Easter 2012

My grandson, his moms and Jen's mom and brother, as well as my sister and her family, joined us for an Easter brunch at our house.  The favorite Easter bunny gift ever was a bubble machine that blew a cascade of bubbles.  Our Norfolk terrier was fascinated.

My grandson was enamored with the machine, as were we.  

The look on his face says it all - GREAT PRESENT!

Posing after a job well done

At the end of the day, he decided to see what blowing bubbles into his eye would be like.  All boy - no harm done!

Snow Dog!

Our youngest Norfolk terrier is loving the snow we've had in Kansas.  He would play outside all day if we let him.  However, with the frigid temperatures recently, we don't let him have his way (even though we spoil him in general and he's come to expect it!)

Here are a few pics from the recent snow.

King of the hill

Don't mind the cold at all!

Seriously, Dad, do I have to go in?

Tuckered out at days end

The blizzard of 2011 at its windy worst

Our Pups 2010 Christmas

We enjoy sharing Christmas Day with our furry friends.  Each Christmas, we loosely wrap a couple of toys for each pup in tissue paper.  Our pup, Camden, who crossed the Rainbow bridge two years ago, knew when we placed the dog presents under the tree.  Whether Camden smelled the toys or knew that tissue paper wrapping meant TOYS, we don't know but he literally would stake out the tree when the presents appeared, patiently waiting for the DAY.

We have never had a present "opener" like Camden.  He got the hang of freeing the toy the first year he lived with us.  Our other pups let him do the honors and then would steal the toys.

Our new little puppy, Kauffman, kind of got the hang of it this year but Fenway and Rosa didn't.  They let us and Kauffman do the honors.

We missed having Hanny with us this year but know she and Camden were watching from the other side of the Rainbow Bridge.

I hope you had a great holiday season and have a happy 2011!

Bob, Kauffman, Rosa & Fenway

Kauffman guarding his critters

Don't take my ball!

Rosa in her holiday collar

Yours truly with Fenway & Rosa

My 14 year old "heart dog" Fenway.

Another Beautiful Fall Day

We had a fun photography session in Loose Park on a beautiful fall day in Kansas City.  These kids were such good sports.  In fact, the little guy ran from place to place wanting his photo taken.  He chose good spots!

Brothers 

Can I climb the tree?

What a smile!

Too, too cute!

T 

Boys' best friend

Crossing the Rainbow Bridge

Fenway and Millie - July 2010


My sister's Border "Millie" was my introduction to Border Terriers. She is my
dog Fenway's half sibling - same mother, different dads.

Mille was the sweetest little dog, very mellow. We always laughed that she was
raised by my sister's older Lab. However, she was a real huntress - the terrier
came out when she saw critters invade her yard. The nerve!

She was diagnosed with Cushings at age 8 but did well on meds my sister imported
from England.

She started going deaf at age 11 and really heard very little the last year or
so, except when the dinner dishes rattled. A true Border!

She started having accidents in the house regularly a few months ago and was
diagnosed with bladder cancer a few weeks ago. Her zest for life faded away
over the last few weeks and my sister and her husband made the tough decision
with the vet's advice to send her over the rainbow bridge where she could run
free. Her Lab sister Sandy, who tragically died a couple of months ago of
Exercise Induced Collapse syndrome, was waiting to meet her.

I told my sister that all the Borders who have crossed would be there for her
too. Bless you Millie - you were a wonderful pup. Catch all the critters you
want and pal around with Sable, Sandy, Camden and Brett, your buddies from KC.

La Vie en Rose

We have added a new pup to our lives.  La Vie en Rose (aka "Rosa"), a Norfolk Terrier,  flew from her home in Syracuse, NY with Bob to Kansas City on Wednesday.  She is two and one-half years old and joins her Norfolk buddy, one year old Kauffman, and her two Border Terrier, buddies Fenway (age 13) and Hanover (age 10).

Rosa came to us as a surprise, when a friend had to re-home her.  When we were asked a few weeks ago if we wanted to add Rosa to our lives, we talked about it at length.  Adding a fourth dog to the pack is not something done lightly.

As we discussed it, I looked up to the heavens and asked Camden our Norfolk who is on the other side of the rainbow bridge to give us a sign if adding Rosa to our lives would be the right thing to do.  The next day, I was going through some 1998 gardening magazines and opened to an article called "La Vie en Rose" about a garden in Norfolk England.  It was the sign we needed.  Strangely enough, the woman sitting across the aisle from Bob on the flight to KC with Rosa was from Norfolk, England.  It was meant to be.

Rosa is a very, very sweet little girl who loves the ladies.  She would be content to sit on my lap all day.

Welcome to our lives Rosa!

Long, Long Winter

This has been the longest winter I can remember since my childhood.  It has been snowing all day once again and here it is March 20th, the first day of Spring.  Not even the forsythias, which usually bloom the weekend of the Big 12 basketball tournament, have made an appearance.

The Norfolk terrier puppy, Kauffman, went out first thing and promptly started to dig under the new snow into the freshly laid dirt that was brought in this week to finish off the landscape grading after last year's remodel.

I'm letting him out on a lead now, so all he can do is sit at the door and wistfully remember the early morning hours of digging - for the resident mole I assume.




















"Fenway the Elder", a  Border terrier, wants none of the snow and would prefer to snuggle in his. bed.

"Hanny Bannany", our little girl Border terrier, is in between, not minding the snow, particularly with her jeans jacket to stay warm but liking the snuggling she can get inside on my lap.  She is doing pretty well, considering she has bladder cancer.  We're hoping all the home-cooked meals and flax seed diet are helping.  It's been two months since her tumor was discovered.  To keep her hydrated, we give her and the other dogs yogurt and crushed ice smoothies, with blueberries mixed in.




























Please, Mother Nature, I'm begging you - warm up so I can use the new porch that I can only look at from the warmth of the new sunroom.

Our Hanny

We learned last week that our little girl Border terrier, age 10, has bladder cancer.  We are devastated.  She began her journey with the Fowler family, as our daughter Amy's dog.  However, when Amy moved to an apartment during Hanover's first year, she liked to "sing" when Amy was gone.  A Border terrier's singing is a cross between a yodel and a howl - and is LOUD.  After the Apartment manager asked a friend of Amy's to go into the apartment to check on Hanny, only to discover that all Hanny wanted was company, she moved to our house, where she became a member of the Fenway and Camden pack. 

We think the cancer is in early stages, being only 1 cm in size.  However, it is a metastatic cancer and will grow and spread.  She is on a medication that has helped some dogs' cancer slow.  We are hoping we have her for many more months but are showering her with even more love and affection than normal.

Both Fenway (age 13) and Kauffman (age 10 months)  sense something is wrong.  However, they like the home cooked meals they are getting to help Hanny's kidneys function better.

To have two dogs get two different types of cancer in less than 18 months is baffling.  Although we have always fed high quality prescription foods we got at the vets, they had lots of chemicals and preservatives.  We've switched to home cooked or all natural dog foods in the hope we can avoid having this happen again, particularly with the puppy.   

I just love this photo, taken a few nights ago.  Hanny is always cold in the winter, so wears sweaters.  Someone  visited in January and when he saw her in this pink and green glittery sweater, he exclaimed "Are you going out tonight" to Hanny.  What a cute, sweet little girl.  Of all our pups, she is the one who just wants to love and cuddle.  We can do that!

P.S. I am recovering from my knee surgery fine and will return to work next week after an 8 1/2 week absence.  We are working on long dormant quadriceps muscles in physical therapy.  The progress is slower than I had thought it would be but it was liberating graduating to a cane recently.   

Pups, pups, pups

We are having so much fun with Kauffman. The two older dogs are bonding with him very well and we are thrilled by that. Kauffman is growing like a weed and is venturing further and further into the gardens each day to explore. He still likes to stay near Hanny but isn't totally attached at the hip anymore. I'm having way too much fun taking photos.

Kauffman learned last week to climb the dog stairs we got a while back to help the oldsters climb on the bed - I know -- some of you are thinking Yuk! But, once he figured out the stairs he figured out that he could look down on the other two, who tend to curl up on the rug at the foot of the bed. I think we have an alpha in the making!




He often lays just his head on the big fluffy dog pillow. We're not sure why.



I love this bed - Kauffman blends right in.




Hanny, looking every bit the princess she is, nestled in the flowers



And, last but certainly not least - Fenway doing what he likes to do best these days - lounge around



Woof, woof!!

The Life of Pups

Kauffman and the other two pups are settling in together nicely. Kauffman is Hanny's shadow when they are outside, intently watching everything she does, including the hunting of critters. They play tug and wrestle with each other several times a day, having a blast.

It's taken Fenway a little longer to decide to engage Kauffman in play. The game Fen and Cam played went like this:

Fen would play bow with a toy in his mouth and Cam would snarl at him with tail wagging and chase him across the room, play biting at Fen's tucked rear. We called it the "tuck your butt and run game".

Fenway has initiated the game with Kauffman and can get Kauffman to chase him but Kauffman catches Fen and tries to bite the toy. Fen gets frustrated and looks at us as if to say "he doesn't get it does he!" They'll work out a game. We're just glad that Fenway is engaging with Kauffman, who is a typical puppy "brat" at times, nipping and yipping. Fenway, as the nearly 13 year old "oldster", has little patience at times and moves to another room.

Kauffman is growing and weighed 6.9 lbs yesterday, so has gained nearly a pound since he came home with us. He is so, so smart and is learning from the other two dogs. We once put Hanny in a down and looked over and who was in a down but the Little K!

We are having a blast with our newest family member.

Here's Kauffman last night. All the pups were resting after a busy day.



Hanny is a cutie.



Our shaggy gentleman who has earned the right to remain shaggy - need I say more?

Christmas Day

Oh, the indignity our dogs have to endure to lead comfy lives with us humans. Year after year, when holiday time arrives, the poor pups are dressed in jingle bell collars and reindeer antlers, or other festive attire.  Hanover sits in her garb motionless, just sure something terrible will happen if she moves.  We release her from her anguish and utter embarrassment quickly after a photo is taken.

Fenway,  on the other hand, will let us dress him up in anything, just as long as there's a treat involved.  This year it was lamb jerky.  He was so obsessed with the "bestest" treat ever that he wouldn't look at the camera -- the treat was being offered as a bribe to the left of the camera position.  I suggested I put the treat between my lips to get him to look at me but that idea was quickly nixed when he kept jumping at the camera!   

All in all the pups and their human family enjoyed the Christmas festivities, particularly since my sister from St. Louis and her husband made a surprise visit to KC to join us for dinner.  It doesn't get better than having family together for the holiday season!

HANOVER (9 year old Border Terrier)

FENWAY ( 12 year old Border Terrier)

Happy New Year to all!

Christmas Memories of Camden

In October, I blogged about our three dogs, Fenway, Camden and Hanover. Ten days after my post we lost Camden following two abdominal surgeries in three days and a diagnosis of lymphoma. His little body just wasn't strong enough to recover, although he fought with all his might.

Today, I'm writing in Camden's memory - Christmas was his all time favorite holiday. He knew when the tree went up that good things were coming in tissue wrapped packages. Christmas morning, he would be beside himself waiting for the gift opening -- he knew he always got a few dog toys wrapped in tissue paper.  To see Cam open his presents was a delight.  Of all the dogs, he best knew how to rip the tissue and get to the gift.  Cam treasured his soft toys. Often, we would find him laying with his head on his newest soft toy (probably to make sure neither of the other two dogs would take it).

One of our funniest stories is the year Camden kept pulling a gift from a friend out from under the tree and tearing at it. We couldn't figure out why since he never bothered any present wrapped in regular wrapping paper. On Christmas morning, we discovered the box he had been trying to open was filled with tissue - he must have smelled the tissue and thought the box was an early gift for him!

Below is a short video of Cam eagerly trying to get to his presents on Christmas morning last year (with Fenway coming into the picture at the end) and some snapshots of all three pups.

Cam, we all miss you greatly but we know you're celebrating Christmas on the other side of the rainbow bridge, where there are as many presents as you want under the beautiful trees. Open them with joy and when you tire, lay your head on the softest and dream sweet dreams. You are with us today and always little man. We love you.

Camden in his finest Christmas jingle bell collar

Guarding his toys - the look says it all - I'm not sharing!

The best way to rest!

You can see Camden's paw, where he is missing two toes - the result of surgery he had when he was five - the vets at K-State, particularly Dr. Chad Johannes, saved his life when he got a mysterious disease dissolving his toe bones - they gave us another 6 wonderful years with Camden.  We are eternally grateful to Dr. Johannes and K-State's vet school for all they did for Camden.  

Classic Cam  

One of my favorites - it's pure Camden

He loved being outside and the hair was always in his eyes but he hated having it trimmed

Best buddies - Fenway grieved terribly when Cam died

The posse doing what they love best - watching for squirrels!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and your families!