It Takes a Village

Ok we are set up now.  New kennel is in place.  We have ironed out some of the wrinkles in caring for these animals.  We now have garbage cans with secure lids.  Slowly Austin is starting to realize that he can't just lift his leg wherever and whenever he wants.  They are both coming to the knowledge that they do not need to reside in the basement...as matter of fact they are not allowed down there due to temptations in the cat rest area.  We actually have glimpses of calm times when they both merrily snore on their blankets in the living room.  It has been a while since I have seen one of the kids being dragged through the dirt by them.  We seemed to have hit a more stable plateau.

There are still issues up on the plateau though.  Austin and Daisy have had too tough a life to ever be fully trained complacent dogs.  You have to watch them like a hawk in the house until they finally come to languish on their blankets.  They both still firmly believe that any and all food is theirs for the taking.  It is amazing to me the great heights that Daisy can reach with legs only 2 inches long.  I mean that meat loaf was good and gone by the time I tracked Daisy down in the dining room.  Thunder storms cause extreme anxiety for Austin.  Austin has to go into the kennel first ....or he is not going in at all according to Daisy.  One of Daisy's eyes will remain a problem in need of constant treatment.  Austin barks alot.  And the list goes on.  I know they will always keep their quirks and they are slowly coming to the understanding that there are some rules I just will not bend on.

As summer draws to a close and I look back on our first few months, there is one truth that stands above all others.  While it may take a village to raise a child, it takes an extra special village to rescue dogs.  It amazes me the help we got from friends and neighbours on our journey.  The very kind people who stopped on the highway the day that Daisy just had to know if that yellow line tasted as good as it looked.  She just stood in the middle of the road licking and licking and licking despite the cars.  My husband was sitting in the front yard sipping a scotch and wondering what could possibly be stopping all the traffic in front of our place when I asked him if he had seen Daisy.  Thank you kind people.  Then there was our local farm supply store who gave us a discount and then delivered the kennel fencing for free when they heard about the hounds.  And our vet, our amazing vet who has embraced this pair now as much as I have.  Their check ups, their dental surgery and then Austin's surgery to remove a suspicious lump were all performed at rates far below the norm.

The hounds are rude and they remain rude.  They jump up on you.  They bark alot.  They rip your arms out of your sockets on runs.  They eat everything....and the list goes on.  Despite all of this we love them and we love the village of people who are helping us give them a happy home in the country.

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