The End of an Era is Coming

It has been over a year since Loki went to doggie heaven. When it finally happened, Maggie immediately aged 10 years. I guess because Loki looked so old and frail, we never noticed how she was getting old, too. She was always secondary to him for me, just because Loki really was my "baby"--although I spoiled her rotten and treated her like a human, too. Now that he is gone, I have latched onto her--loving on her every chance I get and spoiling her absolutely rotten as much as I can. Because when she goes, it will be the end of an era for me. I am not ready for it.

We have watched her over the last year start to struggle in her hind legs, but she has never whined about it. Her eyesight isn't what it used to be, and today her left eye muscle went out of whack--her eye is now half-rolled back. The end of her time is getting much closer, and I'm having a hard time with it--especially today.

The picture above was taken almost 9 years ago--she is now 13 years old. The same age as Loki when he passed on last year.

Lilo and Stitch

...That is what we should have names our littlest four-legged monsters. Wherever they go, a path of destruction is left behind. They destroyed my day lilies and azaleas (see that nub of a twig?--used to be a big, flowering bush.)

They continue to pull up the new sod around our new patio. And they have pawed the screen off the back door--when we actually found it, the door was hanging off the rail.

I raised a destructive rottweiler from a puppy--he didn't hold a candle to the two tazmanian devils we have now. They are lucky they are so darned cute (yes--Duke is sound asleep here.)

Alas!--the patio. Voila!

Now when we have our handful of friends over, we can actually mingle on dry land vice muddy grass!

Notice this project is the standard 99.9% complete--Bryan has yet to cut the pavers to fit the odd spaces...and it will probably stay that way for MONTHS. Not that I really care--I'm darned happy to have a nice place to cook & eat outside now. It just wouldn't be right not to nag my husband a little bit--even though he did a fantastic job. (with my supervision)

Duke & Daisy

We talked about getting a puppy for Christmas, but didn't find any at the shelters. I don't know what happened yesterday, but out of the blue Bryan called the local shelter and they had puppies. Not just any puppies--Jack Russell mix. By the time he got to the shelter and left, the whole litter was gone! And we ended up with two, because one is black & tan like Loki and the other is so in-your-face-rowdy that he had to have both. These are the little furballs that have turned our house upside-down: Duke and Daisy.

I wasn't ready to deal with the late night/early morning yapping or potty training, but they are so friggin' cute that I guess I'll manage. I told my Mom that I can't even get our kids potty-trained through the night and now I have puppies to housebreak!

Loki is Home

We brought Loki home today. Actually, Bryan went and picked him up first thing this morning without me--I was at work. We got the call from the vet last night that he was ready, and I didn't want him staying in a strange place any longer than he had to. And when I got home from work today, he was on the nightstand on my side of the bed. He always slept on my side of the bed.

We haven't bought a real urn for him yet. He is in a plain, white, tall rectangular box right now. On the back is a poem that brings tears to my eyes. The Rainbow Bridge.

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

--Author unknown

Months ago I thought we would spread his ashes on one of his favorite beaches. I am not ready. I can't let go.

R.I.P. Loki 1996 - 2009

I started constructing this post a few months ago when I realized this moment was imminent and approaching faster that we wanted it to. I finished the final draft a few weeks ago, and now that the time has finally come, the words I wrote don't even scratch the surface of how we really feel. Our eyes are red, puffy and burning from crying and I don't even feel like writing or interacting with anyone at all. This is one of the most traumatic things Bryan and I have ever been through, and we have no desire to go through it again. So I'll write more later about the raw emotions we're going through. For now, the old draft will have to do...

We finally had to euthanize our beloved Rottweiler, who has been on his last legs for about 5 years. He's had a hard time with arthritis, which he was on medication for, and just couldn't hardly stand up on his own anymore. This dog truly has been a part of the family and has been at my side for 13 wonderful years. A close friend gave him to me at 8 weeks old when I was a sophomore in college.

He loved playing in the ocean and digging in the sand:

He has traveled with us through 14 states and moved end-to-end across the United States twice.
He watched TV and took naps with us:

He liked to carry his favorite rocks with him to play fetch in the San Diego desert bush:

He has welcomed all three of our babies home:

He was a beautiful dog and we will miss him very, very much. We hope to spread his ashes on Galveston's West Beach where he first found his love of frolicking in the waves and chasing seagulls.

Busted!

Those of you who know our family, particularly the four-legged part of our family, know that we have one smart dog and one not-so-smart dog. It just so happens that the smart dog is an adopted mutt--we have no idea where she originated. And it also happens that the not-so-smart one is a purebred with some show dog heritage. The smart one is half the size of her 110-lb not-so-smart counterpart, so needless to say, one dog is very energetic and lean while the other is fat and doesn't move from his food bowl. Anyhow, I had to go out to the garage, aka doghouse, to get something out of the freezer and LO!--see for your own eyes what I found:

Why yes, those would be large-size dog bones. And yes, the bucket was filled up just this last weekend. And yes...it is now half empty.

Alas! I see an accomplice! I just know that my not-so-smart dog would have figured this out all on his own...notice that she is getting rid of the evidence as fast as she can. Smart dog.

And now the bucket of bones rests on top of the deep freezer, well out of reach of all four-legged beasts.