Holes...

OK, in the past we have been through a lot of good byes with foster dogs, so the aftermath of a dog leaving is nothing we have not been through before and from the start we knew this day would eventually come, but no mater how temporary a dog is in the home, they carve their little nitch into our family and our lives. Yesterday was a day full of holes....although little Cherry was with us a LOT longer then any of our other fosters, and the great thing is that we can see her when ever we want I am sure, but it is funny the things you miss. Yesterday was our first day without Cherry, and it was a bit sad, I got up and usually it feels like I have a little herd of dogs all going outside, everyone tinkles and comes back in and it just felt like so few dogs yesterday-the yard seemed empty. Then I got breakfast ready and had to stop and put out just four bowls, the counter seemed so empty with a big empty space where Cherry's bowl always sits while I get it ready for her to eat. I got ready to go outside and train and usually that is sort of an aggravating time because I could not have all the dogs out to train because they would get too excited and they would get into tiffs-about the only time they would have tiffs, so it was a production to get everyone ready to go out and train, but yesterday it was very quiet, not nearly as much excitement and we just went out to train. I got home from the store and Cherry is always allowed loose in the house, so I walked in the door and the house was just quiet, no little wiggly body to say hello. While I worked in the kitchen the little bed she liked to lay in and watch me while I worked seemed so empty, just a thousand little things seemed so quiet yesterday. Holes all through the day. At the end of the day when Cherry always cuddled with me to watch TV (and try to lick me while I would try to keep her from licking me too much, LOL, our own little game, hahahaha) she would get her stretches and massages-- I did Breezes stretches and massages last night and it just seemed to go so fast-there was no one else that needed their nightly stretches...I forced Breeze to stay and watch TV with me-then she was missing Cherry because Cherry likes to sit with me in the evening where Breeze would really rather not ;-). I looked at the sliding glass door that Cherry had a weird habit of licking, so it is filthy to about five feet high, how did she do that??? Anyway, looking at the filthy window I thought I should clean it today because it will stay clean, but I could not bring myself to do it yesterday... maybe today? Anyway, I know Cherry is safe and happy and things will be ok but I it takes time for things to settle in and the holes that are empty to fill.

Cherry

Well, we had a big change in our little house today. Cherry has been with us just a few weeks short of a year, originally she came to us to do some rehab after she had an FHO, and she has done amazing. She looks totally normal and moves really nicely almost all of the time now. Over the year we have come to really love Cherry, she is one of the nicest, easiest dogs. She doesn't nuisance bark, she doesn't counter surf, she never has accidents, she doesn't get into things she shouldn't, she loves everyone, she loves to listen and always tries to please, but at the same time that dog LOVES to learn and to work and has a heck of a lot of drive and is obsessed with toys, especially balls. She is a very fun and easy dog. I do not think you could find a dog that was closer to perfect. I would love for her to be our forever dog but she belongs to Contact Point Agility, and it was time for her to go back to have puppies. So today was the day that I brought her back. I cried most of the way there and that was a really hard drive to look in her little eyes and know she would not be "ours" anymore, but I felt much better when I saw how happy she was to see everyone and she is very at home there because she spent her first two years there-she looked happy. I will look forward to hearing how she is doing and following her progress, and luckily we will get to visit her. Karen -her owner took this picture today when we brought her back. Isn't she a pretty girl?

OUCH!!

I have to wine today, so sorry but.....

I keep forgetting agility can be a contact sport! I must be getting old, but I have not slept in nights because in the middle of the night my knee just has shooting pains and wakes me up and I can not do anything to make it feel better so I usually get up and go outside and play with the dogs, the neighbors probably think I am batty playing ball in the middle of the night. So today I am out practicing the teeter and used one of my patented graceful moves and tripped over a sandbag (in retrospect it would have been good to pick that up before I practiced), and just went skidding along the ground, so now my formerly bad knee is really a doubly bad knee and is three times the size it was and all bloddy, my boob will never be the same-I almost got a reduction the hard way and my elbow looks like hamburger, and my hair is full of dirt, my shorts and shirt are torn, can someone remind me why I do this??? I must have been a site and I am just grateful there was no one with any video equipment there.

I was proud of myself though because Breeze has been having teeter issues and she was running up the teeter beside me when I went down....so all I could think of was that I could not scare her, so I was able to keep my wits and yell, YES, good girl and throw the toy, or actually I think the toy just flew from my hand.....but what ever, it ended up where it should go. So no harm to the dog was done, LOL. I am sure she thought it was just another weird proofing thing.

Note to self, get padding for the back yard practice area, hard packed dirt with a little sand on top is a footing that hurts when ya fall, especially if ya skid.

An Afternoon at the Movies

whoops! I think it is going to get hot in the next few days, and I am not sure I am ready for it! I spent the afternoon at the movies-I saw UP, which was very sweet and had a great message. I love the little doggie that has a collar that lets him speak--the man walks out and sees the dog and the dog says something to the effect of "I was hiding under the porch because I LOVE YOU", aww...at the time the guy really did not seem to like the dog or want him around, but it just seems such a typical dogggie, sweet thing, to just want to love you no matter how much of a jerk you can be to them! Then I LOVED when the dogs were all intense and really focusing on something and when someone would yell SQUIRREL, bam, no matter how much they were into concentrating on something they were all whipping their heads around to see the squirrel.