First thing in the morning . . .

Got up early this morning to try and get everyone fed and paddocks rearranged by the time the vet got over there to change Ladybug's bandages.  Thought it wouldn't be too bad at dawn.

Ha!

By the time I walked from the house to the barn my face was dripping.  By the time I got them fed my clothes were dripping wet as well.  It is hot, HOT, H O T !!!!!

That sure didn't stop the dogs from carrying on big time, though.  I let them out when I first got up and Duke was standing at the front of the paddock staring out at the road.

The two of them took one look at him and went NUTS.  They spent five minutes racing up and down the fence line looking for a way to get over there, screaming bloody murder the whole time.  Duke pretended not to notice.   Or maybe he really didn't. 

But finally it looked to me like he thought to himself  "Oh - do they want to talk to ME?" and he ambled over to them.

Talk about losing it!!!  They both went absolutely OUT OF THEIR MINDS !@$!@#!!  Rocky was leaping at the fence (managing to get VERY near the top of that 6-foot wire).  Joey was literally screaming so loud that I was SURE the neighbors were going to be coming out to see if I was killing him!  (I thought about it!)

They never stopped carrying on, but Duke just stood there with his nose right up to the fence looking at them for a good five minutes.  Finally it looked like he was thinking "I just have NO idea what you're trying to say," and he turned and wandered slowly back over to the stall to wait for breakfast.  He is a VERY calm horse, that's for sure!  But as you can see below, his walking away seemed to make the dogs even crazier.  They kept racing up and down the fence until I went out and MADE them come in.  At that point Joey was grabbing the fence in his teeth!  I don't know what I'm going to do to get them over that, but I'm going to have to do SOMETHING.  That's how Pete and Maxie both lost a number of their teeth  -- chewing on chain link trying to get out.

So if anyone has any suggestions, please . . . DO send them along!

As for Boo -- he will stand and check out where the horses are when he first comes out of the house, but he never runs at them and he never makes a sound.  Sometimes he walks along the fence and marks the dog yard "territory," but that's about it for him.  Horses - like every other animal we have - are fine with him.  I LOVE that boy!