SG, Thank you so much for your insight--I believe you are a true "dog whisperer"! Let me clarify a few things and ask specific training & environmental questions: First I'll say, due to you and Annz' kind help, I believe I have corrected one of my problems. When I designed our new home I made space under the wall cabinets in the laundry rm for the dogs' kennels--next to each other. I thgt I was so smart doing this, but for my dogs' personalities, this may be one big problem. So hours ago, I moved Tiger's kennel to a different room (pantry next to L. rm) and he went right in! So now they will have their own space--away from each other. ~~I am also not going to allow either to sit under my desk while I am working--maybe that made Pepper (the Wheaton) think Tiger was getting special treatment (?). #2: The dogs do know I am TOP DOG for I, also, use their food & bowls to show my dominance--pretend to eat a kernel from their bowls before putting bowl down--pick up while they are eating & touch them/their food while they are eating. Never a problem--never a growl or resistance. Also, when we pass thru a door outside I am to go first, after I have them sit-stay & wait for me. I have them sit/lay/stay on command from time to time during the day to reinforce this too. ~~A trainer I consulted after the first attack told me that they both knew I was top dog but I did things to allow Pepper to think she was my equal--that we were BOTH top dogs. So I've been doing these things for a long time---more strictly for about a yr--but now you'll see NOT STRICTLY ENOUGH. ***Let me be specific in my info and question: When I open a door to let them out, Pepper does bolt out the door ahead of me about 1/3 of the time. I use my correction sound (Ehhhhh) and she immediately returns to my side to sit/stay until I give her the "OK" to move. (Sometimes just hearing the correction sound from me, she stops & returns to my side.) Specifically, WHEN I say sit/stay--she ALWAYS obeys. If I give NO command, she will start thru the door. ~~~Writing this out, I see I'm slacking and creating top dog DOUBT in her mind. So she isn't totally convinced that I am top dog? Or am I teaching her that I AM top dog but if she "assumes a top dog behavior" there is no real consequence besides "re-doing the situation" and moving on? SO, I need to go back to square one and take better control--using a lead to control, give commands EVERY TIME AND be persistent. But is it as "simple" as that? I can & will do these things correctly now but what else am I doing or what else can I do. Surely my "allowing" her to even consider disobeying my top-dog status isn't the only reason she's "comfortable" risking punishment in order to attack Tiger? I believe Tiger knows Pepper is Alpha dog and is comfortable with it. It has to be ME & my behavior that affects Peppers attacks. Hope I've been somewhat clear about what I do & don't do in order for you all to help give me instruction & advice. tks again in advance, CB

The OP said, to put it another way: "they could do the job in a smaller kitchen," those folks with huge kitchens. This may be the core focus the OP was interested in, when he asked if they "really use" their large kitchen. Too great a distance and you've got a space that is hard to work in. Too many steps. Ancillary question 1: About eco footprint: The more high-quality your refrigeration capacity is, the longer your produce keeps; organics spoil sooner in cheap fridges. The more refrigeration capacity you have at home, the less strain you put on the refrigerated distribution retail system. Ancillary question 2: "Huge kitchen --> wealthy homeowner --> eat out, or eat "delivered food" Disgusting. Oh, please. Please, people, let's remember that the wealthiest don't go exposing themselves to restaurant situations as a general rule. Food prepared by strangers presents risks, unknowable, un-evaluat-able. Also, crowd situations present risks, social interaction risks of all kinds, and the wealthier one is deemed to be, the bigger these social risks become. Whether one eats out or not has little to do with one's wealth. --- OTOH, people who just LIKE to go to restaurants or have food delivered certainly are limited by their available cash or credit. People who like to spend are not savers and are not wealthy. They may have enough to spend, today, but this is temporary affluence, equivalent psychologically to a day laborer blowing it all the same night. So a "desire and means to eat out often, or get expensive take-out" can be said to have a ($, in cash or credit) Limiting Factor. This $ limiting factor is not correlated to the number of steps between the sink, fridge and cooktop. And also not correlated to the quality of the appliances. ----

Marie.. There was and is help from hundreds of volunteer firefighters,from 40 different agencies, if that is what you mean. Yesterday evening the Nation Guard was called out. That cannot be done till the County Commissioners request it from the Govenor then she has to approve it. But she can declare the situtation a state of emergency then the Adjutant general gives the orders to call out the National Guard. This information is according to my husband, was the protocal when he was Hazmat Chief and the Black Hawks flew him over the areas on fire. They do have areas set up for donations of water, gatorade, snacks, food, clothing, household goods etc for anyone that needs it. This is just in Mannford that I am aware of but I would imagine there are more in other areas, like Moni took Haskell to. Yesterday earlier in the day they were begging people for Gatorade for the firefighters. Fortunately no deaths have been reported and one one firefighters was treated for heat exhaustion, that was the latest I heard anyway.

Thank you, thank you, all! Well, one thing that gardening has taught me is how much it means to have a community of gardening friends. I was completely heart-broken yesterday but now much more hopeful and encouraged after reading all your advice and support. Ugh, I have a lot of landscape cloth that we use to cover plants when frost hits in late spring and could have wrapped some yesterday, but didn't even think about it. I'll surely try it for the rest of the winter season because the ground is frozen and it's too late for caging now. I will also try fencing the entire area but I'm still not sure how they get in from my neighbor's yard because the gaps between the wood fencing are very narrow though it's clear from the tracks that they get in from there. So I still need to cage each rose but will also fence the beds and borders for winter. That's a great idea about leaves and I always have plenty. Just this year I gave away some 20-30 bags of leaves. Next time I'll keep them for protection. I'm thinking to perhaps fill in the caged area with some too... I am always for the humane treatment of animals, pests included, and completely understand the concern about the discomfort that pepper can leave on bunnies, but I just can't let this happen again and there is so much snow around that just licking it can hopefully give them the relief from this temporary discomfort. It's really just to teach them that this is not an area for having yet another feasting banquet as they did two nights ago. I might alternate between chili pepper/petroleum jelly, following Christopher's recipe, and shredded Ivory soap that was also kindly recommended. And as the final touch, I'll use the best deterrent of all (credits go to Virginia! :-)). On the cage or leaf bag next to each rose I'll stick different rabbit recipes, starting with Brunswick stew (though myself I've never had any and do adore bunnies, but not when they eat my roses).