I'm home!

Had to take a shot of this.  A poster on the side of the liquor/beer store in Ottawa, Ontario.  

I'm home and boy am I glad to be here.  It is harder and harder to leave as the years go by.  Like all of you, I love my dogs; my life would not be the same if they were not in it.  So as much as I love to head out on a vacation; if it does not include my dogs then I leave a piece of me behind.  When I am away I need a dog fix big time and lucky for me much of my family are dog folks, really great dog loving people.  So I get my fix which helps me to make it through the stress of not having Luke and Elsa by my side.

"How are they?" I ask the sitter almost daily.  I am very lucky that I have a sitter who moves in and picks up my Mom role when I leave.  She is there for one job only and that is to make sure that Luke and Elsa are happy and healthy while I am gone.  I worry, sure I do; it is my nature to worry but it is very minimal as I know that someone is looking out for them.  I'm sure that I suffer far more than they do when I am away.  My life revolves around dogs; not just my dogs but all dogs.  So when mine are absent I look to others to fill the void.

Happily I was around dogs for much of our trip.  If it wasn't other's dogs in parks, down town and farm markets it was my family's dogs.  Lots and lots of dogs which makes me very happy.

My families dog pick up the slack and I love it.  Spending time with all of my extended dogs is great.  Catching up and seeing how they've changed since the last time I saw them is great.  There were two new additions to the family since I was last home.  Two new Golden Retrievers, one is an adopted 3 year old named Maya; the other a new, soft and adorable puppy named Hannah.  She is the picture of a sweet and adorable teddy bear like puppy.  One evening there was a house full with 5 family dogs coming together.  The pack dynamics were extremely interesting and watching who was who and where they fit in was fascinating.

The five were: Sadie, a rescued wirehair Dachshund who could not be cuter if she tried.  I absolutely fell in love with her this trip.  Her younger house sibling Trixie who looks and acts very much like a Jack Russell Terrier mix.  She is tenacious and adorable.  Wile-e, who is a beautiful, quiet and distinguished Sheltie.  He is reserved but so sweet.  Penny, an amazing little Cairn Terrier who is all terrier with a whole lot of sweet and her younger house sibling; the new Hannah.

I got to spend several days with Ruby; my sister's Nova Scotia Tolling Retriever who graced a 3 page photo spread in Dog World several years ago.  She is starting to gray around the face but is still full of that typical Toller drive.  Ruby is as happy to see me as I am to see her and it is heaven as she whines and cries when we come together.  She is an amazing who I feel very lucky to know.

Plus Steve and I visited some great friends with their amazing Standard Poodles, Uno and Sassy.  Of course I cannot get enough of these amazing two.  So lots of photos to follow in the next few days but for now I am happy to snuggle into the morning with my two.



Extended family dogs; love them all.  Without them, what would I do?