A Barking Dog & A Typical Morning With The Pets
Last night I was lying in bed trying to finish a book. I kept hearing a dog barking on and off. Sounded like a big dog barking.
It was pouring rain. Was the dog outside?
I turned my sound machine to high, but Charlie was still reacting to the barking, and it had gone on for hours.
I got up, put on my sweater, and headed out into the pouring rain. First time I’ve been out at night in ages.
I walked all the way to the end of the four-plex, around the middle where the dumpster is, then headed up the sidewalk to the four-plex around the other side.
I knocked on the third door down, as I saw a light was on. A woman came to the door and said she’d just gotten in and didn’t have a dog.
I didn’t know the guy at the very end had moved out. But I had seen some young guys moving a table and chairs out of a pick up earlier when I’d taken out my trash. So I knocked on the end door.
The same young man I’d seen earlier came to the door. Mind you, he and whoever else lives there had just moved in hours before and they were already causing me trouble. I saw a table set up right inside the door with young people seated around it.
I asked him if he had a dog. He kind of hesitated and then said yes. I asked him if it was outside. I told him I had been listening to it bark for hours.
He mumbled something about the dog jumping up on furniture or people indoors. But said he’d bring it in. “Please do,” I said and turned around and left.
I wish I’d thought to chastise him for leaving a dog out in the rain, but I was wet and cold. And surprised that someone new had moved in behind me.
I was angry. The man behind me who had lived here longer than I have had apparently moved out and in had come whoever lives there, with a big loud dog.
Believe me I will be calling the manager first thing in the morning. Not that I can do much but be a pain in the ass about it. But I’m pretty good at that when I’m motivated and an animal is involved.
Had I known the dog was outside in the pouring rain, I’d have been over there earlier. I don’t give a tinker’s you-know-what who or what the dog is jumping on inside.
You DO NOT leave a dog out in the pouring rain. Much less the cold. And if you do and I know about it I will be hassling you.
This kid better get accustomed to the fact that he will be seeing my face on a more regular basis if there’s going to be a lot of noise over there.
I know you’re supposed to let the management handle this type of thing, but the dog was barking and outside in the rain. I sure wasn’t waiting till Monday.
Anyway, I got back home and was mad as an old wet hen, which I seem to remember one of my grannies saying.
I take care of my pets. I know there are people who do not. And this makes me very sad.
I wasn’t planning to go out today. I don’t like to go out much on weekends. But I’m having to wear a wrist brace on my right hand to type, and it’s about worn out. Guess I might have to go get another one and put this one on my left hand.
I can’t figure out how to stop this pain in my neck, shoulder and down my arms. But I’m just not keen on steroid injections in my neck. So I guess I’ll just put up with it. It’s now been like this for 11 months.
As for Charlie, he seems a bit better. He was coughing some last night and this morning, but hopefully the meds will kick in soon.
Here he is with his favorite little red blanket on the pet bed.
Ivy is sitting at the patio door looking out.
Speaking of Ivy, she came down the hall yesterday with this…
I keep these grocery sacks in the closet for when I clean out the litter box each day.
She has never gotten into them before.
But I’ve learned that you never say never where a cat is concerned.
I was watching her for a bit just to see what she’d do, hoping she’d find it awkward and leave the plastic sacks alone next time. I took it off of her and put it back in the closet where it belongs.
In the night I heard Ivy eating. I knew her bowl on the table was pretty much empty when I went to sleep. That cat will eat and eat, so I didn’t fill it before bed.
I found her in the kitchen eating Charlie’s prescription food.
It still constantly amazes me what a cat/kitten will do.
Ivy will find a tiny piece of paper under something and scoot it along the floor and then suddenly jump in the air for no reason I can see. Then she might dance around it like an Indian at a pow-wow, and then run pell-mell down the hall away from it.
It’s like she sees something that is invisible to my eyes.
Do they continue doing this once they’re adults? Not that I mind. It is entertaining. But bewitching. I just don’t recall my other cats being like this.
Ivy is into everything. Give her an inch and she’ll stretch it into a mile. She’s about figured out that door knobs open doors and stretches herself out to reach them.
What on earth am I going to do if she figures out how to open the doors to the other closet and gets in there and upends everything I’ve recently and very carefully organized?
It is now my only closet and I had to fit everything in there to give her and her litter box the other closet.
She’s already figured out how to open the little yellow pantry door. She reaches up and puts her front claws into the wire that is inserted between the wood and swings on it till it opens. I guess I’ll have to figure out how to put a fastener on there.
Just now she has gotten into my pen jar next to where I sit. She jumped to the floor and I see she got a business card I had pushed down in there. If I don’t get to it soon, it will be shredded or taken to parts unknown. And it has the email address of a woman who works at the vet’s office that I want to keep.
She has taken it behind the curtain on the patio doors, which is where she hides sometimes with something she’s found. Like I can’t hear her there with it.
Now Charlie is curious about the sounds she’s making wadding it up and he’s over there checking it out.
I just now went to brush my teeth. I saw her playing on her cat tree in the bedroom. By the time I got back to the living room she had located two pieces of paper I need and thought she couldn’t get to and dragged them underneath the sewing machine table.
Which meant I had to move everything to get to them and hide them all over again.
What I would give to know if there is any rhyme or reason to her actions, or if Ivy just acts on a whim.
Well, now she’s climbing the living room window and Charlie is all excited and perched on the couch arm and barking.
Never a dull moment around here these days, that’s for sure.
In Virginia law requires all dogs ouside to be on a leash. Does Oklahoma have that law? If so, I’d call the law if his happens again.
I follow a blog and she has shoulder pain. She shared this video of what she sort of does for the pain. She opted out of surgery. I haven’t watched it but thought I would pass it on in case you wanted to try it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjGN8GlnbEw pam
Here is the blog in case you want to read the whole post of hers. http://www.joscountryjunction.com/ask-jo-my-shoulder/
I’m with you regarding that dog owner. What a hideous thing to do–leaving the poor dog out in the rain and barking to boot. It popped into my mind as I read it that if you see or hear more evidence of “pet-abuse” I’d look up the number of the local ASPCA or call the nearest animal shelter and report him. When people abuse animals it just gets me steaming mad!
That is such a cute picture of Charlie with the red blankie. Another framable portrait.
As for Miss Ivy Lou, she is acting like a lot of kittens do. She’s very young yet–four months or a little more? Yup, she’s just being a baby cat! Very entertaining for us all to hear about but I imagine a little frustrating for you. I can’t believe she’s been able to figure out how to get in the cupboards! Goodness, I had forgotten how kittens act having just the two geriatric lady felines. The one just eats and sleeps and goes out on the deck occasionally. The other one eats, looks out the window and tries to eat the other one’s food and runs if anyone strange comes in the door. They lead pretty boring lives in my opinion!
As usual, I have stayed up too late. Probably because since the time change gives me an extra hour–or so it seems–I feel like I can stay up later because it’s not really as late as my clock says. Guess I better change the clock!
Til tomorrow–take care.
Brenda, I am sorry about your new neighbors. Do be careful with them, they could be violent and you do not want to get hurst, or for them to hurt Charlie and Ivy.
I love hearing about the antics of these two cuties, they make me laugh!
I don’t know if my problem is similar to yours or not. I have degenerative disc disease in my upper back and neck area. Two or three times a year something gets out of whack and the disc problem causes nerves to be pinched in my shoulders, shoulder blades, neck, all of the way down my arms sometimes.
I go to a pain management specialist who gives me what are called trigger point injections of steroid. They are very small needle sticks into the sensitive spots (trigger points) caused by the nerves being pinched. It is amazing how well it works for me. For me it starts helping by the evening of the day I got the injections. They don’t go into the spine, the ones I receive in my neck are tiny steroid injections just into the spots that the nerves are being pinched. The doctor determines where to give the injections by pressing onto various places,especially known trigger point areas where nerves are often affected. It is amazing how many small dime size places on my shoulders, neck and upper back that are extremely painful even if they are gently pressed, when I am having problems with the nerves being pinched by the discs. The shots often work for a year for me. It works out to be two or three times a year sometimes, because sometimes it is one side and other times it is the other side. I don’t know if trigger point injections would help you or not, but they sure help me. I don’t know if pain management doctors are the only ones who give them or not. I do know that my pain management doctor is trained and certified in doing them. I would be terrified to have any injection directly into my spine at my neck. I get so much pain relief from the trigger point injections, that I thought it might be worthwhile for you to know about them, if you don’t already, just in case they might be able to help you.
I hope you can find some relief for your pain. Pain is so exhausting.
I am getting such a kick out of Ivy and Charlie and the cute pictures you take of them.
Sorry I said Aby instead of Ivy in above post ,my Maine coon kitty was walking all over me during my typing .I am so very sorry for the typo .
Kathy H.
Be very careful Brenda dealing with the new neighbors people now can be very dangerous .I would call the police to be on the safe side .
I use a TNS unit for my shoulder pain and tried the gaba pentin drug .
The TNS does help but the Gabapentin has many many side effects you need to google it .My neuro Dr. Said no more on that drug .It is a dangerous drug .
I have had several steroid injections and they do help but I understand why you are not wanting them .
I am getting an epidural soon to try that !
I understand your pain it is very nerve wracking .
Hugs to you and yours !
That Aby she is a mess .
Hope you have a better Monday and week .Bad neighbors are irritating !
Sorry for typos in previous text.
I had trrrible pain that started in my neck and over 2 weeks it spread to shoulder, down arm to fingers. I already take Gabapentin for RA & neuropathy in feet. After applying ice with no tesult, I saw my MD. He diagnosed strained muscle (in shoulder/neck) pushing on radial nerves causing distal downstream neuropathy. Ice was WRONG thing to do. One injection of muscle relaxer in my hip and same in pill form as needed. After suffering more than two weeks, I felt pain lessen that same night!
I hope you get relief. I encourage you to ask your doctor about possibility of strained muscle pushing on nerves. I didn’t lift snuthing or injure myself but somehow this happened.
Glad you acted on that poor dog’s behalf but I worry about your safety from those new neighbors. I recall you taking treats to frat boys at little blue house and how that made them become good neighbors. Maybe a plate of cookies & some dog treats to welcome these boys would sweeten them up?
Charlie Ross & Ivy are just precious! Love your antidotes & look forward to them daily.
I love hearing about Ivy’s antics! She will calm down some but not overnight. Our two cats just turned three and they still run, play and entertain us but they also take longer naps than when they were younger. We do use child lock devices on cabinets (upper and lower) that might contain something dangerous for them because they can easily open any cabinet door and some regular doors. Never under estimate the ability of a cat! One of our cats can jump from the floor to the top of the fridge where he loves to sit. We have often had one of them run through the house dragging a bag just like your picture of Ivy!
I’m like you when people mistreat animals! That is awful to leave a dog in the cold rain. I hope your manager helps.
Good luck with your neighbors Brenda! I’ve been dealing with neighbors like that for almost 2 yrs now!
They live in an apt house across my lawn and I can hear them scream shout all the time! I’ve called their landlord multiple times! I’ve even called the cops the 1st night, they were there cuz they parked their truck on my lawn! I went over and told them to move it, said it was upstairs apt. 1 had the measles! Didn’t hear it moved, looked 10 mins later, all the lights were shut off in both apts! I was livid! Cops made them move it!
The 2 girls that live downstairs, one has a 5 yr old boy. They party til 3 or 4 am in the kitchen, which is across from my bedroom window all summer after they work…4 to 6 cars there! I’ve dealt with it cuz…protecting the boy. I didn’t want him get taken away from his mother!
Now my patience is gone! The last 2 times I’ve called the cops they never came prob cuz I wouldn’t give my name. I’ve only called 4 times. When they thought I called b4, my car headlight had a hole in it the next day!
There’s 3 children upstairs that are trying to sleep, they told me they can’t sleep or get woke up with their loud mouths! All the neighbors are scared of them! I’m not or never was, I was trying to protect the boy, but when it comes to a 4,5, and 10 yr old that can’t sleep, something needs to be done now!
The neighbors are scared cuz her girl friend has a bad temper! She goes outside and breaks the lattice wood from under the porch and the porch pieces. There’s wood pieces everywhere, I throw them back on their lawn!
I scream at them and tell them I’m going to call the cops if they don’t shut up. Sometimes it works! Lol.
Now it’s down to 1 night on Wed at 1 am to 3 am. I’m so tired that I block my ears to fall asleep! Still every night the one with the big boots kulk around in and out of the apt slamming the door each time with the other one.
How can I get them for disturbing the peace cuz I’m fed-up? Do I have to call the cops every night multiple times til they come? I don’t want to talk to the cops and shouldn’t have to, just want.to.sleep.
The landlord won’t do a damn thing about it cuz he says they pay him every wk…they’re the best ones on that.
I’m looking for suggestions cuz I’m sick of the neighbors from hell!!!!!
Plus my dog won’t stop barking cuz he’s trying to sleep. I’ve even put him on the other side of the house with radio on and he still hears them!
I know this is a long comment but this is a touchy subject for me and I need answers! I hope some of your readers can shed some light on this subject!
Hope you’re having a great day with your cute pet babies! I know they have given me alot of laughs!
Well, I haven’t had it that bad. That’s why I moved where it was just one level and thankfully am at the end with no one across from me. I hope someone has some answers for you. Sounds miserable.
Best advice,,,,, move out. You’ll be doing a favor to the family ,,,,, yours.
On the left side of my house is my garage. On the right side is 2 apt houses. At one time there was 6 kids living there. Four kids in the top apt and 2 kids in the bottom one and they weren’t that loud. The 6 kids use to come over my house all the time and play board games, watch movies and play in general, 8 kids and they never trashed my house! These 2 are just inconsiderate piece of crap…neighbors from hell! I’ve been thinking of calling a lawyer for advice on this situation. I’m surely not leaving my own house!!!!! The kids upstairs have been getting up early and playing by their windows and hollering! The girl’s boyfriend has been blasting his stereo very loud in the morning too! Lol. Payback is a b!?
Best advice,,,,, move out. You’ll be doing a favor to the family ,,,,, yours.
I too have osteoarthritis, painful lower back, neck, shoulders and lately wrists and fingers. My doctor prescribed Gabapenten 300 mg at night. It helped for a time but then i developed dizziness so she discontinued it. I also tried it at 100 mg during the day. If you can tolerate it it works. i have an appointment this week with her and I’m going to ask for the 100mg dosage daytime again to try it again. I have been using Biofreeze roll on and it helps some. I regularly take Tylenol Arthritis 650 mg every morning and every 6 hrs during the day as needed. I hope you can find the right combination of pain relief.
I’ve used Biofreeze. Need to get more.
I think it’s horrible somebody would have a pet and then not want to take care of it. I was going to suggest what somebody else already did, calling the police. It is against the law where I live to allow the barking, maybe it is disturbing the peace. We had to do it one time after suffering with the barking for a long time, and that put an end to it. Also, regarding Ivey; my daughters cat has learned to jump up about waist high several times in a row with a deliberate force, and he can open any closed door in her condo! It’s amazing what cats can do!
Earlier Charlie walked past Ivy and she jumped straight up in the air.
I have to wonder why people who do not care for their pets even have them in the first place. I hope the barking dog does not continue to be a problem, poor thing. I suppose there is such a thing as calling the police for an animal welfare check these days.
I have had cats get tangled up in shopping bags as Ivy did. They try to run away from it but it chases them around! Quite funny to watch!
I wonder if Charlie thinks Ivy will get outside when she climbs the window…
I think he’s just assuming she’s about to get a fly.
I live in a condo and two doors down was a young couple who would leave there dog out late at night , I think they worked second shift, anyway one night I had just had it with the barking , I get up a 4 am . I called the police , I never had any trouble after that . My cat is about 9 now and at times he chases around like a crazy man . I’ve always wondered what happened to the dog , they moved out shortly after .
I would never let Charlie disrupt anyone’s lives. If he’s outside and he barks once, he’s back in.
I feel the same way . Most of the time I even stand by the door and watch them . They are tied when they are outside . I never take a chance with them . Years ago I lived by a highway and my dog got hit and had to be put to sleep. 🙁
We live in an apartment and I have had to complain to the management about people who leave their dogs on their patio/balcony for a long time. I will wake up in the middle of the night because I can hear the poor thing barking to be let back in. I don’t have the courage to knock on their door at 3 a.m. because I don’t know the tenant(s). I will call the after hours phone number and a security/patrol guard is sent to that apartment to tell the tenant to bring in the dog. Sometimes the tenant won’t answer the door. Regardless, that tenant will get written notification from the management that if it happens again they will get a hefty fine. If it happens again after that they will be evicted.
I probably could have called the after hours number and left a message or something. But it was raining and it sounded like the dog was out in it. How long would it take someone to get something done is what I was thinking. Plus, I just could not take it anymore. I’m sure the manager Monday will tell me to let them handle it and not knock on their door.
Oh Brenda….I am having such a great time reading about Ivy…she’s quite the character. But then, I think it’s safe to say that all pets have some sort of quirk. I have a cat…we believe it’s half Maine Coon. Very inquisitive, loves people, and very much like a kitten even though he’s 5. We had to put child proof locks devices on our lower kitchen cabinets…he would open them, and lay down among my pots and pans. (I had to wash everything before I could cook.) I find Charlie and Ivy to be simply delightful…and really enjoy hearing about then both! 😉
In Texas I had a rescue (actually rescued from a pool we’d had in the past) that I know was part Maine coon. That was the smartest cat I have ever seen.
I also hate it when people are not taking care of their animals good for you. Also about your neck pain has anyone told you about Tens unit they have different ones on amazon I have one because of neck and shoulder pain and it is very helpful. Have a great day
I will look into that. I had one years ago. I just don’t know how much of this is pressure from my neck to my hands. And how much of it is just my hands/wrists. I had to have various surgeries on them due to a car wreck.
Good for you for advocating for that poor furbaby! I would’ve done the same. They sound like rotten neighbors, so my heart goes out to you, too.
Wish I could give you some insight about Abi-Girl, but I’ve never lived with felines. Her taking things sounds like our brain-damaged daughter we adopted…it’s getting hard to find things we need!
Well, it’s a merry go round.
It never ceases to amaze me how people can have the possession of children and pets and then take no responsibilities for their well- being….I hope the new neighbor won’t be a problem but he certainly isn’t off to a good start…as for the should pain have you ever tried one of those heating pads that wraps around your neck like a shawl? I have one and I’m using it right now… they have larger ones too… found mine at Walgreens but they have it on Amazon and I’m sure other places.
https://www.amazon.com/Sunbeam-Microplush-Shoulder-Settings-Magnetic/dp/B001JCXJTW/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1541346928&sr=8-4&keywords=shoulder%2Bwrap%2Bheating%2Bpad&th=1
Hope you have a good week ahead… I do enjoy reading your blog every day and your photos are beautiful!!
I use a massager at night, along with an ice pack. And then usually a heating pad.
Your blog has become very lively lately, haha. I also notice that Charlie seems to be much more amenable to having his photo taken. Good little Ivy seems to be shaking up the place.
Good for you, getting after the dog owner. Just a shame, how some people have no compassion.
Yes, Ivy has shaken this place up. I hate people like this. And he sure did not get off to a good start with me.
Ivy will calm down some as she ages. This stage they are full of energy, curiosity and while entertaining can wear a person out. She is smart as most cats are. I had one who figured out how to open doors, drove me nuts. I hate when people don’t take care of their animals. I would be in that guys face also.
The manager does not like for you to knock on someone’s door and complain. She says it should come through her. But hey, if it makes her mad I’m already pretty angry over it myself. And will be asking who on earth she put into that unit. The guy I met last week while walking home who has lived there forever said he’s thinking about moving because of the kind of people she’s putting in there. He lives in the first unit of that four-plex. Told me there was a wife beater across from him. The manager said the wife moved out. We’ll see I guess.