Merry Christmas 2025

 Wishing our readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Thank you for being part of our lives.

We appreciate every one of you and hope the season brings much joy and love.

Kitty-Kitty updates

 Today marks 3 months since Leia fell, hit her head, got a concussion and lost her eye sight.  Her pupils were so dilatated that you couldn't see her irises after her fall.   And while her baby blues are slightly showing now, her eye sight has failed to return.  It looks like after this length of time, that she will be blind for the rest of her life.  

The first two weeks after her fall, she was bumping into everything trying to get her bearings, but after that time period, you'd never know she was blind.  She doesn't try to jump on furniture anymore, except for the bed.  That is her safe spot.  Other than that, she is doing well and has adjusted well to her vision loss.  Animals are so awesome and resilient.  Unlike us humans, they just accept and move on with no thinking involved.  

Which brings me to Boxer, who is doing well with his anal gland cancer.  He is still eating, drinking and pooping which is important because the channel is partially blocked by the tumor.  He still gets around, keeps trying to steal Leia's food and is completely underfoot in the kitchen waiting for a morsel to drop.  He still drives me crazy, but it is a good kind of crazy, most of the time.  lol  He is still as stubborn and pushy as always, but we have both softened over the last few years.  We have extensive cuddle sessions at night and it has brought us closer together.  It has been almost two and a half years since his diagnosis when they gave him only three months to live.  Pretty amazing!

And in typical kitty fashion, Boxer and Leia are hogging the only vent we have in our heating system.  

They will be hanging out here until spring.  lol

      

24 Paws around the house

You may remember that we have throw pillows for each of the 24 Paws of Love.  You can see them here.   Well, we didn't stop there.  The 24 Paws are all around the house.  Almost every spot is filled with a Paw.  

Mark has a hat for each dog and one with all of them on it.  I got all but Zappa's hat from Cafepress.com, but they quit making the hats with the photo patch, so I went to Amazon to get one.  The hats that are just a photo print on the fabric, do not come out as well or last very long.  Learned the hard way.  The hats are quite wore as you can tell, (it is all Mark wears,) but have lasted well.  

This is Mark's corner.  You see we have a street sign that we are going to put up at the end of the driveway.  The Power of Ten puppies on their last day together, as well as Mark and Brut and Chance.  

The pic of the puppies is on a metal plate and it turned out so good.  

Mark is an avid coffee drinker.  These coffee cups are from Shutterfly.com.  These pictures don't do them justice.  Each dog has one.  Although Zappa's is lost at the moment.  

And no 24 Paws attire would be complete without a couple of sweatshirts.  Also from Shutterfly, I believe.

Front

Back

And pictures...so many pictures, canvas' and photos all over the house, along with leashes and collars.  It is comforting looking around and seeing my loves everywhere I look.  

**I am in no way affiliated with any of the websites mentioned above, I am just sharing them for those who may be interested.**  

In a blink of an eye, how quickly things change

 There is a cubby hole shelf in the cat's room that is about six feet up.  The cats have total access to it and love it up there.  Well, about a week ago I was in the other room and heard Leia fall from the top.  She hit three times on the way down.  I didn't see it happen, but I heard it.  I ran in to find her on the floor and a bit disoriented, but no broken bones.  She ate with no problems, drank water and used the box.  She seemed to be okay.  It wasn't until later in the day that I discovered that her pupils were overly dilated.   And then when the light hit her eyes, I could see they were clouded over.  It was after hours, but I gave the vet a call.  She told me to give Leia baby aspirin for 48 hours and if her eyes weren't better to bring her in.  

Leia's eyes didn't improve and we took her in to the clinic, where it was determined that she has lost vision in both eyes.  Her eye pressure is low, there was some blood and inflammation as well.  She probably suffered a concussion from the fall and the vision loss may or may not be permanent.  It may be up to a month or longer if her vision does come back or she may be blind for the rest of her life.  

Other than having to put drops in her eyes for the inflammation, she is doing okay.  She gets around lightly bumping into things but seems to managing.  My biggest concern was Leia being able to make it to her litter box,  and that fear was subsided with success. 

I am sad that Leia lost her sight, but know that fall could have been so much worse.  Like a broken back or neck.  God was watching over her and for that I am forever grateful.  

        

A few things about Chevy

 There are some things we have learned about our big boy over the past year.  Here are a few:

Chevy is not a fan of the heat.  He may lay in the sun for about 5-10 minutes before getting out of and digging a hole in the shade to lay down.  Even when it is only 40°-50°F, he still lays in the shade.  

Chevy loves, loves, loves the snow.  He isn't bothered by the frigid cold or bitter winds.  He is more immune to the cold than some of our Husky mixes were.  

Chevy loves to roll on his back.  All. the. time.  He just has a blast entertaining himself and always makes me laugh when he does it.  

Chevy is not a foodie.  It seems he didn't inherent the Lab's insatiable appetite that they are known for.  He hesitate before he eats anything, including water.  

Chevy is not a fan of toys of any kind.  He may chase a ball a few times, or chew on a stick, but will not play with any toys or stuffies.  

Chevy is scared of thunder and loud bangs.  Turning up the TV/radio during thunderstorms and fireworks seems to be enough for him to tolerate the noise.  Because of his fear of thunder, he is not a fan of the the rain.  Light rain during walks is okay, but heavy rain means staying inside.  

Chevy doesn't bark.  I mean hardly ever.  Once in a while he barks at a person or dog, maybe a deer, but really 99% of the time he pays little attention to anyone.  He also ignores critters, like chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, or birds.  I've seen chipmunks come right up to his nose and Chevy didn't flinch.  It's kind of nice not worrying about Chevy chasing and catching animals, but I kind of miss the game that the 24 Paws made of it.  

It has been quite an interesting experience learning about Chevy.  I'm sure there is so much more to learn about this awesome dog.  So glad he's in our life to find out more.  ♥ 

Chevy becoming Chevy

Chevy has become his own dog.  He has become an independent thinker.  Chevy has developed his own thoughts and ideas on what he wants.  Because of this, his stubbornness has been coming out as he wants to make his own choices concerning his needs and wants.

An example is we went to a new store so that Mark could do some shopping.  This store wasn't dog friendly, so Chevy and I were going to walk to the edge of the parking lot where the grass was so he could do some sniffing.  

Well, he sat and stayed in the car then I got him out and that was the last time Chevy listened to me.  Once he was out of the car it was all about what he wanted.  lol  He was pulling every which way to get to that green grass and he didn't care how he got there.  And I was in such a state of shock at his behavior that I didn't know what to do.  Everything I did to try to get some control went unheeded.  It is hilarious now, but at the time I was so frustrated and couldn't understand what was happening nor what to do about it.  It didn't occur to me until a day or two later that I should have turned him around in the opposite direction of the grass until he earned going there.  Not to mention that he remembered that I was there, too.  There's no doubt this boy is head strong.  It brings on a new challenge with us and I love that.  And that's okay, because I wouldn't want him any other way.    

Chevy is not the same dog we brought home a year ago.  He doesn't follow me around as much anymore and likes to have his own time and space to himself.  I kind of miss that dog that thought I was the greatest thing in the world.  lol  But, that's okay, because that means he's growing and changing and isn't that abandoned dog anymore.  He has found his place with us and he is comfortable and safe.  

And that's the best feeling in the world for a dog owner.  

Chevy's Gotcha Day!

 Today is Chevy's 1st Gotcha Day!

Our very first pic of Chevy

That face

Those eyes

One year ago we made the decision to adopt this yellowish-reddish Labrador Retriever named Chevy.  It was a scary adventure for all of us, but Chevy's easy nature and gentle soul made it easy.  

And we couldn't be happier! 

Boxer's 20th Birthday!

Three months old, and already ruler of the land.

Today Boxer turns 20 years old.  Although we don't know his exact birthdate, our vets at the time gave us this date counting back from the time we got him.  He was 7 weeks old when we brought him home.  I had just lost my heart cat, Sparky, 22 days before, saw an ad in the paper for kittens and found out they had a black and white male.  I always loved black and white animals.  It seemed like fate.  That is until he pooped in my lap on the way home and I burst into tears.  It was so soon after losing Sparky and I don't know what I was thinking...

Mr. Innocent!

I thought all cats were like Sparky, cool, calm and collective.  Boxer was the exact opposite, a total wild child.  As he grew older, he became dominant, pushy, obnoxious and an all around jerk.  Pretty much what he still is today, although he has soften a bit and has become more loveable.

Boxer and Princess Leia in a rare snuggle

  

Boxer has survived my late cat, Claw.  Our first dog Alex, the 24 Paws of Love, ten puppies and now resides with Chevy and his Siamese girlfriend, Princess Leia.  He has been through a lot in his 20 years.  We have had Boxer almost as many years as we have been married.    

The attitude comes clear with this one.

Boxer was diagnosed with cancer one year and ten months ago.  He was given 3 months to live at the time of diagnosis.  That stubborn boy isn't going down without a fight.  

If you have read anything about my relationship with Boxer, you know it is built on a lot of love and aggravation.  I struggled for a long time that Boxer wasn't Sparky.  Boxer is one of the main reasons I would never get another animal so soon after the death of one. Lesson learned.

It has been a long 20 years with Boxer, with all the good, bad and ugly.  He is definitely a one of a kind cat who has broken the record of the oldest animal we've had so far.  

Happy 20th Birthday Boxer!