Turning Nine Is Fine

Bunny here at the keyboard, taking over for Mom. 

I'd like to start by saying that I've really had my paws full taking care of Mom this week.  She's been sick with bronchitis and after I'd tried every trick I knew to take care of her, I finally had to get Dad to take her to the human vet yesterday.  I apologize that we haven't done a lot of commenting, but you have no idea how much work it is taking care of these sick people!  Anyroo, the vet gave her some medicine and hopefully next week we'll get more into the swing of things.  I'm sure glad we got a lot of posts ready over the weekend.

Anyroo, since Mom was sick, and Blueberry has a broken toe, we had a low key birthday celebration for her.  I don't think she likes a whole bunch of fuss anyway.  She's a "let's get to the cake" kind of girl.  That's one of the things I admire about her.

The good thing about any birthday is that we all get to partake of cake!  Maybe it's not such a bad thing that Mom was sick again, since it meant that we got to have cake from the dog bakery.  I don't know what sort of magic they bake into those cakes, but they're delicious!

Blueberry wanted to thank everyone for all their birthday well wishes, too!  She loved being Queen for the Day.  Tomorrow, I'll be sure to get my tiara back, though!

Hard To Believe Another Year's Gone By

Today our Blueberry Girl turns nine years old.  I remember seeing her turn two.  Where does the time go?

I'm not lucky enough to have pictures of Blue as a puppy.  I can well imagine that she was a beautiful little thing.  When she came here at two years old, she was a wild child, just unbelievably full of herself and knowing that she was pretty enough to get away with just about anything.  She's still pretty enough to get away with just about anything.  I can distinctly remember sitting down with her on her third birthday and telling her that now she was a big girl and needed to start behaving like a young lady.  She blew a raspberry at me and went on her merry way.  Her fourth and fifth birthdays passed in much the same manner. 

Honestly, I think Blueberry might have stayed a puppy forever, but one event seemed to change her overnight.  When Treat passed away, Blueberry realized that the role of Miss Perfect was open and that she wanted it. Suddenly, the spot on the other end of the couch was filled by Blueberry.  She spent a few minutes cuddling on the bed each night before hopping off to sleep in her favorite spot on the floor.  I think her heart still belonged to my husband, but she seemed to be more in tune with my need for canine companionship than Treat or Hawk had been. 

When we'd chosen a new hound for our pack, Treat had always been the one to help us choose.  After losing her, we took Blueberry with us to the kennel when we went to look for a new hound.  She turned her nose up at every dog they brought in for us to meet.  I remember really starting to despair and to think that Blueberry was absolutely no help.  By the time the woman at the kennel offered to let us meet a new dog that they'd just gotten in, I felt half-hearted about it, but in Bunny walked and leaned right up against me, and Blueberry didn't hate her.  She didn't act thrilled with her, but her reaction to Bunny was by far the best of the day.  We still laugh about Blueberry chasing down the foolish male named Try who made the mistake of, ahem, getting fresh with her and teaching him a bit of a lesson.  I doubt he's looked a female in the eye since.

She seemed content after Bunny came home to let me cuddle with her and make that bond, while she went back to being Daddy's Girl.  Yet, she's still the one who will seek me out when I'm upset or having a bad day.  I've also noticed that since Morgan has joined our family that she's more actively seeking time with me.   While it's sometimes tough to juggle Blueberry and Bunny both together, I've come to really enjoy the time that I have with Blueberry.  She's grown from a dog who could launch herself off the floor from a sit and take the food right out of your mouth to one who always has her eye on you to see what your next move is going to be and if it includes her.  One of my deepest wishes and hopes is that she will be as long lived as her mother because every year with her gets a little sweeter.  She has done wonderfully since her surgery for the cancer and is dealing well with her broken toe.  These things are reminders to us to be thankful for every day that we have with our beautiful girl.  We have been blessed to share the journey with her!

Happy Birthday, Blueberry, and many happy returns!

It's My Party

Bunny here, sharing a bit of my birthday celebration.

Well, as you all know, we postponed my birthday celebration for a day so that Blueberry would feel good enough to join in.  As much as I was dying to sink my teeth into that cake, I really did want to share it with Blue, so we just enjoyed quiet time on the couch after Mom and Blue got home while Dad and Morgan were off at Morgan's rally class.  It was nice to have snuggle time with Mom and to see Blueberry home. 

So, yesterday was a day to pamper Blueberry and to celebrate me.  Mom and Dad didn't have time to make a cake for me this time like they usually do with the help of the Three Dog Bakery Cookbook, but Mom did go to the dog bakery while she was waiting for Blueberry to get done and be released and I think she picked out a cake that was perfect for me.

After the proper festivities before the cake cutting, we then finally partook of the cake.  Let me tell you, it was worth every minute of waiting!  That cake was to drool for!  We all had a piece and went to our respective spots to enjoy it in peace.  I also got a pink flamingo toy and my new black boots for presents.  It's been too warm here to model the boots, but I hear that it will get rather brisk here this weekend, so maybe I can put them on then. 

Thank you to everyone for all the birthday wishes!  You made me feel like the most popular little hound in the world.  It was definitely a birthday I will always remember!

It's Bunny Day!

We interrupt today's Wordless Wednesday post to wish a certain little blue fawn Greyhound the very happiest of birthdays.  It's hard to believe that she's four years old.  We feel so lucky to have her as a part of our lives.

Most people who have followed our blog for a while know the basic facts about Bunny.  Her racing name is Bank on Benefit and she was born into a litter of eight puppies.  I don't believe that any of them are as tiny as she is.  She went to schooling with her littermates, but never races and was retired at eighteen months old.  The truth of the matter is that she had much more important things to do.  She healed a huge hole in my heart and in our pack that was left when Treat passed away.  Hawk had quit eating, Blueberry was pensive as she watched over me and Lilac was, well, Lilac.  Not much fazes her! 

I look back to that day when we brought her home after a three week wait that seemed like forever.  I didn't think I could love another dog the way I loved Treat, but Bunny didn't get the memo.  If I'm really honest, Bunny may be even better than Treat was, but that's hard to admit.  Treat was rotten, a total diva, and while Bunny is spoiled, she doesn't demand it like Treat did.  There's just an innate sweetness to Bunny that's a bit hard to describe. 

That's not to say that sweetness is the only trait she possesses.  She's a funny little dog, and sometimes you can see the sparkle in her eye when she's playing with you.  For such a tiny Greyhound, she has the amazing ability to weigh five hundred pounds when she's comfortable in your spot on the bed.  She's the tap dancer of joy in the kitchen when I arrive home from being gone.  Bunny is fearless, whether it's climbing rocks on hiking trails or running full tilt at the dog park while dogs three times her size thunder after her.  She never backs down from a challenge.  There's never a time when she's not ready to go and do something, no matter what it is.  She's adapting to living with Morgan, who has appointed herself Bunny's personal bodyguard, which leaves Bunny free to be my bodyguard.  She's a tiny Greyhound with big dreams.

She was even sweet enough to agree to postpone her birthday celebration a bit while we fuss over Blueberry after her surgery today.  That's not to say that we won't be celebrating.  As a matter of fact, we started a little early with a run at the dog park last night where Bunny once again led all the other dogs on a merry chase when she decided to make a couple of laps around the dog park.  Not a single dog there could catch her, and I think she was quite proud of that fact.

There will be cake and presents, if Blueberry feels up to joining us, and if not, we'll just have the cake on Thursday.  We'll definitely be celebrating!  The truth of the matter is that we're the ones who really got a gift today, in a tiny blue fawn fur coat.  So, while we wait for news on Miss Blueberry, please join us in wishing Bunny the happiest of birthdays!

Bunny's portrait from Furtography by Mark Caughel

On This Day In History...

November 4 is an important day in the history of our family.  The fact that two important things in our life on the same date, a year apart, made me ponder some things.  It really gave me the sense that things in life really do come full circle.

A year ago today, we had to say good-bye to Hawk.  His body just couldn't keep going.  We had been in for some tests with him about a week before, and I recall that throughout Halloween night, he slept through the hustle and bustle of trick or treaters coming to the door.  I really thought that he'd bounce back, but we had to let him go even before we found out the results of the tests that were done.  In my heart, I know that even if we'd gotten those results, it still would have been time for him to go.  It was the end of an era for us.  Hawk and Treat were our first Greyhounds and they signified the beginning of our life together and our lives as adults with dogs.  Hawk stayed around long enough to make sure that Bunny was trained in the mysterious way that he and Treat carried themselves, I believe, and having completed those lessons, he moved on to be with Treat.

Two years ago today, a German Shepherd puppy was born.  She's turning out to be a funny, curious and sensitive companion who keeps us on our toes.  Sharing life with a Shepherd isn't like sharing life with a Greyhound, but it has its own rewards.  After Hawk passed away, our plan was to stay at three dogs, and then after Lilac passed, we'd go down to two, which was what we'd really planned to be at anyway.  Life takes turns we don't expect, though, and here Morgan is with us in a four dog household again. 

I have a feeling Hawk is happy with his successor.  Morgan has some of the same traits that Hawk had.  She likes to have everyone stay together, just like he did.  He didn't do head counts like Morgan does, but I'm sure that if he'd seen it in action, he'd heartily approve.  Hawk was always protective of Treat and me.  Morgan considers herself Bunny's personal body guard at the dog park, and she always has to know where I am, too.  Hawk was really goofy, and I loved watching him play.  Morgan could be a one dog entertainment show most of the day.

I regret that we didn't take up hiking with the dogs when we still had Hawk.  He hated walking in town, but if we went to a different place, he was happy to go along.  I suspect that he and Treat both would have liked hiking, but we had the idea that Greyhounds didn't do such things, and we hadn't learned to appreciate it that much ourselves.  Having Morgan has been good for us in that respect.  She needs the activity, both physically, but also the mental stimulation that comes with our hikes.  I think it's also good for her to see that the world is a mostly not too scary place. 

Hawk wasn't perfect when we brought him home, and Morgan isn't either, but I grew by leaps and bounds as a person through my experiences of meeting and rising to the challenges that living with Hawk brought me, and I think I've already grown some with Morgan.  It's sometimes hard to see those opportunities for growth when you're going through the growing pains, but it's rewarding to look back and see where you ended up.  So, please join with us today as we celebrate Morgan's second birthday.  Our journey together is just starting, but who knows where we'll all end up!

Let Them Eat Cake

Bunny here at the keyboard sharing some of our fun from Tuesday night.

It turns out that Lilac having a birthday has been good to all of us.  Monday we got a box in the mail from the one and only Miss Diane at Burpdog Biscuits.  If you have never tasted the splendor of a Burpdog biscuit or cake, my friends, you are truly missing out!   I don't know what her secret ingredient is, but it's like canine crack.  She makes these treats for a lot of Greyhounds in her secret kitchen and they are the best treats you'll ever taste.  Well, anyroo, she sent us cake for Lilac's fifteenth birthday.  Mom put the cake in the refrigerator and we immediately began stalking the door.  They are that good!

Well, Mom said we'd save the cakes and share the birthday party with our friend DJ since he and his mom were coming over to our house that night before Mom and I left with them for our trip to the beach.  I waited in anticipation all day Tuesday for their arrival and for the cake.

DJ finally got there, we traded sniffs and got to know each other.  Morgan was trying to get him to play with her, but the rest of us had settled in.  So, Dad got out the cake.  It was a Burpdog bonanza!  Blueberry ran into the crate and inhaled hers.  I took mine to a dog bed and soon reduced it to crumbs.  Lilac savored hers, but didn't waste any time with it.  Morgan's was gone in one bite. 

However, DJ didn't seem to quite know what to do with his.  I wanted to help him with it.  Mom said that it belonged to him and that I had to leave it alone.  So, I tried to restrain myself.

Then it happened.  He got up and went to the kitchen for a drink and Morgan sprang into action.  That cake was in her giant maw in no time!  She ran over and started to eat it, and she shared a few crumbs with me.  Dad rescued a big bite of it and gave it to DJ, but he left it on the dog bed where it was nabbed again by Morgan.

I'm sorry DJ lost out because that cake was delicious!  It was also, obviously, irresistable!  At least it didn't go to waste.

How Old Ladies Celebrate

Well, you all might be wondering how a Greyhound celebrates the event of her fifteenth birthday.  I was a little stumped about it myself when I started thinking on it.  Fortunately, I think she had a pretty good time. 

She got special dinner -- Blue Buffalo Blue's Chicken Stew.

There were a few presents.

We had some birthday cookies.

She had homemade carrot cake with bacon in it.

Then, the party was over.

We are so happy that she has had such a good fifteen years and that her day was a happy one!

She's A Grand Old Birthday Dame

It's hard to believe, but it's true!  Fifteen years ago today, Lilac, or WW Line if you prefer, was born into a litter of nine puppies, the only female of the litter.  After a career as a racer, she gave up the track life to have two litters of puppies of her own before hopping on a hauler from Kansas and heading to Illinois at the tender age of seven and a half.  The minute she got out of the crate to come home with me that night, she wrapped her head around my neck and squeezed.  That quickly, SHE decided that she belonged with us, although  it took us several months to realize it.

When we decided to adopt her, she was considered a senior dog.  I actually got a discount on her adoption fee because it was adopt a senior month and she'd been here for four months without any inquiries about adopting her.  Mr. Taleteller and I reasoned that she'd probably only be with us for a few years before she passed away and that she deserved a quiet home where she'd know that she was loved and could be spoiled. 

Ha!  She outlived both the hounds that we had before her who were younger than she was.  Now Mr. Taleteller believes that she'll outlive us all.  I see her getting more frail this past year, after her scary incident a year ago.  Still, I have to say that we realize that every day with her is a treasure.

If you haven't yet shared your life with a senior dog, I hope that someday you do get to experience it.  I say that in all sincerity.  Yes, it is hard to see them age and struggle with things, but there's just a certain sweetness that comes along with an older dog.  She enjoys simple pleasures and she isn't afraid to ask for what she wants.  I can never refuse her, either.  If she were human, I suspect she'd be a bit like Mae West.  She's sassy, opinionated, brassy and fearless.  Getting older hasn't tempered her spirit any, nor has it made her any less shameless.  While the rest of our hounds will hang their heads in shame at just the thought of being caught in a misdeed, Lilac will look you straight in the eye and dare you to be upset with her. 

Today, we celebrate fifteen years of a life well-lived and hope that everyone else out there shares in our happiness.  May you all celebrate as many years with a beloved canine companion.  Our journey has been a sweet one and we wouldn't trade a minute of it.  Although, we would appreciate it if she'd give us a few more minutes of sleep.

Lilac would like to send her thanks to Frankie, Beryl and their mom for sending her Vegemite to try!  She is pleased as punch that she got a card and present from New Zealand before any of the others have.  We'd also like to thank Doggie Stylish for sending her a collar for her birthday.  She's mainly just happy to have the day all about her, and trust me, she'll be even more spoiled today than she already is!