Tess and a visit to the Vet

Well, this has been quite a week already! Yesterday I had to take one of my Border Collies to the vet, and she is very skittish about having anyone touch her, but especially on the head.

The reason I had to take her was that one of her ear flaps was heavy with fluid - I mean so heavy that her ear was weighted down, and wouldn't move when she ran. It was painful for her, because that's how I found it... I was petting her head and moved the ear. She yelped...

When I called the vet, she said she thought that Tess had ruptured a small blood vessel in her outer ear, which usually happens from shaking the head a lot and too hard. The reason for shaking her head? I think she might have been stung by a wasp on her ear. The wasps are SO BAD this year that it is hard to NOT get stung! If so, and she was shaking and scratching her ear, then it would explain the blood pooling there.

Anyway, it took a local anesthetic, 2 times draining the fluid with a needle/syringe, and an exam into her ear canal to complete the vet visit - and Tess was AMAZING!!! She didn't yelp once, and for the most part, didn't squirm or twist away from the work being done on her! I was so impressed and relieved! We are hoping that the ear flap won't fill up again, and of course, I have cream to put on it as well as another cream to put into her inner ear. I am sure that at home, she will be much more "vocal", protesting anyone trying to put anything in her ear.

This is just one of the many animal tales from the last 2 weeks in my life here in the country. Wasps. skunks, giant porcupine, ring-necked pheasant, deer, moose and coyotes have all been a part of our lives in ways both pleasant and otherwise. But I guess I will have to save those tales for another time. I must get back to my new painting. :-)

If you would like a pet portrait done of your special friend, I would love to painting one for you. Just contact me: jogiesbrecht@gmail.com

Tess

A couple of weeks ago, I painted one of our two Border Collies. This is the companion piece - the second of our dogs. They are unusual in that they are tri-color collies. Instead of being just the standard black and white, they have the third color, the tan you see here. 

Tess is the dominant female. She will allow people to touch her when they come on our property, whereas Meg will not allow anyone to get near her. Tess has the soft silky fur that you associate with this breed, while Meg's fur is rather coarse and more wiry. Both have the softest noses ever...

With these dogs, you can be gone for 10 minutes and they greet you as though you have just returned from a long trip. They are always happy, always trying to please the owner, ready to work or play at any time. They keep the coyotes away from the house, and ignore my "pet" deer that comes to eat our birdseed that the birds scatter under the feeders and any flowers that might have heads that are large enough to show color. (My husband believes that I grow flowers just to feed the deer. Perhaps he is right!)

Anyway, I do love having my dogs here on our acreage. They have incredible personality, and are fun to watch interact with one another. The pair of paintings look really great hanging together on the wall. 

If you would like to commission a painting of your pet, please contact me: jogiesbrecht@gmail.com

Meg

I have two of the most beautiful border collies you would ever want to see. They are from the same litter - sisters. When we first got them, I thought I was going to go crazy trying to train two dogs at once, and two that are so very smart! But eventually, they trained me and now, six years later, all is well.

Because there are two dogs, one has to be dominant. This painting is of Meg, the "submissive" dog who allows her sister, Tess,  to believe that she is the dominant one. (Meg, obviously, is the smarter sister.) Since they were tiny, we have had trouble feeding them. Unless Tess somehow communicates to Meg that she is allowed to eat, we cannot get Meg to even have a bite. There is growling, and snapping, and showing off their pretty teeth and gums, but it is all posturing except that often,  Meg won't eat. She has actually gone for 6 days without so much as a mouthful.

Lately, I have been watching The Dog Whisperer on National Geographic channel. Caesar Milan is an amazing "trainer of people and rehabilitator of dogs", in his words.  A few days ago, when we were putting in time between a wedding and the reception, we dropped in at Chapters, and picked up one of Caesar's books to read.  He gave some suggestions for the exact situation we face with these two siblings - so we began the very next night. Honestly, it took 2 times before the years of snarling and growling and posturing was over. Meg has eaten every night since then - every night! And Tess? She leaves and goes into her kennel until we call her to tell her that she is now allowed to eat!

This painting was a joy to do. It came together quickly and easily, and I hope to do one of Tess at some time. These dogs are wonderful companions. Even though they are outside dogs, they are very affectionate, and work hard at getting us to throw their balls until we are all exhausted. They howl beautifully with the coyotes, and relieve the porcupine of quills every couple of years or so. The few gophers that have ventured near the house have met their end quickly and efficiently. They play tag with one another around the house - one hides in the grass, the other runs around the house, up to the other, touches her on the nose, then the second one runs around the house while the first rests in the grass. They are great dogs - and keep us laughing and having fun!

If you would like to purchase this painting, or commission a painting of one of your pets, please contact me at jogiesbrecht@gmail.com.