Snowy puppy days and (below) freezing puppy nights

It has been six weeks since Oscar the puppy has joined our family.  He presence has both melted our hearts and turned our world upside down.  

I suppose we could blame Santa but really adding another dog was my idea.  I started looking around at dogs last spring after I noticed Archie was sleeping through porch visitors and package deliveries.  Archie has been our faithful doorbell and extra set of eyes and ears for over 10 years and is slowing down considerably.  How grateful I am for all he has offered our family and now wish to allow him rest and comfort in his old age.   

In the past our dogs have been adopted as adults.  First Molly the golden lab who was picked up from a shelter a month before we were married, then Archie who was from a breeder who needed to re-home him because of his hips and then Polar who was no longer cooperating as a show dog.  Each of them joined our home and family without too much trouble or disruption to our daily routine.

I thought adding another adult dog would be no trouble at all.  We looked on petfinder.com, craigslist and visited shelters with hopes to find the perfect match.  I had my heart set on a German Shepherd because I grew up with one, Hedi, I remember laying on her warm belly and riding on her back and feeling a strong connection to her.  

I corresponded with an owner who had to re-home her German Shepherd immediately because of life circumstances. I invited her out to bring her dog for a visit to our farm and not 15 minutes into it the dog growled at the little ones, chased a chicken and attacked Archie.  That was all I needed to push the idea of another dog far into the future.

Oddly, even after such a bad experience the thought of another dog continued to surface in the weeks that followed.  Late one evening I decided to search for a puppy, I have never raised a puppy but I certainly have experience with children - how could it be any harder? The first available litter that came up on my search was 8 available Bernese Mountain dogs, just listed that evening.  I was totally unfamiliar with the breed but with only a few pages of skimming had a feeling it would be a good fit on our farm and with our family.    

   

I called the breeder first thing in the morning and told her our situation - all the kids, the animals, the farm and a new baby on its way.  She reassured me that these were great family dogs, that she had 4 very young children of her own and with the help of a few older children a puppy would be manageable.  8 weeks later Oscar popped out of a wrapped box under the Christmas tree.  It was a magic moment for sure, the girls wept tears of joy and the boys laughed and cheered. 

The first two weeks were more than joyful.  We took turns snuggling him all night and carrying him around like a stuffed animal during the day.  He followed us everywhere and never left our side.  It seemed we just got lucky.

Not sure exactly when it happened but the following two weeks were more than painful.  His playing was no longer fun and turned to biting and the night time snuggling turned to taking turns on the couch to let him out every two hours and cleaning up poop when we were just not quick enough.



We cleaned up so much poop! These two weeks coincided with the coldest weeks of the year - it was not fun begging a puppy to poop at 4 am knee deep in snow at -10 degrees (and very pregnant).



Honestly, I felt I had made a huge mistake. I began to doubt the feelings of peace I had around making this decision.  I prayerfully asked for wisdom, understanding and direction.

My next midwife appointment I think we talked more about the puppy than anything else.  I cried about it - my midwife went above and beyond her duties and in sharing her puppy raising experiences and lending me a training book.

 I then talked to a handful of trainers and found one who would come to our house to train us on how to raise a puppy.  I aligned with her training philosophy and we both agreed that with so much going on both inside and outside the house the puppy needed a strict schedule and clear boundaries.  I realized that this was an opportunity to gain wisdom and experience that would benefit not just puppy but also my children.  And it would not be easy - it would require a new level of calmness, presence, organization, structure, discipline and boundaries.  These are areas that have been calling my attention even before the puppy arrived. 

After almost 3 weeks of practiced discipline it is paying off.  We rarely have to clean up accidents and we have a much calmer puppy who is eager to please and eager to learn.

   

I also learned that I don't have to do everything.  I have turned almost all of the puppy care and training over to James and William.  They are doing an excellent job.

As for the cats.....they are not so sure.  I find them hiding in the strangest places these days.

And as for the other dogs, it seems to be a good match.  Archie seems to have more energy now that he has a puppy companion and Polar enjoys daily playtime in the pasture with Oscar.

Doesn't seem this winter, pregnancy or puppy stage will ever end,  it's been long and memorable for sure.  It seems the snow piles, my belly and the puppy are all growing daily. Doing my best to capture it and not wish it to end too soon.   

Prayers for Polar

This is Polar, a 130 lb male Pyrenese, we brought him home last Friday to join us as a livestock guardian dog.  He is as sweet as he is fluffy and we fell in love with him in an instant.  But what we under estimated was his strength and the work it would take to get him adjusted to his new home.

So he joined us last Friday night and I was sure he would be happy and secure in the smaller goat pen.  By 8 am the next morning though he was gone!  When I discovered he was gone Paul had already left for the temple and the older boys were over an hour away at Paul's parents. Instantly I set Charlie in the high chair and put Clara in charge of him and George, then called to Maryanna to quickly throw on her coat and boots.  We ran into the woods calling for him but there was no response.

Not knowing what to do I instinctively called my mom, and cried, it was still very early in Utah but she got up, soothed me and let me let everything out that seemed to not be going right in my life at this time, the new dog running away was just the cracking point.  I was pacing the hay field still talking and crying when my senses came back to me, I was not properly dressed for the snow and I forgot Charlie was still in the high chair and I forgot to milk and goats and the cows and chickens were calling to be fed.  My mom promised to say prayers for Polar and reminded me to have faith in the impossible.

I completed all the animal care faster than I ever had before, pulled out my book of neighborhood #'s and starting making calls.  Again, they were here for me in an instant.  Someone came to watch the kids inside, there were two in cars circling nearby streets, one making calls to alert other neighbors and one with her dog back in the field and woods with me.  The breeder who only lives about 15 miles away came by also to help.  After a couple hours though he could be anywhere and there were hundreds and hundreds of acres of woods between us and his former home.

I did everything I knew to do, all before I could even get a hold of Paul on the phone, we made flyers and posted them at several locations, called animal control and drove miles calling his name.  It was hard to explain to Paul what happened, the dog just busted out of the pen and then forced open the gate.   It is also hard to describe how horrible we both felt, this poor dog was totally displaced.

For three days we kept praying and invited everyone we knew to pray for this wandering dog.  We spent hours wandering the woods and driving slowly down country roads.

We posted about him on facebook and craigslist and by Monday afternoon we had a few leads.  A jogger took a picture of what we thought to be him about 5 miles away, but it was another male Pyrenees, not Polar.  I slumped with discouragement and instantly heard a whisper "come on Alison, pull up your shoulders and exercise faith".  So I did and instead of heading home I suggested to Paul that we randomly stop by any home where we see someone outside.  A few more miles away there was someone getting out of his car and he said "yes!  that dog was here on Saturday but was too scared to come to me and ran into the woods".  We were encouraged but the reality was he could have gone miles since Saturday.  The next house was more promising, a man unloading woods said he saw him just that morning while he was trapping rabbits.  He drove with us back into his woods to show us where he was spotted and where he thought he may have run.  The man was very kind and even offered to put out some food and set up a camera to help in the rescue.

By now it was getting dark and it was time for dinner and family night.  Paul read to us from Gene R. Cook's book "Living by the Powers of Faith", we listened to the story of his scriptures being stolen somewhere in South America and weeks later being returned.  We prayed once again as a family, honestly I cannot count how many prayers were said for this dog.  Everyone was tucked in bed and Paul and I determined we were going to find him, we slipped out leaving James in charge.  It was cold and freezing rain so we geared up in insulated Carhartts, headlamps and Bog boots.  We drove slowly, stopped and got out where ever we felt like we should and kept calling for him.  I did not want to give up but Paul was scheduled to leave town the next day and I was obviously in need of some rest.  We went to bed still hoping for a miracle.

At 12:30 am I was woken up by the phone, it was our neighbor and Polar was just outside on his driveway, he had set off the driveway alarm.  We were over there in an instant but Polar was so scared and did not know us as his owners, we called to him in the dark and in the freezing rain and circled and searched around our neighbor's property but Polar stayed out of site from us.  We did this until 2:30 and soaked and freezing headed home for bed, we'd try again as soon as it was light.

At 7:00 am there was another call from our neighbor, Polar was spotted in the little vineyard on our property!  We jumped out of bed and Paul and I ran (and slipped on some ice) to secure the gates.  We finally had him locked in but he still would not come to us.  The breeder was heading out for the day but instantly made a detour to our home.  Her daughter was able to catch him and we had him back and this time secured inside a crate inside the goat pen.

I cannot describe the gratitude, relief, peace and comfort that followed, this was a miracle for our family.  We still have our work cut out for us and despite the emotional investment we've honestly had to ask our self if  it was right for this dog is to stay on our farm.

Paul fixed the pen door and we've secured all the fences and gates.  This dog will be on a short leash until he knows us and knows his place here.  The boys are doing a good job with him.

So far Polar likes William the most.  William checks on him several times a day and even took a little nap with him in the straw.

We are hoping he will bond to the sheep as they are most vunerable to predators.  So far though neither parties are very impressed.  But after the miracle of Polar's return, I am reminded with hard work and faith anything is possible.

And Archie our old faithful black lab is a good sport and looking more like a puppy next to Polar.

The other animals are not so sure, they are all on alert because honestly Polar does kind of look like a Polar bear.   So far though he has won the hearts of the humans so now I'm praying for it to work for all of us.

Two new kittens

Maryanna and Peter had the joy of picking out two kittens a couple weeks ago.  There were 5 of them and they were irresistible, it was too hard to choose which ones would come home with us so we ended up bringing home 3 and brought one to a friend's home to be loved by all her children.

This beautiful mother cat  is also the mother or grandmother (not exactly sure) of our two cats Andromeda and Luna. We've been missing Andromeda since July, it was James' cat since "she chose him", and our hearts ache every time we think of her. It is a mystery of where she went or what happened and we still believe she may return.  About a month ago I found Clara in a corner by herself with tears in her eyes holding a photo of Andromeda, she said "I just need a private moment with this picture".  It was in that moment I got to share with her my belief of letting go to higher purposes and how it is in that space that we witness miracles.

These little kittens are not intended to replace Andromeda, James has reassured me nothing could, they are a balm to young aching hearts and will be raised to do what they do best, cuddle children and keep the mice population in balance.

This black furry one is named "Luvee" and Maryanna is hoping he "chooses her".  He really is a lovey kitten and is unique in the way he melts into the arms of who ever holds him.

This one is named Crystal.  When we picked them up she was in our friend's garden playing with a crystal.  She is unique in her beauty but will only tolerate limited handling, she loves to climb to high spaces.

Kittens are irresistible, I love the way they torture even an almost teenaged boy with their cuteness.

William is very casual in the way he allows Crystal to ride on his shoulder.  He is a natural with all animals so they are natural with him (sometimes in the most unnatural ways).

By now I'd say Luvee has "chosen" Maryanna, he actually "chooses" anyone that hold him but as you can see from the following series no one else is really given a chance.  I love to see Maryanna in full mother mode, she is a natural.

I am actually finding my cat allergy is fading the more time I spend with them, that is in contrast to the intensive itching and sneezing I experienced last year when we first brought Luna and Andromeda home. So happy that I am finding experiencing relief because it is such a joy it is to share our life with these sweet animals!

The kids and their kittens

This week we brought home two adorable kittens.  The kids are raising them with lots of excitement and attention while Paul and I observe at arm's length (since we both have cat allergies).  We hope these little cuties will aid in mouse control around both the house and barn.

Maryanna's been nesting all week for their arrival.  With a little assistance from me she was able to sew them a soft little bed.  I think she's got the sewing bug.

The kitties do love their bed but they are so much fun to hold.  Even I couldn't resist but ended up sneezing for hours.

It's a good thing we brought home two because everyone wants to love them.

Their names are Andromeda and Luna, as selected and insisted upon by James.  Since he's the one cleaning out the litter box I gave him final say on the names.  And boy do they love this boy.  Luna likes to climb up his leg all the way up to his shoulders then nap alongside him as he does his school work.

And here is Andromeda all tucked in bed by Maryanna.   

I have to say I had some reservations about bringing these kittens home.  At first I wasn't sure how it'd work with our allergies and whether we could responsibly care for a few new animals.  But I am reminded of the magical bond between children and pets and glad these two kitties have joined us.  

And here's Pickles, he's already been established in the barn for weeks.  He's an excellent hunter but a bit aloof, except for when William is in site.  William is the only one he'll allow hold him.  Which brings me back to the magic between children and animals, and why we now how 3 furry cats.