Friday Doggie Blogging

It's Friday and, therefore time to share the Great Adventures of Saul Nall for this week with my readers.

First, we got his pen finished last weekend and he has spent time in it every day since. He hasn't tried to dig out yet and I hope it is a while before the idea even occurs to him. There are two very important reasons I do not want him to escape.

1. He might get killed in the road and if that happened I would be devastated. Saul has become a big, happy, warm ,fuzzy, slobbery part of our family life here at Casa Nall. He adores the kids, wrestles with dad, eats what we eat, chases the cats and nuzzles me out of bed in the morning. It is almost like he has always been here and it would be very empty without him and his silly antics.

2. He could hurt someone and then I would be forced to have him put to sleep and that would be worse than him getting hit by a car.

We have gone around the bottom of the fence with wire stakes that sink into the ground over the fence wire. We will be continually reinforcing it. This spring and summer I plan to grow clematis vines and other climbing plants on it which will help to strengthen it.

I have to figure out a way to get his leash attached to him and in my hand before opening the gate to get him out. He is so strong and he gets so happy when you come out to retrieve him that he will just nail your ass out of pure excitement. The other day he got away from me briefly. He came right back when I called him though and we live a long way from the road so he was in no danger. But, one day he will challenge me, as all juveniles will challenge the leader, and not come when I call him. I hope to have him fully trained by then so that situation never arises.

Speaking of training, I ordered his pinch collar this week and am expecting it any day. As much as I love him I do get tired of being dragged all over the yard and through the woods at his whim. He has gotten so strong and powerful that I do not have the physical strength to control him...and I am a pretty strong, cornbread-fed Alabama country girl. I can't wait til the pinch collar gets here and he decides to bolt out the door after a cat before I am ready to step out. That'll be the last time he pulls that little doosie!

He finally got close enough to a cat to see what they are all about. He has begun to reconsider his prior opinion that they might be good to eat. As I was bringing him in the door last night, (or actually as he was bringing me in the door because that is way closer to the truth of the matter) he met up with Mama Cat. Mama cat is a cat that showed up here four years ago with a broken, mangled front paw, bloody hunks missing from her all over, scarred ears and just an all around a mess. She would let no one touch her for a long time and then finally came around. She has lasted longer here than any cat we have ever had and she is tough as nails.

Mama cat pulled a 'Rosa Parks' last night and refused to give up her seat on the steps to Saul. When Saul stuck his big ol' snout out to taste her she boxed his nose good. BAP!! Brought blood and a YIPE!. Even her mangled paw has claws intact. He looked at her for a minute and decided to go around. Dad Nall teased him all night about getting beat up by a pussy cat. This morning when I took him out he darted for the cats but stopped real short of the claws. A few more boxes on the nose and he will be cat-broke...I'm almost sure of it.

Saul has taken to making noises that seem to express his current mood. He grumbles when he hears the cats outside, whines when you get on to him and he rumbles when he is happily sprawled out in the living room floor contentedly gnawing away at something. He sometimes sounds like a big ol bear or a wild beast in his sleep. He can also pout pretty good.

One final new habit that I find very sweet and Dad Nall thinks is yucky is Saul's method of rousting me from under the covers in the morning. Dad wakes up at 4:30 and I often sleep in until 5. Saul will not leave the bedroom for more than a minute until I get up and, sometimes not at all. When Dad comes in to get me up Saul runs over to my side of the bed and stamps my forehead with his big, wet nose and then sits down and stares at me until I get up. It is very sweet to be greeted by a happy face and a waggy tail first thing in the morning. It sets the tone for the day.

Those are Saul's Adventures for thihs week. Tune in next week as he travels to the vet to be groomed (he stinks and is too big for me to bathe), have his nails clipped and gets examined by the vet to determine what is causing his rash.