Posts for the Pooches

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself

Josh Turner

We lost our Matilda on Easter weekend. Mere days after my post about nearly losing 0wen. Mattie had gone stone deaf the year prior and had lost her eyesight in both eyes in January. The photo above was probably the last taken of a 'good day' spent with her. It wasn't long before she started rejecting us and isolating herself, probably lost in a dark, silent pit of fear and depression. It broke our hearts to say goodbye to her. She had been a faithful, squiggly, snorty ball of love and had seen our family grow from our engagement, to marriage, to three kids, to a move across country. She will be forever missed and not a day goes by that I don't remember how it felt to have her snuggled up to me or to hear her snoring through the night. We miss our Mattie.

I really thought it would be ages before we'd ever bring a new pet into the house. I'll admit that the respite from having to care for another body in the house and Jonathan loved not having to scoop poop in the yard- it was nice. But from the moment that it was even suggested that we might look at getting another dog in the next year or so, had me searching on the net "just for fun". I came across a Pet Rescue agency in Calgary and naturally, it displayed all of the pups who needed homes.

Introducing Jesse and Ventura "Tura". 0ur girls were rescued in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and the agency told us they were named after Jesse Ventura, because his wife is who found the pups in the street and brought them into the shelter there.

If you think I was crazy to take two pups on in this crazy house- you're more than right. It's been a nightmare as far as the messes and the training. But they're gorgeous. They're love sponges. We love them.

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole

Roger Caras

Mattie the White & Snow Geese

She's getting old. Poor Matilda is aging before our eyes. Hard to believe she's the same pup who darted and sprinted and could jump up to your lap. These days she's more content to sleep on a pillow, always with her head raised up on something because the rolls of fat around her neck make it hard for her to breathe. Poor Sausage.

We've been walking every morning and night to the river and it's been so great for both of us. Having my grandmother here gives me the mini break I need to go for the walk while she watches the boys. Having the Bow River at my doorstep is such a gift. It's the perfect destination for a short little walk and I've been having a lot of fun checking out the the 'wildlife'. The other night, Jake and I hung out on the rocky beach with a couple of guys who were fly fishing. We were stared down by a huge beaver, about 15 ft. away from us in the water, who was content just chewing on a stick as if it was corn on a cob. This morning I remembered to bring my camera and caught a couple of pictures of the last remaining pelicans who haven't yet flown south. Grandad Brian saw them a while back and mistook for them for snow geese.

I'm hoping that with the upcoming change in season I'll still manage to get out for that walk, because I'm relying on it more and more for a mental break. I'm also relying on it for the dose of Mother Nature that I'm getting, with the changing colours (yup! it's autumn here in Calgary!) and the view of the mountains. Besides, I think Mattie has turned a corner. I noticed this morning that her snorting no longer sounded like a tank engine, so I think her cardio is improving.