REX LEAVES THE FARM

REX VOBISCUM
I guess I should've noticed that this athletic dog, who could run 40 KPH alongside my truck and jump 6 feet from standing to snatch a stick out of my hand, was beginning to drag behind and scrap going over fences. A few years ago I found him hanging by one leg from a top barbed wire around my coyote proof sheep pen. I cut him down, got him stitched up and he never stopped leaping any wire. After he ran under the back wheel of my truck for a gopher and had $500 surgery, he remained unafraid of moving vehicles. Often over his 10 years here (we got him as a year old dog from a vet, who was asked to put him down but realized Rex was a smart dog who should be on a farm). Rex quickly learned to chase coyotes and deer but not sheep or cattle, magpies stealing his food but not grouse. When he'd return pursued by a pack of 3 coyotes, I'd yell, they'd' flee and, Rex, encouraged, always returned to the chase until I learned to turn back towards the house. He always kept me in sight, even in the midst of digging a gopher hole. It embarrassed me whenever I came down to the bathroom in the middle of the night to see him standing on his doghouse, watching me through the kitchen window. (We got him for a watch dog) Sometimes as I was at the kitchen sink washing dishes I'd glance out and see Rex lying under the ash tree, waiting for a glimpse of me. Rex was the subject of many stories I wrote for my granddaugher, Olivia, who kept asking for more. After a great summer last year, fixing fences and planting trees (Rex always at my side) I murmured "Give me another summer like this!" Today on the first day of summer we buried Rex in the raspberry patch beside Linda's 2 cats, Jezebel and Meuslix. After the long winter sleeping in his cold dog house (except windy nights when Linda let him sleep in the porch), he deserved some good days and nights. But two weeks ago he injured himself jumping a fence. Some ointment he licked, off until prevented by a ridiculous plastic bonnet, cured the cut but he began to have peeing problems. After 2 days at the clinic ( The song "Old Shep" was in my head at this time) the vet found Rex had broken a bone in his penis and blockage to the urethra had cause the bladder to burst. (First time vet had seen this). Attempts to insert a catheter failed and euthanasia recommended. We could have seen Rex after he came to but we chose leave him be and brought him home in a plastic bag and buried him hoping to remember him as he was alive. This morning I choked back tears (over a dog!) On my first walk without Rex (he shamed me to go so many times when I wanted to stay in the warm house). Linda sat in the yard without Rex coming for a pat. We're both hurting but Linda is digging out photos of Rex and I left a note on the vet's bulletin board for a young farm dog, one that will have a tough act to follow.

COYOTES GET GOLDIE

Linda has been calling her pet cat Goldie each morning for 3 days. She usually lets Goldie and Cairo (both neutered) in for food in the morning. Today she was calling me away from my politics show on tv. Despite all the lush green growth, llamas reaching over fence made a hole for ewe and lamb to crawl through. We got the ewe and lamb back into the pen and I set to fixing the fence. Grr! Something smelled very bad so I sent Rex into the grass and we found a grizzly murder scene. Damage to throat area indicated coyotes, who kill sheep by grabbing them and choking. They probably killed her as competition for food. I dug a hole and buried the remains with Linda witnessing over the fence. Her past 2 pets, Jezabel from Washington DC and Muslix, born here, are buried in the raspberry patch. We will plant a tree over Goldie. Wish coyotes did not take cats after a $100 neutering! Life is hard on pets but already Linda has found 4 new kittens, one of them golden orange in colour.

Getting Rid of the Cows

I was ready to tell him the grass not ready yet when I learned my brother, lloyd had just sold the herd! After wondering what Rex and I would do all summer in empty fields, Lloyd showed up with nephew Wes to put in electric fence and troughs for steers. Lloyd Green, a friend who pastures steers, was a big help on how to install water injectors with anti bloat medicine (Dad used to puncture bloated cows and sometimes save them). My brother brewded about letting his cows go but offer was too good). He looked for anything to call it off. That old bull goes with the bunch or all stay. Okay okay. Night before the cows were collected by liners, there was a ruckus among the cows. In the morning big old #80 was on the front lawn eating Nancy's flowers. Lloyd yelled and she (#80) farted and took off. Could there be any doubt our late father was behind this final salute?
The 2 liners of steers got stuck inside the pasture same place as last year. One had to unload in the field and terrified steers charged out and went through the electric fence and down towards the coulee. Lloyd phoned sister, Louanne, who soon was there with 2 horses. We kept one load of steers in the corral while Lloyd and Louanne rounded up the others. At one time Lloyd phoned from his horse to ask if they were in my trees. Nope. Seemed this second load had vanished, until we noticed the gate into the corral down. The #2 load had broken in to join #1. I moved my sheep and llamas out of the way and we put the combined group back by water hole for the night and hoped they would calm down. Next morning Lloyd, Lou and Wes came to repair the fence and we eased the doggies out into the pasture. Lloyd installed a water injection system copied by Wes while at work for an oil company.
It's Sunday now and crazy calves are settling. Water system works great and at 28 degrees is good. I'd still prefer cows to walk amongst but without them should make for a nice winter and spring for Lloyd. Hope Dad doesn't send us any more messages.