#12 - Pinto the BlogDog - Interview With Brodi

    HOWDY FOLKS!  Pinto the BlogDog here.  We've been up at the ranch for a week and a half.  M'Lady and TheBoss took off and went boating and fishing with FarmerEd and HisWifeLiz for 3 days!  They left us here by ourselves!  (Well, not really, Jenny and Cassi the DogLovers let us stay with them, and we got to come inside).  Anyway, we didn't get into any trouble attall while M'Lady was gone, 'cept we laid into the coyotes.  Not much.  And we got to be fussed over by the DogLovers :)

     Thought I'd stir things up a bit, and conduct an interview with Brodi, about an event that happened to him last week, down home at Sweet Hills Farm:

YoursTruly:  So, Brodi, how was it, last week, with the hot weather?

Hairy Brodi

Brodi:   Absolute misery.  Thought I was in a furnace, what with it being 108* outside, and my long, flowing hair.  I thought I would melt right into the ground.  M'Lady, bless 'er, brought me inside, and I would lay right on top of the air-conditioning vent in the vinyl floor of the kitchen.  I couldn't move I was so hot.

YoursTruly:  So, what happened last Tuesday?

Brodi:  Well, TheFam was getting all packed up to leave for the ranch.  I was excited, because I could see our food bowls, leashes andall going into the pile to go!  And then...

YoursTruly:  Yesssss, go on...

Brodi:  M'Lady stared at me, I could tell she was thinkin' hard.  She put her hands on her hips, and said, "Brodi, that hair of yours has to go!"  She walked out to the tackroom in the barn.  She got this huge toolbox, so I thought nothing of it.  She brought it to the backyard, and called me over to her.  "Brodi! Come!"  Oh boy, that tone always means trouble!  I got suspicious, and dug in my heels.  She dragged me over, and made me lay down on the grass and stay there!

YoursTruly:   And, go on...

Brodi:  She opened up the toolbox, and took out this huge steel contraption with sharp teeth, and buttons and knobs on it!  I heard her say that it was the cattle clippers.  It was GIGANTIC, it was longer than her arm!  I thought that thing might cut me from stem to stern!

     "No, no!" said I, "Please, please don't use those monsterous clippers on me!  Please us the little doggie clippers!"

     "But," said she, "you have enough tangly hair for a whole cow, and these super-sharp-titanium blades will slice through anything."
     "Oh, have mercy on me," I wimpered!  Then she pushed this button, that made the steel teeth go back and forth terribly fast, faster than the speed of sound, and it made this HUGE noise, like a steam locomotive!

YoursTruly:  Really Brodi?  I was there, it warn't so noisy as that.

Brodi:  OK, but it made a BIG rumbly noise!  And then she ran it over my legs and back and all over me, and all my hair started falling off in clumps on the grass!  And she wouldn't let me move.  If I twitched, or flinched,  or anything, she held me and said, "Quiet Brodi, it's OK."  It wasn't OK!!!  It was not OK attall!  She even ran that thing over my nether-regions!  I was scart she would cut somethin' off!

YoursTruly:  Really Brodi?  You don't have much of anythin' to cut off, as you well know.

Brodi:  Well, anyway, I was scart that she would cut off what I do have!  After a bit, she let me up to "take a break," and then TheFam laughed and laughed at me, 'cause I had these shaved patches all over my body!  I looked like a mange-ridden hippie-dog, not the beautiful Golden Retriever that I am!  Then, when ClayMan showed up, I thought, thank goodness he'll save me, 'cause he loves me best of all.  Then HE made me lay down again, and he was laughing at me too, so hard he could barely contain himself!  And then he turned on the monster-contraption and ran it all over me!

ClayMan shaving Brodi, who has no shame.

YoursTruly:  Pray, go on...

Brodi:  I thought ClayMan loved me, but he was mean and made me lay still Brodi!  And he kept shaving my beautiful hair off in ugly patches.  Finally, he gave me "a break" and I wandered around all flea-bitten and pitiful.

     After a bit, M'Lady got after it again.  And this time, she didn't let up till I was hairless!!!!!  Oh,  I was naked and it was so breezy and drafty!  I felt so embarassed!  TheFam was all laughin', and I tried to hide my face....

YoursTruly:  Yes, but Brodi, what's the final story?

Brodi:  Ask me if I care if everyone laughs at me because I'm naked.

Brodi, clean shaven (YoursTruly in the foreground).
Doesn't Brodi look like a different dog?  Man!  He's so handsome!

YoursTruly:  Do you care if everyone laughs at you because you're naked?

Brodi:  No!  I feel wonderful!  I have no hairy hair!  People don't even recognize me!  I'm cool and light, I can dance and run!  I'm not hot anymore and I'm happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy!!!!!

YoursTruly:  Yes, yes, we can see that Brodi.  You're a different dog.

Well, gotta go!  Catchya on the lowdown!

Keep your tail waggin!

#11 Pinto The BlogDog - I Was Bad

     HOWDY FOLKS!  Pinto the BlogDog here.  How're ya doin' on this pretty-not-a-cloud-in-the-sky day?  I'm just great, better'n yesterday, lemme tell ya.

Our rockchuck was like these guys.
They're kinda cute, don'tcha think?

      So, all around the edges of our farm live these little rascals called "rockchucks."  They're like
woodchucks only they're not.  Brodi and I love to chase 'em.  We don't do 'em no harm, they're just somethin' for us to run after.  When we're out on our daily patrols, or on a horseback ride with M'Lady, we run as fast as we can, to look for rockchucks.  The young ones chirp at us, kinda like a squirrel;  it's a game to 'em to tease us, 'cause they know they can outrun us back to their den.  They're sneaky little buggers, they scamper and dance just out of our reach, diving into their opening in the rocks before we can get 'em.

     I've never caught one.  Don't know what I'd do if I did.  I'm not a killer.  I'm a lover.  But, it's still fun to chase after 'em.

     Anyway, yesterday, M'Lady was riding Merrygold and ponying Roxie.  (that's where she rides one horse and leads t'other).  Brodi and I had run way, way ahead of her, to one of our favorite rockchuck-tormenting-places, a big rockpile on the edge of the farm.

     Well!  If there wasn't a huge, portly rockchuck lazing in the sun!  Boy Howdy, did we wake him up!  We had him cornered!  We were barking, feinting, darting in and snapping at him!  He was scrooched back as far as he could go against the rocks, baring his HUGE teeth at us.  We kept at it, scaring him, makin' him pay for all the times the young rockchucks chirped at and teased us.  It was so fun!

     M'Lady was so far behind us, she didn't know what we were doin'.  It took her a bit to figure out that we were harassin' somethin'.  When she did figure it out, she galloped full tilt toward us!  (Now you need to know that M'Lady never gallops.  Merrygold is 27, Roxie is 31, both way, way too old for galloping, so she musta really been serious about gettin' to us quick).  She was yellin' as loud as she could, "PINTO, COME!  BRODI, STOP!"  But we were havin' so much fun we couldn't.

     Finally, finally, finally, after M'Lady practically ran us over, I looked up and heard her, and came away.  Then Brodi didn't see the point of it any longer, neither, and he came away, too.  Boy did that rockchuck make a bee-line, and sorta waddle-ran back to his den.  M'Lady lectured us from astride her horse for another hundred yards.  "How would you like it if two big, snarling beasts scared you half to death?  You're no better than gangsters, no better than school-yard bullies, you BAD BOYS!"

Can't see what the big deal is, sittin' on the chair.  It's comfy!

    So, we went on the rest of our ride, but the joy had gone out of it.  When we got home, I was feelin' sorry for mesef.  So I hopped up on the patio chair, thinkin' that just this once, it would be OK.  For some reason, TheFam doesn't like me to sit on the patio chairs.  They say I get the cushions dirty and hairy.  They're always yelling at me to get off!  But, I thought, just this once....

     Well, I was wrong again.  M'Lady was already mad at me about the rockchuck ordeal, so I guess my sitting on her nice Adirondack chair just pushed her button again.

     So, I slunk away, and curled up in my nest under the big lilac and took a nap.

     Man, it's tough sometimes, stayin' outta trouble.

     But, today is a new day, a fresh start!

     Keep your tail waggin'!

#10 - Pinto the BlogDog - Doin's on Sweet Hills Farm

That's me, waitin' for some action.

   

   
      HOWDY FOLKS!  Pinto the BlogDog here.  How're ya all doin'?  It couldn't be prettier here today.  The sun is shinin', it's about 88* outside, and there is not a cloud in the sky.  This is crop growin' weather!  It was rainy for a coupla weeks, which was good - the land was desperate for rain.  The farmers were very happy for the rain to come.  But now, the growin' plants need warmth and sunshine!

     Now, ya know, on a farm, spring and summer are busy times.  In the spring, the farmer has to prepare the soil for planting, then he plants the little seeds, and then he fertilizes 'em.  But, now that the crops are planted and fertilized, the farmers are cultivating and irrigating the little plants.  They irrigate, irrigate, irrigate, the crops grow, grow grow, and then comes harvest.  In the farm-shops they're fixing the tractors, harvesters and cultivators - greasin' and getting' 'em all tuned up.  But here in my yard?  It's Q-U-I-E-T.

The wheat has grown a lot in the last coupla weeks,
what with the rain and  sunshine.
That white bar at the bottom is the irrigation pipe.

     I mean, have you ever watched crops grow?  Ya can't hardly see nothin' happ'nin'!  But the farmer,  he checks his crops every single day.  He watches over 'em.  He coddles 'em.  He touches their leaves and stems, he peeks at 'em, digs in the soil and rolls it around in his hand to check for moisture.  He looks up at the sky, he stares at the wind.  All day.  Every day.  All summer long.

Wheat being irrigated.  See the heads that have formed on the top of
each plant?  That's where the little wheat kernels are growing,
getting heavy and plump, and full of nutrition.

     I mean, really?  But, M'Lady reminds me that the farmers' crops are important to him, they are his lifeblood, they are his everything!  He plans all year for them, he loves his crops, he grows 'em and harvests 'em, and then sells 'em to feed you and me.  He does all this 'cause he loves to farm, he loves the land he cares for, and he feeds and cares for his family, too.

Sugarbeets are comin' right along.

     So this is what's goin' on:

     The wheat is growin'.

     The sugar beets are growin'.

     The pasture grass is gettin' gosh-durned tall.

     The hired man comes every day to irrigate the crops.

     The farmer comes every day and s-t-a-r-e-s at the crops.

     The sugar beets are being cultivated.

     The horses are grazing.  That's all they do.  Heads down, eat, eat, eat.

     That's it.

     Huh.

Merrygold in her grazing muzzle and flymask.

     One thing interesting is that Merrygold has to wear a grazing muzzle, 'cause she gets like a porky-piggy-tanker if she doesn't have one on.  The muzzle has a little hole in the bottom, see, 'bout the size of a half-dollar.  She can reach about 20% the amount of grass she would eat without the muzzle.  This way she gets to be out in the pasture with Roxie, otherwise she would have to stay in the corral.  She's happy, eats all day long, and she stays svelt like YoursTruly!  M'Lady tells Merrygold that she wishes someone loved her enough to put a grazing muzzle on her!  Hahaha!

     Oh, and the horses both wear flymasks.  That's what's on Merrygold's eyes.  It keeps the flies out of her face, the sun, dust and wind, too.  Pretty helpful.

     Well, gotta go.  It's dinner time!  Y-A-Y!!!  Dinner time!  Dinner time!  Dinner time!  The best time of the day!  (other than breakfast-time).  Catchya later!

     Keep your tail waggin'!

#9 Pinto the BlogDog - Happy Mother's Day!

     HOWDY FOLKS!  Pinto the BlogDog here.  Such a beautiful day today!  Sunny and gorgeous!  The weather around here went from Sub-Zero-Arctic-Outer-Siberia to Sahara-Desert-90* in about two days, though.  Man, that's hard on a guy.  And then, I'm accused of complaining about the weather!  Well, how can I not, I ask you?

Our Happy Hens

     So, remember when I said M'Lady hadn't been letting her hens out of the coop?  Well, the last few days she has been, and they love it.  They peck around the flowerbeds, eating weeds and bugs and what-not.  They run and flap their wings, and roll in the dirt to clean their feathers.  (Sounds weird, I know, but I do the same thing.  Must work.  Go figure).  

     They also have been going back to their nests to lay their eggs!  This may not sound like a big deal, but it sure is.  If they lay their eggs any old place, like under the horse trailer or in the pasture or somethin', then TheFam doesn't get to enjoy those nice, fresh eggs, and that won't work at-tall.  So, as long as the hens lay in their nests, and they're safe, M'Lady says she'll let 'em out during the daytime.

 They're clucking and cooing, in case you can't hear them.
You have to use your imagination.

     Yesterday, at the hens' bedtime, FarmGirl and WeeLaddie were walking out to the barn with me and M'Lady when she was bringin' in the hens.  She called them, and they came running!  She called out "Heeeeere Chicky-Chck-Chck-Chck-Chicky!  Chck-Chck-Chck-Chck-Chckeeeeeee!"  And those hens just came runnin' across the drive, cluckin', all excited, and right into their coop.  FarmGirl couldn't believe it!  She said, "Mom!  They're coming when you call!"  M'Lady just grinned at her and closed the coop door quick behind the last hen.  FarmGirl said, "They were running after you!"

     I say, "Yup!  Wouldn't you?"

     Oh, and new subject:  Get this!  Remember Abby, the psycho black lab that belongs to FarmGirl?  She had to go to boot camp!  It was either that or go back to the slammer.  So, I guess she's lucked out and gets another chance at life.  FarmGirl took her to Jan's Bed & Barkery, and Jan tested Abby before giving her the sentence.  She told FarmGirl she thought that Abby wasn't so bad afterall!  (Coulda fooled everyone with that one.  Wait till Jan lives with her for a few days).  She kept Abby (maybe forever???) and is gonna "work with her."  In the meantime, we have peace, glorious peace 'round here!

M'Lady and her mom, 2005

     So, I wish to say Happy Mother's Day to all the moms today.  I miss my mom, though, come to think of it, I never really knew her.  But, I'm thinkin', knowin' myself, she must've been a marvelous dog, and a good mother.   M'Lady misses her mom, too, who is in heaven.  But there're 4 moms here at Sweet Hills Farm today:  TheBoss' mom, M'Lady, FarmGirl and M'Ladys' brother's wife (Bro'sLady).  That's quite alot, and a fine celebration we're havin' here!  The ladies made all the food yesterday so that today, the menfolk could serve it to them, then clean it all up.  Somehow, that doesn't seem quite right to me, but, whatever floats their boat, ya know?

     Well, I gotta go clean up the scraps!

     HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

     Keep your tail waggin'!
   

#8 Pinto the BlogDog - The Ranch!

       HOWDY FOLKS, Pinto the BlogDog here.  It's been a coupla weeks since I posted.  Sorry 'bout that.  Time flies when you're a workin' farm dog.  Since I posted last, we took a jog up to the ranch.  This is a place that TheFam has, up in the Palouse country of eastern Washington.  It's called Bald Butte Ranch, and I'm pretty sure, it's just like heaven.  It's a working place, and has both cropped fields as well as pasture lands.  And p-r-e-t-t-y!  Wow!  And w-i-l-d!  For a curious and intelligent dog like me, there's a never ending variety of smells and animals to explore.

The ranch has both cropped fields and pasture land

     So, Brodi didn't get to go, because he tends to take the exploring idea a little too far.  Last time we went, which was before the cold winter, he and I took off, chasing smells, for about 9 hours.  M'Lady was frantic, thinkin' we were lost, or eaten up by coyotes.  Sheesh!  We knew where we were, it warn't no problem!  But she doesn't like us to do that, so Brodi had to go stay with ClayMan, while I, the perfectly behaved, got to have M'Lady and TheBoss all to myself for 5 days!  Yesssss!

The bunkhouse, it's really small

 

      It's still pretty cold up there, so M'lady and TheBoss holed up in the bunkhouse, cozy by the electric
heater, reading, reading, reading.  B-o-r-i-n-g!  They would feel sorry for me, so they would put me out so I could romp and play.  But that was no fun at-tall!  I wanted to be inside with them!  Every time they would put me out, I would quick, go pee on a post, then immediately scratch to come back in.  I did that all weekend.  It took the edge off the boredom, I could check on things, to make sure there was no danger lurking about, then torment them into letting me back inside.  It was great!

Winter wheat is just coming out of dormancy.
It doesn't look like it has any winterkill

     We went on a coupla hikes, to see if there was damage from last winter's snow and storms.  No damage!  No erosion!  M'Lady and TheBoss were so pleased and relieved!  It's a wild place, and winter storms usually tears things up.  Like the snow tears up trees, roads and shrubs, and such.  But not this year!  Rancher Les, who keeps his cows on the ranch and farms all the fields, did a fine job preparing the butte for winter.

The pretty aspen grove

     So we were hiking along a narrow little deer path, up in the aspen grove and following along Aspen Creek.  M'Lady saw what she thought looked like elk poop, and she said, "That looks like elk poop."  The Boss stopped and took a good look at it, and said, "I think that looks more like moose poop."  No sooner had he said that when what stood up not 15 feet in front of us but a MOOSE!!!

What is this?   You guessed it!

     He was a yearling bull.  He had been napping in the creekbed and we must have awakened him.  He was scared of us, you could see.  He laid his ears back, looked square at me, and didn't move.  I was standing, of course, exactly next to M'Lady, and did I rush at him?  No, no!  M'Lady said quietly, quietly to me, "Pinto, stay, stay, don't move."  I didn't move a muscle.  I held the moose's eyes.  We barely breathed.  TheBoss said quietly, "Watch out for the mother, she's around somewhere, and she's the danger."  We held our breath and couldn't believe our eyes.

MOOSE!

     Finally, somebody had to do something.  We couldn't just stand there all day.  Without taking his eyes off of me, the moose walked past us, and then ran away fast up the trail and into the aspens.  We never did see his mother, who has a new calf with her.

The moose, running away

     The rest of the hike was amazing, looking at the new crop of winter wheat, the pretty views and vistas.  It was a wonderful day.

     Well, gotta go chase the cats, Charlie just came up the walkway with a huge mouse!
     Keep your tail waggin'!
 

#7- Pinto the Blogdog- the Chickens!

     HOWDY FOLKS!  Pinto the Blogdog here.  I promised I'd tell ya'll about the chickens.  Now, some people may look askance when I say I like our hens.  But, I do.  They're friendly little creatures, cheerful, talkative, and very production oriented.  I mean, they earn their keep, unlike some of the beasts around this place, who shall remain unnamed. They each give us an egg every 30 hours or so.  You can't argue about that!

     So, M'Lady has kept hens since she was 11 years old.  She loves 'em.  She has a nice coop, built right into the barn, which has a big outdoor pen attached to it.  This way the hens can go in and out, enjoy the sunshine, and have a nice, safe place to roost at night and nests to lay their eggs in the daytime.  Every few years, she'll sell the older hens, and buy new young pullets (young females).  The batch she has now are:

The hens enjoying kitchen scraps and sunshine

   

#6- Pinto the BlogDog - Abby Does a Bad Thing

Abby, the subject in question

     HOWDY FOLKS, Pinto the BlogDog here!  How's it goin' for ya on this beautiful Easter Sunday?  My farm is so pretty today, the horses are grazing in the pasture, the tractor is out working in the field, the sun is shining nicely, and the birds are filling the air with their song.

     So, wait till you hear this story!  Last Thursday, M'Lady had two loads of laundry out on the line before dawn.  (Now, that might sound really ambitious, but let's not forget that it doesn't get light around here till 8 am).  Anyway, that's a lotta laundry!  She had hung them there early so that they could dry all day in the gentle spring breeze.

#5 - Pinto the Blogdog - The Horses!

     HOWDY folks!  Pinto the Blogdog here.  It's been a busy week, we're getting the pasture ready for irrigating and the yards cleaned up.  The horses, though, have no idea that there's so much going on.  All they do is eat and doze, eat and doze, eat some more and then it's bedtime.  They're really big animals, and their brains, I think, are smaller than mine, which makes for a very dangerous combination if you're a herding dog like me.  I like to nip at their heels, and have to move quick to stay out of their way.  Since they're part of the program here though, I'd better tell you about them.
     First of all, even though they're ancient old dames, these are fancy horses.

Merrygold, stylin' in her new Christmas blanket

     Merrygold is M'Lady's good horse.  She was born on April Fool's Day (no surprise there) in 1986, which would make her 27 years old.  Now, counting on my fingers, (no wait, I don't have fingers - counting on my PAWS), she is really, really old, about 95 human years.  But, she's sassy!  That ole' nag runs, kicks up her heels, and farts all at the same time!   It's hilarious, and great entertainment for TheFam!  Whenever I come around her, she pins her ears back!  Mean!  But Merrygold doesn't really kick, no sir, and she doesn't buck nor rear, she's a real lady, that horse is.   When she was younger, she had 3 foals for M'Lady, so she has a big, fat belly.  Oh, and she eats all the time.  M'Lady still rides her some, but for much shorter rides than in the olden days.

4 - Pinto the BlogDog - THE CATS

     HOWDY folks, Pinto the BlogDog here.  I've been out of touch the past week, had a little vacation from the stresses of life.  M'Lady went to a Sewing and Stitchery Expo in Puyallup, Washington.  Can you imagine such a thing?  Going all that way, all that time, to learn about sewing???  When there are so many interesting things to see and do, right here in our own backyard?  But, since she was gone, I took a break, slept in, didn't work out, ate too much, peed on all the trees.  You know, manly stuff.
     So, now it's time to tell you about the cats around here.  If you ask me, there are too many of them.  But TheBoss says that "they're worth their weight in gold," because we have no mice on this farm.  No gophers, either.  Chester and Charlie hunt every single day, and they bring in mice every time they go out to the field.  And, even though they're working cats, they're still fun to torment, chase and cuddle with.  So, here you go, I'll tell you their names and their strong points (not many).  Oh, and M'Lady wants me to mention that they're all fixed, eat healthy cat food, have good shelter and are loved and well cared for.  :)

Jerome, up in the haystack

     Jerome, black, about 10 years old.  This is a huge, handsome male.  He was a street kitten, a waif, skinny as a wisp of grass.  Someone found him at a mechanic's shop on a busy street in town, and called M'Lady, knowing she is a sucker.  Yep, sure enough, she took him in.  He's packed on the pounds over the years, and is a marginal hunter.  He's really quiet, kinda shy, mellow, a friendly fellow.

Chester and I love each other

 Chester, marmalade male, 4 years old.  Now this is a cat!  First off, he's gorgeous, gorgeous!  ClayMan picked him up at the pound when he was a kitten and named him Chester, because he has a big "C" on his side.  And, sure enough, ClayMan brought him home from college one summer and couldn't take him to his new apartment when he went back in the fall.  That's how TheFam gets half their pets.  Anyway, this is the huntingist-lovinist cat around.  He's funny, and he loves to do battle with Lucky, telling her to buzz off!  He hisses and roars just like a lion with Charlie when they play.  And boy, do they roughouse, tearing around the place, tumbling all over each other, it's crazy!  Oh, and he hunts all the time, every day. He's an outstanding hunter, I think that's because he works out every day.  He's absolutely my favorite. Man, what a cat!

3 - Pinto The BlogDog Ate Something Bad

     HOWDY FOLKS!  Pinto the Blogdog here.  Just a quick note, I have time on my hands because I'm stuck outside.   You see, this morning, on our romp, I found something that M'Lady says was "dead, putrid, disgusting and foul!"  Gee, it sure didn't seem that way to me!  Sure, it was slimy, but I couldn't resist!  I could smell it, just under the soil, so I dug it up, and frolicked along with it while we walked, flinging it up into the air, then racing to nab it before M'Lady grabbed it away from me.  She kept trying to get me to "put that down, Pinto!" but I wouldn't, I snuck off and ATE IT.  It was d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!

2 - Pinto's Pal, Brodi

Brodi and me on a hike.
M'Lady had said to "Sit!" and "Stay!"
So I ignored her.  But Brodi is lookin' pretty cute

     HOWDY folks!  Pinto the BlogDog here.  Last week, I promised to tell you about my pal, Brodi.  You need to know about him, 'cause he's important to the operation.  He doesn't actually belong to M'Lady and TheBoss.  He belongs to their son, ClayMan.  But, M'Lady says he's here to stay.  That ole' Brodi weaseled his charm into her heart pronto.  I guess that wasn't hard, she's such a softy.

     You see, about 2 years ago, TheFam lost their dear old bloodhound, Gump.  After that, I was really enjoying having TheFam all to myself.  They took me everywhere, and talked to me,  scratched and petted me all the time!  But, ClayMan came home from college for the summer, and the first thing he said was, "I'm going to get us a new dog, Pinto is lonely!" (I wasn't lonely at all!)  M'Lady said no!  But, ClayMan went to the pound, and walked out with a 7 year old golden retriever named Brodi.  ClayMan told M'Lady that Brodi was on sale and looked so sweet, he just had to bring him home.  M'Lady and BossMan were pretty steamed, but by now, they practically love Brodi as much as ME!

     When Brodi first came here, he was a wreck, weighing in at 103 pounds!!!  Holy CatTails, Man, what have you been doing, eating and couch-surfing?  I keep myself at a svelt 37 pounds, eat modestly and work out every day.  Brodi could barely walk across the yard, he was so out of shape.  Oh, and he was a tender-toes, practically tiptoeing across the gravel driveway the first two weeks.  It was pretty sorry.  Also, I think he had never done anything.  He didn't know about cats, birds, cows, dirt - heck he didn't know about swimming!  It took him about a month to finally figure out how to swim in the canal to cool off.  Now, you can hardly keep him out of there!

   Poor Brodi.  M'Lady put him on a crash diet.  Plus, she put him on a fitness regimen.  He started going with us on our daily patrols along the ditch-road.  At first, even though I was pointing out any number of fascinating things to sniff and dig at, he stayed right with M'Lady.  And, he'd be draggin' after about 200 yards!  You can't be draggin'!  I mean, when we're on our romps, the field birds taunt us, there are pheasants and quail to scare up, rockchuck dens to dig up, cattle to stare at through the fence, and a really cute black lab on the next farm named Cheese to flirt with.  It took Brodi weeks to break away and start running with me.  I think he couldn't breathe or something.  Then, finally, he figured it out, and now, he leads our races.

     After a coupla months, Brodi had the vet weigh him; he had gotten down to a trim 65 pounds, and he became a specimen!  Wow!  What a beautiful dog!  And well behaved!  Somebody along the way taught that dog manners!  He actually made me look bad!

     One thing that drives me nuts about Brodi is that he loves his ball.  He will drop it at ClayMan's feet, and while ClayMan completely ignores him, will stand absolutely still and stare at that ball.  Then ClayMan will suddenly throw the ball, and Brodi will inanely run till he finds and catches it.  Then he'll run as fast as he can back to ClayMan, drop the ball, and do it all over again. Over and Over and Over.

     Really?

     I gotta have some variety in my play!  I like to chase Brodi as he's mindlessly chasing the ball, and try to distract him by biting his legs, leaping up right in front of his face and joyfully snarling and growling at him.  It really ticks him off, and I tell ya, it makes my day.

Brodi and TheWeeLaddie.  He's got that wisdom look
on his face - fooling everybody.

     Oh, here's another thing.  Even though Brodi has wheedled his way into TheFam's hearts, he made one big mistake.  In the wintertime, we get to sleep inside, ya know, 'cause it's cold out.  Well, last winter Brodi was sleeping on his bed in the kitchen, and he had an accident on the living room carpet!  Big, big mistake.  So, now he has to sleep in the laundry room, while I, The Honored, The Devoted, get to sleep on a sheepskin rug exactly next to M'Lady's side of the bed.  I protect her and keep her company all night long.  :)

     So, now it's been a coupla years, and Brodi and I are tight.  I need him and he needs me.  He has fully embraced farm life, and now that he has TheFam's cues figured out, he's "Mr. Ready."  For example, when M'Lady gets out her barn boots, he leaps off his bed and races to the door!  Or, when we're outside, and anybody comes out, he leaps up and gets his ball!  And, when TheWeeLaddie visits, Brodi lets him pull his ears and climb all over him.  M'Lady says that when they, TheFam are sitting quietly, Brodi comes and stares at them "with all the wisdom of the world."  Good Grief.

    He's my pal, and I love him.

    Keep your tail waggin'!

Introducing Pinto the Blog Dog!

           HOWDY from Sweet Hills Farm! I’m Pinto the BlogDog, the self-appointed spokes-dog for the farm. M’Lady says I’m the best dog The Family (TheFam, for short) has ever had because I’m smart and obedient. I’m smart because of my genes: ½ Border Collie and ½ Queensland Heeler. Put these two together, and you have a thinkin’, workin’, lovin’ machine. My thoughts are always 3 or 4 steps ahead of everyone else’s, especially the cats.

           The only bad thing about me, according to every single human I’ve ever encountered, is that I jump vertical about 5’ high, right in the human’s personal space whenever anybody goes outside. Personal space? What the heck is that? They get really irritated about this, and yell at me to knock it off! But going out and about is just soooooo exciting!!!