Wet Dogs...

OK, not to belabor the fact, but it's been raining almost the entire month of October. We're all wondering if we should start building an Ark. Ceilidh is even starting to get used to it, and will go out without too much prodding when it's time. Dax is starting to like getting towelled off when she comes back inside. Roc still doesn't care. What a guy! I've given up on trying to clean up the muddy paw prints. People are even coming prepared for the mud-paws: the nice couple who brought their Shih Tzu to use our ring at Dogs in the Ring this afternoon brought their own towel! Not necessary - we provide the amenities, but thoughtful nonetheless! I know - it's not snow, but I'll still be glad to see the sun again. - Fran

We had a visitor!

Fran spotted this gorgeous creature sitting on the phone wires in back of the house as she left for work. She came back to let me know about him/her and I grabbed the camera. The day is obviously overcast and gloomy - but spotting this beautiful bird cheered us up. We don't see many birds of prey - we're part of the (sub)urban jungle. Can anybody tell us who our visitor was?

Dogs and Rain!

So after the beautiful pictures Hope took the other day, we've had lots and lots of rain. No rainbows. It's interesting how the dogs view rainy days differently. Ceilidh hates the rain. Just hates it. She'll go two feet outside the door, squat and run inside - but ONLY if she's desperate. She can hold for hours. And so can Dax, for that matter. Roc just doesn't care. Heat, rain, snow, wind, sleet - he just doesn't care. What a guy! Late yesterday afternoon I carried Dax out in the rain, and Roc went out too, brought them back in and rubbed them damp (dry's pretty much out of the question these days). Roc and Dax were inspired to chase each other around the house. So cute! That got them dry! - Fran

Pretty!

We don't have the greatest view from our front door at the shop - we look at a school bus parking lot. But it was still pretty spectacular this morning - an entire rainbow (the middle didn't come out in the pictures). Too bad I don't have time to look for that pot of gold this morning.

Back to Business!

Thank you, everyone, for your support. I still miss Golly like crazy, and probably will for a good, long time. But now I can think about the fun times and not tear up quite as much.

We've started getting in some of our new products from the trade show we attended a couple of weeks ago, so it's been dizzy busy around here! Hope's been taking pictures and I'm trying to get new products up on the site as quickly as I can. Which is not very, I'm afraid. Every page has to be as great as I can make it. We've been lucky enough to have customers coming in so that we can corral them to use as models! (the dogs, not the people) Usually, of course, this occurs just after I've published the product page, so it has to be redesigned. It's worth it, though! Little Miko the Shih Tzu is adorable in the Pink All-Weather Coat! And Frankie and his baby brother are adorable - Winston is on the Easy-Go Harness page. And just wait 'til you see Frankie and little Ghilley in the ComfortFlex Sport Harness. I took a break from that page to post this entry!

Back to it! - Fran

Internetworking doesn't always work

Last night at Obedience Class I realized how intertwined my work life and "real" life have become. I know I'm lucky - we have our own business, have structured our lives to be comfortable and happy, and pretty much avoid most of the unpleasantries of life.
Having a mostly-internet business in which my job (aside from janitor, jack-of-all fix-it stuff, packer, picker etc.) is marketing, which means I spend a lot of time networking online - e-mailing, twittering, facebooking, etc.
Consequently, I thought everybody knew we lost Golly. I forgot there are still some people who prefer not to have a cyber-life. I kind of blind-sided our friend Janie last night. Janie is one of the few people in the history of the world to get an obedience title on a Saluki. She handled Reggie to his UD (a really big deal for Obedience people) and is training for his UDX (an even bigger, amazing deal). She also has a pet-sitting business and watches Dax and Ceilidh for us when we go out of town.
Janie was saying "hi" to Dax as we chatted in the hall outside the training ring. I've been keeping a careful eye on Dax - I won't allow her to continue her snarkiness toward other dogs. Janie noticed I wasn't letting Dax near other dogs until I judged her reaction (she was absolutely fine with her buddy Reggie). So I explained to Janie "She's been a bit unsettled with other dogs since Golly died."
Janie didn't know. I felt terrible for shocking her like that. Another reminder that the internet is great - but it's no substitute for a phone call.

Stop Wallowing!

I know I'm entitled to cry. I'm allowed to take my time through the grieving process. And I still miss Golly like crazy. How can I not, when for 13 years I had to walk carefully to make sure I didn't step on that little black form by my feet? But I'm tired of being depressed. I'm tired of having a headache. And I've got to stop crying - my contact lenses will build up an impenetrable protein barrier if I don't. And all of our friends have been so incredibly supportive - thank you! So I'm going to stop wallowing in my depression and grief! I'm going to try to turn my energies to more productive projects. I have been enjoying all the dogs (and their people) who've come to play at our ring! - Fran

Reaction

Last night I found out how Golly's death has effected Dax. It was the first time we'd been back to Obedience class and Dax seemed happy to go. She was decidedly not happy about seeing other dogs before class and snarked at several, lunged at two and actually connected with one. I'm going to have to keep a very close eye on this girl - she needs to know that I'm in charge and I'm not going to tolerate that behavior. On the positive side - enforcing a "Down! Stay!" at each little incident vastly improved her performance on those exercises in class.

A new normal

Life will never be the same again. Our lives change irrevocably when a member of the household is gone. I don't mean that we'll never be happy again, or that nobody smiles at our house, or that our family is doomed to perennial gloom. We are grieving now, but won't be forever. We're all trying to adjust to the new dynamic.
It's been particularly tough on Fran. Golly was her dog and for the 13+ years she graced our lives, Fran never, ever had to go looking for Golly. It's been a difficult transition. Every once in a while I see Fran glance up, look around a bit puzzled, then the sadness washes over her face. We'll all adjust, but it takes some time.
Ceilidh (Fran's 8-year-old Boston Terrier) went on a hunger strike for a couple of days, but she's over it now and seems to be adjusting. Dax knows something is different - but doesn't seem to know the change is permament. She'll wake up from a nap, look around and point those radar-dish ears toward the back door, expecting it to open. Roc is oblivious. We turn on the tv for him and he's happy. Especially if the Bears are playing.
What's made this difficult time more bearable is the outpouring of sympathy from friends. Some may question whether the internet isolates people or brings them together. We can attest to its warmth and community. Thank you.