All dogs, all the time

When I was seventeen, my friend, Lori, and I went on a hike and found a stray mama dog with a litter of puppies. Of course, we both wanted to save them, so we went home to plead our cases. I was shocked and delighted when my parents said that I could take one puppy. We drove back to the parking lot where we'd found them, but it turned out that they weren't actually strays. Their owner said she'd be happy to sell me one, but not the little girl pup I really wanted. That one was already spoken for.

Rather than settle for one of the boys, I went to the pound and found another sweet tri color girl. I named her Megan, and we were inseparable for almost a week. Then she started vomiting water. We took her to the vet, and she died there. It was awful.

A couple months later, I got another puppy. Her name was Sally, and I loved her dearly, but it took a long time to get over the trauma of losing Megan.

Tuesday night, Piper was a little sneezy. She woke up coughing on Wednesday, and I freaked out. I put her in the car and took her straight to the vet. I'm not normally like that, but some scars run deep. I guess I'll never really get over Megan.

Fortunately, this story has a happy ending. Piper got a clean bill of health. She's back at home and doing just fine. 

Darcy has taken over her training. They bork at the mailman together...

and Darcy has explained the entire package inspection process.

Pipes is a natural!

She's also learned to sit, catch and wear hats.

Socializing is important, so she's gone to the pet store,

the hardware store...

and the barn.

She behaved really well and had no fear of the horses at all.

It's still a work in progress, but I think this three dog thing is going to work out.

Eventually, I promise, I'll get back to horses, but right now, it's all dogs, all the time, and I am loving every minute of it.

Almost wordless Wednesday

Seth's squirrel garden attracted had a new visitor yesterday. Emma spotted him hiding behind a tree in our across-the-street neighbor's front yard, and she and her sisters sounded the alarm. I got my camera and was able to snap a few photos as he crossed the street and came right up to the edge of our lawn. It was exciting for all us!

Three dog family

We've been flirting with the idea of a third dog for a long time - years really - but more so since the beginning of the pandemic.

"Now is the time," we proclaimed. "We're all at home anyway."

With that, we logged on to Adopt-A-Pet and chose a likely candidate. We filled in the application, but not quickly enough. Someone else got her before we could even meet her.

Evergreen

And that's how it's been for months. So many dogs gone so quickly.

Penelope

We were beginning to think it would never happen, but late in the day on Easter Sunday, Adopt-A-Pet sent me another alert.

This one was still available. We got in the car and drove across the Denver Metro area to Westminster.

I was convinced she would be adopted while we were driving, but no. She was still there.

The adoption facilitator told us she was very shy and would probably hide from us, so I sat on the floor while she went to get her. Instead of hiding, Blanca walked right over to me and tucked herself into my lap.

She liked Seth just as much. If we could have, we'd have taken her home that day. However, the shelter wanted to see her interact with Darcy and Emma first.

We did that yesterday. It went fine, and now we are officially a three dog family.

The new addition - who is probably Piper and definitely not Blanca - was pretty smelly, so she got a bath right away.

Poor girl is very, very thin. 

We're spending a lot of time hanging out and bonding.

She's a little bit timid and anxious, but I'm seeing signs of the happy, confident, playful dog I think she will become. 

Darcy has been a saint. Everything is more complicated with Emma, but she's doing okay, too. I think they'll be a good pack eventually.

It's really nice having a white dog in my life again.

If I'm not here quite as much for the next little bit, this is why. I'm taking some time to enjoy my three dog family.

Miniature mysteries

I didn't think I needed anything from Anne Field's recent live sale, but I like  to support my friends so I attended anyway. Also, I knew deep down that I probably did need something. Specifically, I needed two tiny pony bags and a twelve dollar mystery envelope.

The pony bags are extremely cute and will prove useful should I ever get around to painting some of my Maggie micro herd.

I had no idea what to expect from the mystery envelope.

Well, that's not exactly true. Anne had stated that each envelope would have tiny money, and in fact, mine did.

There was also a sticker, a pink Starbucks cup, an energy drink, several paper plates, a tiny rolling pin, an ice cream cone and a pair of handcuffs. 

And look! I got a fifty dollar coupon towards the purchase of a custom doll or merchandise at her next live sale. Woo hoo!

I'm so glad I went to Anne's sale. I definitely needed all these things.

Thank you, Anne, and congratulations on another successful sale.

Prizes and donations

It took a minute, but my prizes from the Winter Fun Photoshow arrived last week. I got a knitted winter hat, an Arabian medallion by Tamzyn Revolta, an American flag saddle blanket by Dora Duftschmied, a saddle stand by Bobbie Allen and a pair of Winter Fun stickers designed by show holder, Anna Dobrowolska-Oczko.

You can't really see it in the main photo, so here's a better look at the saddle stand. It also has the Winter Fun logo!

The overall champion shower was awarded Anna's new Eigrit resin. That was not me, but I got one anyway. She's not here to stay, however. Instead, she will be awarded to one lucky NaMoPaiMo Champion of the Day.

Here's a look at some of the other donations that were in the box. These cute saddlepads are from Sanne at the ModelHorseBox.

Speaking of NaMoPaiMo prizes... 

Now that the weather is cooperating, I've set up a medallion casting table on the back porch. Every one of the 2021 NaMoPaiMo Champions of the Day will receive a Quintus medallion. If that's you, expect a package from me in the very near future!

Pictures and videos from today's ride

A couple days ago I accidentally invited half my Facebook friends to a video call I didn't know about and, therefore, didn't attend. Oops. Most of my friends assumed (accurately) that it was a butt dial and didn't respond, but Stephanie and Alicia answered and ended up having an enjoyable conversation. 

"I was riding when it happened," I told them several hours after the fact. "If I had realized what I had done, you could have seen the trail through Stealth's ears."

To which, Alicia responded, "I would have loved that."

Today, I went to the barn again. I did not butt dial anyone, but I did turn on the camera a couple times so that Alicia and everyone else could see the trail through Stealth's ears. 

Instead of riding our usual loop, we headed over the Star K Ranch area. Here we are approaching the Airport Blvd overpass. 

And underneath! It always feels like this should be scary for the horses, but mostly they handle it just fine.

As you can see, the first part of this ride is pretty urban, but it doesn't take too long to get to a prettier trail.

We crossed bridges,

waded through creeks,

rode up...

and down hills,

and conquered all kinds of scary obstacles.

We saw the first green grass of the season...

and were pestered by swarms of newly hatched bugs.

All of it - even the bugs - was wonderful.

It is a privilege to view the world through these ears.

Thank you, Stealth.

For me, this month last year was the worst part of the pandemic. The barn was closed, and I spent the entire month at home, watching the news and eating my emotions. There's still a long way to go before we're done with Covid-19, but this year is better and today was wonderful.