As you all know by now, everything moves slower on a farm. We have been talking about goats, chickens and dogs for almost 2 years now. But like everything else, there are so many steps to take. Before you can get chickens you have to demolish the old coop and build a new one. And before you get goats you have to fix all the fencing. And before you get dogs you have to fence in the entire property. So a few weeks ago, we said we are ready. Well we will be ready next Spring for more animals. We got fencing bids and demolished the old coop and Charles learned to make gates.
Everything was going to plan when a good friend Michelle Stern posted a video on Facebook of puppies. Cute, fat, cuddly puppies. And I immediately replied I want them. But they were in Marin and being fostered! How would we get them and when would they be ready? Well they were ready this Friday. So we jumped in the truck, got mugged by Petco, hauled-ass down to Point Richmond and picked up the newest additions to HooperLee Farms. Please meet Hildegard Muninn and Alexander Huginn HooperLee!
Who and who? What the heck do those names mean? Which is which? Settle down we will explain! As you know with Julius, Caesar and Cleopatra - names have meaning for us. But we didn't need anymore little rulers. This time we needed hunters, herders and protectors. When we thought of that it was easy to find their new names:
The female name Hildegard derived from the Old High German words hild (=war or battle) and gard (=protection) and means "battle guard".
In Greek the meaning of the name Alexander is Defender of men.
So what is up with the middle names? Well some of you might not know this but Charles' truck's name is Odin - sometimes called Odin the Traveler. (Mine is Valentino) And this giant house we call Valhalla. What you also might not know is that Odin has two ravens that sit on his shoulder. In Norse mythology, Huginn (from Old Norse"thought") and Muninn (Old Norse "memory" or "mind") are a pair of ravens that fly all over the world, Midgard, and bring information to the god Odin.
Well that also only makes sense when you understand what Hilde and Alex are. They are Catahoula and Great Dane mixes. Catahoulas are master hunters and herders with webbed feet and the ability to leap 6' fences and climb trees. You see, Hilde and Alex will be able to go with us where Odin can't but they can return and tell him all about it. Right now they are 8 weeks and about 20 lbs of fun...each! They are going to be big! They are also the perfect dogs for both farm and a good hike up that Mt. we always show you.
So how has it been?
These two are awesome. They slept most of a 5 1/2 hour drive. (Hilde has quite the "It's Time To Pee" howl!!!) And then they came in the house to see the cats. Well they never actually saw the cats, they were so excited they walked right by them into their kennel. They slept through the night and all was well.
Day two
Now today has been exciting. Really really exciting. Let's see:
- Learned to walk on leash
- Met Julius and Cleo - Julius is getting close to them. Cleo is keeping a close distance. Caesar? Well no one has seen him
- Ate wood, deer poo, kibble, Mom's Arm, Dad's jeans and a piece of cardboard
- Learned to open bottom bathroom drawer
- Pooped on Mom's coat - Hilde told me she needed to go and I suck at getting leashes on quickly
- Took 3 naps and one on the plateau
- Saw some turkeys - boring
- Played with new ball
- Chased Dad a lot. Hilde took his baseball cap, gave it to her brother and he ran.
- Learned about Salmon treats
- Tried to figure out who was Alex and who was Hilde
- Visited the garden
- Learned the lawn tether has limits
- AND BEST OF ALL - drank mom's coffee! It was delish - she was not amused.
hahahahahahah you thought we were having babies! LOLZZZZZ