Operator, What's That Number?

Today I didn't have to work, and Gregg was home for a "staycation," so we decided to just bum around a bit. He took Ray for an early morning run and I started knitting another bowl out of leftover yarn. (I like the element of surprise - it's impossible to know what it's going to look like until it's all felted.) While Gregg and Ray were gone, Hugo came downstairs to sit on my lap and get a bellyrub. The first time in two months (Ray's two month anniversary is today!). When Ray got back, Hugo hung around just long enough to hiss at him. Ray cringed and crept into the dining room. Hugo took off for catland upstairs and I found Ray laying in the dining room looking sad. I think he really wants to make friends but Hugo is just NOT INTERESTED. 
I coaxed Ray out of the dining room and back into the living room. He rebounded quickly and wanted to play a game of keepaway with his bone. 

Gregg took off for the wine store, and Ray and I sat around and knit some more. It's nice to have someone around that shares my enthusiasm for wool. Ray may be a bit overenthusiastic at times (the possum fur yarn took me about four hours to untangle and is in six separate pieces), but I still appreciate the fact that he is the only other member of the family that 'gets' the obsession. 

When Gregg got home, we put Ray in the backyard and took off in search of a farmer's market and fresh tomatoes. We were gone for a couple of hours. When we returned, I let Ray in the house and went into the backyard to see what he'd been up to. 

Apparently, Ray was looking up phone numbers while we were gone. A couple of new telephone books had been delivered, and I had picked up the plastic bag they were in, slung them onto the patio table, and left them there. Ray, being interested in all things plastic (HOW DOES HE KNOW IT'S THERE???? HE'S BLIND!!!!) grabbed the bag, ripped it into a few pieces then started leafing through the books searching for his foster mother's phone number.  I'm sure he wanted to tell her to come on over for a swim in his new pool. I didn't have the heart to tell Ray that these phone books only cover Northern Virginia not South Carolina. He also had ripped a coupon off the front cover of the phone book. I'm not sure what it was for, because it was gone. I think he ate it - maybe it was for dog food. 

The rest of the day was uneventful. I have noticed though that every time I try to let Ray in the sliding glass door he just stands there, waiting. I think I made a serious error in judgement when Gregg and I were stripping the pork off the bone the other night when he made S.C. pork BBQ. Ray was outside the sliding glass door and every so often I would slide it open an inch and slip him a little piece. Now when the door opens he expects the pork dispenser to work again. 

Ray LIVE!!

Ok, so what do you need watered?

Gregg is the guest correspondent this week but I have to put in my own two cents. Ray has been an exceptionally good dog lately despite a few minor lapses like the toilet brush and the bread. He can't help it if he loves rubber handles and carbs. I've been letting him upstairs while I'm home and can keep an eye on him. I think it's helping the situation with the cats. Hugo keeps Ray in line by hissing at him (Ray is seriously afraid) and Moonie is getting somewhat used to seeing him around. He was in her face the other day while she was sitting on the swivel chair next to me in my office. She didn't flinch, didn't move, didn't hiss. He slowly backed away and continued to look for the shadow that he had seen enter the room just a moment earlier, (it was Moonie  coming in to jump up on the chair). Ray can't seem to make the connection between the shadows and his cats. Moonie is afraid of Ray when she is downstairs or on the ground, but when she is up on something or has me around for backup, she is a bit braver. 

Ray also has discovered a secret proclivity for cat toys. We've decided not to tell his dog friends that he hangs with cats and plays with their toys, he might get beat up at school.

I took Ray for an early morning walk because of the heat. Toby, a big German Shepherd with a big, deep bark, intimidated Ray initially. (I've never seen Ray actually cower except for the freight train the other day. He wasn't really scared, he was just being cautious.) Toby was friendly, and as soon as Ray realized it, he was fine.

We also met a boy walking a yellow lab/golden retriever mix named Buster. The boy wanted to know what kind of dog Ray was and thought he must be from Australia. Ray was very good and only did the wrist-mouthing briefly. He didn't try to nibble the boys shirt at all. And he only lunged once. He is learning fast, just like I knew he would. (Although I still carry the spray bottle with me just in case.) The boy told me that once Buster was in water, he needed to be blasted out because he loved swimming so much. I thought of Ray and his little wading pool...

...doe di doe doe, just doin' my chores

I think these over here look kinda dry.

Never Turn Your back on a Blind Dog

Hi - - Gregg again. Not a big news day.  Jean took off today so volunteered to take walks both in the a.m. and p.m.  My big deal, and the subject of the title of the post, was after I came home from a run to shower early this evening, and when Jean took off for the gym. It could not have been more than five minutes when I exited the shower and heard the ominous sound of paper tearing. I rushed downstairs and saw Ray finishing the last of the stale bread/duck food that survived yesterday's assault.  Also, the much maligned toilet brush from the guest bathroom met its sorry end - - split in two and lying on the rug. Out of its misery and probably for the best.

Ray settled in for the evening as we had dinner, although he has become the couch hog. Jean and I had to haul his lazy butt in a makeshift sling over to his bed in the kitchen.

Oh, I forgot -- I made South Carolina-style pork barbecue for dinner last night. My first time, slow-cooked,  with a mustard-based sauce and slaw. I was secretly pleased that Ray hung VERY close during the smoking/grilling process. I wonder if it reminded him of home. 

Ray holding the BBQ mitt for Gregg.
(Such a helpful dog!)

Semper Fi, Ray

Hello Ray-o-nauts, Gregg again. I've taken a week's leave so I'm the surrogate blogger for awhile. Despite my time off, I still woke up at my unusual ungodly hour this morning and thought I'd take Ray out for a run. It was going to be in the 100-plus heat index, so I thought I may as well get it over with. I stretched (as best as I could with Ray pinning me to the ground as usual) and we were off. It was cool and damp, but heating up fast. We rounded the lake and met Rex - - a well-behaved Airedale. After the usual posterior sniffing, I guess a new friend was made. Then Ray went into his usual slacker-mode. 

Last week, when we were in the summer-TV doldrums, we clicked on "The Wind and The Lion," a watchable Sean Connery movie about a Bedouin revolt in Morocco in the early 1900s. There was a scene when the U.S. Marines marched into Tangier to take on the bad guys, and they quick-marched and double-stepped through the the souks and bazaars with fixed bayonets and so on. I thought I would try that with Ray, and it worked! The pace was manageable, and he kept up smartly. Semper Fi Ray! 

When we got home, I went upstairs to shower and shave.  As I was toweling off, I heard violent paper rustling. I ran downstairs and there was Ray tearing through a stash of old bread we had saved for the ducks down on the lake. After useless BAHH-ing it was off to doggy day care and the rest of the day.

Summer at the Pool

It's supposed to be a scorcher this week, starting today. I decided that Ray needed a pool to keep himself cool so I went looking for one of those formed plastic wading pools for tiny tots. Unfortunately, it's the wrong time of year to get one of those, but I was able to find a blow-up pool. I hesitated to buy it because I figured Ray would probably bite through it, but it was on sale and under $10, so I went ahead and bought it anyway.

Ray was a little leery. He heard me splashing around in the water and I'm sure had visions of the loch ness monster, but with Gregg's help and few treats, Ray overcame his initial misgivings and decided that having the worlds biggest water dish in his own backyard wasn't so bad after all. Take a look at Ray "swimming."

Oh The Humanity!

I need to preface this story by saying that Gregg got a great deal on paper towels last weekend. We always buy in bulk, but the deal that he got on TWO multipacks was the score of the century. 

So yesterday morning, I took Ray for a walk (as usual) before I was going to drop him at daycare. I let him into the house while I went upstairs to get ready for work. Just before I stepped into the shower, I could hear him whining downstairs on the other side of the babygate, but I wasn't stupid enough to leave him roaming around UPstairs while I was powerless to stop his destructive tendencies. 
I showered, dressed for work, and walked down the stairs. As I reached the landing, I saw Ray with his head and one leg jammed through the hole that we had cut for the cats in the babygate. I laughed, pushed him back through the gate, and looked up.

Oh the humanity! It was paper towel Armageddon! There were rolls of paper towels everywhere, all in various stages of chewed up-edness. (If I'd been thinking I would have taken a picture). I rapidly moved through the downstairs scooping up rolls of papertowels, and clumps of papertowels, and the plastic bags that they came in. Apparently, Ray knows how to open the front hall closet which is where we store the paper towels. (Such a clever dog).

Today was Friday, so I took Ray to the lake. On the way we met the most ferocious chihuahua. Her owner, Don, told me that Mitzi (I think their names were Don and Mitzi) was a street dog. She was hurling insults and yo mamas at Ray as we stood on the sidewalk outside of their house. I asked Don if Mitzi would be up for touching noses with Ray. He was game to try so he scooped Mitzi up and brought her over. I got Ray to sit (which for him usually involves a nice laydown). Ray stretched out his neck for a sniff but Mitzi was snarling and snapping and giving him what-for. Ray tried his usual charm, a flop over and a gentle lick to her face, but Mitzi was totally impervious to Ray's magnetic personality. I chatted with Don a bit and gave Mitzi a pat, who was perfectly well-mannered and sweet as long as Ray wasn't involved, and we continued on our walk to the lake. 

As we came up around the last leg of our hike we passed a minivan with a bunch of little girls all wearing the same t-shirts. They were obviously getting ready for an outing. Ray was excited to see them. I spritzed him gently with the water-containing correction device and he flopped over for them to rub his belly. He's getting really good at not lunging at people (such a fast learner!). A mom came out of the house and looked at Ray. 

"What a healthy-looking dog!" she said. 
"Yes," I said. "Yes, he is." 
And it's totally true. Ray is a very healthy-looking dog. He's filled out a bit since we brought him home (it's the extra cat food in his diet) and if one didn't know about his sight issue and his lymph node problem, Ray would look like a prime specimen of Redtick Coonhound. 

I dropped Ray at daycare. Donny was there to give me an update on Ray's progress at school. He said that Ray is very social and likes to get other dogs involved in play. He is very proactive in that area. Of course, yelling in their faces is not always a successful way to get other dogs to participate but it's just Ray's way. I  know he's yelling "COME ON, WE'VE ONLY GOT ONE DAY! WE'VE GOT TO PLAY NOW! COME ON!!!!! LET'S PLAY NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I didn't drop Ray at daycare because I had to work, but because I had to run errands and do some cleaning. I briefly felt a little guilty about leaving Ray at daycare, but he loves it so much. I thought about leaving him in the backyard because it was such a beautiful day, and sometimes I do if I'm only gone a couple of hours, but I always think how boring it must be for a blind dog to be alone, unless there are rolls of paper towels around. At least now he doesn't (for the moment) refuse to leave daycare when I go to get him at the end of the day. He hesitates a little, but he doesn't pull a Gandhi. 

So I got all my stuff done and went to get Ray. He was tired when we got home and went to pass out on a sunny patch of leaf mulch. He looked dead. My heart stopped for a second until I realized he was still breathing. 
I swept the kitchen floor and went to put the broom away. By the time I got back to the kitchen there was a trail of leaf mulch from the backdoor, through the kitchen, and into the living room. I think next year I will use bark mulch next to the patio.  

Halle and her Grandma

I went out front where Moonie and Hugo were hanging out enjoying the weather. I saw Halle coming up the street with (it turn's out) Halle's grandma, Deborah. I asked if I could take a picture for the blog and got consent. Halle walked up the driveway towards the house and Hugo FFFFFFT at the dog.  He puffed up and started walking menacingly toward Halle. I stepped between the cat and the dog and tried to convince Hugo that we were all friends and that the dog wasn't going to live with us. I could tell that Hugo has had it up to HERE with dogs moving into the house. The cat slooowwwwly walked to the car and crouched down under it to watch what was going on and to make sure I wasn't lying to him. Moonie had evaporated at the first sight of another big dog. 
I went to get my camera and Ray, who was waiting at the front door. He was, as always, excited to see the beauty queen. 

Ray trying to impress the Beauty Queen
 (he needs to work on his technique)

Halle looking unimpressed

Worshipping at the beauty queen's feet

Ray Helps Out

This morning Ray was tired. Two days in a row of daycare had worn him out so I decided to stay and work from home to let him recuperate for a day (sometimes this is an option for me, sometimes not).

We went for a walk first thing in the morning before it became too hot. At the bottom of our cul-de-sac, I could see Halle, the greyhound, headed our way. Ray was ecstatic to see her and was on his best behaviour. He didn't lunge as he usually does (still trying to impress the beauty queen!). He sidled up to her and started licking her face. Halle rolled her eyes (I swear!) and had a look on her face like every pretty girl who's ever been hit on by someone's younger brother. Halle's mom and I were laughing at Halle's oh-so-human expression and Ray's geeky-ness.

Ray wanted to walk the longer route and I had desk work ahead of me so I was willing to oblige him. On the back end of our walk we met a woman walking a large (small Mack Truck-sized) mixed breed. 

She stood about 20 or so feet away and yelled "Does he like meeting other dogs?" 
I continued walking toward her as I said, "Yeah, he LOVES to meet dogs."
As soon as she heard me say yes, the woman let the dog's retractable leash out. The Mack Truck came rushing toward Ray at freight train speed. Ray, being blind, not stupid, ducked and braced for collision. The Mack Truck (a 7 year old pup by the name of Star) skidded to a stop inches away and bobbed and weaved in greeting. Ray, still a little rattled, remained in duck mode for a moment or two then joined the fun. The woman and I tried to keep the leashes untangled while the dogs got to know each other. We chatted for a bit then the woman and Star continued on. I tried to convince Ray that he couldn't go home with them, pulling and cajoling him in the opposite direction. I'm starting to get a clue that Ray can be extremely stubborn when he wants something.

When we got home, I removed the baby gate to the upstairs so that Ray could wander around while I worked (and so that I could keep an eye on him). Ray knew from previous experience that he wasn't supposed to eat the cat food so he tried for about 5 minutes to ignore it. The siren call of the food was just too strong and he headed for the cat room. I "Bah"ed and headed him off at the pass. He flopped down on his side at the top of the stairs as I kept a skeptical eye on him. I looked away to my computer screen, heard a noise and glanced back at Ray. He was still on his side only now he was about 6 inches closer to the door. I looked away again, heard another noise and glanced at Ray who was now a foot closer to the door. Again, I looked away but this time I kept him in view out of the corner of my eye. Ray scuttled toward the door, crablike, without ever moving out of flop position. He was leaving a slime trail of drool on the floor.

Hmmm, I think you need a smaller drill bit.

I looked at how long I'd been working, noted the time (15 minutes) and got up to get the drill and hardware, a 6" long hook and eye, that I had bought to install on the cat room door in hopes of making it Ray-proof. I told Ray to sit and stay (I am SO gullible) mainly because it is just too hard to get him to come down the stairs when he isn't ready. (Unless I want to carry him.) I sprinted to the garage, grabbed the drill, and was back in a flash just in time to see Ray grabbing a bite of Hugo's food. I dragged him out of the bowl and away from the door so that I could figure out the placement of the hook.

Try this one instead.

With Ray's help, I installed the hook and eye, and got Moonie to test it out. She passed through with room to spare. Hugo, took a deep breath and tried to squeeeeeeze through but he was too big. I unscrewed the hook and moved it to a different part of the doorframe. Hugo edged his way through just fine, and I went back to work.

Here, let me tighten that on there for you. 

Ray, sensing that I was out of his way, headed for the cat food again. He pushed against the door but the hook did its job and held the door ajar just far enough so that only Ray's head could fit through the crack. 
Undeterred, Ray grabbed the corner of the placemat that held the cat food dish, pulled it towards him, and gulped down a couple bites of food before I could drag him out of the bowl. I moved the cat dish to the opposite side of the room, and got back to work. 

Is THIS what I helped you do?????

sigh