Hand-washing station
I made this! This was one of those Pinterest inspired projects, I thought - I can do that! I started the project right - I asked someone much smarter than me to help me plan (thank you Stephanie), she drew me a diagram. Then I thought, this will be a $20 project because I have the barrel! and some left-over PVC pipe!
In the end, it cost around $100, it took a whole bunch of banging head against keyboard moments, and approximately 14 trips to Home Depot. I switched to copper pipe for some reason? And, in true form, I didn’t exactly finish it. I think it needs to be topped off with some prettier rock, or even some flowers? And the faucet is kinda spray-ey. I’m just thrilled we have a place to wash our hands near the playground.
On the mend and Funny video
Pearl is feeling better! Her 2 front feet were so sore with laminitis she could barely move this past week. The vet assessed her and fortunately, her coffin bones have not rotated. This good news is the acute crisis of her laminitis episode has passed. However now we need to address the root cause which is basically... Pearl eats too much and too much of her diet is high in starches / sugar. So Pearl will be eating ONLY hay that has been soaked (soaking removes starches / sugars in the hay). We need to make sure she eats NO treats, no fresh grass, no "rich" hay. This means no more apples for Pearl! Oh Pearl, I'm sorry girl, you and me both. Being a sugar lover has rough consequences.
DNA Dog Results!
I splurged on a thing and bought 2 doggy DNA tests on black Friday. I chose the company, EmbarkVet, because they have the most breeds available and they also guestimate a “Wolfiness” score (more on that later).
First: Lila - We have been debating and guessing what dog breeds make up our dog, Lila, since we adopted her as a puppy over 8 years ago. We were so sure she was a little Australian Shepherd, maybe some Great Pyrenees. We did the doggy DNA test and her results came back...
She is a lot of things - the most prominent breed at 23% is Chow Chow!! She also is a little Chihuahua, Australian Cattle dog, and Siberian Husky and other breeds too!
Second: Laredo - Scotty was Laredo’s owner since April 2019, and he was convinced Laredo was a wolf. Or at least half wolf. We’ve talked with several people and prior to adopting Laredo, we were confident he was NOT a wolf, but the peace of mind would only come from a DNA test.
Laredo is a BIG dog, 110 pounds. He looks like a Shepherd, but most Shepherds weigh-in well under 100 pounds. His DNA test came in and his breed results explain his size! He is 70% Shepherd and 25% Alaskan Malamute!! The remaining part is the catch-all for unknown, called SuperMutt.
Interestingly, Laredo’s “Wofiness” score is 8%, which is much higher than Lila’s score of 0.3%. That is a pretty unscientific score, and we are pleased to have our guess about his breed confirmed.
Laminitis
The hardest part about taking care of animals is watching them suffer when they are sick. Miniature horses (minis) are notorious for being susceptible to overeating, which result in all kinds of potential health problems. I thought since I know this health concern, I would make sure our minis were always fed in healthy moderation and never have access to too much sugar. Unfortunately, Pearl is in so much pain right now, she is foundering (also known as laminitis). The cause is uncertain, but the vet and I suspect she got into an excessive amount of big horses' hay. For now, we are keeping her comfortable, trying our best to manage her pain and consulting with the vet more this week. I'll keep you posted, but her prognosis is "guarded."
Happy 2021
Hold your head up partner, 2020 just bit the dust. The new year is here, it's 2021 or bust!
Lucky us! Look who is helping us offer family & small group visits at Cheyne Ranch - our friend Brynn! She is delightful, responsible, knowledgeable, a lover of animals, kids, even reptiles, and way more fun than me. Brynn will be helping on weekends and we are so excited!
Loss and Love
Since I eagerly and enthusiastically write about the animals coming to join us at Cheyne Ranch, does this mean I also write an update when animals leave Cheyne Ranch? One through needing a new home and one through reaching life's final chapter, I’m thinking about 2 animals who left Cheyne Ranch this week. While processing the sadness, I’m also full of appreciation for the community of animal experts and friends that surround us, who are willing to be kind, supportive and helpful especially when we need it the most.
First: Scarlett
Oh this beautiful horse that I loved so immediately. I fell hard and fast for this horse - because she is so pretty, because she is a little fiesty and because she is picky about who her human is. Scarlett’s personality reminds me of a younger version of Lujen who has all those same traits. However, what she doesn’t have is Lujen’s old-man teddy bear personality who accepts everyone’s love and affection, because that is his main job, to accept the adoration of our guests. My friend and horse trainer, Chezzy, took Scarlett for the past couple weeks to provide his own evaluation and some training. The verdict: Scarlett is super beautiful, what a wonderful horse! But, she is just a little too young (she is 12, Lujen is almost 22), and a little too feisty for her job to be so chill everyday. She will be much happier (and much more useful) in a barn where she can be utilized in a more active way. Robin Cyr (Scarlett’s owner) is super gracious and is finding her a perfect home soon.
Second: Frankie
When we moved to our property in the summer 2016, a Florida gopher tortoise was living in our front yard, they claimed squatter’s rights, and remained here the past 4.5 years to the delight of my family and many of our guests. We named her Francesca, Frankie for short and I think the horses liked her too. Frankie hasn’t been moving too much lately, and I messaged my friend and neighbor, Ariel, to come over. (Side note: Ariel wrote her master’s thesis on gopher tortoise respiratory infections!) Sadly, Ariel took one look and knew Frankie was already gone. As a wildlife specialist, she collected Frankie and (thankfully) took her to a professional who is going to keep Frankie's shell for educational purposes. I miss you already Frankie.
Frankie bit the dust.
All Together Now
Either one or the other, this one or that one, just never all together 😌🙂😑😉
