Update on the Animals

If you live in the Jackson area and have pets, let me just take a minute to plug Animal Health Products. These guys are great: you can get stuff like Frontline, Heartguard, Revolution, and basically anything you need for your pet at a discount. It's not a huge discount, but I'd rather give these local boys my money than some huge conglomerate like Petsmart. And it's almost certainly less expensive than your vet. It's one of the very few places left in town in which the gentlemen will haul the bags of petfood up on their shoulders and take them out to put them in your car for you without expecting a tip. Walking through those doors truly is like walking about 40-50 years in the past.

Two days ago, I went to pick up some food for Dante. Since we brought him home, I've been feeding him what Cindy told me to: Eukaneuba Puppy Small Bites. So I reached for the usual bag in its usual spot. The guy who works there said, "You've been coming here more than a year and bought the same dog food. How old is your dog?" So I realized yep, Dante turned a year old in June. So I guess it's time for adult. Then he asked me what kind of dog he is (hound/cattle dog), what he does every day (runs 4 miles a morning with me), how active Dante is (when he's not a couch potato, he's playing with Mike or me), and we decided to try Eukaneuba Adult Active.

What a difference a day makes.

Now Dante is ON FIRE in the mornings. And last night Mike and I watched as he ran circles in the yard. No rhyme or reason - just big sweeping circles. With those deep cuts and turns like a cattle dog will do. Then he raced back into the house and flopped on the couch, smiling from ear to ear and panting, only to play chase with Mike through the house. It seems like now he has two speeds: GO GO GO and unconscious, which is currently his state on the couch next to me.

Kearney has developed a behavioral problem of confusing the human beds in the house with his litterbox. The first time it happened I thought his system was upset from the new food we've slowly introduced into his diet. The second time I had the notion that he was mad at us for something (I hate cats for that). The third time was the last straw. Now he spends most of the day in the backyard, and he L.O.V.E.S. it. I don't like cats in general, so I hesitate to label myself the cat whisperer, but maybe that was his problem all along?

Kearney actualy ASKS to go out. There's a wind chime on the doorknob that Dante used to bump with his nose when he needed to go. Now Kearney plays with it and makes the same noise when he wants outside. So far he sticks to the backyard and has not yet asked to come back in, and I see that as a good sign and a contented, happy cat. When we want him to come inside, we have to go pick him up, and usually he moves 2-3 steps away because he knows outside time is over.

You can usually find him stretched out on the warm concrete of the patio, on his back in the grass, or creeping around in the bushes like a lion. He gets a lot more exercise too, stalking birds and chasing lizards and just checking out the world in general, which is bound to help with his weight issue. The litterbox is still inside, but so far his new domain has fixed the behavior problems.
Fulfilling his true cat destiny.

Meanwhile, did you know there are chipmunks in Clinton, Mississippi? Our yard is full of them. They're cute little buggers, but they are FAST. It's hard to get a good picture.