Jenya and I were playing around with Newton today and got some good shots.
Side shot
The other side
Rear view
front with tongue
sans tongue
front – he looks so much like his daddy in this pic!
head shot from the side complete with the play marks that Banjo leaves…
Sunrise on the last day of 2012, 2013 lies ahead.
Last year my advice to myself in 2012 was to Believe… Believe in myself, in my goals, and in the possibilities for opportunities to come! Wise advice that I lost a bit towards the end of this year.
Now, I look forward and set the goals ahead for 2013, the advice to myself will be Strength.
Have the strength to create the change I seek and the strength to maintain it.
Be Healthy and feel good physically, mentally and financially.
Commit to dog training.
Stay connected with friends.
Purge!
Play more, create more, and do not let lethargy keep me from my goals.
Cheers to that!
“Our eyes are put in front because it’s more important to look ahead than to look back.” unknown
With this in mind I will briefly look back on 2012. My pictures from my phone may tell it best:
I passed the WBC judges certification!
I left B&B, my first career, after 16 years
I started work at Espresso Parts
We started Whitewood Cider!
Dog training classes went well at Happy Dog Institute
Rowan & I went to CPE Nationals and reached our goals!
My second nephew, William Martin, was born and I attended the birth!
I had the opportunity to go to Dubai with the SCAA!
Celebrated 1 year GF, got to SUP for the first time, walked the Nisqually refuge with a dear friend.
Now that December 21st has come, I look forward to more light and the New Year!
As I get the blog up and going again after a long lapse of regular updates, I began to review some older posts. One, about Pride, reminded me that I hadn’t yet documented Prides passing in late May 2012.
Just days shy of Prides”s 14th Birthday, I lost her. It was time for her to go as her systems began to fail her. She did not feel poorly for long, thank goodness. It happened relatively quickly and seemingly pain free.
The world works in mysterious ways, we had planned to be out of town for the weekend but our dog sitter fell through. That gave me the chance to be here by her side. Late morning, Pride had gone outside on her own but I had to carry her inside. That is when it began to set in that things were not looking so good.
At about 1:30 in the afternoon all the other dogs in the house, one at a time, walked up to her and touched noses with her or smelled her. All of them. I didn’t realize it fully until later that they were saying their goodbyes.
Diane and I helped her cross over not too long after that. Even if we had not helped her, I knew that she would not have lived through the night. I will always be so thankful for Diane… she brought Pride into my life. Pride loved her more than anyone else… and she was so happy that she was there with us when she passed.
Even though months have passed, her being gone still brings tears to my eyes. Run free, on all four legs, my friend.
I kind of want to free him in time…. well, wait a minute…. how about freeze him in time from about two months ago 🙂
He is pretty much a raging ball of hormones right now – HA! But I sure do love him. If you follow me on FB, Newt and I are in self-prescribed bootcamp. Which means training every day. I know – not a shocker to some of you very diligent folks… but i have been letting Newt be a puppy and I have been busy. Then look what happens – He’s nearly 1!
More updates and videos of boring foundation and foot work coming soon.
I am looking forward to using it for Rowan’s classes, for my students and to record Newt’s progress.
Check back for video soon!
Pride scared me this weekend… I thought for sure our trip to the vet today would be her last car ride. She has had a quarter sized cyst at the base of her ear for several years. It sometimes shrinks sometimes grows… and this weekend it burst internally. Within a short number of hours white blood cells started attaching the area and the whole side of her face was swollen. Thank goodness one of the vet clinics in my vet’s network was open. We got her some antibiotics which helped right away. And BIGGER thanks to Diane who came over and used a voice of reason and added some perspective that it may just be an infection … not the end of the road for the old girl.
All of us with animals knows what’s it’s like to reach the end of your pets life and get to the point to make “the decision”. I remain thankful everyday that I am able to help my animals, with my vet, to pass on and not cause undue suffering. But it is never an easy decision to make as to when it’s time.
A good friend who had had a dog the same age as Pride had to let her girl go this weekend – 13.5 years is a long run for a boxer. When it’s time for Pride to go… I know that she will have lived a great life as the three-legged an urban legend and kind soul who has filled our home with mischief and sweet snuggles.
tempted by treats 