Tag: puppies

Mama’s Boy

~ Crystal Sands ~ 2 Comments

Day 292 of 365

Tonight, we went to a lovely classical music concert. I cry the good cry when I hear the cello in a concert, pretty much every time, so I had a good time. However, I came home to a bad time.

Bairre has only been alone about ten times in his life. He’s a big boy and can do it now, but he doesn’t like it. Several times, when we come home, I find that he has chewed up some of my stuff. Tonight, it was my wool shoes I wear around the house in the winter. I love these shoes. They are dead now. Bairre really tore into one of them. I cried the sad cry.

I also cried, “Why is it always my stuff?” Because it is always my stuff.

Then, Ron said, “It’s because your stuff smells like you, and he’s anxious when we leave.”

This made so much sense to me. Bairre is absolutely, 100 percent a daddy’s boy, but when he’s scared or worried, he always turns into a mama’s boy and comes to snuggle me. It stands to reason that my stuff would be what he gets when he’s so worried about being alone. He just hates being alone because of course he does. He’s a baby.

The other day, I was gone for several hours with lessons and errands, and Ron had been working outside all day away from where Bairre can go. Bairre could see Ron but not have real contact. Bairre needs a lot of contact. When I came home, I was talking to Ron, and Bairre barked at me to come see him. Bairre never barks, unless he’s not getting his way, so I went into the house and called him in to see me. That giant puppy came in and sat on top of my feet while I worked.

I was still sad about my shoes, but I felt less sad. I mean, he has destroyed a lot of my stuff of late, but I can replace them, thankfully. And, while I look for more shoes online, I am going to remember that, when I’m gone, Bairre really misses his mama.

He’s so fluffy!

~ Crystal Sands ~ 2 Comments

Day 257 of 365

Today, I did not have to throw away eggs! We got just five, but I was so thankful to get to keep all of them.

Also, we discovered that Bairre has stepped up his game when it comes to being bratty. Lately, he has been taking the duck water bowls, dumping them, and then dragging them through the snow. We have had to fill up the duck bowls too many times of late. But, today, Bairre decided to dump the food dish and then drag it through the snow. He left duck food everywhere in the snow, which is terrible because you never want to leave any food out for rats. We struggle enough!

Of course, we could not pick up the food. It’s just under the snow. Hopefully, the Blue Jays will clean it up fairly quickly. They love to steal duck food.

Yesterday, when I was baking the bread, FOUR times, he pulled the towel off of the rising loaves! Of course, he’s just bored and trying to get attention. We try to play with him a lot and give him loads of attention, but I’m telling you, Bairre has high standards.

It’s okay though. We’ll keep trying. He’s like a giant, living teddy bear. He’s so fluffy! It’s like heaven to pet him. He’s so fluffy that, tonight, I noticed my son’s hand left an imprint in the fluff after he gave Bairre some pets. How can a puppy be that fluffy? Gus had very soft fur, but it wasn’t so fluffy. Boudica’s fur is pretty fluffy, but Baire is like Great Pyrenees–extra.

Anyway, I wish everyone could come pet Bairre’s fluffy head because it will surely make you happy.

What I Know About Bairre So Far

~ Crystal Sands ~ 4 Comments

Day 217 of 365

It takes some time to get to know someone, and since Bairre is still a puppy, he’s still his baby self. But I am enjoying getting to know him, seeing who he is and how he behaves in the world. In many ways, he’s so much like Gus that it’s surprising. He even holds his nose up for me to kiss it, just like Gus used to do. I very often forget and call him Gus.

Still, he’s definitely his own person. I have been working late tonight, but here is a short list of interesting things I have observed about Bairre so far. After all, it seems about time for a puppy update.

  1. He loves Boudica, but not so devotedly as Gus did. This could change over time, but he will argue with Boudica and be sassy with her. He also doesn’t look at her the way Gus did. Gus looked at Boudica like she was the most wonderful thing in the history of the world. However, I did notice how he acted when Boudica came home from the vet last week. He was very, very happy to see her, and for a little bit, his adoration for her reminded me of Gus.
  2. He’s mostly a daddy’s boy. He loves me a lot, but there’s something about daddy, it seems. Interestingly, when we first got him and I saw Bairre and Ron together, I thought they were meant to be. So far, they are.
  3. He has a hurt leg right now. He has a vet appointment next Monday. We don’t know if he is injured from wrestling with Boudica or if it is something else. But when he’s hurting, he becomes a mama’s boy. The last two nights, he has sat with me on the couch and acted like a baby. This is very unusual. He usually wants to be a big boy.
  4. He loves to get attention, even from strangers. In fact, he seems confused if a stranger doesn’t stop to admire him. This is unusual in my Pyrenees experience so far. I wonder if he will grow out of this. We’ll see.
  5. He’s way too smart, as you expect from a Pyrenees, of course. But the cutest thing is that he’s too smart for Boudica’s tricks. Boudica used to trick Gus. She could trick him out of treats, out of being the center of attention, and more. I see her try the same things with Bairre. He fell for a few things early on, but he’s already not having that anymore. He’s smart and sassy.
  6. He’s a foodie. Most Pyrs, I have read, are not very food driven. This seemed to be true for Gus and Boudica. Because Pyrs are not food driven, it can make it difficult to “train” them, though I kind of hate that word. Still, Bairre is a foodie and will “come” and “sit” for a bite of cheese. He also LOVES it when I come home from Tiller & Rye with a moose cookie for dogs. He thinks he’s so fancy when I bring home one of those.
  7. I am not sure, but I think he punishes us when he doesn’t get his way. No, I’m pretty sure this is correct. I think I’ve seen it happen too many times know. You kind of hope for the best and hope it’s a coincidence, but I’m pretty sure he’s a stinker on many matters. He’s so cute though.
  8. He is very big hearted and charming. I can see why we were so taken by him when we met his litter. I have never seen such a little charmer. He can be so very sweet.
  9. He has turned our hallway into his toy room. He drags everything he owns and then some things we own–plus all the things the cats own–into the hallway every day. I pick everything up. He drags everything back out. Right now, in his hallway/room, there is his stuffed gnome, his unicorn, his puppy dog, one of my LL Bean boots, Boudica’s unicorn, Ron’s socks, and a flip flop. None of this was here earlier today. I don’t even know when he’s doing it.
  10. He loves to play in water. The water dishes are not sacred, and he splashes water everywhere. We have had to start putting a glass of water on the table for the kitties because they don’t want to drink out of the water dishes after Bairre has had a pool party in them. Poor kitties. Thankfully, he’s pretty good with the kitties overall, and I think they like to play with him.
  11. He snort/grunts like a little piglet when he is happy to see you or wants a treat or is curious about something. This is the most endearing thing I have ever seen in my life. I must try to get it on video.

These are the things I can think of right now. I hope to write more about him as he grows older. He’s still learning the ropes in terms of the chickens and ducks, but he did mostly learn that’s he’s not supposed to chase the ducks. He’s definitely smart.

Bairre, the Celebrity

~ Crystal Sands ~ 3 Comments

Day 207 of 365

Today was a great day! We had to take some copies of the Farmer-ish annual to the MOFGA store in Freeport, Maine today, and the MOFGA store is in LL Bean park. Since the trip was so long, we had to take Bairre, so we decided to take Bairre for a walk through the park area to let him stretch his legs and to give all of us a chance to see the beautiful holiday decorations–okay to give me a chance to see the beautiful holiday decorations. Truly, the decorations in the park were gorgeous. I had never been to LL Bean part during the holiday season, and it was lovely!

But the best part was Bairre. He was a celebrity! It took us nearly one hour to walk about three blocks, and it was because people were coming from every direction to see Bairre! People were oohing and ahhing and asking if they could pet him. And, when they did, Bairre just leaned in. He is a charmer! He grunted and wagged his tail and gave hugs. Two ladies actually came back after a first round of Bairre snuggles and asked for more. We were like, “sure!” Two little girls, both under the age of 5, just kissed and kissed him on his little head. Children were squealing with delight when they touched his fluffy fur. He is fantastically fluffy! A couple of times, there was actually a line. For real, people were waiting in line to get their turn to pet Bairre. I’ll bet Bairre officially greeted 100 people today. Maybe more.

And, of course, there were a million questions, so Ron and I had to give a few TED Talks on Great Pyrenees: Yes, they are quite chill. But, yes, they are still difficult dogs. Yes, they are great with children. Yes, they get very, very big. And, yes, they are very, very fluffy.

It was the best day. I could not stop smiling. The whole park was all festive, so it was like Bairre added this mini polar bear experience to the whole thing. Even Ron and our son were smiling all afternoon, and they are usually quite Grinchy about holiday festivities.

It is interesting to see who Bairre is as a person. Neither of our other Pyrenees have been so charming to people. In fact, Gus was suspicious of everyone–for ever. But Bairre just loves to be admired. I swear, I could see his little puppy head getting bigger by the minute, but I was glad for it. He’s a beautiful creature, inside and out. He should be admired.

Puppies and Ducks

~ Crystal Sands ~ Leave a comment

Day 178 of 365

It’s Thursday night, so I have many essays to grade, especially this Thursday because, well, puppy.

But I have a quick story that I am going to try my best to capture on video if it happens again. And I’m guessing it will happen again.

Boudica is starting to really chip in and help with Bairre. This morning, she baby sat for a good two hours. I was so thankful. I got so much done. Still, even Boudica gets worn out from him, and she looks at me like, “Yeah, I’m done.”

This afternoon, they were both outside with Ron while he worked in the duck yard. We do not leave the puppy alone with the ducks yet because he does chase them, and we don’t want a duck to get hurt. Since Ron was outside with them, I didn’t worry, but then I heard a terrible duck commotion. I ran outside just in time to see the ducks going one way and Bairre going the other. I also saw Ron laughing so hard.

“Did you see it?” he asked.

I told him I did not. He said it was too bad because it was hilarious. He said Boudica has been trying to keep in between Bairre and the ducks, but after a bit, she was just done. Ron said Boudica looked at Bairre like, “Go ahead, little boy.”

So Bairre started chasing the ducks when suddenly our male duck, Antonio, turned around, put his bill down low, and just charged the puppy. Ron said Bairre looked terrified and started just running and running with his tail tucked under. Apparently, Antonio chased him for a good bit before moving on and returning to his girls.

Ron said it was the funniest thing he had ever seen. He also added that Boudica thought the whole thing was pretty fantastic too.

PS You see what I see in those eyes, right?

I live with good people.

~ Crystal Sands ~ 3 Comments

Day 176 of 365

In Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book, Braiding Sweetgrass, in the chapter on language, she writes about how the words for plants and animals in the native Potawatomi language translates into something like “tree people” and “bird people.”

When I first read this, I cried because I call my animals people. I just don’t have a better word for how they seem to me. It has always felt to me that the way most other people speak of chickens or ducks or dogs or any animal is not the way I see these animals. Everyone is “people” to me, and we are equal in my mind. I am reminded this week, as we have brought home a new puppy, that I live with the best people.

Boudica is doing much better with the new puppy. She still grumps at him some, but I am certain she is mainly doing it to make sure he knows his place. Still, she has started to play with him, and it’s just joyful to watch. She needed a playmate so badly, which I thought was the case. She is six years old but still a puppy in her heart. She would try to play with me, but I just wasn’t very fun. Bairre seems pretty fun though. And, oh my goodness, he thinks Boudica is the coolest person in the world.

Boudica is also already teaching him some. Ron said that she got between him and the ducks yesterday when he tried to chase the ducks. And to allow us an opportunity to get some work done, we will put the puppy on the deck, close the gates, and tell Boudica to keep an eye on him. She actually does for the most part.

I am also so impressed with the kitties. Betty really seems to like Bairre. He has chased her a bit and gotten a few swats, but she studies him and will play with him a little bit. It’s fascinating, especially the study. The first night we brought him home, she started following him around, only she was like lurking in the shadows, and he was oblivious to it. But everywhere he went, Betty was poking her head around the corner to see what and who he was. This was fantastic for me to watch. And once she determined he was okay, she started getting really close to him.

Bella was terrified of him at first but now plays with him a little. Mainly, she investigates him while he’s sleeping, which is the cutest thing ever. He will be sleeping, and after some initial sniffs, she will reach out and touch his fur. Maybe she’s trying to see why he’s so fluffy. He’s very fluffy.

I was thinking today about how wonderful these animals are and how thankful I am to them for getting along. We have not always had the best luck with members of our little family getting along. Gus was so jealous of Sophie, and she was pretty disgusted by him. Those two had a few stressful incidences over the years. But, so far, it seems everyone in our family has accepted Bairre and seems to kind of like him. He is pretty cute and charming. And, boy, isn’t it the truth that being cute and charming goes a long way in the world? I wouldn’t know about this first hand, but I have seen it in action.

Anyway, I am thankful to all of my people, and I try to remember to show it. I am fortunate. I get to live with really good people.