Silence...

Ooops, I haven't been here for awhile; perhaps it's time for some updates....

We almost lost Sophia over the summer. At first I thought it was just her stomatitis acting up, but her mouth looks fine and she was able to keep her last two teeth! However, she was clearly hurting, not eating, not purring and she walked like she was loaded. X-rays eventually showed that Sophia has some serious back problems, including three ruptured discs which were inflammed and pressing on her spinal cord. That was leading to all her problems. Her vet wasn't hopeful that there was anything that would help, but prednisone worked it's magic again. It has saved Sophia's life at least once before! She will never be a light on her paws, graceful feline again, but she can get where she wants to go without falling over; she's not in pain; she's eating and demanding her extra canned food every night; and best of all, she has returned to sleeping on my head purring her heart out. I will never understand how people sleep without purring in their ears! :)

We will be loosing Goldie in the not so distant future. She has waged a brave battle against bone cancer for 9 months, but it is winning. The cold, wet weather has not been her friend and the tumor is getting huge. We are lucky, if it's possible to be lucky with cancer, that the cancer is in her ribs, not a limb. She would have been gone a long time ago if it was in her long bones. Good pain meds are keeping Goldie comfortable still. She's still bossing her BFF, Chase, around all day. She will not be able to handle the cold of winter weather; sometime soon even the best meds won't keep her comfortable anymore. She hasn't told me that she's at that point yet, but it is coming for sure.

My human family suffered a loss this week when my Auntie Faye lost a short, but vicious battle with cancer. She was a lovely, one of a kind lady with a warm spirit, loving heart and a wicked sense of humor. She'll be missed by all the family and many friends. I like to believe she is now reunited with her husband, Fritz, who she missed terribly since his passing a few years ago. There's definately some dancing, laughing and probably a few beers being drank where ever they are now!

Out of that sadness comes some happiness as I will be leaving to visit my family in a few days and will finally get to meet my newest niece! Zoe was born in late April and I am looking forward to meeting her! I hope someday, in the very distant future, she will remember her Auntie T with the same fondness I remember my Auntie Faye!

Seniors

It's official....as of yesterday, I have one dog who is not offically classed as a senior and 23 who are officially old!

Yesterday, my pair of brothers, Mac & Ozzy, turned 7. They still act like yearlings but according to the charts at the vet clinic, they are senior canine citizens now! They've come a long way from the terrified pair who arrived here 6 years ago. From dogs I could not touch, full of fear and in a chronic state of anxiety, with supposed heart issues that would prevent them from running.

To house dogs who enjoy a good cuddle; official greeter dog at the gate(Mac); my early warning system that something or someone is approaching(Ozzy); with hundreds of miles in harness under their paws. Survivors with resilient spirits and bodies.

Happy birthday, boys. I hope it will be a long while before you two start playing the "but I'm old" routine! Just ignore Hobo, he has nothing left to teach you, especially about how to get away with spending all day inside!

My big ball of dumb....

Six years ago this afternoon, I dragged a terrified, kicking, panicked Chase out of the shelter where he'd lived for 18 months. He'd come in as a four month old puppy, all legs, too far past the cute stage to get adopted quickly, too full of fear to get someone to notice him in a positive way. All his buddies already lived at our place, so why not Chase too? Except Chase didn't want to leave the only home he'd ever known. It took three of us to get him into the truck.

It would probably take three people to get him back into the truck now. Chase likes to run and go for walks, but he is happiest in his yard; in his pen with his beloved Goldie. Chase does not like change. He likes everything exactly the same as it was yesterday!

Chase is not the brightest crayon in the box. We have often said he's so dumb it's a bit suprising he remembers to breath on his own. He's a giant over-grown puppy, stuck in goofy puppy mode forever. But he just wouldn't be Chase if he was a doggy genius. It's part of his charm!

Sometimes the dumb ones are gift....Chase is an easy dog in every way; Chase never thinks to challenge me; I tell him to do something, he does it; there's no husky selective hearing, no debate on what it's in it for him; he just does as he's asked to do; he's grateful for every little tidbit of attention and love he gets; every walk is the greatest adventure he's ever been on; every dinner is the best meal he's ever had; he can't open gates, never tries to escape or challenges a fence and even if he did mange to, he'd never dream of leaving the yard, its scary out there; he never gets put out because another dog got something he didn't; he doesn't seem to realize he doesn't have to let Goldie be the boss of him; he's quite happy to let her boss him around endlessly and she's delighted to be the boss of someone.

Anyone who thinks dogs don't form their own love bonds needs to meet Chase and Goldie. He is her only canine friend; she's half his size, 5 years older, short, slow and fat to his long, fast and lean. Goldie's life has been much happier since Chase came into it. As she nears the end of her life, he continues to dote on her. I am hopeful that his clueless nature will help limit his grief when she passes.

Chase is my big ball of dumb, but I say that with great affection as he's also a great snuggler; a sweet and gentle boy; an entertaining goofball; a gift to me and Goldie.

Happy Gotcha Day, my doofus dog.