Just My Dog

He’s just my dog.

He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds, my other ears that hear above the winds.

He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason for being - by the way he rests against my leg, the way he thumps his tail at the smallest smile, and how he shows his hurt when I leave. (I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along to care for me.)

When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive.

When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile.

When I am happy, he is joy unbounded.

When I am a fool, he ignores it.

When I succeed, he brags.

Without him, I am only another person.

With him, I am all powerful.

He has taught me the meaning of devotion is loyalty itself.

With him, I know secret comfort and a private peace.

He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant.

His head on my knee can heal my human hurts.

His presence by my side is protection against my fears of dark and unknown things.

He has promised to wait for me … whenever … in case I need him, and I expect I will, as I always have.

Who is he? He’s just … my dog.

– Gene Hill

There was a time when Kisa’s dreams kept me awake at night. I don’t know what she was dreaming about, but the paws were flying and she was yelping — just the way she always did when she chased a squirrel across the front yard or did laps around the house.

Now, the silence in the hallway keeps me awake at night. I think it will be a long time before I stop noticing the empty spot on the floor outside our bedroom door.

Beyond The Rainbow

As much as I loved the life we had and all the times we played,
I was so very tired and knew my time on earth was soon to fade.

I saw a wondrous image of a place that’s trouble-free
Where all of us can meet again to spend eternity.

I saw the most beautiful Rainbow, and on the other side
Were meadows rich and beautiful — lush and green and wide!

And running through the meadows as far as the eye could see
Were animals of every sort as healthy as could be!

My own tired, failing body was fresh and healed and new
And I wanted to go run with them, but I had something left to do.

I needed to reach out to you, to tell you that I’m well,
That this place is truly wonderful, a happy place to dwell.

That your heart shouldn’t ache so… the pain should go away.
I’ll wait for you in comfort ’til you come for me some day.

That although we’re not together in the way we used to be,
We’re still connected by a bond no eye can ever see.

That when you need to find me, we’re never far apart.
Just look beyond the Rainbow and listen with your heart.

Anonymous

For you non-mathemeticians, that’s analogy notation… i.e., tennis racquet is to bats as broom is to what?

Answer: chicken.

If you read my post from yesterday, you’ve already heard about the chickens taking up residence in the middle of our road. Today they were still here, so my neighbor herded them down to our front yard with a broom. Not sure why, but I’m thinking he was either really, really bored or didn’t want his wife to keep feeding them.

Almost forgot… The Swede posted a wonderful photo of himself on our other blog. He’s the father of our Leonberger puppy, Dakota. What a magnificent animal!

So now that we have a new puppy, we have brand new funny stories to tell — or rather, the Leonbergers have funny stories to tell… so we’ve given the dogs their own blogs. Check it out at The Leo’s Lair. Unlike our family blog, the new one will let you register and post — especially if you’re a Leonberger or live with one. It is a place where the dogs rule though… so keep your posts and comments on topic or you’ll be growled at and confined to the doghouse.

I got home from Edmonton, Alberta around 3:00AM this morning, new Leonberger puppy in tow. He was absolutely amazing on both flights, capturing the hearts of everyone who saw him and bringing smiles to the faces of weary travelers whose flights had been delayed.

His first encounter with Kisa and Larkin was cautious, but encouraging. By the end of the day, he was going out of his way trying to get them to play with him. Kisa’s not quite convinced yet, but Larkin managed to get up enough energy to spar for a minute or two.

His unofficial name is Dakota. No pictures of our own yet, but our breeder sent me a lovely shot taken on his last day in Canada.

I’m going to meet our new Leonberger puppy for the first time on Sunday morning at 9:00AM. I can barely stand the excitement.

Kisa and Larkin spent the morning at the groomer’s so they’ll be all clean and pretty when they meet their new brother. Although asking Kisa to stay that way for two days is probably a little much considering we’re supposed to get 10 inches of fresh snow this afternoon.

With all the last minute planning too close to the holidays, the breeder wasn’t able to ship him via normal means, so I’m flying to Alberta to bring him home. This is after spending all week in Ontario and jumping on a 6:00AM flight to get out of Buffalo before the storm hits.

So I guess you could say I’m dog tired and dog happy all at the same time!

A few months ago, Tom and I signed up to be adopted by a Leonberger — our third — but there were birthing complications and the little guy didn’t make it. We were heartbroken, but resigned ourselves to just wait for the next litter.

A few hours ago, our breeder called to tell us that one of the other buyers had to back out and that there was a wonderful little puppy who would love to be spending his Christmas with us if we wanted him. What? Are you nuts? Just how fast can you get him here?

Any way… travel logistics are still in the works and we’re trying hard to come up with a really good “D” name — please cast a vote in the poll on the sidebar if you have any good ideas… but he’s absolutely beautiful no matter what we call him!

References:
LionHill Kennels
Leonberger Club of America