It took 10 days, countless emails and phone calls, a 1500-mile journey, a whole lot of faith and fate, even more luck, and at times seemingly half the population of the Commonwealth of Virginia … but we adopted a puppy from Blue Ridge Border Collie Rescue. She is 15 weeks old, with both beauty and an incredible temperament. Name pending. Welcome home, puppy girl!
A bit unexpectedly, I found myself digging into the details of a recent (and ongoing) canine parvovirus outbreak in Massachusetts. Regular media tends to report just 2 things: (1) There is an outbreak. (2) Vaccinate your pets. That’s NOT nearly enough information for dog people like us, so I’ll be writing a series of posts with more details and more science behind parvo outbreaks and parvo immunity. This is the first post in the series. It explains what I want you to think when you first hear about a parvovirus outbreak.
Many of you probably see dog news items like this come across your social media newsfeed. Still, I thought it might be helpful to gather a few in one place (with a comment or two from me). Topics include canine jealousy, how dogs *might* tell time, what they learn from sniffing other dogs’ bottoms, and the myth of black dogs not getting adopted as much.
Cruising the local farmer’s market a few Saturdays ago, I stumbled upon a booth selling Origami Owl custom jewelry. Among other things, they sell see-through lockets and a variety of doo-dads / charms to go inside. I think it’s a perfect option for memorializing our canine soul mates, and I wish I’d known about it right after Lilly died in December 2013.
This week, I’d planned on writing an update about how Ginko is doing health-wise and without Lilly. I prepared to say he was doing OK with his heart and neurological issues. I intended to whine a bit about his ongoing senile barking. I planned to tell you that he does seem perhaps a little lonely without Lilly, but that he also smiles an awful lot. Then, seemingly out of nowhere Sunday, Ginko’s tummy had some serious, serious troubles. Fair warning, long post.
A few weeks ago, a 3-month-old puppy appeared in my Facebook newsfeed. Cue instant yearning — even though I’m nowhere near ready and she was about 900 miles away. I squealed. I shared her pix. My friends encouraged me. Adopt. Adopt. ADOPT, they told me. Something about her face called to me. Something in her eyes beckoned. I convinced myself it meant something.
I am honored, humbled, and grateful to say that Lilly’s Fund reached 100% of our $3,343 goal in just 17 days. Thanks to the help of 36 donors (on top of the $693 we chipped in ourselves) we’ll be able to help a dog (or dogs) at our local veterinary specialty hospital.
It took me close to two solid days to gather and officially archive 9 years of photos and video of Lilly. I’m so grateful – now that she is gone – to have countless images of our life together. You’ll always find spontaneous moments to capture, but here is a short list of must-have dog photos and video.
I’m sure people wonder about our timeline on getting another puppy or dog. We’re not even thinking about looking until spring 2015. I’m announcing this in part to keep well-meaning folks from sending me links to adoptable dogs. It’s also a statement of faith that at some point in the future I won’t feel quite as grief stricken as I do today.
Sharing a lifetime of photos and video of Lilly, our dearly departed canine heroine. Approximately 5-minute tribute video for my Heart Dog — my canine soul mate — Lilly Elizabeth Hawn.
