Thanks for the Memories

I've been trying to put this into words for two days now, but each time I've tried I haven't been able to finish it. So here goes.

Kaleb was a dog who taught me a thousand lessons. In the short two years I knew him I learned to live, love, relax, and enjoy every moment for what it is. He was the poster dog for living life to the fullest and enjoying every minute of it. He taught me to be impulsive and that even if it all crumbles that it's okay, smile and make the best of it. Most of all he encouraged forced me to develop a sense of humour. That first time Sarah let me run him, I knew I was in for a ride. He had his own idea of what he's supposed to do, and a lot of the time those ideas differed from what I wanted him to do.

How can I love a dog that isn't mine so much? I remember the first time I met him. Rude, pushy, slimy and loud. With one lick he could manage to slobber half my face. The first time he met Izzie he gingerly licked her ear and backed away remembering a certain other little light coloured dog wouldn't take to kindly to that. Once he knew Izzie wouldn't bite him, he loved her. Licking her ears and air humping. Oh Kaleb. Izzie loved him anyway, I imagine that's the only reason she put up with him. Even if he was wary of Pugs after my parents' dogs went after him, I don't think Izzie ever stopped loving her big black buddy.

I'll never forget when Sarah asked me to check in on Jane when she and Pete had to be out of town. He greeted me at the door with his "Izzie" in his mouth. Totally adorable. His adorable puppy-dog eyes staring at me like "oh you're not my mama but you'll do just fine!" I wasn't sure he was going to let me leave, he kept bringing me any toy he could find and soliciting love. 

Then there was the summer that I'll never forget. I am so glad that I was able to make the trip to the FCRSC Specialty in Abbotsford. I cannot express how grateful I am to have been a part of what ended up being his last specialty show and his last swim in the ocean. It might sound cheesy but that trip changed my life. It really did. It was rather impulsive for me, full of firsts. I became a pro at the "dammit Kaleb!" exclaimation, got many snuggles, played many rounds of UFC with him, met so many new people and got to know a few better because of him. I'm so happy it happened. To witness his wins, the JAM, the love and connection between him and Sarah. It makes me tear up just thinking about the great time we had on a trip all for my buddy boy. 

I loved that dog, and jeeze what a dog he was, he was one of a kind. That eternal smile, his loving yet mischievous personality. He will never be forgotten or replaced. A dog like Kaleb leaves a huge hole in your heart that will take a long time to heal. How lucky we all are to have loved him. 

Kaleb, you were an amazing dog. I will cherish every memory I have of you in the short two years I knew you. It still doesn't feel real. I still feel like I'm going to go out to the agility field and have you mooch all my cookies. I'll never forget the life lessons you taught me or that cute bubba gump lip of yours. Say hi to Janers and Tag and the rest of them for us. You are very missed. 

Kaleb died of Lymphoma. This terrible disease is one of the most common forms of cancer in canines. Anyone reading this, educate yourself on the signs and symptoms and observe and put your hands on your dogs regularly to be able to catch any changes early. Please consider donating to CLEAR by clicking the logo below. CLEAR is a nonprofit organization looking to increase awareness of canine lymphoma and it is a great resource for information on the disease as well as prevention and treatment. 

Bow Tie Sunday

I've been relatively boring lately. Not much is happening on the dog front as I'm trying to give Izzie some time off. We have two days of trialling coming up in May and then our very first Regionals is upon us at the start of June! Exciting but so scary! Thank dog we have our regional prep class starting on Tuesday!

I also bought Izzie a bow tie collar. Look how bloody adorable she is.


Bow Tie Sunday, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Payback's a Bitch

Eh Izzie?

That's what you get for always humping my arm during fetch, Pug.

The little white dude is our friend Sarah's little Jack Russell Terrier puppy named Fitz. He's super cute and I almost died of cuteness poisoning today when visiting him. Here's his owner's blog!

The Running of the Pug

It's spring, which means warmth and sunshine and awesomeness. It also means a feisty Pug. I took these on Sunday after our little bunny ears photo shoot. She started out chasing ground squirrels and then it turned into zoomies from there. Go Pug!







I love her little zooms!

Happy Easter!

13/42:. The Easter Puggy, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Via Flickr:
Izzie wishes everyone a happy Easter and hopes you all enjoyed your 2 pound chocolate bunnies and piles of cadbury cream eggs. She got bunny ears in her Easter basket.

Bring on Spring

Spring officially began on Wednesday, and it did indeed act like spring with highs of 14 degrees Celcius and sunny skies! Did I utilize that day doing cool outdoor things and taking photos? Nope! I walked the Pug in the morning when it was still chilly and then did laundry and cooking and washing the Pug during the nice part of the day. Lame, I know. Then it ended up snowing on Thursday. Sloppy wet snow that I hauled dog food bags inside in at work. Also lame.

So today is Friday and I get most Fridays off so I was determined for it to be nice today and to go and take non instagram photos of Izzie because I've been severely slacking on that. Luckily my blue sky dance and the power of optimism and a positive attitude (or as I call it, "Retrieverism") worked and today was lovely and sunny out, a pretty day even if snow was still on the ground and the cold wind was still blowing. 

You want me to SIT in the SNOW? Yeah you know where you can go...

The majestic ewok has a silent but stern conversation with the sun.

The wind was pretty chilly on her eyeballs!

Frosty face! I imagine this is what Izzie might look like when she's more grey.

The extreme sport of Icicle fetching. 

Hopefully spring is indeed on it's way, and soon too! We want to play agility outside again!

Border Collies, Puppies, Sheep, Puppies, Mud, Puppies

... Did I mention Puppies?

Om nom nom! Sarah's Foot!

Anyone who knows me, knows I love puppies. All puppies. They're squishable and cute and I don't even mind if they pee on my leg as they're puppies and they don't really know any better. You know I want a puppy so bad but cannot have one just yet, so the next best thing is other peoples' puppies. 

At 6 weeks they start looking like dogs instead of guinea pigs.

Sarah was going to Alta-Pete to give massages to the dogs and do a little lesson with Gyppie and I kind of invited myself along haha. I'd never been out there so I wanted to go... Okay, really I just wanted to see the litter of puppies they have. It's safe to visit them as they all have homes and I knew I wouldn't go home going sad because I can't have one. This way I get some of my puppy fix so I don't go crazy. There were six puppies in the kitchen area with me and their young dog, Try, helped me hang out with the pups while Sar gave massages. Seriously, it was heaven even though puppies kind of smell bad.

Fleece (or hamster) tugging on my sleeve. She's my favourite.

We did other non-puppy related things too. I watched Gyppie's lesson and she had fun. I don't know much about herding but I'm pretty sure she did well. I also met the guardian dogs, Togo and Alaska. They loved attention, especially Alaska. She followed me around and sat on my feet and rolled in the snow and nearly pushed me over by leaning all her weight on my legs. Such a ham.

Alaska asking for some belly rubs.

We also got to see the lambs. So cute! This one liked Sarah and thought she might have a bottle for him. Then he bopped poor Pleat in the nose with his hoof. 

Lamb hugs!

As for the mud part of the title? It was mucky out there. I'm glad I invested in rubber boots the other day as the mud would have definitely been terrible in my normal shoes! Being a city kid I don't have much use for boots other than the leather high heeled kind (and even then I rarely wear those). I had loads of fun though! What a great way to spend a day off. Thanks again Sarah!

Some June love.

... Oh yeah! June came up to me and let me pet her, several times, and she even wagged her tail. I'm told this means I'm special and I should be flattered. =)