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ENLARGE
THEN AND NOW
Edna Van Leuven
Just a little while ago, while sitting watching Fox News and my favorite, Bill O’Reilly, I realized that two little dogs were asleep at my feet.
Molly had her fuzzy black ears draped across one of my shoes, and Riley had his crooked tail flopped across the other. I couldn’t move. Eventually, as with any small dog, they got up to move around, doing what dogs do for hours at a time — running around the house chasing each other, nipping at ears and chewing on any item they can get their teeth on.
On this last point, one must be careful if you value something.
Doug came to me yesterday showing me his reading glasses. “Just look at this, he said.” His new glasses were covered in doggy saliva and one of the nose pieces was missing. I do hope he can find that missing part. If not — well — we know that all things tend to work themselves out in the end. The same thing happened to my glasses, except that mine are those plastic rim kind. All that happened in my case was that the glasses where completely broken in half. I thought that Doug would have a fit when he saw my glasses. but I don’t panic easily. Crazy glue and a few minutes of patience and all was well. The glasses are about 10 years old anyway, and are really in need of replacement.
My thanks to Molly and Riley for reminding me.
Molly is completely “house broken,” and Riley cooperates most of the time.
He’s only failed to speak up a few times in the last week, and that smart little fellow has already found out what that nice, large yard is for, especially the huge grassy lawn. In all these weeks that we’ve had little Riley, he has only had one “mistake of the other kind,” and I find that commendable. However, I’ve noticed that the colder weather makes it more difficult to get the “kids” to willingly go outside without Doug and I taking them and freezing with them while they do their duty.
Today, I had to go to town for some chores, head out to the Navy base for my big, once a month, food-shopping fiasco, and was gone for about three hours. Doug had some important work to do in the yard, and we left the “kids“ in the house. Doug has rigged up two fences that leave the dogs, the kitchen, laundry room and back yard for their running area. It keeps them out of the bedrooms and living room area — and mostly out of trouble.
On my return, Doug said that I couldn’t believe the noise that Riley made when he realized that both of us were out of the house. Anyway, I then put both of them into the living room area — instead of the other way around — as Doug and I put the groceries away. It was then that I had a first hand chance to hear Riley for myself. Before I had only heard him whimper, and Doug and I were beginning to think that he would never bark. Boy, was I in for a shock. This five-pound bundle of constant movement sounds like the biggest pit bull you have ever heard. It’s just unbelievable.
But a couple of nights ago we were very glad that both Riley and Molly can be vocal. It was just before dark, while I was standing by the stove beginning our dinner, when I heard the two dogs barking hysterically. Combined with the barking was Doug’s screaming “get inside, get inside!” Both dogs came flying through their doggie door and Doug opened the door and screamed “rattlesnake,” slamming both doors shut as he rushed back outside. It seems that Doug had discovered Molly bouncing up and down and looking toward the fence, while Riley was barking and charging toward the snake. Doug jumped between the dogs and the snake, saving both of them from what would have been a disaster. Once Doug had saved the “kids,” he went out to deal with the unwelcome rattlesnake. I remember telling the Marshes, the people from whom we purchased our new pets — that “a snake couldn’t get through that back yard fence.” So much for that idea. Doug was really upset, especially when he realized that the meticulous work he did to make sure nothing could get through that high wooden fence that was set with a full concrete base. Doug had even placed wood planking on the base of the outside of the fence.
How that snake slipped through — and it had to be through the slats — is anybody’s guess.
Doug did some checking on the Internet, and found out that the vets now have a snake bite vaccine. We’ve already scheduled Molly and Riley for their first of a series of three shots.
Anyway, everybody is safe now, and each time we go out we check for any more visitors. This is the second time we have been visited by an unwelcome guest in our yard, the first one being on Violets Road near Lahontan Dam. But that’s another story.
Edna Van Leuven is a Churchill County resident.
Molly had her fuzzy black ears draped across one of my shoes, and Riley had his crooked tail flopped across the other. I couldn’t move. Eventually, as with any small dog, they got up to move around, doing what dogs do for hours at a time — running around the house chasing each other, nipping at ears and chewing on any item they can get their teeth on.
On this last point, one must be careful if you value something.
Doug came to me yesterday showing me his reading glasses. “Just look at this, he said.” His new glasses were covered in doggy saliva and one of the nose pieces was missing. I do hope he can find that missing part. If not — well — we know that all things tend to work themselves out in the end. The same thing happened to my glasses, except that mine are those plastic rim kind. All that happened in my case was that the glasses where completely broken in half. I thought that Doug would have a fit when he saw my glasses. but I don’t panic easily. Crazy glue and a few minutes of patience and all was well. The glasses are about 10 years old anyway, and are really in need of replacement.
My thanks to Molly and Riley for reminding me.
Molly is completely “house broken,” and Riley cooperates most of the time.
He’s only failed to speak up a few times in the last week, and that smart little fellow has already found out what that nice, large yard is for, especially the huge grassy lawn. In all these weeks that we’ve had little Riley, he has only had one “mistake of the other kind,” and I find that commendable. However, I’ve noticed that the colder weather makes it more difficult to get the “kids” to willingly go outside without Doug and I taking them and freezing with them while they do their duty.
Today, I had to go to town for some chores, head out to the Navy base for my big, once a month, food-shopping fiasco, and was gone for about three hours. Doug had some important work to do in the yard, and we left the “kids“ in the house. Doug has rigged up two fences that leave the dogs, the kitchen, laundry room and back yard for their running area. It keeps them out of the bedrooms and living room area — and mostly out of trouble.
On my return, Doug said that I couldn’t believe the noise that Riley made when he realized that both of us were out of the house. Anyway, I then put both of them into the living room area — instead of the other way around — as Doug and I put the groceries away. It was then that I had a first hand chance to hear Riley for myself. Before I had only heard him whimper, and Doug and I were beginning to think that he would never bark. Boy, was I in for a shock. This five-pound bundle of constant movement sounds like the biggest pit bull you have ever heard. It’s just unbelievable.
But a couple of nights ago we were very glad that both Riley and Molly can be vocal. It was just before dark, while I was standing by the stove beginning our dinner, when I heard the two dogs barking hysterically. Combined with the barking was Doug’s screaming “get inside, get inside!” Both dogs came flying through their doggie door and Doug opened the door and screamed “rattlesnake,” slamming both doors shut as he rushed back outside. It seems that Doug had discovered Molly bouncing up and down and looking toward the fence, while Riley was barking and charging toward the snake. Doug jumped between the dogs and the snake, saving both of them from what would have been a disaster. Once Doug had saved the “kids,” he went out to deal with the unwelcome rattlesnake. I remember telling the Marshes, the people from whom we purchased our new pets — that “a snake couldn’t get through that back yard fence.” So much for that idea. Doug was really upset, especially when he realized that the meticulous work he did to make sure nothing could get through that high wooden fence that was set with a full concrete base. Doug had even placed wood planking on the base of the outside of the fence.
How that snake slipped through — and it had to be through the slats — is anybody’s guess.
Doug did some checking on the Internet, and found out that the vets now have a snake bite vaccine. We’ve already scheduled Molly and Riley for their first of a series of three shots.
Anyway, everybody is safe now, and each time we go out we check for any more visitors. This is the second time we have been visited by an unwelcome guest in our yard, the first one being on Violets Road near Lahontan Dam. But that’s another story.
Edna Van Leuven is a Churchill County resident.
