18 posts tagged “clyde”
Since I was a slacker last night...I will now finish the remaining words for this meme!
I am sad. I just got the email notice today that Clyde's HomeAgain microchip service is up for renewal on the 25th. He still hasn't been found or come home and I am more convinced than ever that a wild animal got him. It is heartbreaking to me. Right now, the ultra-hopeful side of me is contemplating extending his service one more year - "just in case". But the more realistic side of me says that it would be a waste of money.
Still no Clyde. With each day that passes I am more and more sure that a wild animal got him. Last night there was a small (I think young by the way it acted) opossum on my patio. It made me wonder if maybe Clyde got into it with the mommy possum. Now, I also have to find a different place for the outside kitty food since obviously that is what this one was looking for. (It had been moved up onto the patio table yesterday so it wouldn't get contaminated while the exterminator sprayed the foundation.) I did talk to neighbors as well as the office here and put up some fliers...lots of the neighbors recognized his photo and mentioned what a sweet kitty he is and said they would keep an eye out for him, but hadn't seen him in awhile.
Aside from that I flung poop today - it desperately needed doing. The yard was getting gross due to crappy weather lately. After that I made my first hike down the hill. I have no finally set foot on all of my land. Heh. It is lovely down below with relatively easy access to the creek that runs through back there. The hill itself is rather steep and somewhat tough to get back up (then again, I am also horribly out of shape)...but I think if I work at it, over time I can create a stair/path that will make climbing back to the top easier. I also scouted out the gully area that I am going to clear out and replant with wildflowers. I don't think it will be too tough to do, actually. There is just one area that has some washout issues that I am going to have to ponder. It looks like I will probably need to build some sort of retaining wall. I wonder when Dad is planning on coming back to visit? Ha-ha!
Now I need to go change my clothes since I am covered in little sticker bush burr things and find something for lunch. Then I think I might watch a movie...I am exhausted. Marly, Sadie and Bandit were all antsy last night and made sleep hard to get.
P.S. Bandit is doing just fine...he is a little timid jumping, but otherwise surgery doesn't seem to have bothered him in the least. (He got neutered and micro-chipped yesterday.)
I haven't wanted to write this because it makes it too real...but Clyde is missing. I am feeling terribly guilty about it since I put him outside before I left for work on Tuesday (he gets really, really antsy couped up in the house for multiple days at a time and since I wasn't sure if I would be staying the night in the town I was in I thought it would be better for his sake - he sleeps in the cat house on the patio with the heated bed in it...trust me, outside is not terrible for him - under normal circumstances.)
He has gone for a day or so before...I assume he goes off to hang out with his girlfriend whom I have seen around here at times too. (They are both fixed, don't worry readers.) But when he didn't come home Wednesday...and then we didn't see him at all yesterday...
I feel like an awful kitty mommy. I really hope that he has just wandered farther from home than normal and is having trouble finding his way back, but my gut is telling me that a wild animal somewhere may have gotten a hold of him.
This afternoon I will be putting up fliers and calling local vets and shelters...I will also be notifying Home Again which is the company he is micro-chipped through. Unfortunately, I am not sure that places around here automatically scan animals that come in to see if they are micro-chipped...we'll see I guess.
In other news, Bandit is at the vet's right now getting neutered.
Well, okay...I am a week late. So sue me.
Marly hit the three month old mark last Saturday. Today we hauled her into the vet for her monthly check-up and shots along with Bonnie & Clyde for their last Feline Leukemia shots. Marly weighed in at just under 27 pounds. This means that she weighs more than double what she was four weeks ago and is now over half as heavy as Sadie is. Yikes!
Overall vet says she is healthy. We have been having soft stool issues - not to the point of having accidents in the house, so really I am chalking it up to the fact that our kid eats paste (any and everything goes in her mouth and is usually digested unless we can catch it right away). The doc, though, wanted to rule out some tummy bugs that puppies can get so she is on some medicine for a week or so.
And because I have been neglectful of shooting photos of my other critters...here is Clyde 'helping' me while I worked on Friday. He makes a very snuggly paperweight!
I finally got all the bird photos onto my computer so one of these evenings I might actually get through some of them and pick some for you all to see. But, for now, I am headed off to bed...hope everyone's having a good weekend!
Marly was three months old yesterday. I am going to try to get a good photo of her today. Right now we are working on the 'sit' command along with 'stay'. We are also working on staying out of the kitchen. She does pretty well with all of them when I can get her attention. Yesterday I learned yet another valuable lesson in not paying enough attention to what she is doing when she is loose in the house. She got a hold of a loose corner of carpet in the entry way and pulled it up. Luckily there wasn't too much actual damage, but she frayed it enough that the carpet no longer reaches the tack strip to hold it down there. So, it looks like the carpet will be replaced in the next year or so (once she is through this "puppy" stage) and until then I am going to have to be really careful when I vacuum that area. The good news is that I was seriously contemplating tiling the entry, dining room, living room, and kitchen anyway, along with both bathrooms and the laundry room. A huge job? Yes! Worth it in the long run for durability and ease of cleaning with two dogs and two cats running around? Absolutely!
And speaking of house projects...I bought eight Leyland Cypress today that will go in two groups (I think) along the back part of my lot. They grow extremely fast and will make nice screens so that in a couple years the backyard will have much more privacy from the neighbors that are up the hill from us and look directly into our yard. Eventually the cypress will get to somewhere around 50' tall...but that is a ways off even with how fast they grow. I couldn't find the red maples I wanted. I will check the big nursery in town next weekend. Otherwise, they may have to wait until spring time.
Yesterday Neil and I participated in the fall session for PhotoWILD! 2008. Apparently they are doing the regular spring session as well toward the end of April...we may do that one too. All entrants can submit photos for the contest next May. In my free time (what's that?) I will be sorting through the photos I took and posting them to Flickr. I am sure some will make it here as well, but if you are interested in seeing the bulk of them, head over there.
Clyde's little adventure doesn't seem to have deterred him much from his desire to go outside...though, he isn't quite as pushy about it all as he was previously, but he is still right there at the door every time I take the pups out. Naughty kitty!
Not much else happening. I will be in Knoxville a couple days next week. Other than that, just trying to get back on track with getting some projects completed around here.
Clyde is back inside where he belongs now. I found him hiding in the bushes on the hill out back. It took some serious calling and coaxing, but he finally came to me and I carried him back to the house. He was terrified. I hope he has now had his fill of the great outdoors for a good long while!
Clyde got out (again) this morning. Unfortunately, this time he decided to go all the way and head down the hill into the brush out back. I will go back out again in a bit when it is lighter and I can see better and see if I can call him back. At this point I guess there isn't much I can do. If he doesn't come back today I will put up fliers and call the local vets to let them know he is missing and is micro-chipped.
Thank goodness I did get him micro-chipped - of course, that won't help him if an animal or car gets him.
Marly turned 10 weeks old on Saturday. She is growing like a weed - she can't just walk under Sadie like she could two weeks ago and she can now almost get up on the couch and chair in the living room. She is also getting more and more independent and we are almost able to get through the night now.
Saturday we found a new little park very close to the house that runs right a long the river. We went to go check it out and I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. When she is a little older and has all her shots I am hoping to get her in the water and swimming. For now she will have to make due with her 25' leash and romping in the grass.
She also has one of the longest tongues I have ever seen on a dog!
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Sadie is doing well with her new little sister. Teaching her doggie ways and playing typical puppy dominance games with her. Thankfully, as submissive and shy as Sadie is, she does put Marly in her place when she needs to. I am really glad to see her do that. She is also acting several years younger again - I think having the pup around to play with has done wonders for Sadie.
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Bonnie is same old Bonnie. Pretty laid back and just wants to do her thing. Clyde on the other hand, between the new puppy in the house and the little black and white kitty outside the house, he has turned into a holy terror. He keeps sneaking/dashing out the door whenever I am taking the dogs for potty breaks or walks. And inside - inside he terrorizes poor Bonnie and is a general spazz. Slowly he seems to be settling out of it (a little) so I hope with time we can all get back to some sort of normal around here.
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Mr. Mouser seems to be enjoying his outdoor life. He also enjoys his new little outdoor friend. The little black and white kitty is still around and not just still around, but he tries sneaking into the house whenever I open the door to take the dogs out. The other day was pure pandemonium..Clyde got out, little black kitty got in, and Marly managed to yank her leash out of my hand and go dashing after Mr. Mouser. All is well now, but I need to decide soon what I am going to do about the little guy.
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Yes, I am a terrible mommy and have no recent photos of any of the other critters - though, in my defense, note that Neil took the two photos of Marly. Someday soon I hope to actually feel caught up on the projects for work, around the house, and in the yard so I can feel justified in spending some time with the camera again. Someday.
Wow! Puppy energy is in full swing now. So much so, that I am uncertain as to how to wear her out. I thought her shots were supposed to make her sleepy yesterday - no such luck. Apparently we are going to need to start going for MUCH longer walks in the evening...immediately.
The real issue is that with working most of the day she doesn't get much interaction and play time from me (other than trying to keep an eye on her to stop the play peeing that is still happening far too often). Then late afternoon/evening she wants to sleep which means she refreshed and geared up to play again at 2am. Only just 15 minutes or so of play doesn't do it for her, in fact, it just gears her up more. This means more barking and whining when I try to put her back in her crate so I can go back to bed.
Calgon, take me away! (OK yeah, so I just dated myself there. And who was it, Tide? that had their "Ancient Chinese Secret" ads...anyway, I digress.)
Oh...best puppy chew-toy ever - Nylabone makes a ring of keys. You know, like the ones they make for babies, only in puppy size. She LOVES them and they are saving everything from my flip-flops (which she has taken a real liking to. Particularly the leather straps on the top.) to my dining room chairs. She also discovered the toy box today so it is looking like Sadie won't have much left that is just hers anymore.
The sweetest part though, is when Marly brings her chew-toys or sometimes just herself and lays down a foot or so away from wherever Sadie is. She follows Sadie around wherever she goes. Sadie isn't always so amused by it (at least when anyone is looking) but the other day I did catch her checking up on Marly again and even trying to play with her once.
Puppy feeding is going well...I have been weaning Marly off of Iams' Large Breed puppy food and moving her over to Solid Gold's Wolf Cub (their version of large breed puppy food).
The cats are all surviving well...Bonnie and Clyde a still a bit out of sorts, but are getting braver with the puppy. I think they are learning that though she is a little rough, and loud, and wild, she isn't going to kill them.
Alright, time for me to go get some actual work done. And finally go get Sadie licensed with the county...I am such a bad procrastinator sometimes! (It's been over a year now...)
