Tell me we are not all connected

I knelt down slowly next to the hole in our little part of theEarth.  I was stunned by the depth and shocked at the thought of laying his body in it.  We laid some straw on the bottom and began to lower our little ducky into the grave, it was then that the howls came from the house.  All the dogs singing together for the burial of our little ducky, Luigi.  They had lost a member of the family too.


In rememberance of our ducky, Luigi, who died a last month.

Can Your Relationship Stand?

Writing about my dogs is my passion, but lately I've been having some difficulties being able to express myself.  What if I came to point where I couldn't write anymore and had one last chance to write for a post for 24 Paws of Love?  If I had one last message of what I value most during this journey with my dogs, what would I say that would make the biggest impact for another dog lover who happened to stumble on that forever post?  What has been impressed upon me the most if I had one last word to say that I could share about my experience, strength and hope of my lives adventure of living with dogs?

Relationship.

Everything from the time I was born has been about the beautiful woven relationship I have had with all of the dogs I have been blessed with in my life.  Take away all the training, behavior modification and all the things a dog can do and the foundation is this incredible friendship is deep and rich with a love matched in heaven.

One of the most beautiful gifts I have been given over and over is this inter-connection between these loving creatures and the two way street that exist.  I have known and received the gifts of love that dogs give, but it was when I realized what they received from me that open channels of energy that were beyond my comprehension.  They needed me, not for food, water and shelter, but they needed me to be me.  A concept that is beyond measure and still sends shivers of love through my soul.  How can there be anything more beautiful?  Our exchanges of communication are so pure they have pierced my heart in places I never knew existed.  When I look into the eyes of the beast, I see they are staring back at me just as deeply and as intently as we become enveloped with each other.

What if everything you ever taught your dog was striped away, do you believe you would still have a relationship with your dog that would stand the test of time?  If your dog was never able to do anything right ever again, would you still have the friendship between the two of you as a solid foundation?  Is your relationship strong enough to withstand the raw and wild?  When all you have is each other is it enough to hold you together?  

In my humble experience, if you have a relationship, you have everything you need with your dog and what more could you ask for?  

Simple

There is something about walking a dog that unclenches the brain.  Falling into the ease of step, finding a rhythm that suits both of you that it becomes more natural to walk with a dog than without.  There is something that is just simple about striding along with our furry friends that somehow melts the entire world away.  And I wish they never had to end.



Sorry we missed everybody the last couple of days as we had two power outages and hopefully it will be the last for a while.  :) 

The Perfect Dogs

 Aren't we perfect just the way we are??

I watched an infomercial about a magical method to train your dog.

I've seen it before and I walk away in shame every time.  I can't afford the five minute solution, which means I will probably be living with problematic dogs forever.
 
I don't know why I watch this infomercial again and again, trying to find the magic answer because I always walk away feeling doomed.  I watched with hope as all of these crazy, rambunctious dogs are turned into the perfect dog, over and over.  Those could be my dogs!  They could be perfect too!  My eyes were glued to screen as this mysterious product solved EVERY dog problem there was, in minutes!!  Why I subjected myself to the torture was way beyond me, but I sat there and wanted one of those perfect dogs in my home.
 
When I finally tore myself away, defeated and hopeless, Daddy was coming home and the dogs were jumping around like crazy.  No where near the perfect dogs on the screen and so far from getting there.  Feeling utterly hopeless, it was playtime and the dogs continued with their insanity until I went out to play with the them.  I had a hard time shaking off the doom I was feeling.  While my dogs ran around wildly, I still wanted one those other dogs that were so perfect.  

Next thing I knew Silver was bringing me her football for a game of fetch and chase.  She teased me with the ball, shaking it in her mouth, while taking off before I could catch her.  Throwing her head back as if laughing with victory.  Then Fiona joined in on the fun, trying to steal the ball from Silver and beat her in the chase for it.  Brut and Zappa were in a mad hunt with Daddy to find the squirrel that just had to be somewhere.  While Chance and Blaze were having a good chasing game waiting for their turn to play with me.  I took a moment to take it all in and I realized I did have the perfect dogs for me.

Six devoted friends that despite all the errors, mishaps, and mistakes I've made, still loved me.  Even with all my shortcomings and lack of experience they were still as happy as could be.  They didn't care that I wasn't perfect and I realized I didn't need the perfect dog either.  I wanted and needed MY dogs and that was good enough for me. 

Silver, Why Are You Crying?

Can you see me cuddling with my best friend Alex?

Silver was an intense dreamer from the time we brought her home.  As a young pup in deep sleep her eyes would flutter, her ears would twitch and her paws would flicker as if running.  Sometimes she gave low growls or high pitched yipes and her tail would start thumping. 

At bedtime, after Daddy would sing her 'Rock-a-bye-Baby,' Silver would crawl into her 'den' under our bed and we'd all fall asleep. 

Then suddenly I would be jolted upright by the sounds of intense sobbing from under the bed.  In a panic I would reach under the bed as far as I could to soothe Silver in her distress.  Her dreams seemed to be a of grave pain as her body would heave with sadness and shake uncontrollably.  Almost every night the cycle would continue until sometime after she had her litter of puppies.  Then they began to diminish.

I have often wondered what she dreamt about that seemed to bring her such sorrow.  Sometimes I would think it was because her best friend Alex was going to die some day.  For I've seen her have 'happy dreams' after he died when I believe she is reunited with him.

I have never had a dog that dreamt so intensely and none of the other dogs do it to the extent that Silver does.  Sometimes it scares me as to what she could be dreaming about that seems to upset her so much.  I wonder if she is having nightmares or if she is 'seeing' something that we can't.  I wonder what it means that they don't happen as often as they used to.  What changed in her little world that brings more comfort than before?  I still believe her dreams were centered around Alex, but like a Tootsie pop, the world may never know.



And for our friends in Japan,  Paws Crossed with Prayers  

Monday Memories-Silver Understands

Silver and Alex

Alex had hip dysplasia.  As he got older and his condition got worse he needed assistance with certain things, like getting in the van.  He hated any amount of help and would always glare at us when he needed it.  He would put his front paws up on the floor of the van and we would lift his rear end inside. 

Sometime after this became a daily routine, Silver started to mimic Alex's behavior when getting in the van.  If it wasn't bad enough that I would have to lift Alex, now I had to lift Silver as well. 

It was cute and funny at first, but as time wore on and we watched Alex's legs decline, Silver's copying became a reminder of how painful Alex's situation was.  While we were trying to make the best out of the situation, Silver's behavior emphasised the obvious.    

Looking back it is still difficult to see how Silver interpreted this pattern.  Was she emphasizing with Alex, or just copying him thinking, this is how we get in the van now?  Alex was her first and best friend and I know she still misses him to this day.  Every so often she will still get in the van with her front paws and wait to be lifted up, letting Alex's memory live on.