intereting karmic happenings lately...
3 years ago, my next door neighbors tried to run over my dogs in my own driveway because my dogs had followed theirs home through the moose trail that joins our properties and gone onto their property for a few minutes. Well, recently their favored dog, a black lab named Homer, was hit by a car in front of their house and killed. Rest in peace Homer...you were a good dog and I'm sorry you're gone. I had no problem with you visiting my place...
Dahli came to me somewhat headshy, especially about her right ear, presumably left over from when she was halter trained as a foal. Arabians forget nothing. We've worked on it consistently over the years, with set backs caused by unexpected events such as a guest slapping her repeatedly in the face, trespassers trying to hurt her over the fence, etc. She's improved over time, but always some event or other brings it back to the surface. This summer she rubbed a bug bite behind her left ear to bald patches and a little raw. I put ointment on it, but it kept bothering her. It looked like it picked up a fungal infection, so I treated it with my standard -- essential lavender oil. The treatment had to be repeated at least once/day for many days. Well, all that soothing oil-soaked cotton held gently against the bald areas relieved the itching and/or stinging, as well as healing the infection. And for the first time I am able to scritch both her ears as well as her face. Her head shyness is, at least for the moment, gone, and she's enjoying being scritched! 
I still never see Bella, and a couple weeks ago she didn't come by for several days after some critter was hanging out in the woods by the pasture. I think she got spooked off -- the dogs were going crazy growling and whatever it was was pretty loud in there 
But since then, for the past 2 weeks or so, Belladonna is eating full meals here every night. The weather has been pretty good, but soon it will start to get pretty harsh out, so I'm hopeful that she'll decide to start staying with the food for the winter. Time will tell on that one...
