two hearts

He's a pup in Japan. Doesn't he have a lovely heart on his coat? It's not doctored, he really has a furry heart.

Doggie Pictures

For my visitors who love dogs, you'll like this site: http://www.cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh/dogs/index.htm

Unfortunately I couldn't make the link work, so copy and paste the address into your browser. You'll enjoy this. There are tons of funny dog photos. Enjoy.

Blood Pressure vs Doggie Pressure

Did you know that having a pet significantly reduces blood pressure? My humble advise: Get a dog and cuddle it every day.

What Sorry Looks Like

Buttons and Shoes

Our little Bear Dog has made a tasty discovery. Gordon leaves his shirts on the bedpost, (drives me crazy, but that's another story), and Bear has discovered that each shirt sports buttons. Last week Gordon had 3 shirts hanging there when Bear learned the joy of chewing buttons off, one by one. Gordon put one shirt on to discover it no longer had buttons. Frustrated, he sighed and grabbed the next shirt on the post. Alas, it had no buttons either. He huffed and puffed about the sorry dog and grabbed the third shirt. I cringed as I saw buttons missing before him. He was not happy pet owner. (He's not exactly a happy pet owner on the best of days.)

Today he went out to buy new shirts.

I remembered the first time we left Lucy unattended. We had always left her in one of the bedrooms and puppy-proofed it before we left. She seemed to have outgrown the need to damage things, so I thought she was big enough to be left to roam the house.

When we came home, it was not a pretty sight. She had chewed 3 of Gordon's shoes -- one mate from 3 pairs. Gordon uttered all kinds of threats and I feared he would send Lucy to the place where bad doggies go. He was so mad.

Later, that same day, Lucy chewed the heel off one of the shoes he had had on while we were out that morning. Gordon went as ballistic as he ever goes. He gave me, the kids, and the dog the silent treatment par excellence once he had regained his composure from ballistic-hood.

The next morning he got ready to go buy himself some new shoes. Once his jacket was on, he realized his predicament. Standing in our bedroom doorway he said, "Valerie, what do you propose I put on my feet to go out and buy shoes." I couldn't contain my laughter and even he saw the humour at that point.

A couple days later he saw I had put a good pair of my black shoes in a bag to send to Goodwill. He tried to get me to keep them. I reasoned that I didn't need them and never wore them. He said, "The way we're going, give it 24 hours and you will need them."

dancing retriever

I've shared this before, but I saw it again today and smiled all over. Check it out for loads of smiles.

http://www.dorks.com/html/Best-Dancing-Dog-Ever.html

Big Brother Is Watching Me

Yesterday the most interesting, weird thing happened to me. I came home from work to find a citation in my mailbox. Not a mailed citation, a hand-delivered one. It was for my little Bear not being licensed. Yes, Bear was spotted in the window (he sits on the back of the sofa in the window protecting us from those with sinister motives).

Evidently, Mr Ticket Fellow travels with a portable computer and typed in my address when he saw Bear. To his apparent delight, he found I only have a big dog licensed. The ticket was in my name for my "small breed brown dog."

I admit my negligence. But I have to admit assuming there was more grace in the system. I cannot license before 6 months, and the little guy is only 8 months old. Mr Ticket Fellow deserves a merit on that one. Johnny-on-the-Spot, he is.

I licensed my puppy last night. The $250 fine that would apply should I not license him within 7 days was motivation aplenty.

Doggies

Q: Why did the cowboy get himself a Dachshund?

A: Because someone told him, "Get along little doggie."

Hannah's Wacky Humor

I don't really think Hannah has a wacky sense of humor. I actually think she has a grand one. It seems to me that her humor is quite well developed for a 10-year-old. She tickles me to no end.

I have warned the kids repeatedly not to let Bear have any chocolate. Knowing chocolate can be deadly to a dog, I'm a bit paranoid that a six pound dog might succumb to death quickly from a small amount of chocolate. The girls are well aware of this paranoia I carry and they are equally responsible not to give Bear chocolate.

Tonight when Deborah came home from Brownies, she came bearing treats. Hannah got a small amount of chocolate candy. Bear quickly joined her on the sofa and practically performed a gymnastic show in hopes of piece of candy. We watched his antics a few moments as Hannah fought to bring her little critter into line. He would not calm down. He continued to jump and whine and beg. Hannah said, as if speaking for Bear, "Oh but it's to die for."

Moments later he bounded up on the arm of the sofa and was standing less than a foot from my face. This time he was trying to get a bite of Rachael's cookie. He let out a little fart right in my face as he whined. Just as I let out a groan of yuckness, Hannah chimed just like the sailors on Moby Dick, "There he blows."

Lucy and Bear

My two furry babies, Lucy and Bear.

Lucy is an amazing dog and a poet. Here is her poem:

I am a D-O-L-L.

I have eyes of autumn brown.

I have ears of softest silk.

My teeth are like ivory.

My legs like tree trunks.

Yes, I am a D-O-L-L.

Have you ever wanted to go to the washroom alone? Did I hear you correctly? You always go to the washroom alone?

It's been a long time since I went to the bathroom alone - except at work. I always go alone at work. Here's the deal; use to it was kids tagging along, now it's dogs. But admittedly, there's no one to blame but myself. I always make it worth my doggies' time to attend to washroom duties with me. I scratch them and pat them and talk lovingly to them. On the days I work, Lucy meets me in the bathroom with a throw toy and I procede to throw her toy down the hall and she fetches it and we do it again.

Lucy will act like a lady if a shut her out of the bathroom. She just lies down on the other side of the door and waits. Bear on the other hand wails like he's being tortured. But that doesn't happen often. He's a swift as a mouse and when I head toward the washroom, he isn't half a step behind me. On occasion, I've beat him and shut the door behind me. I take a shower while he yelps and puts his paws under the door desperately trying to grab me.

A Praying Dog

Lucy and Christopher, 2005.

I've been unable to train the pets to pray. Someone, unfortunately unidentified, was able to train their dog to pray. Oh to be that spiritual! I am again confronted with my own weaknesses.

However, I do think my dear Lucy is related to this spiritual dog. Lucy is a unique blend of Bassett Hound, Daschund, and Corgie. This spiritual dog appears to me to be the same blend. I bet they're sisters. Poor Lucy didn't get the religious gene though.
Do you see the striking resemblance? Pray for Lucy, she's not where she should be with God. She doesn't pray.

Before and After

As you may recall, Hannah wondered if Bear would ever become "erect." Well as you can see, the answer is yes.

It was a slow event. One ear was erect 4 days before the other, leading us to believe only one ear would stand up. But one morning we woke to find the little Bear fully erect. Isn't he cute? Sometimes I call him "Ears."

Lacy and Bear

Pals? Not.

Bear Kisses

Hannah getting yummy kisses from Bear.

Hannah's Question

Hannah came into the living room carrying Bear. "Will Bear ever get erections?," she inquired. I spat my lemonade across the room.

Wondering where she learned THAT, I said, "that's a good question. Why do you ask?"

She responded, "Well Chihuahuas have erect ears and so do Pomeranians, so do you think Bear's ears will go erect?"

Meet Bear

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to Bear. Bear is a ChihuaPom (Chihuahua-Pomeranian). An unusual combination, we agree.

Since Frodo's untimely demise, Hannah has searched and searched for a dog she could afford. In Alberta, one would be hard-pressed to find a mutt or a free puppy. Hannah is a thrifty little gal, but most dogs are still out of her league. She called no fewer than 30 people before she called Bear's breeder. As it turned out, this breeder is the same breeder we got Frodo from. Because we had a little bit of history with her, she cut Hannah a deal. Bear cost Hannah $200. Hannah paid $100 up front and got a payment plan for $20 a month. Isn't that cute?

Hannah is super responsible. I know she'll take great care to get this lady her monthly payments on time.

Wish us luck. Bear already is spoiled rotten. He cries whenever Hannah puts him down. It was so sweet to see Hannah fall in love at first sight.

Camping 2006

When we left the city, our van was burgeoning with camping supplies for the week. We were a sight, I am sure. The top of the van carried supplies; the bikes rode precariously on the bike rack; one seat of the van was removed and replaced to full capacity with our week's livelihood. Lucy, green with motion sickness, was on my lap hanging out the window, her ears blowing 5 inches behind her head. We were only a few steps behind the Beverly Hillbillies.

As Lucy's Dramamine took over, her need for fresh air was replaced with a need for a snooze. She clamored off my lap, and with much effort found a spot under the girls' feet to call her sleeping spot. Once she was settled, Gordon looked over at my side of the van which wore a furry film. He took it in for a few moments and then groaned, "Seeing all that fur gives me a soft spot for plants."

Comforting Imaginings

We had a tough weekend, mostly Hannah and me. Every time I sliced cheese I looked down at my feet expecting to see little Frodo waiting patiently for his treat, his tail swishing excitedly on the floor. He had such a gentlemanly way of waiting for his treats.

When I walked through the backdoor, I was painfully jarred with reality when he wasn't there to greet me with his two-step forward, two-step backward gig.

He hadn't yet outgrown dribbling when excited. It was a source of annoyance to me. But yesterday I saw a dribble stain on the sofa throw and I smiled. I called Hannah to show her and we said in unison, "that's so sweet."

Today I've not cried. My source of comfort is imagining Frodo in heaven. I've even been rationalizing my thoughts: The wolf and the lamb live in peace, but where do these animals come from? Did God make "heavenly animals" and earthly animals"? Are they, the animals in heaven, animals that have lived on earth?

I know that animals don't have souls, but I think of heaven as a place for animals too. Not for a second do I equate animals with humans, but I think animals will be there.

I was comforted this weekend imagining Frodo running secure and carefree through heavenly meadows, looking over his shoulders seeing if his playmates are gaining on him - just like he played with Lucy.

I also imagined arriving in heaven and embracing all the special people there; family, friends, people who played a spiritual role in my life, people who may have been influenced by me. I pictured myself making my way through a throng of people and when I hugged the last person, looking down and seeing my Frodo doing his bashful two-step forward, two-step backward gig. I smile, comforted, even as I write this.

I know my thoughts aren't backed by scripture, but please play along, at least temporarily. If I'm wrong, God will correct soon enough. So for now, I'll just keep imaging our little guy having the time of his life romping with Booper, Bumpie, Dakota, Buford, and every other dog I ever loved.

Frodo

Frodo Dykstra
August 15, 2005 - June 16, 2006

Today tragedy struck our family. Frodo got out the fence and went straight to the street. Hannah and I immediately went after him, but we weren't as fast as him. He got hit by a car right in front of Hannah.

He died instantly.

We brought him home, wrapped him in a towel and mourned. Oh how we mourned! Gordon built him a fine little coffin while we took turns holding him. When the coffin was built and the grave was dug, we laid him in his final resting place. He got a prime burial spot in the garden next to the bluebells where he always whizzed.

We each wrote him a note or colored a picture to put with him. Each of us threw a mound of dirt on his box as we told things that Frodo taught us. He taught us to love more, laugh more, smile more. He taught Gordon that sometimes you have to tolerate things for the people you love. He taught me how to love little dogs. Hannah said he taught her how to be more responsible.

I'm thankful for his little life. He was one of those little doses of grace that God gives. We didn't "need" Frodo, but God let us have him to experience more joy.

Revelation 13:7 For God's pleasure Frodo was created.

Frodo gave God pleasure before he gave us pleasure.

Goodbye Senor Frodo. We love you very much.