mosquito shack update

As it turns out the mosquito shack is still in use by the man who built it, the aptly named Angel. Our paths just hadn't crossed lately. He was aware of the puppies and had been feeding and getting to know the adults. 
We were relieved to know that someone else would be keeping an eye on them and that they were welcome where they had taken refuge.

All the adults were skinnier than they should have been for eating regularly. 
We suspected ehrlichiosis and Sean is making sure they each get a pill every day for 21 days.

This is exactly a month after the previous photos. Angel has given everyone names and found homes for at least 4 of them!

This charmer is called Hulk. He and 2 of his brother have been adopted by friends or family of Angel. We'll work on convincing them to have them sterilized.

All of the adults are great with the puppies, even around food!
Hulk shares with Loba and his mom Solitaria.
The antibiotics seem to have done the trick because the adults are putting on weight.

Isn't Sola pretty? She and Ringo wait for food.
He is looking much better than he was a month ago!
Now that she's done nursing (after they've all finished their treatment for ehrlichiosis) we're going to have the adults sterilized. Angel said he would secure a place to keep them and watch over them for a few days after surgeries.

There are many details to be worked out and at least 4 puppies still need homes, but so far life has been kinder to these dogs than we could have hoped when we first discovered them. Most dogs that are abandoned in these woods starve or succumb to illness. Angel's kindheartedness and Sean's medical interventions brought Solitaria back from the brink. The future is uncertain, but at least they have a chance for something besides a short life of misery.

puppy update

Daisy was deathly ill and had to spend almost a week a the vet's. All 4 of the younger puppies suffered briefly from the same thing, but responded to antibiotics. Because she had ehrlichiosis when she showed up a few weeks earlier her defenses were already weakened.
 
poor sick Daisy, just home from the vet's:














After a week of injections and antibiotics here at home she's still a little bag of bones, but her white cell count is up, she's getting stronger and she's starting to play; it looks like she'll be ok.
feeling a bit better:














 
The four lucky pups are doing fine...the 3 black pups:














and little fawn colored Xmul (found by Nicole and Marie):














have had a better start than most...
with walks in the mornings:














and 24 hour a day doting by Emily:














Elewah insists there is no resemblance:


















and Miles is not impressed:














everyone else thinks they're swell,
especially Stella:














We've gone through a few names and settled on
Twiggy:














Luna:














and Mo:














Xmul likes to charge at the camera, so most of her pictures look like this:














Xmul napping with Alice:














The newest dog pen is a huge hit! It's the dog's favorite place to hang out (unless we want to shut the door, then it's awful!).
Some random puppy silliness:


Enough puppy news; here's our beautiful Monkey:














and sweet Molly:


















Floyd has been showing some improvement in his behavior, although we still keep him sequestered from the other males (except for Ziggy, for some reason he has no problem with Ziggy.). He has complicated life here at the dog ranch, but isn't his fault.
He loves Stella most of all:














Oh, yeah...and because life is a sit-com...our chickens...are roosters














...and scene!

Paco de gallo?

Yeah, so I love a painfully bad pun; sue me.
As a side note, I also love what is called salsa in the US and apparently pico de gallo in some regions of Mexico. The Yucatan (this region anyway) has it's own name for a mixture of raw tomatoes, onions, chilies and lime: Xni-Pek (pronounced shnipik, with the accent on the first i). I've been told it means dog's nose, because it's so spicy that it makes your nose run.

This is a rooster in a tree:














This is a tree with a rooster (he's way up there to the right):


















This is the coop I built for the rooster:














This is the rooster in the coop:


















Poor fellow must have had some close calls, he's missing a lot of feathers.
We haven't settled on a name. It could be Paco, maybe Hercules. I suggested Rocket. (I'm 12.).

In dog news, all previously infected dogs tested negative for heartworm(!)
and Ziggy got a haircut.
Ziggy post-bath:














and post-haircut:













25 seconds of space.
100 degrees Fahrenheit.
for Amanda:
((turn the volume way down!))

a fungus among us

It's a rainy day and the dogs think I should stay in the hammock with them, so here's an update. Ernie had his follow up blood test and, while his liver and kidneys are fine, he tested positive for heartworm. This happened since his last blood test, so at least we caught it early. We also took a few other dogs in for check-ups. Tito and Lucy tested positive for ehrlichiosis. As they say, bad things happen in 3's. Since I'm not actually superstitious, that brings no consolation. The vet is coming on Sunday to administer blood tests to the whole pack, cats included. Hopefully nothing else shows up, Everyone should be fine, but we've got our hands full at the moment. Along with the antibiotics for Lucy and Tito twice daily for ehrlichiosis, Lucy and Greta are taking glucosamin and Greta and Tito need medicated baths every other day to combat a fungus. Suffice it to say, Greta is not easy to bathe.
Oh well, can't always have blue skies.

Reggie isn't worried (he is however, the biggest dog! how did that happen?):


Most of the dogs like the water.
Shirley loves it:



Henry wades and Gowron is champion in her weight class:


Greta, on the other hand, is not a fan. Despite this, we're making her swim for exercise. She needs to lose weight and she currently can't walk much because of a hip problem. Getting her to swim is about as hard as giving her a bath.
step 1:


step 2:


step 3:


success:

a short video of our little mermaid:

...I chased a fly off her nose as she swam by, in case you were wondering.

Whenever some dogs go for a swim or a run, lots of others stay home.
Otto, Bette and Osita watch the others return:



waiting for the door to open:

any minute now:

my pal Otto in morning light:

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: