Just acquired a third canine warning system...
... in my absence.
Called home from the sandbox the other night, and the lady told me she'd encountered a stray dog her last few visits to the boarding stable where we currently have two of our warmbloods. In my lady's words, "I'm starting to get attached."
So... asked her to take the dog to the vet, check for microchips and ailments; if that turned out ok, asked her to have vet or techs handle the stray while we introduced our smaller, more aggressive dog to her; if those tests passed, asked her to verify it was ok with the landlord.
Microchip came back positive - microchips are great things - but my lady called the owner, and learned that Lola's owner's elderly mother had just moved in with her, and she couldn't keep the dog any more. Guess the elderly mother must have been fragile. So Lola's owner brought crate, blanket, toys, bowls, and leash to our place.
Canine warning system now consists of a 9.5lb, 10yo Jack Russell (the boss of the pack); a 45lb, 9month American Bulldog/German Shepherd/Samoyed mix (gotta love the new DNA tests the vet can run for breeds in a rescue dog); and a 50lb, youngish lab/pointer mix (according to the former owner; to us, she looks more like a pit mix).
I don't think any burglar in his right mind would want anything to do with our house at this point. Three sets of barks, and 1.5 sets of effective teeth... Not to mention the armed farmgirl, when I'm gone.
Makes me much less anxious about being 8.5 time zones away.
Cheers,
M
PS can't post pics, because I can't access picasa from this location. Sorry.