Animals » Joe Cop NW

I’m Back

Oct 272009

Boy, I can’t believe it has been almost three years since I have written. Much has happened during this time as I guess you would expect. I don’t know exactly why I suddenly stopped blogging. Too many other interests or perhaps my brain just froze. I have continued to make entries into my private journal and will be reviewing it and posting some catch up articles as time permits.

One big change in my lifestyle came with the purchase of a boat in the summer of 2008. It was my first experience at boating and I have fallen in love with it. Boating and thinking about boating has consumed a lot of my time. We purchased a 22 foot Chaparral Cuddy Cabin. It is a great little boat and we are able to sleep aboard her for a night or two at a time.

The cabin is great for our baby, Duke. He climbs inside and just crashes most of the time when we are on the water. We were amazed at how much he loves the boat. He doesn’t like to get into the water much though and after he fell in once when we were at Lake Merwin in Washington I quickly got him a life vest.

Well that’s it for now. Just want to say “I’m Back”.

Camping at Candle Creek

Duke, Photos, Rv'in, Travel 1 Response »

Sep 202006

Rocky and I just got back last Saturday from five great and relaxing days camping on the Metolius river. After I got back from Las Vegas we loaded up the RV and headed out to Candle Creek camp grounds. We actually didn’t stay in the camp grounds but at a site just outside the actual camping area. This is a little camp site I had seen on previous trips up there and it is much nicer than the ones in the camp grounds.

It is more private, larger and has better access to the river and most important it is free. The little access road to get into it is a bit tricky to navigate with my 5th wheel but I managed to get in without any mishaps. I took my new Honda generator and put it to the test. It worked flawlessly and is so much quieter than my other cheep one. The fuel economy was amazing. I think we must have run it about 75 percent of the time we were there and only used about seven gallons of fuel.

We took Duke of course and we were not there five minutes and he was totally covered with dirt. After about an hour his white fir was so grungy he just looked dull and he didn’t really seem that dirty anymore. His fir is so short and tight that you can just brush off any real thick dirt before he gets into the RV. Duke is turning out to be a very good traveling dog. He rides in the front of the truck and is fairly well behaved. I think he likes traveling.

We didn’t do to much other than lounge around and do some hiking around during the day. Rocky did drive into Sisters one afternoon and I took about a three hour drive around the area on the forest service roads. One afternoon I took Duke for a walk and we tried to cross over Candle Creek on a log. Duke slipped off the log and got stuck so I had to step into the creek to get him off. When I did he knocked me totally into the creek and I got soaked. All I could do was lay there and laugh. It was a bit cold but fortunately we were only about a quarter mile from camp and the sun was out.

Well it was great fun and I am ready to go again. I am hoping to take the RV over to Central Oregon with some coworkers near the end of October when they go elk hunting. I don’t hunt but it will be a good excuse to go camping again. It should be interesting as they tell me the temperature often dips near zero degrees at night.

Some Pics of Duke

Duke, Photos 1 Response »

Sep 082006

Meet Duke

Animals, Duke, Photos 1 Response »

Aug 082006

Please meet the newest member of our family, Duke. Duke is a Harlequin Great Dane and is just seven months old. He stands about 32 inches at the shoulder and may grow a couple more inches.

We had decided not to get another dog for a while after Sampson and had talked about getting a Golden Lab pup when we finally did however things seem to have a funny way of changing. When we went camping in LaPine we met Duke for the first time. His parents, a guy I have worked with for a long time and his wife, got Duke as a pup but found that he was just too much of a dog for their home and lifestyles. They live in the city in a residential area and their back yard is not that big. While Great Danes are house dogs and very gentle they do require a lot of exercise and attention. If they don’t get it they can become very bored and restless which can lead to all kinds of behavioral problems.

We both fell in love with Duke while we were camping. I walked and played with him as much as anyone. The other day my co-worker asked me if we wanted to take Duke. I asked my partner and he was very excited so here we are now just one big happy family. Well, except for Morgan the cat. The jury is still out for him but he is warming up to duke.

Actually Duke has adjusted very well to the change. I had expected him to have some problems getting use to his new home but it is like he had been here since a puppy. I think he likes all the attention and especially having five acres where he can run free.

Well, more about Duke and his antics later. I am sure if you are a regular reader you will become bored with my constant writings about him.

Good Bye Sampson

Animals 1 Response »

Jun 272006

I am sad to say I had to put Sampson my dog down today. It’s been less than a week that I wrote One Old German about him but he took a turn for the worse. Perhaps it was the high temperatures we have had the last few days or it was just finally time but he went down hill quickly. When I talked to the veterinarian earlier in the year about Sampson’s declining health he told me I would know when it was time and he was right.

My partner and I took him in this afternoon about 2:30. I had talked to the doc a couple of times today. At first I was going to wait until my weekend and go in on Thursday but because Sampson wasn’t eating or drinking much both the doc and I felt we should get it done now.

I have never had to have a pet euthanized before and I think I was actually more fond of the dog than I realized. It was pretty difficult watching the doctor give him the shot. I guess he used sodium pentathol in a large dose. It was very quick, I think he was gone in about twenty seconds and there didn’t seem to be any pain. He just went to sleep. I tried not to but I cried.

Sampson almost seemed to understand. He never objected when the doc shaved his arm and didn’t flinch a bit when the needle went in. Now he is taking a nice long sleep. Good night old man, rest well….

One Old German

Animals No Responses »

Jun 212006

Sampson, our dog is getting on in years. He’s a German shepherd and is about 14 years old. Sampson has been a good pet but he was really my dad’s dog. My dad died a few years ago and Sampson has been kind of strange since then.

When our other German shepherd died by coincidence this guy had come into the police department wanting to know if we could use a dog for a K9 program. The department wasn’t ready for one at that time so I offered to take the dog. He was in the military and was being shipped overseas and I guess it was a big problem taking the dog with them. Odd though, as he was going to Germany……

He came out to the property and after the dog ran it’s self silly he gave my dad Sampson. Sampson is the fourth German Shepherd I have lived with. I must say that male shepherds are not as smart as the females. They are bigger but dumber. I base this observation on the fact that two of ours were male and two female. The females (both named Princes) were very intelligent and the two males were both dumb as a box of rocks. Still they are a great breed and I will probably get another one some day. For now I think we will take a break when Sampson in gone. Anyway we have our hands full with Morgan the cat… ruler of the house. But that is another story.