Moving On

On Wednesay, we were contemplative.

I looked through my pictures of Abby, and thought of her often, but I didn’t have the breakdown I thought I would have. And if I became too sad, Zoe or Otis would walk into the room and do something silly to make me laugh. It’s almost as if they knew. 

I worry that I’m forgetting some of the things that made Abby unique. I worry that my memories of her are already blurring with my two current dogs.

Although, while I was looking through the photos, certain ones stood out that seemed to capture her personality. There was a sassy look that made me think, “Yeah, that’s Abby.” 

I wish I’d taken more pictures and written more about her. But none of those things would bring her back. 

I still miss her. I love my two dogs, but she’s always going to have a place in my heart. There’s enough room for all three of them. They don’t have to fight for it like Zoe and Otis over their toys (although if I told them, they totally would).

Two Cute Links

Laughter is the best medicine, right?

An adorable (is there any other kind?) Boxer puppy on Cute Overload.

And the inevitable consequences (from the comments on the previous link).

One Year Ago Today

Christmas 2008, in Pictures

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law gave each dog a rope toy for Christmas. It all started innocently enough, each dog playing with one toy.

Dogs playing peacefully

 

 

Then Zoe noticed Otis was playing with something.

Hmmm... what do you have there?

 

 

A tug-of-war ensued.

Grrrrrrr....

 

 

The dogs pulled at the green rope, while the red rope lay unnoticed underneath the action.

It's mine! Mine!

 

 

Then, for no reason at all, they returned to playing with separate toys.

Peace at last

 

 

The green rope toy was destroyed two days later by a vengeful Zoe, in a fit of chewing.

Ode to Otis

I can’t believe I get anything done with this much cuteness around.
 

Otis curling up on the couch in the office

 

Otis looking suspicious at the camera noises

 

Otis snuggling with Tim's shirt

 

Sometimes he sleeps with his tongue sticking out, and it takes him a couple minutes to notice:

 

Otis waking up

Unintentional Break

Wow, I didn’t mean to be gone for so long. Pictures from Christmas are coming soon.

The dogs are continuing to do well. They’re starting to get cabin fever, as our walks have become shorter with the colder temperatures. 

They’re starting to get the hang of Orange Ball, so I’ve been sticking a few treats in there and letting them roll it along the floor to make the treats pop out. Or, in Zoe’s case, trying to chew the toy to make the hole bigger.

Zoe has destroyed 3 tennis balls in the past week. We’ve been watching her closely with them, because she tends to turn them into chew toys instead of things to fetch. I wonder if this makes Otis slightly sad, because he really loves to play fetch. 

We’ve noticed that Otis has really started to settle in even more over the last couple weeks. I wonder if it’s partly because he’s a little older and has memories of several different homes, not knowing when the party is going to end at a particular place, or if it’s due to him reclaiming his spot on the bed at night. He’s no longer sleeping on the old comforter on the floor– his legs have been strong enough that he’s hopped onto the bed each evening for the last couple weeks.

And Otis has been a lot more affectionate lately. He did the most adorable thing last night. Instead of curling up at the end of the bed or between me and Tim, he lay his head on my stomach and draped a paw over, almost like he was giving me a hug. It was so sweet I almost melted. 

I think I need to have the Detrol Discussion with Zoe. After a week or so when we were all sleeping through the night, she’s been getting up at least once (thankfully, not so much where I’m concerned that there’s an actual  medical issue). Last night, it was 5:00. The night before, it was 3:30. The night before that, 2:30. I don’t mind as much when it’s earlier because I can get more sleep in before the evil alarm goes off. 

Cute as they are, I think they’re conspiring to take over my side of the bed. It all starts out innocently enough, with them curled up in a neutral location. Then gradually, as my defenses are down, they slowly move over onto my side. I wake up in the middle of the night, wondering why there’s a draft, and then I realize my feet are hanging off the edge of the mattress and I have no covers. The one good thing about Zoe getting up at night is a chance for me to reclaim my spot on the bed.