And dogs

And cats

I got back from my trip to Colorado last week. I had two fairly long days of driving, splitting the almost 1400 miles in two equal parts. This was the view to the west at sunset on my first day on the road.

This was the view to the east the morning of the second day on the road.

Zoe was a great traveler. She stood, sat or lay in the back seat and never made a peep. Or a poop. Now that’s she’s home, she seems pretty comfortable on Leah’s side of the bed.

We don’t allow her on the furniture, but sometimes she jumps up if we’re not looking.

The main question was how the cats would react to her, and her to the cats. As it turns out, not particularly well. Zoe has a very strong prey drive, and cats look a lot like a dog’s natural prey. Zoe focuses intently on the cats as they walk around the house, and she chases if one of them runs. That’s usually Mollie. Mollie has taken to hiding under the sofa. She has hissed and swatted at Zoe a few times, but Zoe is oblivious. I think the two will eventually come to some kind of understanding. At least that’s what I tell myself.

The only other cat that comes inside is Sylvester, and Sylvester has his own story now. He disappeared Monday and didn’t show again until Tuesday afternoon. Leah was convinced he had been killed by a coyote as our gray cat, Smokey, was, but it seems he escaped by the skin of his teeth. Or maybe the cornea of his eye.

Sylvester’s left eye was completely covered with pus and mucus. We took him to the vet, who cleaned the eye and found a dent in the cornea. The vet also found a wound on the top of his head. She thought some kind of animal had bitten Sylvester on the face. It might have been a coyote, in which case Sylvester has used up yet another of his allotted nine lives. I’m not sure how many he has left.

So now Sylvester has to wear the cone of shame for a couple of weeks, until his eye heals.

He may end up completely healed, or he may end up with a scar right in the center of his cornea. In the meantime, he gets two eye drops once a day. Doing it has not been terrible for anyone involved, an unexpected blessing.

Sylvester’s vet visit was the third vet visit since I got back home. The first visit was when I took Zoe in for an ear check, which found a yeast infection. So she gets eight drops of medication in each ear for 10 days.

The second vet visit was Sam, who injured his dewclaw while playing with Zoe. Sam’s dewclaw was a bloody mess. The vet yanked off the outer part of the nail, which Sam did not like.

This is how they play.

Poor Sam used to be a runner, but Zoe’s legs are just too long. Zoe stays ahead, but I think she holds back a little, enough to keep Sam almost within reach. Occasionally when Zoe has to make a sharp turn at the edge of the grassy area, Sam can cut the corner, and then Zoe really has to pour it on to stay ahead of him.

When they stop, they lie down on their backs head-to-head, and continue to gnaw at each other’s cheeks.

Zoe is much taller and heavier than Sam. I was a little worried that she would play too hard for him, but he seems to take it in stride. They aren’t the buddies that Sam and Zeke were, but maybe they’ll get there.

The shelter where I got Zoe said she is a German Shepherd-Doberman Pinscher mix. I was not sure at first, but at some angles her head looks just like a Doberman. Her coloring is obviously German Shepherd. This is a nice coincidence, since I like Dobermans and Leah likes German Shepards.

I have already posted a photo of my friends’ dog Elroy, who looks a lot like Zeke, but here’s another.

Elroy did not like Zoe, pretty much the same way he did not like Zeke. I kind of understand that, since Zoe’s manners are somewhat lacking.

Elroy is pretty old now and has a really hard time getting around. He can’t take NSAIDs, the standard arthritis medication, but his mom and dad are going to try something new. I hope it works, because I really like old Elroy.

I told Elroy that he is to be there the next time I visit.

Oh, and fall arrived while I was in Denver. Here is some proof.

I see oak, which is mainly yellowish brown, some hickory, which is bright yellow, and maple, which is orange or red. There is even a green leaf.