No, a family of bunnies did not explode...

The plethora of hair is actually from Phelps.

What or who is Phelps you ask?

Phelps is the matted smelly beast that was laying in front of the barn door Saturday morning as I went out to feed. I am not always fully awake when I feed hay, so my brain was really trying to figure out what exactly was staring at me...did Ginger get fluffy or was it Amarillo the neighbourhood husky? Or did the neighbours get another fluffy creature that decided our place looked more awesome?

But it was none of the above...it was a neglected looking dog, with mats the size of dinner plates layered like scales on its back, and hanging fur balls looking like really sad Christmas décor. I immediately named him Phelps and called Rob. Between the two of us, I think we spend 4 to 5 hours brushing the poor guy over the weekend! So far, we haven't found any lost dog ads matching his description, and none of the nearby vets have been contacted, so we aren't sure if he was dumped or?

He appears to be an Australian Sheppard crossed with an ottoman. He seems old...teeth have bad tartar build up, and he has trouble getting going in the morning. He also seems partially deaf...or as Janine says, just has the typical male selective hearing! It doesn't seem like he has ever been trained or even worn a collar, and the collar we have put on him for containment purposes isn't to his liking. He also seems to think cats are edible...something I am really trying to discourage, but I wish a cat would help by clawing his nose rather than running away (which just makes it that much more exciting).

If you come out, feel free to take him out of the stall using the rope or lunge line to lead him or tie him up. He is really good with the horses, but I just don't want to risk a kitty catastrophe., and he doesn't know he isn't allowed upstairs or in the arena yet.

karen