more of the same

This summer has been full of loss, even the oriole chicks in the neem tree came to a sad end. Too soon after losing Godzilla, her father George got sick and did not recover. He died in August. 
He had bounced back from heart worm, paralysis and ehrliciosis to enjoy years of morning runs. It was a shock. 
Flashback to George and young Godzilla with Gracie.

He was a huge part of our family for a long time. I learned a lot from George.
George and Godzilla. Loved and missed.

I'll spare you the photos of Monkey's eye cyst (I think she just likes to go to the vet) and Nico's swollen leg (poor thing can't catch a break). There aren't many fun pictures because we don't have a point & click camera at the moment and the Nikon is too cumbersome for most outings. Between the 10-12 bags of kibble a month and a never ending string of vet/medication costs, a new camera is not a priority.

A walk with Zasu is worth taking the Nikon! At 19 years old she doesn't go out as often or as far as she once did, but she is still lively. 
I tell her not to run but she doesn't listen.

Henry has been with us 10 years, Zasu nearly 20.

















Tito is now on medication for his congenital heart defect and is doing well.

Ruby and Perl have been spayed! 
Don't they look cute in their post-op jumpers?

Worked like a charm, no sand in the incisions. 
Perl showing off her couture threads.

All recovered, time to swim.
Ruby waits for her pool to fill.

Sadly Maldi hasn't been around for a few months, but Sugar's 4 kittens are all doing fine. 
Kevin hangs out on the cat bridge (covered to keep the clods from falling off). 

Barking at thunder. Daily.

George and Tori, just because they look nice together.

I'm finally uploading a few of the videos Sean has taken on runs. This one is from February (and the camera is waterproof).

Shirley thinks rainy days are fine if you have enough toys.

This is from the end of June.

A few seconds from September.

Zoot enjoys a lovely September morning.

A hummingbird takes a break from hovering but not eating.

Tiny assassin bugs on a sea grape. 

Smiley face spider in our neem tree.

Sean found this little red-cheeked mud turtle too close to the road. He posed for a few photos before being relocated to the woods. Identified thanks to Jim Conrad's excellent site (link page right).

Sugar's kittens have been spayed and neutered! Minya didn't let the collar get in her way.

Recent family portrait. Sugar, her doppelgänger Falafel, Kevin, Cali and Minya.

Mayday for turtles

All of the photos in this post were taken by Sean (with our sturdy, waterproof, slightly low-res camera).  The salt ponds and surrounding woods have steadily been drying out.  
Xmul and friends cross what's left of a pond.

On the mornings that Sean runs he goes about 8k, with 9 dogs, and takes drinking water ...for the dogs.  Everybody (except Sean apparently) loves to drink out of the bottle.
Tori, Xmul, Luna and Truman have a slurp.

Xmul, Tori and Murci have a drink.

Oh, Steve.  Not a thinker, but at least he's handsome.

Horrible!  Frankie next to a huge turtle shell, nowhere near the beach; obviously poached, gutted and dumped.

To the beach!  Tori, Linda and Twiggy.

 
Note the new house in the background; it is not only illegal (construction has been halted by an environmental agency for now), but also completely asinine to build so close to the water.  This entitled nonsense, including the compulsion of homeowners to remove beach scrub, and install street and porch lights, does more to harm the turtles than the poachers.

Two of our biggest fans of the beach, Rufus and Linda!

PuppyG is rocking a new haircut!

Linda, PuppyG and Rufus!

King George and Xmul.  George has been with us for a long time; he is worshiped and beloved by all the younger dogs. 

Late in the month, the flooded roads are drying up.  
Puddle jumping with Daisy,Tori, Mo, Chester (weird, he doesn't usually get wet ...maybe George knocked him in), George, and Bosha to the right.

Murci leads a happy group across land that was underwater a month ago.

Happy New Year!

Many thanks to Lisa and Josh for all their help over the past 6 weeks!


















Here's hoping for good health for the pack in the new year.
After we found out that Ernie had heartworm, we tested the whole pack. A bunch of dogs tested positive. It was caught early, so the prognosis is good. Treatments were expensive and rough on the dogs. We wrongly believed they were protected by being on Frontline. Now poorer, but better informed, we will be giving ALL of them a shot of ivermectin EVERY month.
Poor George had a bad reaction to the treatment. The vet thinks that swelling from the shot caused some nerve damage. He hasn't been able to stand or walk. He's a 60b dog and we live on the second floor, so Sean and I are both feeling his pain. Dra. Sandra recommended swimming for therapy. George seems to enjoy it and he's showing some improvement. He stood up today for a moment, for the first time in weeks! Happy new year indeed!

Josh and Lisa swim with George and Ziggy:














The holidays brought some new arrivals. One fuzzy little guy that had been steadfastly resisting warming to us finally gave in. He's been lurking around for at least 6 months and, more recently, had taken to hanging out under our truck. He finally decided to check out life on the other side of the fence. He's a little smaller and darker than Henry and we call him Ziggy. He has a problem with his eye, but is in no distress. He's been vaccinated, deloused, and will soon be going in for a neutering. He is a sweetie, he just gets noisy when overwhelmed with emotion.

































In the spirit of the season, we took in a sweet mamacita about as old as Gracie. She has 3 pups and a long story. One of the pups has been here for a month or so.
we call him Chico:














 

The other 2 had been holed up nearby at an empty property, but were driven out when the owners arrived. 
I found them living under a bush about a quarter-mile away from our house. It took a few days of squatting in the mosquito infested shrubs with grub to trick them into a crate. Hallelujah. That sucked. 
  















They're here now and we're working on socializing them. Their brother Chico is outgoing and huge by comparison. They are, as of yet, unnamed. Anybody want a puppy? They'll be vaccinated tomorrow and old enough for neutering in a few weeks. Their mom is a small, friendly girl who has had at least 3 litters. She had been spending a lot of time around our house and occasionally comes on walks with us. We had given her Frontline, ivermectin and vaccinations weeks ago, but had hoped that one of the other beach dwellers would give her a place to live. That, of course, didn't happen. We're hoping to have her spayed before she goes into heat again.

































 Are we crazy? Maybe. I know that plenty of people think so but we're happy and I don't envy one of those people their life. Age is making me less apologetic (and apoplectic... I say in my best Groucho Marx voice...).
A quote from fellow herbivore George Bernard Shaw springs to mind:
"The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that's the essence of inhumanity."

It's a dog's life

September was a sweaty and itchy month.
Some rain, little wind and massive amounts of stinging/biting insects.
pretty beetle that doesn't bite:
 













This shot was taken from our roof. Rain meets fire.
a brush fire reflects off a storm cloud:














October brought a break in the heat.
Tito likes blanket:
 

















Ernie is back to his old self:


















These were taken using an ill-fitting water resistant camera bag.
I kind of like the periscope feel.
race to the beach:














Rufus and April:














Maggie, April and Zasu:














a well watched yard:














Last post had a picture from after dinner.
here's a before dinner shot:














and video from the same night:


Dinner at dusk, runs at dawn; it's a dog's life.
last leg of Sean's morning run:














Sean, 2 brothers and 2 sisters:














Archie and George bring up the rear:










 

evening walk with Miles and Greta:














going home: