Eeps, sorry, the week has gotten ahead of me. Let’s all blame “Daylight Saving Time“. I put it in quotes because its title is patently illogical–it’s not like we are actually getting more daylight. And besides, I dislike this silly time change twice a year, that has no purpose but to mess up our biological clocks. Humm, I detect I am sounding a bit grumpy.
Daylight Saving Time is, however, a convenient explanation of why I can’t write a decent post today, so there is that. I did have fun with some photos this weekend, so I thought I’d share those today. In the meantime, I’m working on posts about exercises for older dogs, whether bigger brains mean smarter dogs and what fear might smell like. Stay tuned.
First, some flower therapy. Outdoors it is all black, brown and grey, so I am especially grateful that some of the amaryllis I put outside last spring are blooming. No thanks to me; I forgot about them off and on all summer, put them in the dark way too late, and yet 4 of the 6 are blooming or about to. Sometimes you just get lucky.
I could get lost in this flower.
I mentioned the world is black and white outside. Is that what prompted me to play with these photos of Maggie and Polly and make them black and white? We call Polly The Ghost Kitty; this photo that Jim took explains why.
Argh, I blew the focus on this one of Maggie in the snow. See how it’s on her chest ruff and not her eyes? Darn. But I love the composition.
Last week I mentioned that we’ve seen little or no wildlife over the winter. And then our yard was befriended by a herd of deer for two days. The turkeys came immediately after:
And the turkeys came, and came and came. They are everywhere now, although I haven’t seen the males begin displaying as they do every spring. That should happen any day, because the Chickadees and the Cardinals are singing, which I would argue is the real beginning of spring. Wildlife is everywhere now; I just saw a coyote in a field nearby to the farm. Time for us to keep an eye out, our lambs are due in a couple of weeks.
Speaking of wildlife, here’s Nellie (the cat who isn’t allowed in the house because of my allergies) in what she would like to be her native habitat. She is showing off her skills as a predator. Willie and Maggie have apparently not informed her that they killed it already. Every night as a matter of fact.
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Rain, lots of it. Then snow, about another two inches. Now sun today and predictions of more rain soon, along with more snow. Yeah, it’s March.
Here are Maggie and Willie charging down the hill on a cloudy Sunday morning. I don’t remember any dog I’ve ever had loving snow as much as Maggie. Willie loves playing chase with Maggie, and he couldn’t care less whether it’s snowing or not.
Hope you have a good week. While I’m busy working on topics for new blogs, don’t hesitate to vote for an issue you’d love to discuss. My ears are always open.
Jan says
I’d like to vote for an issue . . . . fear . . . specifically related to doing dog sports. How do you address it and should you address it in relationship to sports, or just give them up? I have a friend that addressed her dogs fear and achieved an OTCH. I’ve worked with fearful rescue dogs and got them reliable enough and happy enough to be a good family pet. But I currently have a fearful dog who’s great at home, but developed fear at 14 mos of age towards a dog trainer friend who walks funny, then at conformation shows at being examined in the rear (male), and now at what was his favorite sport – agility – fear and distraction. I was recently home recuperating for 2 months, and at first he was terrified at the daily visitors, but I worked with him and them and after 2 weeks, he was eagerly going to the door when it was time for the next visitor.
Adrienne K. says
Thank you for the pictures. Our poodle Zasu adores the snow. But what to do about all those ice balls that she collects? Zasu does not wear clothing of any kind. Her own thick coat seems to protect her just fine but I do worry about her feet and she would never tolerate boots. Living in Maine you have to expect all kinds of weather. As soon as we get rid of the snow and ice that surrounds us now we will be in mud season and I worry about the effect of the mud on her feet as well. We do get her professionally groomed about every eight weeks. She is not fond of my brushing her so I need to bribe her with some human food to get her to be still for me. Wish I could put her picture here. She is fabulous.
Caroline says
First, thanks for the review on Deep Creek. It has multiple holds on it at our local library, people love it so much. Plus, I have been sharing The Education of Will with some of the young adults I work with; good conversations come from it.
Love your theme for this post. Being outdoors, enjoying nature, and delighting in the animals is what it’s all about. Especially this time of year. It’d be nice to hear what others think about how overuse of digital devices (key word is overuse) might interrupt our enjoyment of these simple things in life. We are all guilty of it, yet I wonder what it’s doing to a dog and ourselves when we go outside for a walk and constantly pay attention on our phones, not on our dogs or the nature around us.
BTW, the flower picture is especially beautiful; worth paying constant attention to.
Jenn says
Thank you for a sweet and happy post this morning. I laughed at your comments about daylight savings because I wholeheartedly agree and it’s messing up my dogs too. They’ve been giving me funny looks when I’ve (and therefore they’ve) been going to bed “early” and my older dog is not loving early morning wake-ups (she would sleep until 9 every day given the chance).
If you ever feel like writing about it I would love to hear your thoughts on music made for dogs…
KC Wilson says
I’m with you on Day Light Savings. Living in Alaska for 36 years, the DLS would dive everyone nutty. And you’re right, it doesn’t make sense other than that’s the way it’s always been done. Now we are snowbirds and Arizona thankfully doesn’t do DLS. It makes it so much nicer not having to deal with it. I wish I could send you a picture of my Hong Kong Orchid tree blooming away in AZ. It reminds me of your Amaryllis. Happy spring to you and your family.
Erin says
Hi Trisha! I’d love to hear your thoughts on holistic anxiety treatments for dogs. The shelves are filling with calming treats and dog appeasing pheramine products. I havent found a lot of research on these products and im curious to see what youve encountered
Kay East says
Well, I just loved this post! Your pictures and descriptions of the joys of late winter are wonderful and proof of nature at her finest!
As far as the ridiculous time change, here in CA, we voted to do away with it and may see and end soon.
Gayla says
OMG, What a beautiful cat! It must break your heart every time you have to put her back out… :<(
Margo Harris says
Oh, what a treat as I sit down with my morning coffee! I love all these photos…wonderful, thank you!! And the one of Polly (such a sweet name) is super cool… it looks like a charcol sketch. It would be nice framed and up on a wall. You didn’t blow the one of Maggie in the snow, the focus on her ruff is lovely, and you did that on purpose, right?!! What a neat idea to make the pictures black and white, now I will try that.
Nellie looks very happy, lucky kitty! My 2 ancient barn cats Emily and Smokey are living inside, after our bitterly cold (Ontario) winter last year, and they have adapted well to being indoors, surprisingly. My 2 remaining dogs, Echo and Sam, are also ancient now, so it makes for a busy and sometimes funny household, looking after the oldies. I now give Echo and Sam puppy food, and the way they race (lurch) down the hall to eat, is so cute. I think they’re still here because they want that puppy food. Alas, all 4 oldies are becoming steadily frailer, and so now I’m really appreciating each day I still have them.
Just in case anyone is interested, one topic I think might be important is dogs and sleep. One of my dogs, a hound, Pippi, became much calmer and better behaved once I put up blinds on the windows where she would constantly bark at the deer. She then got a lot more sleep, and I always wondered if that was what helped her calm down…well, not barking at the deer too, of course, but it seemed more than that.
Thanks again for the great photos, Trisha!
Sue says
Oh, I love having summer time (although here in the UK the clocks aren’t changing for a couple of weeks yet…)! I don’t like having to get up an hour earlier when summer time arrives, but I do love having lighter evenings in the spring and summer. So much better for working in the garden after work or going for an evening walk, not to mention BBQs and picnics… and when autumn arrives it is actually quite nice to gain an extra hour of sleep as the mornings get darker again…
Monika, Sam & Elsa says
We’re with you on the stupidly insane DST change. It messes up huMoms and pups’ circadian rhythms which play particular havoc on anyone on anti-seizure meds that is timed specifically 12 hours apart. It’s worse when we ‘fall’ back. And don’t feel like the Lone Ranger, it makes me grumpy too. I might almost be willing to trade you black and white for brown and grey. Almost. We have a blizzard forecast for tomorrow. Sigh. Will winter ever go away?
Enjoy that beautiful amaryllis!
lak says
I love daylight savings time! It lets me know spring and summer are on the way with long days and many hours spent outside. I work nights so I don’t feel the difference too bad, working on the “fall back time is a lot worse for me. I am a fellow midwesterner and spotted a red wing black bird, also my mourning doves are nesting…yep…I do believe spring is right around the corner, thank goodness. Love the photo of the dogs running, a beautiful action photo.
Debby Gray says
Your comment on daylight saving time not really “saving” daylight reminded me of my college days in Minnesota in the 1960s. At that time there was no law state or national, for the start and close of daylight saving time. One year the state did not go on daylight savings time but the city of Minneapolis did. St Paul did not go on daylight savings time either. The University of MN, located mostly in Minneapolis, was a state organization. Therefore the U was an island of standard time within the city on daylight saving time.
In the midst of all this confusion, there was a letter to the editor in one of the Twin Cities news papers. The author said that they didn’t understand all the fuss over daylight saving time. As it was their grass always burned in the summer and with an extra hour of daylight the lawn would be a real disaster!
I lived your photographs Trisha
Jenny Haskins says
Me, too. I HATE “Summer Time” — especially here where the ignorant live ‘by the clock’ and plan things for 3pm in Summer which is really 2pm and the hottest time of the day — and the worst for sunburn 🙁
I love your Ghost Kitty 😉
Pat says
Hi Trisha,
Another great post and I would echo others requests for a post on fear/aggression reactions – specifically to things that I cannot control. Kona reacts awfully to hot air balloons and helicopters neither of which I can apply traditional conditioning techniques to since I cannot graduate the approach. Kona also assumes he wins each fight since the helicopter inevitably runs off with its tail between its legs while Kona remains victorious on the field of battle!
I have to agree with lak in that I love daylight savings time! I am not a morning person so if it is dark for my work commute so be it – it means I have lovely sunshine in the afternoon to take Kona for walks. Here in Australia we are about to revert to the winter timetable meaning lots of cheerful daylight mocking me in the mornings!
Lovely pics and I look forward to the next post.
Anne Ramey says
I hear the arguments about Daylight Savings Time, but it seems to be the only way out of being between a rock and a hard place with the amount of light at the extremes of the day in different seasons. The trouble with staying on Standard Time all year in the northern regions of the mainland U.S. is that we wouldn’t have light in the earlier evenings (6-8 p.m.) until about May.
And the trouble with NOT turning off Daylight Savings Time in the winter is that it wouldn’t get light in the morning until about 9 a.m. Don’t know about you, but in the already dark and grey winters in the Pacific NW, I don’t know how well I’d emotionally survive that each year – it’s always a banner day in February when it starts to get light around 7; and now in mid-March we have to wait for that to re-occur in a few weeks. Not easy to walk dogs in the wind AND dark in the mornings before work for 4 -5 straight months.
Anyway, thanks for the very wonderful photos! Maggie in the snow is so fun especially the one where she’s running down the hill ahead of Will – and the flower is a very credible tribute to Georgia O’Keefe. Beautiful to have that kind of color in your world at any time of year!
Caroline says
Adrienne K
I have poodles too. As for feet and the cold. I trim the bottoms with a 30 blade, but do the tops of the feet with a 10 blade to try to keep them warm. One of mine still gets ice balls at certain temps. But we don’t go for long outings when it is really cold. And any outings we do, we try to make sure they keep moving
Trisha says
I love this reminder of why DST works for some people! Thanks so much. It reminded me of when I left for work in the dark and came home in the dark and how hard that was. Now I work less and have lots more flexibility with when and where I work, so it’s not so much of a problem. From my perspective, I was liking the sun earlier in the morning, cuz we get up around 5 AM and it’s nice to have the sun come up sooner rather than later. And right now, with the ground covered in ice and snow, it’s not like I am outside gardening. But… such good reminders that it affects everyone differently. Just another reason why I love the blog!
Trisha says
Pat I heard you loud and clear about fear-related issues, I will definitely add that to the list. And hi to one of my favorite countries, so loved the time I was there.
Trisha says
Ghost Kitty says thanks!
Trisha says
Oh oh oh, love the comment about the ‘extra’ hour of daylight. We could certainly use it in winter, too bad just changing the time doesn’t do it.
Trisha says
Love that you love it! And thanks for the perspective–you are making this so much easier for me.
Trisha says
Blizzard now? Noooooooooooooo. We got another 2 inches of snow a few days ago, but now it’s well over freezing and raining, so we are getting a slow melt. It will be a long, long time before some of the snow mountains melt though. I should take a photo of them to show folks who live in warmer climes. It’s weird to drive on clear streets and see 10 foot high mounds of snow in parking lots. Speaking of parking lots, I’d guess that most of ours have lost a good 1/4 of their spaces due to piles of snow. But I’m so grateful we are getting a slow melt. Our garage is now flooding, but at least it’s not pouring outside. That would be a disaster.
Trisha says
BBQ’s? Picnics? Could you define those exotic and strange things to me?
Trisha says
Love the issue about dogs and sleep. It also seems to me that constant arousal (barking out the window) and frustration might relate, yes? Definitely food for the blog!
Trisha says
One of the things I learned at DST is how it has come and gone, over and over again, through the ages. Interesting CA has voted to dump it. Arizona never joined in. Sounds like most people don’t like the time change, but I’ve appreciated reading comments by those who do. Lesson = Adapt. Accept. Take a breath. (This lesson is for me, just fyi.)
Trisha says
Oh, interesting question! I’ll put it on the list!
Trisha says
I just looked up Hong Kong Orchid Tree. Oh oh oh, I want one. Too bad, it would never grow in WI, but thanks so much for letting us know about it.
Trisha says
Oh those ice balls. Happens to my dogs too. I’ve found that trimming the fur around and between their pads helps a lot. Sounds like time to get those extra special treats out, enroll a friend and do some trimming? Hope that helps…
Trisha says
Jan, I hear you loud and clear. Fear and is consequences is such a huge and important topic. I’ve got it on the list for sure…
LisaW says
Several states are introducing legislation to keep on year-round DST. I am all for that. Yes, it’s darker in the morning, and it is so much lighter in the evening when the majority of people have time to do chores, walk dogs, do outside activities, etc. The reasons of wartime labor, agrarian concerns, and energy savings are all passe. We can do this on a state-by-state level, but to get it to be consistent, the feds will have to pass it, too. (Don’t keep the light on for that.)
A bill to retain DST has been introduced in my state. I have written my state reps and senators to ask for their support of this bill. Mainly because right now, I feel like it’s a small thing we can do to make a little difference for the positive, and if we can do enough of these little things, it starts to have a positive effect on our individual and collective psyches in these disheartening times. I truly dread the fall back position, so this has me hopeful and engaged. Are there literally 800 bills in the mix this session? Yes. Is this small shift worthy of a vote? Yes!
Here’s more info, if anyone is interested: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-daylight-saving-time-good-or-bad-for-you/
I gasped at the red amaryllis. Such a shock of color and so wonderful to see. This time of year, it’s nice to go visit a local greenhouse. The colors, and smells, and warmth are a tonic to the cruelness of March. (I think I’m a little cranky, sorry 😉
HFR says
I would love to your thoughts on the general topic of competitive sports for dogs. I’ve been involved in a few over the years and every single time I’m always turned off by how competitive it gets. You start off in the beginner classes and everyone (except for the veteran competitors who are on their 3rd or 4th dogs in the sport) is happy and jovial and laughing at their mistakes and generally having a fun time. As the classes go on, I watch these people, slowly, one by one, get more and more serious. And once they start trialing, it’s game over. Literally.
I always joke that it’s horrible to see what a 39 cent acetate ribbon can do to a person. The instructors start talking about the science and nuance behind every step of the lesson. If it’s agility you will dissect the mega-second you can save by holding your shoulder at a certain angle. In obedience it’s about getting the dog’s rear left paw perfectly aligned with the right rear paw (and for some reason obedience seems to justify using the harshest methods even today) and in nosework it’s about the vagaries of the wind. I understand that humans don’t do well unless they have a goal, but it is disheartening to see people become obsessed with that ribbon and the dog, not necessarily unhappy but, take a back seat to the experience over all.
And I can’t help but be certain that no matter what we say to others (and there is a lot of lip service given to just having fun and proclamations that it’s not the dog’s fault) we are disappointed in our dogs when we fall short of our goal and we are just a tad happier with them when they succeed. I’ve seen some pretty horrible things are dog trials and I try not to let them get to me, but they always do. I always tell myself these dogs are so much better off than most dogs in the world, but I just have to wonder if some of them wouldn’t just rather be in the backyard somewhere sitting in the sun.
Anyway, lovely pix and count me as another one who loves DST. There’s something about marking the seasons in such a definitive way that appeals to me.
Bruce says
Great “running dog” pictures Trisha! I started taking pictures of our dogs at play to practice capturing fast movement, but dog action photos have become a bit of an addiction.
Getting the focus on the chest rather than the eye is tricky. Maggie, like Red Dog, has a big contrasting white spot on her chest and less contrast around her eyes. Unfortunately autofocus systems tend to grab the most contrasty thing available. If you have enough light you can increase depth of field (f/5.6 or above) so that the eyes are sharp even if the camera focuses on the dog’s chest. Might have to bump up ISO to keep shutter speed fast enough for dogs though.
Spendy new cameras have “eye-autofocus” systems but I have no idea whether they work on running dogs (and I’m not willing to get that spendy to find out, lol). Or you could just get a Samoyed. Dark eyes and dark nose against white coat makes the camera’s job much easier.
Re DST: I have an alarm clock so old that it changes time with the old DST dates. Consequently I have to change the time on my alarm clock 4x per year rather than 2x.
But I do like extra daylight after work. And the dogs’ stomachs stay on DST all year anyway . . .
Chris from Boise says
One could just fall into those voluptuous amaryllis petals! Wonderful photos – I especially love the Ghost Kitty.
To add to your ideas list: dealing with whining/barking in the car. We may have made a mistake with new BC Rowan, who was perfect in the car for the first two months and has recently decided to Add Noise. We’ve taken her to only Fun Places, and this seems to be an excitement barking/whining rather than an anxious one (though who knows). Right now we’re not taking her anywhere, but are feeding her in the car parked in the driveway, practicing Loose Leash Walking, and playing lots of mental games to burn up her energy.
Here’s to coming spring and chickadee songs!
Trisha says
Great topic idea, thanks! (Oh oh yes yes, I’ve seen it too, it just might be universal.)
Anne says
Car noise for Chris- have you tried crating her with a crate cover/blanket over the top? Some dogs get over stimulated by all the things speeding past them and providing them a little cave fixes that.
Chris from Boise says
Anne – Thanks for reminding me about covering the crate. We’ll give it a try. So far we’re up to a drive around the block without a whimper…progress! Between training a quiet behavior, and management tools like a towel over the crate, we’ll get there – but maybe not before the snowpack in the mountains melts :-(. With this new little girl, we’re determined to go slow and build a solid foundation [having learned from past mistakes –>Habi. Habi was NOT a mistake, but WE made lots of mistakes with her before we figured her out. Rowan comes with a more stable temperament, and we want to build on that]. This community is a wonderful forum for ideas!
Andy says
I’m fine with either DST or standard time, it’s the 2X a year change that is so bad. It really throws off people with mood disorders. I’m sure at the margin it does a lot of damage.
If I had my druthers we’d stay on standard since our summer days in Texas are soooo long and soooo hot, but really just sticking to one or the other is my biggest priority.
Andy says
I’m sorry I’m so late with this, but just today a really germane post suggestion popped into my head. Specifically, trauma in pets related to natural disasters, how to recognize it, and how to treat it.
We took in a ton of Harvey animals and number of trainers and vets commented on how many seemed truly traumatized. We’re almost certainly going to see more pets brought in this storm season and while there’s a general understanding that some of these pets will be traumatized, I think more detail about how to prepare for, identify, and treat disaster-related trauma could be really helpful.
Trisha says
Andy, I talk about dogs and trauma in a post, https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/dogs-and-psychological-trauma. And, of course, my book the Education of Will (www.theeducationofwill) is all about trauma in people and dogs. Yay for you for the work you are doing…
Andy says
Thank you, Trisha! I’d forgotten about that great post and will share it prior to the storm season.
Adrienne K says
Thank you to Trisha and Caroline for addressing ice balls on doggie feet. I did notice on her last grooming Zasu’s feet were left with more covering on the top. I assumed the groomer did that to give some protection from those awful ice balls. Yesterday after running around in her pen I did see some little spots of blood coming from the bottom of one of Zasu’s feet. Thankfully that did not last long and she is fully recovered. Wondering if I should be putting some kind of cream on her feet this time of year.
Kerry says
We have a big resurgence in the use of shock collars in our community due to a popular trainer in town and the local pet camp advocating their use. It is pretty disturbing and I think would make a good blog topic. Thank you for your awesome blog.
Trisha says
Argh. I’m afraid talking about shock collars on my blog would be singing to the choir. Any chance you could get local news to have you on to talk about fun, positive training and just happen to mention how destructive collars are?