Today's Pinup

Chillin'.

Two Windows, One Closed

   Four years ago today, we said goodbye to our precious boy Truman.
   Many of you have been there, and you know what a dreadful day it is.  The fact that Truman's euthanising was severely mishandled only added to our grief.
   Having to keep it together while driving home after was hard.  Truman was perfectly well until the morning of, so we were completely shell shocked.
   I was surprised how many people heard the news, and immediately responded by asking if we were getting another dog.  It's an insensitive reaction, but if you've never loved a dog of your own, I guess you wouldn't know.
   It took months for us to feel anything like normal again, and during that time, the mere thought that we would replace Truman made us feel deeply disloyal.  I couldn't bear the idea that Truman might possibly be out there somewhere to see that we had simply replaced him.  An irrational thought for sure, especially for a pair of atheists, but grief will do that to you.
   In an impetuous moment, we actually agreed to adopt a Pug who we'd heard about through friends. Penny was an elderly, one-eyed, homeless, and recently bereaved girl who needed a family, and we agreed to have her.  But by the time her foster carers had heard about us, they had decided to keep her.  We felt very sad about this, but little did we know that something better, and certainly bigger, was out there for us.

   Lucky,  by complete coincidence the great-nephew of Truman, was gifted to us by his lovely first family, and the time was right.  He healed us.
   We finally scattered Truman's ashes at Tyninghame with Lucky by our side, and it's been smooth sailing ever since.


 
 

Birthday Boy

This precious boy, who brings so much happiness to us, turns 3 today.

Happy birthday Lucky!

In Sickness And In Health

   There is nothing more poignant than an unwell dog.
   Lucky has had trouble with his 'scent glands' for some time.  They become impacted and very sore, and his vet has had to express them as frequently as twice a month.  There have been multiple infections, and he's had many courses of antibiotics.
  We took the tough decision to have them removed.  Mr. Bates assured us that this was necessary, but safe.  Still, it's a big surgery, and we were scared.  It's hard to agree to a procedure like this, even if it is necessary.
   Dropping him off in the morning was hard, but Lucky loves going to the vet, and he went through to the examination room quite happily.  I was glad not to see his face once he'd realised I wasn't right behind him.
   Now, he's back home, and very, very sore, as well as quite agitated from the anaesthetic.  He's on piles of medication, but the operation went smoothly, and after recovery, Lucky will be a much happier and healthier boy.
 

Coat, check.

Silverknowes.

World Wide Web

Lucky:  "Everyone in the whole world is so nice, right?"

Workers Compensation

The best part of my working week is Monday, when my boy comes to work with me.  I think he loves it.  He certainly looks comfortable to me.  What do you think?