I'm learning/flailing with the photo/video features my blog offers. Bear with my haphazardness; I am not a tekkie. Get a cup of tea, or a cocktail, depending on your process, as I use my dial up.
Yes, I said it: I only have dial-up. Uploading (or am I downloading?) photographs takes a bit of patience so I'm treating it as a meditation practice with "Lady and The Tramp" on the DVD player and a baked potato crisping it's skin in the toaster oven.
Sallie loves a cozy bed...
...no matter if the "bed" is a laundry basket with a comforter in it.
She is such a love but a bit damaged from her foster experiences. A very free
spirit, Sallie had a tough early life but is completely happy in her forever home.
She reminds me of dogs I knew during my childhood.
No, just Franklin and Sid, ever present in the truck with me on errands, taking advantage of the lull of mundane activity and cuddle for intermittent naps. They're very sweet together.
Frankie will groom Siddy's ears, eyes and generally make sure he's well cared for. Sid let's him do whatever he wants.
It's a truly mutual friendship. It's lovely.
Josie resting in between wrestling matches
She usually gets whatever the object of today's desire is, even though she only weighs 6 pounds! The toy pictured with her is almost bigger than she but her terrier lineage fortifies her sense of self and woe is the big dog that thinks she's a pushover. On one hand it's cute to watch her assert such righteous indignation but fearlessness sometimes teeters into dangerous territory.
I never say "I own Josie", since I don't.
You can't own a soul, not even your own.
Siddy with his bodyguard, Josie (Sallie is in the background)
Sid was about eight months old when found wandering his neighborhood unneutered. His people decided they couldn't take care of him so I rescued him. He's been a devoted companion for a long time now, fully vetted before I brought him home and one of the gentlest dogs I've ever had. He chases me out whenever I try to leave and I ran over him a month or so ago but he's fine now.
I admit that I love this breed. I grew up one farm away from a veterinarian who bred and showed AmStaffs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Staffordshire_Terrier
As a result I wasn't prejudiced by propaganda against "bully breeds". All my life I've rescued variations of bully dogs.
Sometimes the dog was a dream, others not so much but then I can say the same about Jack Russells, Saint Bernards,
Weimaraners, Golden Retrievers, blah-blah-blah.
My Sid is especially sweet, with just enough tang to keep our relationship interesting.
Other than trying to re-enact the driving scene from "Bullitt" or "The French Connection" up our driveway every time I leave
the Sanctuary, the only time he makes me mad is when he sleeps on my pillows;
I don't mind him on my bed but I like my pillows to remain fresh and dog hair-free.
Last night when I went to bed, he was on one of my pillows so I had to henpeck him.
As he scooted over, I covered him with a super-dense fake fur throw his Auntie P. got for him.
Otherwise his shivering wakes me up in the middle of the night. Bully breeds don't have much of a "coat".
This is Gypsy
She was very pretty.
She had leukemia.
Doggie Paws Pause
Sallie and Mina, tandem napping, after hours of fun. From tug-of-war
to tag, they play until they are exhausted and after a quick treat, they pass out. BOOM. Sleeping forhours.
A great lesson in the importance of rest.
I love this photo.
I wish my camera's flash worked but it still represents well.
Donny Dog
Donny has been tossed around from foster home to foster home, well intentioned but novices really, after being left behind when
his people moved. He's a great dog but not for the faint-of-heart; he's been traumatized by all the flake-a-zoids in and out of his life
and required for the first six months, a lot of attention and reassurance. He was worth it. Donny is very smart, very vocal and very, very sweet. Sometimes I wonder if he's not my late husband.
See how he looks at me?
Thomas J. picking up the slack as Valerie and Henry sleep on the job
Other than Thomas J., both Val and Henry were adopted. Henry went to Colorado
and Valerie kind of matched their 'Beau' in looks, temperament and compatibility.
Over time together, Val watches out for Beau: John told me that one of his neighbors
has a dog always harrassing Beau, despite the fact that
Beau outweighs him by thirty pounds.
Yet once Val joined their pack,
she put a stop to that nonsense tout suite!
Valerie
Now Beau, pictured above with John, and Val, walk wherever he likes.
Isn't this a fantastic photograph?
John just came down and graded my driveway last week on his old Ford tractor.
He is a true Renaissance Man; there's nothing he can't do.
The last man I knew like that was my husband.
I've never remarried.
No mystery there.
Sometimes they come to me to die
Darcy, a beautiful ancient Dalmation I rescued ultimately had to be put down after a stroke that left her unable to stand.
She was very, very frail when I took her in. You might be able to see that she's sleeping on clothes, clothes I'd worn that day.
She was very sweet, feeling a bond with me, her caregiver.
Notice her distended vertebrae, the tumors all about. Fortunately she
still had an appetite so I gave her a helluva "last supper": fried chicken, chocolate cake and a whole Guinness (her favorite beer)
from a ceramic bowl as her pre-euthanasia I.M.sedation kicked in. That's the way forany species to go:
a magic carpet ride through your perfect world with chocolate icing on your lips.
She couldn't walk to get a drink of water
It's a simple, lovely connection
Henry and Mina, spooning. Do we take after them or do they take after us?
Or are we really all just animals: verbal/non-verbal, bi-ped/quad, carnivore/omnivore?
The essence of this photo is ______________________ .
(YOU fill in the blank.)
I love dogs. Life is so easy with them.
How friggin fantastic are these photos Kathy! The only one you left out and I was looking forward to seeing was 'Pops'. Thanks for sharing. Love, Auntie P.
