Some dogs do not react well to the sounds of thunder and fireworks. This is true of our male terriers: Toby a Scottish Terrier, and Tripper, a West Highland Terrier. Tripper also doesn’t like the sounds from the TV during football games. We think it’s the official’s whistles and the crowd noises.
My wife, Marla, decided to try baby ear protectors. She put them on Tripper before a football game (see below), and he napped through some of the game.
Tripper models his ear protection.
Marla got another pair of ear protectors and put them them on Toby and Tripper during a thunderstorm. That seemed to work as well. They both napped during the thunderstorm.
We have five dogs now. I brought home our latest addition to the pack in December.
Toby
This is Toby, our male Scottish Terrier, and he is 6-years-old. He’s a bit of a kleptomaniac since he likes to steal shoes, gloves, etc. just to be chased. His other pastime is barking at rabbits. He loves belly rubs, but his dislikes are thunder, fireworks, and going to the vet.
Tillie
This is Tillie, a female Scottish Terrier, and Toby’s sister, who is also 6-years-old. She is the spokesdog of the pack. Tillie will remind us when it’s mealtime, when to put on their lighted collars, and when the other dogs are getting in trouble. She also serves as my alarm clock in the morning. One of her pastimes is chasing rabbits. Toby and Tillie’s Gotcha Day was October 13, 2015.
Trixie
This is Trixie, our female 5-year-old West Highland Terrier. She likes to play tug-of-war. She also likes playing with our older Scotties. She has the best wigglebutt around and is quite happy most of the time. Right now, she is dealing with being the middle child. Her Gotcha Day was March 3, 2017.
Tripper
Tripper is now 3 and a half years old and he has grown up a great deal. He is larger and heavier than his sister, Trixie, but he is still a puppy at heart. He is not a morning dog and is a bit grumpy when he gets up. Even so, his mood remains mercurial but less so as time passes. His gotcha day was August 17, 2018.
Trisha
Our newest member of the pack is Trisha, a female Scottish Terrier. She was rescued from a puppy mill in Ohio, and her gotcha day was December 16, 2021. Her age was not known until we discovered that she already had an ID chip. The chip was scanned and we found out her birthdate is 12/21/2018. She plays with every toy she encounters, especially if they squeak. She is still a bit shy around strangers but is slowly coming out of her shell. Otherwise, she is mischievous, playful, and very active.
We have four dogs now. We call them The Oreos Double Stuff.
This is Toby, our male Scottish Terrier, and is 3-years-old. He’s a bit of a kleptomaniac. He likes to steal shoes, gloves, etc. just to be chased. His other past time is barking at rabbits. He loves belly rubs. His dislikes are thunder and fireworks, and going to the vet. He’s shown in his favorite spot, under a bench on his bed.
This is Tillie, our female Scottish Terrier, who is also 3-years-old. She is the spokesdog of the group. Tillie will remind us when it’s mealtime, when to put on their lighted collars, and when our younger dogs are getting in trouble. She also serves as my alarm clock in the morning. One of her past times is chasing rabbits.
This is Trixie, our female West Highland Terrier. She likes to play tug-of-war and chasing her younger sibling. She also likes playing with our older Scotties. Right now, she is dealing with being a middle child. At roughly 20-months-old, she’s still a puppy at heart.
This is Tripper, our newest member of the family. He is a male West Highland Terrier and a spitfire. At 11-weeks-old, he’s already climbing stairs. He’s quite the talker as well. He likes to untie shoelaces and chasing his older sibling, Trixie.
Tripper update:
Tripper is now a year old and he has grown up a great deal. He is larger and heavier than his sister, Trixie, but he is still a puppy at heart.
Our dogs (Tillie) got me up shortly before 6 AM. I took all three for a walk but it was difficult. The leashes keep getting tangled.
While we were in Akron, our Westie, Trixie had a spa day. Here’s what she looks like now.
You can see her eyes clearly now.
Packed up the rig, got it ready for travel and left the campground around 11:30 AM. Made a stop at a Pilot Service Station, at The Ohio Turnpike interchange, for fuel and lunch. With my Good Sam membership I got a discount for gasoline.
The Ohio Turnpike has a speed limit of 70 mph. However, there were several construction zones with a speed limit of 50 mph. It is a long, boring expressway. Imagine The New Jersey Turnpike, but twice as long.
We stopped at the Erie Islands Service Area for a break and once more at the last exit, before Indiana, at a Quality Inn. Here’s Toby Two, one of our Scottish Terriers, during our last break of the day.
We arrived at the campground, at about 6 PM, in Coldwater, MI. I officially added Michigan to the list of states I have visited that didn’t involve an airport.
Long range forecast for Eclipse Day in Nebraska is looking good. Mostly sunny with a high of 87 deg F.
Two weeks ago, we acquired a new addition to our family. We brought home a West Highland Terrier puppy which we named Trixie. She is a little spitfire and can hold her own against our older Scotties, Tillie and Toby Two. It took a few days, but the Scotties have accepted her.
Trixie is now eleven weeks old. For such a small puppy, at 4 pounds, she can be quite vocal and loud. I can hear her upstairs at the other end of the house. She is starting to learn how to navigate stairs. Not too much problem going up, but unsure of going down. She has also adapted well to crate training. We expect it will be several weeks until she’s housetrained.
Trixie was a big hit at the nursing home. Residents, and staff alike, enjoyed her visit.
Stormstown Dispatch 