The long and the short of it...a dog's tail

I had expected some challenges with regard to moving 4 dogs from sea level to almost 2 miles up , altitude wise. Sure enough...for the first 5 days here they literally ate nothing. Lots of water drinking but no eating ( which for Bikki, our chunky monkey is HUGE)!! So finally they start nibbling their dinners but still no real interest in their food. Not really a problem but it concerned me.

Then Tonka went for a walk on our 19 acres south of town. And all went well ....no mountain lions thinking Tonks would make a tasty, if furry snack. No bears or wolves or coyotes....yay.
However...you knew there would be an "however" didnt you? All was well until he got close to the car, at which time he found one of God's nastiest plants. He was covered in some kind of stickers that were sharp enough to cut him and make him bleed and they could not be brushed out or pulled out. We had to shave him down to the skin.....I would say he looks like a poodle but I dont want to insult him any further. And of course, he is freezing. Morning temps here are high 40s or low 50s and he has never been without fur. We had to buy him some clothes....(yes, we are "those people" now, those who dress their dogs, but its not just for show, its for warmth!)
Dont know how he will handle winter and snow and I am pretty sure his fur wont grow back soon enough for the real cold that is coming.

Then yesterday Loki had to go to the vet...he had been coughing for 2 days and I thought something was stuck in his throat. No, says the vet, its kennel cough ( and this dog hasnt been in a kennel for at least 2 years!!) She said he could have gotten in on the airplane simply by being close to another dog who had it....peachy. So he is on antibiotics and the rest of the gang have to go in and get shots for Bordatella(sp?) because the cough is highly contagious. At least it isnt something fatal, for which I am glad. Nice vet and close too...but hopefully we wont need to see her too often.