Friday, April 24, 2015

barn moving 101.....

A couple summers ago, our friend Denise moved her horses and barn to the farm. It was fun having her around, but when she found a place to rent, the horses and barn left. Well... now Denise has lost the rental place, and needing somewhere to go.. we invited her to move back on the farm. Today is moving day!!! We loaded the horses first....
and then the truck arrived to get the barn. These are great little barns, and not really meant to be moved, but they certainly can be....





This company has it down to a science... the barn is built on "skids".. so it's just a matter of winching it up on the truck. However, this truck is also designed to do just this job, and really in a matter of minutes, it was up... on...

loaded...

and ready to hit the road. Fortunately, it only has to travel a few miles.... but it could go cross country if needed.
The barn was right behind us, and here we go.. onto the farm.
Now, putting it where we wanted it to be was another story. I opted for having them go up the drive and then just back it in. But, the drivers wanted to take it across the field. Hummm.. a field that has only just cleared of snow, has been rained all all spring and the ground is about as soft as it can be..... not a good idea in my opinion...
Yup, pretty much as I had thought... they go stuck... and the deeper that barn sank into the ground, the more worried I became...
However, the driver was not one bit phased. He unloaded the barn... turned the truck around, 
reloaded and came at it from another angel. Instead of pulling the barn across the field, 
He gently pushed it. And what was more amazing to watch, is the truck and trailer were all moved by remote control. He never got back in the truck but did everything from a little hand held unit. He would inch the trailer out, then the truck backed up to the trailer.... inch it out again, back up again... the weight was better distrubted..
and even though it sank a little in the field, the continual movement kept everything from sinking in too far...














Once it was in the proper place, the barn slipped off the truck. A bit of leveling (which wasn't hardly anything) and Denise was back in business.. Up went fencing and the horses were home again.....
Since it was such a pretty day, and the barn moving project went much faster than I had thought. I decided to pull ol Duke out.. give him a much needed brush out, and do a little driving....
Good weather must be on the way... once these big boys begin to drop coat.. it's a sure sign....
almost enough hair to cover another horse!!!!
all harnessed... ready to go.. and then Duke sees, we have new friends!!!


Looking forward to lots of horse stuff this summer!!!!

checkin' in....

Our monthly check in at neads!!! goodness, the time is always flying by!!! We stopped in at the campus and then headed right into the city. We have major concerns about Miss Bella... actually, we (puppy raisers) knew from the moment she came to us in January, that Miss Bella was never quite "service dog material"... she's extremely sweet... and wants to try.. but her soft manner isn't going to pass her. Both Kathleen and I have worked with her on all sorts of things, once she's used to something, than she is OK... but when something new crosses her path... like this bit quite statue...
Given the opportunity... she's out of there. We basically took her down today.. with the true expectation that she would be officially dropped.... then we can quit trying to push her into something she'll never be and find that perfect home for her...
Joey, on the other hand, it typical "all boy" lab. He plunges into everything with a great sense of humor and wit. He's been so much fun to work with.. except for one thing... Housetraining!!! I am having a horrid time with that and never.... it all  my dog years .. have I not been able to house train a puppy. I have true concerns and stressed that big time to the trainers today....
Poor Bella... this city life is not for her. I was so sad to see her face.. which pretty much looked this way the whole day.... those tight pinched eyes says it all... "this is not what I want to be doing today"....
We continued threw the day. Bus station with all those noisy (stinky) buses... Joey saw no troubles with..... 
Beautiful "unders" at all the stations waiting places...
Trains roaring threw...
Bella continued to do her best, but now the trainers are seeing a whole different side...
Joey didn't even notice the traffic whizzing behind him....
But, being a baby, he did poop out .. and so when Bella went to do the hospital walk.. and Joey being tired (and having not done his business) we opted to wait just inside the door
Upon the return from the hospital walk, everyone has pretty much agreed that Bella will be dropped. And as sad as it seems, I know Kathleen and I are actually relived for her. Not every dog wants this job and fortunately, there are people who know and understand that. 


On another note here, we have two new trainers we are working with now. Lacey and Anne... Dave has decided to take on a new venue and is no longer at Neads. I am going to miss him greatly, because I loved talking not just service dogs.. but dog training in general with him. He was so knowledgeable and we had so many thoughts in common. The gals seem very nice and we're willing to take on whatever challenges come our way... and things change.. life changes, so you just need to go with it. 

Our eyes (and concerns) now turn to Joey... I hope we can sort this potty thing out.