The new dog, Apache, was sent here to take care of us by his Forerunners Monte and Rose…..

He took to our place and our ways as quickly as any dog we have ever had….He acts like he was born and raised here….
He and the pound puppy Dee Dee, who was so unconsolable and grief stricken after the loss of Rose, have bonded like soul mates. Being near the same age and energy level, all they do is play, eat and sleep….they run and play so much that in just three weeks Dee Dee has visibly developed her hind leg muscles….Apache has too but with longer hair it is not so visible….

Apache has taken ownership of the property and Marie said he very much objected to the presence this week of both the Select Sires rep and a Fed Ex delivery man. He has the visage of a small lion with intense golden eyes and a big blocky head and can only guess how intimidating he would be to growl and bark at you….with us he is a love sponge, as he has been with anyone we have introduced him to. At fifty pounds he is not a large dog but he moves like a bull with power and agility….

Before sending him to us Rose must certainly have given him a crash course on our ways and what was expected of him here….he has traits and habits of both Rose and Monte….Some might claim that it is simply my influence, but Dee Dee who we have had since a pup does not exhibit these same behaviors. I still miss Rose but she is free of pain now and I Dee Dee has stopped grieving and is enjoying her new play mate….She had missed rough housing as Rose became unable to play with her, and now she can be as rough and tumble as she wants becasue she cannot hurt Apache. He can tumble her at will….but he can not catch her if she turns on the speed….It has been fun watching them strategize and learn, each how to deal with the other…..

It was truly amazing how quickly they bonded….they eat together out of the same dish at the same time….they drink together out of the same bowl at the same time….and each is vigilant that the other does not get an extra petting or treat….

Marie says that when I am not there they Apache is at her side as she moves from room to room….if she stays in one room he is satisfied to lie down and observe or nap…..Meanwhile Dee Dee will be napping on one of her favorite nap spots….she has several.

When I am there she feels neglected….but then I am the one who takes them outside and lets them frolic all they want to….they also accompany me on my rounds about the farm….

Apache has learned about the electric fence but Dee Dee is teaching him where and how he can get under gates or low spots to access the pastures I go to….I was burning brush Sunday and they roamed and ran and played and wrestled all day long and when we went in for supper they just collapsed….Marie asked me what I did to them….

I still miss my old gal Rose who was a stalwart companion for so long, and Apache reminds me of her nearly every day, but in a good way and he has been a wonderful addition to our pack.

Apache is here and has taken command of the house….He is only a bit older than Dee Dee and while it was a slow start they are now frolicking all over the house and we had to separate them to slow them down a bit. but then Dee Dee started whining so now they are both up here with me… Apache has classic Aussie good looks with a good blocky head and stout muzzle and classic aussie conformation….he is a blue merle beauty with light brown eyes. and like all the aussies we ever had he is as smart as can be….took him all of five minutes to Teach Marie how to dispense treats….he was real forward and wanted to tow eveyone who took his leash but we already have him heeling softly and he is learning sit and down….He has already learned what the electric fence is all about and will not go near it now…..major hurdle crossed……now all we have to teach him is the outer limit of the driveway and in a few weeks we can begin to let him loose……He seems to have pretty much taken over already and I don’t think he wants to leave…..he just has to learn our boundaries…..already giving kisses and wants to be in my lap…..will be interesting to see how sofa arrangements work out when I turn the tee vee on later.Dee Dees normal routine is to stay with Marie downstairs until she goes to bed….But tonight she wants to be up here with Apache….I am so glad they are playing well because she was so sad and lonely without Rose. Both are tired and walking around with tongues hanging out now……Apache is about the same height and length as Dee but he is twice as wide….stout little dude. Photos tomorrow.
 
 Already decided that Monte and Rose have sent him to look after Dee Dee and me.
 
Poor little Dee Dee misses Rose terribly….but she is overjoyed to have a dog to wrestle and play with…even if he won’t let her win….
 
It has become obvious that Apache has never been a house dog….but he is taking to it and adjusting well.  frankly I don’t think he ever had much handling or training….he was obviously too much dog for whoever had him.  Shame becasue he is a love spong and responds so well to any instruction and handling….Marie has never had a preference for the merle dogs and always liked the red tri because of Tana and Tee Tee, but she is amazed at how pretty and sweet he is.  she is busily teaching him to sit before she will give him a treat.
 
looked for my camera all weekend and was beginning to think it had been liberated from my truck….found it this morning….photos soon.
 
As for me….When I am handling him, at least I am too busy to dwell on the loss of Rose….Dee Dee too…she goes from sulking and sadness to playful frolic with Apache.  I even trusted him enough to let him off the leash yesterday and the two of them had quite the wrestling and running match.  he sits and looks at the bulls and the horses with sort of an awed look….you can almost see the wheels turning in his head….

Yesterday when I got home, I let them both out in the yard and that was the beginning of over and hour of unbridled enthusiasm….those two young dogs who had become soemwhat aquainted over the previous 48 hours, embarked on a rollick and running and wrestling good time.

Dee Dee can out run Apache when she really tries but not by much….she turns her head to look at him and they collide and go rolling and wrestling….He plays hard and I thought for a bit he might be to rough on her but every time he turns her loose she jumps on him agian or takes off on another run.  When I put them in the house it just kept going….

I think I nearly had as much fun as they did just watching them….It was so good to see Dee Dee not grieving over the loss of Rose….She is still looking for her….but at least now she has something to distract her….They get along great and share food and water and treats like they were raised together…

hard to get photos with all this action but I tried…..below are a couple .

         Baby Jim

  Photo courtesy of The Old Cowboy Archives

Rose

I really don’t remember how long Rose had been with us…..She came here to live with us after our old home raised dog Tee Tee died….Tee Tee was the one we kept from the only litter of puppies we ever raised…..They were sired by Monte and out of Montana Crystal, or Tana.  Tana and her daughter Tee Tee were known as the Gator Girls.  They were a tough pair and both were absolutely devoted to Marie and they would bite a stranger as quick as a gator would.  Thus the name.  Even regular visitors like our long time Neighbor Jack who had seen both of them raised from pups and was a nearly daily visitor due to the cows, was not immune from those teeth.  When Jack knocked on the door he put one hand on the handle to keep the girls from opening it…..

But time passes and ravages us all….and we have an ever expanding graveyard of family members to remind us…..

This week Rose joined those who had preceded her.

Rose came to us from Aussie Rescue and was the first dog we rescued.  I remember having to fill out application and having my references checked and we even had to be inspected.  On inspection Day our Aussies Lore and Maggy were present when the Aussie Rescue lady, Susan, brought Rose to check us out….

I was sitting on the edge of the porch and when Susan let Rose out of her car,  Rose walked across the yard and came over and put her head in my lap to be petted….I asked Susan how long it took her to teach Rose that trick….Susan was mortified and said she guessed the inspection was over as Rose seemed to have made her decision.   Lore and Maggy were introduced and Lore nonchalantly ignored the new comer and loving Maggy embraced her immediately.

And so Rose became part of our pack.  Lore was the alpha dog at that time, which Rose had no problem with even though Rose was nearly twice the size of little Loreal.   About three days in Loreal decided to discipline Rose over some triviality….there was a good bit of snapping and snarling and every time Baby Jim would pull Rose off of Loreal, Loreal would jump up and try to tackle Rose again.  Finally Baby Jim got a hand on both collars and put an end to it…..only to hear that ever the non partisan Marie was vehemently stating……”I won’t have it….she has got to go.” Over and over again….

We only know of one other time when Lore tried to assert her dominance with similar result, except that Marie tried to get in the middle and one of them bit her….. and then life evolved into a tolerant harmony…..Rose had no desire to be in charge and Lore thought she had proven her point.  And Marie became accepting as well and for years after, Baby Jim was heard talking to Rose telling her “I won’t have it…She has got to go.” As he chuckled in amusement….while Marie fed her treats.

While drafting this, we have searched for photos of Rose when she came here….Sadly while we have photos, they are on digital media for which we have no device to retrieve them.  We have stacks of 3.5 inch discs and a small stack of zip drives.  So the oldest photo I can put my eyes on is 2008. And this album has photos of Maggy and Toby who have both passed on as well.

Rose.  She always loved to lay by a fan or ride in the air conditioned truck.

Toby and Rose lying under the kitchen table…..

Sweet old Maggy

When Rose got here she was housebroken and ever the lady and only wanted some attention and affection.  Maggy was head of security at that time and Rose became her back up.  Maggy would sound the alarm and Rose had a camouflage of looking intimidating….but she loved everyone….

She was the first dog I ever had who liked to play with mice like a cat.  She would catch them and then lay them between her outstretched paws and let them try to run away so she could catch them again….fully half of roses Mice escaped unharmed by running under her and out the back when she stood to look for them.   Little Lore used to hate that….she was an intense little cattle dog and thought it foolish to play with mice.  If one escaped Rose, Lore would grab it and quickly dispatch it.  After Lore was gone Rose taught both Toby and Later Dee Dee this game.  Dee Dee had a mole just last week….

This trick brought Rose the only calamity she ever had with us.  She was hunting for mice and ended up Snake bit by a copperhead.  Her head swelled up like a basketball and we took her to the emergency clinic and they pulled her through…

I spied and got the offending snake about two weeks later and had to turn over a 100 gallon water trough to get him but he got his just deserts…..

For years Rose was my nighttime foot warmer….when I got on the sofa and turned the tee vee on as soon as I put my feet up Rose would jump up and lay her head on my legs….she would lay there as long as long as there was a hand on her….

Rose was a lot like my first Aussie, Monte, and I used to tell her that I thought Monte had sent her to look out for me and she would just look at me and lick my hand as if to say “Of course he did, silly.”  When Loreal passed away both Maggy and Marie took it very hard…Lore died in the bed sleeping not far from Marie….And Marie picked out Toby to take up the slack.  Maggy adjusted and accepted Toby, but he became Roses Dog.  We are crazy people….even our dogs have dogs….Then years later when Toby passed away and Devil Dog Dee Dee came here she was adopted and raised by Rose.

In advanced years Rose would lay in the floor and wrestle and play with this bundle of fur and teeth….Dee Dee would grab Rose by the collar or her ear or her neck and just run along side her, as Rose always accompanied me on evening chores.  Rose accepted this and it carried on to the end…As Rose got older and more infirm we tried to stop the behavior in Dee Dee but she had difficulty changing and finally came to understand what ‘don’t hurt her’ meant.

Like all our aussies Rose loved to ride in the truck….didn’t matter where to or how far…she just wanted to ride and preferably with her head in my lap.

About two years ago we found some lumps on Rose and took her to the vet….They gave a grim prognosis and offered to do several thousand dollars worth of exploratory surgery and chemotherapy on her…..with no promise of improvement.  I asked if she was in pain and they said probably not yet and that they didn’t expect her to go six months….Two years later she bagan to decline…A tumor in her udder blew up….not the one in her neck that they thought would take her out….but she was still vibrant and alive and enjoying life.  Then she began to slow down and other symptoms began to show….A daily aleve seemed to push back the pain and she was running and playing….then trouble urinating and discharges…..but she was still so happy and loving, just at a slower pace….last week her eyes began to dull and then Thursday she became extremely nauseous .  Marie called me to tell me how sick she was, so I called the vet and came home early.

Knowing this was coming and knowing how bonded Dee Dee was to Rose we had begun searching for another Aussie.  I had hit all the aussie rescue sites and then suddenly BARK right here near home had a registered Aussie.  We had not dealt with BARK and had to go through their application process.  We wanted Dee Dee to have some time to adjust….We got approved but not soon enough…..I could not have Rose suffer unnecessarily….

When I got home Rose came to greet me and put her head in my lap and wagged her butt feebly.  I asked her if she wanted to ride and she headed for the door….She spent her last hour riding in the truck with her head in my lap…I did okay until we headed home and I nearly wrecked the truck because I could not see.

On Friday I buried Rose, but I dared not let Dee Dee know because she was as distraught as I , and I am sure that if she knew she would have dug her up.  Dee does not like to Ride like the aussies, but she tolerates it….and she was by my side all day Friday and Saturday.

Saturday afternoon we got the new Aussie Apache and they are bonding better than I had anticipated.   But that is another story and I can already tell that Monte and Rose have sent this dog to take care of me and Dee Dee…..He is just a few months older than Dee Dee and I have already told them both that they have to outlive me cause I am not sure I can do this again.