Well... I feel sort of all bad tonight. Honestly, they'll be well loved and the new owner is thrilled with them - he totally came over and got them and all their gear and they have a huge hutch and an acre to run on, but... I really adored the chickens.

I found my chickens a new home. I was having some serious problems with my neighbor. Don't get me wrong, the fact that I had chickens was not the problem. Oh, no, the neighbors loved the chickens. Loved them. Loved them too darn much. It had gotten to the point where my neighbor felt it was okay to come into my yard at all hours to feed the chickens, and pet the chickens and hold the chickens.

Okay, fair enough, we had a gentle understanding worked out. Please ask before feeding my chickens anything, please don't let them out, etc... It worked for a little while, and then she was right back at it. I'd find hunks of rotting veggies in there when I went out to feed and clean, and mounds of yard weeds, etc. While  I was okay with the weeds, I was not okay with the other bits.

 

Wow, after a day full of snow, and wind and weather, we have a brand new pup. Let me tell you, this guy is a spitfire. Simon was my easy puppy - already, I can tell this young man isn't going to be easy. I heard him howling as they got him off the plane, and he was like, "HI!" when I opened the crate. Confidence and attitude, he strutted right off and was ready to join the rest of the people at the baggage carousel. Crud, good thing he's got short legs. He hopped right into the pack, muscled his way in for dinner, and is utterly fearless, holding his own with the tug toy. Finally I had to put him in his crate to give poor Simon a break from being a chew toy. ;) 

His ears are way farther up than Si's were at that age, and he's much more agile, not so clumsy.

And yes, he's got a different name, but that's a story for tomorrow when I'm not so tired. Needless to say, the co-kennel decided they wanted their name on the show pups as well. :) So, Caleb it is, and it fits him.
 

http://wagginthedog.blogspot.com/

Don't know how long I'll manage to keep it up (I'll try!) but I forgot I have this Blogger account, whoops. So, ha, a corgi-a-day pic blog, just for fun. If have time, I'll probably write a little blurb, or whatever.. but mostly it's going to be one of those, "Yes, it's a picture of a Corgi today" blog. ;) Way, way too many photos.

... must go to bed. Long day at the office. On a high note, the alarm system works great, heh heh heh. ;)

I got back Gabriel's autopsy results today. The diagnosis was a sudden internal bacterial infection that went instantly septic. The vets talked to me for a while - there's no way they'll ever really know where it was or began. It could have been something  as minor as a tiny cut in his mouth that just healed up instantly but trapped a pocket of bacteria and it spread through his bloodstream to his heart and internal organs. They honestly don't think there's anything anyone could have done, by the time he showed any symptom, it was so fast and so quick, and no fever, minimal elevated white blood cell count, minimal kidney/liver raised levels. I guess the only thing to compare it to is like Toxic Shock Syndrome, at least that's what the vet offered.

 Seriously, we'd run four miles on Sunday afternoon together, and he gobbled dinner Tuesday night, as usual. I guess people die of this too - but man, you'd think in this day and age of so much technology, things like this just don't happen.

It was not Lepto or anything else  that could have spread to anyone else's dogs - so that makes me feel a whole lot better about the rest of the dogs, myself, the cats, and of course, all the customers at the shop, since he was with me all the time... and of course for Simon, since he was the one I was most worried about since him and Gabe were tagging along together all the time, and he's so little. Well, not so little, but you know what I mean.

Simon's really sad though. He misses his buddy as much as I do. There were some last pictures I had on the camera of the two of them
snuggled up in the basket together - I just am having a hard time erasing them or moving them just yet. I'll do it at some point  - I'm just not ready to be so final, I guess.

Thank you guys, all of you, for all the support and the concern. It meant the world to me. It's not hit me quite yet super hard- I guess I'm funny that way. Today was the first day I just realized I wasn't loading him into the car at the shop, and then it really left me numb. Good thing I only have one eye left anyway, at least that's my excuse for not being able to see on the drive home. Man, I miss my dog, he was such a presence.

Simon, however, learned something funny yesterday. Do you know if you get a running start from the kitchen, you can motor your way down the hall and do a cannonball belly flop on my bed? 

I didn't know it either, but apparently, that's pretty fun. ;)