It was bound to happen sometime, Doodle and the pups found a frog today. It's a good thing we were right there, I think they were mostly confused when it hopped so they didn't have a chance to hurt it or get too excited and I was able to rescue it and put it next to the foundation in the shade well outside the fence. It was just a little toad with an incredibly soft belly.

Rupert and I took a very short walk tonight, just up the street to the end of the block, turned around went around teh circle drive once and then up to the other corner and back. I'm still working on mastering the basics, even after 8 years it takes me a while to fall into just the right groove. Rupert saw a cat on our way back from the first turn and did his pulling highpictched keening burble noise that means he's in prey drive and somewhat anxious and excited and I reactively pulled on the leash and kept tension but immediately realised what I'd done so I turned and went back the way we'd come and released tension and it was fantastic to see Rupert settle in again immediately.

Another trouble spot was going up the circle drive, there is a dog kennel about 10feet from the road in our neighbors yard, Rupert's played with the dog before it's a little girly shepard mix who's an absolute sweetheart but he still got all puffy and was looking for a reason so we did a couple sits and I was really fighting with him and once we got onto the circle drive somehow he'd ended up with the leash straight out but in the 20 or so feet it took to get back to the road leading into our road I got it together. As we were coming up on our neighbors truck I realised Rupert would want to sniff so I stayed super-calm and Rupert fell into place and as we got to the rear tire Rupert sat when I stopped abrubtly I praised and released him to sniff which he took full opportunity to do, and then the crowning moment of the walk - after his sniff he drifted roughly back into heel position on my left side and smelled something and perked up, it could have been a cat across the street I don't know but BEFORE I tightened the leash reactively I realised there was no need so we stood there a few seconds the leash absolutely loose and then Rupert just calmed and I felt ready to continue and the rest of the walk was fantastic, Rupert walked loose lead perfectly!

His shoulder was at my left knee, the hook on the leash hanging straight down, the leash barely held in my hand and all my tension just dissappeared. I didn't realise how much I needed that walk.

I'm wary about walking Rupert every day while he's recovering but every other day is probably going to be fine, I'll have to pick one of the other dogs to go walking with me on his off nights.

Rupert has been on clavamox for a week because of his abcessed tooth, the one vet we got the drugs from was going to give him a second week but come to find out that's a REALLY bad idea because the antibiotic is way too strong so thankfully we got a 2nd opinion. Now he's on something else... the pills are huge and two tone green I think. He's being a trooper tho and taking his peanut butter every day. I'm really starting to suspect that he's got diabetes, or that the food we switched him to(purina weight maintence) is complete carbo crap and it's making him sick. I'm looking online for the best price on a 6lb bag of Innova EVO reduced fat dry dogfood for him and we'll see if that helps. Anyone know a decence place to buy that food online that maybe offers free shipping?

 Two days ago I took my laptop and showed my parents all the pictures I've been taking of the dogs over the last few years. I love taking pictures and the dogs are really getting into it. I swear they pose.

Oh, and today Doodle pulled a dead bird through the fence and all the pups and everyone were just about to dig in, it was so... interesting? to watch my mom try to pick it up and toss it in a bag and bits kept falling off. Now the dogs are obcessed with the area and they've been digging and have already got a hole big enough to stick their head through under the fence. We should have gone with my plan - trench under the fence and put in a foot of tightly packed gravel fill underneath the fence and bring in up to a hump around the base. I don't think the critters will dig in gravel it's too hard on their feet. This is the second dead bird in less than a month, I almost want to go brush every dog mouth in the house.

Ah, blog a DoG... haha.

I don't like this whole bloggier thing, but I might write occasional stuff about what the pups are up to.

I predict very soon there will be a dental cleaning in the mix...and worming, and shots, nail clipping, grooming, heartworm pills, blood tests - oh wait, that's ALWAYS in the mix!