Roxy is the June 30, 2019 Pup of the Week

There is something special about the relationship between dogs and parents when they meet as children and reach adulthood simultaneously. They are more like brother and sister than mom and dog. They become best friends, siblings, and confidants.

Mama Natalie became Roxy's official mom when Natalie was 15 years old. Roxy was already part of the family having been born in her room.   On Natalie's birthday, it was decided that Natalie would be Roxy's primary caregiver. From that moment on, Roxy was Natalie's constant.

There are many milestones young women encounter as they grow into adulthood. Achieving them can be frightening and painful. Natalie's journey was made more accessible because she had Roxy to comfort her with a lick on the hand and understanding eyes.
Roxy made being a parent easy. She potty trained quickly. She never tore up anything she wasn't meant to tear.   All she wanted was to be petted. Heaven helps anyone who decided to end a petting session prematurely. Roxy would reach with her paw and pull the hand back until she was satisfied.  She loved everyone she met, and they reciprocated. 

A week ago Roxy and Natalie celebrated the 14th anniversary as Mom and dog. Natalie noticed that Roxy had been sneezing at an alarming rate. She called the vet who said that Roxy might have a tumor in her nose. Natalie needed to look for the following symptoms: bloody discharge, difficulty breathing, and facial swelling. Slowly but relentlessly Roxy soon showed all those symptoms. 

The vet said some options could extend Roxy's life. She could have chemo or radiation. But, Roxy was a senior dog. She had been able to stay herself through her lifetime. Natalie knew that while she may still have Roxy physical form with the treatments, it would end what made Roxy Roxy. She also knew her little baby would suffer during the procedures. She did what parents do in the end. She took all of Roxy's suffering on herself and set her darling little baby-
 free at the Bridge. 

We at the Bridge knew that Roxy's transition would be difficult.  Roxy was convinced her mother would not last a day without her. It was going to be hard to get Roxy to understand that she could still help her mom without physically being with her.  

All of Roxy's friends came together at the Bridge.  She had an abundance because she was a social media superstar.  She started on the internet as a young pup. Most of her friends she made when she first went online were already at the Bridge.  

Roxy was reluctant to cross the Bridge. She did not agree with her mom and would have stayed with her until all Roxy's body parts fell off and she was left with just an eye and a tongue.  Midway across the Bridge, she stopped. Tommy Tunes took her paw and guided her across the river and up the stairs.  

Roxy was polite with everyone because that's the way she was raised, but she barely smiled. The angels understood her pain.  They had experienced it before and knew the first few days are the hardest. After her swearing in, and welcoming dinner. I told Roxy I would go with her to visit her mom. 

We became ghosts and watched her Mom as she slept.  "She's so beautiful," Roxy said. I explained to her all the ways that she could help her mom in her new role as an angel; she would have input in every decision, she would comfort her mom in her dreams and advise her when she had to make an important decision.  It was a vital and often frustrating task, but I knew Roxy could do it because a mother's love fueled her. Roxy said she would try. 

Within days Roxy was visiting her mom's dreams on her own.  She was also spending lots of ghost time watching over Mama Natalie. She's learned how to have her voice remembered so she could guide her mom in the right direction when she is faced with critical decisions. 

Hopefully, Roxy's mom will be able to understand when she wakes up smiling, has a pleasant dream, or knows the solution to a problem that has been plaguing her, that she just had a visit from her beloved little Chihuahua. 




No one has loved Mama Natalie more than Roxy.  Roxy's being at the bridge won't change that. Like a petting prematurely interrupted Roxy wouldn't stand for it. 

Foley Solves the Tom's River New Jersey Geese Problem

I got a prayer request this week from the town manager in Toms River New Jersey. I answered it because I am a River expert or at least River adjacent.

I popped into the city manager's dreams and asked him how I could be of assistance. He told me that the town had spent more than five million dollars to renovate their central park  Everyone enjoyed it until the geese arrived. Now the ground is covered with poop. DPW workers remove five pounds of geese poop a day. He begged me to answer his prayers and remove the vile winged creatures.  But, angels don't work like that. We suggest solutions to people's problems. We don't solve them. 

I had a lot of geese experience on the mortal side.  Every August they would invade the state hospital grounds where we walked. They clogged up the paths and left poop everywhere.  Blake responded by eating it, a disgusting habit that not even Pocket in her early poop eating years replicated. Have you ever woken up next to someone with geese poop breath?  It is not an enjoyable experience. 

I wanted to charge at the geese and make them fly away, but Blake held me back reminding me what happened to Kramer when he tried to chase off Kenny Rogers Chicken.  Like the crooner's bird, the geese poop is ugly and gross, but to a select few it is high cuisine, Kramer got hooked on it and went through terrible withdrawal. I abided by Blake’s wishes because her withdrawal from geese poop would be ugly.

When Blake went to the Bridge, I became the pack boss. I charged at grounded flocks whenever I saw the opportunity.  It is empowering for a six-pound dog to chase off two dozen winged creatures.  

That is when I knew I had the answer to the town manager’s prayers. I told him he could eradicate the geese and poop population with no cost to the town.  All he had to do was release the town’s dogs. They would chase off the geese, and he would be a hero.

The next day the town manager announced his plan to use the dogs to remove the geese.  Humans volunteered their dogs for the endeavor. At noon he let the dogs out. They ran to the park, chased off the geese, and those with undeveloped pallets gobbled the poop.

The town manager was hailed a hero. He got a big parade, a new office, and a raise. But his troubles were not over. I received another prayer request from him the next week.

The people in the community loved the geese-less park but complained about the dog poop.  He needed a cost-effective way to remove the dogs from the park. While I hated to go against my fellow dogs, I was invested in this guy. I told him to have the people neighboring the park to leave their trash out.  This would attract the bears who will chase off the dogs who chased off the geese.

He did as I instructed.  At the first scent of a bear, the dogs ceded the park.  But were the residents happy? No. They complained when they took their kids to the park; there were bears on the swings. 

At this point, I was sick of the whole situation.  I thought the manager should come to terms with the fact that he lived in another shitty New Jersey town.  But he begged me for a solution. There was only one. Although bears keep it hidden, because they don’t want to lose their forest creds, they are deathly afraid of large, winged creatures like geese.  I told the manager if he got the geese back, he would not have a bear problem. The geese would chase away the bears, who chased away the dogs, who chased away the geese. It was the circle of life.

So, the manager got the geese back, and they took over the park after the bears fled.  The town manager is working as a crossing guard, who, during his off hours, sits in the park and curses the geese.

But, if you want to clean up your park, you have to accept collateral damage

Pocket at Ten Days of Rain

Thursday, June 13, 2019:  Today, it rained. It flooded the back patio that leads to our pee area.  We had to put on our coats to walk twenty steps to the front pee spot near the mulch. The constant rain on the roof interrupted my rest time.  I hope this is a one-day event. 

Friday, June 14, 2019:  Occasional showers today. The sky was dark from dawn onward  I noticed in the front garden where mommy had put an Amish wagon with a flower pot on the seat, that the pot flooded and the flowers all died.  I thought the rain was supposed to bring flowers, not drown them. 

Saturday, June 15th, 2019: Rainy and cool today. We did get a few sunny spots in between the showers. River and I pretended that we didn't know what the sun was because it's been so long since we've seen it. Our sense of humor has helped us as a species during the most difficult times. 

Sunday, June 16th, 2019:  More depressing rain this morning. Thankfully by afternoon, the sun poked through the clouds and dried the big puddles. We didn't get a walk, but that was okay. If I walk in the wet, then I get my paws dried off with a towel. I hate when that happens. The small hairs on my paws are pulled, and  I scream like an Iranian woman who just ran out of fish. 

Monday, January 17th, 2019: Finally, some sun. River and I were put in our buggy so we could oversee the yard work. There were so many weeds. I guess that what happens when you get four days of rain. My parents both had wet knees from the soaked grass. Wet knees are as bothersome as wet paws. At least the spring rainy season is over, and my parents won't have as many weeds to pull. 

Tuesday, January 20th, 2019: You will never guess what it did today.   It rained. A big sloshing Baptist soaker. The puddles reappeared forming moats in front of our pee areas. The weeds came back three times as strong. Not that it matters. I don't think it's ever going to stop raining. Soon my precious garden will be nothing but one big weed. 

Wednesday, June 19th, 2019:   Rain this morning. River and I have set a Google alert for the word ark.  We wish to stay together. But one of us will have to wear the strap on. Then there is a question of us both being neutered. How is Noah going to check that? He needs to intact dogs to repopulate the Earth. Can he tell just by picking us up and looking underneath? These are the unforeseen problems with building an ark
. 
Thursday, June, 20th:  Forget about the ark. It can't help us now. By tomorrow the water should be over our house. Perhaps the Yellow Submarine will come to our rescue. The owner isn't as discriminating as Noah.   Plus we want Mommy to come with us. When we told her about getting on the ark to help repopulate the Earth, she went "yuck." If we have a few inches more of rain, we will be staying at the Luca Brasi hotel where everyone sleeps with the fishes 

Friday, June 21:  Depressing rain was mitigated by a brief moment of hope. The sun broke through the clouds for a minute. We went outside and looked at it. It was beautiful. And then like George Clooney on the Andrea Gail in The Perfect Storm the weather wouldn't let us out, and it began raining. We waded back in the house knowing that might be all the summer we are getting this year 




Saturday, June 22nd, 2019:  A big orange ball was spotted in the sky. River and I are staying inside. We don't know what that thing is. It could be some alien craft coming to take us away. Oh, when will our friendly rain come back? 

Wordless Wednesday

Weekly Question

When was the last time you were bit by a tick?

Pocket:   River and I have been fortunate not to get a tick bite since August of 2017.  The one on me was so big my parents to me to the vet because they thought I had growth.  

Pui and Ping Pong are the June 23, 2019 Pup of the Week

My dad likes to tell a story about his boyhood dog, Barney. He lived in the 70s when it was common for dogs to run free all day, sometimes far from home. Barney became well known for impregnating any intact female that crossed his path, chasing cars and exceedingly good nature.

One day Barney walked a half mile up the road to visit Papa's Aunt Bev. While he was there, he saw the garage door was open at Mean Mister Medas' house across the street. 
  Barney couldn't help but take a look inside. He found a 30-pound bag of Gravy Train. Barney, like all dogs, was worried about running out of food and thought he had located enough kibble to last the rest of the year. He dragged the bag out of the garage, then down the street to his house where he laid it at his dad's feet and announced he was now self-sufficient, and should no longer have a curfew.

Unfortunately, Mean Mr. Medas witnessed the entire incident.  He walked out of his house and saw the black dog dragging the big bag. A small hole opened in it during transit.  Mean Mr. Medas walked down the street picking up the kibble and putting it in a cellophane bag until he reached Daddy, from whom he took the Gravy Train.  Daddy told him that he should appreciate the humor in the situation. Mean Mr. Medas did not find it funny.

The days of dogs being neighborhood scavengers ended with the leash laws. At least in this country. Thankfully, in some forward-thinking nations, dogs are still allowed to roam and accomplish great feats.

Because he was allowed on the street  Pui, a six-year-old Bangkeaw dog from Thailand had the opportunity to become a national hero.

Barney and Pui were alike.  They both liked to roam their neighborhoods they were curious, and they brought mysterious bags home.  

Pui was investigating the local dump, when, like Barney, he found a bag, which he carried home.  When he arrived, no one paid attention to him or the bag. Pui began barking loudly and would not quiet down. Twelve-year-old Sudarat went outside to see why Pui was so upset.  To her shock, she realized Pui had brought home a baby home in the bag.

The family rushed the baby to the hospital.  It took several days, but the child was released and adopted into a good home.  Pui was hailed as a hero.

That occurred six years ago.  Pui is now a hero at the Bridge. He has dedicated his time to helping dogs become heroes like him.

Pui visited pups' dreams to inspire them to be heroes.  Ping Pong, who yearned to prove himself as a dog after he lost a limb when he was hit by a car, learned every hero lesson Pui taught him.

One day Ping Pong went to the large field where his dad tended cows.  Ping Pong picked up a familiar scent and began barking loudly.

Ping Pong found a baby buried in the ground.  He helped his dad dig it up. They rushed the newborn to the hospital, where it recovered from being abandoned and buried.    For Ping Pong, it was a dream come. He was hailed the hero of his village: Kora Thailand.

I know there are many good reasons not to let us roam free, the biggest being to keep us from being hurt. If humans concentrated on ways to guarantee our safety while we are exploring off leash, they would be stunned at how much good we can do and how many lives we would save.

We are your angels on Earth.  We can do so more than being constant companions and mending broken hearts. Remember, don't assume we are barking for no reason. We might be trying to save a life.

Foley and The Best Year of Their Lives

Two days ago, my parents celebrated their 25th anniversary, a significant milestone for two people who, except for several twists of fate, would not be together.  

They met at a Little league field where mommy's youngest was playing. Papa was the league president.  She noticed him before he saw her. She was still married but had been going through the motions and staying together for the kids for years.  Papa lived alone in a studio apartment with absolutely no plans for a relationship

If a couple is meant to be, then life finds a way of putting them together.  My parents started as friends. Friendships between men and women either stagnate or continue to grow.  My parents thankfully graduated from friendship to a relationship, to courtship to betrothment.

They were married on June 19th, 1994, when the country was amid OJ fever. The bachelor and bachelorette parties were interrupted by the high-speed chase. The athlete turned killer was so on the minds of the guests that it was half expected that the Juice would come running down the aisle cradling a football was they exchanged vows.
Papa had always had a dog when he was young.  The landlord at the studio apartment did not allow pets, so Papa had not owned one for years. He swore when he owned property; he would get a dog. But my mom still having three kids in the house was cautious.  

They compromised on a cat named Gizmo.  He made it clear, after several bites and scratches that he preferred to be left alone in the bathroom closet where he nestled on the towels on a high shelf. When an unsuspecting family member opened the door, Gizmo would leap at their faces with claws extended.

Mommy's daughter moved back home with her dog, Jake, when her husband was stationed in Saudi Arabia,  Gizmo did not like Jake invading his home and retreated to the closest. When Gizmo came out, he began eating plastic bags and continued this odd behavior even after Jake returned home. My parents figured it was a nervous tic that would pass. It didn't.

The following spring my parents were at the mall.  They stopped by a pet shop. There were dozens of dogs on display.  Mommy pointed to one and said, “now that’s the kind of dog that I want, a nice little lap dog.”

Daddy saw an opening, and he was going to drive through it.  He took Mommy to his Aunt Bev’s who had a Lhasa apso. She told my mom how easy it was to take care of a dog.  Of course, she was lying, but she loved her nephew and knew he wanted a dog.
That night Daddy searched the Boston Globe classified, found Shih Tzu puppies, and made an appointment to see them the next day.  That morning they drove an hour to Newport to sit by the water and read the papers, because that is the kind of thing people did before the Internet, and then drove to Dartmouth, where they met a litter of happy little Shih Tzus.  One ran up to mommy and begged to be picked up. Mommy fell in love, and a new chapter of my parents' lives began.

They named the dog Blake and Mommy, who had not wanted a dog, quickly fell in love.  She was off for the summer. She and Blake spent every second together. Suddenly our mom was a dog person.

Surprisingly Gizmo took to Blake, and they became best friends. After all, Blake hadn't made him live with a big, black, smelly dog for a whole summer. Gizmo added attacking people as they came down the stairs to his repertoire.

Gizmo continued to eat plastic, which was hidden from him.

In September of 2000. On the last day before their son went to college, their first grandchild was born. After he went to school, mommy was left work, a dog, an empty nest, and a freaky cat.

Three weeks after brother went to college Gizmo snuck downstairs and ate an entire large trash bag.  My parents found him in acute distress. They rushed Gizmo to the vet, but there was too much damage, and Gizmo went to the Bridge.

Do not be sad. For six weeks earlier, to the north, a dog was born. Small of stature but big on attitude some said this would be the one to lead them all. She was created for just one human.  The dog and the human had to wait for the fates to bring them together, and part of that fate was Gizmo’s passing.

My father found another ad in the Globe classifieds. On a Thursday afternoon after work, they drove two hours north to a farm. The owner was an older woman - a deaf-mute. Her daughter helped with the transactions. My litter mates and I were playing in a big field.  I saw the woman and knew she was meant for me. I ran to her and nearly jumped in her arms. She was not getting away. From that day on we were peas and carrots.

Luckily Blake took to me right away. We were best friends from the minute I stepped into her house. With our parents, we went for long walks through the paths at the State Hospital.   We chased squirrels and any other vermin. We even greeted some of the patients who had outdoor privileges. They loved seeing us. One of them asked if they could have a lick and my parents said yes.  He proceeded to pick me up and lick me. That was not a pleasant walk. After a snowstorm, we tramped through the snow up to my necks.

 Starting the day I came home there it was the best year of their lives.  
Besides living with two dogs and laughing at my antics, this is what happened in the 365 days since I arrived in my forever home.

Every other weekend and more during the baseball season my parents drove four hours each way to New York City to either pick up or drop off their son or watch him play baseball leaving them bleary-eyed for days.

Three days a week was reserved for babysitting.  They did not mind, but it was tiring.
Mommy struggled with her empty nest (from which Blake and I benefited.)

In this summer they had to leave me and driveway out of northwestern New York where their son was playing baseball.

Blake began to have seizures and was diagnosed with cancer.

9/11 happened, and they knew people who had lost family members and friends.  It took them four hours to contact their son in New York. He had slept through the attack.
People became scared of their mail after anthrax was sent via post.

Blake, two weeks after 9/11 went to the Bridge.  With the entire country worried about terrorism, it was hard for them to mourn her passing publically. 

You may wonder why it was the best year of their lives 

It was because they survived it.  Marriage isn’t going from good time to good time; it’s learning how to weather the hard time, which my parents did admirably, albeit, thanks to one special little dog.

Having survived that year, my parents learned they could survive anything.  Life has thrown a lot of beanballs at them since then, but they have learned how to duck.
Together.