Show me your blacksmith pets

[rls1160]

Good guard dog and or waiting companion.

 

Husker has the best seat in the house!

[Indish Ironworks]

He's perhaps a bit spoiled.

[rls1160]

As he should be

[Michael]

20 hours ago, Indish Ironworks said:

It certainly looks like her yard.

Great looking dog!

Thanks!

[Frosty]

We were privileged to share our lives with Pocket a half miniature dachshund, half chihuahua for 22 years. When asked we called her a Dahuahua. I cringe when I hear people calling the cross, chuwheanies. <ugh> 

It IS her yard! If I ever get a chance to meet her I'll show her the respect the yard  monarch deserves. Since Pocket we've been favoring dachshunds and have two now. Nobody who's lived with one and let them be themselves could call the crazy brave little people a weanie dog. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Axle is a TacoTerrier Chihuahua Terrier mix. He is scary smart and thinks he is a big dog. There is a Coywolf that frequents our place and Axle has chased him off on several occasions. good thing that Coywolf is well fed, plenty of squirrels, rabbits, and other prey or I'm afraid Axle would become his main course.

[Frosty]

I don't know about that Randy. I've seen plenty of footage of little dogs, often terriers running of large scary predators, a Pekinese actually nipped a brown bear on the nose and ran it out of sight and into the woods. I believe it was in one of the interior Alaskan towns/cities. Another video is one chasing a sow and cub over a block wall and out of her yard. 

Then there was the house cat who rescued the toddler from a coyote. Mom was carrying groceries into the house and the kid opened the car door climbed out and was walking around the SUV when the coyote grabbed him/er and was dragging him/er off when the pet cat jumped into the action tooth and claw. Mother arrived in seconds and the cat was walking sentry, coyote was gone.

The cat in florida that chased the croc out of the yard by swatting it on the nose till it ran. A toy poodle that ran a cougar off. I see a couple few examples a month on the news. The MTV program "Ridiculous" shows videos like this whenever they show up.

Anyway, Axle is a proper dog, doing his  job and is as big as his heart.

"It's not how big the dog in the fight is, it's how big the fight in the dog is that matters."

I hope I get a chance to offer my friendship to Axle one day.

 Frosty The Lucky.

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

May I present to y’all, 

Misses Pink Nose!

one of the shop cats, sleeping on a bed of coal… 

[rls1160]

Looks very comfortable,  probably nice a warm when sun heats up the coal pile.

 

 

[Frosty]

Have you been forging fish key fobs again Billy?

Deb tells a story about cleaning her wood stove out one winter and having to chase the cat out when she was ready to light the fire again. That was she lived in the UP.

Frosty The Lucky.

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Update on the wild, feral, viscous monster kitten I dragged out of a armadillo hole after a storm,

he is slowly warming up to me, been working with him ea little every day an he’s starting to come around! 

insted of running away he now stands his ground an hisses! 

Jokes aside he’s occasionally letting me scratch him and he is now just play biting an swatting at me, an he’s discovered the shop is warmer then the outside! Lol

hes starting to put on weight and found his way around the shop an property to the food an water

 

[Frosty]

Beautiful kitten Billy, I'm glad you're filtering the feral out of him/er.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Davor]

Dogs enjoying the winter, cats not so much.

[rls1160]

Wow, looks like 4 Ausie's, that will keep you busy!

[lary]

On 1/17/2023 at 1:31 PM, TWISTEDWILLOW said:

Misses Pink Nose

Good thing it's a bed an not a litter box. 

[George N. M.]

Yes!  I had to put a lid on my coal bin when the cats decided that I had nicely provided them with a litter box in the shop.  Discovering that fact by grabbing a handful of coal and xxx to start the coke fire is not one of my treasured memories.

GNM

[JHCC]

One of Kim Thomas’s most recent videos includes a discussion of the plywood cover he built for his forge to keep the cats from using it as a litter box when the fire’s not lit. 

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

I ain’t had no problems with that, they do their business everywhere but the coal for some reason, 

really id prefer they do it out in the field where I don’t walk but it’s hard to reason with a shop cat

[Glenn]

Praying Mantis egg case waiting until warm weather to release all those 1/2 inch long bugs.

 

Then they grow up.

[arkie]

Before I put up a metal carport over my forging area, I had covered the open forge with a piece of plywood.  There was a slot opening on one side (shown in one of the pics) and the Carolina Wrens decided to make a nest in one corner.  Thank goodness they hadn't laid any eggs yet.  I removed the nest, and lo and behold they built another nest!  This time I ran a long piece of bar stock to block off the opening.  Second nest didn't have any eggs yet either...that nest removed as well.  Close call.  That pair of birds could have shut me down for weeks!!

[Paul TIKI]

So I'm not entirely certain where this belongs.  It maybe should be here, or in the Prayer List, or something.

This isn't a typical happy post.

We have to admit that we can no longer keep one of our dogs with us anymore.  I guess I should explain why.  McFadden came to us a few years ago.  We were volunteering at the local Humane Society.  He was brought in with a group of dogs where the previous owner had passed and her husband couldn't manage the dogs.  McFadden is around 110 lbs, so he's kind of hard to match up properly with a good home.  We took him home to foster since we have dogs and cats, and then after a few months we went ahead and just adopted him outright.  He seemed to adjust pretty well to our chaotic household.  The problem started a while later.  He would sometimes kind of snap at things that startled him awake.  It was always when he was asleep and then surprised awake.  There were a couple of close calls.  One day, one of the cats, who likes to cuddle up with big warm dogs got too close and McFadden Snapped and grabbed the cat by the head.  He must have sensed what he was doing because he didn't bite down hard, but Freddy the cat got a puncture wound and some swelling around his eye.

Just about a week and a half ago, though, we had a tragedy.  My wife's favorite cat Guy must have gotten too close.  I found Guy, and the most likely scenario is that Guy startled McFadden and that Snap response got him.  I don't know absolutely for sure, because I didn't see it happen.  Guy was very sweet, and he has cuddled up with all of our dogs we've had over the years.  I even have pictures of Guy and McFadden together.  The whole thing doesn't really make sense, except for the possibility that Guy startled McFadden, and that big dog jaws ....

So we no longer really trust McFadden.  But, I can't just give him to the nearest shelter.  They might try to find a place for him, but a dog that size, with his history, would likely end up being euthanized.  As angry as my wife is, because of that sliver of uncertainty, neither of us want that.  I have been calling around to various animal rescue organizations but the closer ones, well, there is no room in the inn, so to speak.  So I'm widening the search, and I hope that maybe I can find a home this way.

To the more Positive side.  McFadden would be a wonderful shop dog.  He is a Black Lab/(possibly) Newfoundland cross.  He likes people.  He seems to have a bias towards women.  He's ok around the noise of me forging.  when I first started he would watch me and come beg a charcoal lump off of me when I would be adding more to the forge.  The noise of the hammer hitting the anvil doesn't bother him.  The noise of the new propane forge doesn't seem to bother him either.  He doesn't bark at nothing, like another one of our dogs.  His voice does carry though.  He takes the whole protection thing seriously.  I have observed that when he sees another dog, especially while on a walk, he will try to get between me and the stranger danger.  He would probably be best in a home with adults, No small children, no small cats.  Other dogs he seems to be fine with after an introduction period.  We have two other dogs that are about 70 lbs each, and they never had a problem.  The home he first came to the shelter from had 5 dogs, three little ones and another big dog like him.  the more room to run, the better.  He is house trained and he usually sleeps in his crate at night.

So I'd like to know if anyone here may have room for him, or may know someone who has room for him.  I don't know if I could make it all the way up to Alaska, or fly him to Europe, but I'm willing to drive a long way to meet someone who can give him a good home.  I live pretty close to the geographical center of the continental US, so...  Any ideas would be welcome.  I'm going to gradually widen the search for rescue programs that might take him, but a home run would be good people like we get on this site.  I should add he's current on shots, he has been neutered, and he is microchipped.

Here are some pictures

[Frosty]

It breaks my heart Tiki, I rescued a dog years ago that had issues that made it so we couldn't trust her and I had to find a home for her. We can't take her, we have dachshunds who get territorial with other dogs. 

You, yours and McFadden have my best wishes.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Shainarue]

Aw, my heart goes out to your family & McFadden! We are unable to take him since we have a similar dog that on top of the startle response is quite resource guardy and we don't have the desire to work on/manage two dogs, lol. But I shared this info with someone else who's 'plugged in' with dog rescues all over - hopefully they'll find someone and get back with me.

[Scott NC]

Hi Paul.  I am sorry to hear about McFadden.  If all else fails try contacting Hearts United for Animals.  If they can't help you directly, they have tremendous resources and I'm sure will try.  They are located in Nebraska.  I have had dealings with them and they are great people.

https://hua.org/about-us/

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

We just adopted a 2 year old male Brindle Catahoula hound. He was owned by one of the staff at mom's assisted living facility, who recently went through a nasty divorce and could no longer care for him. His name is Oakley and a well trained support dog, smart as a whip and has a great disposition. Strong as an ox and seems to get along well with Axle. Haven't had him in the forge yet, just getting him used to the place and learning the boundary limits he is allowed to travel to.