Pay It Forward Tag

I've been tagged by my ultra cool german shorthaired pointer pal, Tucker, who was tagged by his pal of the same name, Tucker, who was tagged by Bella, who was tagged by Lola, who was tagged by Sadie, who was tagged by Crystal, Who was tagged by Shiloh in a neat sort of way!

Shiloh is celebrating his 20th diary entry and has given tree rosettes to 10 of his pals. He is asking us to "pay it forward" and keep on giving.

He is asking us to send rosettes to 10 of our pals (5 if you can't do 10) and to keep on giving!

Okay - here are my five tags - let's keep this going for Shiloh!

Sunny Lee
Winston
Ava
Murphy
Bodhi

We want to wish . . .

Our pal Joey a great and happy 8th Birthday!

We're thinking of you today and we're sending out big hugs.

We also want to wish all our American pals a happy 4th of July. For those scared of fireworks, we send out a blanket of hugs to comfort you.

Enjoy your weekend pals.

Joey, have an extra special day!

PS--We'd also like to send out a big hello to Winston, Hartie and Abby. Have fun with the sitter, and Mom don't worry they're having a great time.

The weather, for once, is awesome and me and Dad are heading out for one of our legendary treks.

Bark at you later pals.

The Rye Rye

The Tale of the Pint-sized Playmate

Just the night before the sky had lit up with streaks of blinding sparks as the crash of thunder roared like a mighty lion calling to its pride. Today, scattered wisps of clouds were stretched throughout the horizon as the pale blue sky softened the early morning with a gentle calm.

The leash was unhooked and Riley tore off into the woods. His steps were swift and calculated; his footing stable, confident and full of power and grace. The sound of birds singing filled the air. Gusts of wind leftover from the night before rustled through the tall trees.

Caroline shifted her attention from the tall tree branches down to the low-lying bushes about 30 feet in front of her. Riley only moments before had disappeared into the foliage, hot on the pursuit of a scent.

A stir caught Caroline’s attention. She started to walk towards the edge of the woods. As she did she heard the crackling of branches. With each step she kept her eyes on the area from which the sounds where coming from. The bushes began to sway and move, as the sound of rustling got louder.

“Riley,” she called. “Riley, come.”

There was no sign of him. She moved closer, the woods now only about 10 feet away. From out of the green of the bushes a sprinkle of liver and white was seen. The top of Riley’s head poked out from the top of the bushes. Then his tail extended upward, signifying his position. Caroline stopped and watched.

Riley darted forward and stopped. A few moments passed and he dashed forward again, only to stop suddenly and back track as quickly as he had rushed ahead. He had made his way to a small clearing where Caroline could see him more fully. His head was pointed forward, focused on the object ahead of him.

Caroline began to worry. What if it was a skunk, a porcupine, a snake, or worse?

“Riley,” she cried, her voice now filled with concern. “Come, now!”

As those words left her lips and dangled on the crisp, cool morning air, the brush in front of her opened up as branch limbs fell to the ground. From out of the woods came the object of Riley’s fixation.

Caroline stopped in her tracks. Riley bounded out from the bush, leaping over the low-lying greenery; his movement playful and excited. He scampered forward and stopped a few feet away from the object he had been following. The two gazed at each other, face to face.

Riley pounced forward and dipped down into his playful dance. His front paws stretched outward, his head low. His bounced upward like a jack-in-the-box and dipped down again. His playmate returned the gesture and mimicked his movement.

For several moments, the two pranced in unison. The playfulness and curiosity was evident in each fluid movement. Then the two stopped and gingerly approached each other.

Riley’s playmate stood before him. It was several inches shorter than him and many pounds lighter. Its legs were long and lean. Large knee knuckles stood out. It was still a little unsure and wobbly on its feet.

The two moved closer: cautious but curious. Nose to nose they stood, the 28” tall English Pointer and the shorter, just recently born, fawn.

Moments later, the fawn broke away from Riley. With a polite gesture of acceptance and thank you, the fawn said its good-bye and bounded off into the woods. Riley stood motionless and watched his pint-sized playmate disappear.

“Riley,” Caroline called. He broke his stare and cantered over to her side. She bent down next to him and the two looked back towards the woods in the direction of where the fawn had gone.

“They say you’re a bird dog. I think after today, you’re a deer dog.”

Such a sad day

Three pup pals have crossed over the bridge after being poisoned by antifreeze.

We are deeply saddened by the loss of Nari, Joey and Jake.

We got a . . .

Horse!

That's right.

My Mom used to ride when she was younger. 20 years ago she sold her horse but has kept in touch with the new owner.

Her horse, Daune, was living in Indiana and was part of the Purdue Program. No, she wasn't attending classes, she was at their farm working with young kids and helping them learn to ride.

They retired Daune at the end of April and contacted my Mom to see if she would like her back. She, of course, did.

Duane arrived on Saturday night, and her new home is at a barn just 5 minutes from our house. Dad said, he's now a city cowboy and needs to buy a good pair of chaps . . . and cowboy hat. BOL!!! He told Mom that he wants to have the same outfit as Brad Pitt in Legends of the Fall. Mom said, he's no Brad Pitt.

Not to worry, pup pals. Mom said I'm still her little horse!

BIG SURPRISE!!!!!

Hey pup pals,

I got a big surprise this weekend.

Our family grew.

No, my folks aren't expecting a little one.

No, Rosie and I don't have a new fursibling.

No, a house guest isn't coming to live with us.



Wait for it . . .

Oh the suspense!

On behalf of my Dad

My Dad has prepared a few words that he would like to express to everyone for all the love and support they have shown leading up to my grandma’s Bridge Crossing Anniversary.

As the dog of the house, an official position I inherited one year ago, he has asked me to deliver his message.


Dear Pup Pals,

In August of last year I was in search of comfort after the passing of my beloved Cookie. What I found was so much more. With each Dogster friend, my heart healed.

Over the last 15 days, I have been fortunate to receive a flood of messages and love that has both overwhelmed me and filled me with so much joy. In these messages, the authors have thanked me for my tribute and voiced what it has meant to them. The truth is, it is all of you who deserve the thanks. You have all inspired me and as a result I was able to spend these days with Cookie through my writing, through the stories.

I’d like to send out a special thanks to Lisa and her pack (Tucker, Vayla, Max, Joey & Alex), Annette and her pack (Winston, Hartie, Abby, Tinsleigh, Kirby & Jordan) and Deb and her pack (Sunny Lee, Stryker & Sydney) for providing me with tremendous encouragement.

Most importantly, I want to thank Cookie. During her life she taught me a great number of things. She showed me what love and loyalty is truly about. In her death, she has continued to show me magical things.

In closing, a life’s journey for me wouldn’t be complete without the words of my favourite singer, with slight modifications, echoing in my mind.

I got a picture of you in my locket
I keep it close to my heart
A light shining in my breast
Leading me through the dark
Fifteen days, fifteen candles
In my window lighting your way
Your favorite record's on the turntable
I drop the needle and pray
Band's countin' out midnight
Floor's rumblin' loud
Singer's callin' up daylight
And waitin' for that shout from the crowd
Waitin' for that shout from the crowd
Waitin' for that shout from the crowd
Waitin' for that shout from the crowd
Waitin' for that shout from the crowd
Waitin' for that shout from the crowd

Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up
Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up, turn it up

Meet me at Cookie’s place, we're gonna have a party

-- Bruce Springsteen


With a heart filled with love and memories, I thank everyone for sharing this with me.

Norm

Lighting a candle

Hi pup pals,

A very sweet pal started a website where you can light a candle for my grandma Cookie. Her bridge anniversary is tomorrow.

I just wanted to pass along the website so those who would like to visit the site and light a candle for her can do so.

http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng &gi=NCCRR


Thanks so much for all the love and support during this time.

Missing grandma, Riley

Happy Mother's Day

Hi pup pals,

I want to wish all the Mom's out there a very happy Mother's Day.

We hope you all get pampered, especially by your pups. I'm going to shower my Mom with love all day.

I also want to send out a very special happy Grandmother's Day to my grandma, Cookie. She has been selected the diary of the day. Way to go, Cookie. We're all so proud of you.

Enjoy your day, Moms. We love you all.

Your pal, Riley

My early morning birthday walk

Hey pup pals,

I had an early morning birthday walk.

It was great fun. Dad was worried that it would rain today, but it was nice. I've posted a few highlights from the walk on my page.

There was a lot to chase and smell this morning. When I got home, I had a pig's ear for breakfast.

Tonight, we're having a roast, just for my birthday. Man, it's going to be great. Rose, did you hear that? A roast! You'll love it, Rosie.

Thanks to my pals for sending me birthday wishes. I'll get back to each of you later after I finish hanging with Mom and doing fun things today.