Baymule’s Journal

[Bruce]

Cut With Dull Scissors Found in Back of Car

We have one of these that work great. No need to shear your sheep with dull scissors. DD1 would use scissors on the alpacas while I used the electric or hand shears. Her hands are too small for the hand shears but of course they are easier to use than scissors since they spring back open on their own.

 

[Baymule]

Use around garden like human hair to deter the varmints?

Wool. Comes from prey, calling all coyotes!

 

[Blue Sky]

Isn't the Komondor coat supposed to be corded?? Or does that cause problems?? No idea - I've only seen them at dog shows.

Komondor coats form cords and plaques. The plaques are cut or twisted into cords. My dog’s coat won’t properly form cords and mats when it gets wet. This year has been the worst probably due to the higher humidity and additional rain where we live now.

 

[Ridgetop]

We used to shave the Pyrs and Aussie during the summer due to the really bad fleas we had. Since we can't find any barn cats or kittens anymore, we no longer seem to have fleas. However, with the long hair on the Pyrs (and Aussie being in house) we had them shaved in summer and flea dipped. When we brought them home from the groomer they would all hide - embarrassed by their nakedness. I had groomer leave hair around ears and throat on the Pyrs. One time I took our last Pyr to the vet (she had chronic ear infections) and had to leave her overnight. When I picked her up the next day I was horrified to find that the vet assistant had decided to shave all the hair off around her head and throat. The assistant was very proud of herself because she said that she was full of mats. I told her that those ear and throat mats kept her safe from coyote bites. When I explained that the Pyr was a livestock guardian in a heavy coyote area, she was very apologetic.

If the coat is too matted and corded, you can definitely shave it off as long as the dog has protection outside from sun or rain. Have the groomer (or yourself) use a coarse tooth head because you don't want to take off all the hair. That heavy coat in the winter protects from rain and cold and in summer provides insulation from heat. However, osome Pyrs have such heavy undercoat that just grooming in the spring can't get it all out. We used to have a couple full trash bags of undercoat just off one Pyr. And our Pyrs had working coats, not massive show coats like some Pyrs.

 

[farmerjan]

Wool. Comes from prey, calling all coyotes!

DUH, Dumb me... was thinking about keeping out the deer and not about it being from an animal... Sorry... sometimes I don't think...

 

[Blue Sky]

I have read that fleece will soak up motor oil. I prefer kitty litter but after some ocean oil spill or other donated fleece was used in the clean up.

 

[Baymule]

This is such a beautiful day! It would be a lot nicer if Mom would make Cooper go away.

AAARRRGGGHHHHH!!!!! WHY does he have to show up and scoop MY petting?

Oh yeah, getting ears rubbed! Wait! What? Hey Cooper! It’s MYTURN!

I seriously hate sheep.

Hey! Remember me? Carson? Your favorite dog?

Stop trying to suck up to me! She was MY Momma first! Eeewwww! Did you just kiss me?

Cooper, if you kiss me ever again, i promise I’m gonna bite you!

 

[Ridgetop]

I have read that fleece will soak up motor oil. I prefer kitty litter but after some ocean oil spill or other donated fleece was used in the clean up.

Not sure if wool would absorb oil. Wool is almost waterproof. After ocean oil spills straw was also used soak up the oil. Oil floats on top of the water and so does straw. Wool might float since it doesn't easily absorb water. The way that clean up worked (I think) is that the floating straw (and possibly wool) were used to corral the oil and kept it from spreading further out by acting as a sort of surrounding barrier ("boom") to the oil. Then they were able to remove the oil from the top of the water by various methods.

 

[Baymule]

Carson’s face is so expressive, I just click pictures, then come up with captions/story line.

 

[Baymule]

This afternoon Sentry went off, barking mad. I know when he’s got something, looked out and all 3 were concentrated on one spot and barking. I walked out there and it was an alligator snapping turtle! Those things are MEAN and BAD. It was on the other side of the fence, wanting in the sheep field. The length of its shell looked to be 12”” to maybe 14” not that I was getting close enough to measure it!

It was lunging at the dogs through the fence. One bite could take a piece of a dog’s face off.

I went and got the hoe, walked back up the fence line on the other side from the dogs and dragged it away from the fence. I went back and got the tractor. I lowered the bucket, pushed it in the bucket and went and dumped in the back of the pickup truck. I didn’t want to hurt the turtle and I didn’t want the alligator snapping turtle to take chunks out of the dogs. Sentry would have wound up missing his nose. Not kidding, one bite and we’d have a serious problem. Sentry doesn’t back off and he doesn’t quit.

I was taking it down the road, met my son coming in. He turned around and we lowered it to the ground with a shovel. I chose a creek about 2 miles from the house. There are several ponds and lakes before it would get back to my place, maybe it can find a home in one of them.