Our last visit with Dennis

Sigh...Dennis has osteosarcoma and will be euthanized sometime this week. We are heartbroken... So, today we went to see him for the last time as I wanted to shoot some photos of Veronica and Dennis together. I just haven't done that enough over the years.

Dennis seemed to enjoy all the love and attention he received, and he has the best Mom in the world.

He was a handful for Veronica from when she first adopted him, and now, 7 years later, he is quite the marshmallow. He was worth every minute of time she had to spend getting him to this place of calm and love.

Everybody who meets Dennis loves him to the max and Veronica is lucky to have a dog with such a beautiful soul. I have always loved Dennis' smile.

Veronica's heart is shattered knowing that Dennis will be crossing the bridge soon. There will be an emptiness in all our hearts when we meet again as Dennis was a great friend to us and to Toby.

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Oh, to remember him as a young 3 years and 7 month old pup. Veronica adopted him on March 9, 2016.

Drew was the first one of the Bowdoin Greyhound Gang to meet Dennis on March 13, 2016. They became fast friends.

Toby and Dennis became best buddies. This is one of my favorite photos of them. They would hang out and follow each other around the yard. Two big boys!

Lady Flame thought that Dennis was one handsome dude. She took to him immediately and they would run and play hard!

And, Dennis has always been my special boyfriend! We grew to love each other over the years. He filled my heart with joy. We are going to miss you, Dennis...There is a special place in all our hearts for you.

Missing the high energy of the Trio...

Sugaree, Trouble, and Lady Flame romp in the snow (2016) 
Oh...my... I awoke this morning missing that which was... 

youngish, mighty pups playing hard. 

That rough and tumble world kept us laughing...

And, kept us in constant wonder at the roughness of the play.

The hard core unity and friendship of this trio was amazing.

Sugaree and Lady Flame were fast friends. Having them both cross the bridge within a year of each other was devastating for us and for Trouble...

Trouble seems to have developed a sense of fun to make up for the loss of his buddies. But, he is still Trouble and he is the last of the trio to survive. He still has some serious spunk! We Love You, Trouble!

1st Anniversary of Lady Flame's Death

We sure do miss our spunky Lady Flame.

Our backyard feels so quiet and calm without her running around with her buddies.

There is rarely any barking anymore, and the energy back there has changed.

It is amazing how the loss of a pup can change the entire dynamics of a place.

Flame in a Frame Part 2

I felt the need to switch out photos for our Flame in a Frame series. Here is our sweet girl snoozing in the backyard sporting Auntie Veronica's cool shades!

Flame in a Frame

Really missing our Lady Flame today. But, luckily we received our bright, orange Shutterfly envelope with photos of our sweet girl. These photos will be put into the cute frame that Lady Flame's, Auntie Veronica, gave us for Christmas. Here is one of our favorite photos, and the first one to grace the frame. Thanks, Veronica!

Missing the Flame in our lives

It is the little things that make me miss Lady Flame. Like when I see a calendar reminder that says, "Toby gets Heartguard", or "Toby to get his nails clipped", or any other single dog reminder... And, I miss all the toy squeaking. Lady Flame would throw her toys into the air, pounce on them, and squeak the daylights out of them;-) She loved her toys, and she loved when I threw them all over the living room so that she could chase them. She didn't interact with us much over the years, but she loved/lived to play...

Lady Flame's last day

Our beloved Lady Flame had been limping for a couple of months and her left foreleg was not improving. Drew took her in for two different sets of xrays and in the second extensive set, the dreaded osteosarcoma tumor was found. We debated back and forth knowing that Flame's days on Earth were numbered. There were so many factors to consider, and ultimately we chose to take her to the vet sooner than later to end her suffering. Drew took photos on what was to become her last day.

Flame was happy that she did not have to get her teeth brushed or her ears washed on her last day. 

Drew partially cooked a carrot for her to munch on (and later she got to snack on broccoli, yummm...)

Flame loved her daily carrot. She would snatch it out of Drew's hand and run into the backyard to munch in private.

Toby gets to eat crunchy carrots and also loves this daily ritual.

He is so laid back that he can eat his carrot with no fear.

Halfway through the day, Lady Flame's half-sibs came over for their last play date together.

Before the play date could begin, Lady Flame had to get some lovin' from Billy and Shannon.

Because it was so hot outdoors, Flame and Sugaree immediately headed to the sand for some relaxation. All the dogs are rather geriatric (with the exception of Toby), so they don't do much running around anymore. Oh, how we love these two girls!

Trouble and Sugaree had come straight to our house from the kennel (after a vacation) and they still had kennel smell. Trouble got to chillax in the pool while Billy washed him off.

Trouble then got to dry off and hang with his best human buddy, Drew.

After the half-sibs left for home, we got the call to take Lady Flame in to the vet. Before arriving at the clinic, Drew took Lady Flame on a walk at Riverside Park. He let her lead the way. It was her last sniff, mark, and poop walk and he let her set the pace and the time. Once we were in the exam room, Dr. John treated Lady Flame to the best last meal ever. He gave her pieces of Pup-Peroni (something that Drew and I would never feed a dog). Flame was one happy camper. She chowed down on three sticks of Pup-Peroni before dropping into a calm and relaxed state.

Then, something very special happened. As the sedative was pulsing through Flame's body, all the dogs that were kenneled at the vet office began to howl in unison. And, they howled continuously until Lady Flame drew her last breath, and then all was silent. It is my firm belief that they knew she was dying and they all helped her cross over the Rainbow Bridge to be with her buddies like Skyy, Blue, Cola, Vinnie, and hopefully Girlie Girl and Kasha too. Whoo...I am weeping as I write this. We miss our pretty little girl sooo much....

 Sweet dreams, Flamer...Romp, roll, bark loud, and play hard...

Lady Flame is my heart dog

I do love this gorgeous girl...she is my heart dog.

Snoozin' away the afternoon

Toby really knows how to relax and he gives us so many chuckles as he changes position during the day.

Lady Flame is just so super cute, petite, and doesn't relax as much as Toby as she is so alert most of the time.

Lady Flame enjoys a bit of warmth

The backyard snow is slowly receding leaving lots of bare ground. Huh! What is that stripey lump on the ground?

Why, it is Lady Flame enjoying the warmth of a 57F degree day!

Snoozy pups on a Saturday afternoon

Toby and Lady Flame snoozed away a very windy Saturday afternoon. We went for a walk earlier and they were tuckered out!

Toby

Lady Flame

Half-Sib Get-together

 The half-sibs came over to play in the snow and hang out together.

Lady Flame played the hostess with the mostest (snow that is...), and spent a lot of time shoveling snow into her muzzle. Why she does this, I have no clue. She packs it in so tight that she can barely breathe. I actually took her muzzle off a couple of times to free it of snow.

Sugaree is an elder supermodel and posed beautifully in the snow.

Then, she decided to get a bit frisky and make snow angels.

Whoo! Snow angels are a lot of work to make!

Trouble just wanted to go inside to play with Drew and Toby. Trouble is so handsome, sweet and lovable...

Skyy's last meet and greet

Bill with Skyy and Bear Bear, Veronica with Bettina and Dennis, and Tommy with his guardian

We don't go to meet and greets very often anymore, but we just had to attend this one up at the Petco, in Augusta. Our buddy, Skyy, has cancer. This was her last meet and greet.

Lady Flame, Toby, Sugaree, Trouble, Tommy, Bear Bear, Dennis and Bettina

The purpose of meet and greets is to educate the public about greyhound adoption. Skyy is one of the best ambassadors of the breed. So, our buddies Shannon and Billy arrived with Trouble and Sugaree to honor Skyy as well.

Skyy, the hound of honor...

Skyy has cancer and has a short time to live.

Skyy still has the energy to smile! This smile has been seen by lots of people in nursing homes as Skyy is a service dog.

Bear Bear is such a great little brother to Skyy

Bear Bear has been a great addition to the Axell family. He is a nervous pup, but is as lovely as can be.

Bettina and Dennis are experts at scarfing food. Poor Bear Bear needs to up his game if he is to compete for treats!

Tommy is the new kid on the block. He is a gorgeous brown and white hound!

Cola arrived with Wade. She is super sweet and she is a service dog!

Cola

Cola even has her I.D. badge so that she can accompany Wade to work at DHHS!

Toby got a bit bored with all the action going on. And, poor Sugaree (behind him) was a bit on the nervous side. She doesn't much like big to-dos!

So, we took the pups on a walk around the store.

They were super psyched as there were kitties galore! Great sniffing here;-)

Trouble was a great ambassador for the greyhound breed. He let this little boy pet, and pet, and pet him! Check out Trouble's smile. He loves kids!

Good buddies catching up on baseball greyhound and neighborhood news!

Skyy perked up after her mom arrived!

Bear Bear said, "Hey Mom, I want some attention too!"

And, lastly, Veronica sported her new shoes! She's always ready to model the latest haute couture in Greyhound fashion;-)