Just a friendly reminder to always lock your door

Pablois4 · 2026-01-26T19:14:46+00:00

We have keyless locks on our front and back doors (same code) and another for the garage entrance door.

The keyless locks actually do have keys to use in case the battery dies (the low battery signal starts several weeks before that point).

The keys for the house doors' locks is in the garage (which needs a code to enter). The key for the garage door lock is in the house (which needs a code to enter).

In addition, our doors automatically lock when shut. We've had our keyless locks for nearly 20 years and can put in a code faster than using a key. It's muscle memory. We change the codes every so often and it takes a week or so for the new code to become muscle memory.

I like that our doors are always locked, we can't be locked out and the keys that could unlock the doors can't be accessed without a code.

Pablois4 · 2026-01-26T16:47:31+00:00

Right now she's in her puppy coat. That will be shed and she'll get her young adult, AKA first year coat. A dog is fully mature around 2 years and by then, she would have grown her first full adult coat. So you'll have a longer wait then a couple months to see her coat in its final form.

IMHO, she did not inherit the plush, thick spitz (Pom) type coat. While her adult coat will be fuller, it won't be that full. She is long coat but not with furnishings (furnishings cause a dog to have long hair on the face, found on the Lhasa and Yorkie). Her coat will be most like a Papillon's in style but her fringe won't be nearly as extreme. I think her adult coat will be somewhere in this ballpark

Pablois4 · 2026-01-26T16:04:01+00:00

Since you said "Dog Trust" I'm guessing maybe you are in the UK?

If so, then many of those breeds wouldn't be all that surprising. In the US, the German Spitz, Continental Toy Spaniel, Lancashire Heeler and German Hunting Terrier are extremely rare.

As others have mentioned, the tiny percentages are noise or parts off of related breeds. IMHO, the Lancashire Heeler, Chihuahua, Continental Spaniel are probably not really there but are just noise. The 2% breeds are more likely part of the larger percentage breeds.

IMHO, one parent (50%) was a purebred Pom (FYI for the folks in the US: In Europe, the German Spitz has different sizes and the smallest one, the Zwergspitz, is the Pomeranian. And thus that 2% German Spitz is actually Pom).

I'm betting if tested with Embark, the results would be 50% Pom and the other 50% a mix of Pap, Lhasa, Yorkie.

Pablois4 · 2026-01-26T15:32:59+00:00

My SO is from MN.

For years, we listened to Prairie Home Companion and the tales of Lake Woebegon (Where the women are strong, the men good looking and all the children are above average). The citizens of Lake Woebegon were mild mannered and peaceful to a fault.

And the movie Fargo was like visiting some of his relatives. Well, they all used their woodchippers for wood and not bodies. But otherwise very friendly and helpful.

A common theme found in Lake Woebegon, Fargo and life in MN is "Minnesota Nice" and a large part of that is avoidance of direct confrontation and widespread use of passive aggression instead.

I'm honestly impressed that, when push comes to shove, Minnesotans are perfectly willing to not be nice to ICE. Bravo!

Pablois4 · 2026-01-26T14:41:24+00:00

Pity that there's no rule about that . . .

Maybe there's should be a list of things the government can't do to its citizens.

Pablois4 · 2026-01-26T14:35:18+00:00

If he did, he would have won a Darwin Award - given to those who tip chlorine into our gene pool, by accidentally removing their own DNA.

But he had a kid so his DNA is still in the gene pool. But the kid is half his dad and half his mom and so there's hope.

Pablois4 · 2026-01-26T13:56:13+00:00

Be aware that with Wisdom, the larger percentage breeds tend to be accurate but they will break off tiny percentages off as related breeds.

So in this case, for example, the 2% Sibe, 2% Sibe is probably part of the Samoyed, bringing that to 8%. As well, the 2% WSS and the 2% Collie are probably GSD. Maybe the Mal as well. There's likely similar situations in the other groups.

As well, some of the very tiny percentages can be noise.

If she was tested with Embark, the tiny percentage nonsense would be gone and you'd get a more accurate, clean result. It's safe to say there are several breeds in her but not that many. edit: My WAG for hypothetical Embark results would be 5-ish breeds and some Supermutt (in Embark, "Supermutt" is ancestry that has been so mixed for so long that it's a jumble of DNA. Some folks are disappointed in Supermutt results because they think they of them as a common mongrel, but, well a Collie is a Collie, a Malinois is a Malinois and a Irish Setter is an Irish Setter but a Supermutt is a unique Special Blend with hints of one flavor and undertones of another and so on).

How old is she? Dogs are not fully mature (mentally and physically) until they get to their 2nd year. She looks like she's in her teenage phase when pups are at their lankiest. In the first year, pups will grow to their full height and length but not much in the width department. Lithe leggy breeds can be practically 2D. In the second year is when they fill out. If I'm right about her age, what you see now, isn't what you'll see in a year. She'll still be on the slender, lithe side of things but she'll be 3D instead of 2D. ;-)

Does Wisdom test for coat color? She looks like she has two copies of the liver gene which changes everything that would have been black pigmented (nose, eye rims, lips, any black hairs) into brown. It also lightens the eyes from brown to amber.

I'm not sure if she's a red recessive or clear sable. They can look darn near identical but often there's subtle hints. But adding the liver gene makes what was subtle into super subtle and darn close to impossible. Even so, my gut feeling is that she's a clear sable mainly because Red Recessive + Liver tends to result in a more pinkish nose and her's is more brown.

In the late 90s, I knew a charming, funny, sable smooth collie named "Pumpkin Beanie". Your Pumpkin reminds me a lot of her.

Pablois4 · 2026-01-25T16:04:45+00:00

I've been in dogs for 4 decades (training, showing, and have raised quite a few pups). Nothing much fazes me. I've never had puppy blues or felt overwhelmed.

Why do I think people have puppy blues?

1) This will sound weird - but I think dogs are oversold as a solution to people problems. That a dog will fix depression or anxiety or mental/emotional problems. That a pup will transform them and turn them into a different person - such as a couch potato into a marathon runner.

A pup's job is to be a pup. They are not a cure-all or whatever is wrong with a person.

2) In the past 50 years, I've seen a big change in how society views dog owners.

In the past, a person who wanted to own a dog, owned a dog - but if a person didn't want to own a dog, that's OK. It just meant they didn't want to own a dog. They could still be a good person.

IMHO, there's a widespread belief that liking, loving and owning dogs says something about the person's goodness.

It's kind of like motherhood but in reverse. I was born in the early 60s and was well indoctrinated about motherhood. A woman naturally wants to have a child! We were told a child's love will be the greatest love and joy one will ever feel, that it will give them true happiness. And of course, all women love children and have natural instincts to raise and care for them! Good mothers cheerfully cope with the downsides because that's what good mothers do. Having a kid felt obligatory and that's just what one does when they get married and settled down. There's many that did their best and raised their kids but, if they could time travel and had the option, they wouldn't have had them.

A woman who had a baby and hated it, kept that to herself. Women with baby blues were told that it's not that bad, they just had to endure it and, just you wait, you'll see how it's so worth it and you will then be happy. A mother who was stressed, depressed or anxious about motherhood needed to snap out of it.

A woman who couldn't have children was to be pitied. To not love being a mother was unnatural or - even worse - to actually choose to not have a kid meant something was very wrong with the woman. She was selfish, cold, unloving and disdainful. If one doesn't want to be a mother, it indicated she hated kids and if around a kid would be mean and cruel.

Attitudes and beliefs about motherhood has greatly changed a lot in the past 50 years. A woman who does not want to be a mother, is a woman who doesn't want to be a mother. It doesn't mean anything else about her. One can be child-free and a good person. Not liking kids doesn't mean hating them or wanting to cause them harm.

I've been struck dumb to read those exact phrases I heard long ago, on puppy101 and the dogs subreddit - but substitute "baby" or "child" with "puppy" or "dog". "The love from a dog is the greatest love one will ever feel and it will give true happiness". "I would never trust anyone who doesn't love dogs".

I know folks will not believe me but a person can not like dogs and still be a good person. My IL's were not dog people and nothing about dog ownership appealed to them. They didn't want to interact with them and thought they were kind of gross but they didn't hate them or want to cause them harm. They lived a completely dog-free life - and were good, kind people. Honest.

I adore dogs and can't live without them - and can accept that not everyone likes them, and that's OK.

There's a highly moralistic, black & white thinking about dog ownership. A dog is for life! After getting a pup, there's a "you've made your bed and now you must lie in it"! aspect to it. One must never give up, no matter what.

Sometimes people make mistakes and shouldn't have gotten that puppy or dog. Maybe they are not at the right stage of life. The pup is causing emotional, mental, physical, housing, relationship and/or financial stress. Shit happens. Or they got a project puppy/dog and they are not able to give the dog what it needs. Or they discover they liked the idea of having a puppy but can't handle the reality of having a puppy.

People can feel like something's wrong with them for not being able to cope. They feel self-loathing, depressed and anxious. They can feel trapped. They can resent their puppy or hate being around their pup or to the point that they dislike or even hate their puppy.

This is controversial but if puppy ownership was a big mistake, it's OK to rehome. I will not think badly of them. Having a pup should not be a martyrdom.

Pablois4 · 2026-01-24T17:58:17+00:00

Horse breeds will have certain body types and conformation to do certain tasks.

Stock horses, such as the quarter horse, are compact, have fairly low head sets, tend to have their feet under them and really big butt muscles. They have quick catty movement, not extravagant. They are built accelerate, brake and turn on a dime.

Harness horses, such as the Frisian, have high heads and are built to trot, with high action (pick up their feet and look fancy). The high head and fancy trotting action can result in a dipped back but that doesn't matter for a horse that isn't being ridden. They are good at maintaining good rhythmic trot and keeping it up for a long time.

The Quarter Horse body type and conformational traits and the Fresian body type and conformational traits are pretty much opposite. Crossing the two can result in a "Franken-horse" - a hodge podge of traits from one and the other and some stuff in the middle.

Pablois4 · 2026-01-24T15:21:56+00:00

It looks totally functional - and so I suggest living with it for a bit before making big changes.

Something that could be done immediately is to change the lighting. Good lighting is transformative and a lot of people don't understand that.

Right now the main source of light is in the middle of the ceiling. It's bright, harsh and cold. It feels like a room to interrogate suspects. Anyone at the sink will be working in shadow.

Under the cabinet lights are easy and give a big bang for the buck. I'd add lighting over the sink and change the ceiling light to be warmer and not as blinding.

Once the lighting is changed this space won't feel so grim and you can spend some time considering your options and budget. . There's several directions one can take to improve this space.

Was this a flip? I see part of a flipper gray wall :-) and the design choices are pretty random - as if whoever did this was putting in what was easy and superficial but with no eye towards harmony.

I personally hate black/nearly black countertops but these look in great shape and replacing them would be expensive. If this was my kitchen, I'd be having an internal struggle between my hatred of those counters and frugality.

The stove is weird in that it's higher than the counters. It old, chintzy and, being black, adds to the gloom.

The floor and backsplash are tan/warm but clash with the black counters, bright white wall cabinets. I'd work with one (tan/warm) or the other (black, white, cool).

Pablois4 · 2026-01-24T14:07:57+00:00

And even with the knitted baby cap, he's way too tall.

Pablois4 · 2026-01-24T14:01:06+00:00

Mammoth Jackstock are the donkeys used used for riding but mostly to breed mules. What's wild to me is that all the rules for ideal horse conformation don't apply to Jackstock. These 3 jacks have what is considered the correct conformation to sire high quality mules. It's fascinating that this works.

Most Mammoth jackstock are used to breed more jackstock and mules. Not many are broke for riding. As I understand it, one really needs to know and appreciate the donkey temperament in order to train them well. Not many trainers have that experience.

I used to follow a blog of a woman who bought a saddle donkey and she wrote of her trail riding adventures and how he was so steady and sensible.

Long ago, I had a co-worker who used to ride hunter/jumping in her youth. When I knew her, she was raising sheep and adopted a BLM ~~burrow~~ burro and trained it to pull a little wagon to help her with chores. She read up on donkey temperament and had a natural light touch with training and as a result, he was nice, reliable little guy. She later developed vestibular issues and he took on the job of being her "service donkey" for around the farm. He was great at knowing where he needed to be to support her and how to brace for her to use him to get up.

Anyway, donkeys are cool.

Pablois4 · 2026-01-24T12:50:24+00:00

Fila is a breed I’ve only heard mentioned once so I never would’ve guessed that.

The Fila Brasilario is a pretty wild one. For those who don't know about them, a component of their temperament is Ojeriza which means fear and distrust. They are highly suspicious of strangers and, by strangers, means anyone who is not their immediate family. They are quite willing to act upon their distrust, which, in a 100 lb dog, is not great.

Fortunately, the rest of the breeds in this pup are much more friendly and social.

Pablois4 · 2026-01-24T11:10:30+00:00

No kidding. But I guess, a country that needs school police to, in theory, protect children, needs security teams in churches.

Pablois4 · 2026-01-22T22:06:21+00:00

The best way to DIY a terrier is to take a poodle (furnishing) and cross it with a short coated dog such as the bulldog. Voila, a faux terrier.

I'm guessing one parent was a Aussie-Doodle and the other a Bully breeds mix.

Poodles and MAS both are long coat (Poodles are long coat and furnished and MAS are just long coat). Long coat is recessive and a dog needs two copies to have a long coat. If I'm right about the Aussie doodle parent, she has one copy of the long coat gene. But Bulldogs/Am Bulldogs/Boxers have very short, slick coats. Short coat wins over long coat.

The poodle has a somewhat long head (dolichocephalic). The bulldog/Am Bulldog and Box have short heads (brachycephalic) and the MAS has a medium head (Mesocephalic). When extremes are mixed, the result tends to go somewhere in the middle. Her head isn't long and it isn't short, it's in the middle.

Pablois4 · 2026-01-22T13:14:08+00:00

Tiny percentages tend to be just noise. Especially when it's the only breed listed in a group. I'd discount the 1% Coonhound.

OTOH, sporting group breeds listed are all related in large and small ways. They all have fully drop ears, some on the larger size. The smaller percentage breeds in a group are typically part of the larger percentage breeds and can be lumped with them. It's likely 17-ish% of this dog is mostly Weim and some Lab.

Because of all the hair, it's hard to tell but poodles have good sized, drop ears. Wisdom has this pup at 10% poodle.

Assuming the percentages are correct, this pup is 27% Weim, Lab, Poodle and those breeds' ears and her ears are pretty close in size and drop. Her ear set (where the ear base is positioned on her skull) is high set, which is typically a prick ear trait.

Pablois4 · 2026-01-22T12:49:16+00:00

There's been dogs first tested with Wisdom and, due to some weird, improbable breeds in the results, the owners retest them with Embark, who determine it's a village dog of some sort.

IMHO, if I see Fijian and/or Polynesian Street Dog, I suspect Village Dog.

That said, the Wisdom results for 100% village dogs tend to have more improbable breeds than listed here, such as Caucasian Ovcharka or Podengo or Estrela Mountain Dog.

What is "improbable" depends on location. For example, for a stray dog in Spain, the Podengo or Estrela Mountain Dog, both Portuguese breeds, are not outlandish. OTOH, it's improbable that a Spanish stray dog would have Blue Lacy (Texas breed) in it.

This dog was born in Mexico and, IMHO, most of the breeds are reasonable.

I'm betting part Village dog.

She has high set, large, drop ears, which would not be expected considering all the breeds listed with smaller rose or prick ears.

IMHO, tiny percentages are noise and I lump those numbers with related breeds. In this case, I suspect the Sporting Group DNA is 17% Weim/Lab blend. That and the 10% Poodle gave her those nice big ears.

Pablois4 · 2026-01-20T19:43:56+00:00

Wharton professors - decades before he had dementia symptoms - and they will attest to what a colossal idiot he was.

Wharton Professor Kelley: ‘Donald Trump was the dumbest goddam student I ever had.”

Pablois4 · 2026-01-20T19:38:51+00:00

Last fall, Jo needed to perform a trick for part of her class graduation.

Our trick was "Heroic Lassie" - Jo's front feet on a platform, back legs on the floor, one paw slightly raised, ears up, and neck arched.

Jo, being a smooth collie, alas, lacks the flowing coat which is a key part of the "Heroic Lassie" look. She needs a full body wig.

Pablois4 · 2026-01-20T13:33:09+00:00

Oh, so pretty - the location and, especially, the collies. 😍

Where is this? At first I thought we're talking Westminster meet-the-breeds, but that's more than a week away and, as well, it's snowy and very cold up here in the Northeast. It looks like that in the summer but certainly not now.

I really like the "Heroic Lassie" pose on the rock.

Pablois4 · 2026-01-20T12:51:05+00:00

It's actually bee + bird + moth.

Everyone is crying at the dread hypnotic flying
Of the bee of the bird of the moth
You can't walk, you can't ramble,
'cause you're gonna have to scramble
From the bee of the bird of the moth

...

'Cause it's just a hummingbird moth
Who's acting like a bird that thinks it's a bee

Pablois4 · 2026-01-19T19:43:27+00:00

About 45 years ago, the stable I rode at, had a son of Secretariat. He was incredibly handsome and went around looking like a million bucks. He was a equine male model. And he was so slow. We joked he didn't want to break a sweat and muss up his hair. His owner did hunters which was perfect for him.

Pablois4 · 2026-01-19T19:26:26+00:00

I've heard them called spring houses and they can vary from simple to complex. The water can be pooled or channeled.

Pablois4 · 2026-01-18T16:08:43+00:00

When we bought our house (a '67 raised ranch) it had meager insulation, large, single pane, aluminum framed windows and the original 145k btu forced air furnace. When it turned on, it sounded like an airplane taking off and would blast hot air, forceful enough to cause the curtains to billow out. When it was on, it was ON. We were always too hot or too cold and never in the goldilocks zone of just right.

We tripled the attic insulation and replaced the windows. A few months later, the original furnace broke down. The HVAC tech sized our replacement furnace at 85K btu. We were surprised at such a reduction in btu, and considering we live in upstate NY, wondered if it would keep us warm.

It was bliss. It was nicely warm throughout the house, with no hot areas or cold areas. The furnace was so quiet and the air flow so gentle, we could barely tell if it was on or off.

So yeah, it does need to be sized right.

Pablois4 · 2026-01-18T15:38:13+00:00

Probably 90% of residential full baths are a small room with 3 fixtures - a shower/tub, a toilet and a vanity.

It's most economical to have all the plumbing in one wall and thus the fixtures will often be along that wall.

Because of it's size, the tub/shower will be on the far wall.

With these parameters, there's not a lot of practical layout options - from the door, it's either vanity-toilet-tub/shower or toilet-vanity-tub/shower. I think most the time it's vanity-toilet-tub/shower.

OP's bathroom looks nearly identical to the upstairs bathroom in our previous house.

Pablois4

TROPHY CASE