Granted, it is 41F so it won’t last long but it is pretty. Rob and Gracie were so excited to run around in it this morning that it is already plowed under in the dog yard. Gracie apparently decided an extra layer was needed over her sweater because her blanket is out there too. I searched the archives and found some fun old posts…
Snowshoeing at Crystal Mountain
June 6th is the day we brought Robert home! I figure most of you have never seen any puppy pictures so here are a couple along with some more recent ones. It is pretty hard to believe he wasn’t always part of the family and even harder to imagine what it will be like without him someday. He was about 6 months old and only 45 pounds when we brought him home… as you can see he was an adorable pup! Freya went along with the idea during the initial meet and greet at a friend’s home until it suddenly occurred to her that we meant to keep him, then she took a bit of um, convincing. He was always really good with her. In fact, when he was about a year old, Freya was getting really arthritic but still loved to play fetch so we would go to the park near us at night and let them both off leash. Scott would throw the Frisbee, Rob would chase and retrieve it, and then bring it right to Freya so she could return it to Scott for the next toss — all without a word spoken or a prearranged plan — it all just somehow fell into place thanks to Robbie.
That intuitive caring is why Robbie has been such an amazing therapy dog. I would take him to an assisted living facility for a scheduled visit and as we’d enter the common room where everyone was gathered for the event, I’d have him sit at the entrance to get our bearings. I’d watch him scan the room’s occupants and then look up at me to indicate he was ready. I’d nod to him it was okay to go and let him lead me as he walked right up to a specific person and engage them. Without fail, the event coordinator would come up to me and whisper, “That’s who I was going to ask you to be sure to visit. He or she has been having a really hard time. How does he do that?” I’d just beam at him and say, “He’s a rock star!”
I’ve heard it said that it takes a village to raise a child and a dog is no exception. Thanks to…
I found these Ten Promises on the Salty Dog website and couldn’t resist sharing. Salty Dog Rescue is the group we adopted Gracie from one year ago. Here is the blogpost if you missed it: Made in Taiwan.
Note to those who have emailed me… Yes, I noticed that they are phrased as statements from the dog rather than as promises to the dog but that is how they have them on the website and I think they are all really good points so I didn’t want to change them, Enjoy!
1. My life will last from ten to fifteen years. Any separation from you will be painful for me.
2. Give me time to understand what you want from me.
3. Place your trust in me…it’s crucial to my well-being.
4. Please remember: You have your friends, your work, your entertainment. I only have you.
5. Talk to me. Even if I don’t understand your words, I understand your voice.
6. Be aware that however you treat me I will never forget it.
7. Before you ever strike me please remember I have teeth that could hurt you but I do not bite you.
8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, please ask yourself if something might be bothering me.
9. Take care of me when I get old.
10. Go with me even on the most difficult journeys.
Everything is easier for me if you are there…remember that I love you.
I entered in a give-away on My Yoga Online and won 2 pairs of Pluggz. The give-away consisted of a drawing from all who responded to this question on the MYO forum, the question was: How do you ground yourself?
I responded: I keep grounded by slowing down, focusing on one task at a time and reducing media inputs. And… my name was drawn! So now I get to try a really cool product that I never would have heard of otherwise. I was going to get 1 pair for Scott and 1 for me, but their men’s sizes stop at 12, so that means I get both. He doesn’t really wear flip-flops anyway so he wasn’t exactly heartbroken in case you were concerned. So far I like them, I’ll give a full review in a week or so.
Scott has our Chinook, the boat, not the dog, up at the Center for Wooden Boat’s weekend boat show. She looks great with all the other wooden boats and it is a fun crowd. There are some classic Lake Union Dreamboats. The weather has been great (fingers crossed) and the little kids are all attracted to our boat. If you are in Seattle make sure to stop by and see her. We’ll be there periodically and a friend will be showing her the rest of the time.
