Community Watering Hole

Looks like Bear's pool is the talk of the town 'round here ... Until we get our fencing in, I guess we can expect regular visitors! Can you charge a dog admission?

Doggie Paddle

Somebody cannot wait to get his paws wet ...



Follow the Pool Progress at the Gallery.

Bear's Beautiful

Bear liked his dad's new haircut so much he asked if we would give him a nice grooming for the New Year. This was on Sunday - yes we are wearing shorts and swimsuits - it was over 80 degrees outside and beautiful.

But not as beautiful as Bear.

We have two sets of clippers so we can do the job in half the time. I am usually in charge of styling his bangs and business end, while Michael grooms his body and feet. Thought you might find it amusing.

Sleep Disturbance

I had dreams all night about poor little Iggy. Is it because I was bombarded all day long with over-dramatic details from the media? Or could it be because my little Bear was sleeping next to me, head on Michael's pillow, whimpering in his own peacefully undisturbed doggy slumber?

(Michael's out of town, btw. Someone has to keep me warm at night! Don't judge!)

To counteract those hairy legs below

Pay no attention to the waggling tail at the other end of the blanket.

I felt I needed to leave you with a much more pleasant image in your mind after that last post :) Really, I couldn't Bear it.

Would His Royal Highness care for a spot of tea?

The future's so bright ...

Bear's in heaven

Here are some pics of the creek and the park by our rental house. This isn't the one I mentioned before (Sculpture Falls). Not sure when we'll get back out there - it involves hiking a few miles and a little more prep, but this park is nice and close. We sometimes go over there on our lunch break to let Bear swim.

After a good storm, it's more like a river! A little low today. We went out around 7pm, just before sunset. Enjoy.

Goodbye to Sammie

Sad news first :( I guess this is as good a place to start as any.

We recently made the decision to turn Sammie over to a Golden Retriever rescue organization here in Austin. I've never felt such heartbreak, or such relief.

For anyone who might not know, Sammie was our first baby. We got her shortly after we moved into our first house (Rocklin), and she just turned 8! Anyone who had the (slightly unfortunate) opportunity to know her would know she's always been a handful, to say the very least. But we've done our best over the years to take care of her and manage her multiple health issues as well as her major attitude problem.

I really don't want to go into the lengthy details of how we came to this decision, but long story short - she tore her ACL while playing in the park, and the necessary surgery and recovery was going to be in the thousands. Adding this to her already staggering other health issues, I guess this was just the last straw. We already have one very sick doggie who requires twice-daily medication and very regular lab work at the vet. The major difference is we love Bear much more. Yes, we do have favorite children.

The rescue organization has a really wonderful foster care and adoption program, and was willing and able to cover the cost of all her treatments through donations, etc. So ultimately it was really the best thing for Sammie. But it was surprisingly very painful for us to let her go. I can't even post a picture of her because she's just too cute, it's disarming. It shows nothing of her true colors ;)

In any case, just thought I'd let you know in case you noticed we have become a one dog family.