Category Archives: Dogs & Other Animals

Maizie, A Good Dog

Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings, ,

This is a tribute to Maizie who we fostered for Northeast Ohio Shetland Sheepdog Rescue. She arrived in 2013 and passed on to the Rainbow Bridge about a year and a half later, while laying on a dog bed in our living room, with me by her side. She now lies buried in our woods with our others who have passed.

The letter below is one I wrote in 2013, right after we discovered she had kidney failure. We are blessed to have known her. She enriched our lives.

Dear Person Who Abandoned this Senior Dog,

Maizie was found by the pound and when they sent you a letter to come and get her, you did not come. She spent 30 days in the pound kennel waiting for you before the efforts of two rescue groups brought her to our house as a foster dog. Today we discovered that she has kidney failure and will live out the rest of her life with us however long that may be. What lesson am I supposed to learn from this? Perhaps to have compassion for you and not be judgemental? I will work on that.

I know that I have been blessed to know this dog who is sweet, loving, and grateful for every bit of attention. She smiles at us constantly and is one of the happiest dogs I have seen. Occassionally she will try to play and has a small, joyful hop to her step. Our lives have been enriched by knowing this kind dog.

My dreams will be sweeter knowing that I have helped and loved this girl. May you be able to sleep at all.

Such Days As These

Dogs & Other Animals, Thoughts On Life,

Many of our best days are spent here at home, but not all of them. Today, hubby and I went to the zoo with our dear sister in law and two nieces. It was a stellar day!

The chance to hang out and bond with Niece 1 (The Child of Questions And Amazement) and share the experiences of seeing all the animals was priceless. And Uncle (aka hubby) and Niece 1 even got to ride a camel together!

And what a blessing to share a zoo day with Niece 2 (The Child of Boundless Joy). She is happy to share everything we see and do together. Every new encounter was met with a smile. (She, would refer to herself as Miss I Talk a Lot). That was her catch phrase for the day.

After a hot and satisfying day, we partook of our zoo tradition. We all had ice cream together to cool off and round out the adventure.

Such days as these help to make our lives complete

Don’t Forget…

Dogs & Other Animals, Thoughts On Life,

Life is better with a belly rub!

-Quote by Baxter

A Wonderful Gift

Dogs & Other Animals, Thoughts On Life, , ,

I had a wonderful 4th of July holiday last week for numerous reasons. Not the least of which was my brother had this piece of art commissioned as a surprise gift for me. There was no occasion, my brother is just thoughtful and awesome! The work is of my dog Duncan, who I still miss immensely and will always be a part of me even though he has been gone for some years now.

The drawing was done from one of my favorite photos of Duncan. You can see the bond we shared reflected in his eyes.

The piece now resides in my office at work so I can enjoy it there. The portrait was done by a family member in my brother’s extended family. Thanks Chris Whitaker! I would recommend Chris if you are interested in something similar of one of your own furry or feathered family members. He has an Etsy Shop called WHITSwhiskers.

Hope your days are blessed with such thoughtful and talented family as well.

Holding Hands

Dogs & Other Animals, ,

We had a good evening yesterday. We took the four larger dogs for a walk since the weather was considerably cooler than it had been. It was also Nursing Home night. Nikki was happy to go visit her friends there since she didn’t get to go on the walk.

And I saw something I had never seen before. One of the ladies inadvertently put her arm down over Nikki’s paw. Nikki put her other paw on top of the arm and hugged the lady’s arm for about 10 minutes. It looked like they were holding hands. This made them both very happy!

Shelby thoroughly enjoyed her visit too as you can see from one of her trips to check in with me and make sure all is well. She knows we are working as a team so frequently checks in with me for feedback.

Cassius was also a happy boy last evening. Needy, much? Yup, he’s a momma’s boy.

A Day In the Garden

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, Gardens,

It was a beautiful Sunday for hanging out on the patio and enjoying our gardens. Here is a video I took so you could enjoy it too. Life is good!

Summer In Bloom

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, Gardens, , ,

See, even the dogs appear to be enjoying the flowers!

It is lily season in Ohio right now. The main reason we don’t grow more is because the bloom season is relatively short and we want something to be blooming all summer.

So we also have hibiscus.

And roses.

And much more! I will keep you updated as the summer progresses.

A Red Letter Day

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, Gardens, ,

What’s the first thing we do when we finally get a day with no rain? Take dogs for a walk! That’s why you see all the happy faces. (Nikki stayed home because being tiny and 12 years old, she can’t keep up.)

After that, the day got even better. We it spent it on the patio with dogs. Our plans for tomorrow are a repeat of today. I’ll let you know how it goes.

The Five

Dogs & Other Animals,

This collage illustrates why life is good! Dogs! These are our five dogs.

Nikki, upper left, is our oldest at 12. She is also our tiniest dog weighing in at 22 lbs. Shelby, upper right, is our other sheltie. She is nine years old, and protector of the house. She warns us about approaching storms, or really rain of any sort. She also alerts us to vehicles passing the house, especially when those garbage men come and steal our trash. These two are referred to as “the girls” and are my regulars for visits to the nursing home.

Zeke, aka Zekie, is our not quite sheltie. He was transported to us for fostering as such. He’s more of a spitz type that may have some sheltie thrown in. He is our problem child. He has severe separation anxiety possibly from being abandoned at a shelter. Or perhaps he was abandoned at a shelter because of the separation anxiety. Either way, he is a loving boy.

Baxter is sunning himself and enjoying the fountain. He was dropped off here as a pup 10 years ago. What a blessed day it was for us.

And lastly is Cassius the greyhound. He is 6 years old and a retired racer. I think he enjoyed racing. He still loves to run and play. He has no idea how big he is and our lives would not be complete without him.

Take a moment to pet and love your own dogs. They each make our lives all the richer.

Magicians

Dogs & Other Animals,

My girls working their magic this evening at the nursing home.

I walked up to this gentleman with Nikki. He is usually very serious as he pets the dogs and talks. He is friendly but reserved. I asked him if he wanted to hold the little one, Nikki. He grinned from ear to ear and shook his head yes. He maintained his smile all the while petting Nikki. Each time I asked if she was getting heavy or if I should take her, he shook his head no. Finally it was time for us to go. We left him with a smile still on his face.

The lady petting Shelby also had a notable evening. She first petted Nikki and then Shelby jumped up on her own to visit. This is rather unusual for Shelby to jump on the couch without being invited. I’m learning to trust her as she is developing an intuition for who needs her. This woman said, if only my family could see me now, I’m afraid of dogs! I asked if she was ok with the dogs or if I should move them. The lady said she was fine and continued petting the pups. I got a picture so we can share it with her family.

If anyone tells you there is no magic in the world, don’t believe them.