We’ve had a pretty good summer, according to the temperature, but it’s hard to do much with the dogs when it’s 85 degrees or more. We have had a few days where the temperature gets in the upper 90’s. The weather forecaster’s are saying it has been one of the cooler summers. Abby and the puppies are in the air conditioned shed so they are getting along fine.
One of the first times in the grass..
If Abby slows down they nail her.
It’s hard to sleep. Okay, this will work.
I have a lot of friends that come over, some bring their kids or grandkids, to pet puppies. It really helps socialize the puppies and it’s good for the people.
A few days ago my neighbors, Dave and Debby, called and wanted to pet the puppies. I said sure. I would meet them at the shed. I got there before they did. When I opened the lid on the puppies box there were only 5 puppies. I have 2 boxes connected. Both boxes are about 4 feet by 4 feet. I keep Abby’s feed and water in the other box but it has a rail around it just like the whelping box.
Abby must have been feeding the puppies and jumped up and ran outside dragging two of the puppies into the other box. When I opened the lid on that box one of the puppies was in Abby’s water bucket and the other was on the rail next to the bucket, soaking wet. Evidently, they both were in the bucket and she used her brother to climb out. They were both sopping wet. I dried them. It was a really warm day so I put all of the puppies outside. The 2 pups didn’t seem any worse for their experience but if Dave and Debbie hadn’t called it may have ben a couple of hours before I found those puppies. I don’t even like to think about that outcome.
The puppies will be 4 weeks old tomorrow, July 28. It won’t be long until they are crossing into the other box. The way the shed is set up Abby can go out into the big pen, whenever she wants. I moved her water bucket out into the big pen. When several puppies start getting into the other box I will move them to the kennel.
I sent Boss to South Dakota with Mike Harryman. Mike said he was doing real well and he texted me some pictures of him pointing the prairie grouse. Boss usually looks good on his birds and these pictures showed that. They are on my phone and I don’t know how to put them on these blog posts.
When I built my pigeon house I thought it would be a good idea to put a loafing shelf right inside where the birds come back into the coop. I put a shelf outside the coop so they could land then come through the hanging barbs. I thought if there was a shelf inside it might encourage the younger birds to come in quicker.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
This new pigeon house is well over a year old with never a problem. A few days ago, I had 3 pigeons out, flying around. I checked the house and there were no holes. As I watched another pigeon, from the shelf inside the coop, pulled the barbs in and squeezed out onto the ledge outside, then flew away.
The birds flying around keeps the dogs, barking and hyper, as long as the birds are out. I took the shelf off the inside. Most of the pigeons went back into the coop, except for one dumb one that took a couple of days to figure out that he needed to be in the coop to have food and water.
Five weeks from tomorrow dove season opens in Kansas and Missouri plus a lot of other states. Usually, just before the season opens the temperature drops and we get a cold rain. This drives the doves south. But the cooler weather allows us to work our dogs. September 15, 2021 to October 15, 2021 will be the early season for prairie chickens in Kansas. The fall season for turkeys starts the first of October. Kansas allows the use of dogs in their fall turkey season. So there will a lot of time to work the dogs and find out where the quail are.
Abby on point on wild quail.
The fall turkey season closes November 10, 2021. Before last year fall turkey season ran to the end of quail season. I can read but I don’t always read, what I should. Last year I killed a turkey a few days after the season closed. As soon as I learned of my mistake I called the game warden and told him what I had done.
This year I’m reading the regulations a little more than than last. I will still buy a turkey tag so I can hunt the walk-in properties but I’m not sure I would even shoot at one. Just being able to get the dogs out after all of the days since last season will be enough. I don’t need to shoot anything.
PS: Went down to feed puppies after writing this post, this morning. All 7 puppies were out of the shed. I think Abby had moved them out for some reason. I don’t think they had been out long but now they’re in the kennel. I have a house they can get into and I’ll just put Abby in with them every few hours. They will be easier for me, anyway.