We got the three young males moved to the pasture by the barn yesterday without incident. Thank goodness! They seem perfectly happy in their new surroundings.

I thought we were going to lose one of our dogs on Saturday night. My daughter's dog, Luxie, is a border collie mix. She is a black, brindle color and mostly a good dog. Anyway, on Saturday night, Buddy started barking and Luxie was whining and running around in circles. Sara found a Sonoran Desert toad near the two dogs. Apparently, Luxie was trying to play with or eat the ugly frog and Buddy was trying to keep her away from it. Buddy knows about those wicked frogs! They taste awful and make him foam at the mouth. He learned long ago not to touch them. Luxie is new to farm life though. She must've gotten right on the toad. She looked like Wiley Coyote in the cartoons after getting blown up! She could not focus her eyes, her legs were all splayed out as if she were sliding on ice, her tongue was all red and hanging to the ground. She was not in a good way. We made her drink lots of water and some milk. We took her back outside and hosed off her feet and her face. We looked up the toad on the internet. We had actually done all that we could do for her short of taking her to the vet. The website about the toads said that they carry a neurotoxin in glands by their ears that can be fatal to dogs. It said to wash out the dog's mouth with water and take it to the vet. Luxie seemed to be recovering so we did not take her to the vet. She is fine now.

Last night there was another Sonoran Desert toad in the yard. Both dogs barked at it but nobody touched it this time. Sara removed the toad to the end of the driveway. No harm done and one border collie a lot wiser about farm life here in the desert.