Supposed to be a secret...

What do ya say we go raid the cookie jar?

Thoughts on the past....

Hi ya'll. I know it's been awhile and I've missed reading everybody's posts over the last few month's but I've peeked a few times when time has allowed. I promise we'll get back to posting more often. Everything is good here in Houston. Warm as usual and all the 4-legged's are doing well. Kris and I are doing great too. Lot's of family here for the holidays and it is business as usual! I wanted to share this FB post of mine from this morning~ It has been in my head for over a  year now and I felt it was time to write it down. 

Hugs from Houston-town,
Karen Raye and Bentley Beargrass
and Roux, Bridgette, Jax, and Walter Woo too!


I found this poem many years ago when I was on the hunt for information on anything Airedale related. My big old lug of an Airedale named Luke had moved on to the glorious fields of heaven and had left me heartbroken. My sorrow was affecting Bentley and both of us were depressed. I felt that he needed a companion but it was mostly my own pain and emptiness I was feeling when I reflect back on it now. Long story short, life intervened in ways that brought me great joy and peace but in my research I found an old website that wasn't current but had the funniest stories about a man and his dog named Mr. Woofer the Airedale from Hell.  Unfortunately he wasn't writing the stories anymore that I was aware of but I enjoyed them nonetheless. The escapades of Mr. Woofer sparked my imagination and strengthened my love for the Airedale breed. Somehow I stumbled across more of this authors work while searching for more of his penmanship and found what I think is his cowboy poetry. Maybe it isn't but that doesn't matter because if not for him I'd never have found this poem. In my imagination it made sense that he had written this poem because in my mind he had become a wise and interesting man that had become disillusioned with the human condition over a lifetime. I don't know. Maybe I am completely wrong but it doesn't matter except for the fact that his writings and poems gave laughter back to my soul. I was able to remember without too much pain the wonderful times Sir Luke the Airedale had shared with me. I was able to pick up the broken pieces of my heart (many causes) and slowly put them back together. Bentley and I healed albeit slowly and completely.

Skip to a year or two later- my Dad and I weren't on the greatest of terms due to poor decision making  and stubbornness of the human kind. I guess you could say both of us might have been guilty, it really doesn't matter now. I'd always remembered the poem by the Airedale man and thought that it described my Dad. I wish to share it with you today. I sent it to my Dad awhile back with a long letter about life. We are good now. It has taken some work but it has been worth it. Nothing is ever perfect or easy or the same as it used to be but that is OK with me. I find that we evolve and change throughout our relationships with loved ones. All that really matters is that you are able to do this.

Thanks Charley Sierra (aka Chuck Shaddoway) for helping me with my Dad. May you rest in peace Cowboy Poet and Mr. Woofer's Dad.
And Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Joy to the World, Peace on Earth, etc., etc., etc. Call it what you may, just remember to love. and forgive. and heal yourself of the hurts that life doles out. and be kind. It is important.

A Christmas Poem

Christmas is a-comin' soon!
Pardner, ain't ya seen?
The decorations showed up
In the stores on Halloween!

The papers just plumb fulla ads;
Some days it's three feet thick!
That's good-we got a woodstove,
'N' we're short on kindlin' sticks.

The kids all hope that Santa
Brings 'em ever'thing they chose;
"I want a Nintendo!"
"Please don't bring me any clothes!"

The Sally Army's out in force,
A-tunin' up their band;
I always drop a dollar,
'Cause they once gave me a hand.

There's some who say we've lost the track,
'N' don't know rhyme or reason,
That all this hooraw overlooks
The spirit of the season.

They point 'n' say I don't believe,
'Cause in church ya'll never find me;
But I don't need no hymns, or prayers,
Or crosses to remind me.

This year, I think I'll try
What one ole cowpoke used to do;
I'll saddle up, 'n' leave a note:
"Back in an hour, or two."

I'll ride west outta Reno,
A-followin' the river,
'Way up into the mountains
Where the air's so cold it shimmers.

Far away from stores 'n' crowds,
Where the only single sound
Will be my pony's muffled steps
Through the snow upon the ground.

'N' when I reach the perfect spot
(I'll know it when I'm there),
I'll doff my hat, 'n' feel
The icy wind blow through my hair.

I'll find the brightest star that night,
Gaze up at it, 'n' say,
"Happy Birthday, Boss,"
'N' then I'll softly ride away.
Written by Charley Sierra

Voicing his opinion as usual!

It doesn't scare Me!

be back soon....

Bentley Beargrass in a kilt!

Just a quick Hello to everyone out in the blogging world! Hope life is treating everyone well!


Aire-hugs to all,
Karen Raye and the 
four-legged gang in
Houston-town!

Dogs Rule

Our friends over at Life With Dogs asked us to help to spread the word! Read all about it:

How often have you had a chance to have a 20 pound bag of dog food donated to a shelter simply for writing a blog post? It’s really that easy. Pedigree has upped the ante big time. And please spread this message: The food drive is not limited to pet blogs. Imagine if we could spread this message beyond our circles and see how far it goes? The numbers could be substantial. Here is the full scoop with two links to check out:

• Each year, more than 4 million dogs end up in shelters and breed rescue organizations. Pedigree created The PEDIGREE Adoption Drive to help shine a spotlight on the plight of these homeless dogs.

• This year the PEDIGREE Adoption Drive is raising awareness for homeless dogs by donating a bowl of food to shelter dogs for everyone who becomes a “Fan” or “Likes” The PEDIGREE Adoption Drive on Facebook. So far more than 1  million bowls have been donated.

A message from Roux: I'm a former shelter girl living the life!

• Special for BlogPaws West: For each blog that posts about the PEDIGREE® Adoption Drive through September 19^th, PEDIGREE® will donate a bag of their new Healthy Longevity Food for Dogs to shelters nationwide. It’s simple: Write a post, help a dog. 
• So please take a moment to paw the information forward, it could save a Life!
• And remember - DOGS DO RULE!

4-Legged's Down Under

Are hosting a GIVEAWAY for their friends in Celebration of their 100th post and One Year Blogging Anniversary! Can you guess who it is? It's Inky and Molly  in Geelong, Victoria, Australia! Something fun for the 4-legged's and something for the pinkie too! WOO-HOO! So go visit their blog to read all about their Molly Giveaway and NO- don't get too excited, they aren't giving Molly away or her tail. She is quite content in Down-Under Land and will stay there with her own pinkies and Inky-Dale, thank you very much. So go make new friends and have a great end of the week!

See ya later alligator,
Karen Raye and 
Bentley Beargrass

Not too much

Damaged fence from attack of Mr. Ed

Going on this last week but we did have some excitement over last weekend. Friday night we were hanging outside on the back porch and heard a big thump from the front of the house. Kris went in to check and as I was looking across the backyard at the fence, I saw a big horse head looking over frantically. Now mind you, we have a 6 foot high wooden fence so I wasn't sure if I was really seeing what I thought I was seeing. I ran into the house and out the front door just in time to see the horse being roped by one of two men in the street right in front of our house. The poor horse was bleeding on its head and side and I asked the man if the horse was ok. He nodded and the other man came and took the horse back down the street while the the first man got into his truck and drove behind the 2nd fellow. I looked around and saw many of our neighbors standing in their driveways watching this interesting scenario. Anyway, I waved and went back in to get some A/C while shaking my head at the strangeness of it all. Later that night, 10:30ish, we got a knock at the door and it was our next door neighbor asking what had happened, it looked as if a car had gone through our front chain link fence on his side of the yard. We had no idea what he was talking about and went out to see what was up. It wasn't what was up, it was what was down- our fence. Apparently the horse had gotten spooked before it came to our back fence and run head on into the chain link fence in the front yard, and flipped taking the fence with him. That's where the cuts had come from. The thump we'd heard was him kicking terrified into our garage door as he ran down the sidewalk on the side of our house towards the backyard. In my moment of surprise and confusion earlier, I'd completely missed noticing our fence laying over in horsey disrepair. 
The next morning we played private investigators and tracked down where the horse had come from. Fresh horse poop on a dead end street and my remembering seeing a horse about a week ago in an unsecured looking field helped and Voila- we found him, got the address of the land he was safely pastured in, looked it up on city tax records, and paid a visit to the property owners. The family is from El Slavador and didn't speak much English but I spoke with one of their kids and found out the horse was ok. Talked to the Dad on their phone and made arrangements to get the fence put back up. Everything worked out fine but let me tell you- you just don't expect to see Mr. Ed looking over the fence at you whilst living in the big city of Houston-town! Well, I say that laughingly now because the previous week we found out we had bats in our our chimney and had to relocate them. It took a little bit of research and a few days but we did it with the help of sonar devices. I even felt bad that they had to find a new home but you just can't have bats in your belfry. I'm beginning to think I live in the Wild Kingdom or something....


Till next time,
Karen Raye

Bentley's "I am alarmed- there is something way bigger than me out there

" look!

Hectic week...

So I am going to take a shortcut and give you a link to my partner Kris's blog. Not being lazy and it wasn't all bad but this week has gone to hell in a hand-basket! Bring you up to date on that another day. Her synopsis of our wedding and trip is fantastic and I am unable to do a better job of her description. So if you are interested in reading her version, click here http://whyallthecontroversy.blogspot.com/  The blog is called "Life is Fantastic!" and it is! There are approximately 3 or 4 posts to read before the most current one. The last one she posted is funny and about our 4-legged's. I hope you take the time to check out her blog. I promise I will get back to posting something current on mine soon. I hope everyone has a great weekend and stays cool. August has turned into a scorcher here in Houston-town and the humidity is making me melt....

Till next time,

Karen Raye

More New England in the Summer time...

Right now I am wishing we were still there enjoying some of that nice weather. And one of those yummy lobster rolls...hmmm...guess I better make some breakfast soon. I found out what I will need to recreate the special hot dog buns that are used all over Massachusetts and Maine for the various foodie items we sampled. It is a special pan that I can order from King Arthur if they had them in stock but since they don't, I will get one from Amazon from American Pan, made in Pittsburgh which is a plus since the Steelers are big in this house. Then we will see if I can make a bun as good as the ones we sampled with our dogs up east.

Anyway, back to our fantastic trip. We flew into Boston arriving at 12:45 am due to delays in Houston-town. Never fails when flying out of Houston we get delayed for at least an hour on the takeoff. No big deal because I napped and then finished reading my Pride and Prejudice and Zombie book that I've been trying to get to since last Fall. When we got in to Boston, we got our car and drove directly to Salem. We stayed at the Salem Inn- actually their Peabody House- pronounced kind of funny- you say it real fast and in one syllable- not in three like we do here in Texas. The next morning we took the trolley and checked out the town, went to the city hall, and found Winter Island http://www.salemweb.com/winterisland/ where we decided to have our ceremony.

Over the next three days we toured Salem and Boston with Kris's Mom and her brother and his family. We had a wonderful time being tourists. We went to the House of Seven Gables http://www.7gables.org/, the Jonathon Corwin House also known as the Witch House http://www.salemweb.com/witchhouse/,  the beautiful Friendship http://www.salemweb.com/frndship/, and had a funky Chop Suey sandwich at the boardwalk in Salem Willows http://www.salemweb.com/willows/. Now that was an interesting taste sensation! Here are a few pics:

The Friendship

At the House of Seven Gable's.

The Witch House

View of Boston from the Salem Ferry

We toured Boston on Sunday and walked all over following the Freedom Trail http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/. Lots of historical places to see like Paul Revere's house and the Old North Church. Of course I was fascinated with the old cemeteries and explored them with Seamus trying to see who could find the oldest tombstone. Kris's brother called us ghoulies. Hmpf. Don't think so!

More pics:

One of our haunts.

In front of Paul Revere house.

Statue of Paul Revere in back of Old North Church

Copp's Hill

And I found this sweet 2-legged feeding the pigeons with a bag of day old bread.

Check out the size of that bread bag!

And this made me laugh:

That's bread!

We had lunch at a lovely old world Italian restaurant, celebrated family with a glass of vino and then I bought a funny hat!

It was wonderful touring with the family but all good things must come to an end and we ferried back to Salem to get a good nights sleep.

Peabody House

Stay posted because there is more to come. I'll leave you with one of my favorite things I found in Salem that made me a little bit homesick for my Bentman and other four-legged's....

Who would have known the Bentman had a street named for him!

Be back soon. Hope ya'll are having a great week!

Karen Raye

Side trip to Dog Mountain

I am a bit behind in getting all the photos together from the incredible tour of New England but ya'll will just have to bear with me. If you're new here, just check out the previous posts to see what this is all about. For those of you in the know, read on and feast your eyes on the beauty we experienced in New England. I am jumping ahead to our side trip to Vermont after Massachusetts and Maine for this Saturday post. We left Maine and thought we were following our map but almost ended up in Canada before we realized it. After stopping at a McDonald's and using their WiFi, I turned around and drove us through New Hampshire to Vermont. We were on a time schedule to get to Dog Mountain before the shop closed because I needed a t-shirt. We knew the chapel and grounds would still be open till dark but I have a collection of t-shirts that I needed to add one more to. The scenery was more beautiful than I believed possible and when we finally got to Dog Mountain, I was already starting to get a lump in my throat thinking about how this beautiful place had come about. If you aren't aware of this doG place, go read about it on the link http://www.dogmt.com/. We arrived at about ten minutes till five and browsed through the store while deliriously happy and wet pooches from swimming in the nearby pond came through to visit with us and get lots of love. Of course, after being in the car and driving like a maniac for hours on end, I had to use the ladies room. This is what I found in there:

And this:

Fun, huh?
We thought so!
This is more of what we enjoyed while there:

Now, I am not the greatest photographer in the world but here are more pictures. It was a little overwhelming and my tears flowed freely while walking around. Stephen Huneck had quite a vision and I've always admired what he accomplished from afar but actually getting to see Dog Mountain made me realize what a fantastic job he had accomplished. I'll leave you with a few photographs because for some reason I get all teary eyed when looking at all the love left here for the beloved companions that have gone on to the Rainbow Bridge. Makes it really hard to continue typing if you know what I mean....

The chapel with love notes and goodbyes:

Like I said- the pictures are not the greatest but they should give you a general idea of just how beautiful Dog Mountain truly is. In remembrance of all our beautiful 4-legged's that are already at the Bridge- Run free and fast in the Heavens. We'll see you again one day and fly free together.....

Hope you have a wonderful weekend. 
Till next time,
Karen Raye

Exploring New England....

Alas- we're back. I loved every second of New England and the weather rocked. It felt as if the season of Autumn was wafting through the aire. That is- how Autumn feels in Houston! I am sorting through hundreds, no wait that would be thousands of pictures and am trying to decide which ones to share. So baire with me and I will post a few soon. By the way, there were two Airedale sightings in the New England area while we were there. One was at a Hamptons Inn parking lot in Danver/ Peabody and her name is Maggie and she is four. She is the 3rd 'Dale the 2-legged has had the pleasure of  sharing his life with. She head-butted me appropriately and gave me lots of kisses. The 2nd 'Dale was sighted by moi as I was driving down the street to the lobster pound in Southwest Harbor on Mount Desert Isle. Not sure if said 'Dale was a he or a she because the 'Dale went to barking like a maniac when I slowed down to get a picture. Very good 'Dale though- stayed in it's driveway and never once came out of it property line. Didn't see any 2-legged's, so I didn't get the chance to say hello. I must say that the East coast area we toured was extremely dog friendly and made me miss our 4-legged's. Everywhere I looked there were small shops and restaurants that were dog-friendly so I amused my inner dog-self and took lots of photos of the 4-legged's we came across. 

Anyway,  I will be posting photos soon. Hope everyone has a great day! I'm leaving you with a little gem from Kahlil Gibran that I enjoy.....


A traveler am I and a navigator, and every day I discover a new region within my soul. - Kahlil Gibran


Be back soon,
Karen Raye

Sea Wall on Mount Desert Isle in Acadia National Park 

Porcupine Islands viewed from Cadillac Mountain  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View from the room in Southwest Harbor

Rut-Row- the rain is neverending....

I don't know about the rest of the country but here in Houston-town the rain keeps coming down. The yard keeps growing like an uncontrollable field of weeds, and the four-legged's are getting stir-crazy. The thunder starts rolling like a freight train seemingly never ending and terrifying the Bentman. Luckily, I am out of school for 6-weeks and have been at home when the storms come through. We made it through the 4th of July somewhat peaceably with a tiny bit of  freakishness but it was much milder than usual. But the crazy storms are making up for it. Since the Bentman has had some issues with various alternative therapies I just try to play the TV really loud and act silly to get his mind off of the thunder. Usually helps. I guess if I was scared of thunder the sight of my 2-legged acting the fool dancing and jumping around the house singing nonsensical songs to me I'd be distracted from what ailed me too. Thank doG no one is videoing me secretly because I'd win the stupidest video in America contest. Still waiting on some results from Bentleys blood-work. Long story but nothing really set off any bells and whistles when it came back from the local Vet. so it is being reviewed by a lady in California along with previous test results from the past. I had to request copies from previous years and it took awhile to get all of it since we don't live there anymore and I couldn't find all my files. Anyway, he is still doing weirdness this summer. For the first time in his life he has decided he can go into Roux's crate and hang out in there. He hates crating with a passion but whatever floats his boat. I imagine if I closed the door on the crate he wouldn't be very happy but I'm not going to push the issue. He has had 2 hot spots this Summer- something he has never suffered from. But I am monitoring them daily and haven't had to resort to the cone-head thing yet. He is not happy with the medicinal spray but will tolerate the chilled witch hazel and fresh aloe-vera juice I keep refrigerated because it soothes.And I have convinced him to eat fresh carrots. Roux and Bridgette adore them and since he can't stand to see them eating something without him he has decided he likes them too. Will wonders never cease?

The other Mama and I are going to the New England area on Thursday and Miss Phyllis will be coming to stay with all the 4-leggeds for awhile. She has strict instructions to alternate cookies with carrots because it never fails that when Kris and I are gone for more than a week the 4-legged's have gained a few pounds. I have found that if Miss Phyllis decided they are running low on cookies she will go purchase more because she thinks they are poor little darlings that are going to starve. Aagghhh. I know one of them has convinced her of this somehow even though they have begun to look like a Twinkie with toothpicks for legs at that point. Anyway, we had a talk. I lied. I said the Vet said they were all fat and had to go on a diet. I think God will forgive me.

Back to the New England trip for a moment. We are going to tour Boston, stay in Salem, get married, drive the coast to Bar Harbor and stay there for a few days and wander around the Acadia National Park, and then go to Vermont. We will check out Cabot Cheese Creamery, an apple orchard- cider place, Ben and Jerry's factory, and finish with a tour at King Arthur's in Norwich. I am soooooooo excited. I really wanted to climb a bunch of lighthouses in the New England area but it appears they are not so much like the ones down in Florida. So I will just view them and take photos. I will eat lots of lobster and clams. And whatever else I find that is indigenous to the area. We decided we will have to go back to check out Nova Scotia and Newfoundland another time. Ten days goes by really fast.

I will miss my 4-legged's tremendously but I am sure they will enjoy their time with Miss Phyllis. I may have to lock down the laptop before I leave. The Bentman and Roux just may decide to post while I'm gone. Never know what those two will do. Anyway, ya'll take care and I'll be sure to post pictures of our trip when we get back.

Happy trails,
Karen Raye

Art of an Airedale!

A friend sent this to me.

She found it in an art gallery in Lubbock, Texas.

Tan would be beige, huh?

Have a great weekend!

Happy 4th of July anyway.....

We're not big fans of this particular holiday around here due to the stress caused by the big booms and whistling noises caused by the fireworks our fellow Americans love to set off. The Bentman is terrified of firecrackers, guns, and crazy sounding thunder. Firecrackers are the worst though. Since he reacts negatively to most types of homeopathic calming therapies and Benedryl just makes him more agitated, I will try to get some lavender oil on him that I bought a few weeks ago in the Texas Hill country at the Lavender Run/ Walk we participated in. Problem is- he hates the way it smells. I think he knows what the bottle looks like or else he can read my mind. Actually, I know it is my body language but dear goD help me, I can't help it. He starts pacing after he hears the first loud noise and then it escalates into major pawing at whatever body part he can touch. Then if you are laying down, he will climb on top of your head and paw some more.

One year I made the mistake of staying out in Spring after work one 4th instead of driving all the way home because I had two days of 12 hour grooming shop duty. My friends home was close and it seemed like a good idea to not drive 65 miles home on a major party holiday night.  But no- no- No. Every 2-legged in that area that could set off fireworks from 9pm till 3am that night did. It started when I was driving Bentley and I to the friends house about 9:15pm after work that Saturday night going down the road. He went freako in the car and by the time we got to the house, he was in full phobic mode. I couldn't get the TV turned up load enough nor any amount of ignoring, soothing, Benedryl was going to help. I enclosed he and I in the bedroom with two different TV's going full blast and two pillows on my body, long sleeves and pants for protection from his pawing. He made permanent grooves in the door facing. These are very dear friends and I was able to apologize and repair the damage but still....not a fun night- about 3 hours? maybe of sleep before it was time to go back to the grooming shop for a Sunday day of hell. Not really complaining but that is another story in itself for another day!

Anyway, I am planning for a long night since Mother Nature decided to let up on the Texas flood and give us a rain free 4th of July.

Dammit.

I know a lot of you have very similar issues with the 4th NOISE and how it affects your 4-leggeds so I decided to offer a sacrifice to Mother Nature in the hopes of some more rain tonight. I will give up cheeseburgers for two weeks. Do you think it will work?  I do so hate to rain on anyones parade but I am going to be selfish on this one. I want rain and lots of it for tonight!

Anyway- best wishes to all. I'm going to see if I can chase down the Bentman and make him smell like lavender. The worst that can happen is that the lavender will calm me down. Right?    

Karen Raye
and the Bentman

Wishing, hoping....

Hello boys and girls,

It's me- Bentley Beargrass. I thought you might have forgotten what I look like since the 2-legged can't get a good picture of me due to my dislike of that gadget these days so I let her take this one of me this morning. The goofy one behind me is my little sis Roux. She is trying to check on my tail because I have a hot spot and she thinks it is most fascinating. I also am fascinated by it but the 2-legged keeps putting some liquid spray stuff on it that makes it taste awful but she said it keeps me from worrying it. She threatened me with one of those cone-head thingys if I didn't leave it alone. Hmpf! All I know is that last week I had to go to the Vet mans office and he poked me with a needle to get some blood. I was really good and the 2-legged took me to the doggie store afterwards and drove me through one of those places where they hand you food through a window. But....guess what? When the 2-legged went for the results of the blood work, they were all skewed and the Vet man said he needed more blood. We went back yesterday. What a pain in my derrière I say. Actually they had to take the blood from my front leg. Just a little naked there now. As you can see, I am half naked and quite odd looking with half a hairecut from Sunday. I will only tolerate an hour or so of hairecutting at a time. The heat was so bad on Sunday that the 2-legged decided to finish me another day. Whew. I lucked out. Except I got a bath as did all of the 4-legged gang. Roux even got a hairecut but she likes all the attention when getting one. What a weirdo! Anyway, I am hoping to get my test results back late today so we will know if I am just being a grump-bucket or if something is really wrong.

Another thing I need to pass on is about Pretty Boy Floyd. The 2-legged checked on TART's Petfinder link last night and saw him posted. She e-mailed the TART people in Austin and found out he didn't work out. Apparently he was sleeping and someone startled him and he woke up growling baring his teeth. The family got worried and decided maybe he needed another family instead. Poor Pretty Boy....he probably is really confused now. Unfortunately, in this giant state of Texas the TART team doesn't have any other families able to foster right now so he is back at the aire-conditioned boarding facility in Georgetown with the nice people there. Please say a prayer for him that he gets a 2nd chance in a new forever family. This latest news makes me so sad.

I guess I should get off the keyboard now. The 2-legged just came in and gave me one of those looks. I think she needs to do some homework. What a geek. Talk to you soon!

Aire-hugs and woofs,

The Bentman

Whacked download....

So you'll just have to take my word that they are cute. What am I talking about? Why Pretty Boy Floyd, of course. Our Austin coordinator forwarded some new pics of Pretty Boy, now known as "Floyd" to me last night and I tried to download them but they cause severe malfunction when I try to put them on the blog update. So you will just have to take my word for it- He looks happy and settled in with his new family. He has a new cushy bed from CostCo. In one of the pics he's playing with one of his new toys and in another one he is lying down on his bed with one of his 2-legged's looking up at him with adoration in his eyes. Sweet! The family is the one that started as a foster over the weekend but they already decided he is there Forever. Isn't that great? I just love happy endings.

Another update will be coming soon about the Bentman's test results. I am supposed to hear from the Vet man this afternoon. So....let's hope it is something as simple as a thyroid issue. He is still being weird. Now he is going into Roux's crate and hanging out there- He usually hates the crate. Hmm. And really butt-stuck too. Keep your fingers crossed and I'll post later.

Have a great day!
Karen Raye

Special Report!

Whoa- what a week we had. I'm sure you remember my last post and how my Bentman is acting weird? Due to circumstances out of our control, we haven't made it to the Doctor yet. He has been acting more normal but I know he's not up to par so we are going tomorrow since last weeks appointment had to be postponed. I'll  update the results later this week.

This is the scoop- Texas Airedale Rescue Team's Houston coordinator's Mom went to heaven. So I took over a possible owner turn in (male Airedale- approx. 3 yrs old and neutered) at the Harris County Shelter. The hard thing was that I wasn't on the approved pull list for TART at this shelter. No big deal, I made some calls and got a friend from the Golden Beginnings Golden Retriever Rescue to give me some advice. Thank doG for her and other wonderful people in rescue that guided me through that day. There were a few strange problems such as another group that was a mixed breed rescue with the same name as another in a town in North Texas that had put a hold on the boy 'Dale. Then of course the lovely automated phone sytem that the county uses at the shelter had me calling trying to get through for 3 hours off and on that morning. Then the news that he been given to another group that has a large number of dogs that already needed to be placed. It was a mess and I didn't want to step on toes but for the first time in many years our group TART is down to one Airedale in Rescue so we have foster homes waiting and even have some adoptive families ready. Great news, huh? Anyway- after a lot of finagling, calls, and driving from one end of Houston to the other three times, I gave money to the other rescue group to get him at five minutes to 5PM that day. He had been taken to another shelter outside of Houston. That group had shaved him down NAKED- no beard, no HAIRE and charged a lot of money for it. Strangeness was everywhere with this situation. But it is OK, he is with the TART group now where Airedales are put in wonderful homes that know the ins and outs of the breed! Poor boy didn't have a name. They were calling him Ted of course, then the other rescue named him Callahan. I just called him Pretty Boy because Bless his heart, you just knew he was confused with all his haire gone and being transported all over tarnation by strangers.

So Pretty Boy came home to our house late that afternoon and spent the night with our family. Kinda skinny because his previous humans had moved and left him in the backyard to fend for himself. Did they forget about him? Did they think someone would step up and rescue him? I don't know. Some people just piss me off.  He is so sweet and was a really good boy while he was here overnight. He drank and ate food like he was rationing it for the future, kind of like he didn't know if he would get any more. So sad. He was really good with our 4-legged's through the outside kennel fence and while he was in the crate in the house though Roux wondered why she didn't get to sleep in her crate that night. She laid there and stared at him for quite awhile. She got to sleep un-crated that night with the Bentman.

The next morning Kris and I left for Austin/ Georgetown to transport him to our contact there where a foster family was waiting. We drove through a Whataburger in the AM because hamburgers are our middle name. Pretty Boy ate a dry hamburger gently and politely out of our hands and drank his water like a gentleman. Obviously someone in his past had worked with him. He knows the command to sit, he is gentle, and he never once jumped up on us. He does have a great big booming voice! On our way to the hill country we had to stop and get gas and let him out for some exercise. The bikers rally R.O.T. was starting in Austin Friday and bikers on Harley's were everywhere. He never batted an eye and was even excited when they revved up their bikes at the gas station. So on we went to Georgetown and turned him over to Tom at the boarding facility. Nice place- aire conditioning and everything. They have stuffed Airedale toys that I am coveting. Anyway, Pretty Boy put on his best manners and never looked back as he went with Tom to his overnight room. The next day Pretty Boy was picked up by his foster family which may become his new Forever family. Blessings abound and Life is good!

Have a great week!

Karen Raye

These are the before and after pictures. Hard to imagine, huh?

the Bentman and the camera..

He doesn't like the camera. I decided to pull it out yesterday and snap a few current pics. The Bentman was standing in the hallway playing with his new toy, one of those long wormy green ones that squeak, shaking his head like a maniac when he saw me with the camera and froze. Dropped the toy, tucked in his tail and backed into the corner. I knew he didn't like the camera much but usually he will humor me for a few poses. Not this time. So I put it away and he perked back up, still eying me warily but somewhat interested in his toy again. The Bentman has been doing some really weird things. He's back to staring off into the fireplace or at a wall for minutes at a time. Gets really freaked about all the thunderstorms we've been experiencing. He is real skittish and we are keeping an eye on him. It's not funny but he actually thought Kris's leg was a drumstick or something the other day too. Didn't hurt her but it was really freaky like he was confused or something. He is playing fine with all the other 4-legged's - especially his 'lil sis Roux. Regular bitey-face, etc. He's always been my goofy oddball- standoffish and a loner except when he wants loving but I must admit I'm worried. His back leg shakes a lot when he is laying down. Told the vet about this before but he said don't worry about it. I am worried and I think we are going to have a thyroid test done soon. What do you think?  Any other ideas? Am I just a paranoid mama?

Karen Raye with 
the Bentman

Interpreting it their way*

Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.
Francis Bacon

What's in a name?

I was reading on the ADTLovers Yahoo List today about a contest from the group moderator concerning the nicknames we have for our dogs. Apparently this contest started and ended before I read the posting. No big deal, I enjoy reading the responses as I tend to just lurk there. It did make think about all the silly names we call our critters. And with 5 dogs in this house, it can get a little confusing when you are looking at Jax and saying Walter. The 4-legged's tend to look at you as if you've lost your mind. 

I guess I'll explain to those of you that are wondering about why we have 5 dogs. Originally there was Kris and she had Jax and Walter the Chihuahuas. Then there was Bentley. and me. This was about two years ago. So that made a dog and 1/2. Bentley made up a whole dog and the Chi's only made up about one of his legs. So- make that a dog and a 1/4. Then our friend Marie went to heaven and she had three dogs- Bridgette the Bassett, Corky the Schnauzer and Itty Bitty the little Bastard (Chihuahua). Nancy, Marie's niece took Corky to go live in Pocatella, Idaho with her and the little bastard went to go live the nice Vet. lady that wanted him. Thank doG for the Vet. lady 'cause he is a snappy boy! We took Bridgette to live with us because we promised Marie that all of her babies would be well taken care of when her time to go came. Funny thing about Bridgette is that somehow everyone kept saying she was twelve for years. After putting 2 and 2 together, we realized she is more like 16 or seventeen years old. She doesn't act it though. Bridgette has slowed down a bit but you'd never know it when we go walking in park. Being the hound dog that she is, she never slows down with her nose to the ground until we hit the front door and then she just flops down in the hallway for an hour like she's on her last breath.  

Back to why I started this post. Nicknames. Ours have quite a few but Roux probably has the most. There is the Crazy Roux, the Rouxster, Roux Boux, Chew Roux, Water Roux, Nosy Rosie, Doofus Dog, Cuddle Bug, and Lover Girl. She is a clown but so sweet. Roux reminds me of my Rosie Red that was with me for almost 16 years. Rosie was always the good girl that never did anything wrong. Roux is nosy like she was and just as lovey. But- Roux is also a crazy girl and likes to be into everything. NOSY! Can't help but love her. It was meant to be when we went the pound that day last summer to see if she was an Airedale. Who cares if she's not. It was fate that brought her to us!

Then we have Bridgette. She is known for her backyard antics. The nicknames include Mud Dog, Dirt Devil, "Get out of my damn flowerbed"- just kidding, Hound Dog ( I sing Elvis's version to her), and Bridgie- pronounced with a French accent.  

Walter is just Walter for Kris's Grandfather (she'll have to explain that one). Also Walter Woo because he's so cute and takes the funniest pictures. Sometimes he is called Pain in the A@# because he has to be on you wherever you are lounging and he also thinks he is the house guard dog. Hmm- Lounge Lizard might be a good nickname too!

Jax is just Jax the Little Man. He is sweet and has learned to mouthy from his big brother Bentley. Jax taught me to not be scared of Chihuahuas. I'd never met a nice one till him. My Grandmother in Oklahoma always had mean ones that wanted to eat your ankles so I wasn't too fond of the breed due to childhood memories. Jax and Walter have changed my thinking on that. 

Then there is Bentley Beargrass Meyer. My big boy that I got at 6 weeks old in West Texas and had a little Monkey Butt. He gets called Bentley Bear when he is being sweet. He is called the Bentmeister. And the Bentman. Mr. B. And Stubborn Mule Boy when we are at the park and he doesn't want to go home. He love to watch the guys play soccer. He will sit down and you cannot budge him for the world. Oh yeah- and Chunky Monkey when his weight is over 80 lbs like it is right now.  We also call him mouthy boy or plain 'ole "loud mouth" because he is extremely vocal and it is  really LOUD when he wants you to pay attention to him. He is knows he is my favorite Airedale Boy in the World! 

They are all my favorite's. They bring me joy and make me laugh when I am in a crappy mood. They never cease to amaze me with their silly antics and exuberance for life. They are always happy to see me. And I am really thankful and blessed to have them share my life with Kris.


So, what nicknames do you call your 4-legged's? Would love to hear what they are! Hope ya'll have a great day!


Karen Raye

The good and the bad...

The good news is Spring semester ended for me officially today when I clicked SEND on my last paper about an hour and 1/2 ago. WooHoo! Have almost a month till Summer semester starts. The Bad news is my Bentman has a hurt paw and had to go to the Doctor this morning. We are supposed to watch it carefully for another week or two. Nothing is broke nor can we find a sticker or anything. My poor boy wants to play so bad but all he can do is just stand there and watch the CRAZY Roux run circles around him in the backyard. Say a little prayer please! Gonna go enjoy a glass of wine now. I can finally afford to kill a brain cell or two! 

Till next time, 

Karen Raye and

the Bentman