Our Animal Kingdom

Kuchma Kot came home after four day, thin, filthy and bedraggled.  We were starting to worry that something he disagreed with had eaten him.  Most likely he was investigating someplace he should not have and accidentally got locked in.  At any rate we were glad to see him and rewarded him by giving him a bath.

Tanya wanted to bind his feet but since this was the first time I bathed a cat, I said no, i would just hold him.  Someone (Dana? Demeur?) posted about bathing a cat by stuffing it in the toilet, sitting on the lid and flushing a couple times, then getting out of the way while opening the lid. Should have done that.  Kuchma dug his claws into my arm and hung on for dear life while Tanya shampooed and rinsed him.  The tub ran black with mud. My arm ran red with blood.  Fair is fair I guess.

My two dogs are at it again.  About two weeks ago, they were out running around and suddenly went for each others throats.  Tanya and I separated them with some difficulty.  They were in deep snow.  Red blood looks really neat against pure white snow. We locked Bobik in their yard, leaving Volk out for the night.  Next day, I put Volk back in their yard, thinking they would have cooled off.  Nope.  I was by myself this time and really had trouble getting them apart.

I threw Bobik out and left Volk in the yard.  Next day, Bobik wanted back in so I opened the gate and in he went, no trouble. They got on fine.  I learned something but what?

A big German Shepherd cross female spent the night in the yard next door.  With Lucia's old dog.  How he got out, I have no idea.  Anyhow, he tried valiantly but could not mount a decent offense as they say in the game.  I have a great deal of empathy for him.  My two dogs howled, barked and whined all night, like roughnecks at a strip-joint, upset at being locked out of the action.

Next day, I let them out of their yard again and they didn't come home for two days.  When they came home they brought their consort with them.  A different female German Shepherd this time.  Smaller, fine featured, very intelligent but badly abused.  She had been hanging around before.  Abandoned by her owner (another sad story) in late December*, she was looking for food and of course we fed her on occasion.  I let her in the yard with Bobik and Volk for the night so she could eat and so my dogs would be quiet.

They were quiet all right.  Next morning the yard was tramped flat and they were tired and bloody.  It must have been quite a night as they have not so much as run since.  Very subdued pair of very chewed up dogs.  The vet comes tomorrow to patch them up and take the female off our hands.  We don't need another dog and we won't let her starve.


* that likely made her a Christmas consort . . . but I digress . . .