DonnieBrook's Subtropical Adventures 2

Great trip, Louise----lots of bird sightings, & the girls were good---I knew they would be! Karen, that puppy sounds cute---love the faces on the dachs---very sweet.

How exciting, Karen! My sister has 4 or 5 dachshunds. They were a riot when we visited. All of them were sitting with my BIL....some in his pockets and others all over him....very cute. They were well behaved, but they don't like "outsider dogs". I hope we won't have any problems blending our girls with my son's Bichon, Donnie. He is 7 and he and Molly were very bonded. He's a great little dog and loves to play, so I think they should get along well after a "sizing up" time. Donnie visits us at the farm when my son takes trips, so we'll have the 3 of them. The girls celebrated their 6 month birthday on Monday.

Oh, so sorry, Allison. I'll see if I can find a decent stem. Mine were really hurt by the cold weather we had awhile back.

Hi Marilyn........have you ever done the Okeechobee circle from the Villages?

bummer Louise but thanks if you can find one.. if not there is always next year... I haven't given up hope on it... but it's looking sort of brown

No, we never have, Louise---looks really interesting. We did go to a place called Salt Springs on the St. John's River that I loved---saw a red headed woodpecker there. And we did drive through the Ocala National Forest---that's a place not many tourists get to ---very poor area, but beautiful.

I think I mentioned earlier that the Dog Whisperer's advice on keeping dogs from digging up the yard was to channel their interest in one area where digging is permitted. I was surprised how easily it worked to redirect their digging attempts to a permissible area. We moved our year-old Valencia orange tree out of their area so that we could fertilize it without hurting the girls, and the spot where we removed it became the sand box of choice. Yesterday the girls were hysterical digging down to China. They were almost underground by the end. A filthy head would pop up and then shake off the sandy soil and go at it again. Here are a couple photos of their enthusiastic adventure!

This is a distance shot so you can see where the box fits into the play yard.....

one more.......check out the dirty face......

cute - that guy knows of what he speaks!

would have never thought of doing something like that.. hope it works out for you.. sounds like a great idea though

Very cute!

Hi Bill, Allison & Victor! Amazingly, they have done just what he said....they don't dig anywhere now except in their area. We set aside an area a couple weeks ago, and we just changed it when we took the tree out. I'm not a fan of digging, and it was never a problem with Molly, but Carli is a digger and she seems content to do it where we direct her. Thankfully, she doesn't feel the urge that often. She'd rather eat everything in the grass or trample her sister at top speed.

Here's a shot of the osteospermum up close. I have never had these do as well as they are doing here.

love them!!!... I only had ones that looked that nice ... when I bought them.. the ones I grow from seed never come out so full

Silly dogs & beautiful plant.

Lovely Osteospermums!!!

That is a great idea for their digging. Hope you have a doggie wash close by. Too cute!

Thanks, Lucy! And yes, very silly puppies.

Allison - I was wondering what I would get if I save the seedheads and try to propagate new plants from these osterspermum. Is that how you did it or did you buy seeds?

Thanks, Jan! Believe me, I do need to build them an outdoor puppy shower next!! We have two dirty puppies that are in need of a bath BEFORE they go to their new grooming salon on Monday. I'm embarrassed to think what the groomer might think about our home life!!! LOL Considering how sandy this soil is and how easy to shake it off, I think I won't want to dig a dirt box in NH! They have a scruffy gray look today! Tomorrow we are taking them on another day trip - looking just as they look because there will be no time for baths in the morning. I'll have to fit it in on Sunday before we go to the Jersey Boys Off-Broadway show.

How are things up there today? All the snow gone yet?

I bought seeds... I deadhead too much thinking I can push it extra weeks in fall.. and never see any dried up ones... I wonder if you can grow them from a cutting too.. haven't tried that yet.. but they are funny looking seeds... almost like a money plant.. but a lot smaller... tiny seed inside a papery flat pod

What good girls digging in their box! The last time I brought Robs to the groomer, they said he was the dirtiest dog they've had...not too embarrassed. Wait until they see him Tues., although the snow has kept him sort of clean. The snow is melting rapidly---I bet by next week it'll be gone---it is in town.

So cute to see them digging in their box, Louise! I love it. We have a big sand box, and if I wanted to we could let the dogs dig there. Patches likes to dig in search of critters, though. I seem to catch her doing that a little too often.

Karen

Allison - interesting info on what the seeds should look like. I'm drying some pods now and will see what happens. Since I can't take any plants back because the puppies have the whole back seat reserved......I'll probably wait until we get to NH to try doing some seeds.

Marilyn - I'm chuckling over the groomer's comment about Robin.....these girls are not very photogenic at the moment, but they are having a ball gnawing on each other and doing some pretty cool wrestling moves. They did great today on the road trip. We walked them around Fisherman's Village in Punta Gorda and the cutest little boy came up to me and asked to pet Bailey. He showed me where a bee had stung his finger and Bailey reached over and kissed it. He said "Thank you" and was so cute. The girls are turning into good little travelers so far.....whew...they really have no choice! LOL I'm still wondering how they'll do in a hotel room. I hope they'll be quiet. Here they bark at each other when they play chase.

Karen - I don't know what to tell you about your sandbox. I have mixed feelings about it. oops ...gotta go...my wrestlers want their Mama! Cuddle time. I'll finish my thought tomorrow......'night all.....

they are slow growing from seed... but if you want I can take a photo of them for you

Why the mixed feelings on the sandbox, Louise? It was originally made for my niece and is very big. It has play sand in it, though it needs a lot more. That stuff isn't cheap.

Karen

Louise if you want I can open the pack of seeds & take a picture.. but you had good timing.. my seedlings are starting to poke up.. and still have that papery husk??? attached to them

Aww! that little boy sounds like a cutie.

Yes, snow is gone, 'cept for where the plow piles are. Yesterday and today were in the 50's so I was out pruning and clearing some things. Hope I didn't clear too much. I just couldn't help myself.

What a day to be out & about! I didn't touch my gardens, though...still snow on some of them. Cute story about Bailey...dogs are empathetic.

Thanks, Allison....but don't open your package....I love seeing your seedlings popping up. Very cool. I opened a seed head and I think I see which are the seeds. Appreciate your help with this. My thinking is that by the time I get to NH and start the seeds, I'd be better off just buying the plants from HD, given how long it would take them to get to any size from seed.

Karen - sorry about how confusing my message was last night. Carli jumped up to do her "I'm ready for bed" snuggle while I was trying to type. What I was trying to say was that I have mixed feelings about MY girls digging because that will mean I'll have to do a sandbox in NH and I'm concerned they'll dig in my son's yard. Boy did they get filthy again today. They have so much fun, I hate to stop that, and Cesar says you shouldn't, but I don't know if I agree with that, because if you encourage it, doesn't it cause a risk that they'll try to dig out from under a fence if you aren't watching really closely? I didn't mean I had mixed thoughts about your sandbox, but it sure reads that way. Off to the groomer tomorrow. Then I WON'T want them digging and getting so dirty right away!

Jan and Marilyn - I'm so happy that you guys were able to get outside and soak up some sunshine! I talked to my son in Conn. this morning and he said Spring arrived at his house yesterday. He's planning what veggies he's going to grow in his veggie garden and he was getting ready to walk his dog over to the park near his house.

We went to see Jersey Boys this afternoon and it was terrific! I'd highly recommend it. The music was really good.

or maybe take your chances and grab some cuttings before you leave

No cuttings allowed this trip.....puppies only. LOL No room in the Inn!

aahhh yes

Oh, okay Louise, I understand now. I don't know if they would try and dig under the fence. Maybe not as long as you're there with them. Maybe they will understand their boundaries, that they are only to dig in their sandbox. If they are not ever encouraged to dig anywhere else, and promptly discouraged if they do, then they should be fine, I would think. Yes, you may have to put in a sandbox for them in NH. Make it deep and fill with play sand, which is very clean stuff. I think they will be fine. You guys are doing such a good job raising them the right way, I really don't think you're gonna have any problems with them.

Karen

How nice of you to say that, Karen. Their training has been so all-consuming for the last few months that we were beginning to wonder if we'd survive, but we are starting to see some payoff. The goal for us is balanced, well-socialized, happy dogs who are a pleasure to be around and who can go with the flow. We aren't looking for fru fru perfect little ornaments with demanding personalities. We like rough and tumble, woods dogs, but we like them to be sweet like Molly was, and they have to be small enough to fly in the cabin of a plane with us. Most people don't think Bichons are as rough and tumble as they are if you allow them to be. That's where the need for balance comes in. The new groomer today said they were both very good for her, and they look SO much better than the butcher job they got from the last groomer who cut them like a freaked-out schnauzer. When I picked them up, they were just standing there so calm and not barking at all. I love schnauzers, but these little faces/bodies just weren't meant to look the way they were cut. Hank has covered over the "sandbox" for now because they look so clean and we'd like to enjoy them looking civilized for a day or two. LOL I'm sure we'll put in a sandbox in NH for them. When you said the sand is expensive, how expensive are we talking?

I don't really know about how much the sand is. My sister is the one who buys it. We're planning to get more this year. You can buy it by the bag or truckload. I imagine truckload is a lot cheaper. Our sandbox is enormous, and we really need a truckload. I'd say at least 2 yards if not more.

Yes, little dogs that most people would think of as fru-fru can be just as rough and tumble as big dogs. It's just in how you raise them.

Karen

Very mad at my Robs today...I put Doug's bagel on the table, turned around, & that little sneak snarfed it down before I knew what happened! And no remorse!

He probably enjoyed it very much, too!

Karen

LOL, Marilyn! Molly used to grab entire sandwiches...all she needed was a split second when she was on that horrible prednisone.

Thanks, Karen....I'll only need a bag or two. All they need is enough room for both of them to get to China side by side. :)

Jumper 2's shetland managed to grap a hamburger from her when she was 10, Meat eating ponies?

That's a good thing.

Karen

Oops! Cross posted! I meant that reply for Louise.

Ponies will eat anything. I had one that liked pizza, root beer, peanut butter and crackers, etc.

Karen

My cousin had a horse when she was young who liked a coke, out of the bottle, after a show. Watch puppies, they will eat anything & get into trouble.

The shetland is the only one I know of that ate meat. I was careful after that!