Lexus can be a real pain in the ass when she is in season. She gets it in her head that she should be dominant and starts huffing at and bumping into Morrigan. There is no way that Morrigan will let that slide so I have to keep them separate until Lexus regains her brain. Morrigan is in heat now but Lexus has been done for a while. After her insanity, Lexus always wants to make up with Morrigan and I thought Sunday morning would be a good time for the two of them to reaffirm their bonds. We were in the barn and I let Lexus out. She was SO happy to be with her momma again. She was genuflecting and jaw licking and being as subservient as can be imagined. Then she put her left paw on Morrigan's face and pulled it down. She took the skin from the right side of Morrigan's nose with her claws. Morrigan has been bleeding ever since. It was truly an accident with no malicious intent behind it but the wounds will NOT stop bleeding. There is blood everywhere. We have washed mountains of laundry. After two days, I finally gave up on trying to stem the tide and took her to the vet this morning. He is going to try and cauterize it. I hope it works.

On the positive side, Morrigan has enjoyed being inside even if she has to stay in a crate. She is so smart. I told her to stay ONCE while I had the crate door open and she hasn't attempted to leave since. While we are home we have left the door to the crate open and she likes that immensely. She likes being trusted.

She had fun at the vet's office up until the point I took her back to her kennel. They are going to have to sedate her so I had to leave her. I don't like doing that. Tammie was there with a few of her foster dogs. She had a Hairless Chinese Crested and a Poodle that just stayed in her lap as if they had known her their entire lives. She had had them for one whole day. She is so good with these 'orphans'. Anyway, I told her that I was leaving Morrigan in her care. :)

I don't know why I worry. Morrigan is treated like royalty up there. She does seem to project a regal air when she is in public. I need to get her out more.

With the girls in season, Trojan and Rex are acting rather strange. At least Rex gets to go outside with his best girl Roxie in the front enclosure. Trojan laughs at anything without a top and has proven to be quite a Houdini. Trojan spends his time locked up in the barn. I get him out as much as I can and I take him on as many long walks as time allows. Yesterday we got home before dark BUT it was raining. I took him anyway. Walking in the rain wasn't bad at all.

Sunday I got tired of looking at my children laying around the house so I loaded them up in the truck and forced them to help me in the woods. Sid's main job was photographer. Well, it may not have been an assigned duty but it is certainly the most I got out of her. She kept whining and trying to sneak off. Regardless of circumstance, she took some pretty good pictures with her phone.

I really wish I had asked her to turn up the resolution on her camera before she took the second picture. It would have been great to have it in a larger format.

In the last picture, 'T' looks bored. Ahhh, no. Where we were working was about a quarter mile from the house. Trojan had snuck off while I was cutting a log in half. I drove back to the house, loaded him up and brought him back. He wasn't sulking either. He was quite happy in the truck and didn't want to get out. Seeing his head through the window like that reminds me of when his momma jumped into the truck through that window when she saw her first motorcycle. She still hates them but now she runs toward them not away, BUT that is another story.

As for that rain, we got a few inches in the last 24 hours. The Dog Log Cabin is bone dry. We had a lot of wind and even without daubbing and chinking the big overhangs did their job and kept it nice inside. If only Rex would stay inside! He goes in and lays down but then something will catch his interest and his is up and out in the rain. Whatever. I figure he has a choice, inside and dry or outside and wet. If it isn't bothering him, it won't bother me! Rex likes to lay in the doorway. He very effectively traps Roxie inside when he does this. She doesn't care. Rex is also the hardest sleeping dog I have ever seen! He is just hard to wake up. He snores lightly, not loud at all.

Not to self:

Lilly 11/1
Susie 11/7
Lexus 11/10
Roxie 11/25
Morrigan 11/28

First, a blast from the past, here my neighbor captured Gabriel the cat yawning whilst a young Lane looks on. I know, you guys think I have forgotten about Lane. Well, I haven't. He is living the good life over on Bethesda Church Road with all the horses he can terrorize. Even a mini horse named Nitro. Lane outweighs Nitro. Nitro kicks and bites Lane relentlessly. Lane ignores him. :)

Next on display is the incomparable Tug Boat!

Oh the indignity! What is Heather doing to our proud boy! Mini is riding him like a horse for crying out loud! I think he looks upset.

Here Mini demonstrates her complete mastery of the beast by sticking her head inside its mouth! Mini is some trainer!

Then, Mistress Heather, adds insult to injury by teasing our hero by uttering the immortal words, "Grandma's Here!"

Finally, Tug's patience wears thin and he goes outside muttering, "I got your pigment right here!"

Sheldon sent us this picture of Achilles doing what Mastiffs do best...

This weekend Trojan, Morrigan and Lexus helped me with our bonfire. All three actually carried sticks over to me to put on the fire. The sticks were all a little wet and a little chewed but hey, help is help. Trojan's was more like a tree and about twenty feet long. He is such a show off. Sidney and James also helped and we kept it going from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon.

Jennifer took some pictures of her babies.

Jennifer is going to handle Lilly for me in Montgomery over Thanksgiving weekend. Lets see, she can finish Lilly, then Trojan, then Susie, then Lane. That will give her five dogs finished in the breed and THEN with a few minor technical issues to resolve, she can apply for her AKC Judgeship. :)