A House Filled With Dogs And Cats

It's sure been a busy summer and I have many times wondered how on earth I managed to get anything done at home before I retired. Besides the fence, the hay, the barn, the pastures, the cattle, the chickens and the pigeons, my house is full of dogs and cats. Little PeeWee, nearly blind and deaf and with two recent strokes and a corneal ulcer, has had a rough year. His buddy, Bramble the cat, has been treated with heavy doses of antibiotics for a urinary tract infection. As of this writing, Bramble is still being treated. The antibiotics seem to be working, but very slowly:

In spite of it all, PeeWee still has one of the happiest smiles in the county:

All the pooches got to spend a lot more time outdoors in the idyllic summer weather we've had, but Daphne was the first and only one of them to go inside the dog house, which was left here by a former tenant:

I had a hunch that PeeWee would like a plush friend to sleep with, so I got him a squeaky squirrel. I can't tell if it's really any comfort to him, but he does sleep with it:

Daphne and Clover sunned themselves on the ramp into the backyard, while Fergus, you may notice, found another use for the dog house - shade:

PeeWee, Clover and Daphne:

And indoors, the dogs and cats frequently share beds:

Seamus seems to prefer the cool, smooth living room floor and on this day, Snoozey joined him:

It's not often that I get all five dogs in one photo, but I managed on this day:

Fergus, Seamus and Snoozey in the living room:

And little PeeWee once again - still smiling:

Several sunflowers grew from last winter's spilled birdseed and I caught Fergus watching me out the window as I photographed one of them. Seamus was there also, but because he is so black, all you can see is his blue dog tag: