Remember the Malamute we were going to foster? Probably not as it has been a while since I have posted anything... Well my husband fell in love, and he became part of our pack.

Here's a pic of him when we first got him. Shaved and smelling of skunk, with a few Porcupine quill in his muzzle working themselves out. He was pretty ugly and stinky.…

Yesterday was not a good day, mostly because a great number of things combined to throw me into a sort of funk and cause the managing of my grief to do a tail-spin. Wednesdays are my wife's long days. She goes directly from school to church, where she is the choir director and organist, and doesn't get home until about 8:45 p.m. My allergies and sinuses have been giving me fits, so the day started off badly. On those long Wednesdays, Wink and I conversed (well, I conversed and he listened)…

Hey everyone-

I was browsing Craigslist just now and saw that this adorable 6 month old Tri girl needs a new home because her family is moving to a new place that doesn't allow pets :|  here's the ad: http://houston.craigslist.org/for/2864154479.html

They are located in the Clear Lake/Webster area.  Thanks for looking :)

Lucy is 6 months old today! I can't believe the time has flown by so quickly from when I got her at 10 weeks. Her color is still changing and she is growing so fast. I can't wait to see how she grows in the next 6 months!!…

I was so proud of myself because it seemed that I was beginning to manage my grief--at least the crying part. In the past two days I was able to talk to people about Morgan "Stinky Wink" without crying. The truth is that we should neverbe proud of ourselves for any reason. It's true that "pride goes before a fall." My wife had gone to bed early last night because Wednesdays are her "long" days. I was finishing the book Soul of a Dog by Jon Katz, a really good book. I was sitting at…

well, we finally moved last friday.  still in the process of unpacking and all sorts of madness, but oh my god so happy to be out of our former shoebox sized apartment!

next, we're going to be readying our home and puppy proofing so that by the time the summer is over, we'll be even more prepared.

i absolutely cannot wait!

I told myself I would continue this blog until I had learned to manage my grief. Maybe my process will help someone else, as well. I have contented myself that the grief will never be gone. I still grieve occasionally for my grandparents--on their birthdays, their anniversary, days that were special to the three of us. It has been managed grief for a long time now. But I still miss them. For almost two weeks I have not been able to talk to anyone about Stinky Wink…

We took Corky to the park the other day for a nice 3 mile walk. (since we were told he needed to be stimulated more) He used to be decent on walks when we would walk in a group. But the other day he was constantly barking at EVERYTHING. Other people, dogs, children, or just at nothing. He pulled and ran at full speed from the left to the right. And if there was a dog a few feet ahead of us he would whine a lot. (which someone said was a herding trait) And after the walk he was still just as…

Well, we start another week. My wife is home from school today for Presidents' Day. I made chili yesterday, so we had that for lunch. She always eats a cheddar cheese sandwich with her chili. As she was making it at lunch, a tear rolled down her cheek. A sure way to get Stinky Wink's attention was to make a cheddar cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread. He always knew he'd get a bite or two. She said, "I'll never make another cheddar cheese sandwich without thinking of Winker." He was such a…

i recently laid to rest a good friend of 11 years. i have 3 more beagles who have survived by the late sally mae. my husband and i are looking to adopt/rescue/rehome another loving face into our household. we have 2 children, ages 7 yrs old and 4 yrs old. also have 1 cat that is barely a yr old. our 3 beagles are ages 13 yrs, 10 yrs and 8 yrs. they are still spunky for their ages. we are hoping that there is a corgi that can round them up and get everyone motivated. anyone can contact me by…

I learned from the loss of my grandparents (who raised me) that grief never completely goes away; we learn to manage it, and make it part of the big picture. I think managed grief is healthy grief--and therapeutic grief. Many years ago I knew of a woman from my hometown who lost her son in a tragic car accident. For the next two years--until her own death--she went daily to his grave and cried profusely. She quit going anywhere else and would not see anyone if she could avoid it. Her husband…

Today was Franklin's 3rd birthday. To celebrate I took him to his favorite dog beach with a few of his good buddies. He got to run and play for a bit but it was SOOOOOOO WINDY today so we didn't stay very long. I have never been to the beach on such a windy day and I was pretty bummed since we were planning on a beach day for him to run and play and wear himself out, but the wind was blowing the sand right in his face and nobody was really enjoying themselves at all. He a small piece of…

My wife and I went to St. Louis today with our son and his family. They just got a new puppy from Love at First Sight. He's a Boxer mix. They think the other part is bloodhound. He's only about six weeks old, and he went with us to St. Louis. Between Grandpa (me) with weak hips and legs and puppy with his small bladder, we made several stops both directions. I bought a book at Barnes & Noble that I would highly recommend to all dog lovers. It's written by Dean Koontz (yes, the horror…

Finally we are having an apparently full day of sunshine. Of course, it's Illinois, so who knows? At least it looks good for now. For the first time in a while, I'm beginning to swing a little away from the "Full Grief" side of the pendulum. There is still a good long way to go, and I know that I will never be totally grief-free. I intentionally remember the happy times we had with Stinky Wink and the ways that he really did enhance or lives. Three years ago we took Wink on vacation with us.…

Yesterday Sidney and I were on our usual morning walk in the neighborhood. There is a house we pass right by where they keep their dog, a brindle pit mix, tethered to a tree. Every morning he rushes the fence at us, snarling, only to be stopped short by the tether.

Yesterday, as we walked by, I noticed he was at the far end of his yard, and a lady (I assume his owner) was with him. I think maybe she had just let him out of the house.

This dog came rushing at the…

I have used these blogs to work through my grief, and it has been working--due much to the wonderful supportive posts from all of you. I intend to continue blogging about Stinky Wink because I think that not only will it help me work through my grief, it will also help me truly to appreciate what a wonderful friend he was. I think our pets are like the people in our lives--sometimes we take them for granted. From where I am sitting right now, I can see three separate spots where Stinky Wink…

Kind of a funny story.. I work as a flight attendant and travel all over the world. When I am gone my son and Jack Dog stay with grandma. We all skype daily and I get to talk to Jack. He tilts his head and stares at the screen like "hey.. how did you get in there??" Anyway, I have been in Japan for the last 2 1/2 wks. I walk daily and always go buy a dog park. There was an elderly couple with a darling (fat) Corgi. I gestured to them if I could pet their dog and they nodded. As I loved up…

So last night, on Valentine's Day, Wyatt's daddy proposed marriage to Wyatt's mommy in the most adorable way. Wyatt's daddy asked mommy to wait in the bedroom, and when she came out, Wyatt was politely sitting and wearing his collar with a beautiful engagement ring attached to it. After Wyatt's mommy said yes, his daddy slipped the ring on her finger. They're both very grateful to their fur baby for helping to make such a special moment so unique and heartwarming.

We…

It was a week ago today that I brought Stinky Wink home from the hospital. Tomorrow (2/16/12) will be the last of the "it was a week ago" phrases, and that is probably good. My son, Chris, made a grave-stone for Wink, which he gave us last night when we had dinner at their house. It's beautiful and so thoughtful of him. His daughters also helped with it. When spring comes, we'll set it over his grave. I haven't cried yet today, but there is a continual heaviness in my heart. The house never…