Dog Days of Summer

Two things have prevented me from blogging recently: July weather and a new dog.

The garden has been pretty dismal lately. It's our typical July, hot and dry. At this point in the Piedmont, you water occasionally just to help the plants survive. If you have chosen wisely, most do make it. One azalea has died and two new Cardinal plants have given up the ghost. The azalea was transplanted this Spring after it bloomed, so that was my fault. I should have left it alone until Fall. The Cardinal plants need moisture and they are new. Things went well until we went from lots of rain to none with more heat. I have to say here that one of your best bets for mostly sun are echinaceas. They are tough plus goldfinches and pollinators love them.

Back to the dog story: We adopted Maddie from APS of Durham two weeks ago. Many people had tried to rescue this little dog from two of our busiest streets for three weeks. She finally let someone put a leash on her when she was exhausted. Fourth of July week I received a call from a volunteer with Independent Animal Rescue in Durham telling us that she was at APS. Ian had his heart set on saving this little girl, so now she is ours.

The Caped Crusader, Ian also helped this big guy recently. He is a large, intact male Pit Bull. We were both very wary of him, but it was obvious that he was exhausted and had a limp. A brave neighbor threw a long canvas leash over his neck and let Ian take him home. We called the Sheriff's office immediately. They work in conjunction with APS. Fortunately, the officer was great with Cam the dog. He was micro-chipped which was checked while she was here. Upon seeing Cam, the officer exclaimed, "I love the ones with the big heads". Cam seemed to like her too. Meanwhile, I'm still staying on the other side of our garden fence. We gave Cam three bowls of water and two bowls of food while we waited for the officer. Luckily, we still had some of Milkshake's dried dog food. After he was fed and watered he took a snooze on the driveway. As I took a photo of Cam thru the window screen, I thought, "he looks pretty sweet right now". Cam has been reunited with his owner thru APS. The owner told me that he is old with arthritis and is a big baby.

I hope that's all of the dog stories we have for awhile.