Saturday, April 12, 2014

Exploring the changes from our harsh Winter.


The ground was sufficiently dry to take Ruff for a walk down to the back today. We had 5 inches of rain earlier this week and I wasn't looking forward to giving him a bath. Every time he walks through the soggy grass his belly gets soaked with the muddy water his paws kick up.

Our old senior citizen Rottweiler Axl has been getting cataracts and I think his eyesight is getting bad. I've noticed the last few times I've taken the boys for a ride in the car, that Axl has problems getting out of the mini-van when we get home. It was bad enough when he began tripping over the door sill every time he trotted over to get in the car, now he has taken some falls trying to step out of it. I have stopped his tripping by making him step in slowly, even lifting his hind legs, but even helping him exit has become a problem. His hind legs don't seem very coordinated anymore, which adds to his problem. While this doesn't affect his car-riding enjoyment, he has another problem with stairs. He has refused to go down the stairs to the basement which is probably due to his eyesight. And that is the usual way we leave the house for our walks, so today he stayed in the living room with his Mom. With my wife's advancing Alzheimer's, and Axl going on 13 in September and Sassy already past 11, I am not looking forward to the day when it will only be me and Ruff alone together. I have placed notices in several dog shelters that I am interested in adopting an adult female Rottweiler to be a companion to Ruff. I came close to getting one a few months ago but the woman changed her mind when she learned how much her dog had bonded with her little children.

OK, enough with the grim and dreary. The Rottweilers are my major joy in life and that is what this blog is all about.
Seems the first place Ruff goes is to check under the fir trees where the rabbits live. Every once in awhile the Rottweilers spook one or two of them and the dart out and run to the woods. So that is where Ruff went.
Not sure if anyone was at home so Ruff then went further down the yard. Our property ends about 20 feet beyond the tree line but we never go there because there is a small creek that runs through it. The only time we can see the houses is when the trees have no leaves on them.
Then Ruff must have noticed I was carrying the camera so he decided to do some poses. He does this very well.

Yesterday we went to Petsmart and I took Ruff inside while Axl stayed in the car with his Mom. Ruff must have gotten hugs and kisses from some15 different customers including one on the way in the store and one in the parking lot while I was loading up the car. He had a very enjoyable day.

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