All the Creatures

The title of this post is a question that I have often asked myself over and over again and still not come up with an answer to. Several years ago my elderly parents acquired a puppy. I don’t know why they thought that they could take on a dog that they would never take on a walk. They kept the dog in the house and small backyard until my father passed away. My mother took the dog with her when she moved in with my sister. My sister was no better since they simply kept the dog in the small backyard and rarely let the dog in the house. At the time my sister was complaining that she was trying to lose weight and was on this diet and that. I simply told her to take the dog for a daily walk and she would not need the most effective diet pills she can find but get some exercise and get the dog out of the backyard prison. Well, she never went on those walks and after 9 months of trying to get them to take better care of the dog, my husband and I stepped in and took the dog home with us.  The dog lived on our ranch from the age of 5 years old until she died of old age at the age of 15. She had 10 years of freedom. She roamed our 7+ acres, enjoyed the company of our other animals and had to follow me everyday when I moved the horses from the barn out to pasture. We would go for long walks on county trails.

I enjoyed going for walks and exercising our dogs, so I still ask myself, why would anyone own a dog and not even think to walk them?

All the Creatures

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f you have ever bred and raised animals like I have then you would know that proper nutrition is absolutely essential for the success and health of both the mother and the offspring. With the proper diet you don’t have to add any prenatal vitamins to their diet.

Most people find out from their vets that you feed puppy food to pregnant dogs and kitten food to pregnant cats. The reason for that is that the “growth” formula foods have all the nutrition that the mother needs to pass on to her unborn offspring. Don’t take my word for it - ask your vet.

All the Creatures

Spring not only means getting lots of new flowers popping up in your front yard, it also means many animals are now giving birth. Just yesterday I spotted a small group of deer grazing in a neighbors pasture and wondered if there were any fawns laying down, hidden from view. Several people I know are also anxiously awaiting the birth of livestock. One of them has set up a Hidden Camera to watch for the event. I did ask her why she hid the camera and she said that the barn where her mare was located at is a public stable and she didn’t want to have the camera stolen. She set the camera up so she could watch over the internet or on her phone. Isn’t it amazing how far technology has come?

Many animals are not dependent upon the change of the seasons to mate and give birth. In fact us humans have changed animals internal life clock so they can go into heat and be bred any time of the year. Sheep and goats are a good example of that fact. They are no longer bred for spring births but are now born year round.

Yes, spring, it is so much more than just flowers.

All the Creatures