Dog Days

We have 5 dogs, and they are the best. There's Atlas, who is constantly rearranging things. He likes to take things from the barn and distribute them about the pasture - dog bowls, dog beds, tools, chicken waterers... He's very stand-offish around people he doesn't know, but tends to usually be the calmer of the two. Although he can start some nasty fights with his brother. He is the cleanest of the two.

Goliath, on the other hand, must jump in the stink pond every day, and then roll in the dirt. He doesn't rearrange inanimate objects, he likes to rearrange chickens. He doesn't hurt them, he just likes to carry them around, if he can catch them. He is still vying to be a house dog, but being covered in dirt isn't helping his cause.

Then there is grumpy old Grish. As his hearing wanes in his elder years, his voice gets louder. He barks at stuff he doesn't know what he's barking at, and he's constantly telling those young whipper snapper pups to get off his lawn. He doesn't play as much fetch anymore, but he still likes to boss everyone around.

Athena just needs a job, and she needs it from Larry. Being a German Shep-Herd, she really really really wants to do something with those sheep. If left unattended, that something is to chase them all over the place. Larry is finally working with her to help actually herd them. She is especially helpful in bringing them in at night, or bringing them in from the front yard, but she has to be on command. If given her own leeway, she'll just chase them around.

Then there is Hobbes. He's my little buddy - making friends wherever he goes. He USED to help bring in the sheep - because unlike Athena, he doesn't chase them. Now he won't go near them. once Laverne had another set of twins, she wasn't having any of his crap near her babies - she head butted him against the fence. So now he's scared of sheep, and will only go near them if I protect him. He will, apparently, army crawl on his tummy up behind a sleeping lamb so he can lick it. I find that very amusing.

Someday, we'll get to get more dogs. Once Athena isn't able to help round up the sheep, Larry wants to get another German Shepherd he can train properly. We'll get a female Great Pyrenees someday to mate with Atlas, so we can keep a stock of guard dogs in the pasture. As for a silly housepet - Larry says I get to go to the shelter and bring home the mutt of my choice after we lose Hobbes. That could be a while, but I don't mind picking out a funny dog to clown around on the farm!