Here is Gideon, before he went blind. Look at those eyes!
Missy is doing well, still having some issues with the other dogs and cats and me, but we are working on them!
Tag: Missy
Missy Report
It has been a while, so we thought we would check in. Missy is on house arrest, again. This time for a planned surgery, not an injury. Much cheaper, too. I had her spayed and microchipped.
Being young and a border collie, keeping her confined and quiet for 7-10 days is damn near impossible. So I get her chill pills – a mild sedative. I give her 1/2 a pill, once or twice a day.
She’s chillin’.
“What, Mom? I was sleeping.”
“Okay, sorry. Go back to sleep.”
Weather, clouds, lightning, and Missy
I did not have any thunder up here. Believe me, Dakota would have let me know. No clouds this morning, so maybe we dodged that bullet.
Off to the vet for stitches and tranquilizers. This is the second time in two months. Missy, of course.
In the meantime, enjoy this recent shot from Dan Danbom.
The saga continues …
April found Missy added to my menagerie … And all the work that entailed. May found Missy going through heat … And all the work that entails. June found Missy with a bad cut, and eventually, 10-12 stitches, and not allowed outside for 10 days … and all the work that entails. oh boy, try to keep a young border collie quiet and calm? Lots of work.
This is the major reason I haven’t been”keeping up” with my blog. I really wanted to go to the Muster today, but she can’t be left alone.
Here is our progression …
To get from thereto here requires some assistance ..
If you clicked on the notification email link, this wasn’t up, yet, only the title and a notice. That was my fault. While I was composing this last night, for publication this morning, I accidentally “published” and sent out notifications prematurely. Hope I never do that again.
Life with Missy, the Mystery Dog
If you’ve missed the saga of Missy, the Mystery Dog, she has her own page under “pages” to the right. You can catch up and read her story, and how she came to join us, as much as I know.
She has completely and totally adapted to my tribe, or pack, or whatever you want to call us. She is a little leery of Dakota, the Alpha female, after the non-injury threats to put Missy in her place and teach her who is who in the hierarchy. Dakota has accepted her as one of her own, willing to groom her, if Missy would allow.
Right now, there are four of us who are miserable. Missy is going through her first heat. I have two intact males. All my time is spent making sure Gideon and Bear are inside when I let Missy out, and Missy is inside when they want out, and that Missy is in the bedroom when both are in, except when everyone is eating, which means Missy is in the bathroom, Gideon is in the bedroom, and Bear, Dakota and mellow Miranda are in the great room. Got that? Yes, the dance gets complicated – way more than I’d like. I thought of changing the feeding places to accommodate this new condition, but I really want as much consistency and routine as they like.
What amazes me, is that despite the very strong call of her instincts, minding and pleasing me come first. She is so wonderful. The dance of moving her from the bedroom to the bathroom for eating, passing through the great room past two intact males is accomplished with no problems. I carry a spray bottle, just in case. Never had to use it.
Missy has always required twice as much attention as all four of my others combined … she is young, and she is a Border Collie. Even this has doubled. I thought I had infinite patience, but at least once a day, I have to tell her to go lay down in her own bed and leave me be.
It looks like I am in for another week! It is like having three toddlers and a couple of teenagers in the house. Sleep is hard to come by! Bear has torn off the trim in the bathroom, bent my back screen door, and otherwise caused havoc. Gideon spends a lot of time “marking” his territory – inside – and I am spending an inordinate amount of time spraying a natural odor eliminator, and cleaning up. My whole life seems to be centered on this dance, and if I shared ALL the details of keeping this dance going, most, if not all of you, would say TMI! TMI!
Yes, we are going to the vet for spaying. I’ve heard owners should wait 2-3 months after a heat. I will, but I’m not going through this again! Oh, goddess, please let it stop! I really need to sleep sometime this month!
Missy, the Mystery Dog, part 3
Missy has been a member of my household for two weeks, now, and she has experienced so many new things. She and the rest of my pack have found their relationships.
The first time I left her home, I put her in the bedroom, my two alphas in the living room, and closed the door between them. When I came home, it was as if she didn’t know I would be back. She was quite relieved. The second time I left her at home, with the two alphas, I left the door open, so Dakota would have access to my bed, Missy would have hers, and Gideon would have the couch, if he wanted. I was worried, but need not have been. They were all fine.
In the two weeks she has lived with us, she sits, stays, comes, goes where I point, lays down on her bed when told, gets in the car, gets in the back, but “down” is the hardest order she has to obey, as she likes to get up on me, whether sitting, standing, or laying down. She knows it, but has trouble obeying.
The other night, one of my two cats decided to hide after she was fed, so I wouldn’t put her outside. I said out loud, “Where is the cat? Where did she go?” To my surprise, Missy started sniffing around, following a path into the bathroom. I followed. I watched her sniff between things, under things, and then alert behind the bathtub. Damn, that is where the cat was! I gave her lots of congratulations, but I was astounded. How did she even know the word “”cat?” She is either brilliant or psychic.
What a gal!
Missy, the Mystery Dog, part 2
Trying to learn who she is, and I am learning she is the sweetest, smartest dog I have ever had find me. I will never know how she came to me. I wish I could read her mind better. She has become thoroughly, and completely attached. She needs to stay close to me, or watch me, constantly. I cannot go to the bathroom alone … reminds me of when my kids were little. It is only when I am safely in bed does she lay on her own bed, right near mine. I know she doesn’t talk, except through her eyes, and her behavior. She still is not barking or otherwise making any sounds. I wish I were a better dog whisperer.
I took her to the vet Wednesday. She did not want to get in the car, and then, when she did, with much help from me, she shook for the first 1/2 hour or more. After I got her in the car at home, she wanted out, so I was concerned about stopping anywhere, lest she try to escape. She never did. She found her spot on the passenger side back seat, and was comfortable. She got out easily at the Vet, and was not fearful there. She enjoyed the little girl who wanted to be friends, the staff, who fell in love with her, and the only procedure she objected to was having her temperature taken. We postponed any shots or other things until her next visit in a month.
She played a lot of ball catching with her last owner, per her canine teeth, the vet assistant said. She is not chipped. She is not spayed. Probably not de-barked, just trying to get her confidence about her place in the pack, per the vet. She is between 1 and 2 years old, and in good health, especially considering her travels.
She got back into the car at the vets with confidence, and happily. I wasn’t leaving her.
When we got home, I let her out with the others off leash for the first time. She couldn’t get any privacy to do her “business” so snipped at Gideon. Dakota, Bear, and Missy came in when asked, but I had to put Missy into the bathroom so that Miranda, my most skittish dog, would come in, which I did. Gideon could not be found, until later. Thursday, I let them all out together, and she did really well.
Missy was very insecure, as could be expected, But is adapting very fast. There is a fine line I must tread in making her feel welcome, and making my other dogs not feel displaced. But we made a lot of progress on Thursday. She is not snipping at the others, and is wanting to play with them. The others are not sure, after her initial snarling. We need to work out her place in our pack … Our family. But each day she settles in more and more, finds her place, and everyone becomes a little more comfortable than they were the day before. She and Dakota are deciding who will be number one in this pack. Gideon and the others have always bowed to Dakota’s decisions, so we are 1/2 way there.
I’ve received a few inquiries, but so far, all for males. I have become very attached, just in four days. However, if there is a heartbroken owner out there, I will relinquish her, sadly.
I stopped for lunch at a Chinese buffet. I got two fortune cookies. One said, “a great reward will come to you.” The second said, “do not stray from the path that fate has laid out for you.” I gave Missy the cookies, and decided she is both my fate and my reward. I am just glad a Great Dane or St. Bernard didn’t show up!
