This Boy!!

11/16/202311/16/202311 Comments

Since this past Tuesday was also Zen’s (half-year) Gotcha Day – he’s been with me for 18 months – it’s only fitting that I should give him his own post on Thankful Thursday.

Zen and I have been through so much together in his short lifetime…his human daddy’s dementia and subsequent last months at home and then his passing; my relief and grief over my human soulmate’s passing; all the repair jobs that have had to be done on and in the house; and then the first holidays without hubby, Ducky, and Bogie. And my dear, sweet boy helping me raise his little sister. Then he guided me through his angel brother/cousin Bogie’s first anniversary in Heaven; Bogie’s, hubby’s, and Ducky’s first birthdays in Heaven; and then Ducky’s first anniversary in Heaven. And my own little health scare, which thankfully turned out to be minor and easily resolved.

That’s A LOT to go through in the span of a year and a half! But my boy got me through all of it. He has been here for me through thick and thin. Just as his mentor, Ducky, was all those years before and would have been if she could have. But in truth, she was here in spirit … mentoring and helping Zen to help me as she would have done. ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

Zen is my sunshine boy. My leprechaun (he, like his birth mama, was born on St. Patrick’s Day), my huggy-bear, my earthbound guardian angel with paws, my helper. And while he is maturing into a calm adult, he is still very much a puppy when playing with his little sister.

I thank Ducky every day for picking Zen out for me…she knew exactly which of Bogie’s baby cousins would be perfect for her grieving mama.

Happy First Gotcha Day Zoey!!

11/14/202311/13/202315 Comments

How is it even possible that you’ve been here with Zen and me for a full year already?! Here you are that first night home …

I still remember trying to will you and your littermates to be born the day before you actually were … I wanted you and Zen to be exactly six months apart. Oh well, at least I could make your Gotcha Days six months apart.

You’ve been growing physically and emotionally; but you’re still very much a puppy with all that energy. You keep Zen and me on our toes, for sure! Now that you can hold your own against Zen, you have wrestling matches that admittedly make me nervous at times.

You Reap What You Sow, Zoey

Zoey had been pestering Zen earlier in the day, so when he started in on her, I started recording. Zen is so tolerant, so patient with her most of the time. I love when he gives it back to her.

The more I look at Zoey, the more I see Bogie in her eyes and heart. She just looks and acts SO MUCH like her older angel brother! It’s really uncanny. Maybe God sent Bogie back to me in Zoey to give him a second chance at life? I don’t know; but it sure feels that way at times. She’s a lovebug, a sweet, sassy lovebug, and I’m glad Ducky and Bogie sent her to Zen and me!! 💜💜💜💜

HAPPY 1st GOTCHA DAY ZOEY! We love you, little one!!

Happy 1st Birthday Zoey!!! 🎈🥳🦴

09/18/202309/18/202317 Comments

It’s hard to believe that this sweet, loving, precious angel-with-paws was born a year ago today! And it’s hard to believe that she was once this small….

I remember trying to “will” her to be born the day before, on Zen’s half-year birthday, so I’d have another pair of puppies born exactly six months apart. Well, one day’s not a big deal. 😊

Long-time readers may (or may not) remember that my first two Golden babies were born exactly six months apart…Callie on April 16, 2004 and Shadow on October 16, 2004. (And their Gotcha Days were also exactly 6 months apart, June 7th and Dec. 7th.) But I’m drifting here, so back to Zoey.

This sweet little girl has brought Zen and me so much joy! She’s just what we needed…Zen needed a playmate and I needed another little girl, but one who would snuggle with me like her angel-brother Bogie used to. My two Z Kids bonded right from the start into a mutual adoration society.

And as she grew, big brother Zen let her climb all over him…

Zoey still climbs all over her brother and loves to curl up and snuggle with him….

Happy First Birthday my sweet and sassy little girl! Zen and I love you to the end of the universe and back! You complete our little family. Today is your day. Thankfully the sun is shining again after yesterday’s rain made Zen’s half-year birthday kinda gloomy – weather-wise only – so we can spend time playing in the sunshine like we all love to do. ☀️☀️☀️

A Very Thankful Thursday

09/14/202309/14/20234 Comments

How appropriate that the 14th day of this month should fall on a Thankful Thursday! Why? Because it’s a very special day in my life…it’s the Z Kids’ Monthly Gotcha Day! Zen has been with me for 16 months; and Zoey has been with us for 10 months. And in less than a week, Zen will be 18 months old and Zoey will be a full year old. But more about birthdays next week.

I can hardly believe my Zen has been here 16 months already! Most of last year was so dark; but this sweet boy was my one ray of sunshine after Ducky got her wings. Knowing Zen was on the way is what kept me going. And when he was born on St. Patrick’s Day, he became my little leprechaun, my Golden Boy.

He grew up to be my best friend; my Ducky’s facilitator – she visits me often through the baby brother she picked out for me; my guardian angel with paws; my watch dog; my confidant; my helper; my mostly independent, self-confident hooligan. And a wonderful big brother to Zoey.

And, while Zen stayed here at home with his human uncle, I drove up to his Golden Family’s house to get Zoey. I had hoped that Zoey would be born on Zen’s first half birthday, but she had her own plan. That’s okay. I could still make her Gotcha Day the same day of the month as Zen’s. ❤️🐾 And here she is as that 8-week-old puppy.

She’s nearly a year old! I can’t believe how fast these 10 months have flown by! She’s growing up, but she’s still small for her age. I love how her tail feathering is so “floofy”! It’s hard to see in my photos of her, but here she is now…

This little girl is my kindred spirit…as much a “tomboy” as I was when I was a little girl. I climbed trees with the boys next door; Zoey’s happiest playing catch in the dirt and dust of the back yard with her brother.

Happy (Monthly) Gotcha Day my sweet hooligans!! I love you both with my whole heart! 💚🐾💜🐾

These Puppies!

07/31/202307/31/202314 Comments

What better way to start a Monday than with my puppies?! (Well, Zen is fast approaching adulthood at 16-1/2 months; but he’ll always be my puppy.)

Perfect photos for my Awww Mondays blog hop post, wouldn’t you agree?

My Baby’s Not a Baby Anymore

07/10/202312 Comments

Zoey came into her first season some time yesterday; so technically speaking she’s not a “baby” any more. But she will always be MY baby. She was feeling a bit tired this morning, so she snuggled up to me while I drank my first cup of coffee.

Of course Zen’s butt had to photobomb the sweetness, but that’s okay. 💚🐾

Friday Morning Snuggles 💜💜🐾🐾

06/16/202306/16/20235 Comments

My sweet little girl. Zen’s sweet – and sassy – little sister. This munchkin is approaching her teenage months, bless her heart. I think she’s close to coming into her first season…she has a hard time getting comfortable, panting hard at times and then relaxing for a few minutes.

And for now she’s quietly resting – still here on the couch with me – while Zen sleeps at my feet. The perfect way to start a weekend…with my (fur) babies at my side or at least close by. 💚🐾💜🐾

WP Daily Prompt – What are you passionate about?

06/15/202306/15/20235 Comments

In just two words … my dogs. I am passionate about their welfare, their health, and their happiness. I am passionate about giving them the best life I can afford.

I am passionate about giving them as much unconditional love as they give me. They are sweet, loving, goofy, fun, loyal, and sometimes frustrating teenagers. They are my best friends as well as my “fur-babies” and I am their “mama”.

They are both Heaven-sent, picked out for me by my canine soulmate who earned her angel wings and joined her older sisters and younger brothers in Heaven in February of last year.

These two current pups didn’t know their human “daddy” – hubby’s dementia had already mostly robbed me of the man I married by the time Zen came to live with us at 8 weeks of age. The shell of that man made my poor puppy nervous at times, so he spent a lot of time with his breeder. When hubby was admitted to the hospital, I spent time getting the house cleaned up – when I wasn’t at the hospital with hubby – and then I brought Zen home with me for good. Zoey was born less than a month before hubby passed (peacefully in his sleep at the hospital, thankfully). She came to live with Zen and me in mid-November. And life has been somewhat chaotic and exhausting at times ever since – but always filled with love.

I was just as passionate about my furry angels before they each got their own angel wings. At times it was exhausting dividing my time between them and their human “daddy”; but I always tried to do my best and was always rewarded with their unconditional love.

It devastated hubby and me each time we had to say good-bye to one of the pups. And that devastation – especially the loss of Bogie, an 11-month-old Golden Retriever who got his angel wings due to a traumatic accident – is what finally catapulted poor hubby into the final stages of his dementia. The last one to leave was my soulmate, Ducky, a Cardigan Corgi/Black Lab mix who I adopted from the shelter in 2012. It is Ducky who picked out these two for me, with help from her “baby brother”. Bogie is genetically related to both Zen and Zoey, so he was a natural helper. Ducky knew me better than I knew myself at the time. And she knew exactly what I needed insofar as my next furry earth angels. She visits me quite frequently with their help. (So does Bogie.)

Since this is Thursday – and I am thankful for all the pups I’ve had/now have in my life – I decided this daily prompt from WordPress was perfect for today’s blog hop post.

Zoey’s Home!!

06/14/202306/13/20236 Comments

I’m not sure who’s happier, Zen or me!!

Zoey adores her Grandpa, and her older sister Skye. At first I wasn’t sure she wanted to leave! But once we got home, she could hardly wait to get out of the car and in the house where Zen was waiting for her. I wish I’d had my phone handy to video the greetings!

After the greetings, the three of us went outside to play for a while. Now it’s time for a nap.

And, now that they’ve had dinner and done their business, it’s time to get “down and dirty”.

Happiness is Having a Great Doctor

06/06/20236 Comments

Remember when I told you “Be Careful What You Wish For” last week? Well, if you’re interested in looking back, you can read (or re-read) it here.

The good news is all in the post title. I absolutely adore my GP/family doctor. Sam did, too, even when his dementia took over at times. I had my semi-annual checkup yesterday (delayed a couple of months due to scheduling difficulties). To make a long story short, all but one element of the pre-visit bloodwork came back much improved over each of the last three years‘ results. That element was my T4 thyroid level. The level that most affects the body’s metabolism. And that one element is the one that most likely caused my dizziness episode. So, Doc reduced my thyroid medication dosage and will re-check the T4 in October prior to my annual Medicare exam. She said at one point “I can tell you’ve been getting exercise because your cholesterol levels are perfect!” I told her that it’s impossible to not exercise when you have two young, super-active Golden Retrievers that own you. She smiled because she has one of her own.

Anyway, that having been said, my big boy is feeling much better now that he’s on Day 7 of his post-neuter healing period. Since the vet wants me to keep him as calm as possible to avoid injury to the incision, I’ve been giving him VetriScience’s Composure calming chews twice a day. They do a really good job of settling him down when nothing else works, so I’m glad I haven’t had to use the Gaba/Traz pills they gave me for “just in case” last week. Meanwhile, when he needs to go outside to relieve himself, I clip two leashes to his harness and use the handle on the harness itself as well if I have to hold on tight. I can’t risk him yanking the leashes out of my hand. So, before I take him outside now I make sure the one neighbor and his dog – and the neighborhood feral cat – are not outside and where Zen can see them. Then I pray they won’t show up while we are out. (Believe me I’ve tried numerous times to work something out with this neighbor in the past; all to no avail.)

While Zoey is at their Grandpa’s house, Zen is blessing me with some short snuggle times in the morning. ❤️🐾❤️ And, speaking of Zoey, she’s having a great time! Her older sister, Skye (same mama dog, different daddy), is her favorite playmate. They are best buddies. And she gets to sleep on Grandpa’s bed every. single. night. And Grandpa makes sure she gets kisses from Zen and me several times during the day. I don’t have to remind him…he does it automatically just as he does with his own five “babies”.

in my heart 4ever

Lovingly Dedicated To All My Furry Kids

Tag: life with pets