sutton077

Something exciting is happening at The Writer's Dog...Friday I asked you to guess what it might be. Some of you guessed that I was under contract for a new series of dog books, and that my first book is being made into a movie. Wow I'd love that! Both of those would be awesome but it's not happening (yet!). Others guessed that Ernest got his TDI (therapy dog) certificate. Not yet, but he will be attending classes and  heading toward that goal. So the correct answer is.... Petey in a bucket We got a puppy! Can you believe it? As you know we've been adopting senior dogs, and sadly, in March we lost both Ike and Kelly. Then two months ago we adopted 8 1/2 year old Ernest. He's an awesome sweet boy and we sure got lucky when our rescue group found him for us. Then, something totally surprising happened! We got a wonderful opportunity to bring an adorable golden retriever puppy into the family and...well, Ernest now has a little brother. Our first day together. Family po...

I never intended to adopt senior dogs. Never planned to have my heart broken over and over again. But then again, I wasn't prepared for the amazing joys either. I never sought out senior dogs. But they keep finding me. First there was Brooks. He was 11 yrs old when we adopted him. Someone had apparently dumped the old guy and left him to survive on his own. This was sad Brooks before we rescued him: Brooks Before This was Brooks a few months later, after a little love: Brooks After I thought I could never love a dog, or be loved by a dog, the way it was with Brooks. Then came Ike. Here's goofy Ike in the rescue group's photo: Ike Before   Here's Ike after we got him, and he became a certified therapy dog. He was so loving. Ike After  Recently my husband and I decided to rescue a younger dog. But a month ago Ernest found us. He's 8 1/2 years old. Here he is the day we adopted him. He was scared. Ernest Before And here he is one month later. He's happy, relaxed, f...

Saturday, my sweet dog Ike died of hemangiosarcoma. Tragically, we had no idea he was seriously ill. In fact, he'd had his senior exam not long before this. We were constantly alert to Ike's daily health, and probably nothing would have changed the sad outcome. I'm sharing these details in the hopes it may help someone else...although sadly, there is very little that can be done to prevent or treat it. At the end I will list a few suggestions. Ike's symptoms (*this may not be the way it is for all dogs): 1. Ike was 10 years old. Over the last several months he seemed excessively tired at night, preferring to remain on his pillow in the living room rather than climb the stairs to join us. We'd mentioned it to our vet who surmised multiple possibilities for this. Maybe it was joint pain. We even considered that he wanted to be downstairs to stay with our other dog, who had started sleeping downstairs as well. Maybe it was just part of aging. Looking back, it was the c...

We recently attended a therapy dog event at a local university, and 4 out of 5 dogs working there were goldens! Ike was very happy to meet his fellow golden pals! And the students found that patting and hugging the dogs helped make their transition into their freshman year away from home a little less stressful. Wordless Wednesday blog Hop!

"After a busy day of scooting around in my pink and purple car, it's time to get out and play with my dog and his favorite green ball. Nothing makes a girl's day better than having a furry best friend. He takes care of me so I need to take care of him." Join Blogpaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop!

Paws for Thought   Last night Zeke and Ike were playing rough, and I had to get out one of my favorite pictures of them together to remind myself of quieter times. Yup, this is one of my favorite pictures. Young and old. Ike was so accepting of puppy Zeke, and Zeke loved his Uncle Ike. Even though Zeke lives with my son Andy in their own place, we babysat him during the day for nearly a year, and he still comes to play often.  I love seeing the dogs interact when Zeke was a puppy. Ike was tolerant, and Zeke was rambunctious. Ike may have let him get away with more than he should, but when necessary Ike taught the whippersnapper the boundaries. But what was most interesting was the way Zeke liked to cuddle with Ike. What a blessing to see the bond between them. It can be that way with family. We're all different. We have different personalities and temperaments. But there are those times, when it's quiet and easy, that we know we're truly grateful to be together.  Later la...