A few hours after dinner one night I walked out to the kitchen and spotted Bessie and Griffin squeezed together on the little love seat couch in the family room. If they had wanted to spread out and relax the full-sized couch was available. So this was entirely a matter of choice.
Talking about squeezing into tight places I am still amazed when I see them get under my computer table while I'm working. Or wrapping themselves around the base of my chair.
Bessie is literally underneath my feet.
Beware of Ticks, they come in all sizes.
I can personally attest to how tiny some ticks are because I found one inside Bessie's jowls. I first spotted a tiny whitehead on her cheek and when I squeezed it a thread-sized piece of puss oozed out. There was a black dot in the puss and when I put a magnifying glass on it I saw a fully engorged tick less than 1/64th inch wide. I took Bessie and the tick and an enlarged close-up photo to the Vet and he confirmed it was not the dangerous deer tick.
Seed ticks are just immature baby ticks that will eventually become adults.
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| Photo courtesy of California Department of Health |
I am both humbled and proud to have received this acknowledgement.
LIVING WITH ROTTWEILERS has been named #3 in Best Rottweiler Blogs on the Planet.
Top 10 Rottweiler Blogs Winners
CONGRATULATIONS to every blogger that has made this Top Rottweiler Blogs list! This is the most comprehensive list of best Rottweiler blogs on the internet and I’m honoured to have you as part of this! I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world.
I came across this meme on Facebook the other day. In one short sentence it says everything you need to know about people and dogs. Animal abuse should be vigorously prosecuted for one important reason. It has been shown that many people who abuse animals go on later to kill people.
STOP Breed Specific Legislation.
I have owned Rottweilers since 1995 and I think my experience with them has given me some personal knowledge of their true nature. My second and third Rottweilers were both adults who had been passed through three homes before I got them. While they were last owned by my daughter, they were technically rescued dogs, but they adapted to their new home and quickly filled it with love simply because that is how we treated them. If you treat any dog with love and respect and affection they will return that love to you and everyone else ten fold. On the other hand Rottweilers and all dogs for that matter, have something in common with children. If you abuse them and mistreat them they will respond by becoming mean and vicious. Show me a vicious dog, of any breed, and I will show you an owner who doesn't give his dog any love. Some people, I like to refer to them as the "Joe six-pack" people, enjoy having the meanest, most vicious dog in the neighborhood - just for the bragging rights. These people are as dangerous to society as the dogs they own.
I wrote a Guest Editorial on this subject for the Kentucky Enquirer that was published on July 25, 2008.
Most lawmakers who write ordinances against specific breeds of dogs do so as a result of some emotional incident that has raised the ire of the public. They write these laws without bothering to do any research into animal behavior or temperament. There is a source for such scientific research that has been around for many years, it is the American Temperament Test Society and they have compiled a list of over 30,000 tests done over every breed of dog since 1977. You should note what these temperament tests consist of and how they are conducted and then read the percentage ratings of some of the common dogs that get a lot of media coverage. How interesting is it that the popular Jack Russell Terrier has less temperament than the Rottweiler. Anyone interested in reading these results can look them up on the ATTS web site. Click here: https://atts.org/breed-statistics/
I have a simple solution that would eliminate many dog bite incidents. Following a dog bit incident, check the owner of the dog and the way the dog has been treated and then prosecute the dog owner for making his dog vicious. It won't be long before Joe six-pack gets the message that he'll go to jail if he raises a vicious dog. If your town or city doesn't have such a crime on the books then push your lawmakers into making it a crime for mistreating an animal and causing it to become vicious. Dogs don't become vicious all by themselves anymore than Guns Kill People. And leave those nice families alone who have provided their pets with all the love and kindness they require.If you want some proof about the true nature of dogs read about the famous case of NFL player Michael Vick. Michael Vick was convicted of conducting dog fights and went to jail, but his dogs, at least the one's who were rescued alive were rehabilitated by a group that simply cared and showed them some love and then these so-called vicious Pit Bulls were adopted by ordinary families. Read the story here: https://barkpost.com/good/vicktory-dogs/
Two years ago my beloved Jacqueline ended her long battle with Alzheimer's. Our love was very strong for the 56 years we were together so I am confidant she is waiting for me along with our departed companions, Nikko Bear, Felony Bear, Mocha Bear, Sassy, Axl and Ruffin.It has occurred to me on more than one occasion that when poets, romance novelists and song writers try to explain what love is they all use words like, two hearts that were intertwined or two souls bonded together. What they never get right is what the feeling is like when a loved one dies. When death separates two hearts that have spent 56 years growing together it feels like one of those hearts was torn apart and ripped from my chest.
The romantics say, Life goes on, and maybe it does but it doesn't charge ahead at full speed. The healing process doesn't happen overnight. It takes years and years and maybe never to get over the loss.
I am so glad that I have Bessie and Griffin to keep me company. When they are indoors they almost never leave my side. This explains why almost all of my photos are taken in my den. And nothing makes my sorry broken heart feel better than to see these two in love.
Late last night just before bedtime. Bess wanted to play ball with Griffin and kept shoving the ball in his face. But Griff had other things on his mind, he wanted to give her kisses. In the end Bessie won.
Its very difficult to feel sadness when they are around.
I guess it is hopeless to try and make up for the 6-week blackout of posts. Too many causes to begin to shake a stick at including some health issues and lousy weather.
The only thing that hasn't changed around here is that I have continued taking new photos of my two best friends, even if they have all been taken indoors. So I'm just going to post a ton of pictures and add a few comments.
Last month I got a little older, and believe me, I am starting to feel it. I made myself a Rottweiler-styled meatloaf birthday cake, and shared it with Bess and Griff. The store didn't have any "9's" so I had to improvise.
On the news on December 30th a reporter gave some hints about buying a new car and he mentioned that the absolutely best day of the year to buy one was on New Year's Eve. The last day of the month and the year. The other good point he mentioned was don't become distracted by all the little add-on prices. You should only talk about about one price, the "out the door price" that includes everything, even the Sales Tax. So besides needing something to cheer me up I had been giving this some thought for several months and decided to see what it would cost. I can say one thing, Yes, it works. I traded in my 10-year old Toyota Sienna XL with 70K miles that was used to haul everything and was surprised that the dealer gave me $1000 over the book value for a trade in. After some heated negotiations I came home with a 2019 Toyota Sienna XLE with all leather interior for $11,000 less than the sticker price. And I am very happy. It is the first new car I've had in over 20 years.
And the first thing I did was move the wood box insert that I made 25 years ago for my original 1998 Ford Windstar minivan so Bess and Griff wouldn't mess up the nice seats. And Bess and Griff seem to like it.
This photo shows my first two Rottweilers Nikko and Mocha riding in the car.
During the very cold days this past month we have all stayed indoors and that means nothing but playtime. I am somewhat honored to learn that I am an integral part of all the Rottweiler games. As I spend most of my days in front of the computer their games always seem to begin in my lap or under my desk.
As far as our weather goes this last month almost became a repeat of January 1994 when we had a record low of -24° F. I was so concerned about frostbite that I went and bought some winter coats for Bess and Griff. They seemed to accept them without any problem and I only put them on them when the temperature dropped to Zero or colder.
And finally, at night we have spent a lot of time together watching movies on television. As you would have guessed, it always turned into an opportunity for some playtime. This particular set of photos was taken last night while watching or trying to watch President Trump give his State of the Union address to Congress.
