This is indeed the best Father’s Day I’ve had in a long time! 💙🩵💙
My Zoey has healed beautifully – the incision looks great and the surgical glue has dried/been absorbed/whatever it does to become invisible – so I took the surgical recovery suit off of her this morning. Now it can be washed and put away until it’s needed by another family member.
Good time for a rest
My big boy Zen is home, too! And it feels wonderful to have him here! I have my little family back together again, the way we should be.
He loves his half a tennis ball!
When we got home from visiting with their Grandpa, we all got some water and went back outside for a little bit of fetch. But 10 minutes of that hot, humid air was about all this dog mom could stand. So, we’re back inside chilling out in the air-conditioned house.
Zoey’s happy to have Zen home, too!
Tomorrow and Tuesday are Zen’s 27-Month and Zoey’s 21-Month birthdays respectively. Friday (the 14th) was their mutual monthly Gotcha Day. Where have the months gone??!
I can’t believe my big boy, my sunshine, my leprechaun, my pot of gold, my lucky charm is suddenly two years old! 💚🐾☘️🐾
Hi Mom!
Before Bogie’s ashes even came home, I was looking forward to Zen’s arrival. I had promised Ducky that we would get her another baby brother to help her deal with Daddy’s dementia demons. Then Ducky left me, too. I was devastated. But once the shock wore off and I was left with just the reality of her absence, I knew Ducky would pick the perfect puppy for me. I just had to wait patiently. That waiting wasn’t easy in between Sam’s dementia-induced “episodes” but I managed. And suddenly, on St. Patrick’s Day 2022, on their mama’s birthday, my little furball and his nine siblings were born. I was soooo excited! And Sam was excited (when his dementia allowed him some control).
Zen and his siblings, about 2 weeks old
Oh! They were soooo cute and tiny! Baby leprechauns all! When they were three weeks old, Sam and I went to see them. I saw baby Zen, with his smudge muzzle, looking at us from under a chair and fell in love.
Look at that sweet little face
He stole my heart even then, but at just three weeks old he wasn’t ready to choose his humans yet. So we went back to see all the puppies again the following week. And I let Ducky do the choosing. I knew she would whisper in the right puppy ear. It took a little extra encouragement from Ducky because Sam’s demons were lurking in the shadows; but that little cutie I had already fallen in love with picked me. And eventually picked Sam too.
Soooo sweet!Hi DaddyOur Zen-puppy and Us
So much has happened since that day four weeks after Zen was born that I couldn’t possibly include it all here. Some of it was heartbreaking, some of it was truly frightening, a lot of it loaded with anxiety. But once Sam was in a place where I knew he would be cared for professionally and compassionately, the anxiety eased enough that I could bring Zen back home. So I did and our relationship, our bond has been growing.
Zen Hugs
We’ve had our times when my journey into widowhood has made for tense moments, but we’ve gotten through them relatively unscathed and more bonded as a result. Zen has truly been my “rock” throughout these 17+ months since Sam joined Bogie, Ducky, and our other pups at the Rainbow Bridge to wait for me.
Then, six months and one day after Zen was born, his little cousin Zoey came into this world with her own nine siblings. I knew I wanted another girl to love. And I knew raising pups of the opposite sex would be challenging. But I felt up to it and Zen needed a playmate. So, six months to the day after Sam and I brought Zen home for the first time, I brought Zoey home while my brother stayed with Zen.
Getting to Know You…🎶This photo brings back memories of Callie and Shadow at the same ages.
Zen is not just my rock; he’s also an excellent big brother.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZEN-ZEN!! ☘️☘️🎂🎉🎈 Zoey and I love you and will do all we can to make your day as special as you are! 💚💚💚💚💚
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.
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 …
Getting to know each other
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.
Oh, those puppy teeth!
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.
My Little Girl’s Not So Little Now
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!!
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.
🐾💜 Mama’s Snuggle Puppy 💜🐾
Of course Zen’s butt had to photobomb the sweetness, but that’s okay. 💚🐾
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.
Zoey and Zen (left to right)
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 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.
My Baby GirlMy Big Boy
And, now that they’ve had dinner and done their business, it’s time to get “down and dirty”.
Round n round we go.I’m glad you’re home little sis!A game of tug with a chew toy
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.)
My Sometime Snugglebuddy
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”.
Today, among blessings too numerous to count, I’m thankful for …
This sweet boy who was neutered yesterday, andThis precious little sassy girl who snuggles with me so sweetly, and
Zen’s and Zoey’s vet – my friend and also Shadow’s, Ducky’s, and Bogie’s vet once upon a time – Dr. Tyler Simpson (and his wonderful staff) at Furwell Veterinary Hospital, literally right down the road from our house.
And Zen’s and Zoey’s “Grandpa” and “Aunt Joy” who are taking care of Zoey for us so Zen can recuperate and heal from his surgery in relative peace and quiet.
And last but certainly not least, my brother who is here visiting with us to – among other reasons – help me take care of Zen and Zoey and because he and I need to spend time together whenever we can.
Zen is scheduled for his neuter surgery (and a dental cleaning) on Wednesday, so Zoey will be spending his week-long recuperation period at their Grandpa’s house. I am sooooo going to miss seeing these snuggle sessions!! 🥲
in my heart 4ever 