dogs, squirrels and shopping.....

Well, first of all, my daughter had to put down her wonderful pet, Mollie. Mollie, a black lab, just had too many aches and pains from old age and it was something that had to be done as she could barely move any longer.....she was an important part of our family for over 15 years and was a bit of a heroine to my old dog, Tommy. You can read about it here. Rest in peace Mollie.

If you read that old post, it gives you a little insight on the problems I have had with squirrels. They are the cause of many power outages, not to mention the intimidation they do to the family pets. Tommy (my Lhasa Apso) wasn't able to fight them back like Mollie did so he had to put up with it. This dog I have now...my rat terrier, Abby, just hates squirrels. I think her breed is born hating them. She spends her days running from one window to the next watching the squirrels jump from tree to tree or scamper all over my roof. Since Abby would rather chase a squirrel than eat, I have to let her out on a 50 foot nylon leash so she won't leave my yard....the squirrels have learned just where the boundaries are and they will run around just inches beyond her reach with her angrily yapping. Yesterday I let her out and she tore off the deck and headed straight for a squirrel that wasn't out of her reach....he just wasn't paying attention. My sweet little pet turned into a snarling savage as she tackled this squirrel....they tumbled ears over tails in the yard and the squirrel managed to get away from her. That was her first taste of actually having one in her grasp. When I let her inside a few minutes later and went to unleash her my hand came away covered in blood. Upon checking her over I could see that the squirrel had bitten her on the top of the head and also on the ear. Abby has her first battle scars and she wears them proudly. I hope she was able to get a couple bites on him too. I called the vet to make sure I didn't have something to worry about as I've heard that a lot of squirrels carry rabies. They said as long as she's up to date on her shots, (she is) that she should be fine. I cleaned her wounds with peroxide and put some antibiotic ointment on them. Now when I let her out, she actually prances. The squirrels are keeping their distance for right now, but I know they'll be up to their dastardly tricks again before too long.

Now this is off the above subject but its something that I have to pass on or I'll surely forget to. About 6 months ago I came across what I refer to as a best kept secret in the shopping world. Yep, its a family owned department store somewhere in PA. They may have more stores elsewhere in that general area too, I'm not sure. I was looking for something (what....now I can't remember) and I believe their name came up in Google. I checked them out and really liked what I saw. I have bought from them 3 times now and they are wonderful. This last time I got my granddaughter a London Fog winter coat for only $43. and some new Mary Jane type shoes for $16. I also got her some nice waterproof and insulated Totes winter boots for $23. These prices are absolutely unbeatable....especially for brand name merchandise. Yes, they were having a sale, but they seem to have a lot of those. They ship for a flat fee of $9.95 no matter how big your order is and they are prompt, as well as accurate. I'm not getting anything from them to promote their business....I just wanted to pass along a good thing. Go to www.boscov.com and see for yourself. I just love it when I find good deals. And just in time for Christmas too.