Not Feeling Well of Late

Shane just had a bath. The fur was flying, and there's more to go.

Shane isn’t well—pancreatitis—so it’s been running here and there, whipping out the credit card, stuffing pills into his food. Saki tries to make him feel better. I just sniff at him. Anyway, he’s okay for the moment. The vet says he’s got to get his weight down.

Whole Foods sells canned dog food called 360, which has only five percent crude fat. Now, what’s crude fat? Unsophisticated? Uncooked? Well, we’re stocked up on the stuff and expect a general reduction in dog weight within the near future. Except Saki. He’s skinny. He runs all day. He even runs in his sleep. Thin and fat are attitude. If you think like a thin dog, you’ll act like a thin dog. If you think like a fat dog, you’ll sleep a lot and watch other dogs run.

That’s what Shane and I do. We watch. When Shane was younger, he used to twirl on his leash during walks. So, if Joan and I walked one mile, he would walk about three miles just from making all those circles. Now, he just plods along. Me? I sit in the yard and watch him plod.

Best wishes, Juno

Old Age & Summer

Saki. Okay, he's cute. But why doesn he have to play all the time?

This morning, he threw his toy on Joan's keyboard.

He's got his nose in everything. Why can't he be like—well, like me?

Old age, summer, sleep. I admit I’m getting impatient with puppies and noise. But, I still like to eat. No more walks. I sometimes allow myself to be coaxed out of the gate, but then I just sit there and no one can move me, not for love, not even for food. That’s what happens when you’re old in the summer and like to sleep.

When the cool weather is back, maybe, just maybe, a jaunt in the park will be in my future. Well, maybe jaunt is too extreme a word. How about hesitant stroll? Reluctant ramble? Unwilling promenade? No promises, mind you.

The people who ate all the ice cream moved away. Now the ice-cream truck goes by and the man doesn’t make as much money. But, there’s also not so much garbage in the street. Well, there's not so much on our street, but I bet it's somewhere.

Shane had a bath yesterday. Joan says I'm next. Alas.

Best wishes, Juno

Ish Visit

Look at Saki and Ish. Why can't they be more like me? Calm. Peaceful. Nature loving.

Ish was stuck behind the fence in his yard just crying his eyes out. The whole neighborhood could hear his lamentations. So Joan invited him over for a romp around the yard with Saki.

“Too hot!” I protested, getting tired just thinking about all that running around.

Shane had to go inside because, you know, he needs peace in his life, not a couple of crazed puppies tearing around the yard. For some reason, he just doesn't like Ish. I don't know why, because all Ish wants to do is play. He's a nice dog--okay a little untrained and very hyper. But, isn't nice what life is all about?

Me, I sat in the shade and studied the grass. It’s summer. What more could I do?

Best wishes, Juno

Best Friendship

Saki has a gift. He knows how to be his own best friend. So what if I don’t want to go outside in the heat; so what if Shane yawns instead of plays; so what if Joan cuts the grass; so what if Ish and Buddy can’t play in our yard. Saki will find backyard Nirvana with a kiddie pool and a hose. Now, if that isn’t a gift, what is?

Best wishes, Juno

Rescue to the Rescue

So, the dog—the latest abandoned dog, pictured above and below—is an Airedale. If someone drops a purebred dog in your yard, Google a list of rescue organizations, and you'll find someone with a big soul and heart to match who will take the dog. We'll say goodbye to the dog this afternoon, and it's a huge relief to know she'll be cared for and probably adopted by someone who'll love her for the rest of her life.

Some people are kind. Some people are cruel. It's life.

Best wishes, Juno

PS: I guess being a purebred has its perks.

Another Abandoned Dog

There I was, writing a blog full of all sorts of intellectual meanderings and musings when all of a sudden there was a loud bang on my door. I mean, really loud. And it’s the Fourth of July, so all the neighbors are shooting of fireworks. Anyway, Joan walked outside and found this dog tied inside the gate. Abandoned in a strange place with fireworks going off. Well, she’s had a bath now, probably for the first time in her life. Now, what do we do?

Any ideas? Juno