End of the Road

This will be the last entry to Red's Blog. We are having him put to sleep Friday morning at 830am. Thank you to all who have so sweetly followed him for the last few years. At 115 in dog years, he has lived well past the two years they told me he'd live when we rescued him from Spokanimal Care in Spokane, Washington in 2006. He has been a real "trooper."

I promised myself I wouldn't cry, but here I am writing through tears dribbling down my face. I will deeply miss him. He has been the best pound puppy we've ever had.

Lately he has been bleeding profusely from his nose. I suspect an organ has failed. I've tried to clean him up, but then he just starts bleeding again. He has an eye infection in his blind eye, he has diabetes and his back legs don't work right. We can't let him suffer anymore. He never complains, but we understand that his body has given out.

As a friend, he is unmatched. I gave anthropormorphic (ascribed humanity)qualities to him in "The Dog Paw Chronicles" and let him comment on my life throughout the book. When and if we get a new dog, I hope he will be as astute and fun as Red Dog has been. I hope that you will read the book and remember our Red Dog. His legacy of doggy wisdom is precious. Thank you again for your love of dogs in general. Please always remember that "Dog" is "God" spelled backwards!

The Value of a Life

My Mom has started reading a blog written by a military dog trainer/handler named Kevin Hanrahan. He writes about the dog and people heroes that work hard to save the lives of Americans. I say woof woof to those dogs and their handlers. They are awesome!

But this morning's story made Mom cry. One of the dogs was killed along with his handler by an IED. Thinking about that made her sad. It makes me sad too. Mostly because there are a lot of humans out there who don't know the value of life.

When a dog kills someone you can guarantee it's the owner's fault. A lazy owner, an evil owner will ruin a perfectly good animal. We dogs aren't inherently evil, but owners can be. Kevin's dogs are all powerful, well-trained animals. One of the handlers in Kevin's blog has a grey wolf named Bony. He's a handsome dog. (Mom says she once owned a wolf mix named Leushen. I came to live with them after he passed on).Sorry, got distracted. grrrrrrr.

Back to Kevin's blog. He tells the personal stories of people who value the lives of others, including dogs. And the dogs go to great lengths to save human lives. They'll take bullets to protect their owners. Just like soldiers give their lives to protect others.

What I don't understand is why so many humans don't care. Why do they abort babies, blow people up or chop their heads off? Why don't they value life itself just because it's life? Babies or every species are precious. Mom can tear up watching an eagle fly, or listening to the birds in the yard, or seeing human suffering on TV. Just because it's life. Life has meaning and purpose, and it is precious. And her love for life is her strength. Loving life is priceless. I know. She rescued me from a shelter. I know how valuable life is. Do you see the value of life? If so, please leave a comment on the blog post at

Love and Marriage

My doggy friends Dutch and Bella are here for their Mom and Dad's wedding this weekend. I do love having them drop by, even though Dutch the beagle is a food thief.

I have some thoughts on marriage today. I watch a lot of people come to our house and even when they drop by the neighbors. One of the most lovely things is when even older people hold paws (I mean hands, sorry). There is something about showing intimacy with each other that warms my heart.

I also note that some couples grow apart. There's still obvious love there, but they stop touching each other.That's very sad. It's like petting your dog- if you stop doing it, it means something.You've grown tired of their faithfulness, their unconditional love. You want another dog. A new one. Something better. That's not the way it should be. Love should be rekindled all the time. If it isn't, eventually it will fade away.

All my love to Dana and Chris, and thanks for not stopping those pets. It's a joy to see people love each other...and all the dogs in their lives too!