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!

 

Wow! Another Game Changer! Same method, different place

 I've mentioned how friendly Chevy is and how his friendliness is pulling me towards people and dogs.  He has no control over is eagerness to meet people and other dogs.  I couldn't figure out what to do about or how to go about training him to calm down without killing his friendly spirit.  

Our walk training has advanced ten-fold.  We still train before walks to get in training frame of mind.  I don't even have to give him treats anymore for walking without pulling.  I save them for the more challenging obstacles, like people and dogs. We rarely run into either on our walks, so taking Chevy to a dog-friendly store is a big challenge.  

It dawned on me before leaving the house for our trip to town, why not train Chevy before going to the store and when we get there.  So we did some leash training before getting in the van, because this is a boatload of excitement for him.  We were almost to the store when Chevy started getting excited.  He knew where we were going.  

I started with barely opening the van door and told Chevy to sit.  Something I'd never done before.  Usually we try to block him before he jumps out then grab him.  He would not sit.  I tried to coax him with a treat.  I tried gently pushing his butt down.  Then I was ready to give in and give another command.  He seemed to take forever and I didn't think he was going to do it.  I was getting very self-conscious even though there was no one around and about that time Chevy sat!  Hallelujah!  Then I made him stay while I opened the door slowly and then let him out.  What an accomplishment for both of us!

I then walked him outside the store in training mode.  We walked up to the doors and turned around a few times, until I felt we were ready go in.  We didn't just walk straight into the store, we stopped at the cashiers stations, stood there while I gathered my confidence and try to find the section where Mark was at.

And it all worked!  Chevy was like a dream!  He calmly walked up to people, who were more than happy to pet him.  He didn't pull me around the store or drag me left and right.  We met all kinds of people.  One young lady asked to pet him and Chevy leaned on her legs, then turned to me as if to say that was all worth it for this girl.  It was the best feeling in the world to walk Chevy proudly around the store and have him greet people like a champ.  If you've followed our 24 Paws stories, then you can understand the awesome feeling I was having.  I was on top of the world.  And I was able to talk to the people Chevy met because of the confidence he gave me.  All our hard work was paying off and I am so proud of Chevy.  

If I had one suggestion...

If someone asked me what got me through losing the 24 Paws of Love, I would have never thought it would be a pillow.   

The summer after Zappa died, a friend of ours gave Mark the above pillow of Zappa and him.  You would not believe the relief this pillow brought us.  We could hold it, talk to it, squeeze it, kiss it and cry into it and it was if Zappa was right there.  It was something tangible to hold on to and it made it difference in our grieving process.  

The following Christmas I got pillows of all the 24 Paws.  It was hard to believe that a pillow of the dogs could make such a transformation as we muddle through the loss, but it did.  There was something almost real about it.  

I know for some a pillow might not be your first thought, it wasn't mine either, but that gift from our friends, changed the way we thought and grieved.  I still hold them every night as I tell them good night.   

Maybe it could work for you. too.

Just a boy and his dog

One of the joys of having Chevy is watching Mark and Chevy's relationship develop.  They are like two peas in a pod.  They sleep together, they sit on the couch together,  they take their morning walk every day and they have snacks together at night.  Chevy follows Mark everywhere waiting for the next adventure or treat.  The happiness between the two of them is heartwarming.  Mark took the death of Zappa and the 24 Paws pretty hard.  Zappa was his dog and the last to die.  And while Mark loves all dogs, I wasn't sure how he would feel getting another dog.  I still can't believe he said, "Let's go get him tomorrow," when I showed him the picture of Chevy.  It has been miracle after miracle with these two boys.  Chevy is the kind of dog boys dream of having. 

 

WOW! What a game changer!

 

If you've followed our blog for any length of time, you may remember that training the dogs to walk on a loose leash isn't my strong suit.  In fact, I am horrible at it.  For the most part, when I walked the 24 Paws of Love there was tension on the leash.  Which meant there was tension on my arms and body and I paid for it.  Well, I swore I wouldn't do that with my next dog.  Enter Chevy...

Now Chevy is a good walker and basically keeps a loose leash.  Then he started getting comfortable here and began pulling, especially when he would catch a scent in the leaves.  He would actually lunge to get to that scent and follow it, dragging me behind.  And he does the same thing when he sees people or dogs.  My body was feeling those old pains again and my frustration level was rising on every walk.  

Several years ago when I mentioned my walking troubles with the 24 Paws, Carrie Noar suggested doing some training before a walk.  It sounded like a great idea and I may have even tried it a couple of times, but I didn't have the time or patience to do it with all the 24 Paws.  So, I blew off the idea until now with Chevy.  

Wow!  What a game changer!

The first time I did it, I noticed that Chevy was more relaxed.  He wasn't as anxious or wired up and for the most part he was starting to listen to me.  It was like his brain was rewired and he realized I was there.  This meant I also had to be aware and pay attention to him, instead of letting my mind wander.  I did that by continuing the training on the walk itself.  This kept us both engaged with each other.  

I've been doing this training/walking exercise for the last couple of weeks and what a difference it has made.  (Hot dogs and cheese also helps)  We are both getting to know what the other wants and expects of each other.  Chevy will go into a heel position several times throughout the walk without me telling him.  He has even started staying in that position even after I give him a treat.  While we rarely see people or dogs out this time of the year, the few that we have seen we have passed successfully.  No lunging, pulling or stopping.  It has been great!    

It isn't perfect, but our walks have improved quite rapidly.  I still don't know how to handle the side jerks to a scent, except by watching his body and anticipating it.  I have also found that the longer the training is, leads to a better focused walk for both of us.  It has been amazing what a little extra effort will do.    

From our paws to yours...

 

Wishing all our readers a very Happy Holiday!

Confessions of a grieving dog mom- part 3

 

Three days after Chevy came home with us I got scared.  While everything felt right and I knew we made the right decision getting him, I was afraid of the commitment I'd made to Chevy and if I could mentally and emotionally follow through after losing the 24 Paws..  Taking Chevy in was such a big step for both me and Chevy.  I didn't know what happen to him or why he was at the shelter, except it involved humans.  I was afraid of letting him down.  I'd fallen in love with him from day one, but was afraid of being able to love him for him.  He was the exact same color as Zappa, which I hadn't really noticed when we first saw him and on that third day it scared me.  Then I noticed his eyes.  Chevy is bi-eyed.  His left eye is a caramel color,  matching his fur and was the same color as Brut's left eye was.  It was Chevy's right eye that messed me up.  It is a dark, dark brown.  You can hardly see the pupil it is so dark.  It looked just like Brut's right eye when it filled with blood and was the first sign of what we would eventually discover to be a tumor on his liver.  Looking at Chevy eyes was a huge trigger of Brut and freaked me out.  So, on that fourth day, I laid down with him on his bed and cried.  For him, for me, and the uncertain life we were taking together. 

And as the tears flowed, after a while Chevy started to get up.  He seemed scared. He moved away from me. That's when it dawned on me that probably the last person who cried over him let him go.  I stopped crying and told him, we were in it with him forever.  And ever.  And ever.  And ever. 

Things went fast and slow with our healing.  He was such a fantastic dog who was happy most of the time.  He made it easy.  Every afternoon we would go outside and sit out in the shade and have some decompression time.  Sometimes I would pet him or talk quietly to him about what he'd been through, or I would tell him what a miracle he was to us.  Sometimes we would sit in absolute silence, with just the breeze blowing around us.  Those moments we had together were the glue that held us together.  We connected deeper and deeper each time.  I literally watched him settle into his skin a little more during these times.  That time period was precious.

Chevy's six month Gothcha Day will be this Saturday, December 21.  Right on the Winter Solstice.  I've come to embrace his Zappa coloring, which didn't take long.  I still struggle a little with Chevy's eyes.  I find myself looking at the lighter one more, but at least it isn't as painful to look into both of them.  And as for my fear of being able to love him, Chevy took care of that just being his gentle loving self.  We have been so blessed with Chevy and I can't say it enough.  He is the most amazing dog.  It was so easy to fall in love with him and love him forever.  ♥            

Everything is better with a Chevy

24 Paws of Love Angels watching over Chevy

Sitting on the couch with my boy.  Still utterly amazed by him.  This canine by my side.  Even after five months of being here, Chevy still surprises me every day by how much love he has in him.  

Chevy and the 24 Paws of Love

When I lost the 24 Paws, I could not fathom a dog that could match them.  Yet, here we are with Chevy doing just that.  The 24 Paws are physically gone, but they are still here in spirit.  And they are in Chevy, but he is his own dog.  It is weird.  I'm constantly doing a mental double take. Chevy has smoothed all the rough edges of that loss and made me fall in love with dogs again.  

This boy is the most loveable dog we have ever had and that I have ever met.  Chevy loves to snuggle and is always open to attention and affection.  He loves everyone he meets and everyone he meets loves him, including his four doggie girlfriends.  He wants to do a meet-and-greet with all people and dogs he comes across.  Which is one of our challenges when out and about with him, not being pulled towards potential "new friends."  lol  He has such a hard time controlling himself, but we are working on it.

   

His training is coming along great!  We are working on a solid "stay" and "come."  10 to 15 minutes is all he needs for training until he's rolling on the grass or grabbing a stick to let me know he's done. lol

Chevy is just such a good dog overall.  I still find myself in disbelief at just how good of a dog he is.  We have been more than blessed with him.  ♥