Our Best Friend

My favorite part of every evening is when I pull up to our gate and see this little guy's smiling face and wagging tail. It's hard to come home in a bad mood when he's there to greet you with such excitement he can hardly stand still. But while he's dancing from foot to foot out of pure joy that his best friend's home, I feel a pang of guilt.

The truth is, Huck has it waaaaaay better than most dogs, yet I still feel horrible leaving him alone for 8 hours 5 days a week (well, 4 days a week. He still attends daycare on wednesdays). He has a safe and secure one acre lot to run around in with full access to a 3 car garage that has nothing in it but his bed, his toys, and a carpet for him to chew on. He even has a heat lamp to keep him extra toasty in the colder, rainy months here in Seattle. He's a pretty spoiled pup. And I think he knows it.

Because I feel a lot of guilt for leaving him during the work day, I pretty much take him everywhere with Steven and I whenever I can. He attends all our friends BBQs, is our constant walking buddy and fishing companion, and even goes on Home Depot runs with us from time to time. I make up for my absents during the work day by having him glued to my side on evening and weekends.

And if we have a day that isn't full of exciting adventures for Huck, I make sure to bribe him into still loving me by giving him lots of yummy treats. Like I said...he's spoiled.

I got thinking about all of this while I was taking Huck to daycare today. It's kind of ridiculous that Steven and I pay for him to attend daycare every Wednesday at MaryEllen's. Lord knows it isn't exactly cheap and Huck is already so spoiled anyway... I thought maybe this is something we can cut from our budget to help us save a little dough, you know? It's not like he's crated all day while we're at work, he has plenty of opportunity to stretch his legs all week long....and, and, and...

And I can't do it, because I realized I take Huck to daycare more for my sake than his own. When Huck is happy, well socialized, tired, and content it directly affects me. I take him to daycare because it brings me joy to see him run and play (MaryEllen sends me photo updates all throughout the day while he's there), I spoil him by taking him on all our adventures because I just love when he's by my side. He's a part of our family.

Steven and I obtain endless pleasure from Huck. Sure, I'll admit it more readily than him, but this spoiled pup has kinda changed our lives. And we just love him dearly.

And all this makes me think, "Oh man, am I screwed when we have kids..." Ha! 

"A Dog, A Heartbeat At My Feet"

It’s no secret around these parts that I’m a crazy dog lover. Where most bloggers have a “love story” page under their header, I have a page dedicated to Huckleberry. Don’t get me wrong, I love my husband, but he won’t let me take nearly as many pictures of him. ;)  

And if you've been following for a while then you've probably sensed my passion for dogs through reading this post and this one. (Although I warn the last one is graphic.)

My love for animals is something that has just always been a part of me. Growing up, I tried to save every animal that I saw in need. I feed a baby blue jay by hand that had fallen out of it’s nest and begged my mom to let me take in any stray dog abandoned on our street. One of those abandoned pups, Haley, found her home with us until her last days.   

To this day Homeward Bound makes me cry and I worry about the horses that are falling down in war movies. I know to some it sounds silly, but I genuinely have a passion for animals. And it breaks my heart to see them mistreated and in need.

I obviously inherited this trait from my mother. While I was in high school, she began to foster dogs. Basically this means that when the local rescue had no more room for another abandoned, abused, neglected dog, she would take them in. She provided them with shelter, medical treatment, socialization, and love until they were adopted and ready for their new home. When that adoption day never came for certain dogs, she decided to keep them herself.

Maddie and crazy Jackson

 In college I volunteered at the local animal shelter. I quickly learned that what my mom did was draining –physically, emotionally, and even financially. There was such a need for volunteers and very little interest. The animals’ living conditions were terrible and the adoption rate was low. Honestly, the situation seemed hopeless. But week after week I went to the meeting and heard amazing stories from foster moms and dads about how the process had changed them, about how their lives were actually saved through the simple act of opening their homes and hearts to an unwanted mutt. 

I genuinely admired these people and were blown away by their commitment, empathy, and steadfast love for the cause they believed in: rescue every dog you can and hopefully one day there will no longer be a need.

Unfortunately, that need is still very much alive. 

Luckily, there are some amazing people who have dedicated their time and hearts to rescue some of these unwanted fur babies. One of them is Jen, the sweet and loving, girl-next-door behind the blog Konjo. Go ahead and read her explanation as to why she has a heart for dog rescue and the rewards she's discovered through fostering dogs.

"Dog rescue is my main passion. Growing up, my dog saved my life and showed me what love really is and before she passed away last year I promised her I would rescue dogs in her honor. It is what I have been doing ever since. I teamed up with a local rescue to help them out, and I recently started fostering for them since they are shelterless. Last week I said bye to my first foster as she went to her forever home. It was extremely difficult and I cried my eyes out, but receiving pictures from her new mom has made it so worth it! She sends me updates on the dog and pictures of them snuggling together. That's when I know I am fulfilling my purpose by allowing others to experience the love I have known from dogs and to bring their new best friend into their family. Learning the stories of the dogs we rescue each day as well as the awful statistics from shelters is heartbreaking. But seeing the dogs that we are able to save placed into loving homes and seeing the lives they lead from them on makes me happier than anything else in the world."

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I think Jen is inspiring! And I am so glad there are people like her who are willing to give so much of themselves to animals in need! To hear more of Jen's story and to keep up with her fostering adventures, make sure to follow along, here!

And if fostering a dog is something you're interested in, check out your local animal shelter. They can help you get started on the right path!

Now go love on a dog!

“Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever.”
– Karen Davison

I am Herschel, hear me Roar.

Seriously, it doesn't get much cuter than this.

The fluffiest kitty in all the land taking a little catnap. 

Every time I see Herschel sleeping, I have to sing Soft Kitty from the show Big Bang Theory.

I can't help it, it's an uncontrollable compulsion.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch this clip.

It just might change your life.

And then I wake him up with obnoxious picture taking...

because apparently, I'm a crazy cat lady.

And then he yawns roars and falls back asleep.

..........................................

Now tell the truth.

Did I just brighten your Wednesday with these photos?

Mission accomplished.

When Mice Poop In Your Slippers...

You buy a cat.

Last Thursday I did a deep cleaning in our home. The scrub baseboards and dust ceiling fans kind of cleaning. Our house is never really that dirty. I'm basically a cleaning Nazi and keep the home looking shiny and new. {Although, we currently do not own a vacuum cleaning. Which is terrible and drives me insane!} So when I was cleaning out our master closet and found mouse dropping  in Steven's slippers I freaked out. {Naturally.} Then Steven and I had a conversation that went something like this.

D - Babe, maybe we should get a cat to take care of the mice problem. 

S - Okay.

That was it! I know, very, very stimulating conversation we have. 

So, we searched Craigslist until we found the cheapest kitten available and ended up with this blue-eyed cutie. Everyone, meet Herschel!

He is so tiny it makes me nervous! I feel like I'm going to crush his ribs when I pick him up...

But if he ever does have an untimely death, I'm quite certain it will be because Huckleberry licked him to death.

He was cautious when first meeting Huck, but with a little coaxing he came out of the carrier and began exploring his new home. Huck just licked him. Everywhere. Like intense, slobbery licks. Herschel was thoroughly soaked within a few minutes from all Huck's kisses.

Hopefully, he will grow up to be a vicious mouse/rat/mole killer. I know he doesn't  look too vicious at the moment, but, trust me, all cats are vicious deep down. They are like secret ninjas ready to strike when you least expect it. 

Okay, maybe not all cats. But we do hope he has a high prey drive because mice are gross and moles ruin yards. True story.

All I have to say is that mouse is sure going to wish he never pooped in Steven's slippers. 

And I now own one freaking cute kitten.

Honeymoon pt. 2: Lions, and Otters, and Polar Bears. Oh My!

I'm feeling a little better today. Just pretty lethargic. And, oddly, my abdominal and back muscles are really stinkin' sore! I guess my throwing up episodes were pretty intense...

ANYWAYS, moving on to more delightful things...

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After seeing the finery of Boldt Castle and the splendor of Niagara Falls (I know I'm so poetic), we headed south to Buffalo, NY to do a little shopping and go to the zoo. Of course. Because naturally, if there is a zoo nearby, this lady is stopping in to check it out --and buy all the stuffed animals in the gift shop and a zebra head ice cream bar. Just saying..

The weird (but amazing!) thing was that instead of the usual craning-your-head-and-peering-through-foliage-to-get-a-glimpse-of-a-tiger's-tail routine one has to use while at a zoo, all the animals here were easy to spot. I loved that! And I wanted to pet and cuddle and snuggle them all. But, alas, the damned bars are always in the way. However, I did stick my finger in most of the more non-threatening animal's cages and croon to them to come closer. It didn't work.

What do you think of this GINORMOUS beaver? Okay, so it's not a beaver. I have no idea what it is but I felt sad for him. He seemed lonely. And extremely upset that I was taking his picture. He is definitely giving me the evil eye here...

The polar bears cracked me up. They were floating on their backs in the pool until they had a bit of an audience. Then they came right out to strike a pose for the cameras.

 Profile shot.

Mufasa was simply chilling. Completely unamused. Seriously, have you ever seen the lions at the zoo this close before??

And my FAVORITE animal was this cute little otter trying to take a nap in the log. I truly wanted to take him home. I loved him. Am I being too weird for you guys today?? I blame it on my recent illness.

Thankfully, Steven was well aquatinted with my love  obsession for animals before we made our first zoo visit together. If not, he may have wanted to annul our marriage after this. My excitement tends to reach a level of hysteria when confronted with cute, furry creatures. Hence my obsession for Huckleberry, which you all are very well aware of :)

Hope you have a happy Tuesday, friends!