Episode #27: ON THE HUNT

Amy Shackelford
Aug 29, 2021
4 min read

Bonnie

Clyde

This week, the field behind our house got mowed. It is considered a “bird sanctuary” so it only gets mowed once a year. Bonnie and Clyde love the new smells. I can’t imagine all the new aromas (good and bad) that hit their noses.

The big advantage for the pups now in the field is that they can see every movement. The worst part of the freshly mowed area is that the animals have no cover. The entire field is the perfect place for pups to sniff out critters and hone their instincts.

Bradley was walking them on the leash so they couldn’t get to anything that he didn’t want (but they didn’t get that). Suddenly, a rabbit popped up and Bonnie and Clyde took off. They reached top speed so quick, I was amazed. But the end of the leash stopped them, and the rabbit got away. The rest of the walk, they were on the look out for more critters. I was proud of them for flushing their first rabbit (well, kind of).

We think that Clyde doesn’t like the smell or the feel of his metal food bowl. He has half-heartedly eaten for several days; even with cheese sprinkles, he wouldn’t finish. When we put his food in Penny’s bowl; he ate it. We hand fed him; he ate it. We put it in a regular bowl; he chased it around the room, but he ate it. He was only outsmarted by the scent of tuna juice on his food (in his own bowl). I guess we are going to buy him yet ANOTHER bowl (third one).

Bonnie had strained a muscle and hobbled with a huge limp from last week. That we had been monitoring ourselves before we took her to the vet. She limped so sever that I was worried. She even took the first few steps on three legs. As she loosened up, she played easier, but you could still notice it.

We are happy to report that she is doing much better. The limp is still noticeable, but healing. Sometimes when she is loose, I don’t see any limp. I’m thankful that our bodies were designed to heal themselves.

Ashley, out of the blue, said to me, while loving on the dogs, “If something happens to you and Dad… you know, if you die, I’m taking these dogs.” Wow Ashley, thank you for wanting them, but don’t sugar coat your words! So, I prompted replied, “That’s ok. If something happens and you die, I’m taking Moxie and Penny.”

Ashley does love these puppies. She sees them every day, drives over to pick them up to play in her backyard, and buys the dog treats from the barkery (just to name a few things she does). This week she bought them peanut butter sandwich doggie treats. They, of course, loved them.

I while back, we quit feeding the pups any thing but puppy chow. They kept having stomach issues, so we thought they needed special diets. We were trying to add one thing at a time to figure out what was upsetting their little tummies. Good news!!! In the excitement of having cute little puppies in the house, we lavished too much, their bellies just couldn’t handle it when they were young.

They’re older now; we changed up their food because they stopped eating well. We also tried them out on some of the treats that normally sent them running to potty. Their stomachs must have grown less delicate because they eat anything that we give them now (without the hurried trips outside). We do keep our enthusiasm contained for their sakes, but I’m glad to know that they can eat chicken!

Bonnie did spin for the first time. It was a hard command for them, so I made her do it several more times to make sure, but yay!!! Clyde, on the other hand, is too busy trying to take the treat that do the trick. He just sits down sniffing the other hand for the treats, grr!

Ashley came home from work and right away you could tell that the puppies missed her. She sat down in the floor with them and was mauled! Her glasses were knocked off her head, the bun in her hair was falling, and she was stepped and climbed on mercilessly. It was sweet to see the amount of attention they both give her.

We opened the door to the extra bedroom for a few minutes to air it out. In a matter of moments, one of the pups came upstairs, pooped in the floor, then went back downstairs. “Come on, the door was open for two minutes!!!” I believe I know who the culprit was, but I didn’t see her so I can’t officially blame her. Why pups… just why?