Sorry, no adoptable dogs actually chasing the sticks. The sticks come in a status update. The dogs come in the Petfinder links below.
Since the Thanksgiving Day glyphosate poisoning incident we've had clouds and drizzles every night, as if the weather was trying to wash down the poison and not quite succeeding. Damage has been reduced but not washed away.
On the Tuesday night, though, it was just as I clicked on a video someone had shared of a song called "Here Comes the Rain"--here came the rain, pouring down. It poured all night.
I went out on Wednesday morning, and saw that I could cross one worrisome chore off the list--getting professional help to remove the cherry trees that never recovered from having been sprayed with glyphosate, summer before last. There were a half-dozen old cherry trees that had been in a bad way before spraying. Major pruning might have saved some of them; they were too big for me and weren't pruned. After spraying they died. The fantastic Feral Elberta peach tree looked dead, after spraying, but half of it revived this summer. The cherry trees were gone forever. They gradually broke down, shedding branches every day. Two whole solid trunks fell down across the road. People kept looking up at the remaining trees and saying, "With the prevailing wind, those trees are going to fall right through your roof."
No more. All the tops of those trees are down now. The remaining stocks aren't long enough to fall onto the house.
Some of those branches had hit the ground so hard they were standing up, ends sunk four or five inches down into the muddy ground.
Even in dying those cherries were nice trees. The brush pile, the paths, the apple and walnut trees, were all full of cherry wood. Some broken cherry branches fell against the woodshed and looked as if they were trying to get in. None of those branches had hit the Feral Elberta peach tree.
I was giving serious thought to walking to the post office. Right on cue, as if in a psychosomatic reaction, I started sneezing watery virus-type sneezes again. I did not walk to the post office.
I would accept a lift into town with a person who's not afraid of a head cold. Please note, local lurkers: If you could tell when you had coronavirus, you should be at least cautious about a head cold. Adults are more likely to have symptoms of head colds than chest colds, and although those symptoms are usually just a minor nuisance, they mean your resistance is low.
Most vehicles that can get far enough up my road for me to see them are pickup trucks. That suits me fine. I can ride in the back of a pickup truck. I can slide a disk under someone's door, and pick up a book the size of the one I expect to find at the post office, after hours when no one else is nearby.
Sometimes it would be pleasant to have a horse and cart. Or a dog-cart.
Google provides three different descriptions of Victorian dog-carts, all apparently authenticated by research. It seems the phrase could be used of a light high-wheeled one-horse carriage, supposedly light and flimsy enough to be drawn by a dog; or a bigger wagon built to carry a hunting party and their dogs, the latter in a compartment known as "the boot" (later used for the luggage compartment on the back of a motorcar); or a small cart that was actually drawn by dogs. Sources that look authentic illustrate all three. The big "sporting" carriages with dog compartments are shown in most of the pictures, which may mean that that style was most often used or most often marketed.
Meh. Dogs are very strong for their size but I don't know that I'd really like riding on a dog-drawn vehicle. How much time would it save, relative to walking, while you were running right over the dogs' trail?
Anyway, because they do end up on Petfinder...The usual cautions apply. Dogs that are strong enough and clever enough to haul stuff around are going to need food, exercise, and a firm but loving hand. They end up on Petfinder because people think they want White Fang for a pet and then aren't prepared to live with him. If you have no experience living with this type of dog, find someone who does and ask that person to help train you to train a working dog. Sled racing is not required but smart, strong dogs do need some sort of job they can help you do.
1. Luke from New York
Luke is described as gentle and lovable within his limits. He's not keen on cats, and though he likes a little petting he lets people know when he's had enough in no uncertain terms. He is not recommended for families with small children. He does well with teenagers, though, and although he's been neutered he likes submissive female dogs he can boss about in a friendly way.
2. Raya from Gettysburg
She may look like the sort of submissive female Luke would enjoy, but appearances can be deceptive. Raya is eight years old, quite old for a Malamute; she shows some arthritis that responds to nutritional supplements, not painkillers, but they want to know you will not make her jump in and out of cars, or climb stairs. The shelter recommend that she be the only pet in the house, and, once again, teenagers but not small children. She still likes a walk, and likes to walk between people's legs for the counter-pressure on her hip area. "She will 'woo-woo' to tell you what she needs," the shelter staff promise, and "She has a lot of love left to give."
3. Nena from Snellville, or Carnesville...
The shelter's in Snellville. The dog's in Carnesville. She's a similar type but thought to be a Japanese Akita rather than any combination of Alaskan Malamute and Siberian Husky. She is a frisky, friendly pup, thought to be less than a year old, still growing and still in need of training. She's said to behave well with children and other dogs, but no cats--there are limits to everything. She has already been spayed. The $300 adoption fee seems a bit steep, but she is a young healthy dog of a trendy (if not always well chosen) breed.
4. Bonus Dog: Gomer from Atlanta
I couldn't pick just one of these two. Having picked two Malamute/Husky types I was going to stick with the theme, but this yearling puppy has unspecified "special needs"--could be nothing serious, could be real trouble. Gomer was found with a shock collar "embedded" in his neck. The damage wasn't bad enough to cause problems when he was harnessed, as shown. Gomer currently weighs about fifty pounds and is expected to weigh more than sixty pounds as an adult--all dogs shown here are fairly large. He is not expected to require two strong men to take him anywhere, forever. One would probably be a good idea. He seems to be basically friendly, just a bouncy pup who needs kind, firm training, described as "goofy" rather than scared or angry. Do not adopt him (or any dog of this size) as your or your child's first pet. Do consider him if you've trained large dogs before and are up to the challenge of finding out how much he can still learn and do.
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