DISASTER WITH MY BALL BUDDY

I think I’ve mentioned previously how I like to take Buddy across the street to “play ball”—–He loves it and will do it for a mighty long time.  Earlier in our “play dates” I discovered:  1.  Take him for a walk AFTER he plays ball and is a bit tired out, and 2.  Don’t let him keep a ball in his mouth as we walk.  A few times I let him have the ball as we walked and he’d decide to let it fly and go after it.  Not too great with me on the other end of the leash!  Get the picture?

Well, 2 weeks ago today, on June 28, 2008, I took him across the street to play after which time I brought him back to my house for water.  It was hot out!  Buddy pulled and tugged to get across the street all the while with the ball in mouth.  I figured it was “only across the street” and the in-mouth ball wouldn’t be a problem.  Right?  WRONG!!  As we rounded the back corner of the house he let the ball fly (right PAST the water bucket, I might add) and I flew with him—–on my knee —on the concrete!  Result?  Broken left kneecap.  As of tomorrow, I’ll have been in a brace and on crutches for two weeks; AND in one more week we will be on our first cruise to ALASKA!

Still love the dog and can’t wait to play again in the field.  This playing over the fence just doesn’t do it……we worry about the GRASS!

Farewell Jessie

Jessie left us at about 7:15 p.m. on Monday, June 9, 2008. The family felt it was time as Jessie was no longer enjoying life for she was in much pain. Jessie seemed to welcome the thought of a pain free afterlife (if there truly is one for animals), and walked up to the Vet’s Van on her own and asked to be helped up the stairs. She also ate a WHOLE bowl of dog food and drank TWO WHOLE bowls of water and didn’t upchuck any of it which was totally unusual. For the last several months she would upchuck even small amounts given to her. Something was not right on her insides. Anyway, our JessiePups is gone and we will think of her often and miss her.
BUT…….today, June 21, 2008 John RESCUED a twelve week old black lab mix named Sunday, (She was born on Easter Sunday), through Petfinder.com. He drove to Illinois to get her as she was to be shown at a Pet Smart store there. I don’t know if he rescued her or she rescued him! I think they’ll call her Sundae (like ice cream), or Sunny, or Sunnie (?) and already she has been to the Bead Store where her mom and Jackie work; and also to her “cousin” Charlie Girl’s house to meet that family. Apparently she gives lots of kisses and loves lovin’ or John most likely wouldn’t have brought her home. He says she is beautiful and a sweetheart; unfortunately, as I write this, “Grandma” is up North and won’t meet her for another week!
Do you think he loves her?

Sunnie and John

My “Ball Buddy”

Yesterday, Buddy was out all alone for minimum 4 hours; could have been even 6 hours. He’d look in our family room window: “Please come and play with me.” He makes me laugh the way he plays—I swear he knows exactly what he’s doing. Following are some pictures to show how he “throws the ball over”. At 1-1/2 years old, Buddy is pretty big.

 

 

 

When the snow was mountainous, his shoulders were over the top of the fence.

“Throw the ball over”!

Sometimes he can’t find the tennis ball and this happens……he tries to put the “holey” rubber ball ¨through the fence”!!!!

Soooooo, we play with THAT ball!

Buddy again….

Sunday, March 3rd was an unusally warm day of 50 degrees and Buddy was sitting out in his yard so I had the brilliant idea to take him for a walk! Brilliant? Maybe not! When I opened the gate to get him, he was as excited as if I hadn’t seen him in a year! I had to fight him off in order to connect the leash to his collar. Then out the gate we went, he climbing all over me in excitement to be out of the yard and “played with”! It took a block and a half to get him to settle down and walk decently. Remember.. it’s 50 degrees out, but the puddles are an inch or two deep, ice is still slippery, and he doesn’t walk without pulling…..soooo after 5 or 6 blocks and an again dirty jacket, I decided it wasn’t worth wet feet and risking broken bones. I took him back to his yard and I went back to my yard. From there I threw the tennis ball for him for about 20 minutes and he continually, ran, retrieved and “threw the ball over” the fence. Finally, when I said: “Last one…I have to go in,” (and wash my jacket),  he lay down in the snow to cool off and rest.

I should have STARTED with the ball game and we might have had a good walk! Buddy, Buddy.

Charlie-Girl

This Puppy is Jessie’s cousin, though she’s a golden retriever. Maybe the “cousin” comes from their both being “retrievers”—one being black the other golden. Charlie Girl is our other grand-puppy……a pretty almost 4 year old sweetheart. She’s not “perfect” by the “golden” standards…..has two little crooked teeth on the bottom, and has frizzy hair in spots on her legs. BUT Charlie-Girl is “perfect” in every other way that really matters. She belongs to Debbie, Vinnie, Billy and Joe. But I call her “My Puppy”. Imagine that!

She’s actually somewhat of a princess and to prove it will sit facing you holding her paw up in a manner as if to delicately shake your hand; but in reality she just wants you to hold hers or rub her paw and leg. She just wants you to know that she’s there “for you”! And if you stand up, she will put her head between your legs and expect you to pet her back or ears. Spoiled? Not Charlie! She also sleeps in bed with you and when Grandpa and Grandma have her in our “queen” sized bed, SHE is the QUEEN demanding all the room. But somehow, we allow it!

Jessie-Pup

I guess it’s time for me to write about another one of “my puppies”. This one is my grand-puppy, a wonderful black lab, Jessie. I write about her first because she is the oldest of our two granddogs. Jessie belongs to the other Michl family, John, Kathy, Johnny and Jackie. Jessie is a typical lab: loves to chase a ball, bark, has puppy dog eyes, eat treats, bark with a treat in her mouth, parade around with the treat (especially a chewy) for a long time making the “look at me” sounds, hunts in the back yard for anything that might smell like an animal, sheds her beautiful black hair like crazy, and loves lovin’. Oh, Jessie also loves to swim when she gets the chance; particularly up North at our cottage. She can be a pain in the neck up there sometimes when she barks at any sound or jumps in the water when the kids are trying to ski. She’ll also jump off the pier to fetch a floating leaf or simply at a reflection of a stone on the bottom.

Grandma loves to brush Jessie because with the piles of hair I get off of her, I know that I’ve done something! And I can keep on brushing and continue to get more hair off of her; it never ends. But Jessie loves the attention and also enjoys an occasional massage. Unfortunately, Jessie Pup is really in the golden age of her life. At 13 1/2 years old she is showing signs of age—having trouble going up stairs, can’t jump as she used to, is getting thin and her lumps are getting bigger or at least are more obvious. John says that she must be having vision trouble as well, as she doesn’t necessarily see even a treat if you hold it in front of her; she has to smell it or search for it.

John is trying to talk himself out of another dog when the time comes; but if he can’t convince himself, he’d get another black lab for fear that Kathy would come up with a “wanna be” dog. He loves the love Jessie gives, the pretty eyes and facial expression, and the beautiful shiny coat. I wonder how long he’d be able to be without a pup at his feet in his office!

Grandma Loves You, Jess!!

Buddy

John, when setting up this blog for me decided that “Puppies” would be a good category for me as I really love dogs…..all “puppies” to me, no matter how old they are.

I haven’t seen our nextdoor neighbor puppy for a few days now and am hoping that he was just away for the weekend. “Buddy” is really still a puppy at about 15 months old, but he is quite large already being a mix between a golden retriever and a yellow lab. He looks mostly like a lab and when he comes bounding to the wooden fence to see us, you’d swear he was going to knock the fence down! Bamm!!

Unfortunately, Buddy doesn’t get much play time or “go for a walk time”, and walks around his yard or just sits there watching whatever he is able to see over the fence. That breaks my heart —-’cause when he sees Jack or me in our family room he comes up to the fence, stands up, and with those “puppy dog eyes” stares at us sadly. “Aren’t you coming out to play?” Often times we wave to him through the window or I will open the window and talk to him.

Many times though, if the snow isn’t too deep, I will go to the fence and he immediately searches for a ball, his favorite plaything. He will even drop a treat I give him if he can get the ball. He will retrieve the ball forever until I tell him: ” I have to go now, see you later”! Then he again stares at me from across his yard with the ball in his mouth and again I see those “sad puppy dog eyes”. I taught him to “toss the ball over” the fence so I don’t have to fight him for it. That works great except that he slobbers the ball like crazy trying to “throw it over”.

He’s a neat dog, needs and loves attention…..sure hope he still lives there.

Unattained Birthday

Phyllis would have been 89 years old today—-missed the birthday by just 20 days.  I’m sure she didn’t mind missing it; but Happy Birthday anyway, Auntie!  Jack and I will attend Mass at St. Anne’s today in honor of this day.

Janurary 22, 2008

Laid to Rest

Tomorrow will be two whole weeks since we had Aunt Phyllis’ funeral. She looked very peaceful and beautiful though not really like herself. We were told they had to work very hard to build her up as she was so thin; but she, indeed, did look wonderful.

The weather today started out as -7 degrees (the day for the Packer playoff game before the Superbowl.) And two weeks ago, it rained and rained and rained. As a result we didn’t process to the Cemetery; it would’ve been difficult for the elderly in attendance.

Peace in Paradise

Phyllis found her final peace at 4:10 p.m. on Wednesday, January 2, 2008 with Debbie, Peter and Siggi, Jack and Peggy, Julianne the hospice nurse, and Jennie the hospice aide, surrounding her. No matter how long we prepared for this, and prayed for her peaceful death, it was still difficult—-we loved her so very much.