A Pretty Full Thursday

Whew.  I'm ashamed to tell you that I have gotten up before dawn exactly ONE time since I retired!

 

I had to do it again today, I had forgotten what the alarm sounds like!

 

This was Spay/Neuter Transport Day for the Leavenworth County Humane Society, and was held in Tonganoxie today.  It moves around the county every quarter. 

 

Altogether, 27 cats (some feral) and 14 dogs were brought in.

 

The reception area was set up behind a feed store in Tongie.  The two ladies at the registration table are volunteers.  Behind them are the carriers we put together... they are draped to keep the dogs and cats from fretting too badly.   It was cold, but not unbearable, but lifting the crates, especially the ones with the larger dogs, was hard work. 

When the SPCA got there to pick them up, one large crate would not fit in the van.  Guess who got to take that dog?  It was quite a ways off, too, but she was delivered safely and will be spayed today and then returned with the others tomorrow.  These neuterings are done at a large discount as a service to the citizens, so it's a blessing for many people. 

 

While I was there, Keith called.  Ranger, our German Shepherd, had fallen and howled loudly in pain... Keith called it "screaming in pain".  He then vomited (sorry!) all of his breakfast. 

We know he has hip dysplasia, and we know that he has to be on medication for the rest of his life... but something else was wrong.  I made an appointment to take him to the vet this afternoon.

 

So, Ranger and I went to our vet, and we found out, sadly, that he has torn his ACL on his right hind leg, they estimate two weeks ago at least, because there is a lot of scar tissue already.  We were told that there is an operation available, but Ranger is very overweight, and they are hestitant to do it unless I can get 15 pounds off him.  Keith and I are discussing it... it would be very hard on him to go through this surgery, and tonight I got a call from a good friend who has shown AKC dogs for 30 years... and she also told me it would be extremely hard for him.  As she said, it would take several months to get the weight off, and in the meantime, he has to go through the pain of the torn ACL. 

We're going to pray about it and decide what to do for Ranger, and it's not a matter of money... we can afford the surgery, but we don't want our good boy to be in unnecessary pain. 

 

When I got home, I had found the turkey girls still in the rafters.  I encouraged them to get down by getting up on a ladder and talking to them, and they did figure out how to get down from where they roosted.  Both were starving and very thirsty!  Pretty soon they meandered outside, and began to peck around in the henyards.

 

 

 

But here was the best part...

 

 

These were the four stragglers... and when I said "Time for Bed"... they all marched themselves RIGHT IN.  Well, the red hen ran in last, under the turkey's petticoats, but they all WENT IN.  I leave the light on for a while now, so that they can all adjust themselves to their new positions, as Jackson has been sleeping inside since Annabelle was killed.  One Turkette went up to the rafters like last night, and the other flew up onto a roost, where she settled down next to a bunch of chickens, while Jackson flew up to the a heavy roost across from her.  Everyone settled down, and I turned the light out a few minutes later. 

 

That's what I like!

 

So I turned my attention to the little henyard next door, and in the meantime, Troy-from-next-door hollered at me. 

 

Here was the group making noise:

 

 

And here's why they were making it:

 

 

Yep, it's baaaccckkkk.

 

I actually saw it fly to the pasture to get something a few minutes later. 

 

We have two cockerels right now who are injured... they are both limping, and they are both porcelain D'Uccles.  One got out into the yard today, in fact, I found three chickens in the yard when I got home.  I hate to say it, but at some point, that owl is going to wise up to those cockerels, or Lilly will. 

 

I am behind with everyone's blogs... give me a few days to get caught up around here, and I'll be back to reading about all your adventures.  Tomorrow I have to be home all afternoon to accept a delivery of something I hope to write about tomorrow night.