Big dog; puppy brain

Hello everyone, it’s me (Cabo) again. Mom seems to be really busy with stuff….I think it’s something called the “holidays.” So, I’m taking this opportunity to post for her.

I’m officially 8 months old today! It seems like furever ago when I joined my family. And, as you can see, a lot of changes have been going on! I went to see my friends at the doctor’s office and they told Mom I weighed 48 pounds. And….then gave me two treats! It’s always fun when I walk in the door and meet other furry friends.

Summer was a blast. Mom got me a baby pool! And there’s these water spouts that pop up out of the ground in the yard that are soooooo fun to run through. One of my favorite things to do on a summer night was to make Mom wait outside while I jumped to catch fireflies in the air. She laughed a couple of times, but I think she got tired of waiting on me to do my “business.”

I have TWO girlfriends. One of either side of my house. Ellie is a shepherd/boxer mix and she can keep up with me. But, she came over one day and tried to run off. So, we don’t get to play with each other much anymore. Good thing everyone likes to throw the ball for me.

I’m trying to be a good pupper…really, I am. But, to be honest, I had a few fails the past couple of months. Mom planted some really great-smelling flowers in September and I just couldn’t help myself. In fact, I helped myself to them all over the patio…dirt and all. That didn’t go too well for me.

A couple days ago a tree appeared in the house. I’m not sure what to do with it since every time I sniff it, I hear that word, “No.” And now it’s all lit up and doesn’t much look like a tree anymore. Mom has found me a couple of times with a pine cone in my mouth. I honestly thought the basket of smelly pine cones were free for the taking. Evidently not.

Oh well, happy 8 month birthday to me! I hope everyone has warm and wonderful holidays….whatever those are.

Before I get back to chewing my sticks in the yard, Mom told me about a blog hop called Awww Monday over at Comedy Plus. Just thought I’d pick a photo for her and add it to the fun.

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Introducing…..

It’s been so hard to keep me under wraps, but now it’s time to let the blogosphere in on a little secret. A new fur-baby has arrived!

TA-DA! My name is Cabo and I’m very happy to meet you all. And, despite my size, I’m kinda a big deal around here.

They tell me I’m a Goldendoodle….my Golden Retriever mom was named Mari Gold and my Standard Poodle dad was named Jude. I was born on March 26, 2017 and came to my forever home on Saturday, May 27, 2017.

Sometimes my people mom and dad make a mistake and call me Tanner so I think I have some very big paws to fill. Evidently, it wasn’t that long ago when they unexpectedly lost their beloved Golden Retriever. I don’t think they planned on adding another fur baby yet, but I guess they just missed having a pupper underfoot around the house.

My new mom and dad might be a little rusty on their puppyhood skills since the very first thing that happened was I was put into a big, slippery, white container and water with bubbly stuff was poured over me. Totally wasn’t expecting that.

But snuggles and a nap in a soft towel on mom’s lap made it worthwhile.

I thought I’d miss my litter mates a little those first nights, but the weirdest thing is I can still smell them on the towel that’s in my kennel. So, I guess everything is okay and I don’t get lonely in the middle of the night. Mom says I’m a super awesome puppy for letting her get 6-7 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

One day, we ventured out to a HUGE place with lots of new smells. Mom and Dad got me a spiffy red, white and blue collar with my very own name tag! I also got some new toys!

A few days ago, I went to see a new doctor and she checked me all over and said I’d already gained 2 pounds since I got home! Nope, I miss very few opportunities to eat. I almost have mom and dad potty trained to when I need to go outside…but miss occasionally just to keep them on their toes.

Oh, and the best thing about my new home is it came with playmates! There’s this funny-looking dog I see occasionally in the house. I cornered it in a room and tried to play with the swishy tail, but the only thing that happened was I got batted on the nose. I’ll try to play again another day.

Sometimes TWO other playmates come to see me! They’re LOADS of fun! I think we’ll be besties very soon.

I think I’ll stay with my new mom and dad. They seem pretty okay so far. But now, I think I need to take a nap. Being a puppy is really hard work.

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.”
—Roger Caras

 

The pain of great loss

It is with a very heavy  heart and more sadness than I can bear that I share this post with you today. Last Thursday, our beloved golden retriever, Tanner, passed away. It was sudden and extremely unexpected, and we all feel a great sense of loss. If you know me at all, you know it’s almost impossible for me to say goodbye to pets. They are such an important part of my life.

This loss has, perhaps, been the hardest of all. Hard because there was no warning. No illness, No advanced notice. No mental or emotional preparation. No official goodbye.

It was like any other late summer evening. We were outside enjoying the nice weather. Tanner was following me around the yard, being his energetic, goofy retriever self. Grabbing at sticks, galloping through the yard and vying for attention between Peanut, Twix, Peyton and Dixie.

About 10:30, we heard a lot of barking on the patio. Entrepreneur went to check on the commotion and found the other two dogs around Tanner who looked like he was sleeping. But he wasn’t.

It was that fast. No clues as to what happened. No opportunity to call the vet for help. No nothing. Just questions and an all-consuming, stabbing pain in our hearts. Our best guess is he had a stroke, aneurism or heart attack. I saw him, dropped to my knees and lost it. The weekend has been a blur. Of course, it was packed full of activities. None of which could really be canceled. Take a deep breath. Put up a good front. Fall apart in private.

I still look for him eagerly waiting for us when we come home.
I still expect to see him lounging on the patio when I look out the back door.
I see his empty kennel and food dish and it hits me all over again.

But there is nothing I can do.

He was only 8 years old.

It’s not fair.

I want my dog back.

Linking up with Lisa Kerner over at Simply Living Photography and  LTTL.

Snow Puppers

I’m a bit late for Water World Wednesday. I seriously thought about skipping this week, but have these super-cute pictures of our puppers in last Sunday’s Spring Break snow. 🙂

Here are our Pupsicles….

You all know Tanner, our Golden Retriever. Tanner is in heaven when it snows. He will look longingly out the window when it’s snowing and wait patiently until someone wants to go out and play. Sometimes it’s a long wait.

Miss Dixie is a new resident. She is one of Peanut’s puppers and had never before seen snow until last Sunday. After a bit of hesitancy, she was bounding around the yard with Tanner like pro. I think they’ll be best buds soon.

Miss Peyton is Peanut’s other pupper and was here a few of years ago when they all lived with us after Dad was deployed to Afghanistan. She hates all things water and prefers to spend her time indoors on a pillow. We think she’s really a cat in a dog disguise because she will groom anything that is wet…including Tanner.

That’s our pack of puppers. So far, they’re getting along well together in the backyard. We’re not sure who will emerge as the Alpha Dog. My money is on Queen Peyton.

Linking up with Water World Wednesday