Doggy Diligence

After losing 16 year old Annie, we are on the search for another Aussie to keep Zoe company.  And what a process it is to get “approved” to adopt a new dog from the aussie rescue group, even though we got Zoe from them when she was but 3 months.   After completing the lengthy online application, they called my references, my vet, and did a home visit.  Pretty standard stuff for most adoptions or purchased these days, from what my friends tell me.

With the press lamenting about the dogs (and cats) being abandoned or turned in since their owners cannot afford them–going from homes to cages in overcrowded shelters– it is a little bizarre that we have to practically complete a psychological profile to get a forgotten or mislaid pup, but I do understand that the dog lovers who run the organizations want the dogs to become a permanent part of our lives, not another temporary stopping point.

And now the search is underway.  Not to find a dog just for us, but more importantly for Zoe.  The new Aussie has to get along with kids and many guests and grandparents and other dogs and be able to live without a fence and be loving and like to run/play/jump/catch/swim/do agility/hang out while we work.

Zoe is a bit shy with other dogs, so we are trying out boys-girls-puppies-year old dogs, to try and find a match for her. How to turn any of them down, when they are all so cute and smart and wanting love?  But, we need to find one for she AND us, so we will meet, greet, play, and wait.  Hopefully she will find a new friend soon. Sadly,  there are new candidates available each week.

And we will be new parents again if we choose a puppy.  So much work!  But more or less than a year-old dog who has never had training?  Hmmm…maybe less. 

And if you are looking for a new addition to your home, there are rescue groups for almost all breeds and shelters and home fostered dogs.  All looking for a pat, a treat, a run and willing to give back more than you can imagine.  The search might take some time, but remember they will be in your lives and homes a long time.  Choose wisely.  C

Annie, Farewell

 

Annie, you came into our lives

On your one-year birthday

So fearful, so quiet, so timid

Learning the way of family life

And friendship

And joy

From Maxx,

Watching carefully,

Then accepting, loving, no longer hiding.

 

Your favorite days

Were always a run on the beach,

Chasing the birds, the dogs, the spirits

 Us almost losing you on a fog-filled beach in Washington

Our only clue your jingling collar

As we yelled for you in vain, and hope.

 

You have hiked from San Francisco

To Portland

To Sedona

To Chicago

To our neighborhood,

Seeming to smile all the way

The kindest soul I have ever met

Who taught many people to love dogs

Just sitting patiently

Rolling over for a rub,

Stealing a kiss

Never asking,

Always giving.

 

We shall miss your gentle aura

The softness of your fur

You herding us playing baseball or football

Your kind brown eyes

Your patience.

 

Be free

Of your aged body

But your always-young soul,

Find your friend Maxx

Who taught you to love

And be there to lead me

Someday.

 

 

 

 

Written for my wonderful Annie, who we lost just shy of her 17^th birthday. 

5/3/1992-3/26/09

A Dog’s View

What do our dogs think, as we go through our daily routines and family growth and contractions and changes?  I wonder it often,  as Zoe follows me around the house, wanting to go on every car ride, every walk, giving loving kisses when her family is sad.  And Annie, as she ages (17 in two months!) does she still want to be here, with her creaking bones and slips on the stairs, but always the most gentle of creatures I know?

Zoe and fave toy

 

Annie and the snow

I just read an interesting novel called The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein,  the entire story told from the dog’s point of view.  Do they really have human thoughts as they watch TV with us, go on our physical and spiritual journeys, become part of our worlds as we age together?

The story itself is hopeful, heartbreaking, and honest.  No spoilers here, you will have to indulge yourself in the story. It will be worth the journey. Can a dog tell a story that isn’t true, without embellishments?  I doubt it.  I have no interest in auto racing, but I found the parallels in the driver stories and life to be fitting, and they kept my interest throughout. 

Some of the quotes made me think about my life, and how I need to step up to more challenges:

“There is no dishoner in losing the race,” Don said. “There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose.”

Wow–how many times do we NOT take the chance because we are afraid to lose? Or become complacent in what we know.  We can only grow and learn and experience by trying.

And from Enzo, the dog,

“Inside each of us resides the truth,” I began, “the absolute truth.  But sometimes we believe we are viewing the real thing, when in fact we are viewing a facsimile, a distortion….”

The post dedicated to my friend Kerry and her Lab friend Gracie, who just left us.

C

Spring Cleaning

 Girls spinning on a spring day. 

 White skirts, a sure sign of spring.

   Such innocent fun!

Just a couple reasons kids should be forever in blue jeans.  Imagine the grass stains.  And all kids should have a dog to love.  C

 

16 Going on 112?

My oldest girl Annie turns 16 today! Annie has lived with us since her first birthday–shy at first, extremely fearful of males, she didn’t know how to play or walk or talk…er, bark.   Annie was the second Australian Shepherd to join our family, she quickly became a favorite for all our guests. 

Annie is a beautiful blue merle with one partially blue eye. Visitors always wanted to “make a coat of her”, her fur was so soft.  And once she lived with us, and our other Aussie Maxx taught her to trust, she is still the happiest dog I know.  I wish we could all go through life as content as her.

She loves to run the shoreline on the beach,  used to love long hikes to chase the squirrels, chase balls, and have belly rubs. She has made dog lovers out of children terrified of canines, and she has taught our newest Aussie—an abandoned one we got as a 3-month old puppy–how to be part of a family.

It’s amazing that Annie has made it from San Francisco to Chicago to the suburbs, every change so simple for her. Enjoy your bone; you have earned it! Happy Sweet 16.  C