Sally

Sally . a German Shepard - Labrador cross looked just like her Labrador parent. She was a very friendly, black dog who always greeted visitors with a wagging tail. Sally had one strange habit, she loved small stones. My parents had a gravel driveway, and any time anyone kicked a stone, she would retrieve it and put it at the feet of the person who had kicked it, as if to say "I think you dropped this". If there were no visitors around she would pick up a piece of the gravel and chew on it. Thus over the years she managed to destroy all her teeth.
As previously Sally and Paddy were twins. Alas, as dogs do, they got old far too quickly. Paddy passed away peacefully at my brothers place, and amazingly, Sally passed away several hours later.

Great Story

I was going to tell you about Sally, my mothers dog who was the twin sister of Paddy, but then I got an e-mail with an interesting story. A link to this story can be found at

kidsthatcareproject.blogspot.com

It would be great if more children took this kind of interest in animals and especially in the rescue of dogs in need. Organizations such as Newf Friends need all the support they can get to rescue and find great forever homes for dogs in distress.

Time Change

I was concerned about putting the clocks back last night. Normally, the dogs get me up between 4.00 am and 5.00 am. I know that they do not read time! All they know is that it is time to refuel, and to do that they have to stick a cold nose in the face of that strange creature who walks on two legs. After a couple of pokes, the strange creature groans, tells us to go back to sleep, but eventually gets up, fills our bowls, waits until we are finished, then this two footed thing opens the door so we can go out and answer the calls of nature. Well, much to the pleasure of the dogs, I reduced the amount I fed them at supper time, and gave them the balance at 10.00 pm. As a result, I was able to stay in Bed until 5.00 am (winter time). Hopefully, with a bit of practice I will be able to delay that until 5.45 or even 6.00 am!!

Marley and me.

Last night I watched the movie "Marley and me" for the second time. I had a few good laughs during the film, but my eyes misted over when Marley got sick and had to be put to sleep. You can be sure I gave both my dogs a big hug and a treat before going to bed. Life is short for a human and even shorter for a dog. My boys have a life expectancy of 10 to 12 years. The dog I had previously lived a miraculous 15 years, an exceptional lifespan for a large dog. They give us so much, and ask little in return. It is up to us to make their brief time on earth as happy an experience as possible.

Change

This morning I got a surprise - instead of having Bailey's cold nose stuck in my face to wake me up, I heard a polite whimper at my bedside - it was Harley politely letting me know he had to go out. So I let both dogs out for about ten minutes, then we all went back to sleep.

Who is in charge here?

The dogs stretch out on the living room floor, taking up most of the space. Who takes who for a walk? Are the dogs obedient, who determines when we get up in the morning? and probably the most important, who buys the dog food? MMMMMMMMMMM points to ponder!

Monday Morning

I went out to dinner with friends last night. Had an overwhelming joyous reception when I got home. Bailey and Harley sure were happy their two legged source of food had returned - so happy in fact that they let me sleep in untill 5:30 this morning. The snow on the balcony and lawn is melting, no reaction from the dogs on the ever changing traction under their feet.