Just when I thought it was over...

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bmwloco

bmwloco

Member
Hearth Supporter
Jan 17, 2008
246
Asheville NC
As mentioned in a previous post, I thought it was time to "down" my VC Resolute for the season.

Nope. Not just yet.

There was a cold rain all day yesterday. In the mountains of NC, it's perfect hypothermia weather. After a night out with the missives, Chateau loco,
our 1926 Arts & Craft cottage (constantly in flux, always under construction) was warm enough, but felt a little damp given the weather.

10 minutes later I had the Resolute cranked up and the house was a warm home again. When I started breaking up kindling and getting ready to light,
A & B, two 16 year old chocolate labs assumed their posts on either side of the stove. They wanted it lit now, if not sooner.

Waking up this morning, the dawn was bright and cool at 32F. Figuring there might be more fires to come, I set to finish my wood pile.

2 hours with the 12 lb. maul, an hour with the chainsaw, I have another 3 months of wood ready for the stove ;)
 
My question to you is not stove related but how did you get your labs to live that long? Any tips? Mine is almost 11 and arthritis has started. She gets a decent amount of exercise and weight is perfect.
 
I wish I could tell you how Labs like these two "house poodles" live so long.

It could be simple competition. They're constantly competing for affection, food, best sun spot, etc.

Each is ailing; "A" (Abbey) is a little daft, hips are going, and she'll stand for hours looking into the void of nothing and occasionally bark. "B" (Breton) has cancer, but she's robust and doing well.

It'll be a bad day when they go (and it'll probably be soon). It'll just kill my wife. I'll rid the house of their beds, and scrub the place down, then look for a good retriever pup. All in ample time.
 
I know well, the boat your in.

I have a 16 year old pit bull. Her name is Bell. She is old family red & colby.
She is black & white & brindle (tan). She used to love to follow me upstairs to the tv room on the second floor & lay in front of the electric heater, between my feet & the tv set.

Now , she walks up to the staircase & stops at the bottom & begins to whine because she can't handle
going up the stairs on her own any more. I have to pick her up & carry her upstairs if I want her to stop whining & then carry her downstairs when I'd finished watching tv.

She follows me every where & then just plops down at my feet whereever I sit & every time I try to have a cup of coffee, she won't stop barking until I give her some. If I don't give her
coffee, she comes & sticks her nose under the coffee cup & almost pushes the cup out of my hand.

What a mouch she is! What ever I have, she wants to share it. Yesterday I had brochkley ,
which i will eat but don't like much & she come to mouch free food so I figure i fix her & give her the brockley.
Was I suprized that she scarfed down the brochkley like it was chocolate cake.

A pit bull that like coffee & brochkley, what next. She eats all vegatables, except for celery
& will even eat celery if you put mayo on it.

She has cataracks & can't see very good & has artheritis. But she still manages to be underfoot, every chance she gets.
 
I can relate! Been running the heat pump because it's too hard to keep a small fire going when the temps rise into the 50's. The wife and spawn were complaining about the family room being too cold, so I broke down and relit the stove. Right now, the 13 year old Lab mix is sacked out in front of it, and I am enjoying not hearing the heat pump run. Not sure how many years we have left in the dog; she still acts like a puppy and occasionally does a face-plant when she tries to take too many steps at once. Hearing, sight and joints all seem to be in good shape, but I am afraid she's gonna break something one day and I will have to put her out of her misery. Still hanging on, though...

Not really where we wanted this thread to go, was it?

Chris
 
Well, dogs and woodstoves go together. Cats too I guess.

Happily sore, on this end, from running the chainsaw for 3 hours yesterday. I've got a tidy stack of old Locust posts and oak that should be seasoned very nicely for cool fall nights.

Mind you, the dogs slept in the sunshine 6 feet away while I was sweating in 50F and sun.
 
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