10/19/2019
Dear Farm Journal,
This Saturday morning, Rufus and I decided to wake up and eat cereal on the couch while watching our favorite old school cartoons, Garfield and Friends, Looney Toons, and Charlie Brown. It is hilarious to look back at the content in some of these shows. We goof around until Rufus has to go to work and I head outside to work in the greenhouses. As I work, I’m also keeping an eye on Hairy Houdini, a.k.a Balio, who is not taking well to the new routine of being tied up. Today marks the second time he has chewed through his harness in three different places. Mind you, he has never been tied out alone, only with Rufus and I in plain sight, usually in front of the greenhouse or building we are working in. I pet him, tell him he is a good boy, give him treats, bones, pig ears, toys, then… I turn my back and he bites through that thing like it’s butter. Rufus has been gradually repairing the harness, replacing the destroyed segments with a chain link. We searched pet stores for something more durable, but haven’t had any success, so a custom job it is. I thought it seemed a little harsh at first, but with his thick fur, I don’t think he is uncomfortable. It definitely needs further testing under supervision before we would tie him out alone, even for a short time. He can only be confined for so long, and this is what we have so far. I think we will try a collar again once he gets used to having something on his body. I was afraid he was going to injure himself with how he violently whipped his head around when he was tied up with a collar. I’m sure the more we work with him, the better he will get. Also his big appointment on the 29th should help him cool it quite a bit as well. Right now we are all just trying to do our best.
~Joy