Tag: pets

After the devastating loss of Bisou, we began looking for another dog to fill our then-empty house; we hadn’t been dog-less in over 50 years, after all. However, I wasn’t really interested in a puppy this time, as we’re getting older and need our night-time rest. 😉 We looked for an adult cocker to adopt, but it was apparently not the right time for that. Instead, almost exactly six months after Bisou’s death, we found a cute little terrier mix (part Maltese?), who had come from a pretty awful hoarding situation and needed a home.

Chouchou (pronounced “shoe-shoe” — it means sweetie or similar) is very affectionate, though she is terribly afraid of new people and situations. We’re hoping that we can help her gain confidence to get past that. We were originally told that she was three years old, but it seems that she may be as much as seven. No matter. She has quickly wormed her way into our hearts. She’s learning to walk on a leash and to ride in the car, though the car is easier now that we have a car seat for her; apparently, she likes to be able to see where we’re going. 😉

Chouchou loves to play with my husband outside, and she is temporarily wearing onesies while she recuperates from her spay surgery.

Tuppence arrived in the world on December 17, 1999, and she came to live with us on February 13, 2000. I named her for Agatha Christie’s amateur sleuth, Tuppence Beresford, who was so inquisitive and was frequently in trouble! Tuppence was absolutely crazy about Dexter, though Dexter had to use every bit of his formidable supply of patience in learning to deal with a puppy in the house. Tuppence liked nothing better than when Dexter wanted to play, which happened too rarely, in her opinion! Dexter, on the other hand, was grateful that Tuppence couldn’t yet reach the bed, where he took refuge when he needed privacy. Those days didn’t last long, though!

Here’s another photo of her, after she grew a bit. She and Dexter had by this time become best friends and played wildly each morning. That was followed by lengthy naps in the afternoons — a pretty good compromise!

Tuppence was an adult in this photo, though she couldn’t seem to figure out why she wasn’t as tall as Dexter. Her solution was to hop directly from the floor onto the arm of the sofa (she had springs in her feet, I swear!) and survey her domain from there. She was always either at my heels or on my feet when I was home, which was most of the time. She “supervised” my housework, leading me from one room to the one she knew I’d be working on next; she inspected my quilting; she slept with us, curled up against me as tight as possible. When our grandsons visited, Tuppence was almost a surrogate mother, watching them to make sure they were safe and lying outside their door during naps so she could alert me the second they woke up.

Unfortunately, Tuppence began having seizures at a very young age. The solution for that was, of course, phenobarbital taken twice daily. Over time, this affected her liver. By late October, 2005, Tuppence was diagnosed with liver failure. She was no longer able to bounce up onto the beds (she naturally preferred our bed to her own!) and had very little stamina. Toward the end she was in enough pain that it was obvious, and her poor little body swelled up as the liver was unable to process what she ate. Finally, on November 6, 2005, we had our vet come to the house and release our little Tuppence from her pain. She came to us on a Sunday, and she left us on a Sunday — both of them cloudy and a bit rainy.

This is my favorite photo of my little Tuppence. Pretty, wasn’t she? And she was just as sweet on the inside.

Thor was my 12 1/2 year old Doberman pinscher. While he could be protective, he was also, at times, a big baby
For instance, during a thunderstorm (a frequent event where we lived), Thor headed right for my closet! There, he hid in the deepest, darkest corner he could find, trampling any shoes or bags that might be in his way. It’s amazing how small a space such a large dog could squeeze into!

On the other hand, Thor was very protective whenever someone might have been trying to commit nefarious acts, such as stealing our garbage or driving down “our” part of the street. I shouldn’t make fun of him, though, since he was probably the reason that ours was the only home in our neighborhood that was never burglarized!

Thor also loved quilts. Just try to lie down on the floor with a quilt to watch TV; Thor would be right there, too! He loved to lie with his head on someone’s chest. He also made “nests” out of the bedding if we didn’t watch to make sure he didn’t sneak up onto the beds–okay, so the quilt I made for my bed hung on a rack for ten years…. You can’t have everything!

Born on December 29, 1984, Thor passed away on July 29, 1997. I like to think that he has traveled to that famous Rainbow Bridge.

Puff was a gift to us from my husband’s brother, who had bred his hunting dog and brought over the litter. That was in 1980, when our daughters were about six and four. Naturally, they fell in love and begged for a puppy! We named him Puff, since his coloring reminded us of a cream puff (our daughter’s idea). By that time, Callie was almost ten years old, but having this puppy around really rejuvenated him. Puff lived a long life, dying at almost fourteen years old after having a massive stroke.

Elmer was, as you can see, a cocker spaniel. He didn’t really belong to us, but he lived with us for a couple of years while his “real mommy,” our daughter, finished school. It was hard to lose him when he went back to living with her, but he was very happy with our daughter and son-in-law.
Elmer looked small, but he had a heart as big as a lion’s. His favorite toy was a ball, which he refused to bring to you until he was good and ready. Then he quivered with excitement until you threw it for him. He was really a cutie! I swear he had springs built into his little paws, because he could jump from a stand-still right up onto a high bed or the back of a sofa! Elmer died suddenly in November, 2000, of a rare disease that took him quickly. He kept going until the end.

Dexter was supposed to stay with us temporarily while our elder daughter got settled and found a place where she could keep him. But you know how things like that work out; we became his proud and permanent family! He “condescended” to play with Tuppence if she asked enough times, and then they tore around and had a wonderful time! Dexter liked to sit next to someone and gently “hint” that he’d like to have some attention. Hints might include leaning heavily on you, plunking his head in your lap and giving you a soulful look, or shoving your hand up with his nose so that it could land “accidentally” on his head. What a character!

This was the first dog I owned as an adult — he predated my marriage to my husband by about a year. Callie was a gorgeous Doberman who loved everyone, especially our daughters as they came along. He lived a long life, dying at almost 13 after having a stroke that left this majestic boy unable to move on his own. Here he is with our elder daughter when she was a baby — probably around 1975.

I’d been wanting another cocker for some time, but I thought it was best to wait. Wait, that is, until I happened to see a photo of a six-month-old puppy who needed a home. She’d been intended as a show dog, but things didn’t work out for a number of reasons, and I fell in love with her photo right away. She was my favorite color combination — a red/white parti-colored cocker spaniel — and she was so sweet! After communicating with her owner to get details and work out the logistics, we drove to Bakersfield, CA, on Feb. 2, 2008, and brought our new baby home. We named her Bisou, which means “kiss” in French — and she does love to kiss! <G> As it turned out, she was born on our anniversary, July 7, 2007, so it really did seem as though it was meant to be. 🙂

Here’s a picture of her playing with two other puppies before coming home with us.

The black and tan was also going to a new home, and the black and white belonged to the family who was taking her.

Once we got home, Bisou and Dexter got acquainted, and they seem to be working out well, though of course Dexter and Bisou weren’t as close as Dexter and Tuppence had been.

She’s very playful, but she also loves to curl up under the quilt rack.

Bisou lived a very happy life, never. happier than when she was at home. She really didn’t like going anywhere, other than to our kids’ houses to see the grandchildren. However, in January 2022, she developed kidney disease and went downhill pretty quickly. We finally had to say goodbye and send her to the Rainbow Bridge on January 28, 2022; she was 14 and a half. Needless to say, the family is devastated, but that’s the price of the love of a wonderful dog.