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Wolves in Dogs’ Clothing

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While they may appear sweet and innocent, don’t let their cute looks fool you. Capone and Cosmo have surpassed Moose and Red in one aspect of doggie behavior. Just when small animals thought it was safe to venture into the yard . . .

I’ve always said that Moose and Red were little gentlemen, so to see them dispatch another living creature would have been shocking. My memory may be incorrect, but I don’t recall either of them killing a critter. Maybe I’m in denial, because they were the perfect Italian Greyhounds to me.

I remember getting a phone call from my mom when I was out at a concert. Red wanted to come in from the yard and blew past her with a bird in his mouth when she opened the door. I thought she said it was a dead baby bird, but I had a hard time hearing between concert noise and her excitement over the situation. We had a tree out back at the time that was popular with avian families. Surely it must have fallen out of the nest, and Red sought to bring his grandmom a gift. I can’t imagine my perfect angel boy doing anything else. My mom was justly grossed out, and this escapade earned Red the nickname of birdface for a time.

The only incident I can remember of Moose confronting something in the yard was when he had a standoff with a vole. Of course, he was all bark and no bite, he never did anything worse than growl and refuse to come in until after he scared off the intruder. I wasn’t home for this incident either. Maybe that’s to preserve the illusion of Moose’s absolute perfection in my eyes.

When it comes to Capone and Cosmo, anything that moves is fair game. I’m convinced they dig up the yard because they hear something moving below the surface. I’ve caught them with mice and voles, the sad outcome the same every time for their targets. I’m careful to scan the yard for movement before letting the boys out (something I never needed to do with Moose and Red).

Fortunately, our yard is small, with just enough room for two exuberant iggies to run. I’ve never seen anything large in our yard; however, I do suspect I caught the tail end of a skunk exiting into the neighbor’s yard via a gap below the back fence. All I saw was something scooting along the fenceline when I turned on the floodlights. It was quick, and the scent was unmistakable. I’m just relieved I saw it before I released the hounds, because dealing with sprayed dogs is an issue I could do without.

To say Capone and Cosmo have more of a prey drive than Moose and Red is an understatement. As I mentioned, I have never seen a large critter in our yard, but if one bird flies a tad too low, or a squirrel falls from a tree or fence, the pups will take their misfortune for an invitation to pounce. I just hope I luck out again to not be home for the aftermath if this ever happened. 

Little Free Library Has Gone to the Dogs

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What do you do when you have a dream of owning a bookstore, zero business acumen, and even less money? You become a steward of a little free library. I named mine after my beloved pups, both past and present.

If I had the means, I would own my own bookstore, providing new and used titles to customers. In addition to selling curated gifts and hosting book clubs and events, there’d also be pets available for adoption from local shelters and rescues; and let’s not forget the resident bookstore cats! How wonderful this would be!

Unfortunately, this is a dream and not a reality. I don’t remember when I first heard about little free libraries, but I think they are a great idea. They can serve anyone in the community at any time, as most are accessible 24/7, available for any early morning/late night book cravings. This may be what motivated me to purchase and steward my own little library. Not only would it somewhat fulfill my bookstore dream, but it would accommodate patrons’ busy schedules. Some libraries have very limited hours for people who enjoy browsing physical books. As someone who works a traditional 9-5 with a commute, I have found this to be true. That is where the little free libraries come in handy, not as a replacement for the local library, but rather as an enhancement when it is not available. Some areas may not be fortunate to have a local library, and the little free libraries can provide books to those locations.

Our little free library is located between a ball field and an elementary school, an excellent spot for foot traffic. There are several people who walk their dogs in the neighborhood; perhaps their owners read. The library has stood for a couple years now, but it occurred to me that I should accommodate any four-legged visitors as well.

In the warm months, I will set out a water bowl for furry passers-by. Even if their owners aren’t encouraged to browse the offerings, the pups can cool off with a drink. There are dog-friendly items that can be added to the library, and I may be inspired to integrate them into my front lawn setup the future.

One item is a dog leash holder that attaches to the library post. While I love the idea of having a place to park your pup (while they enjoy their aforementioned beverage), I’m not so sure it would work in my situation. I do not have concrete anchoring my library, so I fear wear and tear may loosen the post that secures the library.

However, doggie visitors could enjoy a treat or two, if I installed a treat container to the post. I see this being added in lieu of the leash hook, as I view this being much more sturdy and less detrimental to the library’s stability. I don’t think I would get a complaint from the dogs.

By now you may be wondering what this post has to do with my furry family members. It doesn’t, other than it was named for Moose and Red, Capone and Cosmo. The former may be gone, but they will never be forgotten. I am proud to present Two Hounds Little Free Library.

Tummy Trouble Times Two

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When Bram first came to live with us, we noticed that he had a litterbox issue during his quarantine from the rest of the fur family. His stools were soft and bloody, which we thought might be from worms or some kind of parasite, since he was a stray. We had a similar experience with Barnabas when he came home, and his problem was the result of a parasite, which quickly resolved with medication. When Bram’s condition failed to improve on its own, we brought him to the vet. A special veterinary dry food diet of hydrolyzed protein was prescribed. We’ve been following this protocol since it was recommended, and it works well for him. Because he is the only cat in the house who eats this food, we are careful that he never gets into the other cats’ food, and treats are given sparingly. To date there have been no recurrences of his tummy trouble.

Capone has been to the vet for his own digestive issues. One day we noticed that his stool was similar to Bram’s when he was ill, and he was refusing food. His apparent rapid weight loss was concerning, as he has aways been thinner than his brother Cosmo. Our vet felt he was suffering from a bout of HGE (hemorragatic gastroenteritis). It was something I never experienced with neither Moose nor Red, and I had never heard of this condition.

We spent a couple days going back and forth to the vet. Capone was hooked up to IVs, as keeping him hydrated was important when fighting HGE. The vet was able to get him interested in food and eating again. Capone recovered from HGE, but I believe it’s something that could recur. Unlike Moose and Red, Capone and Cosmo do not eat table food, and I am particular about the treats that I give them, more so now than ever. It’s a shame that I am unable to indulge Capone with whipped cream from the coffee shop or special treats from places we visit. That was something I enjoyed doing for my previous boys, who had no food sensitivities. However, because we don’t know what triggered Capone’s tummy trouble, I’m careful not to trigger it again. His diet may be boring, but so far we have had no HGE recurrences. Perhaps he will be allowed special treats on occasion in the future. As for Cosmo, he seems to have no issues with his stomach at all. Fortunately, he is able to eat the same food as his brother to make mealtimes easier, and that has worked out well. The boys eat a formula for sensitive stomachs and skin that can be found at any pet supply store, while feline brother Bram is the only critter in the house on a prescription diet.

The tummy trouble for both Bram and Capone was caught early. Bram’s condition requires lifelong maintenance, while Capone’s requires lifelong monitoring. Hopefully they aren’t aware of all the goodies they miss out on due to their conditions. As for me, I’m just happy that there are diets that can maintain their digestive health and keep further flareups at bay.

And Then There Was One

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November should have been a month of celebration surrounding Thanksgiving and the upcoming winter holidays, but ours was marred by the loss of our rabbit Bugs, who passed away peacefully at home. It was an unexpected loss, both shocking and sad.

While there were no visible signs of illness or distress, we never knew exactly how old he was. Being an unknown small (presumably mixed) breed, I expected him to live into the double digits; and there was every good chance that he did. In my experience with bunnies over the years, I found that smaller breeds tend to outlive larger bunnies. (Upon further recollection, Bugs was approximately 4 in 2018, so that would have made him around 10 years old when we lost him). The little buns do seem to be blessed with longevity.

I remember the day that I met him and brought him home. I was finishing a volunteering shift and was in the parking lot walking toward my car when a friend told me there was someone looking to rehome a bunny. She knew all of mine had passed, and although I wasn’t looking for another, would I be interested?

And that’s how I brought home a bunny on a Sunday afternoon. Bugs (an unoriginal name that I kept) was a small fawn colored bun with straight ears. He was even tempered throughout his life, never exhibiting the tell-tale signs of an angry bunny, grunting and thumping a back foot. He may have been one of the smartest and friendliest rabbits I ever shared my home with, other than my girl Cleo (gone but never forgotten). The phrase “dumb bunny” is a misnomer, as I’m sure any rabbit parent will agree.

Bugs arrived litterbox trained, and he kept his habitat pristine. He showed me how nice it was to have a trained bunny, with a home base far superior to the wire cages with metal trays of old. How primitive in retrospect! Miss Poppie isn’t quite as cleanly as Bugs was, and requires more extensive sweeping, but she has gotten less messy since she has been here. Bugs loved head rubs, and would stand up asking for one whenever he saw me, a little gentleman in a fur coat. He did have an odd trait that no other bunny I ever had possessed—he didn’t like yogurt drops. The vanilla drops had been my go-to occasional treat for years. Bugs turned his little nose up at them every time. He was strictly a pellet, hay, and veggie bun, but perhaps this diet served him well, as I said, he passed away peacefully, never showing any signs of ill health.

I hope he was greeted by all my previous bunnies who crossed the Bridge before him. He will have no shortage of friends to romp with! Hop free Bugs; we’ll never forget our parking lot rescue bunny.