Critter Update

Several people have asked me how our new dog Alli is settling into life with us and about the kitten Terry got last week when we were at the veterinarian’s. So I thought I would give you an update today.

Alli is doing just fine. She is energetic but not at all hyper like the people we got her from said she was. I think she was just reacting to being in a house with a bunch of little kids. Not to say that she is a couch potato, because she absolutely loves to go for a walk around our property and chase a Kong or a ball.

On the advice of several blog readers, I got a thing called a Chuckit! ball launcher that really lets me throw balls way out there for her. I know a young German shepherd needs a lot of exercise, so three times a day we have a long session chasing balls across the pasture.

The last few days have been very hot and we got a little kids’ wading pool for Alli. Sometimes after a session of fetch she’ll get in it and stand for a few minutes to cool herself off. It’s big enough for her to sit or lay down in but she prefers not to do that. Whatever floats your boat.

And even though I said above that she is not a couch potato, there are times when she thinks that she is a lap dog. When 50-plus pounds of German shepherd jumps in your lap and smothers you with kisses, all you can do is love her, right?

Now, as for the kitten. The first time I wrote about her I told her that she didn’t have a name yet, but since then Terry has decided her name is BeeBee. Sometimes that stands for Black Beauty and sometimes it stands for Black Brat. She deserves both.

She is very affectionate to Terry and tolerates me, which is about all I can ever expect from a cat. And like all kittens, she is curious and a bundle of energy. She’s always getting into something as she explores the house and everything in it. Often when Terry is working at her computer, BB will sit on her desk or on the top of her office chair, looking over her shoulder to make sure she’s doing everything right.

We were worried about how Alli would react to the kitten, but she’s a gentle girl and has not tried to harm her at all. She is very curious about this little creature and follows the kitten around a lot. Our only concern is that she is so big and the kitten is so tiny that she might hurt her accidentally. So we will watch them when they interact until BeeBee gets a little bit bigger.

The kitten is just as curious about the dog. Every once in a while they’ll get nose-to-nose and check each other out. Or Alli will lick her across the face, which BB does not appreciate at all.

And that’s life at the Russell household these days. I will say that these two newcomers to the family have certainly entertained us and kept us busy. The only problem is, I’ve got a new book to write and Alli doesn’t seem to understand that I can’t get much work done if I’m busy playing with her. She definitely loves attention and can be demanding at times.

And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us.

Thought For The Day – On Dateline, it’s always the friendly person who “lit up the room” that gets murdered. I’m glad I’m grumpy and unapproachable.