It's been awhile since I updated the world on our two bulldogs, Sherman and Custer, and there have been some happenings with the two of them that should be noted.
First, after a long hard winter, Sherman especially was hit with allergies that were compromising his immune system. He was having all sorts of skin issues, which in turn caused him to scratch himself endlessly, which in turn caused him to scratch himself raw in a few places. Custer wasn't as affected, although he required some treatments himself.
We had to bathe them both in special shampoo and then give them medicines and steroids the vet prescribed. In order to get them to eat them, we had to put them in coconut oil, because putting them in peanut butter would defeat the purpose. Thankfully, their appetites never wavered, so we were able to get the pills down them regularly.
When the weather warmed up we began taking them for walks around the village millpond. Needless to say, they were rock stars. I told Karen we should make it easier on ourselves and just print up information sheets to hand out to people, because we ended up telling the same thing over and over to the point that I felt like an automated recording.
The biggest change, however, after the time we spent with Dee Dee, also known as Deedles, the rescue bulldog we fostered until her forever home was found, was the introduction of a cat. Because we're about to move into a house in which we found a dead mouse in the basement, Karen decided we needed to have a mouser, or a cat that was a mouse killer, to keep the mice away. Because I've never had a cat, I know next to nothing about them. Add to that the fact that I've always been allergic to them, and one can guess just how enthusiastic I was to get one, no matter how sensible the decision was.
If I was unenthusiastic about it, one can only surmise how interested Sherman and Custer were about the introduction of yet another distraction in the house. Sherman, for his part, had lived with cats before and took a decided disinterest in the cat. Of course, Sherman exudes disdain for anything with four legs, unless it shows him disrespect, in which he has a feral interest in dismembering it, and really thinks of himself more as human than canine. Custer, for his part, either sees a mobile snack or an enticing new toy with which he can play. From the confused look on his face as he sniffs the cat, we can only guess at what he's thinking.
The cat -- who we've named Bupkes because that's how much he cost us -- was at first uncertain about his new home. As Karen explained it, he'd basically been taken from his siblings, his mother and the only place he called home, which makes sense. But because I had no reference points, this was all new to me.
Suffice it to say that the generals weren't the only ones whose heads were exploding from the introduction of Bukpes into the fold. Because of our space limitations -- and because we didn't know if Custer was going to try and eat him for a snack -- we had to keep Bupkes in the master bathroom. That meant his little box, his water bowl and his food dish, not to mention his bed, had to be put in there, right in front of the shower. Well, Bupkes has decided that it's not so much a ltterbox as a sandbox, so there's grainy litter everywhere; it's like walking on the beach after he's gotten in there.
Custer snuck in last night while we weren't looking and ate Bupper's food. He got scolded terribly for that. Bupkes, meanwhile, has ventured out of the bedroom and into the living room, where he has learned to stay on the couch and chairs. Sometimes Custer pays close attention, most of the time he's non-committal. We still have to separate them when we're not at home, just to be on the safe side.
One of the joys of the generals' weeks is to make a stop Dairy Queen on our walks around the millpond. We buy them a small cone each and ask for a bowl of water. The sight of those two devouring their cones is a showstopper. Needless to say, we get plenty of comments from other customers.
Sure, the walks are good for them. The exercise helps keep the weight off and gives them a chance to stretch. The best part about those walks, however, is that it knocks them out for the rest of the night.
We're not stupid.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
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