The Rest of the Story

Turns out that United also will not let animals such as dogs be sent in the cabins of their airlines.  They, unlike American Airlines, detail that very clearly on their internet site.

Marilyn and Brit made it this AM to Arizona.  Now Brit will become inured in her new home, getting used to another puppy they have, a BT rescue of which I had no knowledge.  Brit went home in a canvas/cloth bag in the cabin as Marilyn got a letter from her doc at home that she now has a new emotional support dog.  Brit will do well at that job as she is a loving sweetie.  Sounds like Clark, the rescue pup, is afraid of her, but I'm sure that they will soon be best buds.

Marilyn was happy to finally make it to Costco yesterday to pick up some island coffee and a couple of Aloha shirts for her husband, Hector.

Today, I again go to Kona to pick up Watson's person.  We will have a blast, I'm sure.  She is about as eager to see Watson as she can be, of courseThis is a picture of Mermaid with Tutu.Somehow there are two of the same picture, but so what?!!!.  Watson is doing well on housebreaking and the pups are sleeping through the nights most nights, now which makes both Kathleen and myself quite happy.  Watson is in the left picture above, Watson and his friend Chip in the right picture above and Brit is asleep on her mom's pillow to the right.So much for today.  Gotta pay bills!  Very distressing to a curmudgeon.

SHELL SHOCKED

The Curmudgeon is NOT happy!  Flabbergasted, yes, but happy, NO!!!!

Yesterday was an eyeopener!  Poor Marilyn, here in Hawaii for a week, seeing the sights while waiting for her American Airlines jet to take her and her new Border Terrier puppy, Brit, back to Phoenix, AZ, that other state that did not go onto daylight savings time this past weekend.  Marilyn had discussed taking her puppy back with her in the cabin when she purchased her tickets, again when she flew to Hawaii and then online was told that the dog had been reserved a place with her.  When she checked in online yesterday morning, it seemed that something was amiss.  It took hours for her, Marilyn, to be able to talk to an American Airlines real person.  I should know.  She was with me, hiking down and up Pololu Valley, waiting for American Airlines people to call her back because the wait time was so long.  It took her all morning to be able to speak to a real person and then she was assured that her puppy would be on the plane with her, in the cabin, under the seat in front of her, snuggled up to her toes.  The flight was a redeye to Phoenix.  American Airlines personnel in Kona do not know how to interpret what they "learned" in their training and do not know how to read!!!!  Beware, if you are a gambler and dare to try to fly American Airlines with a puppy in cabin with you.  The American Airlines people read that flying to Hawaii, Haiti, the UK, and other destinations such as those, forbade in-cabin pets.  Last night's staff swore that the only way one could have an in-cabin pet is to have a doctor's note guaranteeing that this was a service animal.  All Marilyn had was a health certificate, and even that was not needed.  A health certificate is only needed to put an animal into a crate and in the hold for cargo!!!  What the poor illiterates at the American Airlines desk last night didn't understand was that what they were reading did NOT include flying FROM Hawaii TO Phoenix.  They would not let poor Brit inside the plane in-cabin, but only in a crate.  Poor Kathleen got off work in the middle of this, and, instead of coming home to her wonderful canine, Reese, and her grouchy mother, the Curmudgeon, she had to go to Kona and pick up Marilyn and Brit to come back for yet another night in Hawi.  Meanwhile, the Curmudgeon TRIED to call American Airlines and talk to a live person who MIGHT be able to read.  The wait time was two hours, so I hit one, the number that was to keep me in line for a phone call back.  That phone call NEVER occurred, or at least hasn't yet occurred, eight hours later.  The phone is charged up and next to me.  It hasn't rung.  Is American Airlines having trouble?  Are they about to commit hari kari?  Go bankrupt?  Do they need to hire new people who can understand what they read?

It is a bit after 0400 here and I can't go back to sleep after taking the puppies out at 0330 or so.  I figured this was as good a time to blog this distressing story warning people about American Airlines as any.  Maybe now I will be able to go back to sleep.  It has been a VERY long night.  I HATE stupidity.  That puppy was not flying TO Hawaii, but FROM Hawaii.  The desk people at American Airlines Kona may have understood their mistake after Kathleen explained their mistake to them , but they certainly did not want to admit it.  BEWARE American Airlines if you ever decide to fly from Kona to the mainland.

I will spend tomorrow again trying to talk to a live, breathing person at AA, hoping to get them to better educate their staff in Kona.  The state makes it hard enough getting animals into the state, but the state does NOT make it difficult letting them go, American Airlines does that for them!!!  Poor Marilyn, Brit, Kathleen, and even Hector, who was waiting in Arizona to meet his new, sweet puppy. Poor American Airlines, who will have to listen today to a curmudgeon who will demand to speak to a higher-up breathing, alive AA employee.

What a mess!  Don't fly American Airlines from Kona!!!  Beware if you are at all tempted!!!  Warning, WARNING, WARNING!!!!

Puppies had first vaccination

That was on the 19th.  They did well.  I ONLY allow them to get Merial DAP.  It is the best and safest vaccine for Distemper, Parvovirus and dog hepatitis, Adenovirus.  The other vaccines have adjuvants in them, chemicals that jazz up the immune system so much that many more dogs now are developing autoimmune diseases.  I try to get my puppy people to only use vets who will use Merial DAP on their babies.  We had also inserted a microchip into each one about ten days or so ago.  Now they are ready to travel.  I use the ISO microchips, that is, the ones that foreign countries honor.  They are set!

The vet found no heart murmurs or anything else bad in the babies, thank goodness.  The heaviest one, Pretty Boy Floyd, weighed a pound more than the smallest one, Tootsie Roll Pop.

Getting ready!

They were wormed once, now the process is starting over again.

We took them to the Farmers' Market today and walked around with them in bags.  We also had a family with a dog visit this AM.  The puppies were terrified of Cooper.  Bad.  This is a fear period.  I need to get them out even more.  I will start taking them downtown and walking around with them and to the bank, etc.  Harder in a TINY town.

Henry is getting over having his teeth cleaned.  Poor guy.  He had some bits of inflammation in there and is doing well now on antibiotics for a bit.  Mouths are more delicate than we give them credit.  The vet suggested something called 1-TDC.  (ONE-TDC). I'm going to try it on all of them daily.  She said it seems even better than brushing their teeth daily!!!

Henry had a good week the week before his teeth cleaning.  He was allowed to make puppies one more time.  He again was bred to Myshka.  I want a Myshka X Henry girl puppy.  Chip has stayed here so that he can go to the UK in September.  When we breed, we are actually breeding for ourselves.  I want one to keep for us!  I would have kept a girl last time Myshka and Henry mated, but I also know how hard it is to have two puppies at once.  They bond to each other and not to us and they are MUCH harder to train if there are two.  I'm too old and tired for that.

Rainy, windy day today.  The pups were out for quite some time, but it seemed to me that the deluge would soon start, so they are inside now.  Seems they needed a nap!  They are all asleep.

OK for now.  Pictures soon.

Curmudgeonly a Rat!

Hiking Pololu

Once a day, one of the dogs and I are going down to the bottom of Pololu and back up.  I am energized to do this crazy and wonderful thing because we might have the chance in April to go to Lehua Island to try to finally obliterate the rats there who eat the eggs, adult endangered birds and their foods, the seeds that help sustain them.  The agency that takes care of the birds had dropped rat poison on the island and that took care of most of the rats, but surveillance cameras revealed two, at least, left and there was a worry that the poison may have killed some fish around the island.  So, the terriers may have to clean up the last of the Mohicans, er, rats.  Keep your fingers crossed.  If we get to do that and succeed, we may get to go to other islands that have problems such as that.  The curmudgeon might accidentally get happy and ecstatic!!!!  Aren't we glad that we have working dogs?!!!  I certainly am.  These rascals have been killing rats since we moved in.  I don't know if it helps.  The rats seem to be able to keep up with the loss of their cousins.  The ones I see are quite fat and healthy looking.  They go after the macadamia nuts and the avocados at night when the dogs are inside.  No, I can't let the dogs stay out at night.  That is when the Bufo toads run amuck.  If dogs bite them or just get them in their mouths, they usually die, the dogs, that is.  The toads give off some horrid poison from their skin.  Few dogs survive something like that.

The hiking is because the island is a mountain or cliff sticking up out of the water and the other person going is much younger than the old curmudgeon.  How could I let her beat me up and down those cliffs?!!!!  Not.

So, where are the pictures?  I'll get some, soon.  I still don't know how to get them onto the computer in a way that makes it even kind of easy to put them on the blog. I guess that I am just lazy.  I want it to be EASY, darn it!Kathleen took some picots a few days ago.Pretty cute, no?!!!Pip thinks this Barn hunt stuff is just the cat's meow!!!Reese is teaching Chip how to climb a tree to get a mouse.  Here she is after her ball, but that night, she DID climb a tree to get a mouse.  We watched her!!!  She had a ton of fun.

So much for us.  Latersville,,,,,

Curmudgeonly lazy or busy or whatever

Not on for awhile.  Bad Curmudgeon!!!

The puppies are very cute and sweet.  A dog trainer in Canada wanted one and wanted a LIGHT colored one.  How often does that happen, that we get very light-colored puppies?!!!!  We knew the minute Tanner was born that he would be a light one.  He has turned out quite light in color, hence the name Tanner.  What a looker!  Such a cute boy.  I think that he ought to be registered as Elwha's Special Order!

The other kids are all much darker and just as cute.  Tomorrow is the day we evaluate them and decide who goes where.  They have been promised for quite some time now, but who knows if anyone will back out at the last minute.  It happens.

One of my brothers is here from New Mexico.  I gave him a bunch of avocados.  He, as did my sister, got tired of them.  He's only been here a week.  Can you imagine that?!!!  Can you imagine a three pound avocado?  I pick up well over two pound avocados almost daily, during avocado season.  No wonder I'm chubby!

The dogs try to beat me to the avocados.  Supposedly, avocados are poisonous to dogs.  Actually, it is the pit and the peel that are poisonous.  Unfortunately, it is hard to keep the dogs slim when the avocados are in season.  They, and the rats, compete with me to get to them.  I try to discourage the rats, and try to keep the dogs slim, so I keep picking them up and handing them out to friends and neighbors.  Hard to keep slim eating avocados in paradise!

All of these puppies are going to the mainland.  People come and stay with us or go on vacation and take their baby back with them at the end of the vacation.  No puppies, so far, have had to travel cargo. There are enough people going to the mainland who aren't buying a puppy who will carry one back for us to deliver so that it hasn't been a problem. Amazing!!!!

There, a picture for you!!!  Isn't that what you wanted?!!!!!

OK.  Here goes.Aren't they a bit big to still be feeding off mom?!!  They don't think so!Later,
Curmudgeonville

Outside, yesterday and today

The puppies had their first adventure outside in the lawn yesterday and then again today.  They seemed to me to like it very much.  They did explore, more yesterday than today.  I think that they had just eaten yesterday and that makes a big difference to a baby as to how much energy they have and you much exploration they want to do.  Today Kathleen had already gone to work, so we only have yesterday's pictures.  Keeping them safe and "corralled" was all I could do alone.

Kathleen with Baby Reese

 puppies yesterday.  Cannot get the other pictures to open up on here.  (Computers seem to hate me.). I'll get Kathleen to figure out the problem, when she comes home from work.

As promised

Pictures of Bella and the puppies, and one of Lani even!

The puppies are growing and changing every day now.  They are all up on their feet walking around.  They play with each other and growl in their play.  So cute....  How am I supposed to keep a clean, not messy house when there are babies to hold and watch?!!!!  Surely you jest!!!

See that open eye?The babies JUST tried Spam.   Of course it was chewed up so that they would NOT choke.  Ms. Piggy may weigh double by tonight!  She was ecstatic!!!!
Isn't this fun?!!!

Curmudgeonville