This and That

Noah is home recovering from his surgery. Thanks to everyone who wrote to wish him well. Dr B removed two tumors from his neck and since they couldn't be identified easily, they were sent to the lab for analysis. We'll have the results in a week. Dr Nicki did a smear and didn't see any cells, so we're hoping it's just a one time inflammation.

If it was closer to Halloween, Noah could go as Frankenstein. He has quite an incision running down his neck to his shoulder. No collar for awhile and even the harness can only be used for going to the clinic as it rubs a bit. At home he just goes naked.



His appetite has not been affected. In fact, when they brought the little guy to me, yesterday, they commented that he didn't seem to notice that he'd had surgery. He was hopping and spinning and pulling on the leash. The hardest part of my job is keeping him quiet for the next two weeks till the stitches come out.



Sky has a new bed that fits. He looks much more comfortable curled up in it. He would not cooperate for a picture this morning. He looked as if I was crazy asking him to get in his bed in the daytime. He hasn't even attempted to get on the furniture in the living room until last night. While Rob and I were watch TV, Morgan was on one sofa next to Rob, Samba was on my sofa next to me, Tsar was on the loveseat , Fudge was on the window seat and Monty was stretched out on the floor. Sky quietly walked over to a chair and climbed on it. He sat up very straight and looked around. Rob and I both started laughing and he jumped down and curled up on the floor beside me.

This week Chan's dog Mugsy joined our Lucy at the Rainbow Bridge. Chan told how they buried him in a garden beside another of their dogs. She referred to their Rainbow Garden. It made me think about the ways we say Goodbye to our best friends.

When I was a kid we lived in the country and had 300 acres most of which was wooded. When one of our dogs or cats died, we carried them into a clearing in the woods and buried them, usually marking their graves with a pile of rocks. A number of my childhood fur friends sleep there.

When I worked in the city I had a dog and sometimes wondered what I would do if anything happened to her. When she died the vet in Pennsylvania where we lived arranged for her cremation.

Since we've lived here we've lost four dogs. There is a pet cemetery called Friends Of The Family not far from where we live. It's a quiet little spot where a pet can be buried. They also do cremations. You can get your pet's ashes back if you want to make your own arrangements or they will scatter the ashes there on the grounds. We have had our dogs cremated and their ashes scattered. We sometimes visit on a Sunday morning, sit on a bench and remember the happy times we shared.


Here at home we plant trees to celebrate our dog's lives. This cherry tree is in Pylon's honor. It has little pink and white flowers in the spring and is just the type of tree she would enjoy resting under.


Bentley chose his own tree. We had just planted this plum tree in the front yard when he got sick. He spent hours lying under it and so we have always referred to it as Bentley's tree. It has little pink flowers in the spring and produces plums that the birds and squirrels seem to enjoy.



Puppy # 8 never lived long enough to see the yard or lie under a tree, but when this crimson maple matures it should shade most of the back yard. The pile of rocks in the front of the picture is where the lower part of the fish pond will be located. It should be a nice area to sit and read a book.


When fall arrives and the weather is a little friendlier to young plants, we'll plant a river birch in the lower corner of the yard for Lucy. That was her favorite place to hunt for bugs. Every time she went out, she would head for that corner.

Tomorrow morning we'll put Morgan and Tess in the car and head for the lake. Splash, Grace and J have invited us out on the boat and Tess will get a chance to swim with her sister. It should be fun. Watch for lots of pictures of wet dogs.