Happy New Year!

Dan and I hope that 2010 will be the best year ever - for us and for you! May your pockets be filled with wealth, your homes filled with love, your hearts filled with peace, and your couches filled with puppies!

Escaped Again!

Tom and his girls apparently felt they had escaped another year's holiday meals, because they came ambling up the hill to the front door yesterday. I'd never seen them this close before! Earlier in the morning, they were in the back dog run, hopping up and down (literally!) and trying to get out over the fence. Dopey creatures forgot they could fly! Once one of them remembered, out they all flew. A few hours later, they came trooping up the drive, up the hill to the house, and hung out on the lawn for about 20 minutes! Only when you live in the sticks can you see this kind of entertainment!

Hello, Nala!

Nala came to live with us today! Her mom, Sue, and two human "brothers" brought her down from Stevens Point to her new home here at Hundenruhe Haven. She is a complete and total DOLL, and we are enjoying her already. Nala is fourteen and a half, but you'd never know it by the sparkle in her eye and the joy with which she has been exploring her new digs. She did great meeting the other crazies, and doesn't she just look so precious with New Year? (he's on the right) Nala has settled right in, letting crabby Twig hog her bed, but being happy to settle on her blanket next to me while I write about her on the computer. I am looking forward to getting to know her and all her quirks and charms. We are so lucky that Sue trusted us with her - Welcome to Hundenruhe Haven, Nala! [More pictures from Nala's first day can be found at: http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a106/cestmoijodee/ ]

Farewell, Sadie

Our beloved Sadie went to the Rainbow Bridge on Monday at the age of 17. She went to the doctor for a dental, and a large mass was discovered in her abdomen while she was there. It was bleeding internally, so we decided to let our precious girl go.
We called her "Sadie No-Trouble". She was a darling, darling rat terrier girl. Though she suffered from a wee bit of dementia (had her "spells", don't you know!), she still froliced behind me like a little filly when we go for walkies in the big field. She had just discovered pets in the last year, and was constantly at our fingertips . Sadie thought that Baci was her baby, and was often nearby, keeping an eye on his royal tininess. Her human mom passed away, and we were so happy that she was able to find her way north to Hundenruhe.
There will always be a hole in our hearts without our girl, but we know that she truly found "dog's peace" here. What she gave to us was immeasurable.
We love you, Sadie. See you at the bridge...

End of an Era

Today we'll say good-bye to an old friend and an era in my life. As a child, I dreamed of owning a horse, learning to ride, and showing at a horse show. Zeke, an Appaloosa, made all those dreams come true for me. He and I learned dressage together, he an 11-year-old green-broke cow horse, and I a 26-year-old city girl. At first sight, he reminded me of a camel - making funny faces over the wall of the stall. Definitely NOT the horse of my dreams. But, he was affordable, and quickly won my heart. Zeke did not like to work, so he used to pretend to be lame every month when the dressage instructor flew in from Michigan. Silly boy. Soon, Dan and I made over the dairy barn on our farm to accomodate Zeke, and many hours were spent pounding nails and fence posts. Zeke was soon joined by Buddy, Dan's aged quarter horse, and then Rhodes, my Holsteiner show horse. Over time, Buddy went to the Rainbow Bridge and Rhodes to a new home, and our Zeke was left to grace our pastures. He was a friend to the barn cats, snurffling them with his big nose, and loved to tease the dogs. His pasture paralleled the dog run, and he loved to lean over the fence and blow on the dogs. There are very few things that felt as wonderful as seeing him trot in to the barn when I called him. Today the vet will come and we will send him on his way to join Buddy at the Bridge. I will miss him - and all he represents. My first horse...and my last. Love you, Big Guy. Run free.

Blessings

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect upon the many things that one is grateful for. It is probably the very best holiday of all, because it is a chance to spend time with family, and express the gratitude that fills our hearts. I am so fortunate to have so many blessings - my husband and partner, my mom and step-dad, students who have become my extended family, the cutest heart-dogs in the world, a gorgeous place in the country to live, the opportunity to share my home with the sweet aged souls of the senior dogs that come to live with us, ample food to eat (sometimes too much!), and a great education. I feel lucky every day for what I have - and will continue to strive to do better and be better.

Yahoo!

Our donated basket went for $51! Yay for Fluffy Butts!
Today was a gorgeous day, with the mist rising from the fields at Hundenruhe Haven. After a glorious walk in the warmer-than-normal morning air, I headed off to have lunch with my mom. I am so lucky to have her in my life! We had a lovely talk and it reminded me of how much I have to be thankful for. I have the very best possible partner in the world - my husband Dan. And we get to make a difference one dog at a time - getting to know these amazing old souls and receiving their sweet wisdom and spirits. During the week I am blessed with a job where I can inspire and be inspired by the most unique and cool kids on the planet. I live on a fantastic piece of land, where the delights of nature are at my doorstep every day. We have plenty to eat, and fairly reliable transportation. Though we don't get to have many frivolous items in our lives like vacations and big TV's, fancy cars, or expensive clothes, we are blessed with what matters. It is enough.