His name is Astro, but if you would like him, you may have him and you can change his name and I won't mind! He's been hanging around Jim's place in Dooly County for the past two weeks and Jim already has 12 dogs, a lot of which were strays that he took in, although he does have two Labs and two German Shorthair Pointers that he went out and bought. There's another GSH pointer that he rescued from a couple in Atlanta a few years ago. They bought him and they lived in an apartment and the dog was going crazy for something to do and lack of exercise. So, understandably, Jim didn't want another stray dog.

This guy is pit bull but very friendly, so I took him. He's got a huge scar on his neck from a rope or wire cut and he's only about a year old. Obviously someone tried to make him a mean dog, but thankfully it didn't take. I brought him home, threw him in the bathtub, and began to scrub. He didn't like the bath, but he never offered any ugliness and it got rid of the fleas. I put Frontline on him after the bath. He has been very friendly and submissive to my three dogs. I so do not need the expense of a new dog, but I couldn't leave him.


He is very skittish and doesn't know about dog treats or raw hides, just looks at them in puzzlement. He is far from house broken, but we're working on it. Hence the crate. However, the last time he piddled in the house, he was being uncut!male dog rather than unhousebroken dog.

John proves again how wonderful he is for he just shrugs and welcomes the new dog into the house, cleaning up dog piddle and taking Astro out on walks. John never met a dog he didn't like and oh, what an enabler he is for my dog adoption habits.

Also, went fox hunting Saturday in Dooly and there were no foxes seen, but we did have a run in very early on with a wild pig. I couldn't see it as he was deep in a covert, but I could hear the blam!blam!blam! of the huntsman's gun. Wild hogs are very scary and the huntsmen ended up killing it as it was charging him, but only after he put six rounds into it before it dropped. He was quite scared as the pig was very close to him and it had tusks quite large. As I've said before, I've got very mixed feelings about fox hunting. I love the riding, but I feel bad about the occasional kill. Maybe three a year between foxes and coyotes and the farmers are all happy that it's done for they lose calves to the coyotes and to the foxes, too. The coyotes also kill house cats. That's the justification for it, but I still feel conflicted about enjoying the riding while in pursuit of something that may be killed. Asia did very well on her second hunt. We started at Jim's, so I left her there in his posh barn with its turnout paddocks attached to the stalls and then returned this morning. Four of us went back out and rode for two hours and she showed no sign of being tired. Had several good gallops on our ride and popped over two, small fences and splashed through several creeks.





Pictures from today's ride and not from yesterday's, which is a shame for Jim looks quite dashing in his scarlet coat and everyone looks good in formal turnout. My formal coat for hunting has a one, small pocket and I fear that my tiny camera will fall out of it, so it stays in the truck. Today I wore a shell with pockets that zip, so I took it along. Temps were cooler than yesterday's low 60's, but still quite pleasant hovering in the upper 50's. However, today it didn't rain on us, which was a plus. I have a lot of tack to clean, and it's bad enough covered with horse sweat, but now it's stiff from the rain and covered in horse sweat.

Grits is back down from Ottawa where it's below zero and snowy and icy and thrilled with the warmth, so no one minds the gray sky. Hey, we're out in the woods and fields on good horses and I ask you, what could be better? Grits retired her old guy, who's 23, to Georgia last winter. She'd ridden him in lots of 3-day events as well as being field master for the Ottawa Valley Hung (drag hunt, which means that they follow a trail laid down by a human dragging a bag full of fox urine to mimic a live hunt) and riding him for years as that. He injured his knee two years ago and she thought that he'd live the rest of his life as a pasture pony. Well, Georgia's heat has been good for him and he's fully recovered and thriving. She clipped his bushy, winter coat (he still grows more winter coat than most Georgia horses) in a trace clip and took him hunting yesterday. She was field master again for third flight, which means she took out two beginners who've only been riding a few months and they watched the from afar the action and went very slowly. Raffles, the old guy, had a ball and kept telling her that he was ready for action, so she rode him again today and he was grand. He didn't act like a 23 year old horse coming off lay up and Grits was so very happy. She kept saying it was the best trail ride of her life. That's because she had her horse underneath her again after thinking he never would go out again. Life is good.

I was up both days at 6:00 a.m. and it's funny how I can spring out of bed when it's not a work day. I love messing around with horses and dogs. Now, off to fix dinner. I've been on a spaghetti kick of late and it looks as though it will be spaghetti for dinner again. Oh, John has let Astro out of the crate now that he's settled down while writing this and now all dogs are curled up on the couch with him. Astro may not have known the good life before today, but he's adjusting quite well. *g*

ETA: Kelly thinks she'll take Astro, who she wants to call Toby! YAY! Kelly is my friend whose Arabian gelding is living in my pasture with Asia and RalphtheWonderPony. John and I have switched to calling him Toby. Toby has been outside a lot and piddled each time. He's getting the hang of this house breaking (knock on wood). He's a very friendly dog. Kelly, I do hope you take him and I think you and Toby will be very happy. Saved dogs are always so appreciative. Sparky and Kudzu certainly are. Rufus was also a found dog, but he's dachshund and he knows that his rightful place is always on the sofa.