A Little Over a Month

We have had Emma now for a little over a month. We are uncertain of her exact age but we guess she is somewhere about five months old give or take a month. She has gained 10 pounds and seems to have gotten a foot taller. Her coat is very soft and shiny, along with her perfectly white teeth. She is getting much better about letting me sleep late. She is still a furry ball of energy who loves to run, romp and play. She has started digging in the last few days and is still having occasional accidents in the house. She gets into everything and if it can be chewed on, she will do it. Her favorite place is still in front of the fireplace on the cool slate hearth. Matter of fact, she is there sleeping right now. We have switched her over to Science Diet Large Puppy Food and so far has made the switch without any gastric upset. She went to the Vet last Tuesday and got the remainder of her puppy shots so now she is good to go with the next event being spayed in August or September. Having a puppy again has been a challenge but it has showed me that I have much more patience this time around and realizing that most of the accidents are due to my lack of attention. We seem to have a great relationship and she is starting to learn that it is fun to just cuddle up and be rubbed rather than chewing on my hand. I still miss Megan very much but am thankful for the opportunity I have been given to let a new little life into our home.

Funeral for a Friend

We went to the Hiwassee River in North Carolina on July 16, 2008, to have a funeral for two really great Golden Retrievers, Megan and Ally. Megan was born on October 12, 1997 and crossed the Rainbow Bridge on May 10, 2008. Her puppy Ally was born on June 16, 1999 and crossed the Rainbow Bridge ahead of her mother on April 6, 2008. We traveled to the river because it was their favorite place and we decided that it would be appropriate to sprinkle their ashes into the river. An Episcopalian Priest lead a small service followed by the sprinkling of their ashes, followed by Rose Petals, White Roses, Daylilies, and assorted wild flowers. The Roses were for their never ending love and purity and the wild flowers were for their wild hearts. They can forever romp and run in the place they loved the most. We say goodbye to two wonderful dogs. They will remain in our hearts forever and hopefully some day we can meet again when we also cross the Rainbow Bridge.

If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever.

The River

This was Emma's first trip to the Hiwassee River in North Carolina. She is definitely a swimmer and totally not afraid of the water. She saw her first Ducks and Geese and met her new friend Abby. Abby has on the red bandanna and is almost 8 months old. Emma has on the blue. Jordan is just standing by watching the kids make total fools of themselves. The top picture is Jordan and Emma on the trip home.

3 Weeks tomorrow!

Emma will have been with us three weeks tomorrow, and she is growing like a weed. I swear that she has grown a foot. She now leaps and bounds over and onto everything with the greatest of ease. She is so full of energy. She plays and plays until she wears herself out and then naps and repeats the cycle. She is like a toddler, when it becomes quiet and you can't see her, you know she is into something that she shouldn't be in. Potty training is coming along with occasional accidents in the front hall. At least it is stone, so it is pretty easy to clean up. She is so intelligent and aware of everything going on around her. She is interested in everything and loves to explore. We still only allow her access to the front of the house. She will have to earn her freedom as time goes by. She still protest when she goes into the crate, but settles down quickly. She is a very early riser and interrupts my sleep cycle almost daily. She wants to get her mouth on everything. I know that this is a puppy thing and while I will be glad when she out grows this stage, I don't want her to grow up too fast as their time on earth is much too short anyway.

Emma and the plastic bottle

Here is a little 15 second video of Emma with a plastic bottle, tearing around the yard. Notice the brown spots under the swing where she has ripped the grass out by the roots and started digging toward China. I wonder if I could get her to dig where I want to plant a Willow Tree?

Emma has been doing much better on her house training. She has now started going to the back door and barking when she wants out. She gets up between 5:30 and 6:00 AM and is ready to go. I stumble out with her and get her business done and try to coax her back into her crate for a couple more hours of sleep. Today she would have none of it. I finally gave up and stayed up with her. Then she wore herself out and we both went back to sleep, her on the fireplace hearth and me on the couch.

The world is such a wondrous place for her with so many places and things to explorer. I watch her with awe, wondering what is going on in her mind.

Emma

Emma is caught between Cyndi's legs while she tries to get at Jordan's food.

She is being a little angel asleep on the couch. A dog always gets the most comfortable spot in the house.

Emma is outside wanting in, patiently waiting for someone to come to the door.

"Angel" Megan

This is my very best friend in the whole world Megan who was born on October 12, 1997 and crossed the Rainbow Bridge on May 10, 2008.

After I lost Megan my heart was broken beyond repair. I was very sad and got weepy eyed at the mention of her name. We had so many good times together. I celebrate her life but my heart ached for her and I missed her so much.

Well shortly after Megan's death I signed up on Petfinder.com to look at Golden Retrievers who were available for adoption from shelters in my area. On Thursday, June 19, 2003 I got a notice that a 4 - 6 month old Golden Retriever female called "No Name" was available in the Chilton County Humane Society in Clanton, Al. I was sure that this bundle of joy was sent to me by my "Angel" Megan to heal my broken heart. I called the shelter and they confirmed that she was there and available for adoption. I immediately went to work on my sweet wife Cyndi in hopes that she would give me her blessing, which of course she did. On Friday I turned in an application for adoption but again my hopes were dashed when I was told that there was a lot of interest in the bundle of joy that I had already named Emma. They said that she had been moved from the Humane Society to a local veterinarian's office to insure that she stayed in good health. I was also told that she could not be adopted until Monday, June 23rd. I called again on Saturday and was told that they had received good reports from our references and that we would be called on Monday to come and adopt Emma. My heart was overjoyed! I wish to thank my "Angel" Megan and the fine people at Petfinder.com and the Chilton County Humane Society for making this all happen. Emma has been with us for 8 days now and has filled a void that was left in my heart.

Cool Spot

This is Emma's favorite spot. I guess it is because the slate tiles are cool. When she slows down, I can usually find her on the fireplace hearth.

We have had her now for a little over 8 days. We are doing better on our house training but still have little mistakes. Yesterday I finally broke down and shampooed the carpet. I think I will just keep the machine close by just in case.

Today I am going to the pet store to get a clicker. Hopefully this will allow me to get her attention (other than yelling at her) when she does something wrong.

One minute you can be angry with her and the next she looks at you with those sad puppy eyes and it melts your heart. How can you possibly be angry with something so precious that God has created. I feel that a dog is special as God used his own name backwards for this special creature.