all in a day

This Place is going to the Dogs

Buddy and Biscuit in background

     Well maybe also to the ducks, chickens and a few other animals as it should be. It is the four B’s or what they stand for as Babe, Biscuit, Buddy and Bowser, in terms of largest to the smallest dog that I will be talking about today and in particular the first two, Babe and Biscuit and the rivalry I have noticed of late that is somewhat humorous, but at other times can be a pain in the ass as we go along.

     Babe my German Shepherd had this place to herself for quite a long time and I figured she would embrace company , I guess that is what I get for thinking, as I should have known babe better. Her and my last dog Zoey had some knock down drag out fights over sticks or just about anything like a breeze blowing through would be good enough to get them to tangle.  The fact they were both alpha females who squat to pee with a stick in their mouth wasn’t enough as they both would kick up a leg like a male does, doing a three legged squat, and scent everything in their path. I had Babe and Zoey fixed but I guess I should have had their balls cut also at the same time to make them a little better off socially. Both of them at times defined the word bitch, so much so that their male counterparts would have nothing to do with them. Strange how dogs mimic humans at times, except in certain areas as they have never been able to get that door opening , feeding, and crap cleanup thing, down pat . I guess they are still working on it or kinda like the arrangement they have it now, as us superior humans would have it. Sometimes I wonder who is really superior if we are taking care of them

Bowser or trouble maker

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      Zoey passed a little early from something that overtook her quickly, and I miss her spirit. Then Babe spent maybe three or four years alone here on the farm before again having another dog around. I would take her for rides in the pickup and would have to grab her as we would pass other dogs for fear she would try and start something with them as we were driving down the road. I was afraid her barking and growling would in turn would drag the dog out into the road, as the tone of her voice must have been liken to an ass kicking. I would hold her down in the seat till we passed. I would park in the back row at the shopping center and she would quietly stay in the truck till old Grandma Wheezer would pull in with her poodle, Fluffy and park right beside me. Get out her walker and shuffle inside hoping Fluffy will find comfort in the company of Babe in the next vehicle beside here with the windows up.

     Babe would wait till ole Grandma Wheezer would get out of hearing aid range and then she would let loose on old Fluffy within the confines of my pickup cab with the windows up , sometimes doing a dance as little fluffy would sit in her car scared shitless or also putting up a fight from inside the old lady’s car. There are times I came out of the store to be greeted by babe with an arm rest dangling out of her mouth as she tried to show little fluffy what she was going to do to her if she could get out of my truck.

Babe on Biscuit watch about quitting time.as the sun sets on another day at the farm 

      Normally Babe is a loving dog at least to me and selected UPS men, well maybe a few other individuals, but to some people she can put them on edge. But then she is here for security and what good is a dog that licks you all the time. Babe has never bit any person and I doubt she ever would unless they threatened her or me, or anyone here at the farm. She is great with most animals except one old retired chicken she likes to play a little too hard with.

      Biscuit is pretty much the same as Babe, an alpha female and a constant irritant to Babe who constantly reminds Biscuit just who the boss is, and of course Biscuit knows it is her. Buddy and Bowser could care less who the boss is as all they want to do is run. Run to the neighbors, or down the road anywhere except here at times, again at times mimicking men in that regard, as the women want to make a home and protect it, while the men want to roam.

      Biscuit and Babe though have this ongoing silent feud going on and there is no way to stop this kind rivalry as it impossible to keep up with them at times. Biscuit comes up to my house and craps in the yard and takes a leak scenting the around my house while Babe is inside looking out usually whining. Then when I think Babe want to go to the bathroom and I let her out well she goes around and over scents all Biscuits work and then heads to Mom’s house to do the same to her house. Before Biscuit I would observe Babe doing her business in the bushes or at the edge of the yard but now it is a war of crap between them as they point – counterpoint each other in a silent struggle to be a master Dom.

      Last night I observed what I thought was a humorous situation between the two of them as my brother in law came up to my house and thereby granting access to Biscuit to also tag along and sometime after we stood there talking Biscuit snuck past me and cleaned out the cat dish and started on Babes dog food but gave that up real quick , in the meantime my brother in law and I headed out to find some tools and and as I walked out of the house, I closed the door behind me and unknown to me , Biscuit was locked in my house, while Babe was outside with me.

    In fact she was in there for a while as it took me some time to get back to the house and at one point I looked up at my place and in place of Babe staring at me from the window it was Biscuit. I almost bent over laughing at her as she looked at me so pitiful from the same vantage point as babe would if she would have been locked in. it was as if Biscuit had achieved the ultimate Babe showdown and yet she was still not happy as Babe was out there running around and she was locked  inside.

     I headed back to the house at one point and let Biscuit out whereupon she immediately took turns scenting those places where Babe had been.  Since we were working in the basement of mom’s house it was dogs under feet as Babe and then Biscuit would be underfoot as we tried to maneuver ourselves around. Work was constantly interrupted to tell one or the other to get the heck out of our road. Babe was only trying to give Biscuit back the same as Biscuit was giving her.

       Most of the time things are quiet when the two share the outside and no one is around. Babe will sit up here in my yard and stare down at Biscuit who seems to be content to stay on the porch. Just recently Babe and Biscuit did something totally unexpected and took off together following my sister down the lane. I came out of the house only to find Babe missing and I yelled for her. Here is a dog that never leaves my side and she is suddenly missing and a cause of alarm for me, so much so that I grabbed the tractor and headed down the lane as that seems to be a common theme of dogs to see what is down there, when they have a need to roam. My hunch was right as I yelled across the vast expanse of open ground and it must have fell upon their ears as at first I sighted Babe coming back then Biscuit. I couldn’t believe Babe was running around with her. Babe knew I was mad at her and busted her butt heading home while Biscuit took a wide birth of me and just avoided the ugly tongue lashing Babe was receiving

    I think it was Biscuits way of taking care of the Babe situation as she hopefully leads her off to maybe get Babe lost or it could have been vice a versa as Babe might have been doing the same to Biscuit also. Friends for a minute they were but it didn’t last long as soon they were back at it. I doubt if the situation will ever get any better as that is a dog’s way. But then that Is not that much different than some humans at times.  

    We sometimes develop grudges against others that we will go to the grave with. We can be the friendliest, forgiving people, but at times some people just grate on us. Nothing they can say or do will make a difference in how we feel about them even if they were the last person on earth. You would rather die than ask their help, or allow them to commiserate with you. Such is life. in the case of these two dogs , I  can’t beat them into conformity, instead we just have to relish in the thought that as a dog they are letting each other know their true feeling for one another. You can’t expect them to do something we wouldn’t do.