The Dolly Parton Internet Challenge

   

I recently saw the #dollypartonchallenge and was inspired by my ever-photo-loving pets to put a unique spin on it. I also posted it on my Instagram.  In the last picture, I tried to think of a social media platform that would fit the image, but I couldn't come up with one. So, I improvised 😊

We have Luna, who is my writing partner. She keeps me company at my desk every day. She's sweet. but she also steals my seat when I get up. For anything. Next, we have Colt. He is just hanging out, making sure he isn't missing anything. Oreo, my black and white cat just happened to walk in my office during this photoshoot. She looks thrilled, doesn't she? And last is Leia. This is a pic I've had of her before. This is how she greeted me one day after a particularly long day of editing, but it totally matches her zany personality! 

Did you do a pet-themed Dolly Parton Challenge? Let's see them!

Colt's Anxiety

Colt's Great Escape

Over the year and a half we have had Colt, we noticed he is very clingy, to me in particular. One Saturday last March the day started out normal. I had to take my daughter back to her Dad since she had to work. I knew it would be a long ride and that Colt would get very anxious. Even with other people in the house, he will still bark every few minutes and sit by the door. So, since I didn't need to get out of the car, I let him come with me. He enjoyed that. He is very good in the car. He mostly sleeps, but he will also get up every now and then to look out the window.

Once we were home, my husband and I went to get some food shopping done. We were halfway to the store when we get a phone call from the Home Again microchip company. (I really love this company. I highly recommend them..) The said that they had found Colt.

We were thinking that it had to be a mistake because we just left Colt IN the house only a short time ago. My husband made some calls to our neighbors and it was confirmed. Somehow, he got our.

A bunch of horrible things were going through our heads. How did he get out? Was he OK? Did someone  get into our house and therefore let him out? Did the cats follow him?

We finally get home. Colt was over at our neighbor's house (Turns out he went to visit the horses across the street). The cats were all accounted for. One last question remained. HOW did he get out?

We had a hunch, but hoped we were wrong, that he went through a window. When we looked to the side of our house, we saw a gaping hold where Colt must have torn and jumped through.

At the Vet we discussed his anxiety and are trying some behavioral tips at home before we move to any supplements or medication.  We did try to crate train him in the past, but he couldn't stand being closed in and ended up chewing off the metal tabs to the doors of the cage. He still uses it though - on his own terms and with it wide open. His favorite thing to do is munch on his "chewy", which is one of those brushing chews.

If you have a pet anxiety story, tell me about it in the comments.

Updates

We have lots of updates on what I'm starting to call the "Imlay Farmland".  Between working, writing and training Colt, I've been pretty busy. We are also in the process of selling our current home and moving to a more agricultural area. Wish us luck. We're getting last minute drama. 

In the middle of all that, the animals have left us with no shortage of experiences. I wish I wrote them all down in a notepad so I would remember them all. I'll see what I can remember. 

Colt - Colt is our new Jack Russel Terrier we adopted in November shortly after Scooby passed. His story is on the previous blog post. Colt is very lovable and has a big personality.  He follows me everywhere and hates to be alone. He hates thunder and fireworks as well. He enjoys long walks and chasing the ball around. His favorite thing to do? He ADORES car rides. 

The new development for him is a cage. His anxiety was causing him to find and eat harmful things such as a half a bag of Hershey Kisses. We got him a large cage for when I am not home, so he can move around and change positions. He is adjusting well. Sometimes he goes in there on his own when he wants to rest or sleep. 

Luna - Luna had a trip to the vet about a week and a half ago. She started with a UTI and they also administered her vaccines. Her med for the UTI was a long lasting antibiotic shot. (Pet enthusiasts, what are your experiences and thoughts about this? I'm reading mixed reviews) 

Luna's latest adventure was to try and chase a yellow jacket that got into the house. She is one strong willed cat and refuses to accept a "No" from us pesky humans. I got rid of the bee, but not before snapping this pic:

Luna's now back to recovering from her illness, but starting to use the litter box inconsistently. We are hoping her spay surgery on Friday helps with this situation. I suspect this has something to do with our newest cat Leia.  

Leia - Who is Leia you ask? She is technically Luna's older sister. Yes, Leia and Luna are sisters...and they certainly fight like it. Leia's owner had to give her up and "Imlay Farmland" took her in 😉 This has been a difficult adjustment. Luna can be moody and egg on Leia. Leia had a rough time at her old home and can get aggressive to prevent other attacks. Leia is also due for her spaying this Friday, and we hope this will calm her down. 

Izzy, Oreo and Peanut have been sitting back and watching the show. 

What have you and your pets been up to lately? 

Our New Addition

Loosing Scooby was pretty hard. I miss him every day. He was always my "Dr. Phil" buddy. He'd curl up next to me every day for our daily dose! It's hard not calling his name. One of the toughest things we experienced was when someone would be at the door. Scoob took his job of guarding the house very seriously. Anyone at the door would be greeted by intense barking. He sounded scarier than he was.  In fact he'd get just as mad at anyone leaving the house.  After he was gone, the first time there was a knock at the door we almost jumped into our routine. Someone always had to sit with him to make him relax. It was weird answering the door without the Scooby Routine.

Now, several weeks later we have a new addition. Things still will not be the same without Scooby, but he will forever be a part of us.  We started searching for dogs at different shelters. At the last one we went, we planned for a younger dog, but we soon fell in love with Colt.

Colt is a 7 year old Jack Russel Terrier. He is energetic, well trained,  and loves people.  Since he's come home with us we discovered that he is a great jumper (he even cleared a half stone wall), he loves car rides and he can dig ( He thinks that is what our harvested garden is for.)

This new addition is a joy to have. He loves his family. He likes to play Catch and Tug-of-War. His energy sort of forces you to be energetic too, which is always something I find myself lacking. I have a feeling there is going to be some interesting stories featuring this guy.

So while I still miss my Scooby boy, I'm glad our family met Colt. In his own way he is helping us to continue to heal from the loss. But even better for him, he found a forever home with us.