Meet Huntley.

Huntley is three years old, and an amazing dog.  We got him from a wonderfully kind lady a couple of hours away from here who decided Huntley needed more attention than she could provide while breeding other Goldens.  Tough decision for her, and what a blessing for us.

He is opposite from Goldie in almost every respect:  she was female, he’s a male; she was independent and loved to keep to herself, he craves attention; he’s young, she was old.  Neither Goldie nor Huntley care for storms, though.   He loves to run and play and swipe food from the kids.

“Swiper no swiping!”  Can you name that show?  We hear that a lot around here.

Huntley is attached to me and his middle name is “Shadow.”  He lives to spread himself out over the kitchen floor and watch in amusement as I step around and over him to prepare a meal.  When I am eating or working, he likes to lay on the floor next to me.  He is attracted to running water and loves to get in the middle of the kids sprinklers, drinking and playing.  He loves to jump up and give us hugs, wrapping his paws around our waists and burying his face under our arms.  He loves to climb in our laps and get attention there.

He forgot that he wasn’t a puppy anymore and is now 80lbs of doggy muscle and fluff.  I’m not sure he’ll ever figure that out, but that’s ok.

He is wonderfully gentle with the kids, even in his excitement.

Guess where he sleeps?

Yup, on the floor beside my side of the bed.

Growing Up

Anybody want an adorable 3-month old puppy, laid-back personality, loves to cuddle…but who does not have small children in the home?

Um, yeah.  You guessed it. *tears*  *lots and lots of tears*

Little cute guy, Cody, has exhibited some concerning agressive behavior towards my two-year-old daughter, and she is now sporting a nice bite on her knee.  But, bless her little heart, that girl knows no fear and what we thought might’ve been a strong reaction to perhaps a tail underfoot proved to be unprovoked aggression as things progressed.

My heart hurts.  I hurt for my little girl who was bitten, I hurt because of this dog who we have to return to the animal shelter and who I pray can be adopted into a home without small children, and I hurt because, well, I guess I feel guilty all the way around. Ugh.

I am so thankful that this particular “trait” was revealed before any terribly traumatic things could happen, though.  I praise Him for that.

I want Goldie back.

Gulps

Meet Cody.  :)

I’ve been missing Goldie’s company a lot.  For those of you new to my crazy blogginess, you can read about my sweet Goldie here.   She’s been playing at Jesus’ feet now for about two and a half months, but my heart still thinks she is here.  I kept thinking I needed to let her back in the house, or that I heard her collar jingle, or I’d see her out of the corner of my eye laying in front of one of the doors.  

Dogs have always been a part of my life – always.  (Right, Dad?)  The only time I did not have one was during my college years.  In grad school, I rented a house from a professor on sabbatical and dog-sat his dogs for him for the year he was gone.  You guessed it – they were a Golden Retriever and another little rascal that looked like a little German Shepherd.

Then a second year, then the first year of marriage, then Chris succumbed to my manipulations to let me get Charlie, an Italian Greyhound.  I loved him, Chris not so much.  When we moved to Florida and both had to get full-time jobs, Charlie was not getting the attention that he (and most in his breed) need on a constant daily basis and I had to make the horribly heart-breaking decision to surrender him to the Italian Greyhound rescue organization.  His foster family ended up keeping him permanently and they could even take him to work with them!  Score for Charlie!  

Several months later, we were offered Goldie from a co-worker of Chris’s who could not keep her.  What a dream.  So, as you can see, I’ve spent very little time without a dog.  

I’ve been eyeing online rescue sites and other organizations for Goldens here and there, then on Friday afternoon I happened to spy an offer for a Golden Retriever on Freecycle.   However, she was eight years old.  Having small children who are not at an age to comprehend death, especially again so soon, might not lend itself to adopting another senior dog as much as I wanted to.  I did not want a tiny puppy though.  I’m not much for the tiny puppy stage. 

The discussions began.

Which breed?  Registered?  Puppy?  Younger dog?  Then we wondered off into…

Rescue?  Humane Society?  Animal Control?

We perused the websites for available dogs and spied a Golden mix puppy at the downtown location, but doubted he would be there by the time we got there.  Still, there might be other dogs?  We mapped out a plan to hit both Animal Control locations as well as the Humane Society and headed out with the kids on Saturday morning.  

I was a woman on a mission.  (Chris will tell you that is a dangerous thing.)

I felt like I was dating…or shopping for a wedding dress…waiting for that “I just know” moment.  Because I knew that when I saw the dog, I would just know.

First stop, Animal Control near our home.  Cute puppies, but nope…Chris liked one of the puppies there, though.  

(Unbelievable the number of pit bull mixes at all the locations.  Sad, really.)

Second stop, Humane Society.  Lots of dogs, puppies spoken for but none that said “take me” to me.  Very loud place, as you can imagine, but what a great organization.

We ventured downtown to the main Animal Control location…not really the best area of town, you know?  We signed in and walked the long sidewalk to the adoption building and I zoomed down the cages looking for a dog that could be ours.  

Chris said, “Tara, what about this one?”  I looked into the cage.

I knew.  

The cutest Golden mix puppy, the very same one we had seen on the website was, amazingly, still there.  I had no need to look any further.  He was three months old.  We asked to see him and play with him and off we went and it was an easy decision from there.  

I asked the lady helping us if puppies like him stay very long.  She replied, “I am actually surprised he has been here over twenty-four hours.”

I just knew.   That made me smile.  Was this an answer to prayer?

$40 (half-off Saturday) later we were gone and Cody was in my arms.  Do you know what that $40 dollars got us?  I am so impressed – a neutered puppy, all up-to-date shots, Frontline, and a microchip.  Seriously?  

Then we learned how they pay for it.  A family next to us came to retrieve their dog who had been, uh, impounded?  (Is that the right word?)  They took him home $250.00 later.  Many thanks to that family for paying for our dog’s surgery, shots, and microchip – in a round-a-bout kind of way, of course.   

The shelter named him Cody and I liked the name.  It fit.  G and S’s suggestions were “dog” and “puppy” respectively so Chris and I made an executive decision to go with a less-generic name, like, oh, I don’t know – say…”Cody”?  

He has been a dream.  We do not know how long he was stray for, his age is a guess, as is his breed – the staff vet’s best guess.  (I’ll hear my vet’s thoughts on this later today.)  But surely someone had him?  He is nearly already potty/housetrained and doing well with crate training.  In addition, there was a severe thunderstorm the first night he was here – he slept right through it.  Wow.  Goldie would’ve been in our bed.  

Ah, memories…

Time to create new ones and I cannot wait.

Oh, and just so you know…after we left Animal Control, riding home, I was holding Cody, and I said, “I can’t wait to go home and blog this.”

I’m so addicted.  Just be happy I didn’t lobby for a name that started with “G”.  Now THAT would be sad!

Giggles, Growing Up

For you dog lovers out there, did you ever have that one dog in your family that was just an amazing dog? A 0ne-of- a-kind who seemed to possess super-doggy powers?

When I was a kid, we had a dog named Duchess who was just that dog.  I think she was a Collie and German Shepherd mix, but she definitely favored a German Shepherd much more in appearance.  This dog loved us kids.  When we would swim in the swimming hole or the lake, she would swim in circles around us the entire time to protect us.  If we got tired while swimming, all we had to do was grab her tail and she’d take us right to shore.  

The funniest “protective” action she did was to chase thunder.   Every time a thunderstorm rolled through, she’d run as fast as she could up the hill barking as loud and fast as possible when it thundered.  As the rumbles died away, she would victoriously prance back a happy girl.  Then, the lightening would strike, the thunder rolled and off she would run again.  It was an endless cycle of vicousness and glee that was quite entertaining and endearing to watch.

(I know Dad has plenty more stories about Duchess and I do not remember them all – feel free to post those stories in the comments, Dad!)

Once I was a happily married woman living in the vibrant South and learning to say “bless her heart” with the best of ‘em, we had the opportunity to adopt a five-year-old Golden Retriever named Goldie.  From the moment we got her, we walked a path of medical mysteries, lost and found adventures, and utter sweetness.  She was our Duchess.  She died several weeks ago here at home and left us broken-hearted yet full and happy with memories.

She was the only dog I knew who thoroughly enjoyed visiting the veterinarians office.  She’d hop out of the car, tongue lolling with a goofy grin, and pull me right into the building.  I would have to restrain her from bolting through the inner door until the office staff could open that door and let her run in.  She always knew where to go – right around the corner to lay under the counter at their feet.  She was spoiled everywhere she went.  How could anyone not love her?  

Goldie

That vet’s office knew her well, and what an amazing office at that.  I remain thoroughly convinced we funded several staff vacations on Goldie’s bills alone.  That dog was one medical mystery after another…from clotting issues after her spay surgery to the bladder mystery that plagued her the last year of her life.   If she hadn’t have had the bladder issue, though, we would not have found the hip displacia.  Even after her death, that office was phenomenal in how they handled everything with such respect.

She never had symptoms of her hip problems until her last months.  Oh, she moved slower, sure, but the instant a lizard or squirrel crossed her path, Goldie instantly regressed nine years to a spry puppy and moved like the wind.  The rest of the time she grunted like the old woman she was.   This Jekyll-and-Hyde side of her always made us laugh.  Never underestimate the thrill of a chase, I guess.

Goldie also knew about respect and privacy.   If we spontaneously erupted into an, ahem, amorous moment, she’d quietly get up from her spot beside my side of the bed and step out of the room.  Once bedtime rolled around, and I was nearly asleep, I’d hear the jingle-jangle of her collar as she sauntered back to her comfy pillow.  

Then along came the kids.  She stepped into saint status in my book at this point.  During my struggle with postpartum depression, she was a sweet, calming companion for me and felt much as I did when my son was crying and I didn’t know what to do – we both would want to leave the room.  She adjusted so well to the new baby, but having the new sounds in her “room” was a bit much for her at first and I think she got mad at me.  She’d leave everytime my son cried.  Bless her heart.  (See?  So Southern…)

With both of my high-energy children and any visiting kids, she was a-m-a-z-i-n-g.  No amount of hair-pulling, climbing, ear-pulling or rough-housing would make her snap or bark.  Even in her later months when the pain in her hips was more apparent, she’d simply get up and move if she was bothered.    When either one of us would have to check on the kids in the middle of the night, we usually would find her curled up outside my son’s door or in between their doors.  That always made me feel good.   It was clear she loved those kids, too.

Golly, did she know how to get lost!  Lightening, thunder, fireworks, power outages, flashlights, beeping sounds or anything remotely related sent her into spasms of anxiety.  If we were not careful and she was outside during such occurences, she’d dig out under the fence until she found a kind soul to love on her.  Fortunately, we live near amazing dog-lovers and we always got her back.  It was our routine to stay home for New Years Eve and Fourth of July because we would need to be here to administer prescribed “doggy-downers” (as I lovingly dubbed her anti-anxiety meds) and keep her calm during the inevitable sound and light nightmare, as she perceived it.  Even now, I hear thunder and I glance around waiting to see her walk up to my side, shaking, hearing the tinkle of her collar tags.

As I clean the house, I miss my Goldie3000 the most – the most powerful vacuum besides my beloved Dyson.  There is nothing like having your floor spit-cleaned by your dog’s tongue after your kids’ every meal and snack.  I think it was her favorite time of day, too.  I miss my doorbell and bodyguard.  Her ears would perk up and I would know someone was at my door or in my driveway.  When I would have to be home alone with a repairman, she was my bodyguard – albeit a friendly-let-me-lick-you-all-over-I’m-no-bodyguard kind of bodyguard, but she made me feel better nonetheless.  

What an amazing dog.  She had a zillion lives when it came to being lost then found, but only one unique soul.  As I read my Bible, I come across Scriptures here and there that convince me more and more that I am going to see this precious girl, and my Duchess, in Heaven.  If God in Heaven knows the very stars by name and the hairs on my head and has His eye on the sparrow, then He knows my Goldie and my Duchess and loves them both.  

When I was a child, I had my Duchess.  My kids have their Goldie.   And we will see them again.  

Did you ever have that one amazing pet in your life?    A pet that seemed to be more than “just” a pet?

Growing Up, Gulps

• I am so excited to have my daughter back.  She was diagnosed with an ear infection on Sunday.  (Yes, my doctor’s office is open on Sunday, is that not awesome?)  She has been screaming and playing the diva to the utmost for a few days when it finally dawned on me that it might be her ears.  
• In fact, she ate almost three plates of food for dinner last night.  I knew for sure then that she was back.  That girl loves to eat!
• G and I made it to the very last big bad guy in Luigi’s Mansion on the Gamecube yesterday.  Then the inevitable happened.  He reformatted the memory card.  Yup, all was lost.  *sigh*
• You have no idea how big of a deal it is to make it to the very last big bad guy in a video game without Chris’s express assistance.  It’s never happened.
• It probably means it’s an easy video game, but shhhhh…don’t tell me if it is.  I am enjoying the moment.
• I want another Golden Retriever.  I miss Goldie and I miss having a dog as part of our family.  
• I have one piano student right now and he continually amazes me with his talent.  Wow.
• Leslie and I have a playdate tomorrow – for our kids and each other!  Yea!  I get to have adult-speak in real life during the day!  What ever am I going to do with myself?  I’ve been so blessed reading her blog and her story.   What a neat gal.  I am really looking forward to getting to know her.  And the name of her blog?  ”Wild Olive Shoot”  Love that, too.  Look for her blog post about the meaning behind the name.
• A close friend recommended Crazy Love by Francis Chan the other day – and she’s not the first to recommend it to me at all (HeatherT, I know you did as well awhile back).  I’d like to pick it up and read it.  Have any of you read it?  What did you think?  And most importantly, do I check it out from the library or will I want my own copy to underline and make notes in?
• Going for 101 in 1001 list update:
  • 9.  Roasted a whole chicken!  Completed!
  • 65.  Learning about wine and food pairings.  In progress.
  • 95.  Participating in two blog carnivals now.  In progress.
  • 8.  I am two books of the Bible away from completing this goal.

Going For 101 in 1001, Going Nowhere