Giving Oakley His Due

Those of you who have horses will understand when I say...
keeping horses clean and groomed is like shoveling sand uphill.


You bathe them....they roll in dirt.
You brush them....they stand out in the rain.
You get their mane or tail brushed out fluffy...another bites half of it off. 


You just cannot win.


To overcome this frustration, I have learned to set the bar low.
I have no expectations for my equines to ever look lovely,
so when they just happen to...
well, it's a wonderful surprise.
But I have learned not to enjoy it too much!

You reminded me yesterday with your comments that poor Oakley has not been
getting much press lately.


Perhaps the biggest reason for this is the fact that Sammy is such a camera hog.


And Oakley is always willing to stay in the background.


Then there is also the fact that whenever I pull out my camera and call Oakley,
(unlike Sammy) he retreats...


to a hiding place...


Have you ever seen such a camera-shy dog?


Silly boy!


When the camera is back in the bag, though, he is ready to race alongside the gator


always leading the way... never letting me out of his sight.
Oakley is pretty much my shadow for most of the day,
except for the moments when he races off into the woods,
hot on the trail of some critter.


Amazingly, this dog who loves to hunt is exceptionally respectful of all of our
farm animals and birds.
He would not touch a single one of them.
Unlike Sammy, who loves to play chase with the horses,
Oakley has a healthy fear of the horses and always keeps his distance.

If you are new to my blog...
Oakley is a rescue from a kill shelter in Kentucky. 
We have had him for 3 years now (his age as well as his history is unknown)
and he is the perfect farm dog.
Oakley is half lab and half cocker spaniel...aka Spanador.
We chose him after receiving an email from a rescue group
on a Saturday...two days before he was scheduled to die.
We all lucked out that day!

Comments

precious picture of Oakley hiding in the grass. My Lab doesn't like the camera much either. (My three are all rescues too. Yeah! Rescue, Neuter, And Spay!)
Anke said…
Oakley is such a sweet boy! I love the picture of him hiding in the tall grass. :-) Our Savvy is extremely camera shy, too. As soon as she sees it or hears it, she runs away or cowers... no idea as to why she does that.
Unknown said…
I enjoyed reading about Oakley! He was rescued from our neck of the woods :) I always enjoy reading your blog! Have a great day!
jaz@octoberfarm said…
he is camera shy like me! what a nice story. he is one lucky pup!
Junebug said…
Oakley you are too funny! But I understand, the second the camera is out, here comes Jackson. Jazi on the other hand is like Oakley. Both of these were rescue pups! Not exactly pups, Jackson came one year ago this month from The Last Chance Club. He was unadoptable and the club pick him up on his last day. He will turn 12 soon and is quite the character!! Love, love the pic hiding in the tall grass. Have a great day! Hugs!!
Sandy said…
Cute post! Love hearing about the horses vs. grooming (laughing as I read) and then you showed camera shy Oakley and I laughed out loud! Never a dull moment at your farm. Our life is so boring compared to yours. I will never live on a farm but at least I can experience and enjoy "living" at yours. Having a lovely day Bev!
Unknown said…
I can hear his voice .... "Oh boy. There she goes again with that camera thingy. "

Sammy: "really?!? Where!?!! Where?!? Here I am mom!!!! Take MY picture!!! Over here!! Over here!! Me me me me!
This N That said…
"Oakie" lucked out that day as well...So funny that he's camera shy...I guess it's OK with him that Sammie gets all the shutter time...Oh my, your horses looked so beautiful yesterday...But then I certainly looked better yesterday too..:)
happyone said…
Oakley made me laugh hiding in the grass. What a great dog you rescued. : )
Lynne said…
I wonder why some dogs pose, sit still and other run off and hide in the grasses? We have a "camera avoider" in this house . .