Goin' to the Dogs!

[baymule]

I love you mommy! Did you bring treats?

 

[baymule]

I’ve been good all day and I ate my supper.
You can pet me now!

 

[SPedigrees]

OK Bay, you have a sheep with SMS (stupid mother syndrome) but I'll go you one better. I have a sheltie with SDS (stupid dog syndrome).

To explain: These are 2 photos of the summer configuration of the ramps leading off the back porch. Each of these 4 ramp parts is approximately 12 inches wide. Mabel happily goes down and up these ramps.

Because THIS happens every winter, and because this avalanche coming off the metal roof would crush and kill anyone on the summer ramps, I have in the past moved two of the ramp parts into this winter configuration.

With this previous winter configuration (above), Mabel would go down the ramps but would always take the stairs to come back in. All was well until she injured her shoulder and going up stairs was clearly aggravating her injury. So I figured this year I would make the ramp wider by moving 3 of the ramp parts as seen below. Moving these ramps just about dislocated MY shoulders (both of them).

You think this dog would opt to go up this new wider ramp? With the stair entrance blocked with a snow shovel, she has been staying outside for 24 hours until hunger finally convinces her to make the trip up the ramp back into the house. She CAN do it, without harm befalling her. Does she learn from this that it is safe? Of course not!

So now I'm looking at maybe trying to rig up a wall of some sort along one side of this ramp, assuming that the security of the side of the house next to the summer ramp has been making it less scary. I have a section of vinyl latticework in the barn that will maybe serve the purpose. None of this makes any sense to me, since I would find going down scarier than climbing up, but what do I know? I'm not a dog.

 

[baymule]

@SPedigrees usually I reserve this for people and every so often, sheep with SMS. But I’ll share it with you….

Ya’ can’t fix stupid.

 

[flowerbug]

...Ya’ can’t fix stupid.

you can, but the jail time may not be worth it...

 

[Shades-of-Oregon]

 

[digitS']

Something to share about the "new hire," from someone who has experienced them and the litter they can spawn.

If they dose off as "seasoned employees," they snore ~ like gods of thunder!

. . . . Ż ź źzzz

 

[SPedigrees]

@SPedigrees usually I reserve this for people and every so often, sheep with SMS. But I’ll share it with you….

Ya’ can’t fix stupid.

You're not wrong! The names I've been calling this animal, I can't print here. But when it comes down to it, she is her own worst enemy. Clearly I have to do something to save her life, so I've been reviewing my options.

First would be to return the ramps to their summer configuration and hope she doesn't get crushed by an avalanche, but since I'm not sure I could live with myself if she were killed, this option is off the table.

Second option is to continue on this way, hoping she'll come to her senses before she starves to death or dies of dehydration. But she seems willing to expire from hunger and thirst.

Third is to stop blocking the steps and just let her use them, worsening her arthritic shoulder injury. Then I'd be giving her more rimadyl (an NSAID) for the pain and perhaps causing a bleeding ulcer. Not a great option either.

Fourth I'm about to embark on a fool's errand by moving the fourth and last ramp part, giving her a ramp as wide as the summer setup, and hopefully leaving myself enough steps to use. (I have a bad feeling that she may choose to use whatever is left of the staircase herself, and I will have moved all these ramp sections to no purpose, but I won't be able to say I didn't try.)

Wouldn't you think a dog (any dog) would regard this as safe? It's not as if she hasn't used this ramp successfully, as shown by the pawprints at the top. Clearly she was out behind the barn when they passed out common sense, she's not the brightest bulb or the sharpest knife in the pack, and she's a picnic lunch missing a few sandwiches. But she's mine and I'm stuck with her (as I bang my head against the wall)!

 

[Marie2020]

OK Bay, you have a sheep with SMS (stupid mother syndrome) but I'll go you one better. I have a sheltie with SDS (stupid dog syndrome).

To explain: These are 2 photos of the summer configuration of the ramps leading off the back porch. Each of these 4 ramp parts is approximately 12 inches wide. Mabel happily goes down and up these ramps.
View attachment 70815

Because THIS happens every winter, and because this avalanche coming off the metal roof would crush and kill anyone on the summer ramps, I have in the past moved two of the ramp parts into this winter configuration.
View attachment 70816
View attachment 70817

With this previous winter configuration (above), Mabel would go down the ramps but would always take the stairs to come back in. All was well until she injured her shoulder and going up stairs was clearly aggravating her injury. So I figured this year I would make the ramp wider by moving 3 of the ramp parts as seen below. Moving these ramps just about dislocated MY shoulders (both of them).
View attachment 70818
View attachment 70819

You think this dog would opt to go up this new wider ramp? With the stair entrance blocked with a snow shovel, she has been staying outside for 24 hours until hunger finally convinces her to make the trip up the ramp back into the house. She CAN do it, without harm befalling her. Does she learn from this that it is safe? Of course not!

So now I'm looking at maybe trying to rig up a wall of some sort along one side of this ramp, assuming that the security of the side of the house next to the summer ramp has been making it less scary. I have a section of vinyl latticework in the barn that will maybe serve the purpose. None of this makes any sense to me, since I would find going down scarier than climbing up, but what do I know? I'm not a dog.

You should write a children's book about her.

 

[Marie2020]

you can, but the jail time may not be worth it...