk tried to rip the dove's back feathers. Most of its tail feathers had also been ripped out. The bird needed to rest 

I had to get ready for an 8am Meetup with Ellen, but knew I'd be 15 mins late once I got to my morning doggy duties of fresh water, good, and meds for Minnie. Hansel, Gretel and Sahne pushed me out the front door, causing a delay in my departure. I put Gretel in the RV and took Hansel and Sahne on the Holenstein Mine hike with Ellen.

I checked on the dove before leaving. It had moved from the flower pot to the seed bowl.

I hadn't been up the Holenstein Mine hike in over ten years. I was here with Sadie and the Huachuca Hiking Club (they really should call themselves the Huachuca Bushwhackers) the last time I was on this unmarked trail.

I took the dogs off leash once we were on the side trail. I like hiking with Hansel and Sahne because they stick together and have very good recall. Gretel and Gretchen like to take off and chase deer instead.

The mine, or what is actually an abandoned dugout of what prospectors thought was a copper mine (judging by the green malachite in the area) is just a half-mile from the main trail, as it switchbacks up the hillside. It's very passable. Perhaps the Huachuca Bushwhackers trimmed the trail of overgrowth? The club likes to clear all the trails in the Huachuca.

We rested at the mine for a bit. The dogs got food and water, and I nibbled on a few stale cashews and mini KitKat bars that I found in the bottom of my backpack. Each dog got a can of Pedigree as well, which lightened my load noticeably. This was the high point of the hike, which Strava tracked at over 1700' elevation gain.it was cool here, as the sweat off my back chilled me a bit.

We looped straight down after our snack break, slowly coming down to the rusty chute. We had made a small loop going this way, but cut no time going down this steep draw.

The dogs were getting tired. I had planned on leashing them again once I got on the main trail, but the dogs ran on ahead to greet a young man hiking down with his offleash dog. There was no barking, but the man was surprised to see two offleash dogs here(can't blame him) but both dogs ran back to me on recall. ""All is good!" He yelled back. We never did get caught up with him, as now both dogs were back on leash and pulling me along. At least Hansel was; Sahne looked tired.

The hike took us 3:42 hours. The morning chill had turned to early afternoon heat. The clouds had dissipated and the dogs looked overheated. We saw no other people on the trail despite several cars at the trailhead 

I was hungry now. I stopped at the Speedway gas station for a cheap lunch of pepperoni pizza. The dogs got most of the pepperoni. I then went home.

The little dove had died, still in the seed bowl with its head against the cage, just as I saw it when I left. Damnit, I guess it had internal injuries I couldn't see.

Hiking the Miller Canyon Loop; Minnie back at the vet

I had a busy morning. Got up just after sunrise to walk Gretchen and Sweetie for 1.5 miles around the hood. It was already in the mid 50s. Fed the pack, gave Minnie her meds, then met Ellen, Brenda and Jessa in lower Miller Canyon for the canyon loop. I hadn't done this loop since the day before Kevin died. I took the same two dogs. I  kept Gretchen on a long leash so that I wouldn't have to worry about her running off chasing deer or whatnot. Sweetie did fine off leash, following me quietly.

I felt tired, but with Gretchen pulling the entire time,  I had no recourse but to walk on ahead, and I had to stop several times for the gals to get caught up with me.

We hiked uphill on the Miller Creek trail, continued to the John Cooper trail and then turned east (right) on the unmarked trail I've been on many times for the full moon hikes. It was already 930 and getting warm and both dogs were showing thirst.

The hike took us a little over two hours. I felt beat in the end (because of the heat?) but stayed in the parking lot to wait for the gals to catch up with me. The dogs rested in the truck with the AC running.

I got home by 1130. Lesley had left me coffee but the box with the condiments got warm in the sun. I'll drink the coffee tomorrow morning.

I had to get ready for chore #2: get Minnie ready for her 215 appointment for blood work to renew her Vetmedin prescription. This means I also had to clean up. I actually washed my hair and showered with sun-heated water.

Getting Minnie ready didn't take me too long. I distracted all the dogs with a can each of dog food (price went up from 85 cents to $1.15) and was able to get Minnie into the truck with no issues.

I stopped at Culvers for a late lunch and a pup cup for Minnie, then got to the vet office at 210. Minnie weighed in at 40 kilos (88 pounds) which is a 19 pound drop in weight since late February. While she does need to lose weight, this much weight off in under two months is alarming.

Dr Moffett was my vet this time. She is my favorite  She actually felt around Minnie's tumor and felt inside her anus. The tumor is redder and leaking since Dr Bone looked at it in February, but she didn't prescribe anything besides an OTC stool softener. Her prognosis was the same as the previous two DVM: there isn't anything to be done because of Minnie's heart and age, but she also agreed that Minnie isn't ready to be euthanized. We just have to let this run its course. Will her heart kill her, or the tumor?

I left the animal clinic earlier than expected. Minnie's blood work was normal with no cancer symptoms. She rested in the back of the truck as I then drove to the city park where I was to meet Steve, who helped me drive my repaired Honda CR-V back home. As thanks for the favor, I treated him to dinner at High Heat. We each had a tall beer and a cheeseburger. Each meal was $18; even eating out is getting expensive.

Steve looked at the Ridgelines fuse box. My passenger side windows aren't working now. He tinkered on the truck in the parking lot, with Minnie tied to a pole outside the vehicle so she wouldn't bother Steve. Minnie is still a viable protector who is uneasy around strangers, but she does warm up to strangers. 

I kept Minnie in the truck for a few hours while I walked Gretchen and Sweetie, but she did eventually go inside the house, where she likes to sleep by the front door