Not Perfect

My life is not perfect, my life is not just starting, my life is not all about me. My life is a enchanting journey of delight that could not ever be, nor ever was, before my life had Lennie. My life is consumed not with me and what I am doing, but rather sharing it with the love of my life, my small family, my fur-children, and the special people I meet along the path. Never stop smiling, for if you do you will never have those unexpected little chance meetings with people that can change your life.

Glycemic Index Food List Widget

Glycemic Index Food List Widget

Dog Rules:

1. If I like it, it's mine.

2. If its in my mouth, it's mine.

3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.

4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.

5. If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
6. If I'm chewing something up, all the pieces are mine.

7. If it looks like mine, it's mine.

8. If I saw it first, it's mine.

9. If you are playing with something & you put it down, it automatically beomes mine.

10. If its broken, it's yours.
 
Thank you,
The Dog

Merry Christmas

A very Merry Christmas to all the two and four legged friends out there across the globe that celebrate this glorious day. May your hearts be warm and filled with love, may you be safe and happy, and in no pain. May you share a special touch on this, the celebration of our Savior Jesus’ birth. Merry Christmas to you all, and to all a good night.

The Night Before Dogmas

‘Twas the night before Dogmus, and all through the pound, not a puppy was yelping or playing around. Our leashes were hung by our kennels with care, in hopes that St> Bernard would soon find us there.

Chihuahuas were curled up all snug in their beds, while visions of doggie treats danced in their heads. Max in his collar, dreaming of someone’s lap, had tucked in his tail for a midwinter’s nap.

When outside the room there arose such a clatter, my ears perked right up to hear what was the matter.

Away to the window I scampered with glee, and barked at the shadows that were cast by the tree.

The glow from the moon changed night into day, and started me thinking, “Woof, woof, time to play.”

When what with my puppy-dog eyes did I see, but a splendid dogsled, led my doggies like me!

With a regal furred driver, commanding, not stern; I yelped to the others, “That must be St. Bern!”

As rapid as greyhounds, our saviors they came, so we barked and we howled and called them by name.

“There’s Duchess! There’s King, Fat Chance, and Bare Buffy! On Fido, On Scooter! On Rover, and Scruffy! Go by the red hydrant and run past those trees! Nothing can stop you, not even some fleas!”

As puppies at play chase after a stick, and race to their masters so lovely and quick, So out in the field his canines all flew, catching the Frisbees the good St. Bernard threw.

And then in an instant I heard at the door the scratching and clawing of each little paw. As I pulled in my nose and was turning around, in through the door St. Bernard came with a bound!

He was dressed all in fur from his head to his tail, and his wooden cask was adorned with an icing of hail. A bag of chew toys he had brought in with him, and his mouth was turned up in what looked like a grin.

His eyes, how they twinkled! His ears flopped, how merry! His coat shown like crystal, his nose like a cherry! His big sloppy mouth was drawn up like a bow, and the fur on his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a bone he held tight in his teeth, and his collar encircled his neck like a wreath. He had a large face and furry round belly that shook when he barked, like a bowl full of jelly.

He was fluffy and plump, a big cuddly old pooch, and I laughed when I saw him and gave him a smooch! With wink of his eye and a wag of his tail, we knew right away we’d have homes without fail.

He gave not a howl, but went straight to his deed, and took down the leaches that soon we would need. He opened the door and families stood there, with children, all smiling, and much love to spare.

He leaped to his sled, to his team gave a call, and away they all flew as if chasing a ball. But I heard him exclaim, as he chewed on his bone:

“HAPPY DOGMUS TO ALL AND ALL TO A GOOD HOME!”

Rules for Non-Pet Owners Who Visit

TO NON-PET OWNERS who visit my home and complain about my pets.

1) They live here, you don't.

2) If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'Fur'-niture. 3) Chances are, I love my pets more than I like you.

4) To you, my pets are just animals, but to me they are an adopted son/daughter who happen to be hairy, walks on all fours, and who doesn’t speak clearly.

5.) A home without pet hair is not a home at all.

The Cab Ride

I arrived at the address and honked the horn, after waiting a few minutes I walked to the door and knocked... 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, and then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her... 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?' 'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly...

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice... 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing. As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'.

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said.

'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light... Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life...

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?

What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID ~BUT~
THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL!

Talking dogs

Nibbles

Just a short update on the baby Abby. She has taken to biting to say hello…she is adorable with her howl and that she moves in for a nibble. Does not matter to her where the nibble is taken from, just along as she gets a few in. Soooo, needless to say this has to end. I have been nibbled on in a few places that hurt more than others if you know what I mean. I will keep you posted on how this goes.

The other characteristic I have noticed of late is she is nocturnal. I get woken up about three times during the night because she is throwing her knotted rope against the walls, or chewing on the throw rug in the bathroom, or just running around and up and down the stairs just for fun. Again, as amusing as this is, it does disrupt my much needed beauty rest.

But all in all, she has become a faithful companion to her “daddy” and she is a joy to have in the home. The three boys have all finally taken to her and have all become one happy family, now if this family could just get some well needed sleep and a few less nibbles on the nipples!

Wet smooches from the pooches!

For the love of a lost child..

I sometimes wonder why thing happen in life when they do. Life at times appears to be so random, and yet, when you look back after sometime has passed, it all seems to have happened in perfect order. When you stop to think about it, we as individuals really don’t make that many actual decisions in our life alone. They are based on life style, commitments, family values, emotions, and so many other outside and internal factors. One decision we make can effect us emotionally for all our days remaining on this earth, and then still remain in the minds and hearts of those left behind to still continue living on; one decision.

I have personally been involved in tragic family situations, more than I care to admit actually, but I somehow by the Grace of God overcame most of the hurt and pain; to somehow grasp that I was not guilty of anything and I had a RIGHT to a good life without the ghosts of my past haunting me forever. Oh, don’t be fooled, they jump from the closet or out from under the bed at times I least expect them to and cause havoc, but for the most part they are at an arms length away.

I am currently watching my loved one cope with the newest words spoken from a daughter he grieves for every day; she has not passed away, she has just been gone in her mind and taken herself from him heart for a decade now. He divorced her mom and they divorced themselves from their dad; and now, she tells her dad that she doesn’t like him because he left and got remarried, not how she refused to see her dad for weekends, or how they spent holiday's in a restaurant, or that she just "loved" the new boyfriend who became step-dad, who then became the ex of mom. How we remember the events of an emotional past is not always with clear renditions; the heart has a way of folding in “false” memories to make the entire event “sway” one way or the other…because as we remember things, we do not ever want to be the one that made the hurt begin, nor be the one that is at fault.

For this chapter, my husband will feel the pain for awhile, and then file this conversation away with the many others. The saddest part is he loves his daughters and always did what he thought was the best for them. They began a false love on their new step-dad less a couple months after the divorce and then when he was gone a year later, it appears that their faith in their mom somehow grew and their hatred for their dad began to strengthen. I truly believe that the parent with custody has the most responsibility to keep the children and the family connected and together in heart though no longer in household, when that parents alienates the other parent instead, then the beginning of the end has begun. It is sad that the one who caused the family breakdown is the one held in high regard and the one with all the love in his heart is left to grieve the loss.

This is a tragic story that is told thousands of times a day all over the world, I ask that anyone that is in a similar situation, about to get divorced with children, please keep the family alive and well as you dissolve the marriage, they are two separate entities and the family is so vital. What happens in these situations last a lifetime and then some, as it is handed down to the next generation…if I really stop to think about it, this may be why humankind is becoming less humane as we clock off the decades and then centuries on the calendar of life. If we lose faith and love in our own parent, whom has only been good and kind, where does that leave us with strangers.

Sorry off topic today and happy tail wagging.

The Lab Report

Today I am just providing some reporting on the Lab breed. Despite the name, the Labrador Retriever originated not in Labrador, but in Newfoundland; the same place one of my favorites, the Newfoundland originates. Many labs were exported to England by fisherman during the 1830's. Eventually, however, the breed died out in Newfoundland because of a tax on dog ownership plus British quarantine laws, which made exporting them less profitable. (Good! don't agree with making profits on dogs, there are to many in need of a forever home).

Hope everyone has a great tail wagging day!

Before I was a Dog Mom:

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I made and ate hot meals unmolested.
I had unstained, unfired clothes.
I had quiet conversations on the phone,
even if the doorbell rang.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I slept as late as I wanted
And never worried about
How late I got to bed
or if I could get into my bed.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I cleaned my house every day.
I never tripped over toys,
Stuffies, chewies
Or invited the neighbor's
Dog over to play.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I didn't worry if my plants,
cleansers, plastic bags,
Toilet paper, soap or deodorant
Were poisonious or dangerous.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I never had been peed on
Pooped on
Drooled on
Chewed on
Or pinched by puppy teeth.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I had complete control of
My thoughts,
My body and mind.
I slept all night without
Sharing the covers
Or pillow.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I never looked into big,
Soulful eyes and cried.
I never flet my heart break
Into a million pieces
When I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew something so
Furry and four-legged
Could affect my heart so deeply.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I had never held a sleeping
Puppy just because I
Couldn't put it down.
I had never gotten up in the
Middle of the night
Every 10 minutes to make
Sure all was well.
I didn't know how warm it
Feels inside to feed
A hungry puppy.
I didn't know that something
So small could make
Me feel so important.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I had never known the warmth,
The joy,
The love,
The heartache, The wonderment
Or the satisfaction of being
A Dog Mom.

Happy Mother's Day!
- Unknown

Dogs are nice and humans, well not so nice

I have determined once again that dogs rule superior than humans on the likeability scale of friends. I had what I thought was a friend, not a close one by any means, but a friend that hubby and I interacted with in a social club. This person wrote a few unkind, very unkind, things concerning me and then even had the audacity to proclaim that hubby has eared the right to “wings” for having to put up with me. Pure putrid cast upon me and my dignity, and yet I am still walking tall as I know who I am, and what I am, and it is not in the manner I was distastefully betrayed.

I am not flawless, never have I claimed to be, and for that matter I am usually pretty tough on myself, but yet this has once again validated my way of thinking…why do people find it necessary to be cruel and cause others to experience hurt; even going so far as to calling them unscrupulous? Is this done maybe just to turn the knife just a smidgen deeper as if to inflict the worst pain with words they can summon to vocalize? What kind of person can be this insensitive to another? A dog would never consider such actions, they just want to always make you feel good and be happy in their presence and treat you with decency, well as much as a dog can.

So please, if you are that unhappy with yourself, don’t use your own pain as encouragement to inflict heartless pain on others. If we all would look deep into our dogs eyes we would see there is not one ounce of hatred, cruelty, or revenge and then maybe we could someday be as noble as they are, and one day we humans can walk the planet together in peace with our own kind.

So as I hug tightly my husband and my four fur-children, I am securing the love of humanity within my own walls and pray someday others realize that their hateful, vile, horrid words do bite as hard as fangs.

Another Danger from Ticks

Thought I should share some very important information . We all know that ticks are extremely dangerous, or we should if you are a dutiful dog-mom. I have always used Frontline Plus on all my dogs, past and present. I just recently read about a dog that contracted Tick Paralysis.

Luckily they found the offending tick and removed it in time; removal of the embedded tick usually results in resolution of symptoms within several hours to days. If the tick is not removed, the toxin can be fatal, with reported mortality rates of 10–12 percent, usually due to respiratory paralysis. The tick is best removed by grasping the tick as close to the skin as possible and applying firm steady pressure.

The dog in the story had become totally paralyzed but I am happy to report is recovering just fine now. The symptoms begin between 2-7 days from the tick's attachment to the animal. Per Wikipedia, beginning with weakness in both legs that progresses to paralysis. The paralysis ascends to trunk, arms, and head within hours and may lead to respiratory failure and death. Currently there is no vaccine available for any tick-borne disease.

So I am encouraging every dog-mom and dog-dad to please, apply the topical, try to stay out of infected tick areas especially in the spring and summer, and VERY IMPORTANT, perform a daily tick check...it just might save your beloved pet's life.
More information can be found at (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tick_paralysis)

Another problem caused by Deforestation

This very disturbing picture was send to me by my cousin Lenny and I was so concerned and felt obligated to post immediately. We need everyone’s involvement to get this back under control and prevent this from going on any longer. Please, write to your Congressmen and woman and put an end to this disturbing problem facing our beloved pets. If we don't stand up for them who will?

Dogs Don't Know Hate

I have had reservations about what kind of human I am because to me dogs are more sensitive, devoted, faithful, and more loving than most humans. I truly believe that dogs are superior in their ability to forgive and to trust again someone that once hurt them in some way; ironic, and almost insane, to even say the words, but it is what my heart feels with every pump of blood to my mind where it is seems insane to even conceive the notion, but with my very being and conviction, I would place more trust in dogs and reason dogs are more humane than humans for they know no hate.

When I am hurt by a human I do not seek solace in the embrace of a human, I seek my comfort from my dogs, for they know the true essence of absolution that only they can give. They seek not to find your wrong doings, they seek not a reason to blame you, that seek not revenge or to trump you, they seek not to make you feel flawed just for amusement or to raise themselves from a low place they have found themselves in, they do seek only to adore you and ask for so little beyond their basic needs, tenderness, nurturing, and a stroke of your hand upon their furry heads in return for their immeasurable lifetime devotion.

Random thoughts

God closed a door on me

But opened a new window

I walk on up closer

And view through the pane

Of the glass upon my face.

I must not even think to complain

For He gave me this new view,

To look and see what I can see

And change that for which I can

I see so much before me

And the things that I must do

Come with me said my guide,

And keep an open heart and mind

 

To all my friends that need a helping hand and for all the love I have received from my human and animal friends God has bestowed upon me, the door never closes without another opening.

Okay so Abby is now 6 months and she has turned into holly terror! She nipped at my right arm and I slapped her gently on the muzzle and said a FIRM NO! She turned her head and bit hard into my left arm! OUCH!!! So I have to stop letting her be a “puppy” and get down to serious training. She is a Tom Boy through and through, not that sweet little girl I was aiming for.

I know with my help I can make a Southern Belle out of her….yes, maybe? I am going to stay positive and work hard and make this my new most important goal for the next few months. She is very smart and I know with a little bit of education she will show a whole new side, lets just hope it is not her teeth on my backside!

A Time to Frolic

I was not having such a great week so far, and today as I awoke, it seemed as if it would be just another day of pain and hurt. I try each day to wake up with a positive felling inside and thoughts in my head, but needless to say, sometimes the positive thinking turns to wishful thinking.


I have wanted to spend some time with Abby in training out back on her commands such as, come and stay. It was finally cool enough out this afternoon, due to cold front and the threat of storms. I finally had the energy to head outside with the fearless foursome, as the rain was yet to arrive. We ended up tossing a ball around and running (they did not me) and having a great playful frolicking time. All were exhausted and Otis was a bit sleepy now because of his “storm pill” so we all went inside for a cool drink and a rest.

My dogs amaze me with something every day, today it was that even thru my pain, they can make me feel needed and alive, even playful and childlike. I would have been curled up in a ball on the couch with my pain pills, but they got me up and grooving and I cannot thank them enough!

Happy Easter

From all of us, to all of you, wishing you a very blessed and Happy Easter.
CC, Otis, Brock, Marley, Abby, and Spencer.