No doubt about it, August in Indiana is hot and humid. Neither man nor beast does a lot during these last dog days of summer. Here are some miscellaneous pictures of the family.
The only major update we have is that Rex has been struck with a painful back injury. We suspect a herniated disc. He is on strict crate rest currently and myself and his vet are working hard to resolve this for him. Please keep him in your thoughts .
Ye Ole Poop Scoop finally bit the dust. Not bad, I've had it for over 10 years.
In with the shiny new one. I hope it lasts as long as the old one!
Not all of our Thundering Pack has 4 legs and fur. I finally got some decent pictures of my
Black Ghost Knife Fish. Being nocturnal,
it’s hard to catch them out when there is enough light to photograph or
videotape them. Meet “Bowie”….
He
is the biggest Black Ghost I have ever seen.
He is about 14 inches long, very wide, and still growing. He is in a 75 gallon tank, with a large Black
Angel fish and a large RedCap Oranda. I
also have a few Cory Cats and Black Skirt Tetras in there.
I have always admired Black Ghost Knife fish. They are a nocturnal fish from the Amazon
River basin. They are black with a wide white blaze down
their face, which extends along their back, and a white, randomly spotted
tail. Their faces remind me very much of
a dog, or dolphin.
My first Black Ghost, Casper,
lived 15 years. He also survived moving
to three different houses. Casper was
approx 10 inches long when he was 15. He
was only a tiny guy, about 3 inches long, when I brought him home from the fish
store. Overall, BG are peaceful fish,
despite their size. They can be
difficult to raise, but with a little consideration for their needs, they do
well. Being nocturnal, their number one
requirement is a safe, dark, place to hide.
The other special thing I do for my Ghosts is to feed them sinking
pellets, via a “tube”. I have a 36”
section of clear riser tube. (The kind
you see on undergravel filters.) I put
the tube near the opening of his cave and drop the pellets down. This keeps other fish from eating the Ghost’s
food, and I always feed them at night with the lights off. They have all eaten like this immediately and
heartily. I feed Hikari Lionhead
pellets, sinking variety. The quality of
this food is outstanding.
Trying to force a BG to stay out in the open will result in
a very unhappy and most likely dead, fish.
They spend most of the day in their “cave”, but become very active at
night. They have a caudal fin that runs
the length of their bodies, and they can maneuver forwards/backwards/sideways
and upside down smoothly and easily.
You want to avoid having any tank mates that will compete
with your BG for his hiding spot.
The Black Ghost is definitely a fish for someone who
appreciates their unique character and beauty, when the fish grants you the
pleasure of them coming out so you can see them!
Celebrating Seven Years with a Sporting Sussex Spaniel
June 18 is Shine’s 7th Birthday! I can’t believe it’s been 7 years, which
means my journey in Sussex Spaniels has spanned a decade. After I met Shine’s handsome and super cool
Dad, Spirit, I had to have a little Spirit baby of my own. I waited 3 years for the pups to arrive, and
finally got my Sussex!
I’d been told repeatedly about how unusual Sussex Spaniels
are, but really, until you’ve lived with one, it’s hard to understand. They just move to the beat of their own
little drum, no matter what. It is a
contradiction to see such a funny personality in that sad-sack, green-eyed,
droopy face.
Why get up and turn around, when it’s so much easier to just
scoot around on your bottom? Why stay
clean, when you can be wet and dirty?
Why listen to your owner when it’s so much more fun to ignore them
completely? Why give a high-five when
it’s easier to just flop on your back and wave your 3 inch long legs in the
air? Why drink politely when you can dunk
your whole face in the water bucket? Why
look at your owner adoringly, when you can squint your eyes and wrinkle your
nose and “smile” while making snorting noises?
See the world famous "Sussex Smile"...okay maybe not world famous, but certainly well-known to Sussex owners!
ALL Sussex make this face, but it is just about impossible to actually get a photo of it. She bobs and weaves and snorts and wags her tail while she is doing it. It may look like she is growling, but NOPE she's being a goof.
Why hang out and chill in the backyard when you can HUNT all
day long?!
When Shine is outside, she is hunting
constantly. If she is not “trailing”
something, she will sit very still, scanning the horizon for “any” moving
object – birds being #1, closely followed by falling/blowing leaves. She can get exhausted being outside on a
windy day in the Fall! See video evidence! I titled this
video – ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT A SPORTING DOG?
Because it really shows that these dogs were bred to hunt. It’s in their genes, and nothing you say or
do will change that. When Shine is in
hunting mode, she is completely deaf and blind to anything else.
Look at that tail wagging!
One thing you can say about Sussex Spaniels, as a breed, they have remained the same today as they were when the breed was developed. A rare thing in today's world. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHINEY SHINE!
Some fun pictures from class Wednesday night. Taken with my iPhone and not a bad zoom when you see how far away the dogs were. We were working on down-stay's at a distance.
