Thursday 22 August 2013

He Must Be Family...

Good afternoon everyone! It's a beautiful Alberta summer day with an endless blue sky, light breeze and not a cloud in the sky! These are wonderful days to be a puppy...

Our little guy just turned 9 weeks old on Sunday and like most puppies he has woven his way into our hearts with his silly antics and seemingly boundless energy. His awkward leaps and bounds, sloppy kisses and boyish charm.



Well, Monday night our little guy just did not have a great night. He has been sleeping through the nights pretty regularly so when he was up every hour and half and running for water it was definitely odd. But we chalked it up to an off night and my husband went to work.

Later that morning when I got up with him, he was not hungry and just laying around. Hmmm.. Okkkk this is not our Koda! He eats EVERYTHING! He's always busy til he drops for a nap. What's up with our little man?

So a few calls later, and off to the vet we go. Things like Parvo (a very bad thing for a puppy to catch) are thrown at me. Once that test ruled that out I was so relieved. For a few minutes...



Then the other shoe fell... More tests.. which tests can we afford? Which are most helpful? And then Brian called...my rock... my sensible partner, he decided to grow a heart that day. He is always so practical & draws the line where I always go with my heart.

But Mr Practical has apparently bonded with another furry beast in this house and no line was drawn. Next thing I knew I was getting puppy kisses and handing my Koda over for emergency surgery to remove something that was blocking his intestines.

What a long evening waiting for the vet to call. Constantly checking my cell wondering how he was doing. How in the world can this little guy have become so important to all of us in such a short time?

Well.... 2 days later I am very happy to announce that our little guy is home recuperating. Apparently eating lots of dirt was very bad for him! Silly puppy! So besides the horror of the 'cone of shame', which I would think would slow him down a bit but hasn't, he seems to be pretty much his same old self.

So Koda... I just wanted to let you know, you are the first pet ever that Brian has ever okayed a vet bill of that 'magnitude'! Some how.. you managed to become family in a really short amount of time. Welcome little guy.

Now stop eating everything! Especially dirt!!


Friday 16 August 2013

Hey Summer! Waittttt!

Good afternoon everyone. Hope you are enjoying the warmth and sunshine and maybe even a wonderful drink with a little umbrella in it!

Seems like just yesterday I was getting ready for my middle son's high school graduation and then getting the youngest boy packed and out the door for 6 weeks of cadet camp.



I remember thinking wow... 6 weeks... that's FOREVER! I'll clean his room, and we would get the backyard fence finished, maybe my husband and I would get a weekend away... get some yard work done. Sigh... 6 weeks is not that long apparently.

First off... I must openly admit I suffered a horrible case of empty nest syndrome. My house has never seemed so empty before. All I had was 2 not to bright dogs following me around and I was missing my kids and my old dog I put down last year. So... midway through this summer my husband let me get a puppy!



Well.... Life has gone from empty nest to 'holy crap! What have we done!' and the last 3 weeks have just flown by. It seems like every day my little fuzzy boy is learning something new or getting into something he shouldn't! Ha! It feels like having a new baby again and I am so grateful for all the help everyone at home has been giving me. But I must admit, I am sure enjoying having a sweet smart dog to watch and play with.



And now today marks the end of the 6 weeks. As I write this my husband is on his way down to pick my boy up from camp and they should be home tonight before bed. So many new things await him when he gets home!

Both his big brothers are working full time now so he will be the only one getting ready for 'back to school'. There is a new fence going up in the backyard he can help finish.. Ha! And of course... a new puppy!

It's so hard to believe how fast this summer has gone. It hasn't been an earth shattering exciting vacation packed 6 weeks, but it sure has been an enjoyable time. I don't remember the last summer I was able to spend so much time just gardening and working in my yard. The fact that I was brave enough to adopt a puppy speaks volumes. I am so proud of how hard my older 2 boys have worked with their jobs and I am excited to see my youngest tonight and hear all about his summer.

So summer... hold on a few more weeks... I'm not quite ready to let go of the warm weather! I'm not ready for back to school and only have one boy going back. Hold on summer... just a few more weeks, let me hold on to these stolen moments before my young men grow up some more and I have to step in to the next stage.

For now, let's sit back and enjoy those umbrella drinks! But I better not put it to near to the ground ... that silly puppy will grab the umbrella and take off with it! Enjoy those last few weeks everyone!