Tender Moments

Scully loves his bed.

This is common knowledge.

He loves his mama...but he loves his bed, too.

Whiskers woke me at 5:30 this morning to go to his litter box, which is out in the front hallway. It's our morning ritual. I could set a clock to it.

He goes to his litter box and I go to the bathroom. I finish and let him in. Done. Back to bed we go.

When I got back into bed, Whiskers got on his blanket, which is at the foot of my bed. My electric heater was on and it was nice and cozy. The snow was silently falling and it was a morning that you just don't want to get out of bed because the blankets and pillows are "just right." Perfect for a long, Winter's snooze.

Dovi came in and jumped on the bed, coming right up to the other pillow. He loves to snuggle with me. He fell asleep, his little paws wrapped around my arm.

He growled and I opened my eyes to see Whiskers going back to his blanket. So I held Dovi and called Whiskers back...He came and snuggled right next to Dovi.

And there we all slept in Peace and Harmony. Whiskers beside Dovi (which is BIG because Whiskers bites Dovi on the nose when he wants to eat...don't ask me why. I have no idea.) Scully was warm and cozy under his flannel pillowcase and blanket and it was a beautiful way to spend the next few hours.

As Human Beings, we're not perfect and we let each other down sometimes..without meaning to or trying to...sometimes it's deliberate but when it happens to us, we can't control it. Somehow, our beautiful animal companions know how to comfort us. Sometimes, like Whiskers this morning, they come to us for comfort or sometimes just to "belong" and feel like part of the family.

Right now, Whiskers and Dovi are sleeping on my bed and Scully insisted on coming into the Living Room- bed and all...

As for me, I'm calm and feel a quiet Joy because no matter what's going on in the World right now, there is Peace in my Home.
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A Simple Thank You...

“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.”

Henri Frederic Amiel

Gratitude...being grateful. Feeling grateful. Expressing gratitude with a simple "Thank you."

Each morning before my feet touch the floor, I say out loud or sometimes in my mind,

"Thank. Thank. Thank you."

I thank my Father in Heaven. You may thank your own Higher Power, the Universe, Source, Allah...whomever it may be.  It doesn't matter because the same "Thank yous" are heard.

I believe Holy Scripture in all beliefs teach us to be grateful in all things- for the good and the bad...for the rain and the sun- for we need both to survive, don't we.

Gratitude and being thankful are not acts left only to Humans.

Animals don't need to work at being grateful. They are already, innately grateful.

They don't need to be taught what Gratitude is or being thankful is. They show it when they feel it. 

Period. 

They live in the moment, as should we.

I know this because I've experienced it firsthand, as every person who has ever been blessed to have an animal in his or her life.

Every time I feed Scully, Dovi and Whiskers, each one comes to me after they finish eating and licks my hand or leg or nuzzles me. Every time. Since the first time I fed Scully over eleven years ago until this morning. It doesn't matter where I am, what room I'm in or what I'm doing. I get a lick or two on my leg or hand...then each one sits humbly and looks at me with adoring love...each one. Scully, Dovi and Whiskers.

We should practice Gratitude daily. Animals do it by Nature. We do it if we remember...

There's a lesson here somewhere...

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Midnight Bathroom Trip

I know my dog.

I know both dogs and the cat.

Like children...like other personalities we live with, we get to know them.

When Scully goes to the door, he's not telling me he wants to go for a ride.

He's telling me, "Ma, I gotta go to the bathroom- NOW!"

Midnight in the middle of July is no big deal...but midnight in the middle of January is.

The clicking sound of his nails on the hardwood floor woke me from my toasty slumber at one thirty this morning. I shook my head a little, trying to wake up and saw him peering at me with the intensity of "RIGHT NOW"

When ya gotta go, ya gotta go, right?

So, he ran to the kitchen door and as I placed his little red sweater over his head, he put his right arm through the armhole and then the left...he dresses himself with a little help from Mama. 


Then the other pink plaid fleece jacket...


I grabbed my jacket as we flew down the stairs.


He hopped down the 3 steps to the icy ground and ran to his favorite snowbank to do his business.


As I went around the corner to follow him, I was greeted with a beautiful sky.  Bella Luna was behind some wispy clouds and the haze in the air made the early morning alive with dark blue and glowing moonlit clouds.  Even more beautiful, however, was that the moon was low in the west...behind a beautiful, naked maple tree.  Imagine if you can, the moon peeking through the clouds from the behind the silhouette of hundreds of bare branches.


It was breathtaking and so peaceful.  I wish I could re-create it for you with a palette of pastels.


I thanked Scully for being a good dog and waking me so he could go to the bathroom.  He's never had an accident in the house since 2000...and only once since he came to my life.


The real beauty of all this is that I trusted him to wake me if it was important.  I didn't tell him "No no" or "Go back to bed" because it was inconvenient to me.  I get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  It's a luxury not to have to depend on anyone else to take me.  He, Dovi and Whiskers and all other indoor pets don't have that option.  I went with him and by my non-resistance, he gave me a beautiful gift early this morning, while the rest of the community slept.


I have come to treasure those early morning trips outside with him.  He is always happy and grateful...wagging his tail, smiling and giving me his forehead to nuzzle with my own.  He goes right back to his bed and I am left to fall back to sleep, pondering the beautiful, simple gifts of his presence in my life...and of his devoted love and loyalty to me.

He is one of the Lord's greatest blessings to me.
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Emergency Car Kit For Your Pet

Scully and Dovi are not crazy about the snow anymore.

Oh sure, as pups they loved to run and jump in it, chasing each other and sliding around in it.

They never tired of it.

Now...

They run in it...



...to the door.

They don't want to hear it...S-N-O-W...nope. It's a four-letter word.

Now, these dogs are bundled up with a sweater and a fake fleece doggie coat.
They waddle around like the baby brother in "A Christmas Story" but they still enjoy being outside- just for shorter amounts of time.

Rides in the car and walks in the park are still the all-time favorite things to do- next to snuggling with Mama and getting tummy rubs, so I thought putting together a little list for the car would be helpful to other like-minded "dog people."  Actually, you've probably already thought of this so please add anything at all to the list.  I welcome your comments!

1. Dry blankets for you and Fido or Fluffy. Emergency space blankets are small, compact and reflective.  Check out the camping department at your local retail store
2. Hand warmers for you and to put under their blankets or a thin cloth-never on their exposed skin
3. Emergency meds and veterinarian info for them. 
4. Small bags of kibble or canned food w/plastic utensils and bowls
5. Water
6. Chew toys to calm their nerves
7. Bach Rescue Remedy if it helps them.  Spray a little first so they're used to it
8. Leads (leashes) and collars- when rescue personnel arrive, your dog will bark and possibly bite them in order to protect you. Having them on a leash or in a doggie seatbelt will keep them safe and get you the help you need sooner
9. Emergency flares AND a reflective triangle- if you can leave your car, place the triangle far to the rear of your car, then place a flare farther out into the road and the next flare even farther into the lane to divert oncoming cars and trucks AWAY from you and your dogs!  If they see the triangle and at least two flares guiding them to another lane, they'll have time to move AWAY from you and not HIT you!

NEVER LEAVE YOUR ANIMALS ALONE IN THE CAR- EVER!!  Take them with you or stay in the car with them until help arrives!

We hope you never have to use this info but please be prepared and safe with your pets.
CLICK HERE for a list of other non-pet items you should have in your car kit!
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I AM A DOG

Hello Dear Readers,

This was on my Facebook wall this morning and I felt the need to share it.

You can find it here: http://www.examiner.com/dogs-in-national/i-am-a-dog-not-a-thing

Then sign up for e-mail updates.

Please read this carefully and send it along...Let us bring awareness to those people who don't know or understand. Thanks. ^..^ '

"I am a dog. I am a living, breathing animal. I feel pain, joy, love, fear and pleasure. I am not a thing. If I am hit - I will bruise, I will bleed, I will break. I will feel pain. I am not a thing.

I am a dog. I enjoy playtime, walk time, but more than anything, I enjoy time with my pack - my family - my people. I want nothing more than to be by the side of my human. I want to sleep where you sleep and walk where you walk.

I am a dog and I feel love...I crave companionship. I enjoy the touch of a kind hand and the softness of a good bed. I want to be inside of the home with my family, not stuck on the end of a chain or alone in a kennel or fenced yard for hours on end. I was born to be a companion, not to live a life of solitude. I get too cold and I get too hot. I experience hunger and thirst.

I am a living creature, not a thing. When you leave, I want to go with you. If I stay behind, I will eagerly await your return. I long for the sound of your voice. I will do most anything to please you. I live to be your treasured companion.

I am a dog. My actions are not dictated by money, greed, or hatred. I do not know prejudice. I live in the moment and am ruled by love and loyalty. Do not mistake me for a mindless object. I can feel and I can think. I can experience more than physical pain, I can feel fear and joy. I can feel love and confusion. I have emotions. I understand perhaps more than you do. I am able to comprehend the words you speak to me, but you are not always able to understand me.

I am a dog. I am not able to care for myself without your help. If you choose to tie me up and refuse to feed me, I will starve. If you abandon me on a rural road, I will experience fear and loneliness. I will search for you and wonder why I have been left behind. I am not a piece of property to be dumped and forgotten. If you choose to leave me at a shelter, I will be frightened and bewildered. I will watch for your return with every footfall that approaches my kennel run.

I am a dog - a living, breathing creature. If you choose to take me home, please provide me with the things that I need to keep me healthy and happy. Provide me with good food, clean water, warm shelter and your love. Do not abandon me. Do not kick me. Do not dump me when your life gets too busy. Make a commitment to me for the entirety of my life, or do not take me home in the first place. If you desert me, I do not have the means to care for myself. I am at the mercy of the kindness of people - if I fall into the wrong hands, my life will be ruined. I will experience pain, fear and loneliness. If I wind up in an animal shelter, I have only my eyes to implore someone to save me, and my tail to show you that I am a friend. If that is not good enough, I will die.

I am a dog. I want to give and receive love. I want to live. I am not a thing. I am not a piece of property. Please do not discard me. Please treat me with kindness, love and respect. I promise to repay you with unconditional love for as long as I live."

That says it all...Many thanks to Penny Eims, for writing this.

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Safe Pet Toys and Christmas Joys

One of my favorite times during the whole year is playing with the pups and kitty on Christmas morning.

We wake up and, after taking care of the usual bathroom trip outside in the frosty wonderland, go to the tree, wondering what Santa Paws has brought for them. Since dogs are naturally curious, I put their favorite chew inside their stockings and let them dig and bury their noses inside- enjoying the "chase," until they "catch" their treasure and settle down to chew in front of the Christmas tree. This way, they're included in the tradition and are quietly engaged in holiday merriment.

Of course, their favorite dog biscuits are included. I buy them anyway but somehow, being in their stockings makes it more fun for them. It's so easy to do simple things that will ease their stress and help them feel part of it all. Remembering dogs are very social and are pack animals, they need to feel part of the group- in this case, your family equals their pack.

Many pet guardians will buy new toys for Fido and Fluffy this holiday season. A word of advice goes a long way, so here goes... if you wouldn't put something in your mouth or your child's mouth, don't give it to your pet to put in theirs. Be careful with dyes and fake furs and toys that have small parts on them. Animals are just as sensitive to toxins as we are. I'm even careful with the laundry detergent and fabric sheets I use because chemicals never fully rinse out! Animals can have allergic reactions that can be very painful or even life-threatening- not fun and too expensive!

If you do get some new toys for them, try to get them something that will keep their curiosity, get them one to carry like trophies (Dovi gets ALL the toys and takes them to his den under the bed...cute). Both cats and dogs like to carry and dogs specifically like to shake things. Cats like to wrestle, though they're pretty creative so toilet paper rolls are always great.

If you can go organic, that's always best.

Whatever you do, always remember it's up to you to keep your pets safe. They're counting on you.

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Getting Ready For The Winter and Christmas!

I can't believe it's been almost 3 months since my last post. Many Life Changes have happened since but the good news is that Scully, Dovi and Whiskers are all happy, healthy and safe.

We hope your animal companions are, too.

As a member of ROAR (Rescue Operations for Animals of the Reservation), I'd like to bring you some tips on being a responsible pet guardian/owner, with my own additional comments...and please remember ROAR in your annual charities. The homeless animals on the Reservation count on us for food, clothing, shelter and medical care.

1. Spay and neuter your pets. Help prevent needless euthanasia of healthy animals.

2. Take them to the vet for annual wellness check-ups.

3. Protect them from the elements, pests and other animals- especially human predators.

4. Give them plenty of drinking water and feed them daily on a regular schedule...and feed them enough. They will eat more now that the weather is colder.

5. Give them plenty of exercise and playtime with other dogs or cats (they need friends just like people do). It's good for them and it's good for you. Make sure they have adequate clothing for colder weather. Dogs get pneumonia easily and if it's cold enough for your nose to run, Fido or Fluffy need a jacket or coat!

Remember that the holidays bring added stress for them, too. Unexpected guests and any changes to their routine will bring them stress and may cause unseemly behavior. Be patient with them and remember they don't understand what all the commotion is about.

Enjoy this time of year with them- it's over so soon.




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