What a couple of weeks!!!

 Hello from paradise.

Did you know that paradise is full of non-paradise things?  One is Rat Lung Worm Disease for which I give the dogs special medicine to keep that from happening, and another is feral pigs.  Volcanos, lava, etc. can be worrisome sometimes.  Mostly it is paradise though.

On March 2nd, Reese, Kathleen's Border Terrier, encountered a feral pig.  The pig put some holes in her right arm and I got to sew that up.  You already know that if you read the last blog.  Yesterday, I took the stitches out and she looks very well.  The wounds have closed nicely and no one will ever be able to even see her scar under that lavish coat she carries around.  Today there was a pig outside my yard driving my girls bananas, grunting as it went along the fence, ignoring the dogs barking at it and me yelling at it to go away.  It couldn't care less about us.  Luckily, I have a chain link fence and they can't come into my yard.

On March 3rd, poor Mer/Mermaid and I experienced eclampsia.  I had never seen it and hadn't known to look out for it.  My super friend, Nancy, told me what it was when I sent her a video of Mer's legs stiff and shaking.  I threw some calcium into her and headed for the vet.  The vet gave her a regimen to follow and we came home, loaded down with Tums (calcium,) and yogurt, etc.  She did OK until the 9th when it happened again.  I was told to keep the puppies away from her except that two could nurse once every two hours.  That means I feed the other four, every two hours.  It is working, they still look fat and healthy and I look tired.  Nancy helped my by giving me recipes for making puppy food and she even made me yogurt in her InstaPot.  I make up the formula and feed it to the pups.  Kathleen and I painted the puppies with fingernail polish (which falls off them fast), but I need to know who is who so that they each get a chance to nurse on mom.  I'm not sure, but I think some of them are tired of the formula and want to only suck on mom instead of on a sponge full of formula.  I'd vote for that, but I will continue the sponge thing to protect Mer Mom.  

Nancy thinks that they will soon be up and around enough that they will start eating off a plate.  I am hoping.  Since they opened their eyes the day they were thirteen days old, they have been doing better and better about walking on four feet.  They have a LONG way to go in that department, but they are getting better at it.  I am thinking I will soon be seeing if they will eat off a saucer.  Fingers crossed.  I'm sure that they will eat it, but figure for awhile that more will be on the whelping pen blankets than in their tummies!  This too will pass.  

As far as floods, we didn't have one in Hawi.  Maui and Kauai were hit the hardest, I think.  There were gullies full of water roaring down to the ocean near Hilo, that side of the island, but the Kona side no.  Kona side is the dry side and we feel lucky to get rain.  Hawi, where the dogs, Kathleen and I live, is kind of on the line between dry and wet.  The perfect "side."  We are up at the north tip of the Big Island.

So there, all is well, as well as can be expected.  

Aloha from Curmudgeonville

What a day!!!

 Yesterday took all!  I awoke at about 0500 to my phone going off.  It was my daughter.  She wanted me to go get Reese and take her to the vet.  She had been hurt by a feral pig in their yard!  Luckily, Kathleen caught that rascally Border Terrier before the pig got away and Reese chased her down into the gully by Kathleen's house.  Reese might not have survived that!  Kathleen had loaned her car to my sister and was walking to work every day.  Of course I jumped into the car FAST and picked up Reese and tried to console Kathleen. 

Who needs vets?!!!  Not really, I totally don't mean that, BUT, I stitched up people for many years, why couldn't I stitch up Reese?  Kathleen, when she was young, had a cat who had developed a cancer.  I took big lumps off of her and extended her life for a couple of years.  So, why not try?!  With the help of my son's girlfriend, who happened to be around, I injected Reese with lidocaine, shaved off the hair around the wounds, cleaned the areas and sewed her up.  She didn't like it, but with lidocaine, she didn't fight me.  The lidocaine was the hardest part.  

The entire rest of the day, my shoulder muscles were in a knot, but that has mostly gone away now.  Above are the before and after pictures.  She limped for a bit of the day, but fairly soon, she was walking as if nothing had happened!  I wasn't about to throw a ball for her, but I'm pretty sure she would have run after it and jumped for it AND caught it!  She has even forgiven me for hurting her with the lidocaine.  That's a Border Terrier for you!

Feral pigs are rampant here.  They walk around town during the night, and are in the fields surrounding the houses pretty much all the time.  They are lethal to dogs.  Too bad they aren't lethal to mongoose!  

Kathleen, as one would think, was beside herself all day long.  I tried to tell her that Reese was doing well, but I don't think that she believed me until I took Reese to her after work and she saw the girl who acted as if NOTHING like what had happened had happened.  Could one of US have done that?  I doubt it.  Anyway, Kathleen turned happy after seeing her best friend doing so well.

Now you want to know, why there isn't a fence keeping the pigs out.  There is a pile of posts growing in the yard and all the other stuff needed for said fence.  I am thinking that it will be up very soon, but life in the islands is awfully nice and sometimes it takes a long time for things to get done as the surf might be up or a poker game or one must go fishing for dinner, etc.  It is also fairly hard to find anyone who will work, but our worker is on the ball and getting it all ready.  Soon Reese will be able to go outside and not have to be on a lead.  

The babies are doing well.  Yesterday, four of the six had weighed over a pound and two more were close behind.  They are a week old today and in six days will have their eyes open.  I, so far, know of two people who are coming to stay here and pick up their babies close to the beginning of May.  I am hoping to keep one of the boys myself.  It is always fun to see how they grow.  I LOVE puppies.  When they are able to run around in the grass, we will spend most of our days outside in the side yard under an avocado tree and I will watch them learn to climb, jump, balance, investigate, wrestle with the others and do all kinds of puppy things.  It is exciting just thinking about it.

I discovered some black bamboo in my yard yesterday, all in pieces.  My tenant had brought them in after I had planted a row of them alone the front to, hopefully, keep some of the noise of the road out of the yard.  He wants to see if he can bonzai bamboo.  Interesting.  

Kathleen had her first vaccination for COVID-19 yesterday.  She works in a medical office.  They won't vaccinate anyone younger than 75 in this state, at least not yet, so I have not had my vaccination.  I'm more than glad that COVID-19 doesn't get dogs, at least not MOST dogs.  

Didn't you just want to have me babble on and on.  You don't ever have to read the entire thing, you know!  I guess I'd better stop this and go hang another orchid in the lychee tree and make sure the two youngster girls are not getting into trouble.  I have them in the back/side yard, away from Reese.  They are too rambunctious and could tear open her wounds.  Reese will not be back with them for quite a while.  She'll just have to put up with me!

I hear babies calling.  Better go see who can't find mom because they got themselves wrapped up in a blanket or some such.  Believe it or not, it is cold here, for Hawaii and puppies can't control their temps.

Goodbye for the day,  The Curmudgeon

Perseverance. We waited long enough!

Yesterday, February 24, 2021, Mer, aka Mermaid or Elwha's Siren of the Deep Blue, gave me six puppies.  The first was a girl and weighted almost 7 ounces.  She was the smallest.  The last, and largest, was a girl, 8.9 ounces.  In between were two more girls and two boys.  All are doing well and quickly figured out how the milk bar works.  They are quite mobile and I have to find them in the blankets and dog beds that are in the whelping box to keep them on soft bedding and to keep them warm.  Warm, you say?!!!!  Yes, it is winter in Hawaii and the wind is blowing quite hard today and last night.  Puppies are born wet and that can be cold.  I tented the whelping box/elevated bed and they dried out quite nicely and then they stayed warm all night and today.  I have the windows closed.  Babies do not have the ability to control their temperatures as more mature beings do.  Mom/Mer is keeping them nice and warm giving out warm milk/colostrum and cuddling them.  These babies will all be grizzles even though their mother is a blue.  Dad obviously doesn't have a blue gene to share.  

Some of the people getting a puppy are already making plane reservations to come pick up their babies and have some days of warmth in Hawaii.  Others don't yet know that they are getting one!  I need to start calling people.  Some puppies will fly cargo to get to the mainland and others will fly in the cabin.  

Dad is Duke who recently moved to Federal Way near Seattle.  He has now learned what snow is and also what a TV is.  Roger says that he loves TV, especially when there is a dog involved in whatever is playing.  The first full day Duke was in Washington, he ran away from something that scared him in front of a pet store and was lost for three days.  That was a scary thing, but the "club" of people known as Lost Dogs In King County found him and returned him to Roger.  Thank goodness.  A very nice man saved him from being run over by a car as Duke weaved in and out of cars on a busy arterial.  Never again will Duke wear any kind of a collar besides a Martingale!

I didn't think that I could get a picture on here.  I'll try to get more on here that show the pups, soon.  I cheated and stole this from a text I sent to my daughter last night.  She couldn't come over and see the pups because she loaned her car to my sister whose truck is in the garage.  (I am thinking of getting a truck the next vehicle I have.  I love my Prius and the mileage it gets, but I live in a place where one does NOT want a low to the ground car.  Crazy thing scrapes the ground too often for my liking.  Oh well, it will be awhile still before I can afford a new vehicle.)  

Border Terrier puppies are always born black.  One might well think that these babies are going to be blues, but no.  They will get lighter and lighter in color and end up whatever shade of grizzle they will be at about seven months of age.  Blues don't have a brown head, except for their eyebrows which are a brown line, much like a Rottweiler's. These guys have black at the tips of the brown hairs covering their heads.  

I guess that I have prattled on long enough.  All I really wanted to say was HOORAY!  PUPPIES!

Later, The Curmudgeon

June 19th litter, Juneteenth

Mer, or Mermaid, my Henry daughter, had her first litter nine days ago.  All of the puppies weighted over 7 ounces, two were well over 8 oz.  Beautiful, healthy puppies, five of them, four of whom are GIRLS!!!!  All are grizzle, although at least two are going to be very DARK grizzle dogs, like their grandmother Reese.  I thought that they were blues at first they are so dark.  They aren't. Kathleen and I are very excited and happy with them.  I'm not getting much sleep yet, but that is the way it is.

My email has changed to cmetzler48@yahoo.com as somehow I broke my gmail.

I would put pictures of my puppies up if I could figure out how to do it.  I used to be able to, and now I cannot.  My MacBook has been in the computer fixit store for three weeks and NOTHING was fixed.  At least I can tell you that there are puppies, just cannot put their pictures up.  The pictures are being put on my and Kathleen's FaceBook pages, in case you are interested.  I'll put more up today.

I hope that everyone is staying safe and wearing masks when going out.  It really is helping the people who do it and we obviously need help!!!

Today in Hawaii is NICE.  There is a gentle breeze so that it isn't too hot.  The dogs and I just took down another banana tree with ripe bananas on it.  Did you know that a banana tree will die after it has grown a bunch of bananas?  They do, but the baby banana "trees" that grow underground during the time the banana bunch is ripening take over and the banana patch keeps on producing and growing bigger every day!  Nancy's goats like the banana leaves a whole bunch, no pun intended, but it is a pain in the neck to get the leaves up to them.  Sometimes Prentiss comes down with his pickup and gets the leaves.  The goats like bananas even more than the leaves,  and they LOVE breadfruit leaves.  Not at all what you wanted to hear about.

I guess that I will get back to making some more masks.  Pam Mizuno was awfully nice and ordered some fabric for me to use to make more masks.  I had sent her masks with foxes on them, and so she sent me otter fabric.  VERY cute.  Let me know if you know of some really cute fabric and where I can get it!

Stay safe and happy from Curmudgeonville

To Neuter or not to Neuter/Spay

http://www.theriogenology.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=59

Maybe this will answer some questions.  

I am hoping for a litter in a couple if months, despite this social distancing.  According to CDC, COVID-19 does not attack dogs, so the dogs can mate!  Having said that, Duke is nice and little, Mermaid is not.  I don't know if he is going to be smart enough to get the job done and I have no one here to help me help them!  So, all I can do it keep my fingers crossed.  

Mermaid is a blue, Duke a grizzle, but Duke does have a fifty/fifty chance of having a blue gene.  I almost hope that, if there is a mating, the pups will all be grizzle as blues are harder to keep cool in paradise than grizzles.  My yard is fine, but most people aren't as lucky as I am to have all of the shade trees I have.  That is my reasoning.  

If I get puppies, the event will surely go into the blog.  Keep watching!  And cross some fingers!

PS I just found these haikus that someone once wrote for me, for my puppies, long ago and far away.  I have treasured them and will share them.  This person had one of my puppies for a few days or weeks and found that his wife was allergic to her and he had to bring her back.  He was devastated.  Still makes me sad....

A wiry coat
Belies a soft-hearted friend.
Border Terrier.



The diminutive 
hunter scents the air. Snap snap!
Rat meets its Maker.



Two giggly girls.
One grizzly, wiggly friend.
Match made in heaven.


Says the Curmudgeon, aloha.

2019 National Specialty

Mer/Mermaid and I flew to Chicago for this year's National Specialty.  Betty and Skip Kaczynski picked me up at the airport and took me to their super neat house at the edge of Chicago.  We spent the night there and then Betty, myself and Mer went out to St. Charles where the Specialty was held after we went far away to Earthdog.  Mer was introduced to Earthdog, despite having killed rats in our very own yard!  Maybe next time she will go all the way through the tunnel.  Maybe not, who knows?!

We experienced the health clinic testing, all of it, and she came through with flying colors.

We laughed with many friends and had a good time.  We got to see Tigger who used to be our Chip and watched him take second in the Open class.  Mer took fourth in the Bred By class, so we came home with a ribbon.

While I was gone, my grandson and his partner came over to be with Kathleen.  Duke, my three month old boy broke his leg and had to have pins put into the bone.  The break went through the growth plate, so he may limp the rest of his life if the growth plate closes because if the break.  Only time will tell us which it is, no limp or limp.  My fingers are crossed.  He is such a sweet boy.

Duke and I now are twins as I had my hand fixed on Monday, carpal tunnel and trigger finger.  Left hand that matches his broken left front foot, he in a cast, me in a thick wrap.  Kathleen took a picture.  I can't seem to get pictures to go onto the blog any more.  Hmmmmm.  Wish Duke the best.

Later,
Curmudgeonville

Multi-tasking is HARD to do, or is it impossible?!

Life has seemed to be busy lately.  Who knows why?!!!

We recently bred a litter.  HOPEFULLY the breeding took.  The puppies will be born around March 6th or so, if the breeding took. Mom is Addy and dad is Finley.  Addy lives outside of Hilo and will come back here a week or so before she has her babies.  That is what we did last time.

Finley is 2 1/2 and lives here, but is looking for a forever home.  He is a sweet, funny boy, big for a BT, but SMART and loves to kill rats.  Mostly he spends his days trying to get me to throw a ball for him.  He needs to be the only dog in the house because if another dog goes for HIS ball, and ALL balls are his, he will, or might, fight with that dog.  He would make a fantastic NoseWork dog.  Both his parents are tracking and search and rescue dogs.  They are so good that they BEAT all of the other dogs in their training group/"club."  All of those other dogs are bloodhounds.  Finley was made to do NoseWork, tracking, and/or S&R!  Or hiking, etc.

Last week Lucy flew to Seattle to her forever home with Nancy.  We had a person flying to Seattle and had Lucy set up to go in the cabin with Susan, but the Hawaiian Airlines people who think they know everything wouldn't let that happen.  They inferred that THEY and not I knew how to take good care of the dogs.  They were mixed up between flying in a bag in the cabin and in a crate, saying that the bag wasn't big enough for the puppy.  Poor Lucy had to fly in a crate and I had to pay almost twice as much and worry until she arrived in Seattle safely.

Mer(maid,) Jade and I went to the dog shows on Oahu this weekend.  Pam went too and carried one of the girls onto the plane for me.  We had fun and ate some awfully good meals for dinners.  Mmmmmmmmm!  DO try Happy Days Chinese Restaurant close to Waikiki if you are ever there.  It is now on my list for ANY time I go over there.  Mer took two points at the shows, one point each day.  Unfortunately it was a small show and there were few terriers.  The Border Terriers made one point, and we were the only terrier breed that had more than one class dog.  Mer took a Group 3 the first day and a Group 4 the second day.

We came home last night and the construction crew started the renovation of the store front this morning at 0615.  This is a very exciting happening, excepting that it costs money that I will "borrow" from my retirement account!

It is raining at the moment.  I swear that it is Hawi that should be called Camelot!  It very often only rains at night.  Love it here.

Tomorrow I take Jade in to get her health certificate and then I'll put her on a plane for Seattle tomorrow night.  She too gets to meet her great, new forever family.  She is hard to let go as she is as cute as they come, smart and not big.  She, unfortunately, has a soft, fuzzy coat.  I decided I didn't want that coat to go down the Elwha lines.  Kathleen and I will miss the little rascal.

A very good friend called me a week or so ago to tell me he is getting married on the 28th in Albuquerque and kind of dared me to go.  I'm going.  I leave the 26th, get there the 27th after an almost 24 hour layover in Portland and leave to come home on the 30th.  I will spend five hours in Seattle and get to see some friends there for lunch.  Chip will ride in a bag with me to Albuquerque as he is going to another family on the mainland.  After that trip, I will want to just be a homebody, but will be going to California in February.  Crazy me!

Kathleen is probably going to quit her job and go to Seattle to be with a friend having chemotherapy for a bit.  She'll be lucky to miss some of the construction in front.  The worst part of that process is the guys have the big gate open most of the day so I only have two instead of three yards in which the dogs can run and play.  It will be much better when Mer and Jade are out of heat.  Right now I am always worried that the wrong dog will get into the wrong place.

So, puppies are coming and the list will probably be longer than there are puppies, but maybe we will luck out!  Keep those fingers crossed!

Good night, from the Curmudgeon