Last post for the year

 It has been a tough December. Thanks to everyone for their support. Losing Fifi right before Christmas was hard. I still can't get use to my shadow not being at my side or her yappy greetings whenever I came home. The house is so quiet, even Mr B says he misses her. But there were other worries to occupy my mind..mainly Buster Peebody. He has never been without Fifi and she was his best friend. They played, slept together and she was the brave one. He kept looking for her for a while and was very sad.

poor sad Buster

 He just layed around but seems to be perking up now. I am giving him LOTS of attention and cuddles.

I know how you feel Buster

Even Pippin was low which is hard for a Border Collie.

 Timmy on the other hand didn't really notice. He is going to be very angry at me for posting these pics .

OH NO she got a new picture box!

Mr B decided a new camera for xmas might take my mind of things and gave me an awesome little nikon Coolpix 500. It can be totally auto or manual. So until I get my new SLR I can still try to learn manual settings. Not yet though. I have to get use to it first.

Hah..I'll show her!

Timmy on this particular day was being very bad. He had pooped on the floor so he got in trouble. Then I thought "oh no..what if he is like Fi and this is his last day?" So I went to make amends but he was busy drinking the tea out of my mug. He really does not care if he gets into trouble. Afterwards he rubbed his bare butt all over my pillow to get back at me. 

Hangover maybe???

 Timmy seems to be aging rapidly which worries me. His tongue has started to hang out and he never combs his hair anymore. Buster Peebody is trying to be buddies with him so Timmy uses him as a heater of sorts. Whatever works for them. 

Anyhoo last month Timmy became ill, I didn't mention it because I didn't want my blog to be so depressing. Working great for me this month. 

So he had a bunch of tests done and found a bunch of things wrong. The main reason he was ill though was due to a very nasty infection in a very delicate area. Only Timmy could get an infected wang cover. You know you love your dog when you rinse his wang off 3 times a day. So he was on meds forever and seemed better until 3 days ago. Once again the infection was back.

 So we went to the vet again to get drugs but we can't figure out the root of the infection. Also he was in a lot of pain and crying out. For the first time in 8 years he didn't finish his dinner so I knew it was serious.

We thought he had a blockage because he went into my purse and I found individual wrapped life savers on the floor. So I assumed he had swallowed them whole . So I was prepared to put him down and was trying to be brave but the vet assured me he didn't seem to have belly pain..whew..but wait..so why is he crying out..maybe when he fell UP the stairs 3 times or when Buster Peebody pushed him off the bed he hurt himself? Who knows but they think his back is going which is probably why he walks with a hump in the middle and moves kinda like a crab outside..Timmy can't even be sick like a normal dog. If I wasn't so worried I would find all of this very typical for Timmy.

So since this really is his blog, his story, I felt I should update you folks on Timmy because I have not mentioned him lately. He has to get his liver checked out but until this infection goes away we can't do much. The vet was concerned because he has lost weight but Buster Peebody and Timmy quit eating well after Fifi passed. They still won't eat their morning kibble. 

So he is on antibiotics, supplements, fancy schmancy food and I am giving him pain meds even though the vet was worried it would hurt his liver. I'd rather he be comfortable now. The vet also said he should be blind because his cataracts are so bad but he still sees things. I thought he was going crazy, standing at the wall instead of the door to come in but it's because he can't see well. I don't know which is worse. 

I'm sick

 So I'm hoping  he will be fine, here is a pic from today..no energy except when I fed him prime rib.

 So I am going to be glad to see the end of this year.

 Lots of great things happened but this month has been awful. 

So please send Timmy some healing thoughts , he would like that.

I hope you all have a great big happy and shiny New Year !!!!

Goodbye to my little girl

 8 years ago this week I adopted a little unwanted poodle I named Fifi. This morning she died in my arms.
I came home from work frustrated and when I went in my room she had peed and pooped on my bed and carpet. I was very angry and scolded then spanked her.
She had her dinner and watched TV with me then her breathing went strange. We went to bed and she could not get comfy and could not seem to catch her breath so I decided to take her in to the vet first thing this morning. I fell asleep at 2 and woke up at 4 to find her worse. We finally decided to go to the emerg. clinic but she died in my arms on the way there.
I am devastated and feel so guilty that her last day was not a happy one. Why I lost my temper today with her I will never know nor will I ever forgive myself.
Hug your pets everyone. You never know when you might lose them.

RIP my sweet little loyal friend.

Shows- Part 3

Today we will have a lesson in different chicken breeds, there are a few I don't know so if you recognize them speak up.. Most of the pictures are of roosters because as with most birds the roos are more impressive.These are the last of the chicken pictures. I'm sure you are giving a sigh of relief, but I still have TONS of waterfowl and rabbits and even a few cats!

Standard Black Cochin Rooster

This is a BIG bird. They are very placid by nature and very popular. There are 2 sizes. Standard (large) and Bantam (small). Cochins come in both sizes and many colours. I like them and use to own a big fellow like this guy.



Mille Fleur d'Uccle Bantam Rooster

 These little guys are really cute with their beards and red colours.

Porcelain d'Uccle Booted Bearded bantam Rooster

These little guys are well known for their beautiful colours and long feathered feet.

Standard Leghorn Rooster

The leghorn is the egg layer used in factory farming. Pretty boy.

 

 There are also different combs on chickens. This black fellow has a single comb. The comb is the red thingy on their head.



Sicilian Buttercup comb

If you look carefully you will see that this guy's comb is like a flower. It has 2 sides and opens up.



Black Bantam Rose comb

The rose comb looks like a little robin hood hat!



Sweet Bantam Rose Comb Hen

I think this hen is as pretty as the rooster.





Bantam Silver Laced Sebright



Bantam Silver Laced Sebright Hen



The Sebright comes in different colours but I like these the best. They have a rose comb and are different from all other chickens in that the males and females exactly the same feathering.

These two are also bantams and have the rose comb but I can't remember what breed they are. They are pretty though.



Bantam Rooster

Not sure what breed this little guy is but he is really showy!



Sumatra Rooster-Standard

The Sumatra breed is rare. Their tails grow quite long and they carry themselves quite proudly. They closely resemble their ancestors the jungle fowl. They have a pea comb..it looks like a wad of red gum stuck to their heads. They also have multiple spurs (extra spikes) on their legs. Like the silkie they have black skin and black bones.



Yokohama Rooster

This is another rare bird. The Yokohama. They have a walnut comb and have very long plumage. I wish I had taken more pics of the sumatras and this guy. They are so elegant.



Game Breed

These chickens are really interesting. They have llloooonnnggg legs and some of the roosters have their combs dubbed for showing. Dubbed is a nice way of saying they cut the comb off. Ouch. Fighting birds always have their combs removed so the other rooster can't grab hold of it. These birds are not used for fighting but it is similar to docking a dogs tail.

I think they look like they are standing on stilts. They were very interested in everything going on around them and were always sticking their heads in the camera lens.lol

The people behind us dyed their birds with food colouring and they sold more silkies for more money than most. It does not bother the birds. The pink one looks like cotton candy!

Finally my fave of the show. This hen was so curious about me and the camera. I have a ton of great pics of her but leave you with 2 of the funnier ones. This is a Cornish game hen. The little guys you see in the supermarket. They have the thickest legs I've seen on a bird.

Cornish Game Hen



Who is watching who????

I hope you enjoyed my little lesson. Next time we have Ducks and Geese..

Shows!!! Part 2

So to continue on with my rabbit, chicken and cat show series I found that all the traveling, moving around and excitement really tires these animals out.

As everybody in the world knows since I never shut up about it..I have no camera ...so Mr B let me use his little point and shoot. This turned out to be a good thing. The little lens fit right through the bars of the cage and I tuned off the flash and beeps. I was able to get a few good pics.

So when you are at a show you have to come up with many different ways to get a few minutes of sleep.



Baby New Zealand Rabbits

 These young New Zealands find taking turns napping in a group setting works for them. This is the only place in the show where you find rabbits together. They are babies in the Meat Pen class.



French Lop

This French Lop uses his ear to rest on..very clever I say. There are different types of Lops. A lop is a rabbit with hanging ears. There are Mini Lops, French Lops, Holland Lops, Velveteen Lops , Giant Lops and others I can't think of right now. I have trouble telling most of them apart. So we will just call them Lops :)



Flemish Giant

Some like this Flemish Giant just flop right out, keeping his toy close by.

He is really out for the count!!



Lop

This little  Lop was trying to stay awake but finally gave up.

Nankin

This little Nankin hen sleeps with one eye open.



Nankin



ChickChick PeepPeep conked out after his big best of breed win



Silkie



George the Silkie rooster caught a few winks here and there.



Belgian Hare

This Belgian Hare was stretching after sleeping in this pic. Looks like he woke up on the wrong side of the bed! The Belgian Hare is an endangered Breed and this was the first time I have ever seen one. There will be way more about this breed in another post soon!!

This black hen looks dead but is actually stretched out sound asleep!



French Lop

To bright with all the lights??? Then cover your eyes with your ears. Works great for this French Lop.

Sometimes you have to sleep standing up.



Lop

This little lop slept in a corner

Puff up and make yourself big then maybe people will let you sleep!



Netherland Dwarf



This little Netherland Dwarf is so tired. These guys are little rabbits with huge eyes and short ears. Adorable!



Flemish Giant



Mr Flemish giant just flops out. These are huge rabbits weighing up to 20 lbs. I use to own one named Rupert and they are very sweet and docile.



Lop



This little lop seems to be saying Should I sleep or not??

Lop

What a face!!



Lop

This guy looks super tired.

Mini Rex

Another wiped out bunny. This is a Mini Rex and they have a velvet like fur that is super soft to the touch. A great breed.

Hairless Sphinx

Hey..this is not a rabbit or a chicken..oh yeah..the cat show. I think i woke him up.

Persian

Open your eyes, come on you can do it. This guys head kept bobbing up and down!

Mini Rex

Another velvet bunny taking a nap.

Mille Fleur



Mille Fleur

This Mille Fleur Hen certainly is beautiful.



Too much going on?? Just stick your head in the cup and all will go away. Part Ostrich maybe??

New Zealand

Finally the best of all..who needs a pillow????