How Do Dogs Grieve the Death of Another Dog?

We have a new old dog. Her name is Star and she has lived with us for four years. She is now a new dog.

Have you witnessed a dog going through a time of grieving the loss of another furry friend? When we adopted two rescues four years ago, they came as a package. We wanted one long-haired Doxie but the adoption center would not allow these two to be separated.

The male, Gunner, was ten years old and had been Star's protector for her entire life of six years. She was a show dog. They both lived in cages and were abused. They rarely saw the light of day. Gunner took the brunt of the abuse because he protected his little 'wife' and consequently got kicked, pushed, and thrown by their owner. 

Do Dogs Know When it is Time to Say Goodbye?

No matter how much we prepare ourselves for the inevitable, it is extremely difficult to say good-bye to our furry friends. Even more difficult is making the decision as to when - do we wait a month, a week, or does it have to be today?

Gunner's time was approaching and I prayed that he would let me know when it was time. He did. 

Around eight in the evening, he started to pace and then stand in a corner for a few minutes. He did this all night and I stayed up with him. The first vet appointment available was at three in the afternoon. As much as his human daddy wanted to be there his schedule didn't permit; I had to go alone. 

Gunner's doctor took one look at him and then back at me. There was no need for an examination. "I'll give Gunner a shot that is incredibly fast-acting. He will be gone in a matter of seconds but you can hold him as long as you want to stay with him." I did. 

How to Know When It Is Time to Say Good-bye

November is my birthday month but celebrating it has never been a priority. My mom was very ill my entire childhood and spent most of her life in bed fighting a debilitating disease. Birthday parties were out of the question. I often hoped my mom would forget my birthday so she would not have to feel guilty if she was not well enough to bake a cake or buy me a present.

Consequently, I often forget my birthday if I am busy or forget to check the calendar. Yet, I love birthday celebrations and try not to forget those special days for family and friends. And even if I may forget... my family always remembers.

I often wondered:  Why don't we celebrate our mothers on our birthdays?  After all, they did all the work!

Fall is here

What Should the Penalty Be for Leaving a Dog in a Hot Car?

After rescuing a few dozen dogs, I have learned how to talk dog.  
It is an easy language to understand because dogs are commutative.  
All you have to do is to observe and listen.  They understand when you 
are sad, happy, or silly.  And they certainly know when you are planning 
on going out and leaving them alone.

Packing your suitcase for a trip is a sure trigger.  
You can hear them say, "Don't you realize that you 
will be leaving me behind?

Why can't I come with you?"

The Circle of Life is Simple and Complex

Ever notice that people say "Spring is Here!"  They also may say, "So glad winter is over!" and "Autumn is my favorite time of year."  I believe we often relate to the seasons of our lives in the same way.  Spring brings new birth after the dark days of winter.  The autumn of our lives is that time when we are slowing down but still enjoying the effects of summer, that exciting fun time of our lives.

Beautiful garden all around...and no WORK!

I especially enjoyed spring this year.  I have attempted to take a few moments each day to relax on the deck with a tall drink -- watching the dogs roll in the grass and raising their heads to smell the airwaves. It has been many years since I have had a yard allowing me to do this.  I KNOW! What did I ever do to deserve that?  The fruit trees are starting to sprout buds.  The berry bushes are bursting with new growth.  I have no clue what lurks beneath the topsoil but waiting with great anticipation.

Moving Twice in One Year -- Are You Insane?

Moving twice in one year is not something I would recommend.  Every move is major but some more major than others!  Although I purged when we moved last year, I was able to take a good look at what I was saving and purged even more this move.  

Christmas concert

It has been a whirlwind experience and took a few days to recover from.  While we were at my daughter's for a week at Christmas we got the call.  "There is an offer on your house and the sooner you can move out, the more it will be worth your while!"  In other words, an offer we couldn't refuse.  

Have You Ever Been a Fly on the Wall?

2017!  It can't be!  Didn't we just turn the calendar into a new century?  How could that possibly be SEVENTEEN years ago?  So many people have shared that they are hoping for a better year as 2016 was a major struggle.  

I am sure you will agree with me how much more fun it is to give gifts at Christmas time than top open them.  I always do my Christmas shopping throughout the year and wrap them immediately. Often I forget what I wrapped by the time Christmas rolls around, which makes it even more fun.

I know my family loves to give me gifts as well so I keep a list during the year for them.  Once you reach a 'certain' age, you may become difficult to buy for because there is little you want that you don't already have.

But there was one thing that I have been asking for the past couple years and when I opened this gift I started to cry.  I absolutely loved it.  It was an oil painting by one of my favorite abstract artists - the only type of art that I truly enjoy.  I have hung it where I can see it every day and appreciate the love behind the gift.

What do you think?  Do you have any idea who the artist is?  Would love your input!

Making people happy at Christmas!

We made some awesome pieces for clients this Christmas.  Hubby has the unique ability to design around the client's personality and what they are visualizing in their mind's eye.  Here is just a sample

Family Ring

The pictures are from my phone and certainly don't do these pieces justice but this ring is what he made me and it is as rare as it can be.  After decades in the gemstone business, hubby has never seen another stone like this -- before or since he had it cut thirty years ago.  He had forgotten that he had it until a few months ago and designed a ring around it for me.  The center stone is a one-of-a-kind, totally natural, untreated Imperial Pink Topaz

One of our clients asked hubby to design a pendant to put into the center of her grandmother's pearls to make them more modern. This is what he came up with and it is exquisite.  A blue sapphire and diamond pendant in white gold. 

Christmas and pups

Certainly isn't Christmas without our little rescues -- they get sweeter all the time.







Charlie is saying goodbye to her babies.  Of all the dogs we have had, we have never had sweeter or softer pups.  They are unique in that they are so cuddly and content -- almost never cried and now they are gone.  They were also the biggest dogs we have ever had - Bernese and Great Pyrenees mix.  William certainly enjoyed his time with them and they will make great family dogs.  But H U G E TWENTY-pound pups!

They even started out BIG -- 

And here is your smile for the day:

Aubrie is 11 months old but she has figured out how to play hide and seek -- she INITIATES it. She will go into a dark room, behind the door and wait quietly until someone figures out she is not around.  When they find her she screams with delight and scares the pants off of us.

SPAGHETTI ANYONE?

I hope that 2017 is your best year yet and that your dreams and goals will be met.  Thank you for sharing my blog posts along with your encouraging words and smiles.

Let's be honest!  Wouldn't you love to know what goes on in some homes?  Wouldn't you enjoy being a fly on the wall and watch? Being part of this blogging community you can do just that! Each month it is such fun to get a glimpse of how other people live, how they handle stressful situations and even better, to laugh with them at the crazy antics of their partners, kids, and pets!  I hope you can check out some of my fellow blogger's posts this month as they give you a peek.

Baking In A Tornado                   

Searching for Sanity                 

Eileen’s Perpetually Busy            

Go Mama O                            

Spatulas on Parade                    

A Little Piece of Peace                 

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy                                           

Cluttered Genius             

Does Your Dog's Breath Make You Want to Run Away?

For those of you who like the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer and the heat that goes with it -- I hope you are seriously enjoying this one.  There is little I like about summer which I shared in my post this time last year.  For a smile, read 10 Reasons Why I Would Like to Skip Summer.  This year is no different except we are not having the wild fires on the North West Coast.
                                                                                                                                                                                       







What I do enjoy about summer is seeing the grandkids more often and watching them enjoy their summer activities. William loves to go fishing with his daddy and has learned all aspects of fishing including driving the boat.

For Better, For Worse -- A Language a Dog Understands

When we think of the words "For better, for worse," we usually think of a marriage.  We say our vows on our wedding day proclaiming that we will never leave our spouse, no matter what happens.





But sometimes we don't follow through with those vows.  Sometimes, our spouse is abusive or falls out of love with us. Those words ring in our ears -- for better, for worse -- but......it may be out of our control.

When we acquire a pet, how often don't we promise to take care of that pet, for better - for worse?

We fall in love with that puppy and look forward to many years of joy with him. BUT.....sometimes....

He has genetic problems and requires special care, which can be very expensive.

He will NOT stop barking.

He bites people.

He poops in the house.

He pees in the house.

He is left alone all day and then goes crazy when his owner comes home and becomes a pest, trying to gain full-on attention.

He isn't as cute as when he was a puppy.

He has a serious accident and requires special care for the rest of his life.

He won't behave properly so he is beaten and kicked or worse.

He is destructive when left alone.

Sometimes, rather than spend the time needed to restore the relationship, we give up.....and give that dog away.

I May Be A Small Dog But I Dream Big

I come from strong stock.  I may be small in stature but I have always dreamed big.  When I dream, it is not only what I think about when I am awake, but also when I am asleep.  If I set my mind to something, you better believe that I will do it.  I am a very determined character.  Here I am with my big sister, Mercedez who went away last year and I miss her so much.

Dreams Do Come True

Even when I was very young, I knew that I wanted to be a husband and father and I never gave up hope that I would meet the perfect girl.  When I laid eyes on that Mexican senorita, I knew she was the one for me.

Does This Make Sense To You?

I never met a dog I didn't like love.  Give me five minutes with any dog and I will create a life-long bond.  After years of rescuing dogs - over 30 so far - I can't imagine life without at least one in the house. My daughter has six at the moment - the acorn doesn't fall far....

Dogs make me laugh -- every single day.  When you learn to speak 'dog' they will tell you what you want to hear -- "I love you.  I have always loved you.  I will always love you.  Nothing else matters."

A bachelor friend of ours loves dogs as much as we do and has always maintained it is easier to date a woman and come home to his four-legged furry friend than to be married.  WHAT?

Admit it -- I bet some of you have thought that.   And here are some reasons why.......

1.  The later you come home, the more excited the dog is to see you.  You don't have to have an excuse or an explanation.  Giving a dog a pat on the head and a treat will make them forget you were ever gone at all.

Nayla, Rocky, Charlie (in diaper) and Kei

2.  Dogs don't care if you call them by another name.  They probably won't even notice.   The tone of your voice tells them you care about them above any other dog.  And if food is part of the equation.....nothing else matters.


3.  Dogs like it if you leave a lot of things on the floor.  They don't care if the house is tidy or if you left your dirty underwear on the floor.  In fact, they like it.

4.  A dog's parents NEVER visit.  'Nuf said.

If You Don't Laugh Out Loud - You Must Be Dead

If you haven't seen this yet -- PREPARE to laugh out loud.

If you have seen this, PREPARE to laugh out louder.

I cannot begin to imagine all the work that went into preparing this -- for our viewing pleasure.  It is HILARIOUS.

You MUST watch the whole thing -- it gets funnier by the second









I think one of the funniest moments was the mistletoe -- what was your favorite?

Dogs Drool, Cats Rule!

          

The prevalence of rancor that exists between dog owners and cat owners is rarely understood or explained. There often seems to be a decided lack of decency among them. Doesn’t it make you wonder what made this evolve into such distinct differences?

Although many dog owners 'have' cats (you can't "own" a cat), many people choose to be one or the other - a cat person or a dog person. I happen to love both cats and dogs but lean towards dogs.  Do you think most people have a preference?  Do you think different personality types prefer one over the other?  I'd be interested to hear your views.

There is much to be said about the differences between dogs and cats and what better way than to show it through pictures?

If cats had their way, they would like to to abolish all dogs. But, they really love the chase, the teasing and knowing that at the end of the day, CATS RULE!

Dog has no idea what's coming next

Are You Addicted to Chocolate? Could it Kill You?

"You better wrap your pretty little head around it because it is the only honorable thing to do!"  How dare she speak to me like that?  SHE was the one living in total darkness and completely oblivious to what was really going on?  

I felt like a kangaroo - jumping from one conclusion to another - wishing someone would point a glow stick in the direction I should go.  Would someone please rescue me from this dilemma?  

I L O V E  chocolate.  I had hidden several pieces of those little gems from my roommate. But she caught me red-handed, with chocolate on my mouth.  

Now those little angels were yelling at the door, "TRICK OR TREAT!" She actually expected me to give up my stash I had so carefully hidden but unfortunately, couldn't resist.  Hence, she found my hiding place.

I knew she was right.  It was wrong to hoard.  Those little kids waited weeks for the opportunity to put on their costumes and hopefully scare old people into giving them candy.  

Honorable or not, I wanted chocolate - NOW.  I wasn't giving in to her threats of telling the kids I wouldn't share.  But then she said those five little words that made me cry and want to throw up - "CHOCOLATE IS POISON TO DOGS!"

The words I received for this month's Use Your Words challenge had me stumped this month.  The only answer was to start typing and see where it would take me -- there you have it.  The weird combination of words Confessions of a Part-Time Working Mom gave me were:  honorable ~ wrap ~ darkness ~ trick or treat ~ glow stick ~ kangaroo.

Please have a browse around the other blogger's posts in this challenge.  I guarantee you that you will be entertained.

Baking In A Tornado
Spatulas on Parade
The Momisodes
Sparkly Poetic Weirdo
Southern Belle Charm
Rena's World
Confessions of a Part-time Working Mom
Someone Else's Genius
Searching for Sanity
Climaxed
Dinosaur Superhero Mommy
The Bergham Chronicles
The Angrivated Mom   
Eileen's Perpetually Busy                

Photo courtesy of yummypets.com

Do You Have a Preference - Pointed or Flat?

Are you prejudice against certain dogs?  Do you stereotype them?  Do you believe some are smarter than others?

Our family has rescued over 30 dogs.  The other day it occurred to me that we have never adopted or rescued a flat-nosed one.  I asked my husband why and he simply said "I don't like flat-nosed dogs."  Come to think of it, I do prefer the long-nosed ones as well.

My question to you is this:  Dogs find us.  We must have some kind of internal magnet that draws the lost, the strays, the hurting to us.  So......how do they know we prefer long-nosed dogs? 

I did a little research to determine what differences there were between long and flat faced dogs.  Flat faced dogs often have breathing and respiratory complications which can lead to  health 

issues.  They are also more prone to infection, i.e. ear and eye problems.   It doesn't answer my question as to why only long nosed ones find us.  Do they SMELL us from afar?  And follow their noses?

Many of you have followed my rescue dog stories long enough to recognize many of these critters.  I have shared a few of their story links beneath their picture.  If you are a dog lover and want a laugh or a good cry -- here you go:

Abused Bernese "Charlie" was out of control
Now...two years later she is one of the best dogs ever

Have You Watched Your Best Friend Die? RIP Mercedez

I crawled under the examining table in the veterinarian's office to be closer to Mercedez.  The clinic had provided a blanket for her to lie on.  Any other time I would have been repulsed by the germs and filth that was lingering on the floor but not this time.

I wanted to be close to her - one last time.  I wanted to rub her velvety ears - one last time.  I wanted to kiss her soft furry face - one last time.

She was too little to climb the stairs - 15 years ago

 "I love you Sades" I whispered into her ear. "Go to sleep, my precious little girl."

Do You Think All Dogs Go To Heaven?

Do dogs strategize?  I think they know EXACTLY what they are doing and they have agendas. It was early in the morning when the phone rang "Mom, please get in your car and go to the auto mechanic shop on the highway.  The dogs are there."

"WHAT?"

"Please mom, GO!"

Still in my nightie I grabbed my purse and ran out the door, praying all the way.  That shop was over a mile away and the highway was extremely busy with high-speed traffic.  I put the pedal to the metal and was there in a minute.

I saw them.  Nayla and Charlie.  They have eleven acres to romp through at home but apparently that is not enough.  They had found a means of escape and decided to go exploring.  Charlie was in heat and I was freaking about that as I knew my daughter wanted to breed her.  Thank goodness the man found Rochelle's phone number on Charlie's collar.

Don't be fooled by the innocent after-bath look!

Letter of Gratitude from an Old Dog

Dear Important Human:

Before I tell you why I am writing this letter, please allow me to tell you about myself.  I am a 15 year old Black Lab/Dalmatian mix and probably one of the happiest and friendliest you will ever meet. My name is Mercedez and my former owner abandoned me and my siblings when we were only two weeks old.  This awful person took me away from my dog mommy but it wasn't long before I found out I had a new human mommy.  No one could love me more.

Does the 'What Could Have Happened' Scare You?

I love the monthly Fly on The Wall posts.   Each blogger shares what has happened around their home in the past month.  You can share a funny, sad or unusual occurrence that isn't long enough to warrant a full post.  It is a way to stay in touch with fellow bloggers to see what happened in their lives the past month.  If you haven't considered it already, please think about joining us and share the fun. 

A couple weeks ago I woke up earlier than usual but decided to get up and start my day. It was MEANT to be because if I had not, I shudder to think what might have happened to my black Lab, Mercedez.

How Do These 6 Professional Beggars Affect You?

How do you feel about beggars?  The definition of begging is:  To ask for something in an urgent or humble manner. 

I was eating a piece of toast this morning and my two new rescue dogs (that heartwarming tale here) were jumping up and down, begging me for a piece.  I assumed they were not taught that begging is rude.  But they are so cute and little, I let it go.  Suddenly, I had an epiphany.

I realized that I rarely, if ever, give in to begging because I have no problem saying "No."  Does that make me nasty..... or smart?  Let's look at some instances of begging and see how we feel about giving to these six types of beggars.