Yeah, so things come and go in my life, nothing seems to be permanent. Funny thing, I hate rollercoasters but that is my life...ups, downs, twists, turns, upside down, right side up, always in motion, never stopping. That being said, here is whats been happening...
When we moved here to this farm in Colorado, we knew it was a mistake. Dry, desolate, and dead. Nothing grows here, and keeping animals around is near impossible. So, we were immediately looking for another job. We started here in Sept, and now its March. It got so bad here, that I finally said "Ok, thats it, I'm rejoining the military!" So I marched my ass over to Pueblo and talked to a recruiter. We got paperwork started for the Army, since the Air Force said I was too old, lol. This process started about a month ago. Just when I thought I'd be allowed in, they come along and say "Nope, you were in the AF too long, new rules say NO" *sigh* So, I wrote a letter to the state Senator, and he sent a letter to the Army Liason at the Pentagon. That was about 3 weeks ago and still nothing. I wrote to Obama, and to Oprah! Still, nothing. Dammit.
In the meantime, we contacted the old company we worked for that had us giving hearing tests around the country. We talked to them last week and they are hiring us back. We start next month in the middle southeast, then in June will probably move to the east coast. Things are supposed to be different, and by that I mean, I will be trying to have a better attitude, and DH will be trying to give me space. I layed down the law, stating I didn't need him up my ass all the time, asking who I was texting or talking to on the damn phone. I also said I was going to be in charge of part of the money. I will be in charge of our salary checks. This, hopefully, will help us save. If nothing else I'll be able to save MY money.
And on top of all of that, I was able to aquire 2 new tattoos since being here. One on my foot, and one on my left thigh. The foot has healed, the thigh is only 2 days old. Also, I've been working out. I've lost a few pounds, and inches, but up here in this high altitude I just can't breath, so its hard. Hopefully I can do better at the lower elevation.
So there ya have it....I'm still holding out hope the Army will call, if they do, I'm on it!!!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Surprise!!
I'm BACK!! hehe There is so much going on in my life right now that I don't know where to begin. So much, yet so little. I'm bored as hell every single day here in the asshole of Colorado. I haven't had a purpose. But I do now...at least, I have a bit of one. I don't want to jinx it, so I won't talk about it right now, but if it all comes to pass, I'll have a purpose every day! YAY!! So I'm keeping my fingers crossed, and doing little things each day to help me towards this one thing I'm trying to get to.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Life sure is fickle. One minute you think things might be looking up, then the next minute you have no idea whats going on.
The guy up the road that trains dogs called me last week, telling me he was still sick, and was also swamped with dogs because the economy here had set everyone back. That tells me he's not hiring.
Hubby has been looking for other jobs, and found one in Alaska, to which he applied for. I doubt we'll get it. If he is hired, the location is at the very top of the state, a town called Wainright.
I'm also working on getting a new tattoo. Today I'll be going to Taos to try and get an appointment to get it started. It will be a vine, winding up my leg. I want the roots on top of my foot, wrappping down down towards the ground....symbolizing being grounded to Mother Earth. Hubby, in the last 2 months, has got 2 full tatts and an addition to one of them.
Beyond all of that, I don't think there is really much to discuss, so I'll leave it alone!
The guy up the road that trains dogs called me last week, telling me he was still sick, and was also swamped with dogs because the economy here had set everyone back. That tells me he's not hiring.
Hubby has been looking for other jobs, and found one in Alaska, to which he applied for. I doubt we'll get it. If he is hired, the location is at the very top of the state, a town called Wainright.
I'm also working on getting a new tattoo. Today I'll be going to Taos to try and get an appointment to get it started. It will be a vine, winding up my leg. I want the roots on top of my foot, wrappping down down towards the ground....symbolizing being grounded to Mother Earth. Hubby, in the last 2 months, has got 2 full tatts and an addition to one of them.
Beyond all of that, I don't think there is really much to discuss, so I'll leave it alone!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Potential?
A few nights ago, DH and I were casually watching TV and surfing the 'net, when DH looks at me ands says "Did you know there is a K-9 training facility just up the road?" and he gives me the website of the facility. trains Slovakian GSD's, for everything it seems. Personal protection, Explosive/Narcotic detection, and much more. At first all I could think was, how did I miss this? So, I sent the owner a message, explaining my 8 years of EDD(Explosive Detector Dog) experience and letting him know I'd like to get back into the field. So last night he called me, and despite the shitty connection, we were able to discuss a few things. He seemed like he was interested in my EDD experience, and will call today to set up a meeting. I just hope he understands that I don't work for free. I'm not sure even IF he'll hire me, and I'm also not sure that if he does what his pay rate would be. Anything at $10 or less per hour is out of the question. If I'm going to be TRAINING his dogs, I'm looking at $15+. But we'll see what happens.
In other news, Old Man Winter has, I believe, officially moved in. The temps have been below freezing for several days, and the surrounding mountains are getting snow. DH left last night to head south for the dairy to deliver more hay. We find it works better if he leaves the evening before, then he is able to deliver first thing in the morning. But yesterday evening he actually encountered snow, snowplows, and salt trucks. I think if he'd have waited until later in the evening, or even today, I think he'd have had a rough go of it. But I believe that by the time he starts his journey back (6 hours one way) that the snow will have melted off the roads.
A few days ago I rode along to deliver hay to a different location. A farm outside of Springer, NM. The woman that owned it (with her husband) was there and she was really cool. She shared most all of the same hobbies/interests that I did,(only she has the money to support said hobbies)so we had a nice time chatting. She gave me a tour of her greenhouse. WOW. She had a really, really nice one, with heat sensors to auto vent the house, a heated floor, and wonderfully terraced benches for all her plants. It was dug into the ground, so the bottom half was well insulated. It also had a root cellar of sorts dug further into the small hill, where she could store her veggies. Slate floors, and even using slated sandstone that made the walls to her terraced raised beds. Soaker hoses ran throughout her raised beds as well. She uses organic potting soil, simply because she doesn't have the animals to provide the manure to make her own soil/compost. She then gave me the most wonderfully tasting pumpkin muffin, baked from pumpkins she'd grown herself. Again, WOW. soooo yummy! Yesterday DH delivered another load to her, and was treated to a slice of pumpkin pie, of which he raved about for what seemed to be eternity! LOL I just wished I lived closer to her, (she is 3 hours away) so that we could share ideas and our hobbies. Yes, I like living in the boonies, and so does she, but we both agreed that having someone with a common interest close by would be nice. Oh well. Maybe one day it will work in my favor.
So, there is much going on, but nothing going on, all at the same time.
In other news, Old Man Winter has, I believe, officially moved in. The temps have been below freezing for several days, and the surrounding mountains are getting snow. DH left last night to head south for the dairy to deliver more hay. We find it works better if he leaves the evening before, then he is able to deliver first thing in the morning. But yesterday evening he actually encountered snow, snowplows, and salt trucks. I think if he'd have waited until later in the evening, or even today, I think he'd have had a rough go of it. But I believe that by the time he starts his journey back (6 hours one way) that the snow will have melted off the roads.
A few days ago I rode along to deliver hay to a different location. A farm outside of Springer, NM. The woman that owned it (with her husband) was there and she was really cool. She shared most all of the same hobbies/interests that I did,(only she has the money to support said hobbies)so we had a nice time chatting. She gave me a tour of her greenhouse. WOW. She had a really, really nice one, with heat sensors to auto vent the house, a heated floor, and wonderfully terraced benches for all her plants. It was dug into the ground, so the bottom half was well insulated. It also had a root cellar of sorts dug further into the small hill, where she could store her veggies. Slate floors, and even using slated sandstone that made the walls to her terraced raised beds. Soaker hoses ran throughout her raised beds as well. She uses organic potting soil, simply because she doesn't have the animals to provide the manure to make her own soil/compost. She then gave me the most wonderfully tasting pumpkin muffin, baked from pumpkins she'd grown herself. Again, WOW. soooo yummy! Yesterday DH delivered another load to her, and was treated to a slice of pumpkin pie, of which he raved about for what seemed to be eternity! LOL I just wished I lived closer to her, (she is 3 hours away) so that we could share ideas and our hobbies. Yes, I like living in the boonies, and so does she, but we both agreed that having someone with a common interest close by would be nice. Oh well. Maybe one day it will work in my favor.
So, there is much going on, but nothing going on, all at the same time.
Friday, November 26, 2010
WOW!
That term applies to a couple of things.....
One is that I'm able to type this today. In days past I haven't been able to get on Blogger due to my connection. But today the internet gods have granted me permission to type.
The second is that I saw the movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. WOW!
So, now that I can type...what to discuss??? Well, I managed to get pretty much everything unpacked. Everything that needed to be anyway. The rest got hauled upstairs to the "attic converted to 2 bedrooms now storage area". One room has things we either don't need or will use later, the other has empty boxes. Not knowing what will happen in the coming months, I want to save all the boxes. They were hard to come by, and I'll be damned if I'm going to burn them all. I saved the newspaper too!!
Things around here are pretty mundane. DH pumped out all the sprinklers, the equipment is winterized and put away, and all he's been doing is hauling hay. Thats fine, gives me time here alone to get shit done. He just gets in my way most of the time.
Next week, sometime, his folks are coming to Colorado to visit. They won't be here at the farm long, maybe an afternoon, but they have relatives up north in Denver that they're staying with. I'm hoping the predicted snow storm will keep them up there. I don't need them down here rediculing every thing. His mom hates the dog, and her sole purpose is to nose around so she can talk about it to everyone back in Illinois. Drives me crazy.
In other news, yesterday was Thanksgiving, and DH took me to Taos, NM for lunch and a movie. I have seen all of the Harry Potter movies, and this one was by far the best. I cried! There was so much unsaid emotion, it really was a great movie. It was 2 1/2 hours of great dialog and effects. It went so fast that I didn't even realize that it was over until the credits started rolling. I highly recommend this movie!!
I've also come to a sort of odd decision. I had thought that when Ben passes that we would get something only slightly smaller, like a GSD, but these last few weeks has had me thinking something even smaller. I didn't like the JRT we had, but he also had a lot of competition. I was alos thinking maybe a miniature Schnauzer, but I don't want to do haircuts, lol. So today I'll be looking through my breed encyclopedia and getting an idea of what would we best for us.
Not sure if I mentioned the cats in my last entry. Either way, I now have 3 of them on my enclosed back porch. Two kittens and mama cat. The mom is friendly enough, although I don't think she'll ever accept the fact that Ben will leave her alone, so she gets all pissy when he walks by to go outside. There is one kitten, Tangerine, who is the friendliest. I've brought her inside to sit with me on a couple of ocasions. Her sister, Trouble, is just too flighty to mess with. She wants nothing to do with anyone. On a rare day I can manage to snatch her up to pet her, but its certainly not often enough. I brought them in simply because I don't think the kittens would survive the temps over the winter. Hell, its 4* below 0F today!
Anyway, thats all I have for today.....maybe tomorrow I'll be able to do this again!
One is that I'm able to type this today. In days past I haven't been able to get on Blogger due to my connection. But today the internet gods have granted me permission to type.
The second is that I saw the movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. WOW!
So, now that I can type...what to discuss??? Well, I managed to get pretty much everything unpacked. Everything that needed to be anyway. The rest got hauled upstairs to the "attic converted to 2 bedrooms now storage area". One room has things we either don't need or will use later, the other has empty boxes. Not knowing what will happen in the coming months, I want to save all the boxes. They were hard to come by, and I'll be damned if I'm going to burn them all. I saved the newspaper too!!
Things around here are pretty mundane. DH pumped out all the sprinklers, the equipment is winterized and put away, and all he's been doing is hauling hay. Thats fine, gives me time here alone to get shit done. He just gets in my way most of the time.
Next week, sometime, his folks are coming to Colorado to visit. They won't be here at the farm long, maybe an afternoon, but they have relatives up north in Denver that they're staying with. I'm hoping the predicted snow storm will keep them up there. I don't need them down here rediculing every thing. His mom hates the dog, and her sole purpose is to nose around so she can talk about it to everyone back in Illinois. Drives me crazy.
In other news, yesterday was Thanksgiving, and DH took me to Taos, NM for lunch and a movie. I have seen all of the Harry Potter movies, and this one was by far the best. I cried! There was so much unsaid emotion, it really was a great movie. It was 2 1/2 hours of great dialog and effects. It went so fast that I didn't even realize that it was over until the credits started rolling. I highly recommend this movie!!
I've also come to a sort of odd decision. I had thought that when Ben passes that we would get something only slightly smaller, like a GSD, but these last few weeks has had me thinking something even smaller. I didn't like the JRT we had, but he also had a lot of competition. I was alos thinking maybe a miniature Schnauzer, but I don't want to do haircuts, lol. So today I'll be looking through my breed encyclopedia and getting an idea of what would we best for us.
Not sure if I mentioned the cats in my last entry. Either way, I now have 3 of them on my enclosed back porch. Two kittens and mama cat. The mom is friendly enough, although I don't think she'll ever accept the fact that Ben will leave her alone, so she gets all pissy when he walks by to go outside. There is one kitten, Tangerine, who is the friendliest. I've brought her inside to sit with me on a couple of ocasions. Her sister, Trouble, is just too flighty to mess with. She wants nothing to do with anyone. On a rare day I can manage to snatch her up to pet her, but its certainly not often enough. I brought them in simply because I don't think the kittens would survive the temps over the winter. Hell, its 4* below 0F today!
Anyway, thats all I have for today.....maybe tomorrow I'll be able to do this again!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
LONG time!!
Ok where do I start? My last post in August was about my dog, so I guess I should update from then...
Well, we've moved. DH was scanning the internet one day while sitting at a truck stop and stumbled upon a farm job in Colorado. It advertised a 3,200 acre hay farm, house provided, utilities paid, plus a small salary. So, he called the owner and chatted for a bit, called me and we chatted for a bit, and the next thing we knew, 2 days later we were on our way to a farm 1,000 miles away! How crazy is that??? We initially said, "Ok, we're going for 30 days, and if we don't like it, we're back to Illinois." We thought, what have we got to lose? Well, that was 60 days ago! LOL Ok, so its not the best job, simply because our boss and his wife are quite possibly the worst managers ever. However, there MIGHT be some good news about it all.....more about that later.
So, what does this job entail? Well, 22 hay circles growing alfalfa, with center pivot irrigation. It is cut 3 times each year, and I've managed to learn to run almost all of the equipment. I can run the swather, the rake, and to drive the semi as well as the loader. I've also learned how to get completely covered in mud and clippings while using the power washer to clean the swathers, as well as back up the rake that is on a 3 point hitch.....this is harder than backing with a normal ball hitch. This job, during cutting season, can encompass up to 30 days of work, with no day off, and days lasting 16 hours at a stretch. Its long, and boring, and back breaking all at once. In between cutting times, its checking sprinklers morning and evening, maintaining the grounds and doing any equipment maintenance. In the winter, DH will haul hay via semi truck to the main farm in Las Vegas, Nevada.
So, what is the POSSIBLE good news? Well, let me start by saying that the DH has been hauling hay to a dairy farm. The guy that owns this farm owns the 2 largest farms in New Mexico. He has some serious $$$. So he was talking to DH about purchasing the farm in Colorado. Yes, its for sale. Anyway, he voiced the fact that he would only seriously consider purchasing it if DH and I came with the farm. If we quit, all deals are off. Now, he talked extensively with DH about what it needed, how things were done there, and what DH was getting as far as salary. DH was honest, told him all of the pros and cons....like the fact there are NO tools whatsoever, the fact that our farm truck is on its last leg, and that the house that was provided is not what it should be. So, the dairy farmer promised that if he were to purchase this farm, that everything would be taken care of. He promised that no matter what we needed (tools, trucks, tractors, etc) would be purchased, we would be able to do some serious home improvement, and our salary would increase exponentially. We would also get 2 weeks of paid vacation each year, and a Christmas bonus. None of which we get now.
Ok, currently, we had to come back to Illinois to pack up our house and to go to my stepson's Army boot camp graduation. So, we got him graduated and are now overwhelmed with packing up a 2,500 square foot house. We have been working on it for about 2 days, and have 2 days left.....I just hope we can get it done.
As a side note, if the dairy guy decides not to buy it, well, we'll be looking for another job.
Well, we've moved. DH was scanning the internet one day while sitting at a truck stop and stumbled upon a farm job in Colorado. It advertised a 3,200 acre hay farm, house provided, utilities paid, plus a small salary. So, he called the owner and chatted for a bit, called me and we chatted for a bit, and the next thing we knew, 2 days later we were on our way to a farm 1,000 miles away! How crazy is that??? We initially said, "Ok, we're going for 30 days, and if we don't like it, we're back to Illinois." We thought, what have we got to lose? Well, that was 60 days ago! LOL Ok, so its not the best job, simply because our boss and his wife are quite possibly the worst managers ever. However, there MIGHT be some good news about it all.....more about that later.
So, what does this job entail? Well, 22 hay circles growing alfalfa, with center pivot irrigation. It is cut 3 times each year, and I've managed to learn to run almost all of the equipment. I can run the swather, the rake, and to drive the semi as well as the loader. I've also learned how to get completely covered in mud and clippings while using the power washer to clean the swathers, as well as back up the rake that is on a 3 point hitch.....this is harder than backing with a normal ball hitch. This job, during cutting season, can encompass up to 30 days of work, with no day off, and days lasting 16 hours at a stretch. Its long, and boring, and back breaking all at once. In between cutting times, its checking sprinklers morning and evening, maintaining the grounds and doing any equipment maintenance. In the winter, DH will haul hay via semi truck to the main farm in Las Vegas, Nevada.
So, what is the POSSIBLE good news? Well, let me start by saying that the DH has been hauling hay to a dairy farm. The guy that owns this farm owns the 2 largest farms in New Mexico. He has some serious $$$. So he was talking to DH about purchasing the farm in Colorado. Yes, its for sale. Anyway, he voiced the fact that he would only seriously consider purchasing it if DH and I came with the farm. If we quit, all deals are off. Now, he talked extensively with DH about what it needed, how things were done there, and what DH was getting as far as salary. DH was honest, told him all of the pros and cons....like the fact there are NO tools whatsoever, the fact that our farm truck is on its last leg, and that the house that was provided is not what it should be. So, the dairy farmer promised that if he were to purchase this farm, that everything would be taken care of. He promised that no matter what we needed (tools, trucks, tractors, etc) would be purchased, we would be able to do some serious home improvement, and our salary would increase exponentially. We would also get 2 weeks of paid vacation each year, and a Christmas bonus. None of which we get now.
Ok, currently, we had to come back to Illinois to pack up our house and to go to my stepson's Army boot camp graduation. So, we got him graduated and are now overwhelmed with packing up a 2,500 square foot house. We have been working on it for about 2 days, and have 2 days left.....I just hope we can get it done.
As a side note, if the dairy guy decides not to buy it, well, we'll be looking for another job.
Friday, August 20, 2010
On a lighter note
Seems I only blog when I'm pissed off about things. Today I'd like to share some thoughts about my Mastiff, Ben.
Ben is and English Mastiff. Now, this breed isn't like other breeds. So lets discuss that aspect first. Every breed was originally bred for a purpose. Standard poodles, although cute and extremely smart, were originally bred and used as a retriever, just like the Lab. German Shepherd Dogs were used by ancient sheep herders to do just that, herd and guard the flock. They were later used as police dogs, but their origin was a herding breed. Smaller breeds, like the Shi Tzu were bred specifically for the laps of Japanese Emperors. So it goes without saying that the Mastiff had a specific job. Guarding.
Now, they weren't bred for their loud bark. Nor for their agility. They were bred for stealth and intimidation. Used as ancient war dogs, they donned spiked collars and armor in medieval times and went to war with their masters. Later, they were used to guard the castles from intruders. So you might ask, how did they do this? A 200+ pound dog who doesn't bark? Let me explain.....
These dogs, originally (before us "modern" humans screwed them up) were independent thinkers and fiercely loyal. They would sit outside the castle watching silently. They weren't pacing the fence, or whining with excitement. The sat calmly, quietly, watching. These dogs are stealthy, silent and can squeeze and slink through seemingly impossible areas. They watched, and when an intruder would dare set foot on the property, the dog would go. Not a loud, crashing through the timber run. Not a barking, growling frenzy. No, a fast, quiet run of surprise. Leaping into the air, they would hit the intruder full force....200 pounds of mass hitting you at a dead run would knock down even the largest of men. Sporting the spiked collar, and too much skin to get a hold of, they were a force to be reckoned with. The bad guy on the ground, the dog would, by his sheer weight alone, keep him pinned until his master or guard arrived. Typically they wouldn't need to bark, as the screams of the intruder would suffice. No biting, no thrashing, just knock 'em down and hold 'em.
Ok, why, you ask, am I telling you this??? Because my boy Ben let his ancient blood show yesterday.....twice.
Ben was out on the deck, sunning himself as usual. I decided to go out the front door to get the mail. Ben heard the door, and instead of racing around the house barking and freaking out, he silently stepped off the deck, went to the side of the garage and slinked his way silently along the wall. Going between a small shed and the garage wall, he peeked around the corner, then carefully walked between the garage and the front of the truck. Never made a sound. When I noticed a movement out of the corner of my eye, I looked over and for a split second the looks on both our faces were priceless. His was in complete ancestral mode. Looking at me, actively thinking about what to do next. Me? I thought "Oh shit", LOL It didn't last longer than the blink of an eye, but it was there. Of course, he immediately knew it was me and came wagging and lumbering over to me with the "Hi mom" look on his face. But for that one moment, he was a force that, were I a burglar or other "bad guy", I would have resigned my fate to his will. I was so proud!!
The second incident happened last night. As we know, the neighbor's dogs have been coming to my yard at night. Just the other day they killed 3 of my hens. The won't come into the yard when Ben is out during the day. They know he sleeps inside at night. Last night it was well after dark when I let him out for the final time before bed. I did my usual routine of shutting down the computers, getting coffee ready for the morning, etc. I went to the back door to let him back in only to see him sitting on the top step looking west towards the neighbor's house. He wasn't tense with anticipation or excitement. He was still as a statue, ears up, and intent. He was waiting patiently. It was a beautiful site, for those of you that understand what I'm getting at. I stood at the door in awe at not only the site of him sitting there, but at his whole demeanor. I knew instantly that if one of those Labs were to even set a toe across the "line" (both parties know where the property line is) that they would be in trouble, BIG trouble. He was so calm, never wavering, and seemed to just know what to do. I think I stood there for a full 2 minutes watching him, and didn't see so much as a hair twitch. For me, it was so completely awesome, I don't even have the words.
I tell you all of this because I believe that no matter how badly we mess up a breed, that somewhere deep inside the ancient blood still flows. I see Mastiffs in the show ring....obese, and looking miserably dead in the brain. My boy comes from show lines, champion lines, in fact. But to me, seeing what the "champions" look like, I give that title no credit. For me, a champion is one that can do what he was bred to do, and be sound in body and mind while doing it. The old ways of selective breeding are gone. Ben's breeder said he was of poor quality, and should never be shown. I say he'd put all of his competitors to shame. Am I biased? Maybe. I say the next time you buy a dog, the first choice is to adopt from the shelter. If, for whatever reason you cannot do that, then find a breeder that isn't in it for the money. Doesn't have puppies living under the porch. And knows the history of his breed of choice. And you should do the same. Know what they were bred to do, not for today, but originally. Do your research and you won't be disappointed.
Ben is and English Mastiff. Now, this breed isn't like other breeds. So lets discuss that aspect first. Every breed was originally bred for a purpose. Standard poodles, although cute and extremely smart, were originally bred and used as a retriever, just like the Lab. German Shepherd Dogs were used by ancient sheep herders to do just that, herd and guard the flock. They were later used as police dogs, but their origin was a herding breed. Smaller breeds, like the Shi Tzu were bred specifically for the laps of Japanese Emperors. So it goes without saying that the Mastiff had a specific job. Guarding.
Now, they weren't bred for their loud bark. Nor for their agility. They were bred for stealth and intimidation. Used as ancient war dogs, they donned spiked collars and armor in medieval times and went to war with their masters. Later, they were used to guard the castles from intruders. So you might ask, how did they do this? A 200+ pound dog who doesn't bark? Let me explain.....
These dogs, originally (before us "modern" humans screwed them up) were independent thinkers and fiercely loyal. They would sit outside the castle watching silently. They weren't pacing the fence, or whining with excitement. The sat calmly, quietly, watching. These dogs are stealthy, silent and can squeeze and slink through seemingly impossible areas. They watched, and when an intruder would dare set foot on the property, the dog would go. Not a loud, crashing through the timber run. Not a barking, growling frenzy. No, a fast, quiet run of surprise. Leaping into the air, they would hit the intruder full force....200 pounds of mass hitting you at a dead run would knock down even the largest of men. Sporting the spiked collar, and too much skin to get a hold of, they were a force to be reckoned with. The bad guy on the ground, the dog would, by his sheer weight alone, keep him pinned until his master or guard arrived. Typically they wouldn't need to bark, as the screams of the intruder would suffice. No biting, no thrashing, just knock 'em down and hold 'em.
Ok, why, you ask, am I telling you this??? Because my boy Ben let his ancient blood show yesterday.....twice.
Ben was out on the deck, sunning himself as usual. I decided to go out the front door to get the mail. Ben heard the door, and instead of racing around the house barking and freaking out, he silently stepped off the deck, went to the side of the garage and slinked his way silently along the wall. Going between a small shed and the garage wall, he peeked around the corner, then carefully walked between the garage and the front of the truck. Never made a sound. When I noticed a movement out of the corner of my eye, I looked over and for a split second the looks on both our faces were priceless. His was in complete ancestral mode. Looking at me, actively thinking about what to do next. Me? I thought "Oh shit", LOL It didn't last longer than the blink of an eye, but it was there. Of course, he immediately knew it was me and came wagging and lumbering over to me with the "Hi mom" look on his face. But for that one moment, he was a force that, were I a burglar or other "bad guy", I would have resigned my fate to his will. I was so proud!!
The second incident happened last night. As we know, the neighbor's dogs have been coming to my yard at night. Just the other day they killed 3 of my hens. The won't come into the yard when Ben is out during the day. They know he sleeps inside at night. Last night it was well after dark when I let him out for the final time before bed. I did my usual routine of shutting down the computers, getting coffee ready for the morning, etc. I went to the back door to let him back in only to see him sitting on the top step looking west towards the neighbor's house. He wasn't tense with anticipation or excitement. He was still as a statue, ears up, and intent. He was waiting patiently. It was a beautiful site, for those of you that understand what I'm getting at. I stood at the door in awe at not only the site of him sitting there, but at his whole demeanor. I knew instantly that if one of those Labs were to even set a toe across the "line" (both parties know where the property line is) that they would be in trouble, BIG trouble. He was so calm, never wavering, and seemed to just know what to do. I think I stood there for a full 2 minutes watching him, and didn't see so much as a hair twitch. For me, it was so completely awesome, I don't even have the words.
I tell you all of this because I believe that no matter how badly we mess up a breed, that somewhere deep inside the ancient blood still flows. I see Mastiffs in the show ring....obese, and looking miserably dead in the brain. My boy comes from show lines, champion lines, in fact. But to me, seeing what the "champions" look like, I give that title no credit. For me, a champion is one that can do what he was bred to do, and be sound in body and mind while doing it. The old ways of selective breeding are gone. Ben's breeder said he was of poor quality, and should never be shown. I say he'd put all of his competitors to shame. Am I biased? Maybe. I say the next time you buy a dog, the first choice is to adopt from the shelter. If, for whatever reason you cannot do that, then find a breeder that isn't in it for the money. Doesn't have puppies living under the porch. And knows the history of his breed of choice. And you should do the same. Know what they were bred to do, not for today, but originally. Do your research and you won't be disappointed.
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