Gibby Stays Home

Gibby is staying home. I haven't heard from Kate and now it doesn't matter. If she doesn't care enough to call me, she obviously doesn't have what it takes to care enough for my Gibby.

I think I'll give Gibby a new assignment. I have to get some exercise. His new assignment is to make me take him for walks. We'll start out with walks in the pasture, then gradually get back to the woods. I'd like to be back there during the spring wildflower season. I haven't seen the trout lillies or trillium for years - my woods used to be carpeted with them. I'd like to see how cutting trees out of the woods changed the spring flowers - I hope not much. We won't start our new plan today, it's pouring rain outside and the lower pasture will be underwater.

Maybe not...

Today is Saturday and no call from Gibby's possible new family. Kate thought they might come out Friday, but she didn't call. She said she'd like to get Gibby early in the weekend so he could be with them for a full couple days before they would have to leave him alone to go to work - but, that hasn't happened.

I'm beginning to think the whole idea was a mistake - the right people would have called to let me know what was going on.

I stopped at the vet clinic to see if they had heard anything from Kate, so Shelly called to see if they were still interested in Gibby. That should have triggered a call to me, but it didn't, so...

I'm thinking it was a mistake. I am really fond of Gibby and giving him away was going to be hard, maybe I'm not going to do it. He is one hundred pounds of loving dog (having gained 30+ pounds since he came to the farm - one-third of his weight!) I was looking forward to moving some cats into the farmhouse, maybe I'll have to figure out a way to still do that with Gibby in the house. He didn't chase the cats when Kate came to see him and he didn't chase the cats at the vet clinic... I'm trading a sock knitting machine (CSM) for some cat spaying and I need to have them in the house during the recovering time. I guess I'll go buy a baby gate so I can put the cats in the kitchen.

Gibby Has a Forever Home, I Think

Gibby has been a wonderful guard dog - his deep bellow of a bark is quite enough to warn the bad guys that he is there and on duty. He has done his job for almost two years now, so it's time for him to have an end to this lonely duty - and that may happen this weekend. Two days ago he met Kate. Met her and liked her. She took him for a walk out in the pasture and they both came back happy. This weekend, he will meet the other member of Kate's family - if they hit it off, away he'll go - to a real family where he can be a real member of the family.

Last night, I told Gibby he could go live with Kate, and I think he understood. He's never been so obnoxious before about wanting to be petted and held - I was trying to work on a rug and he kept bumping my arm with his big head. If I sat back in the chair, I suddenly had the upper half of a hundred pound dog in my lap. If I didn't pay attention, he showered my face with kisses - something he's never done before. He couldn't have been more lovable.