sometimes it is better not to know

A post I found buried in the archives that wasn't published.  For new readers, Brut was my problem child dog.  He could be aggressive, dominant, and possessive.  We had quite a bond. Sadly he died in 2015.  This is a little peek into the mind of Brut and I. 

If anyone would have told me what was to come when I took that little bundle of orange and white fur, I would have run far, far away..  I am a coward and wimp that way.  If there was any inkling of the dynamics of Brut and what he was going to bring into this home, I would have defied every law in the universe and high tailed it out of there.  And it isn't like I still don't think that way.  No creature has ever tore me to pieces only to transform every element of my being. 

And I still don't know if I would have taken him.

Brut has tore down every wall of my defenses and challenged every bit of knowledge I have.  A daunting past that still screams down my throat when it is his actions that sometimes reminds me the most of the pain and terror.  It is fear that binds us, more than any other element.  His external expression to my internal.  His confidence and strength to my understanding and empathy.  We just know each other.

We have been running on the same fuel long before we ever met.

A rampant passion that burns between us because of many wrongs.  Both of us blazing in the same pain.  It is difficult to still such a fire.  Between us and around us.  Flaring a hate and love connection that will not smolder.  This is why we understand each other.  This is what torches our hearts and brings us together with the same flame that heals us like no one else could.


And if you'd told me all of this before,

I would have ran like a wildfire.

24 Paws Weekly News Vol. 2

BREAKING NEWS!! OUR TOP STORY OF THE WEEK

NO FORGIVENESS STRIKE!

The 24 Paws of Love standing their ground

The 24 Paws of Love are on strike due to neglected benefits.  Mr. Mouth, aka Zappa, the Spokesdog for the Paws tells us that due to lack of walks recently, they will no longer be handing out their unconditional forgiveness so easily.  

And for those wondering how the Paws plan to not forgive, considering it is a dog's natural state, Mr. Mouth had this to say, "We are part-time Huskies with attitudes!  Need I say more?" 

According to Mr. Mouth, it seems that the humans are too busy or too sore, so they are going to have to earn our forgiveness.  One walk at a time.  

You heard it here first.

Tell us your thoughts.  Do you agree with the strike?  
Are the 24 Paws justified in their reasoning?  
Can they hold out on their forgiveness, the very essence of a dog?
What do you think?

________________________________________________________________ 

CAUGHT RED PAW...THE REMOTE THIEF...OR IS IT?

While this may look like pure guilt, let me assure you it is not.  Fiona, of the 24 Paws of Love is holding out on TV privileges for the humans as she takes her own personal stand for being neglected for walks.  She too has felt the sting of this wrong doing and is taking action.  No TV, means more walks.  Just saying...


What do you think?  Is Fiona being fair?
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IN OTHER NEWS...

After last weekends Arctic blast, it "warmed up" and we got snow almost everyday.  Here is Zappa enjoying the snowflakes and...wait for it...  

Watch on YouTube.

We are in for another Arctic blast this weekend.   That means temperatures in the teens and single digits during the day and below 0 at night.  We'll be burning lots of wood to stay warm and snuggling with the pups.  Stay safe and warm everybody.

What's it like in your neck of the woods? 

24 Paws Weekly News.

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm so glad it is Friday and that this week is over.  It was a tough one for me, the dogs, the cats and hubby, Mark.  Mark was suppose to go in for minor surgery and it was cancelled at the last minute.  This was the second time it had been cancelled.  Talk about screwing up your plans!  There is a six week recovery after the procedure and Mark had the time set to take off of work, when it all fell through a second time.  Talk about aggravation and frustration! Now we are on a wait and see basis.  Hopefully the third time will be the charm.

The dogs are doing good.  Chance is still doing good on his diet.  Another talk with the vet after taking Blaze in for rabies shot, made me realize in order to get a good pH reading, I'm going to stop with my daily yogurt cup and no more little pieces of cheese.  Yes, it took me longer to accept that I can't feed him like I do.  From now on just special food and veggies.  The vet said she needs to know if the pH levels are high because of the way he digest his food, or if there is something that is wrong causing the pH levels so high.  The only way to find that out is  by staying on this special food and eliminating all of the rest he used to eat.  So that's my long version of saying I'm sticking to the plan for Chance's sake.

I have been going through PTSD flashbacks on and off for several weeks from childhood abuse.  I love that my therapy dogs are everywhere I am.  The other day Zappa sat on my boot, while I was going to put it on to take the dogs for a walk.  This is normal for him, except this time he was sitting still, no barking or jumping or kisses.  He just sat there, then he got up and walk away.  I took it as a sign that I shouldn't walk the dogs and he proved I was in no state of mind to do so.  It was probably better I stay home, so I took his advice and did just that.

The cats...another tough situation.  Boxer has been chasing Leia (the Siamese), because he is fed up and frustrated and taking it out on her.  I thought they were just playing, burning off some energy.  Turns out Boxer was deliberately out to harm her, throwing his dominance around.  They had both been getting the short end of the stick when it came to my attention this past week.  Now that I'm feeling better, I've been doing just that and things are back to normal.  Whew!

Have you ever wondered how you get a urine sample from a cat?  I did!  I didn't have a clue.  I had Boxer checked out and they used a syringe to draw his urine so it could be tested.  Turns out he had a bacteria infection and was given a shot that last two weeks to help clear it up.  Isn't that cool?  A shot!  No pills!

And on one final note, today is a special day: Brut's passing on the date of 18th and Friday is the day Silver passed.  Put them together and you have today's day and date. They are always together in spirit, it's just that today is a little extra reminder of them.

Well, that is the latest from our neck of the woods.  Hope everyone has a great weekend.  Stay safe and warm!

What have you been up to?

Silver's 2 year anniversary

This will be short and sweet.

My dear Silver passed away two years from today and I still miss her so.  I have never really been able to design the blog with her fur, without making the whole screen all black.  lol  I can't help it, black is my favorite.  So I will be working on a new blog look that includes Silver's fur and that you can still be able to read.  :)

It will have to meet both our standards as she looks down today.

Until then, what do you think of our new header?

Silver's colors are dark pink and black.

Be sure to check back!!

Update on Chance's new diet

No more chicken or cheese or apples...Do you see this sad face mom?

I don't know who's more depressed about Chance's strict diet, him or us. It has been just over a month since Chance has been put on a special food, special treats and all he can have are veggies for snacks.  He has a high pH level that showed up in his urine and for a dog who was given a taste of almost everything we eat, this has been quite a challenge for all of us.

 At first it didn't seem to be a big deal for Chance, then as the days wore on and he wasn't getting any morsels from our plates, the sadness begun to seep in.  I have tried to eat at least something he can eat with each meal, like a carrot or a cucumber that we can share and that helps.   It also helps that Blaze gets the same at our mealtimes as Chance and only gets extras when Chance isn't around.

We have kept a couple of staples around, so it isn't a total blowout and a small enough amount that it won't blow his pH levels through the roof.  Like licking the sides of a yogurt cup in the morning and I give him the tiniest pieces of cheese you have ever seen.

 I think that's the biggest key to this whole new diet, is still being able to share our food with him.  I've had to get creative with nighttime treats and I've had to give more of his special kibble to make up for missing calories.

After a month now, this whole ordeal is starting balance out.  Chance is not deprived by any means and he loves vegetables so no real problems there.  It was just for those first few weeks he was sad and confused, wondering what was happening.  The poor guy.  We were all miserable together and how can you explain to him what's going on?  Hubby, Mark took it pretty hard.  He worries so much about the dogs, yet it looks like it is all going to work out after all.  Just needed some time and patience to go through the changes.  Hopefully we'll be able to add some different food to his diet when his pH levels go down, but we'll have to see.  We are just taking it one day at a time.

11 Years Ago Today...

The newborns

Today is the "puppies' " birthday!  They all turn 11 years old today.  It was a bittersweet day.  Celebrating and mourning at the same time.   Joyous that Chance, Blaze, Zappa and Fiona are all with us and mourning the loss of Daddy Dog Brut, Momma Dog Silver and two of the homed puppies that are no longer with us.  I kept thinking about 11 years ago today, they were all here.  All ten puppies, mom and dad.  Seems like such a long time ago, yet I can remember it like it was yesterday.

It was also bittersweet because the four "puppies" are all still with us and made it through a scary year, yet that only means another year closer to the inevitable.  We've had what felt like close calls, yet everyone is healthy and nothing that some adjustments in food and medicine won't fix.

I think about time quite a bit and trying to make every memory last, yet time keeps moving and is short.  I had a little emotional breakdown this evening while playing with the Zappa and Fiona outside...so many things I miss.  Thank goodness for the dogs, they never let me cry without adding a smile to my face, when the tears stop.  Fiona was just all kinds of silly tonight.  Warmed my heart to know we will always have Brut and Silver with us through their kids.

We've been through a lot these past eleven years and I'm so grateful to my husband for his innocence in wanting Silver to have puppies when we first got her.  That brought Brut into the picture and eventually ten healthy, beautiful puppies whom we were to blessed to have four of them to call our own.  Four puppies that are still with us now.  And whom we share our life with.  I couldn't ask for a more blessed beginning to the year.

The Power of Ten

Happy New Year!

 We awoke to a wonderful wintery world for the first day of the New Year.

I couldn't get over how blue the sky was against the snow-covered trees.

Just having the sun shining in a otherwise cloudy state offered a fresh perspective for the future.

 Yeah, like can we go back in the house now??  It's 11°F out here!