Honor

I'm a bit concerned about my Bullmastiff, Honor. Lately, she seems to have random periods of time throughout random days ... very sporadic ... that she doesn't act like herself. She lacks energy and enthusiasm ~ a baby carrot is usually enough to get her hopping ~ but sometimes, no matter what I do or say, she just seems 'not like herself'. She's an old girl and I do realize that she will probably not be around for a whole lot longer, but no matter how much I try to reason with myself about it, I know that when the time comes, I'm gonna be a basket-case extraordinaire. I love my dogs like they're my kids. Some people don't understand that. For those who don't, I'm so sad for you. To never have a bond with a fabulous animal like a dog, is a real shame. She survived serious trauma last summer. And she'll be 9 this summer. We are her 3rd (and final) family she's graced with her presence in her lifetime. I feel so lucky to have her in our lives. Hopefully her days of 'not being herself' are merely that of contemplation ... or just rest ... Yes, I think I like that much better. Anyways, sorry for the random babblings about my dog and her old age. Next blog'll be much more chipper. It's just what's on my mind right now. For anyone who's ever lived with an old dog, you know what I mean.

Dogs rule

This is my baby girl Honor. She's a purebred Bullmastiff that came to live with us through a Bullmastiff rescue organization, 3 1/2 years ago. Last summer, Honor was in an accident involving a truck, and broke her pelvis. It took about 2 months after her surgery until she could walk by herself again (without having us use a body harness and belly sling on her to help). If you look closely, you can tell that the fur on her back leg is a slightly lighter colour. That's because it still hasn't completely grown back in. Honor is plagued with food allergies. You name it, she's allergic to it. I should've changed her name to 'Ian'. So now, she's a bit of spoiled girl, as I have to cook her meals for her. Yes. That's right. I cook for my dog. Try not to laugh too hard. The way I look at it is ... she'll be 9 this August. She's not going to be around for a whole lot longer, so I'm trying to make her life as comfy as possible until that time comes. I don't mind one bit.

This is my big meat-head of a people-pleaser, Boris. Boris will be 8 in August. We picked him out of a litter of 10 pups when he was 3 weeks old and at 6 weeks, he came to live with us. He is the most devoted dog we've ever had. At times, his ultra high energy and enthusiasm can be a bit much, but for the most part, he's a real sweetie to have around. No matter what he's doing, if I leave a room, he follows me (my shadow). Even if he's dead asleep, and I try to sneak out of a room, he somehow hears and gets up to follow me, only to fall asleep on the floor in the latest room I'm in. And so on and so on ... Boris' mom is a purebred black Lab (who got loose when she was in heat and had various randomly marked pups). When people see him, they ask if he's a Shepherd X, so that's what we're goin' with. He's a Lab/Shepherd X. Sounds good to me. He is also a phenomenal guard dog. Honor absolutely adores him and I think he likes her company, although I'm sure he'd never admit it.

So these are the beasties I live with, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

The Dump

I have this huge old furnace sitting in my back yard right now. For the past 3 months, it's been slowly making its mark on my little concrete slab. That of rust. I don't think it helps that my dog has taken to peeing on the corner of it lately. It's been there so long that he probably thinks it's the latest yard ornament. Well, not anymore. It's making its way to the dump today. As messed up as this may sound, I actually like going to the dump. The folks that work there will grab certain items they think are very re-usable and put them aside for others to take. One man's trash is another man's treasure, I guess. Somehow, I don't think my furnace will be in that pile.