K9 Kamp IV Holy Moses

This week we kept it simple for K9-Kamp IV Do What You Want.  We did some walking, we played some ball, nothing worth writing about again.  But when we were done I weighed Daddy.  I did this by picking him up in my mouth and holding him, then stepping on the scale, recording our combined weight, then dropping him on the ground like a stinky squirrel, weighing myself, and figuring the difference.  Four hours later I determined he had lost four pounds.

Now this was good,  but he had last weighed himself on what I think was a more accurate scale, so I am not sure he lost weight at all.  Plus, while thanks to the K-9 Kamp organizers Daddy is walking and healthier you need to do more than walking.  Daddy told me watching what he eats and walking will be fine for him.  But, to prove him wrong I turned to the most accurate words ever written:  No, not the Bible, and not the movies, but movies about the Bible.

In fact the movie I showed him was the Ten Commandments.  After slogging through two and a half hours we got to the part that I felt was of particular importance to my Dad, the end.  Because it was here where Moses, portrayed by Charlton Heston, has reached the Promised Land, after 40 years wandering the desert and living on as little food as possible, and he still has a paunch.  So if Moses can do nothing but walk and eat organic food for 40 years and he still is built like George Costanza what chance does Daddy have?

We did find an easter egg on the DVD with a deleted scene and it a scene between Moses and his dog.  I don’t know why the dog did not make the final cut.  But, what was fascinating, is the dog was having the same conversation with Moses as I was with my Dad, that walking and eating well were not enough to stay in shape.

I have transcribed the scene.  Please to enjoy.

Dog:  Hey Moses.

Moses:  Hey Dog.

Dog:  Sure is hot.
Moses:  Yes, but it’s a dry heat.

Dog:  Why don’t you pick me up?  I am tired of walking.

Moses:  I cannot carry you.   We were doomed to wander for 40 years.  None of us can be carried.  Plus I would have to put down my staff.

Dog:  Hey, I wasn’t doomed to wander.  I just saw you wander by, you looked like you needed some help, so I walked next to you.   And why can’t you put down the staff?

Moses:  I never put down the staff.  I parted the Red Sea with this staff.  It protected me from the hand of God.  It is leading us to the Promised Land.

Dog:  First of all, that Red Sea thing was like 40 years ago and some of us think it might have been a small tsunami.  And don’t forget, you dropped the tablets because you would not let go of that staff.

Moses:  I did not drop the tablets.  I threw them at the Infidels.

Dog:  Infidels?  Please.  You threw them at Edwin G. Robinson.  The guy was Little Caeser.  You didn’t see problems coming.  Anyway, word around the watering puddle is that you dropped them.  As for that leading us to the Promised Land?  It’s been 40 years.  Duh.

Moses:  Mind your tongue dog.

Dog:  I would like to but it is dragging in the sand from the heat.  By the way.  Why have you never named me?  You have a pet you should name the.

Moses:  I do not name animals.  I've been through the desert on a horse with no name,
It felt good to be out of the rain.  In the desert you can remember your name,  'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain.

Tribe of Israel:  La, la, la la la la, la la la, la, la La, la, la la la la, la la la, la, la
Dog:  Not bad harmony for a party of wanderers.  

Lone member of tribe of Israel:  Zeppelin!

Moses:  Quiet infidel or I will smote you.

Dog:  Again with the smoting, no one believes you can smote.  Enough with the smoting already.  Hey.  I’m hungry.

Moses:  We are all hungry dog.  Hopefully we shall come across some organic food to eat and you shall get your share.

Dog:   My share is usually what you drop.  And anyway, Mo, I’ve noticed, 40 years of wandering and eating organic food and you still look like you’re running a solid 220.  I’ve seen people lose half a body weight after a week on Survivor.

Moses:  This is the size I need to be to lead my people.

Dog:  Just saying you’re a bit overweight.  Maybe we could stop and you could do some sit ups or push ups.  Maybe some light aerobic work.  It can’t hurt.

Moses:  Be quiet dog.   I am at the perfect weight.

Dog:  OK but I’m just saying when we wandered over the Wii Fit station it said you were obese.

Moses:  Wii Fit.  Product of Infidels.  Like the scales at the doctor’s.  I weigh myself at home then go to the doctor and I somehow gained five stone on the camel ride. over.  

Dog:  Are you on anxiety meds?   That can cause weight gain.

Moses:  I am not on anxiety meds.

Dog:  Nobody would blame you.  Surviving the kill the first born thing, the little boat trip as a baby, that crazy, crazy Pharoh.  No one would blame you if you needed a little help to get through the day.

Moses:  We are done talking about this dog.

Dog:  Are we there yet?

Moses:  Just over the next dune.

Dog: You said that 20 years ago.

Moses:  Keep walking dog.

Dog:  Hey Moses?

Moses:  Yes

Dog:  Sure is hot.

Mollie, Jilly Girl and Emmy are our June 17, 2012 Pups of the Week

I consider myself quite a wordsmith.  I have always prided myself on my ability to turn a phrase.  As I look back on the last seven days the same thought comes to my sharp as a tack mind:  This week fiicking sucked.

This past week has been like living through the Battle of Hogwats with no wizards, spells, or trolls.  Just the carnage.   We lost sweet Emmy, the spokesperson of the Dogs of Brazil, at the age of nine.  Her blogs about the flooding in Brazil in January 2011 were like reading Ernie Pyle’s reporting from the Pacific.  She was both truthful and compelling.  She just got to a new home and money was becoming available to her family to build a no kill shelter so desperately needed in her area.  But she won’t be there to enjoy it.

Then we lost Jilly Girl.  A short time ago her brother Jack got diagnosed with Cushings Disease  Before he went to the Bridge we learned that Jilly Girl had the disease too.  An operation was planned, but then got moved up when the vet had an opening.  The operation went well, but poor Jilly never awoke.

And finally after a brave struggle against the horrible IMHD we lost my very good friend Mollie and this just broke my old Yorkie heart in a thousand tiny pieces.  We lived Mollie’s life with her.  I remember her first blog which was about going to training as a pup.  It seems like yesterday.  She kept us informed when her Mom had a retinal tumor.  She rallied us to pray for her mother’s operation and those prayers helped her through it.  She told us about Tabby, the uninvited kitty who took up residence on her porch, much to her umbridge.  In October of 2011 she informed us of what would be the greatest project of her life, the building of her sun room.   That was interrupted by her Dad having heart problems, but, again, Mollie nursed a parent back to health.   In February the sun room was finally done and we rallied together to make sure Mollie’s chair was placed in a place where she got plenty of sun and could see outside.  Then she got hit with terrible allergies this spring.  Most of May was spent with visits to the vet.  But there was good news.  After 38 years her Mom retired to spend time with Mollie in her sunroom.  But it was not to be.  She got hit with the IMHA and there was nothing nobody could do.  Mollie was gone.  

I must admit I got angry.  I try to help other dogs.  I put in a lot of time.  And I have never asked for anything, so I asked for this one thing, for Mollie to live, and I was told no.  I don’t like being told no.  We did everything right.  We had prayers coming from pups on TB and DS.  We had humans on the Face Space praying.  Mommy got prayers going on Twitter and Blogger.  There were enough prayers to move a mountain.  And they were all answered no.  I went outside, looked up at the night sky, and I howled in anger at the moon.  Pocket joined me.  She asked me why I was upset and I said that Mollie was gone and I wanted answers.  She asked if this was the way she felt when I lost the siblings who came before her:  Blake, Jax, Copper and Skye.   I said yes.  She asked if Mommy, Daddy and I had prayed for them to live and I said yes.  She then asked if they had all lived if we would have looked for another pup after she was born.  And I guess we wouldn’t have.  And if we hadn’t Pocket wouldn’t have been with us.  “So maybe that’s why they had to go,” she said.  “So I could have a home.”  It was a rare moment of clarity for Pocket.  Then she said something either very deep or very silly.  “Plus, if no one ever went to the Bridge we would have no place to put our stuff.”  When I asked her what she meant she said that, if there were six dogs in the house, some would have to sleep on the floor, and we would have to put bunkbeds in my kitty condo.  While I was still sad, somehow her words had made me think, and I’m not sure why, but I was no longer mad.

We are all sent here with jobs to do, all of them to help humans.  Some are long term, like mine, almost 12 years, and others are short term, like Blake, Jax, Cooper and Skye.  Looking at all that happened during Mollie’s much too short lifetime, nursing her Mom back to health after her retinal surgery, nursing her Dad back to health after his heart problems, seeing her Mom through retirement and helping build the sunroom I wonder if her work ws done. Then she was called home.  I don’t know if this is true.  I’m just trying to make sense of something that makes no sense.  

But I have to tell humans the big difference between us dogs and humans.  And it’s not that opposable thumbs thing.  That’s way overrated.  So you can button a shirt and got a job at The Gap.  How’s that working out for you?  No, the difference is that we enjoy every single second with you.  Every moment.  In  the words of Pete Townsend:
I dig every second
I can laugh in the snow and rain
I get a buzz from being cold and wet
The pleasure seems to balance out the pain

So enjoy us as much as we enjoy you.  Because we enjoy and love you so much, and I know you do too.  Don’t let the little things in your life get you down when you’re with us.  

Despite what the Dog Whisperer or Dog the Bounty Hunter or the Road Dog might say, when you come to do a silly dance of joy with us.  Run with us, play with us, kiss us, laugh with us, and just enjoy us.  If you think you need to be calm and assertive with us little pups who do nothing but love you then do it, as long as the day comes when it is time for us to go to the Bridge, you can make the decision calmly and assertively too, if not, take my advice, pull down your pants, and let’s slide on the ice.

Because I think that was the way Mollie, Jilly Girl and Emmy lived.  And this past week has been senseless, and when something senseless happens, you have to try to make sense of it, even if the sense you make of it makes no sense.  Does that make sense?  I don’t know.  I miss my friend.

Although I don’t bark about it often I know someday I will be at the Bridge, and when I get there, and I am reunited with Mollie, Jilly Girl and Emmy and they tell me that I lived a life they were proud of and my Mom lived a life their Moms would be proud of, then I would know I accomplished whatever I was sent here to do.

Good night Jilly Girl, Mollie and Emmy, my Princesses of planet Earth, my Queens of North America.  May we follow in your paw prints.  

Foley Monster Reflects on the Online World, the Onfoot World, and Peace Love and Understanding

When dogs are born we are clear of our mission:  To serve man (and no, it’s not a cookbook, well, for most most of us.)  But, like the servants in The Help, we don’t just aid, we observe our humans, certainly the most complicated of creatures we have encountered.

This is a dog’s philosophy:  See something out of the ordinary, charge at it, and deal with it, unless we are corrected by those we serve.  But humans, they see what is right in front of it, and analyze it to such an extent they don’t even notice it.

I am not sure where this Internet thing came from, who invented it, or why, but I hear lots of debating if it is a good thing or not.  Humans debate too much.   We know what things are when we see them whether they be good or bad.

For the most part I declare the Internet a good thing, even though it’s like a Pit Bull, a wonderful beast that can be corrupted by those with ill intentions.  Because the Internet has rekindled the fire in humans igniting two long list skills.  The first is to use the written word to communicate in short, well thought out (for the most part) sentences.

But also it has recreated the idea of a community, or, better yet a village, where everyone is your friend, watches your kids (meaning pups) and no one locks the doors because everyone is trusted.  What is great about an online community is that you choose your neighbors which you can’t do in an on foot community (the term on foot community is trademarked by Foley Monster, don’t mess with me on this) or family. I often hear complaints about our friends’ neighbors but seldom about online friends.  And let’s agree not to get started on family.

But over the Internet we have created our own village where we care, we trust, and everyone knows our names, both human and pup.

I have never seen a better example of how a village can pull together, how a family can provide support, then the way people and pups rallied to sweet Mollie’s side.  It began with a post on Tanner Brigade stating the she had taken ill.  The old cranky DS machine wasn’t cooperating with her Mom so we copied the post for her.  And we copied it on Facebook, and the sub groups, Doggyspace Moms and Doggyspace Groups.  On Tanner Brigade we set up a vigil for her in our events section (an event section would be a great addition to DS.)  Although it’s a small group the vigil, along with her blogs, quickly filled with comments, some from members we barely hear from.  And on DS a multi member candle lighting for Mollie was held.

Our DS blogs filled up with even more comments, friends praying, asking what they could do.  And on Facebook those Moms who have guided their pups through the same similar illness were there ready to help and to provide advice and a strong shoulder.  I shouldn’t say I’m surprised by the response I saw because I know what a wonderful community we have.  But I was still awed by it, by the love, by the caring, things that seem so hard to come by in our on foot community.

So from this dog’s perspective this Internet is a really cool thing.  Because it has allowed us to create little villages filled with people who realize that us dogs are your angels, who love you, and fill your heart with joy, and we should be celebrated.  And in this village we have so many wonderful, caring, living people.  They are truly the finest kind.

We may not be able to live with people who share our interests or are as caring as we are, but we can build one in the cyber world, where no one pops in during your favorite show or tracks mud on your carpets.  The compassion shown here is beautiful, while in the on foot world compassion is considered a weakness.

The reaching out to help here is seen a thousand time a day while in the on foot world reaching out to help is frowned upon because those in need should help themselves.  I would much rather live with my wonderful friends in my online world than with the rude, mean people with those annoying signs on their yard in the shape of a dog squatting and a no thru it (but I never see one with one dog humping another with a no on it so they are discriminating against certain bodily functions.)

We all love Mollie, our hearts ache for her and her Mom and all we want is for her to get better.  And it’s so wonderful that her Mom can find all this support right at the end of her own fingertips.

Prayers for Mollie

I am turning this blog over to our friend Mollie who is in need of as many prayers as we can muster. In her words this is what is going on.

June 10, 2012 2:30 AM


Hi Everyone,

This is Mollie's mom writing this blog. Her dad and I had to take her to the emergency vet hospital. We noticed that on Friday she was looking a little puney and she was sleeping a lot. This morning she wouldn't eat her breakfast and that is just not like Mollie. I made her some boiled chicken and she did eat that three times today. At dinner time she wouldn't eat anything. She has been diagnosed with IMHA Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia. Her immune system is killing her red blood cells. Her platelets were also low. The doctor felt like we had caught this disease in time but there is always the chance that Mollie won't respond to the meds they will be giving her for the next couple of days. Yes, we had to leave her there and my heart is just breaking. Her dad and I cried all the way home and I can't hardly see what I am typing because of the tears. Please pray that Mollie will respond well to the meds and can beat this disease. We need lots and lots of prayers.

Love to all,

Mollie's Mom

UPDATE:

Just spoke with the vet. She said Mollie was doing OK. She wouldn't eat this morning but she did go outside to pee. They are giving her fluids through an IV and they had to put in a tube to give her the meds because she threw up once last night. She will be there tonight as well.

June 10, 2012 12:00 PM

The vet just called and said Mollie's blood levels had dropped from 18 to 9. They are going to have to give her a blood transfusion. Please pray that this works. I am so afraid that her body is going to reject the transfusion. The vet said there is a possibility that she might need 2-3 transfusions.

Please pray for Mollie.

Mollie's Very Worried Mom

UPDATE: The vet just called and said Mollie had finished with her transfusion. She says it takes 4 hours. She did very well but still hasn't eaten any food. She is keeping the meds down so that's good. At 8:00 p.m. they will check her blood again to see if the transfusion worked. If not, she will get another one. Praying very hard that this transfusion worked and Mollie can be on the road to recovery.

Thanks to everyone for all your prayers and support. Keep the prayers coming because I know how powerful TB prayers are!!

June 10, 2012 10:34 PM

Just spoke with the vet. Mollie's blood count went up three points to a 12. Not a big increase but encouraging. Dr. Choate said they are monitoring her vitals every hour and her crate is actually in the room with the doctor and technicians. I feel confident that she is being well taken care of. Dr. Choate said they will check her blood count again at midnight. Hopefully, it will continue to go up. If not, they will give her another transfusion. She still isn't eating but her gums are starting to get pink again. Another good sign. I'm going to call in the morning and will head over to the hospital to see her. I will be sure to give her lots of love from all of this wonderful group of friends and their parents.

KEEP THOSE PRAYERS COMING!! They seem to be working.

Love,

Mollie's Mom Cindy

June 11, 2012 2:20 PM

Mollie seems to be slowly getting better. I visited with her this morning and she actually wagged her tail and gave me kisses. The tech said she hadn't wagged her tail since she had been there. She drank a little water and I tried to get her to eat a little food but she didn't want any. One of the doctors called and spoke with Mollie's dad this morning and said she did eat some yesterday. Mollie looked a little better this morning too. When I left the tech said they would be doing another blood count on her at noon and they would call with the results. At 12:30 they called and said her count was up to 19!! I asked when he thought she would be able to come home but he really couldn't give me an answer. I did tell him I didn't want to rush this. If it was best for her to stay another night that's what I wanted. She still has a ways to go so keep the prayers coming. The Tanner Brigade sure has some powerful prayers!!

Love to all,

Mollie's Mom Cindy



Just spoke with the vet at the hospital and they will be taking another blood count at midnight. They are also drawing a little extra blood to send out to a lab to check for any tick borne disease. I told Dr. Myers that I had thought about that because we do live in the country and I have pulled a few off of Mollie but none were ever embedded. I check her every time she comes back in. Dr. Myers also consulted with an internist and the internist felt like Mollie didn't need to be on three medications and she didn't need the aspirin. The internist felt that until Mollie's platelet level comes back up they could stop the aspirin which could also be causing her tummy to be upset and why she doesn't want to eat. Dr. Myers was going to see what her blood count is at midnight and she may ween her off one of the medicines. I know these doctors are doing their best for Mollie but it is very disconcerning when they all have different opinions on protocol. So.....I think Mollie will probably be there a couple more days. Boy, do I miss my little shadow!! I haven't been able to sit in the sun room because it makes me so depressed. I miss her little butt trying to squeeze in with me in the new chair!!

Keep those prayers flowing!

Love and many thanks,

Mollie's Mom Cindy

Crystal is our June 10, 2012 Pup of the Week

Pocket has her own views on what pups we should recognize. She says that we don’t recognize the young pups enough. Me, I think you need to build up a bit of a resume before you deserve recognition. But this week we are going to recognize a younger pup, with a younger Mom, and who has not spent much time playing with us in the cyber world.

This week we recognized Crystal, our mighty Great Dane of a friend. We would like to recognize her for her faithfulness, dedication, and being wonderful friend. But this week she added a new title to her resume. Crystal had become a Great Dane puppy whisperer.

Like all us pups Crystal has an online family and a onfoot family. One of her onfoot family members is her cousin,another Great Dane named Bella. Bella has a young human sibling named Gabriel who she doesn’t get along with. And who knows, the kid could have an attitude. Once they hit two they become all vicks and ‘tude.

But Bella is also a classically misplaced dogs. She is in an apartment with four humans. Not a place for a Great Dane with energy to be. She spends too much time in her crate or being tied up outside. Crystal and her Mom might be young but they knew this was no kind of life for Bella, so they decided to have their own K9 training Kamp for her.

Crystal and her Mom took Bella to their house for a weekend. Crystal’s Mom took Bella for long bike rides to help burn her energy (and get this, Bella actually ran along the side of the bike and not on the handlebars. Who would have thought?) Once Bella was exhausted Crystal’s Mom planned to see if the bad behavior went away. I am telling you this kid is a natural.

After Bella was exhausted getting her to walk on the leash was much easier. She dets able to determine that Bella was just a giant ball of energy. There were some issues with Bella losing interest in her food, and being obsessed with her grandma, wanting to go everywhere with her, and sleep with her, even though grandma did not have that bond, and Bella became a puppy stalker.

When Crystal came in to say goodnight to Grandma Bella tried to protect Grandma and Crystal had to give her a lesson on who was the boss. Later when Crystal’s Mom came in Bella growled again and Crystal’s Mom had to correct her.

Crystal’s Mom worked on the food problem by hand feeding her and tried to work on her aggression issues with other pups by walking her along a fence with dogs on the other side. When Crystal’s Mom took her for a bike ride by the dogs, and Bella was otherwise occupied she did not pay those dogs any never mind.

I think Bella has a long way to go but she has good trainers in Crystal and her Mom. And it is good to know that there are wonderful, young pup owners to keep dogs cared for and our web sites open for generations to come.

K9 Kamp III: Minute to Kill Him

I am very happy to report that I have completed another K-9 Kamp Challenge although, while I love my K-9 Kamp coordinators, if I am to be perfectly honest, I did not like this week’s challenge.

Now I have talked with Foley about it and she tried to explain it. The challenge was called Minute to Win It. I guess it was named after a lame TV game show, and must give thanks that at least it wasn’t named Fear Factor. Foley told me the challenge was geared to those who do not have time to play with their pups because they work or have other commitments. She told me they weren’t as lucky as us pups who have parents working from home. Working from home? What a crock. You know who else works from home? Presidents. ‘Nough said.

The idea is to squeeze in challenges even if you only have a minute to do them. Well to me the first minute of a challenge is just warming up. I mean one minute? The Patriots win the toss, elect to receive, run it out to the 30 then run the ball up the middle and the ball game is over,

So I decided on my own to change the challenge. I changed it to Kill Him in a Minute. and the Him is, of course, Daddy. My first try was to take the thrown ball and nudge it all the way down the hall and between the dryer and the washing machine. The timing to this was crucial. I had to do it just as the washer entered the spin cycle. Now Daddy came crawling down as I barked by the machine. I nosed to him where the ball was. He reached in between the thin space between the washer and dryer just as the washer hit the spin cycle and Daddy got shaken like Michael Duncan at the end of The Green Mile.

He was able to extricate himself when the spin cycle ended. His arm was two inches longer. Not that he thanked me even though now it was easier for him to reach the balls. I immediately moved on to my second challenge, which, also, unselflessly cented on my Daddy’s health. He sat in his recliner, put up his feet, and leaned back. I jumped on the back of the couch and used my deep, dangerous, “hey there is someone in the back yard” bark and growl. After several times telling me to stop Daddy got curious and stood up, good cardio, and looked out the window, good stretching, and finally went outside, good stair work and walking.
I was able to get him to do this three times. Every time he did it he got angrier, jumping out of the chair faster, moving outside quicker, his blood pressure rising. I tell you I could be a personal trainer for humans. The third time he went out I planned the new game. Sniff out the poo.

I took three little vicks in the house. One near the front bathroom, one near the master bathroom, and one between the bureau and the TV stand. Now this took some work. I had to projectile vick. Now this is hard. What you have to do is squat just right, breathe deeply through your nose, fill your lungs, and then try to breathe out your butt. You do it right, for a little dog, you can toss one about two feet, for a big dog, I betcha you could get it over the fence and into the mean neighbors yard (extra points for bouncing it off the Prius.)

Daddy then had to crawl around and find the hidden little gems of poo. Part of this challenge is to have him go by the poo, and back up, because backward crawling is a very good challenge. It took Daddy five minutes to get all the poo. It really wasn’t a great time but I think he can improve it.

Foley wanted to get into the fun. At night, in bed, just before Mommy and Daddy went to sleep, with the lights off, Foley started making a sound like she was releasing air from a helium balloon. She had been working on this sound all day. Both Mommy and Daddy bounced down the bed. Mommy held her and Daddy stroked her throat. As soon as they were awake she stopped, but Daddy still spent half the night awake waiting to see if she made the sound again. The next day he had to get through the day with very little sleep. This didn’t help him get healthier but did almost kill him. If Foley and I had a few more minutes we would have done the job.

So, while I didn’t get much of a work out during the minute to kill him challenge Daddy did. And that’s all that counts.

This is a bog hop

Pepper, Kaiser and Four New Bridge Angels Star, Max, Christian and Old Pup are Our Pups of the Week for June 3, 2012

The life of a dog can be a rollercoaster ride somedays, especially in the Internet Age. I have so many friends if I went to the dog Olympics and counted paws it still wouldn’t equal their number. Us dogs, we live normal length lives (not like you humans who stick around long passed your usefulness until you’re nothing but tired and lose all interest in your balls) but it does make for a lot of friends heading for the Bridge, and a lot of friends picking their forever homes, over the course of a week.

(FYI: Us dogs, when talking about our parents, usually refer to their age in pup years. Every nine years of human life equal one year of pup life. If a Mom is 45 we think of her as five. After that it goes to a year for every five years. At 50 she is 6, 55, she is 7, at 75 she is 11, If a Mom lives to be 100 she is 16 in pup years which is pretty darn old for everyone except Tommy Tunes.)

This week we lost some good friends from DS. Star Cintron is a dog we go way back to our original time on DS with. When we were off DS Mom kept track of Star on the Face Space. We were so happy when she was our friend again when we returned to DS. But Star was older, 15, and had cancer. Her Mom fought so hard to keep her with us but when the Big Giant Dog wants you at the Bridge you have to go no matter how strong willed a Mom is. On Saturday we said bye to Star, who now twinkles forever high above us. She left a Mom with a broken heart which we must help repair. We will miss you Star, fly high my sweet angel.

Although I did not bark at him as much as Star I would be remiss if I did not mention my friend Max, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel from Ireland, who went to tbe Bridge on the 30th at the age of 11.

Also Christian, a mixed breed, who went to the Bridge at the age of 6, and Josie, Koda and Wills brother Old Pup, their farm dog.

But for every dog lost there is a new friend to fill our soul with excitement. First is Benjamin’s new brother Pepper. In the middle of May Pepper was another dog left at the shelter facing execution. Benjamin’s Dad saw on the Face Space that Pepper was on death row. He swooped in and rescued Pepper, expecting the wife/mom to be mad because their home is already bursting with pups but she was thrilled. Pepper is one smart dog. He went from almost trotting the green mile to choosing a great family, and a great dog, as he has become Benjamins’ shadow, and in line to be a first deputy.

Finally, while I don’t want to spoil the thunder from his sister and his Mom, we have another new member, Kasier, a beautiful German Shepherd rescued by Baron our beloved Bear’s Mom, who is going to have so much to learn from his sister Chey, another rescued dog save from the Bridge.

Some days I go online a cry in sadness because I have lost a friend, other days I cry in joy when I meet a new friend who has been rescued. Somedays I do bost. A roller coaster indeed.

Now, if you excuse me, I need to update my address book.

(Max’s and Christian’s pictures courtesy of Tommy Tunes)