Still a Taste for Flowers, Solo News
As the summer progresses, some of our new flower beds have developed colorful changes. Our goldens are happiest when by my side, so whenever I am doing yard chores, they are very close by and make excellent company. But I also have to accept their canine nature to chew and taste anything that interests them. As you may have read before, most things with color and texture are fair game. (“Planting Flowers“, “Weeding Chores“). A little thing like fences doesn’t seem to stop them.
They seem to have a particular fondness for geraniums, coneflowers, and daisies. Of course humans also use ecchinacea for herbal remedies, which comes from the coneflower family. So the dogs may know something about herbal health that we don’t.
Solo has also taken a personal interest in the few pumpkin plants that I grew from seeds. I planted five different kinds of pumpkins, but only three plants of one kind came up. So my vision of a large Charlie Brown pumpkin patch this fall has gone the way of many another summer dream. But as anyone who gardens seriously knows, you are always planning at least one year ahead in your mind. Will try harder next year a little wiser in the way of seeds.
Breeding News: Today we had excellent initial news about Solo’s hips and elbows. Dr. Steve Feldman took the required XRays on his machine, and using his new digital processor, we got to see the films on his laptop instead of the standard XRay viewing box.
His wife and able assistant, Lisa, will then send the results by email. This saves the inconvenience of having large XRay films being handled and mailed to the Orthopedic Foundation. I was amazed at the security features Lisa explained that are in place with this digital email system. All to prevent fraudulent dog results from being certified. Because of my profession, I always assume folks are as honest as we are. Sadly, especially in the dog world, many are not I was told. We will await the official report, but based on Dr. Feldman’s experience, it looks like Solo will join Emma and Riley as fully certified to be mothers of purebred golden pups. We still await the start of our Riley’s summer heat. Hopefully, any day now?