Happy Halloween!

Family Photo

Since it's blizzarding out, I thought we needed a photo of warmer times. It's hard to believe this photo was taken a couple of weeks ago. This is: Pam, my dad, me, and Al in Buffalo, Wyo. Herman is happily sitting not facing the camera while Feo is barking at my aunt who is taking the photo. At least we are all in one photo.

The cats (including Hobbes now yay!) were not available for a photo, and I don't think we could have handled all the barking and hissing anyway.

Adapting Well

The weekend seems to have been good to Hobbes. When Les and I picked him up from his previous owners he started howling just at the sight of people (and not in a good "come pet me way," either). If you read the first blog post about him you'll see that he began adapting to his new home almost immediately. Well, I think some of that initial calmness may just have been fear of a new environment, as later that evening he lashed out at me or Feo or Boogs or the air or something. Regardless, my hand was the nearest target and took the brunt of his freak out. That was the least of my worries. I just wanted Hobbes to be ok, so I took him back to the room (my office) that I have set up for him as a safe haven (kid gate to keep him separated from the other pets while still allowing them to see each other if they are curious) and let him crawl under the covers of his bed. He was very happy to do so. We checked on him off and on the rest of the evening and he seemed to be ok. I think he just got over stimulated.

Day two went very well. I woke early and went in to greet him. He immediately perked up and came out to say hello. I sat on the floor and he crawled into my lap and sat there for an hour while I read the news online, drank some coffee and scratched his chin, head, ears, back... everything but his belly (he does NOT like to have his belly scratched – just like Boogs... must be a tabby thing). Les and I spent the early afternoon running errands (including getting some pate, a new bed, and a scratching pad for Hobbes), and when we got back to my place ended up hanging out with Hobbes for another hour (lots of scratching of the chin, head, ears, back... lots of shifting from one lap to the next... LOTS of meowing). After that, Hobbes mostly hung out in his covered bed and would talk to us as we walked by, but seemed content with that. He still hadn't had any water that I could tell, and had not yet used the litter box, so I was getting a little concerned at that point.

That night as I slept I could hear him trying to get into the closet in the office every now and then (the noise from which was foreign to Feo so it would send her into a barking frenzy. Nice way to wake up in the middle of the night – twice. ;) I wasn't all that upset, though, because it meant he was becoming more comfortable with his surroundings.

Apparently, there is a switch in Hobbes's brain that works on the same wavelength as the sound my alarm makes as when it went off this morning, so did Hobbes. Meow. Meow. Me-OW. Me-OW. ME-OW! ME-OW!!! (Translation: "Come see me. I'm here. Come see me. I'm here. Come see me. I'm HERE! COME SEE ME NOW!!!!!") So I went and saw him. Imagine my surprise when I opened the door and saw this:

He was up at the door! Since he came home he would only come out with coaxing, but this morning, he was waiting right there for me when I opened up the door. :D So I spent another half-hour this morning with him on the floor, drinking coffee and reading the news online. Lots more scratching of the chin, head, ears, back... everything but... actually he even rolled over at one point and gave me his belly! (I knew better than to scratch it, but what a sign of trust!)

So, I have a call in with the vet to find out how to handle his mats and when to bring him in for a check-up and his shots. Seems like the only issues right now are of the physical nature and he really is adjusting well to his new home.

HOBBES!!!

Well, this time it isn't a new pet for a family member, it's a new pet for me! One of our friends have had several pets for a number of years. They had a cat and dog when their first child, Katie, was born almost three years ago. Since then the dog, Pearl, has passed on and they also had a second daughter, Allison, come into their lives. Well, Hobbes, the big orange patriarch, did not take well to having toddlers around and over the last couple years became less and less inclined to show himself. Recently he was relegated to the backyard, and I decided to step up and adopt him.

Hobbes is about nine years old and a VERY friendly and talkative cat. He's supremely overweight and will have to be on a diet to get that under control, but that should be straightforward enough (hopefully). Because of his weight he hasn't been able to properly groom himself so he has a lot of deep mats on his back. All that can be taken care of with some effort on my part and a trip to the vet.

Hobbes has already taken to exploring the house, though I have a room set up just for him to ease the transition. He's already met Feo the Fruitbat and Boogs the Calm. That's Booger's new nickname -- Boogs the Calm -- because when the two cats met it was under the bed. There was one or two hisses and that was it. Go figure. I was expecting and all out war. :)


Now, before you ask... no, this isn't in reaction to having to puppysit all day yesterday. I've been thinking about adopting Hobbes for, well, probably the better part of a year. It wasn't until I found out last week that he had been sent outside that I decided now was the time. Hobbes is a great cat, and deserves a warm place to sleep at night. Plus, Boogs has been getting more and more needy lately -- even tried to groom Feo once or twice (baaaaad idea). I hope Boogs and Hobbes can become close buds. :)


So, the Casper Al clan just grew by one (well, maybe I should say the Casper Al and Les clans as Les has been attached to Hobbes for some time before I met him, so I imagine it'll be hard to keep them apart), and I couldn't be happier.

Addendum: My mom just called and opened with, "Is this the Casper Adopt-a-Pet?" :p

PUPPY!!!

No, not for us. For Les's dad. I'll elaborate later when we get some better pictures. For now, the crummy cell phone pic while sitting in my lap at the office will have to suffice.

Okay... I lied. I'll elaborate now. Here's the story:

A year ago next Friday Les's sister, Brenda, and unborn nephew, Cian, were killed by a drunk driver. Her dad has since had not one, but two of his dogs die (one, Toby, of old age, though possibly poison, and the other, Sarah, was hit by a semi). The second had been with him through some pretty hard times beyond just losing his daughter (though nothing as horrible), so he was particularly heartbroken when she was killed. She was a mostly blind Australian Sheppard, and was just a sweet, sweet dog.

Well, it just so happens that today one of our colleagues brought in two puppies from litter of eight. The mother was half Australian Sheppard and half Yellow Lab; the father a full Yellow Lab. After a bit of debate we called her dad and he was going to come down and see if he wanted to adopt the male. Well, he got delayed and wasn't going to be able to make it before our colleague left town, so we ended up buying the pooch for him. Of course that means I get to puppy sit for the rest of the day at work and this afternoon until he gets to town to pick up this little angel:

Just wanted to share. Hopefully this little fella will bring some joy back into Chuck's life.

Ok... one more pic. Can I get an "Awwww!!!!"?

Yoga

HermanYoga, originally uploaded by Lesley84.

Herman will need lots of Yoga on his new diet. He doesn't think the carrots and green beans he is getting as treats will sustain him. I think he convinced my mom to slip him a few potato oles the other day while I was not looking.

Starving . . .

Herman is not too happy about his diet. I think we need an official corgis on diets blog. It seems to be a common problem after reading all the posts on Corgi Butts. Herman may need emotional support. (:

Thanks Everyone!

Thanks everyone for all your comments. They made our weekend.

Herman is Corgi of the Day!

Could not have happened to a better Corgi. Congratulations, Herman! You deserve it. Click here to check it out.

Rescuing Herman

Herman has come a long way since I adopted him from the Humane Society in Newcastle, Wyo. two years ago. We have been through mites, worms, skin issues, kidney and thyroid problems, high blood pressure, and pneumonia. For a while there they even thought he was in heart failure. We have been through a lot together this past year and he has really blossomed. He has finally found his corgi bark and uses it often. I thought it was worth posting a before and after photo to see the transformation.

Herman has been with me through the roughest season of my life - the loss of my sister and nephew. I think really - he rescued me.

When the cats are away...

...the dogs will play!

Well, by away, I mean Feo is over and the cats are thus in hiding. Imagine that. Little ol' Feo scares the cats into the closets. Herman doesn't seem to bother them, but Feo? It's like she's the cat-devil incarnate to Les's cats. :)

Anyway, Herman didn't used to know how to play until Feo came along. Now he can't get enough of it. Tug-of-war, the barking game, chase, the barking game, fetch, and the barking game all seem to be his favs. Feo just likes attention of any kind. Having Herman join in the fun seems to startle her, though. She'll get used to it (Les did).

Sarah 2007-2009

He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds; my other ears that hear above the winds. He is the part of me that can reach out into the sea. He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason for being; by the way he rests against my leg; by the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile; by the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him. (I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along to care for me.)

When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile. When I am happy, he is joy unbounded. When I am a fool, he ignores it. When I succeed, he brags. Without him, I am only another man. With him, I am all-powerful. He is loyalty itself. He has taught me the meaning of devotion. With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace. He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant.

His head on my knee can heal my human hurts. His presence by my side is protection against my fears of dark and unknown things. He has promised to wait for me... whenever... wherever — in case I need him. And I expect I will — as I always have. He is just my dog.

Gene Hill

Herman is not a huge fan of smooches

Family Photo

This was a spur of the moment photo taken by my laptop. Herman, who thinks he is GQ of the dog world, is always ready to pose. Herman somehow manages to look dapper in all situations. I am not sure what Al was doing. As usual, I tried to disappear in the background which is hard with this group.

Feo was unavailable for a photo. She was out doing her fruitbat imitation.

Purrs and Peace

There is now peace in the Collins, Corgi, Cat household. Feo is gone, Herman has calmed down, and the cats have stopped fighting. I think the cats had an internal reorganization.

Odin, the seven year-old Ragdoll, is now the top cat.

Oz, the four-year old tabby, doesn't really care. He wants to know why he didn't get any pizza.

Ori, the nine-year Ragdoll and former head cat, is just ticked off.

1st Anniversary

I know our few "followers" to this blog are mostly, ahem, more "golden" (geriatric), but it's a pretty big deal to us. So, in celebration we exchanged presents and gooey words of love and affection. I don't have a picture of the gooey words, but couldn't help taking a pic of the watches (hey, I love watches).

Boogs was just happy that we went with pizza for dinner. He could have cared less about the watches (Watches?! We don't need no stinkin' watches!!) but the warm pizza box (pizza still inside) was something else entirely.

Me? I'm just happy to have Les in my life.

Edit: Anne and Kelly, I see you are followers to our humble little blog. We haven't met in person, so please know the above jab at the elderly and infirmed was directed at my father (Art) and colleague (Cathy), neither of whom are elderly or infirmed (much). ;-)

CATastrophe

Al is off to Vegas leaving me with three feuding cats, fruitbat, and killer. Feo loves all the turmoil but Herman doesn't know what to do. There is a lot of hissing and Barking going on.

Explain this one

Feo's look... "Nah nah! I get to sit in the nice lap, and you don't! Pfffffttt!"
(Be sure to click on the picture for the full effect.)



The beautiful woman whose lap Feo is sharing more than makes up for the sassy attitude.

Some random pics of the pups

As always, these poochies have a way of keeping our spirits up. :)

You can't see me!


Right! This knuckle bone is bigger than my head!


More baby fish!!!


Pizza? Somebody say pizza?


This is MY blue ball.


And finally... whether from the side or kinda blurry, a happy dog is a happy dog. Check out those smiles!

Waiting...

Photo by Art Elser