Whitefish Dog and Home

Keeping doG in Christmas

Merry Christmas Eve everypawdy, Buddy here sending you the very warmest and furriest of wishes on this most wonderful of days. I’ve been pretty excited because folks have sent me cards and toys and treats… YAY Buddy! This seems to be a real holiday I can get behind! I was sitting in bed with Mom this morning and she asked me if I knew what Christmas Eve was all about. I confess, as a dog I really hadn’t thought about it much past the extra bully stick I might get. She told me it might be a good time to paws and think about it, and so we did. There’s more to it than toys and Santa! Who knew??

She said the story goes that this amazing lady had enough faith to have this baby even though she wasn’t married, which was like unheard of in those times. On top of it, her fiancée didn’t even leave her which was also unheard of and took a lot of courage and faith. She explained it’s like when a family goes to rescue a pup they don’t really know from the shelter, maybe one that is misshapen or a bully breed or scrawny, but sees in their eyes that they are “the one” and goes on faith and brings them home. Oh, ok… I get it. That is amazing now that she puts it that way.

On top of it, just as this woman was about to give birth she was told she had to travel. How inconvenient! Not what she planned at all, but that is a good example to all of us how life rarely goes “how we planned” and so we should learn on this day to just follow in faith more often. When she got where she was supposed to be, there were no rooms left because there was a big convention in town or something. They didn’t have Expedia back then or the internet, so they couldn’t make reservations. This humble couple did not create a scene and scream and shout “do you know who we are and who we are carrying here?” but gratefully took whatever shelter the innkeeper could offer. Would being unkind to the innkeeper have changed anything? Would it have helped what we are all to learn? They kept their eye on the prize and went back to their quarters.

It was no mistake. This is where the child who was to be called “Emmanuel” or “God with us” was to be born. Look closely Mom told me. God chose to bring His presence to earth among the purest beings he had here on earth already… the animals. And so it was, among the animals and in the peace of the night under the stars of those who had gone before and were yet to come, was born the child who would show us what God is like.

This child grew and lived an extraordinary life, doing many good things. He lived a life of purpose, Mom told me, and left us with an eternal example of how to live our life. She also explained that much like our beloved dogs, he left the earth far too early after a short life. She told me we can draw joy and hope from that too, because His light was so bright and taught us so much that it continues to shine… that is possible in all of our short lives. He showed how short life can be but how truly special it can be, and reminds us to appreciate every day and not waste one of them. Not waste one chance to do something good while we’re here. He showed us how once a heart is truly touched, that love can never be taken away.

So tonight Mom and I are going to look up in the sky to admire the new and beautiful stars of our friends that have crossed over this year and shine on us this Christmas Eve. I know now that it’s ok because they each lived an amazing life and they are still with us. I know this because God cared enough to send one named Emmanuel, “God with us” to show us how the whole thing plays out. Then we will sing and celebrate the glorious friends we have here with us and the new ones to come.

Then you know what she said???? She whispered in my ear the coolest thing! She said, so Buddy, you know what God spelled backwards is??? Oh my doG! Peace to all and to all a good night friends ::

Keep ‘er Moving!

Hey guys, Happy New Year!! It’s a beautiful sunny day here in central Oregon and my mind is turning to the summer when I get to go in the river again. Man oh man, I just can’t wait for that!! I’m pretty lucky, I have furiends all over the world and one of my bestest is a dude named Caju the Warrior Dog because he has overcome a lot of health stuff like I have. He’s been my furiend longer than just about anypawdy. Anyway, Caju lives in South America where it is summer already… how cool is that?? He went swimming over this holiday at the fazenda (farm) like he loves to do but had a bit of a hard time since he is still recovering from ACL surgery. Gave his Mom quite a scare too. I realized I had not shared one of my favorite “how to make life easier” tricks with you all so pull up a dog bed or a couch cushion and listen up here…

Now you may or may not know that I live right by one of the greatest fly-fishing rivers ever: the Deschutes River, right here in Bend, Oregon. It moves kinda fast in some places though, so I have this great life jacket that I wear even though I know how to swim like a pro. What folks don’t always think about is that even in calm water, as we dogs age or have hip and leg issues, our swimming may not be as strong as it once was. We may also have a harder time exiting the water. The tough thing is, our mind is still thinking like a puppy (that’s what “being the dog” is all about!!) so we WANT to go in. How about helping us continue to have fun and getting us a life jacket to wear, even in a pool, so we can keep going?? It helps keep our body at a naturally buoyant attitude and we can relax and paddle around like the old days. We look kinda cool doing it too! Like those famous dock-jumping dogs or something!!

But here’s the cool thing Mom and Dad figured out when my fur-Mom, Shiloh, was aging and her hips were really giving out. She was having a hard time going up and down the stairs and she was pretty bummed because she was a proud dog and wanted to do things herself. Dad would carry her, but she did not like that. Then one day, they put the life jacket on Shiloh and just pulled up on the handle on top enough so Shiloh could “walk” up the stairs on her own but not have hardly any weight on her hips. It was pretty easy on Dad’s back too. The life jacket supported Shiloh’s entire body so it was comfortable rather than cutting into her in one or two places. Problem solved!! I think Shiloh liked her new “fashion wear” too if ya ask me…

Of course my Mom being my Mom researched these to death. She has a brand she uses on the plane when flying with Whitefish Dog and Home in case they have to ditch in the ocean. She needs an industrial strength one that will withstand what the ocean dishes out and what a dog asks it to do so she did her homework and selected the Ruff Wear Float Coat. You just cannot go wrong with it and it will last you through dog after dog and swim after swim and all those trips up and down the stairs. So stay active with your dog this year and let them age with dignity and fun and “be the dog” as long as they can. Hey, it’s what we’re all about!

Be the Dog (na na na)

Hey everypawdy… Buddy here after a little break in the action. It’s been too long, I’ve missed you guys. A few good furiends have mentioned lately that I’ve been kinda quiet and ya know what? I have been, I’ve been so busy I didn’t even notice! Mom’s been on the road a lot and it sounds like we have a big move coming up and that requires a lot of what humans call “planning” and we have been concerned about a lot of our furiends getting cancer and leaving us too soon and whew! Wait just a minute here… What is “Being the Dog” all about anyway???

I know I have a lot of new furiends here since we talked about “being the dog” in the first place, and it’s always nice to stop and smell the hydrant once in a while and refresh no? Back when I first got diagnosed with cancer 2 years ago my Mom was, of course, devastated. Over the next few days she noticed something and took it to heart. I had not changed one bit. I was still me, BUDDY! I didn’t know what cancer was. I had no idea I might have fewer tomorrows. I really could give a rat’s pattootie about tomorrow on any given day anyway. I want to eat great and forbidden food today and I want you to throw the tennis ball now. It’s pretty simple, don’t try to overthink this for me.

You see, there are two times in a dog’s timeline: NOW and NOT NOW. Don’t tell me we are going for a walk and will play YAY BUDDY soon… that is NOT NOW. That is not in my reality. When they stick a needle into one of my masses and it hurts; boy howdy that is NOW. When we go through the drive-through at Sonic on the way home and get an ice cream cone, that is my new NOW and the needle is NOT NOW and out of my reality. Gone, poof, adios, good-bye. I am 100% focused on that ice cream. Then I happily stick my head out the window and enjoy all the new sniffs in the air the rest of the way home. I have moved on, that’s “being the dog!”

I live each day to the max. That’s “being the dog” too. Grab for all the gusto while you can and if ya see some gusto coming your way don’t let it pass and think you’ll grab the next batch… Go for it! It’s important for you humans to join us in this freedom to “be” and let go of your fears for the future. The future will come and find us no matter what, so let’s grab today ok? If you act all scared and worried all the time around me I’ll start to think something is wrong with me. I get all of my cues from you. I don’t think that kind of stuff up on my own because I only have NOW or NOT NOW. So let’s go to the park, camping, swimming (I LOVE swimming), throw the ball, or just hang together for some undivided attention and adoration. You can modify things as our abilities change, but don’t change the fun. I used to chase tennis balls a long way. Now my humans sit and throw it a short distance and I bring it back to them and they cheer “YAY BUDDY” every time. I celebrate by doing the “roll of joy” flat on my back and getting belly rubs. There isn’t as much running as there used to be but just as much fun!

At the end of the day I have my final “Frosty Paws” treat and collapse, tired and spent. Another good Buddy day. I really suggest you try “being the dog” a bit, it is not species specific. It’s like in the movie Caddyshack when Chevy Chase says “be the ball, na na na” and if you just let go of trying to control the whole thing and loosen up it all comes together and you find yourself enjoying the now. Deal with the tough days as they come along, but then leave them there and make the very most of all the other days and share that sense of pure joy with your pet that they so richly deserve and they give to you every day. Dare to be silly, maybe sing, maybe dance… dare to go out there and just “Be the DoG!”

Letting it all go

Hey there, so I’m back already… did ya miss me? Seems I already have something else to bark about so here I am. If you remember yesterday I shared with you how there are really only 2 times that a dog recognizes: NOW and NOT NOW. This is a very important lesson and it bears re-visiting because it is a hard one for humans to grasp it seems. Remember, I am not concerned about last week’s visit to the vet nor am I worried about the one tomorrow… neither of those are NOW. They are safely in the NOT NOW part of my brain. NOW I would like a treat or for you to throw the ball. Got it? Ok.

Last summer I included a post about having a great time playing in the “upside down pool” with my new friend Sysko. Now some humans might have thought it wasn’t that great on a lot of levels. First of all, when I first got adopted we lived in a home with a real pool in the back yard that I could full-on dive into and I loved it. Then we moved to the beach and I could swim in the ocean just about every day and I loved that, so you might think that running around under what you humans call a fountain is no comparison but you know what? The pool and the beach are NOT NOW so they aren’t real for me and the fountain (upside down pool) is NOW and it was spectacular fun because it was all about ME having fun!! Get it?? Other folks might have thought Sysko wasn’t having much fun… he was over 15 years old and just stood there. Then he followed me over under the water and he wagged his tail and barked! He hadn’t done that in years. His NOW was the best! He was totally being the dog. Sure in some of his past days he had run and gone real swimming, but that was NOT NOW, and this… this was NOW and we were celebrating Sysko in the water again!! It was glorious. And so our friendship began.

Last week Sysko came over for dinner with his Mom as he does sometimes. We both just generally lie around and wait for food to drop into our mouths and enjoy the NOW of warm human conversation. On this occasion though, Sysco shared some very important wisdom with me. He told me his time was almost over here on earth. You know, we dogs can talk about these things because we understand that we have a purpose here and then we move on to something so pure and grand that it defies description. Anyway, Sysko came very close to my ear so as not to alarm the humans and reminded me to remember that there is a third time in every dog’s time frame. There is NOW, NOT NOW… and then… FOREVER. He reminded me that even though we would not see each other much any more on this side, once 2 souls had touched like this we were joined FOREVER and that could not and would not change.

Today Sysko crossed over to the other side, and I will not touch his fur again… but his wisdom, kindness and soul will walk with me FOREVER. FOREVER completely transcends NOW or NOT NOW, so I am at peace. See you on the other side my friend, and thanks for all the beauty you left behind that is NOW part of our FOREVER ::

Feeling Pretty Lucky… Forever

Hey everypawdy, Bud here. Well now, THAT was quite a week last week wasn’t it? Let’s see… I started the week in the snow in Oregon, drove in the car with my Mom pulling the camper with 2 cats in it for over 900 miles to our new home in California where it is warm and sunny. Found a POOL in my new back yard, found a large tumor on my liver. Wait WHAT? Oh yeah, ended the week in rare form there. Ya know I always like to share the journey with you all so we all learn what the road is like so here’s the deal…

Mom made an appointment at an amazing Pets only specialty hospital just 30 miles from our new home with an Oncologist, whatever that means. I usually see an ONfoodologist, but whatever floats your boat right? So off we go. Like we have talked about before, it is good to be assertive when making your pet’s appointments with the dogtor, especially when ya go a lot like me, to minimize trauma. Mom knew I would likely need a CT scan since I had had a nosebleed and we would be checking for nasal cancer and she knew you had to schedule your time in that big machine, so she asked for an appointment when the CT scan could be done immediately after the consultation. I love my Mom for that. We met with the nice dogtor, but then it seems the wires were crossed and it would be a 5 hour wait for the CT scan. Mom voted no. You know you can do that! It is easy to get caught up in the moment at the dogtor office, but you always have to remember us… the DOG, and just keep our welfare #1.

It seems I had a kinda irregular heartbeat too, so they wanted to check my blood pressure. Since they could do that right then, Mom said OK. Heck if my blood pressure wasn’t uber high. WTW? (what the woof?) Now everypawdy started scratching their heads like a dog with fleas and changing direction like a dog spinning before he lays down. Before I knew what was going on, we were all back in “the room” having one of those “quiet talks” about what could be causing the blood pressure to be so high. Seems maybe the high blood pressure could have caused the nosebleed, so we decided to do a sonogram of my beautiful, if not plentiful, belly.

Off to the back with me again and they shaved my belly! How WUDE!!!!! Then they rolled this thing all over it and went “hmmmmmm” a lot. Then the dogtor went and spoke with my Mom. Seems they found a mass on my liver that was over 10 cm large. Mom had to decide between aspirating it with a big ol’ needle or sedating me and getting a more definitive biopsy. Mom knew I was pretty sick and did not want to subject me to even a little surgery but agreed to the needle aspirate which showed it was most likely cancer.

I have been feeling pretty cruddy… not really even interested in food. Mom and Dad want me to only have happy “Buddy” days. “Yay Days” if you will. That’s our deal. I got some meds that made me feel a bit better though and did what I think we should all do when given a little more time on this earth. I decided to play and enjoy and make a few more friends. Those icky tests and that bad news? That was last week at the dogtor’s office. That’s NOT NOW. Playing in my pool with new friends in the sunshine? THAT is NOW! Pupcakes? NOW! And the love I feel all around me as friends gather to support me and my family? You guessed it, I’ll carry that feeling with me FOREVER! I’m a lucky dawg ::

Food, Glorious Food!

Hey, Buddy here… I think it is pretty common knowledge that I LOVE food. If you can eat it, I LOVE it! Heck, that’s even one of my famous tag lines ya know? Just fill in the blank: _______? I LOVE _________! It goes like this: Steak? I LOVE Steak! Eggs? I LOVE eggs! Well, any of you who know me have heard me say that about many a food because I don’t just eat to live, I pretty much live to eat. That’s why it is important for my Mom to get my feeding down to as simple of a routine as possible (AND affordable) and she has hit the big time there!

A few weeks ago she learned about a new website called Mr Chewey.com and she thought she’d give it a whirl. BowWOWza was she in for a treat (and ME too!) as she found all the food there that I eat and even the stupid cats! You see, I have cancer and am on a pretty specific diet. When ya have cancer, it’s a good idea not to eat a lot of carbs and sugars so Mom is pretty picky about what I eat. Right there on the site she found the Taste of the Wild and Natures Balance brands that she likes to get fur me. She also found the urinary tract food fur the cats that they need. There’s even treats that I can eat like Bully Sticks!!! Man, do I like those, I’m guessin’ the bulls aren’t big fans, but I digress.

So Mom places an order and just about flips when she sees that if she spends more than $49 shipping is FREE! I don’t know about your house, but I go through more than that in a month easy. She’s doin’ the math in her head, she’s smart that way, and thinkin’ WOW, with the price of gas these days this is SWEET! So she places her order and just a few days later, Jennifer, the nice Fed Ex lady brings a big ol’ box of Buddy food right to the front door!!!! Is this a great country or WHAT? Ok, there was cat food in there too, but let’s just focus on the important things here, there was BUDDY FOOD in there! MOMMMMMMMMMMM! It’s fur ME!

How can this get any better you might wonder? Well then she realizes that she can set up an automatic shipping schedule and fuggedaboutit! BUDDY’S food will just magically come to the door (ok, and the cats’) when she needs it. She can even change the brands or add treats (YAY treats!) but never subtract treats. I don’t think they have a subtract treats button, oh no…

So check it out and have one less thing to worry about in your life. I put the link above with the name so you can just zoom right over. This will free some time up fur you to play with your dog. Don’t furget to play YAY puppy every day! It’s the way to “be the dog!!”

Waging War

Hey folks, Buddy here! You know basically I’m a lover, not a fighter… but I’m fighting fur my life here and I’m bringing you all along fur the ride so you know what it kinda goes like so you’ll have an idea of the things that can happen in case you ever get thrown off this cliff. You see, while I’m a very special dog, I’m not all that unique in that this happens to a LOT of dogs (and stupid cats BOL) so it is better to know what we are doing. Nobody will have the same journey either. My journey is not at all the same as that of my bridge bro Bob who had Hemangiosarcoma, but how you handle the beast can be the same so here we go on today’s visit ok?

Yesterday wasn’t such a great day fur me. I was laying around a lot in the morning and not even right next to Mom like usual but a little off on my own. I couldn’t really deploy the troops (you know… drop the bomb, move the furniture???) and I was pretty uncomfortable. Then Mom noticed my left eye was drooping and I could barely hold it open, I also stumbled a bit when going out. My left eye had some red in it. Mom called the dogtor and they said we could come in. Then I started perking up, deployed the troops and had some more meds (blood pressure etc.) and was acting more like myself so we decided to wait fur today’s visit. The dogtor confirmed today that it may have been a little stroke from my high blood pressure that still is not under control. I was a very brave soldier getting my blood pressure taken I must say:

Then the surgeon came in and discussed odds and stuff and he felt like it was worth a try to get the liver (liver? I LOVE liver!) mass out because if they got it all I could have a pretty good chance. He said if they opened me up and saw the situation was not so good they could just close me up. They can’t do anything until my blood pressure comes down though since the liver is an organ that so much blood flows through. Don’t want me to bleed a bunch during surgery. I’m with them all the way on THAT don’t ya know.

Mom explained to the surgical tech that she would want to stay over night with me, that Buddy stays nowhere over night without his Mom. Ya see, when I was 4, the only family I knew just dropped me off at the shelter and drove away. Mom does not want me to wake up from surgerizing and think she dropped me off and drove away. She wants me to know she is still there in my life. The tech said that was not usually their policy and Mom just sat and looked at her as if “that was not a question…” Then the tech went back to ask the dogtor and he agreed that I could stay. He’s the same one that Mom explained that we don’t wait 5 hours for a CT scan to, so I think he knew it was best to just go along. Mom explained that she was not going to freak out when she saw pets bleeding or get in the way and she would respect their space, but she also would not leave her dog alone. It IS possible to politely assert yourself for the best interest of your furbaby.

So they are trying too to see if my kidneys will ease up on losing protein. Took some more blood to see if it might have been a nasty ol’ tick in my past that left an unwelcome calling card. The kidneys are still working, though, which is a good sign. Mom pulled out the plastic and ponied up fur enough pills to constitute another meal per day. Dad stopped on the way home to get hot dogs to stuff them in (hot dogs? I LOVE hot dogs!) and, wait fur it… ICE CREAM!!!!!

Since there had been some blood-letting and butt-poking (How WUDE!) and general Tom-Foolery, we decided that a mid-day swim was in order when we got home just to make sure all of that was safely in the NOT NOW and only happy things were in our NOW. There, I think that did it!

Know When to Fold ‘Em

Hey everypawdy, Bud here! I don’t know if you have seen my summer so far on Facebook (Buddy’s Be the Dog Life) but I have been having a GRAND time. I mean large. Fur me? Life has kinda been a pawty nonstop since getting to Southern Cal. It all started when my new friends Surf Dog Ricochet and her sissy Rina (oh yeah, and their Mom) came over. BowWOWza did we have fun! It was a pool pawty and food fest and all.

You’d never know unless you’ve read some of my posts lately that I had just gotten some big news that my cancer had finally spread in a big way. You see, that’s the thing about being the dog. My life didn’t change from one day to the next just because we took the fancy pictures and saw that mass on my liver. Life did seem to change a little fur Mom and Dad, though. They took me to lots of appointments (followed by lots of ice cream, I LOVE ice cream) and talked on the phone a lot. Well, I went back to the dogtor this week and looked at a few more things (OK, the really nice dogtor looked and I just hung out) and then everypawdy talked a bit and seems like I am free at last!

You see, my blood pressure is no longer off the charts but it is still in the high range making surgerizing kinda risky. My kidneys aren’t working completely perfectly (but boy my bladder sure is!) and I have a few melanomas on my mouth that would require removing a bit of my fabulous lip and there’s somethin’ hinky on my back that is suspicious. So ok, here’s the deal Mom and Dad and me had. I would be the dog and love them endlessly and without reserve or judgement and they would give me the very best life humanly possible. We have battled cancers as they popped up in the last 2 years because they were easily removed and my life returned to its fabulous quality quickly. This one… this one would not only be a risky surgery but I do seem to have a bit of spread elsewhere. This softball on my liver isn’t the first to pop up, it is part of a systemic escalation. For other dogs, it might be easily removed and they go on and have good years. I have a bit of cancer floating around and the other health issues. Time has come to realize NOW that the NOT NOW is out there and use that as an incentive to enjoy NOW rather than spend a large part of my remaining time recovering from surgery and NOT swimming. Mom and Dad have decided that they can best honor our deal by spending the money they would have spent on surgery on heating the pool so I can enjoy every day NOW that I feel good. They are going to let me “be the dog!”

I don’t really know what all of this means except that I don’t have to go back to the dogtor for months and my life has turned into an almost epic constant pawty. I can live with that! I LOVE pawties! I am showered with love daily and am meeting everyone on my bucket list as fast as I can. Man, are there some great pawtiers here in SoCal! Like Miss Emma Zen… she is such a sweetie! Her Mom is pretty cool too!!

Or how about going out to brunch at the Lazy Dog Cafe here in Temecula with 4 other dogs, 3 kids and some adults? Huh? PAWTY! I got to meet Rizzo Tenderheart, Marley and Piffer, and Mickey Linden. Rudy Rudalicious the San Diego Ambassador of Love even hovered from the bridge. Then like that wasn’t enough… yup we came back for more fun in the pool!

I’ve been to a food truck fest where the whole truck was about… wait for it… BACON!

So you know what, this is actually kinda working fur me. Every now and then Mom looks a little wistful, not sure why, but then she snaps back and heck if we don’t do something else that is fun! Dogs know when their life starts to wind down, and we don’t fear it. Not at all. It is all part of the circle and how many get to actually accelerate while winding down? It just makes things clearer fur us. Don’t miss a thing. Have the very best time right NOW today. You know what? Life is a one way trip fur all of us so all of us should live like we are nearin’ the end if it makes us focus this much on doing the very BEST things! So folks come on along with me on the rest of this crazy journey and as always, Enjoy The Ride!

There’ll Be Time Enough For Countin’….

Hey everypawdy, Bud here. Thanks for helping me celebrate my 6th anniversary of being adopted into my FURever home yesterday! We had a pretty darn good day of it yeah? I was overwhelmed by how many folks stopped by to share the love, since that’s what it’s all about. It has been a busy week, so it was good to chillax and focus on the NOW with good friends doing what I love. When things get goofy, always come back to NOW, remember that…

So Monday I went to the dogtor which I never really care for, but he’s really nice and I get ice cream so it’s pretty much a wash. See, my nose started bleeding again on Friday. Yup, right there in the pool no less! Then again on Saturday and Sunday and Monday… So off we went to see if my blood pressure was all whacky again. But no. Now it is still in the high range, even with all the meds I’m on, which in and of itself suggests there’s somethin’ pressin’ on my big ol’ heart that we might not want to think about (or at least I don’t care to think about) and so I don’t. Thing is, the blood pressure isn’t high enough to cause these bleeds. So Ol’ Monte Hall says the winner is behind door #1 or door #2. It is either Nasal cancer or end-stage Fungal Infection since I’m only bleeding out of one side of my nose. We can run big icky tests to prove which one, but my body can’t really withstand the treatment for either since I have so much other cancer in it right now is the short and sweet and I would have a really lousy quality of life. Not very Buddy-worthy at all. Dogtor says if I keep bleeding (and I am) I will soon become anemic ( a WHAT?) and drift… I actually love to drift

Or, I might have a big bleed. I do lots of stuff in a big way so maybe that will be it? Anyway, Mom started talking with me a lot and watching me. She noticed a few things because you know, we dogs know when things are winding down. We don’t really get scared because it’s all natural and all part of the circle of life. I now can feel my body changing and preparing to transition. It feels, well, different. I’m not sure why, so I like to be by my Mom all the time just to be sure everything is ok. I still look to her for support a lot. At night when I sleep, I like to sleep on the cool tile, but I now want to feel a little more secure so I have been climbing into the shower to feel like I’m in a little secure place. I remember my fur-Mom climbing into the bathtub every night towards the end, now I know why. I sleep most of the day, I’m pretty tired, but I do enjoy going out for a roll on the grass and a head massage. I still love my food and I love my swim every day. Mom and I have agreed that I’ll let her know that I don’t wanna play any more when I stop wanting those things. She and Dad are real calm and hold my head and wipe my nose when it bleeds and talk real quiet so I don’t get skeered. Then we have treats and go back to life.

So NOW is a good time to review the big lesson. All we have is love. We live in the NOW because yesterday is gone and tomorrow isn’t here yet and we can’t possibly know what it will bring, it is the NOT NOW. And the love we have NOW? It binds us FOREVER! So join me for a float in the pool, a barkarita or two and enjoy the ride. The water is perfect from where I float ::

The Circle

Flyin’ in from the bridge, Wooohooooo! Wheeeeee, this is a blast. Flyin’? I LOVE flyin’!!! OK, it took me a little while to get the hang of it, I wasn’t exactly graceful on earth and I’m a big guy so I had a few bumpy starts up here, but now? Now I am totally Being the DOG with these things and they ROCK! You know I used to have a special Golden Dispensation when I was earthbound that let me go on into surgerizing with friends and hold their paw and sure enough I have a few special perks up here too. I’m gonna get to stop by now and then with important news on the cancer awareness front and to check in on ya until my replacement arrives to carry on the legacy. I see we have a lot of new furiends in the pack, and it would just be rude to not say anything and ignore everypawdy…

First of all, may I just say how cool I think it is that you are all taking care of each other so much? You know dogs only understand two times: NOW and NOT NOW. This makes the transition process a lot easier fur us because we get really sad at losing a beloved companion, but then the sickness and worry and end all gets moved into the NOT NOW and those of us left behind begin living on and “Being the Dog” as usual. The dog who left is no longer ill, no longer worries and is no longer in that dogtor’s office. Why would we keep going back to that day? Crazy huh? Like in my case… It was my greatest hope that I might help at least one other dog and maybe their human deal with their cancer with knowledge (knowledge is power… power of the PAW!) which reduces fear. I also hoped I could help at least one learn how to LIVE with cancer, not just wait to die. It would be a real drag if all we did now is think about that last day.

And why do humans tend to re-live the few bad moments over and over and keep wondering how they could have done it differently??? That’s silly. Take a cruise back through this blog, go ahead, I’ll wait **taps paw.** Would you just look at all of those wild crazy FUN times?? I had a hoo-ha, and so did my friends and family!

So I have been barkin’ with Mom and Dad, and here’s what we’re gonna do. Hope it doesn’t weird you out, but they’re gonna give me a voice here and on my Facebook page until my sucessor comes along to carry on fur me. We’re gonna keep helping folks “Be the Dog.” Ok, maybe you won’t be seeing such crazy pool pawties, but I’ll at least be in touch and maybe give you pupdates from the bridge! There’s important stuff going on and we don’t want it to go unnoticed. Oh and you talk among yourselves and continue to gather here so I can see ya, and together we’ll move forward. You see life isn’t as well defined as we like to think, that’s why they call it “the circle of life…” It is continuous, just changes forms. While I was on earth, my best friend Caju and I would always sing the song that we didn’t want to close our eyes, because we didn’t want to fall asleep and miss a thing. The form has changed a little, now we can close our eyes and see each other and still not miss a thing. Sometimes you just need to close your eyes to really see what is still right there with you. Once you have been touched at that deep of a level, it cannot be erased by a simple change of form. Like E.T. said, “I’ll be right here…”