Confessions of a grieving dog mom

 I haven't been able to eat raw vegetables since Chance, Blaze and Fiona died three years ago.  All the dogs liked vegetables but Chance and Blaze were my ultimate veggie dogs, being that they were the kitchen dogs. We especially like sharing them at lunch time and snack time.  I lost my desire and taste for veggies after losing the dogs.  I couldn't fathom even eating a tomato or a cucumber (my favs) because the grief was unbearable.  

 I haven't had a vegetable garden since they died either. I use to grow tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, (the three staples) along with carrots, broccoli, lima beans, hot peppers, and green beans,  Chance and Blaze used to do a dance when I would gather up food from the garden waiting to get their bite of fresh veggies.  They were always so happy, it made the garden chores worth it.  

For Chance and Blaze I would grow climbing green beans on the fence where they could reach them, so they always had a fresh supply.  The beans that were at the top of the fence, I would pick and take turns feeding them to Chance and Blaze.  They made everything about eating vegetables so much fun.   

And now I have to find that fun for myself.  As you might imagine my health has been impacted by not eating enough vegetables and it is time to add  them back into my diet.   And while I needed a push, it hasn't been as hard as I thought it would.  I will always miss that special time with dogs, but now I think they are looking over me helping me get healthier and happier and I wouldn't have it any other way.  

Tribute to the Thundering Herd

 One of best things about blogging is getting to "know" the bloggers and their dogs.  You become attached and invested in both, but we all know it's about the dogs.  All these years, one has always stood out.

Hubby, Mark was hounding me to blog about the dogs, so I finally started investigating different dog blogs.  I looked at several blogs and couldn't really find one that interested me. That is until I stumbled upon The Thundering Herd,  and I was hook.  

It was everything I thought a dog blog should be and then some.  It gave me the inspiration I was searching for in a dog blog.  And best of all they had SIX Huskies, just like us.  All the more reason to try my hand at blogging.  

We went through all the ups and downs with The Thundering Herd and their crazy antics.  Most post were humorous in nature, but there was always that one sad one that we could all relate to....the loss of a dog.  

Which brings me to today, while the original Herd members are all gone, they have four dogs that are part of the new Herd.  Sadly, they recently lost one of the four,  Typhoon, the Little Prince.  And I find myself mourning their loss and mine.  See, they are more than just dogs on a computer screen, the dog's lives were painted alive right in my home as shown through D.K.Wall's eyes.  We could've been neighbors it felt that close.  

So give your dog a hug for five seconds longer and those belly rubs he's begging for today..  Share a few extra treats.  Take walk you've been saving for a special day.  Tell them how much you love them.  And if you know The Thundering Herd, share some love with them too..

Blaze gone 3 years today

I laid down as the tears flowed   

Hitting almost as hard as when she passed.  

The cats planted themselves on my chest 

As I wept for my girl.

Miss you so much.

Testing...testing...1,2,3

 Had to make some changes to our email subscriptions.  They were technical changes that do not effect any of our subscribers, so no worries.  And since I'm not very technical it took me a while to figure it out.  But it is all fixed and ready to go.   So hopefully every one of our subscribers is receiving this post.

Because of the delay, I missed posting about Zappa's year anniversary.  It is so hard to believe that a year ago he was here and that he actually been gone that long.  It still hits me, just like that, out of the blue sometimes.  In the evenings for some reason, his loss really gets to me, as well as the rest of the 24 Paws.  During the day I'm basically OK, but when the sun starts to set, I feel that emptiness and loss every evening.  Not really sure why, but I do.

Boxer, our cat is doing well for having cancer.  He was given 3 months to live last July, but no one told him that.  lol  It has been eight months since he was diagnosed and he is still here.  There have been no changes that I can see and he is acting fine.  In fact, he is starting to get really needy, wanting to be close to me all the time.  He's starting to drive me crazy.  lol  Boxer has always been like that, but he's been a little worse than normal.  Not sure what that means, but we are taking it day by day with him.  

Princess Leia, the Siamese, is also doing fine.  The food and supplements she takes for her kidney disease are doing a great job at keeping it under control.  She is very healthy for a 17 1/2 year old.  

Well, that's about the latest.  I hope I will be able to post more now that the emails are fixed.  

Thank you for staying with us.

Take care,

Patty ♥

Silver Love

She taught me how to be a dog mom, while showing what a loving mother was.  

To me and the pups.

It was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life, learning to be loved by a mother dog.  I was able to share this life with Silver and witness her motherhood for eight years.  

She was the glue that held the family of the 24 Paws together.  When she died the whole family fell apart.  The pups and us were never quite the same again.

She never asked for anything and would stand back while her pups demanded attention from me.  

She had a couple of encounters with her pup, Chance whom she gave kisses to while they were together.  

She was strong, independent and stubborn as all hell, but had a gentle and loving spirit.  

She nurtured my soul, knowing before I knew what I needed.  She was sensitive and intuitive that way.

She was our first puppy and I made every mistake possible with her.  Yet, she was so forgiving.

I can't believe it has been seven years today that she disappeared from our lives.  The 24 Paws was started because of Silver and ended with hole in my heart forever.   

My favorite past Christmas cards of the 24 Paws

 

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Love, Mark, Patty and the spirit of the 24 Paws of Love

This and that

Hello friends, 

Just a little of what's going on.  Hope you are all doing well. 

Boxer-boo

 Boxer was given 3 months to live from his cancer.  Today marks 3 months, 3 weeks and 2 days that he is still alive.  And we are so very grateful!  He is still doing pretty well even though the cancer is starting to spread.  Please pray for him.  Thank you!

Every night when the darkness settles in earlier and dominates the evening it feels like there is dead space.  It is the hardest part of the day when the loss of the dogs, especially Zappa, is prevalent.  

I make my own Christmas cards every year with the dogs in them.  Creating this year's card was a reality check that they are all gone.  

I have an image in my mind of a dog I would like to have.  I hold onto it when times are hard and I'm afraid I'll never have a dog again.  

Every night we still say good night to the 24 Paws.  Mark sings to them and I talk to them or lay silent while holding a pillow or blanket.  I feel their spirits strongest then and it is comforting.   

Until next time...

Patty ♥

Grandpa Mark and Grandson Zappa

Miss him so much.♥

      

Zappa's roses are kicking a$$! (even in October!)

 Zappa's roses are the only one out of the six dogs that are blooming.  I think we got his roses in mid-June.  It took us a couple of weeks to plant them and they haven't stopped blooming yet!  In mid-October!  Up here in North country!  So cool!

The rest of dogs had a beautiful, full display of their roses.  It looked like Master Gardener Theater this past June with all their blooms.  Then they all just sort of petered out and Zappa took over the show for the rest of the summer and now into fall.  

Zappa showing off

Since Zappa was the last one here after the others died, it seems only fitting that his roses should last longer than the others as well.  :)