In Memory Of Noel

SEPARATE LIFETIMES

We who choose to surround ourselveswith lives even more temporary than ourown, live within a fragile circle;easily and often breached.Unable to accept its awful gaps,we would still live no other way.We cherish memory as the onlycertain immortality, never fullyunderstanding the necessary plan.... --- Irving Townsend ---

Little Noel died on December 6, 2008. She had parvo and it got the best of her.

OMG! It's a Puppy!

Well, it's true, there's a puppy in my house. I've forgotten just how much work having a puppy in the house is. My youngest dog is 3, going on 4 years old.

My dogs are worry free, perfectly house trained. They don't chew on things they're not suppose to. They do what is expected of them. Oh well, yea they may bark at passersby when I'm at work, but that's nothing compared to a puppy that doesn't know what's expected of her.


I only have Noel for one short week (she's a foster), but I'm already wondering, "why?". Why have I done this? Why have I disrupted my canine kingdom's peaceful realm? Sookie, Alissa, Rascal, Rowe-Quinn & Sugar are all wondering, "what the ~~ck?"


Meet Noel:

She's a beautiful, purebred, German Shepherd. Noel is 4-months old and frighteningly thin, spayed female. Her feet are quite large and when she walks on my pergo floor you can practically "hear" her walking.

She's a quick learner, and has all but mastered the doggie door. Now, if she could just understand that it's for going potty outside. She's fussy and doesn't really like the well-used postage stamp yard where she's residing. So, she uses the concrete.

One can only speculate as to her life before being found as a stray on the streets of Austin. She won't let me out of her sight, so crate training is a challenge. Peanut butter in a small kong toy does little to appease her loneliness when she's crated at night and when I have to go to work. It's a good thing though, for she knows little fear and will make someone very loyal and devoted companion.

If you live in the Austin, Texas area, and are looking for a absolutely adorable, smart, loving canine companion, please go to gsdrescuectx@yahoo.com and fill out an adoption application for Noel. Keep in mind she's probably going to be a very large dog and will need a lot of exercise and training.

Here's my girl Sookie warning Noel, "grrrr, I'm not into puppies",

and Then There Was Alissa

Madame Roland said in the eighteenth century “Plus je vois le homes, plus j’admire les chiens” (The more I see of men, the more I admire dogs). - Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson in Dogs Never Lie About Love

No truer words have been said, by me!

I was writing about Sookie, but you know, with Sookie comes Alissa. I adopted Alissa when no one else wanted her. She was shy, very shy. Deemed "unadoptable". Sookie was just a goofy little puppy when Alissa came into my house. Sookie wasn't afraid of anything or anyone. Alissa slowly followed suit. The two are nearly inseperable. But yet, Alissa, having outlived her shy, timid ways, has developed her own personality. This personality is bold, but cautious. She bark, and growls at the appropriate times. Never at people in the house, but people walking by the house, alone or with a dog on a leash. Even still out on our daily walks, Alissa wants to meet & greet!

Sookie

Sookie, what can I say? Sookie is the dog everyone hopes to have as a companion. She's in tune with me at all times. We haven't been able to communicate telepathically, but there's really no need.

She can read my mind, and while she's reading my mind, I look into hers.

She's a little thick around the middle, just like me! She's just a little left of center, if you know what I mean? Goofy, Sookie knows when I'm taking myself too seriously. She'll make me laugh when I

think I don't want to.

I can't remember the last time she even remotely misbehaved. When I chose her from kennel after kennel at Animal Control, well she assured me that I had made the absolutely correct choice.

Sookie's traveled all the same roads I have. She hasn't ever left my side. We started here in Austin, Texas. Then I had this "brilliant" idea to move to Minnesota in the dead of winter. Wrong. But she put up with it. I'm pretty sure she was estatic when we came back to Austin, Texas.

...to be continued.

Choosing A Relative

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative. M. Siegel"

If I Didn't Have Dogs

I could walk around the yard barefoot in safety.

My house could be carpeted instead of tiled and laminated.

All flat surfaces, clothing, furniture, and cars would be free of hair.

When the doorbell rings, it wouldn't sound like a kennel.

When the doorbell rings, I could get to the door without wading throughfuzzy bodies who beat me there.

I could sit on the couch and my bed the way I wanted,

without taking into consideration how much space several

fur bodies would need to getcomfortable.

I would have money ...and no guilt to go on a real vacation.

I would not be on a first-name basis with the veterinarian,

as I put his yet unborn grand kids through college.

The most used words in my vocabulary would not be: out, sit, down,

come,no, stay, and leave him/her/it ALONE.

My house would not be cordoned off into zones with baby gates or barriers.

My house would not look like a day care center, toys everywhere.

My pockets would not contain things like poop bags, treats and an extra leash.

I would no longer have to Spell the words B-A-L-L, F-R-I-S-B-E- E,

W-A-L-K, T-R-E-A-T, B-I-K-E, G-O, R-I-D-E.

I would not have as many leaves INSIDE my house as outside.

I would not look strangely at people who think having ONE dog

ties themdown too much.

I'd look forward to spring and the rainy season instead of dreading"mud" season.

I would not have to answer the question "Why do you have so many animals?"

from people who will never have the joy in their lives of knowing they are loved

unconditionally by someone as close to an angel as they will ever get.

How EMPTY my life would be! ~ Author Unknown

I Adopted Your Dog Today

I adopted your dog today

The one you left at the pound

The one you had for seven years

and no longer wanted around.

I adopted your dog today

Do you know he's lost weight?

Do you know he's scared and depressed

and has lost all faith?

I adopted your dog today.

he had fleas and a cold,

but don't worry none.

You've unburdened your load.

I adopted your dog today.

Were you having a baby or moving away?

Did you suddenly develop allergies

or was there no reason he couldn't stay?

I adopted your dog today.

he doesn't play or eat much

He's very depressed,

but he will learn again to trust.

I adopted your dog today.

And here he will stay.

He's found his forever home

and a warm bed on which to lay.

I adopted your dog today.

And I will give him all that he could need.

Patience, love, security, and understanding.

Hopefully he will forget your selfish deed. -Author Unknown