River Pups

Rafferty watches Marley as he trys his luck at "fishing".

Rafferty wondering why I am snapping pictures instead of playing in the COLD water with him.

Marley "fishing" in the river.  Not sure if he was going for actual fish or just light colored rocks.

Marley planning his next nose dive into the water...

Missy, our 15 year old dachshund feeling her oats as she digs for a mouse.

Sparky, also 15, enjoys then sun and the smells.  He also enjoyed following me around and waiting for a treat.  He may be mostly deaf and partially blind, but man his nose is as good as ever!

And of course what post would be complete without a baby puppy picture.

A House Full...

So I am house sitting for my parents this week while they enjoy lovely warm weather and I am stuck here enjoying super cold temps with no snow. This also puts me in the chief role of dog wrangler and cat tamer at the house. With my dogs it makes for 6 dogs and 3 cats enjoying the high life this week. We have everything ranging from Missy and Sparky, (a pair of 14.5 year old Dachshunds) to Gizmo the half Persian cat (his mom looked normal, have to say dad was a Persian) to Rafferty the rambunctious lab puppy. Milo the exploring cat (who still wants to go outside even though it is approaching zero, and Elise the recluse make up the rest of the feline pard.

Marley and Hugo are the resident 'big-dog' contingent. And Dante brings up the rear in size, but not in fight (he steals the big dogs toys).

And while some would love to party when mom and dad are away it just doesn't happen when 9 wonderful animals are looking to you for their every single need. Here is to playing dog (and cat) mom for the next week!

Old Dogs

Dogs remind us of our own mortality. We see them go from baby puppy, running, playing, and learning about life to old dogs loving nothing more than a soft place to sleep and to be by our sides in just over a decade. It is so hard to watch them age, and yet I don't know that I would miss it for the world. Sure, they may start to look a little different, maybe not be able to go on long walks anymore, but they continue to look to us for love and affection.

When the end comes, we owe it to them to be there, by their side. Letting them die when it is their time, not prolonging pain and suffering because we cannot bear to let go. It is so hard to say goodbye and yet it teaches us so much. Below is a picture of Sparky, one of our 14 year dachshunds. I have grown up with them and hope to have many more years with Missy and Sparky, but when their time comes I will try to remember the happy times and focus on how blessed I was to have them in my life. Each new companion, whether it is a dog or cat or other animal, leaves a special mark in our hearts. If we are too afraid of loosing them to take that first step, then we miss out on the wonderful moments that make each companion unique.