Tinkler

Uschi is our most "challenged" boy,...

He howls and howls on the wheel, it can be real frustrating.

We just recently realized this often means that he has to
go to the bathroom. It is kind of funny now that
we know what is going on, even though he is
extremely LOUD!!! He will yell and yell and YELL,

"DAAAD,... I feel funny,...
My belly feels strange,...
I feel kind of tingly,...
MOOOM!!! "

then he jumps in the litter box and all will be well.

Usch is so "special" >;-)

He also likes to tinkle in stray boxes to supplement his
special king-size specialty-litter box and
now his favorites are unmanned plastic containers,...

Yes, leave a container on the counter and

USCHI !!!!

(he has amazing aim ... just in the containers)

Whaattt ?!!!

Outside,... the family was watering trees
Tanj and Vladi happily chasing the water,...

"DAAAD,... I've got that feeling again."

Well go ahead,...

Uschi backed up to one of the little trees and

helped.

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Biggest Litterbox ... EVER !

Now THAT'S a litterbox!

When Vladi came home in September, Uschi was a little perturbed (to say the least). We let Uschi have his own space by his exercise wheel, with a place to sleep, water, and a litterbox. Up until then, Tanj and Usch typically used their kennel litter area. When the boys settled down after a week or so, we tried to remove the extra litterbox, and Uschi responded with a few "Uschidents" that let us know that he liked having a convenient litterbox (that happens to be right in the entrance to our house). After about a month, Tanji decided he liked the inner litterbox too (it has been cold and wet outside in the kennel), and Vladi decided he liked it better than his bathroom litterbox. So, all of a sudden the litterbox was getting a LOT of use, and each boy had problems with the box itself. Uschi barely fit into the 18"x12" box, since he does not like to touch anything but litter, so the box was too small. Tanji sometimes forgets to squat, so the ~12" deep box was barely deep enough. Vladi likes a perfectly clean litterbox (he's known to re-arrange the litter a bit after the big boys do their thing), so the box was getting dirty too quickly. This all added up for a need for a bigger litterbox. We headed to K-Mart, and ended up with an "Afgan Storage" bin with the whopping big dimensions of 31 inches long, 13.5 inches wide, and 13 inches deep. Right away, the boys knew the box was for them...

What did you get us?

Uschi loves boxes and is the first one in, as usual.

Vladi wants to play too.

Uschi tried the "if I lick you, will you leave?" ploy,
while Tanji paced along the perimeter...

"Are you still here?"

We added litter and Vladi jumped back in
to try it so fast, we didn't even get a picture!

Tanj is next, the box meets with his approval too.
(Note all of the litter on the floor, a hazard
from the previous smaller box).

Uschi is not sure at first, and has some trouble getting
in and out at of the box, since its bigger than he's used to,
but soon he is in love with his new mega-box.

It is also smooth sided and bottomed for easier cleaning.

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New Kennel Litter

Vladimir's most recent photos are at:
August 15, 2007 Vladi Pictures

Every month or so,
I swap out the boys kennel "litter."

We have a dump-truck load of "concrete sand,"
which is just coarse sand that drains well
and doesn't stick to the boys feet/fur,
that I use to refresh the kennel.

Tanji is usually very interested in this process.

Not too close,...

Watch out Tanji.

Uschi stalks me along the banks of the pond.

The boys watch,...

Is that where it is going?

Out with the old,
in with the new,...

Daaad, make sure you spread it out evenly.


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Walkies

Upon arriving home the other day we found Uschi looking out the window we installed in the front door for the boys. This greeting was taken as a subtle hint that he wanted to go for a walk.


The boyz are all "saddled-up" and ready to go. We usually put their leashes on them for the first bit of our walks so we can get them going in the direction we want them to go. If not, they head out the door and start exploring around the house, which is where we end our walks.

The Boyz are off,...

first a quick check of the bird feeder,...

then side-by-side,...

before something catches
their attention,...

both pull on the leash and focus,...

Tanji is still fixated while
Uschi is ready to move on,
to a small patch of tall grass,

which he tells me about.

Soon Lesley is spotted about 250ft away,

they focus,

intently on her approach.

Later,
Uschi chatters at a bird

in a hip covered Rugosa,
then investigates

a little mountain hemlock.

Back home,

Tanj checks out a new load of kennel litter,

I just delivered,

and Uschi checks out a solar path light.


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King Of The Mountain

The Pacific Northwest has entered into its rainy season (winter) with a roar. We have not been experiencing too much local flooding but the rains have been steady and the ground is certainly saturated with some standing water. The boys have been going on walks in the rain and appear to be enjoying themselves. They have also been joyfully tracking mud into the house from their kennel. We think the muddy ground and wet cut vegetation is easier/softer on their paw pads, because they seem to run at high speed "off trail" with less hesitation. It didn't take long for Uschi to find and investigate his large trapped litter pile. He also found any holes in the tarp,...

took a quick sniff,

then quickly pushed a paw through
to sample the dirt.

Now a little muddier
Uschi looks for more holes,...

but spots an approaching Tanji.

T joins U on the pile,...

but soon looks for other distractions.

Leaving Uschi-Swirl
to reign as,

king of the mountain.


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Litter By The Yard

Uschi discovers the big pile of "litter"

After digging out the kennel, I had 3 yards of coarse "concrete" sand delivered. I figured this coarse sand would be good digging media for the boys in their kennel. With the added benefit to me that it should remain relatively uncompacted, i.e. easier digging when it is time for refreshing. I only put three wheel barrow loads into the kennel so there is a good sized tarped pile remaining.

Uschi gives the new pile a quick survey, then

went right up it,

and seemed to really enjoy having
his feet sink deep into the loose dirt.

Tanj gave the pile a sniff,

decided he was a bit scared of it
and ran off into the conifers in search of his snake.

Uschi continued to play in the dirt,

while Tanji was retrieved with a leash.

It's all right T,... that's your dirt,...

Tanj is coaxed onto the pile,

and makes it to the top,

then enjoys sinking into the loose dirt also.

Uschi was pumped up,

running up the pile,

posing, then

jumping/sliding down the pile.

Tanj sees Uschi on top,

and joins the fun.

I guess we now get the boyz outside litter
delivered by the truck load.
While at the same time provides
another fun place to play.



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