Kids, Dogs & Cats--Best Friends Forever

A friend of mine sent these to me. Most of the time when I get something sort of cute or inspirational, I don't pass it on. I feel like people don't want to be inudated with lots of stuff. But I couldn't pass these up. Take a look and enjoy!

These last two pictures remind me of our golden retriever, Chloe, who recently joined our family. I'm not a big fan of doggy kisses, but Chloe doesn't seem to know that. It's in their blood to kiss and lick as a sign of affection.

The caption on the e-mail I received with these pictures said, "So who needs a babysitter?"

A New Family Member

Ever since we had to have our dog, Allie, put to sleep last fall, Lynn has wanted to get another dog. Allie was a Golden Retriever/Lab mix. She had a sweet personality. I think Lynn was hesitant to get another dog, as he wanted to get one that had a good personality like Allie.

On Tuesday, some friends of ours ask Lynn's daughter, Janelle, if she would like a dog. She said, no, but her dad would. They bought this dog as a small puppy. They have 2 kids and thought it would be good for them. However, they feel the kids haven't bonded that well, and for whatever reason they have decided to give her to a good home.

This is Chloe (her name was Clover, but Lynn wants to change it to Chloe; since it has the same "first sound" I think she'll get used to it). She is a Golden Retriever, and has coloring very similar to Allie. She seems to have a good personality, and I think she'll be a good dog for us. We have a fenced pasture where she can run; you can see the fence in the above picture.

Now I won't have to take my walks alone--I can take Chloe with me. I'm just not sure who will actually walk who. She seems to have a lot of energy! She is 11 months old, so is technically still a puppy. I think she's going to be especially good for my hubby; I know he has missed having a dog.

Man's Best Friend

A little cold, a bit windy, but a beautiful sunny day for a drive to visit my niece. Amy and I are working on a little secret project together, for the family; and since she was at her mom's, just over an hour away, we needed to touch base and co-ordinate our project.

My hubby works full time, and rarely has a chance to go with me on my little excursions. But today he decided to take the drive with me. Lynn had a very sweet-natured dog for many years and had to put her to sleep last fall because she was very ill. At Lou's house we found not one, but two dogs for him to play with. This little guy on Lynn's lap is Jasper; she's very lovable and sweet and was really enjoying all the attention.

This is Amy with Jasper and her own dog Lucy. Now one cannot describe Lucy as sweet and lovable. She is just a little bit high maintenance, as she loves to hear herself bark, and she wants to play ball incessantly. She's very focused and would probably make a good watch dog or hunting dog. Amy found her when she was just a small baby, 2 1/2 pounds, and nursed her back to health. Needless to say she has won Amy's heart, and she sort of grows on you after a while.

While Amy and I visited about our project, Lynn kept both dogs occupied. He really misses having a dog, and when we got home, he said "Well, I guess I got my 'dog fix' ; it should last me a little while". We are taking a missions trip to Haiti in March, and he will probably try to get another dog when we get home from the trip.

Before we left to come home, we went out to eat at Ivanhoe's, a very favorite restaurant in Upland. Nothin' better than a burger and cheese fries and a turtle sundae. Ouch! Gonna have to get back on that diet today!

Man's Best Friend

My husband, Lynn, and his daughter Janelle have had their dog, Allie, for 11 years. She has been a really good dog with a sweet personality. In the last few months she has shown signs of aging. Then for the last 2 weeks she has had a hard time walking and walks with a limp. She also hasn't wanted to eat very much. They took her to the Vet and he said she has some little masses that could be bone cancer.

Allie has been a real friend and companion for Lynn, especially in the 2 years that he was alone after his first wife died. I do not consider myself an animal lover, but I have really enjoyed having Allie around. When my first husband died I decided I needed to find a good home for our dalmatian, Oreo. John was the one that took care of her and played with her most of the time. After he died, we were not around much during the day and I felt it would be better to find her a good home. We found her a really good home to go to, but my daughter Sara was devastated. She, too, was an animal lover and grieved when Oreo left.

So today is a really sad day, as they are going to take Allie to the Vet tonight to be put to sleep. For Janelle and Lynn it is like losing a member of the family. They will really miss her, and it will seem lonely around here without her.