Death is on my mind-Have you ever thought about after?

I was rolling around some pictures when I came upon some of Angel and Grumpy. (our two homed pups from Brut and Silver's litter who died last October) and it still shakes me.  Both deaths were tragic, unexpected, and quick. It is still hard to believe that I won't see either of them again or feel their fluffy fur or hug them again.  It has been hard to miss them knowing this.

At some point when I started this blog with the six dogs, I remember the impact I felt when other bloggers lost their dogs.  And that too was difficult as well.  I wrote this post back then about it.  ALL of my pets are close to the same age with the exception of Silver is 9 years old.  Brut is six, and the four kids are 5 years old.  Then there are the cats, Boxer is 7, Leia is 6 and Luigi the duck is 11 years old.  

God willing they all live to their full age, they will all be dying around the same time.  From Brut to Luigi they could go one after another, assuming Silver goes first.  

When I wrote that post I remember thinking that the heartbreak that will happen in this house will be devastating when that time comes.  Now once that happens and they finally feel I'm safe to be reinstated from the funny farm, I have three different ideas what I would do.

1) Travel.  Our home will be unbearable so empty and I figure two years on the road to explore the world while help in the grieving process.  These 6 dogs are so precious and I've never been without a dog in my life, I think that I will need the physical and mental break in order to survive.  

2)  Rescue dogs.  I will have a place to rescue and take in those unwanted dogs and cats that I have missed being able to do with my bunch being here.  

3)  Breed Blaze, have and keep all the puppies to keep the 24 Paws of Love genes going while giving me an opportunity to build my dream sled dog team.  Which will obviously happen before she dies and will help with the impending grieving that will come when her and the others die.  

Out of all of them #3 is the most likely to happen. Although the rescue dogs is likely to happen as well.  And maybe I'll be traveling as well.  Who knows!

Sorry for the morbid piece, but this wasn't what I'd planned on writing about.  After seeing those pics of Angel and Grumpy though it just all fell out.  

Have you ever thought about what you will do when your pet dies?    

Monday Memories-Do you have a memorial garden or grave site for your pets?

 Sparky's Weigela

We have a small grave site for our past on pets.  It is on the side of the house.  There are five sites and each one is lined with large rocks and has a small fence around it because of dogs.  I picked out plants that flower according to the time of their death.  My cat Sparky and our dog Alex died in June and I bought them both Weigela bushes.  I've actually seen the flowers open on June 4, which is when Alex died and stay open just past June 22, when Sparky died.

  Top view of Alex's site

For Alex I also have ferns from his favorite stomping grounds.  A swampy forest on the lake where he was able to run free and do as he pleased.  I also planted myrtle from another one of his favorite spots where he love to hang out with us.

 Mojo's Rhododendron

When our first duck Mojo died in the early spring, I have a Rhododendron that blooms as early as spring can start up here.

I'm still looking for just the right plant for our other duck and my duck egg, both whom died in the spring as well.  I'm thinking of an Orange Quintz, a small bush that has orange flowers (to also match their bills) and even though my neighbor has one, they tend not to grow well this far north.  But I would like to try.

 Claw's Burning Bush, ready to be planted.

Then for Claw, my heart cat twin, who died in October, I did have a Hibiscus for her that bloomed in late summer.  It died a couple of years ago.  But as I rethought my idea for having the the plants flower during closest to their anniversaries, I decided to go with a Burning Bush.  And while it doesn't flower, the leaves will turn a bright red in the fall in October, the same month Claw died.

So that's how we memorialize our pets.  What do you do?

Monday Memories-What Was Your First Pet?

Monday Memories-our little trip down memory lane

 This post is in special thanks to this little Red Squirrel, who wished to remain anonymous who reminded me that I have loved a few rodents in my day.

See, I don't care for rodents.  Of any sort.  They may look cute and fuzzy but to me they are a nuisance and who's only good is being prey for the dogs to chase and occasionally catch.  So yesterday while I was in one of my funky morning moods staring into nothing land I see this Red Squirrel racing through the pines, across the fence and up and down the post at lightning speed.  He caught my attention.  Now I can appreciate the agility and speed of squirrels, as they are the true acrobats of the trees in these parts and as I watched him race and jump with such fine balance, I became pretty awed.

 He sat up on the post flipping his tail at me as he wanted to know why I didn't like his kind.  Staring me down through the pane window and as I stared back, I told him, the disease you carry, the destruction, and that constant gnawing that never ends.  He turned tail and flew down the fence for more goodies.  After a few minutes he flew back up and sat at the top of the fence post to confront me.  Eye to eye he said with so many words, "Have you forgotten so soon?"  "What is THAT suppose to mean?" I quipped back.  "You once loved rodents too."  OMG!  My first pet!!.  I giggled as he wiggled his butt down to the stash of seeds in the grass.

My fifth birthday I received my very own guinea pig.  To this day I can not tell you his name.  No idea if it was a girl of boy, except that he was mine.  And although not the most active pet I'd ever owned.  He was mine to love and care for.  He was a long haired breed and I would comb him every night.  Clean his cage once a week and gave him carrots and lettuce as a treat.  He was the start of several pairs of hamster that would follow after his death.

Mr. Squirrel flew back to the top of his perch feverishly munching on his seeds that he held with both hands.  I giggled again with a smile as I remembered so vividly loving that part of my little rodents pets.  Standing on their hind legs with their little jaws nibbling at top notch speed while they stuffed the pocket inside their cheeks until they were full.  I remember how cute and exciting it was to witness this storage habit as they "hid" seeds for winter in the corner of their cages.  I didn't know what they were doing at the time, but I just loved watching them do it.  I also discovered they were smarter than one might think.  We were always trying to escape proof the cage and we weren't always so successful.  I remember coming home from a week vacation and having to search the house, only to find one of my hamsters in the couch but still alive and well even with two dogs in the house!

I smiled a thank you to Mr. Squirrel before he scurried away while he reminded me that he had a purpose too and it wasn't just to be bait for the dogs.  BOL!  Because of him I was able to reminisce about the my first pets that were all my own at such a young age and how and why I loved them.  Even they were rodents.   :)

So what was your first pet?  

animals to rescue

Does anyone else find this true in their own lives?

Mallard Duck eggs

My husband and I were tearing apart a deck we found for free in the paper.  One of those u-haul deals.  Our day started hitting one major snag after another and what should have taken a few hours turned into an all day disaster.  Halfway through I felt like I was ready to just lose it.  Just then the owners pulled up and out jumps two dogs, I felt instant relief.  Just like that I was able to breathe again at just the sight of those dogs.  I didn't need to touch them or have any major connection with them, their presence was enough to settle those frayed emotions.  And while our "free" deck continued to be a nightmare, I was able to carry on knowing that there was fur running around like crazy and was close to me.

Another time I found myself in a very troubling situation with someone I didn't know very well, when out of no where I was instantly calmed by the presence of a cat that had crawled into my lap.  And while it didn't change the circumstances there was a comfort in the warmth and love of this tiny being that helped me make it through what was a difficult situation at the time.

And then just last week, my husband and I were invited to a Christmas dinner where I didn't know a single soul, only to sit down in front of a gigantic fish tank!  I couldn't wipe the grin off my face at the discovery there were other creatures in the house and the feeling I wasn't alone.  I was instantly at ease.

 A furry comforter named Tiko

All it takes sometimes is a glimpse of an animal, whether it be wild or domesticated to feel back in touch with myself.  A chickadee in a tree, deer in the woods, someone walking their dog and there is a peace that comes over me even if just for that moment.  I have even felt this transcendence with insects and plants. Though out of all the beings of the world there is none that compares to when I see one of the canine varieties; who hold a special place in my heart for saving my life several times over and letting me know I am never alone.  Isn't that what any animal is a reminder of?

Does anyone else find themselves feeling that instant comfort and sense of belonging when you see pets or animals, even when they aren't your own?  

Les Chiens

Dogs amaze me.  Every facet of their beings puts me in a state of awe and wonder. It can be seen as simply as the need to survive.  If a fight breaks out in a wolf pack, there is always a reason.  It isn't a random act of violence, it for the protection of the pack that everyone knows their place and if there is a challenge it is dealt with head one.  Once there is submission, the submissive one doesn't start plotting out revenge out on the hunt.  He isn't thinking how he will get that wolf back.  He moves on.  For his role in the hunt is just as important as being submissive to the fight.

While difficult to believe that our loving pets, that cuddle on our beds are descendants of these wild creatures, there is still a structure and order that I really don't think we can begin to understand.  Speaking from my mere experience of having two packs for just over two years, it is still a mystery to me.  After witnessing and observing the data of how these two different packs operate, it is still difficult to tell what really sparks a challenge or a defiance of order.  For example:  Food may be the object, but what really sets the gears in motion to protect it?  Survival?  Territory?  Dominance?  Do we really know what makes that particular dog feel threatened?  Blaze and Chance can literally share a plate together very nicely, but there will be moment when that gear sparks off and ensues a riff between the two.  Is it the actual food itself or the communication between them?  Someone stepping a boundary that was set just at that moment and was suddenly challenged.  Is it because of their history?  Their previous owners used to throw a piece of food at them when they were still young and watch them fight over it.  If so, what makes that flip back to the past of the need to fight over that morsel?  Do they have triggers like we do that sets us on an automatic course of reaction?  Or is it because Blaze is more dominant than Chance and feels she has first rights to him?  Could he have done something earlier in the day that challenged her authority that she felt the need to clarify once he started to cross that line again?  Or is in the bloodlines?  Daddy Dog Brut is known for his possessiveness of food, which can be attributed back to his grandfather and when he was being weaned from his mother.  Can it really be that complex?  Or is the simple the survival of the fittest?

What I have found it it may be all of these reasons combined.  I have watched as a particular motion will cause a reaction from Chance and Blaze in accordance with being abused.  I have seen Blaze put Chance in his place when he crosses a line and vice versa.  I have put down one plate of food for them to finish and  most days they lick it clean together, but there are other days Chance backs away while Blaze gets the goodies.  Then there are those rare moments when a fight breaks out over food.  What makes one moment to the next different from the other?  What pushes that limit?  Can we really say we know?  When you are tired, don't you give out different signals that may be interpret as something else?  You can explain it by saying your tired and we all understand that.  But what if you said it in a foreign language and no one understood you?  How would you get your message across?  How could we comprehend exactly what you meant?  How many times have you misinterpreted what someone said when they were speaking to you, even when you witnessed their body language and demeanor?  How many times does this happen with the communication between us and dogs?

I think we are sometimes too certain that we understand a language that we really can not understand.  I think we have to take all things into consideration just as you would with any human you know in order to really get to know them.  I think it is the beauty of really getting to know your dog.  Their likes and dislikes, their quirks and their own language.  For they have a language that is all their own and as unique as their individuality.

How would you know that "le chien" means "dog" unless you knew French?"

    

Paw Prayers Crossed

I've come to rely heavily on our dogs for so much in my life, I can not imagine being without them or having to make heartwrenching decision about their health and well-being.

I had a terrible day.  A program I volunteer for seems to keep putting a monkey wrench in itself.  It can be very disturbing at times because I don't really feel like I'm really able to help the person I am there for.  Being a volunteer, I have very little say so and even though my vote might be heard, it would do little.  I couldn't wait to get home to the dogs.  I spent all afternoon and most of the evening with them.  I was grateful for their love and attention and the dependability that they were there. 

I read two different blogs and my heart stopped.  Rolling and Romping in the Rockies, K is having her toe amputated tomorrow due to cancer or infection and Grey Hares on My Sofa had to let go of her beloved Greyhound Dixie.  I don't know how we do it as dog lovers.  Loving our dogs to pieces and then having to let them go or make decisions that affect their lives.  Neither of these dog lovers had easy decision to make and I can only imagine the range of feelings associated with making these choices.

If you haven't already, please stop by both of these blogs and give them your warm thoughts.  Dog lovers are a rare breed. and because of this wonderful love we share, we are empathize with other owners and understand their pain.  We've all had to make difficult choices with our pets and know far too well, they are not just animals.  Our pets are our friends, our confidants, and are full of unconditional love.  We understand how our pets become a part of you and you them and how we always want to do what is right for our best friends.

For K and her family and Dixie's family we would like to give a warm hug and Paws of Prayer for them.
We are thinking of you.   

Breaking the rules

My husband, Mark and I have very different views how we interact with our pets.  Mark never had pets as a kid, so he is like one big kid with them.  He thinks everything they do is comical and hilarious, even the bad things like sticking their noses near his plate.  He is horrible at discipline, because he is always laughing.  He can not be serious around them.  I swear all I do is correct everything he undoes while he is home.  lol  All the dogs know they can get away with anything when Daddy is home.   

I on the other hand grew up with pets and and a household where discipline was a must.  No dogs on the couch, in the kitchen, on the bed and don't even think of looking at my plate.  Growing up with such strict rules in regards to the pets carried over into my adulthood.  I learned the earlier you start to discipline a puppy the better.  Then we got Silver and she started to help me break the rules.

Oh, did you want to sit here?

As soon as she was big enough to, she was on the couch.  I loved that.  Nothing like cuddling with my little girl watching TV, but she still wasn't allowed on the bed.  Then when the puppies came along, we had one little puppy named Angel who would sneak out of the whelping box (she was the only one who figured it out) and get up on the bed and cuddle with me.  It was like heaven.  Her warm puppy kisses waking me up.  I'd always wanted to sleep with my animals when I was kid, but wasn't allowed.

Zappa and Fiona look down as Zappa gets "the look" from Brut.

"Kids rule and Dad drools!" 

My husband had overnight work and didn't want me sleeping alone.  Since Brut and Silver weren't allowed on the bed and couldn't get them up there when we tried, we let Zappa and Fiona on the bed.  It was great.  They were only about 3 months old and they snuggle tight up against me.  Although I don't know how great a sleep I got as I became locked in position all night. There were nights it became terribly difficult to move as they grew, but eventually we learned to shift together.

I still don't let any of the animals near my plate, but I might share a bite after, another thing that was forbidden growing up.  Mark always saves enough for everyone, every time.  He started a traditional when we just had Alex and Silver of a bone or chew treat every night.  The tradition continues as he is always finding goodies for all of them.  We have a stash in the kitchen, basement and garage.  They all know what it means when the wolf  "cookie jar" howls. It is snack time.

So while I'm learning to loosen up my rules with the animals, Mark is trying to be more serious with his discipline.  We are quite the ying and yang with the pets and with most things really.  I'm more the dog's leader while Mark brings the childlike wonder and fun into the mix, giving us a balance that seems to work.

Any "rules" you've broken from childhood or getting another pet?