We have a couple new family members on the Sundog Ranch. Every animal on the ranch are intrigued by them….especially the Sundogs. When we go to the barn to feed the first thing on the Sundog’s to do list is to check on those new little critters in the barn.
We have this sliding door to the hay room tied so it won’t open all the way and BIG animals can’t get in thereby giving the Manx Brothers some recluse.
But the tie is not working so well. Lassen is able to muscle his way in. Poor Manx Brothers.
I yelled at Lassen (I mean gave him a command) to come out of there and he actually listened to me. Until all hell broke loose and almost all of the Sundogs burst in to greet the Manx Brothers. The Manx Brothers live on top of the tack room. They are our new barn cats. You see we have quite the wood rat population and something has to be done about it.
Here you have them. I could hardly get mad. Yolo of course was posed for the photo and little Milton Manx posed along with him. Lassen is trying to get closer and find out were Mangus Manx is. Mangus is Milton’s brother. Maisie is trying to keep her cool because she thinks the Manx Brothers may be tasty. Nevada looks at Maisie wondering why she is acting so weird. Sasha is a bit weary of the Manx Brothers since that other BIG kitty we used to have gave her more that one swipe across the nose. 
Sasha stays outside and Momma Maisie joins her. If was not so hot she’d be chasing dragonflies. The temp is already in the low 90’s.
Maisie returns salivating at the mouth now…but not foaming yet. You can’t hear her whining, good thing. Yolo is still posed in the best spot for kitty viewing and brother Lassen stays nearby for support. 
Milton gets closer to the Sundog Brothers and lets them know it is NOT OK to come any closer. Mangus is tucked away in the box refusing to come out. 
Somehow between the time I went to grab something out of the truck and then turned around to return the Manx Brothers decided to make a bold run past every body and make a dash for the tack room. I tie the door to the tack room too and the tie stays. The brothers are able to poke in and out and tease the Sundogs. Here is Lassen doing what he does….sitting very still and drooling over the brothers. Here is Mangus posed to sprint back to the hay room since Lassen won’t stop drooling over him.
Here he goes.
Milton makes a dash too staying with Mangus but oh no! The Big Brothers are working together now.
The BIG Brothers are closing in…what should we do?
Somehow Milton made it back to the tack room. The BIG Brothers don’t care. One kitty is tasty enough.
What is a kitty to do?
“Maybe I should hiss and swat now but I’m frozen” Poor Mangus. I’m proud at how he is handling this. Do you hate me now for not rescuing him? Don’t worry I trust my Sundogs. Besides they had a big breakfast.
I know this looks like Kitty abuse but it is part of getting to know kitty. After this look CAMERA DOWN kitty in my arms. The Sundogs still have a ways to go to quell their obsession with the Manx Brothers. We will do this routine every morning until the Manx Brothers are no big deal anymore. I’ll make sure we don’t have any unsupervised visits with the Sundogs and the Manx Brothers down at the barn. AND I will make sure I feed the Sundogs well before our visit.
Adios Amigos 🙂
But first we started out by having Rockin’ Roy get the dogs focused on “The Precious” on the lawn. Notice who are the best students. Lassen the noncompetitive one has other things to investigate.
Sasha’s focus is unbeatable.
At two years old she’s in her prime. Sorry Yolo.
After the warm up it’s time to head down to the pier. As you can see someone got a little too warmed up and is already cooling off at the shore. Normally at the condo cabin we have to have the mountain dogs leashed up in the common areas and the pier. But since it is off season and no one is around the COAST IS CLEAR!
We HAVE to make sure we bring plenty of bags (for you know what) and the leashes out on the big long pier. Because sometimes guests come walking out and want more peace and solitude than the Mountain Dogs are willing to offer. 
Human rules don’t apply to the Mountain Dogs.
Even though Sasha’s in top form these days Yolo will not give up on owning the “The Precious”. Lassen on the other hand has other things to investigate.
You see, Yolo is addicted to “The Precious”. His addiction gets a little annoying at times and we have to put “The Precious away”. Right now Roy is trying to teach Yolo a little patience.
Yolo tries to maintain his cool.
“Will you PLEASE throw that thing for me!”
“Finally he is lifting his arm a little”.
“I thought it would never happen. And look….. all five Mountain Dogs are competing with me now. Darn”
Their off!
Miss perfect beats Yolo again by two body lengths at least. 
Watch out for Sasha. MONSTER MOUTH.
ESCAPE ROUTE PLEASE!!
Amazingly Sasha makes it back to Rocking Roy with “The Precious”. 
Did you ever wonder if “The Precious” ever goes over the edge? Well it does. As you can see Yolo still has his eye on “The Precious” but I have to be truthful and admit, it took quite sometime for him to put two and two together and figure out how to get to it.
He finally figured to go over to and then down the stairs that lead into the human swimming section which is where “The Precious” fell. He looked and looked at the water and at me. “Where is The Precious?”
Sasha was looking for “The Precious” too.
Finally they both were on track and getting near “The Precious”.
When suddenly Sasha gave up and turned back. I think she just wanted to give her big brother a chance. But in reality Yolo is “still the man” He kept his eye on the ball (I mean “The Precious”) and did not give up for anything. I guess his “Precious” addiction is good thing…….sometimes.
Sasha not being quite as addicted the “The Precious” said “I gotta get back to dry land”.
While Lassen is off investigating again. Not giving a hoot about “The Precious”
Keeping your eye on the stick while it is being thrown is a good thing if you want to get to it first.
What is better than an afternoon snooze on mom and dad’s bed? That’s why I could not help but pull some of these “bedtime” photo’s out of the archives. It is a joy to find this many Sundogs snoozing on our bed together. I turned one into black and white which I love but Golden’s and the color purple ROCK. Enjoy!
On a gloomy afternoon in March while I was cleaning out my bedroom closet Sasha got things started and out came my camera. Being the baby of the family she needed and still needs lots of naps along with her cherished purple monkey. Although the purple monkey was so cherished it recently went to stuffed animal heaven.
Miss Maisie Rose being the ham she is had to get in on the action and somehow the purple monkey lies on the floor. 
“Oh well, there is always something else to hold in your mouth to pose for the camera. Why here’s a sock!”
“Oops! I was so enamored by the camera I dropped the sock. Now Rockin Roy’s sock lies on top of the purple monkey. I can surely fit BOTH of them in my mouth”
“I’m a little embarrassed now. I’m going to slink away to the floor for my treasures”
Meanwhile Miss Maisie Rose, my English Cream beauty, basks in the glory of being alone. She gazes out the window in wonder. “Will this gloomy day ever turn to sunshine?” 
After putting the camera down and going back to cleaning out my closet I come back to the bed with a different scene. Yolo takes center stage (OF COURSE) while Lassen and Maisie watch Sasha ruin Rockin Roy’s sock.
By now Rockin Roy’s sock is clearly destroyed. Yolo, Maisie and Lassen watch with approval. “We taught her well.”
Sasha is done with destroying so she slinks back up on the bed to snooze with the gang. Like good dogs they all turn around to face me and my camera. Photographers dogs usually get good at posing. 
“We need our beauty rest.”
OK you guys. “Good night, sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite”.
Maisie is my leaper. She does not drift into the water she LEAPS into it. Off the metal stairs that lead to the swimming section off the pier. The roped off swimming area is reserved for humans but unless it is the heart of the summer in prime daylight hours the Sundogs TAKE OVER at the swimming section. Leaping affords Maisie a lot of time to get in front of her brothers hence to get to the object she is after FIRST.
Once Maisie gets what she is looking for of course she is FIRST to the stairs.
Sasha at four months old and her first time at the “stairs” does not want any part of what seems like fun to the big Sundogs. Leaping by herself into the blue-green sea of liquid ice with two or three other giant Sundogs after her does not seem fun.
But no matter how hard she tries by putting two feet first in the water Sasha cannot bring herself to plunge in to the sea of liquid ice like her Mom does.
So she plunks down at the top of the stairs where she can watch that is going on.
Mr Lassen is also staying dry for now. He got his feet wet but since he is not too into competition he used the opportunity while everyone else was swimming to check out the good sniffs….. on the end of the pier by the swimming section. 
He could watch the swimming scene with Rockin Roy and that was fine with him.
And RARE undivided attention was to be had.
While Maisie and Yolo had to get the ball FIRST from the stairs. 
Sasha stayed far away from the bottom step when Yolo was there.
Lassen finally gets in on the action and so now we have three big wet Sundogs crowding the stairs.
When they shake Rockin Roy tries to get away from the shake but not Sasha.
Sasha has to play the “I BITE YOUR LEG” game while they aren’t even finished shaking off yet.
It is time to dry off on the pier now. No more fun “on the stairs”.
Sasha seems a little more at ease now with Mom and Yolo at her side NOT on dry land but at least on the pier. They can all survey the lake and bird situation from here and stop the silly plunging into liquid ice even if there is that retrieving thing going on.
Rockin Roy calls and in no time the Sundogs sprint to the call. It must be time to go home, finish drying off and hit the couches.
Leashing up for the walk down the pier away from the swimming section is OK since we got a bit tired out. 
Even if we don’t want to admit it.
The Sun Dog Drift 