Slump Down In Your Chair & Tell Me All About It..... Part 4

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/511444/
I started off attempting to recap the former thread but 'gave up' you'll just have to read it for yourself. However the below is how I started the thread rolling:
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Have you ever thought about receiving professional help? I tried to make an appointment for PA, Plant Addiction, but I never even got the opportunity to speak with a counselor. The appointment clerk asked, “are you a member of an online gardening website”. I truthfully answered, “yes, but only one, Dave’s”. Then she asked the average number of new plants I added per week, either by rooting, seed germination or purchasing. Doing my best to calculate quickly, I asked, if one of the dogs breaks off a limb and I stick it in dirt, does it counted? She promptly replied, "according to our new Plant Addiction Profile Software, you can't be helped" and the phone went silent.

With this new profile software in place, we have no choice but to try to “help” each other, so slump down in your chair, relax all parts of your body except your fingers and tell me all about it

……. maybe we can work a Trade!!!

Judy

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When we last left this lively group of gardeners they had been discussing age (yuck), split-a-parts and posting pictures.

I'm a plant rescuer, along with all sorts of critters. BUT there have been times in my life when I have said "No More" rescuing anything, spend that energy on yourself and DH. I can see one of those mood about to rear it's head. Last time I went through this phase, he was the one who brought home the stray, dog. lol lol I guess things just got too dull for him or thought maybe I was depressed and a stray to find a home was just the ticket. Bob, this time if you see a black Chow along side the road, just pass on by I need a few months rest.

Plants, my problem is I know there is someone who would like a start of whatever plants, so I poke it in water, all the plants I have root in water even cactus. Then it need a pot, then it needs another home because I have 14 just like it. Anyone who comes to visit has to take home a plant, but the UPS, Meter Reader & Postman all know the drill and will say "No More Miss Judy" when my eyes start looking over the plants trying to select one I might not have forced on them before.

I'm hopeless ...........

This message was edited May 23, 2005 7:19 AM

This message was edited May 23, 2005 6:02 PM

All of a sudden the yard-dogs took off running and barking with Jeb, English Bulldog, joining in the chase. There were 12 people on horseback passing by our house on the deserted road west of here. The strays had enough sense to come back but Jeb thought he was in a race that he was determined to win. So here goes Jeb running parallel and about 30 yards south of the horses, Bob (almost 70) running to catch up, no belt so he had to keep grabbing his pants and then I'm (almost 60) bringing up the rear with an arm load of plants which I was just about to put in the new raised flower bed. I had to yell out to the people on horse back to stop, so Jeb would. He was having so much fun, he wasn't paying any attention to our calling him, hard-headed scamp!!

Too many adventures and not enough hours in the day.

Judy

How is SJT and clan? Wow what excitement at your house.

Have a good day!
Sandy

Judy, those posts are priceless. My Jack would understand the bring home of plants that will eventually need new homes because there just isn't room for them here. Volunteering at Powell Gardens for several years meant we could bring home plants that got thrown out for whatever reason and I was likely to bring home a literal van load. He would ask me where those were going and I would say something like " I have a couple days to figure that out". In the mean time they sat in the shade in all kinds of situations and were kept watered while I decided what would go to whom. A couple of my friends would take anything I gave them so that helped a lot. A lot of nice potted plants went to the church or nursing homes. One year we distributed about 20 lovely poinsettia to nursing homes. I have so many PG plants in our yard that we can't look anywhere without seeing something from there.

Right now I'm dealing with lots of pain from a vehicle accident which some of you know about. This morning is one of the bad ones, painwise. Last Thursday was the absolute worst day in a couple weeks. I just have to wait for the meds to work this morning and some of the pain if not most of it will be under control. I never dreamed that being held in a vehicle by seatbelts and the hand of GOD would result in such long term pain and dificulties. Yes, I realize that I could be in much worse condition if I had not had the seatbelt on. I don't want to think about that.

GOD bless each of you.

Oh here is a picture of Jeb and I taken about 2 years ago. I've aged a lot since then....

Well soon I will discuss my other problem... rescuing everything: dogs, cats, birds, people. If it is living I'll make an attempt to help it if I can.

Just got back from the Vet's for a c-section on one of my female English Bulldogs, 5 puppies I'm wanting one to show and this may be the litter. I'm so excited.

I have rescued several Bullies, presently have 5 that are very senior, way past their expected life span. One owns my heart, 2 are old dears, one is a pain and the other is a retired Stud who sired his last litter at age 9, thinks he can still keep up with the young guys and gives us a 10 minute warning on storms because he is so afraid of them. Last year about this time we had 2 of the old guys die within 24 hours and I thought my heart was going to break.

Off I go there is work to be done...

Judy


This message was edited May 23, 2005 6:01 PM

This message was edited May 23, 2005 6:04 PM

sorry Judy it does hurt so when we loose a beloved pet.. hope your puppies are exactly what you wanted..hope you have real beauties to show , to love.. i had wonder about you all day.. good luck now with babies to.. blessings... Twyla

Picture of the "babies"

Oh Judy, they are sooo sweet.

AAAWWWW, Judy. What a lucky lady you are, five new puppies and a DH to dream about! *grin*

Will mama Bullie be able to nurse the babies? I have no idea about C-sections for dogs. Did she have to stay at the Vets?
Pati

Pati,

All purebred English Bulldogs have to have c-sections because the pups heads are too big to pass through the birth canal, they get trapped and die, this is the biggest cause in loosing a litter of puppies.

Carlotta did not display the normal, going into labor signs therefore it turned into an emergency because she was in full blown labor prior to us realizing what was happening. Normally first thing in the morning when a female is feed, if she is going to go into labor that day, she will smell the food, lick her lips and swallow hard... as if to say if I eat that I will upchuck. When this happens and it is within the delivery dates, we call the vet, normally by the time the office opens and ask what time do they want to do the c-section. Other signs are a drop in temperature, panting and nesting and most of the time they have milk. There are only 2 times a dogs temperature will drop, when it's dying and when it's going into labor. If the first three signs are present then we know we just have a matter of 3 hrs or so before she goes into a full fledge labor. Milk can come later when she hears the puppies crying.

Carlotta ate her breakfast at 6 AM but not as fast as normal, indicating she would probably go into labor in the 24-48 hour range. About 10 she at a portion of a can of puppy food, so we're still looking at 24-48 hours. At 1 PM I was in the kitchen with her and she was real still and had a pitiful look on her face, a few minutes later she was breathing heavy but not panting, so we took her temperature and it had dropped to 99, oops "Show Time". We called the
vet's office but the line was busy, after several attempts and an attempt to call on their private line went unanswered we concluded they had closed the office for lunch.

We loaded up everything that we would need and headed for the vet's office. When we got there our normal vet was out of the office, his brother was on vacation and the 3rd vet who hates to do c-sections was the only one availalbe and their office was full. Our vet was out at a farm tending 280 head of cattle. He was beeped and asked how long he had... Bob was hyper but I told them she wasn't have contractions yet. He's rushing to finish the other vet is snowed under with patients, but finally the waiting room is clear. I said, well looks like you may have to do the c-section. He said he was hopeful Dr Frank would make it back before the first contraction.

So we waited, waited until we could wait no longer. The assist preped her and she was on the table ready for either vet ... Dr Frank walked in the back door, to the sink to scrub up and into rubber gloves. I set my reviving "stuff" up outside the operating room on the x-ray table. As the doctor pulls out the pups, they are handed to the assistant to hands them off to Bob who slings them to get the mucus out of their mouth and throat, when they take the first breath they are handed to me and I work my magic.

I dry them off, suction out their nose and mouth, medicine drops under the tongue to promote breathing, massaging and rubbing as the mother would do with her tongue. It's fast paced because they are all coming at one time. When all 5 were completed I go back over them clean dry cloth to clean them up more. The snuggle safe disks is warmed in the microwave and put in the plastic container used to transport them home. Then a couple of old soft t-shirts are laid on top. I work with the pups until they start to cry, yea!! Then they go into the bucket and I start on the next one, down the line. (if I didn't have the snuggle safe they would be put in the incubator) When all are crying and been checked to insure their are no cleft palates, etc., I put them in the container and someone holds the doors for me to take them out to the nice hot van which has been sitting in the sun with the windows rolled up. Much warmer than the vet's office. I tell Dr Frank and the assistant how wonderful they are as I walk out the door.

The pups and I don't have but about a 15 minute wait until Dr Frank brings Carlotta out to the van. The assistant has to see what she has helped to deliver, Bob gets in the van and we're on our way home. WHEW!!!

This is just the start..... now you can see why beyond a shadow of a doubt that whomever gets one of these pups will have to pass my tests with flying colors. Part of my heart is given to each and every one.

Judy

Wow, interesting!! Is cleft palates a problem in Bullies? This is all really interesting. We are planning on breeding one of our girls in the fall, and I already know she will need a c-section. We tried doing an AI on my girl's last season, but it didn't take, so we have everything planned for next time. Do you have to go through OFA x-rays and CERF testing, or are dysplasia and juvenile cataracts not a problem with bullies. You mention you are hoping for a pup to show, do you show any of the dogs you have now? If you ever come north, or I head south, maybe we could meet up at a show. I have 2 we're campaigning now, and one more as soon as he has enough coat. Plus all 4 attend lure coursing events, though I can't imagine a bullie doing that!! I've seen other breeds at practice or fun runs, but not bullies!!
Deb

Deb,

My male is out of the Badger Bloodline which is fairly well known in Bully circles. I personally don't have enough time to train and show one but a friend who has my male's uncle is willing to work with me in doing this. She's just starting out her kennel after she got both her female & male's championship and needs more "stars". Her partner will actually be the one to do the training & showing and my dog will just be one of several that they will be handling.

Her combined cost of getting the championship for both her male and female was $17,000. Whew!! Therefore I'm not going to even consider showing unless they are confident that the pup is a winner. There is a male in this litter that looks good to me. I have been told the first cut is at 10 weeks so we have a long way to go before he passes the first test. At that time we'll meet so they can evaluate him in person.

Here is a picture of the sire, Jazzman

With an AI the vet has to be experienced and the timing has to be right. DH does the smears to determine the timing and our vet is experienced but our average is one out of 3 breedings producing puppies. Mother Nature does what she wants just like with humans. Some females just don't have puppies and some don't come into heat on a regular basis.

I have a 4 year old female that has only been in heat twice. The first breeding didn't take, now we've bred her for the second time. I'm so anxious for her to have a litter because she is a vital link in my Mini-English Bulldog Bloodline. There are Minis but they are the result of a Pug/English pairing. If I am successful as far as I know it will be the first straight English Mini.

Many breeders are very proud of their 70 lb English but we have bred toward the smaller size. Jazzman is 55 lbs and we have smaller females one of which is 37. The 4 year old female is 20 lbs and looks similar to the Boston Bulldog of the 1950's. What I'm trying to achieve is a 25 lb average Bully. In the early 1900's there was such a Bulldog.

Judy

Very nice!! My oldest girl, the one we want to breed finished relatively cheaply. We did send her out with a handler, primarily because majors were so hard to find around here. She finished in 8 shows with 3 majors for less than $1000. The 2 we're campaigning now, we show ourselves, or a close friend of mine shows, so it's only entry fees we have to worry about. It just takes longer, but it's fun going to the shows to watch. This is my girl Willow, finishing at 18mos. My daughter put her dual Championship on her in 3 trials, with 3 five point majors, three best of breeds, and a Best in Field (coursing's equivalent of a best in show).

PS

English Bulldogs have to be artificially bred for several reasons the main one being that the good quality males are too short and fat to get the job done by themselves and can actually have a heart attack trying.

Deb,
Isn't she the one that you had out at the KYRU? Very pretty dog!!!

Quote: "English Bulldogs have to be artificially bred for several reasons the main one being that the good quality males are too short and fat to get the job done by themselves and can actually have a heart attack trying. "

You nearly made me snort my diet Coke all over the screen there.

My Boston, Hurshell, was a stud in a puppy mill for the first five years of his life. That part about "have a heart attack trying." just sounded so funny to me. I bet that's what Hurshie was like; he's pretty single minded about the booty scritching. Now that he's been rescued, retired and neutered... he seems to have exactly zero interest in anything but snacky treats, trips to chase birds outside and the occasional belly rub or booty scritch.



This message was edited May 24, 2005 3:50 PM

I had to have one of our main stud fixed because he was obcessed to the point of being romantic with a wooden doghouse, splinters of course!!!

Yep!! She was there.

That's a pretty big weight range on bullies. What does the standard call for? I'm sure there would be a market for small size. I do hate it when people take pure bred dogs and cross them to try and make money. There is someone in St.Louis that was trying to breed what they called miniature afghans by crossing them with whippets or IG's. A mix is a mix as far as I'm concerned. Good luck on your venture to breed true mini's.

I saw one once that weighed 80 lbs.....55 gallon barrel with stubby legs and the people were super proud of his size.

Standard is 45 - 55 I believe been a while since I looked.

Wow, even my biggest male is only 55 pounds and he is 29" at the shoulder!! We did an AI on Willow because I couldn't get the time off work to drive down to Dallas, where the stud dog I chose lives, and I won't fly my dogs. Fresh chilled semen seemed like the ideal way to go, but I'm saving vacation to get her down there next time.
Have you been to many shows to watch?? Showing can be addicting!! It doesn't have to be expensive, we go to local shows, and either my friend or my daughter show. We get a chance to visit with other afghan people and have a nice outing. I'm a single mom, and money doesn't go near as far as it needs to, but this is our one extravagance. It's probably been 10 or 12 years since I've been to a movie, or theater, and dinner out means getting to the chinese buffet before the dinner prices take effect. There's enough shows near me so that we can go almost every weekend, but we pick and choose where to go, and it depends on gas cost and what bills are outstanding. We do really enjoy ourselves when we go, and I can't imagine not going!!

And Afghans are much more gentle than a Bully.

Bullies are just like 10 year old boys, they burp and pass gas in your face an never seem to hear a word you say. Their movements are rough like a 10 year old playing football, even when they are trying to be gentle, so you can imagine an 80 pounder. lol lol

I won't place them in a home with a child under the age of 7, not because they are aggressive but because they're like a bull in a china closet.

lol lol

Judy you had me laughing guess what part. hm... they are so sweet and a mini would be so super to .. the artificial semi. sounds like a good way to do it.. the dog getting splinters really cracked me up..have a good rest now.. love your babies. blessings. Twyla

That's the one thing about afghans, they are graceful. Graceful as they clear the 4' chain link fence, graceful as they clear the 5' fence in one leap, graceful as they trot out through the gate they managed to unlatch with their nose!! But they, too have selective hearing!! When they're outside, heck when they're inside and I am standing right there, I can call, yell, threaten, or offer treats until I'm blue in the face and they will totally ignore me. Afghans were bred to be independent hunters, the huntsman would follow them and collect the killed game, but they would find it, flush it, chase it down and kill it. Most of today's sighthounds still have that independent streak in them. They're not the happy your home, glad to see you kind of dog, either. People either love them or hate them.

I'm off and running this morning, whew I have a lot to do.

I've got this red festered thing on the end of my big toe, looks like I'm gonna have to get me some whiskey and operate on the dang thing. If I go to the doctor, the office visit is $75, not counting his fee for minor surgery .... whiskey is a whole lot cheaper. lol lol

I know what you're thinking, "she ain't right". We already know that... it is the point of this thread.

Have a good day,

Judy

I'm a believer......... we have not seen Slim Jim Tucker or any family member since I put down the Moth Balls!!! YEA!!!!

Judycooksey, what is the red thing?, are you going to use the whiskey to disinfect the toe, or are you going to drink it, or my vote is to do both. I wouldn't be in a big hurry, sit back sip slowly and give the anethesic time to work!! LOL

Defoecat, you got it but you forgot one part.... give the anethesic time to work 'so you can work up the nerve to do it'!!! It's the kind of thing that would happen if I had stuck a thorn deep inside and it broke off in there. There isn't a head but the poor toe has got to have some relief and I've got things to do, can't go limping around for forever.

Last time I went to the Dr for very minor surgery it was $175, I'm betting I can get a small bottle of wiskey for $7 and then with clear conscious I can go spend $168 on plants. What a deal!!! It's like free plants.

Judy

I Want a Mini Bull Dog!!!!
How do I get a prubred one?
Lisa

Garden4Birds - My mini Bulldog bloodline is in the process of being created and it takes a couple of generations after is developed to make sure there are no genetic problems. To my knowledge there isn't a line of pure mini english bulldogs.

Judy



This message was edited May 26, 2005 7:42 PM

Good Morning!!! It's about 55 F this morning. The high is supposed to be 81 F so it's going to warm up fast. I'm rushing to get my outside chores completed before it gets hot. Then I'm going to play with my plants on the porches (repot) and take my good sweet time doing it. To see pictures of the plants taken last year click here www.puppygal.com/house.

Yesterday while watering I moved a pot down to a lower shelf and much to my surprise there was a bird's next. I assumed it was empty until a while later I noticed the parents, Wrens I believe, busily flying around in an attempt to attract the attention of the "cats someone threw away". I could have told them the cats are too lazy to even think about jumping up on the shelf to eat the baby birds, they know that can come to the back door and call out " T u n a " and their dinner will be served.

Signed: A slave to the critters and plants

You are so funny, Judy!!
How's your toe? Did you surgically fix it?

Not yet, I haven't taken the time to make that 3 hour round trip to get whiskey, most counties around here are "dry". Until then, I'm putting Anusol on it, to numb it since there is no skin opening. I remembered my Vet told me it was the best numbing agent you coud buy without a prescription. lol lol

Judy,

I know it's gross, but for your toe, "Drawing Salve". Ever heard of or used it? It seems to be a tar based product, placed on a boil or the likes of that, it will draw the poison and make an opening. It's cheap and you could get it in the medicine isle in the grocer or the drug store for sure.

Those types of stores are closer than a wet county, right?

I know, it won't be nearly as fun as anestetising your toe and your mind, but it might work, save the liquor for a party. (I know I spelled that word wrong, too lazy to look it up)

:^)))))Molly

Molly,

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!

To be honest I've never had anything like this before so zero knowledge. Shoot Yes I can get that closer than a 3 hr drive. I'll go Walmart in the 'big city' 30 miles away. They should have it.

Bless You!!!

Judy

You are very welcome, Judy and good luck with it.

:^)))))

We're finally getting some rain. The old Oak Trees had begun to lose their leaves it has been so dry here. I've had the sprinklers going 24 hours a day on different parts of the yard for the last three days and I was at the verge of doing a rain dance, but I couldn't find any instructions on the Internet and the only other alternative was to rent the movie The Rainmaker, if I could locate it anywhere. Now I don't have to go to all that trouble. It was enough effort just trying to keep everything but the weeds from dying. Weeds never die.

I'm going to go climb into the hammock on the side porch and snooze the day away.

Judy

This message was edited Jun 1, 2005 5:15 PM

I bet if we danced in our red thongs it would rain just to chase us back in the house ;o)
ROTFLOL

mother nature is still generously giving the rain.
egads, doing the rain dance in red thongs? lol....be careful of the lightning, sure would hate to have the paramedics find you like that, lol