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...

Life after the Reign of Flame

People keep asking us how life is after the loss of Lady Flame. For us, we miss her most when her half-sibs come over for a visit. It just doesn't seem right that the trio isn't running around together anymore. 

We miss watching Flame run around the backyard with wild abandon. Her joy was so heartwarming...makes me tear up just writing about it... She loved being chased and we had a game that we played almost daily called, "I'm Gonna Getcha!" All we had to do was lunge in her direction, and she would take off running in the opposite direction. Repeat, repeat, repeat until she was out of breath!

We miss watching Flame roll around on her back in the grass with her legs going willy nilly in the air. She loved being outdoors more than anything in the world...

And, I truly miss photographing our supermodel hound. She was a stunning specimen of Greyhound loveliness...

Toby in his crate

But, life has changed for the positive for Toby. Oddly enough, he is now spending time relaxing in his crate. This is something he never did when Flame was alive. She occupied both crates as her condos. He would only go in them momentarily to mess up the blankets in protest;-)

Toby is spending more time in the sand between the house and the garage to stay cool. That used to be where Queen Flame's former territory was.

And, Toby is going on fast walks with Drew with virtually no stand-up or sit-down strikes at all. And, he has become a waggly-tailed dog where before he would only wag his tail briefly when I came home from vacations.

All in all, Toby is more content than ever and is truly enjoying the life of an only dog. He gets all the treats and all the lovin'!

Sugaree

 Now that Lady Flame is romping around in Doggy Heaven, we have to get our girl-dog fix with sweet Sugaree.

Who doesn't love a black dog gone grey!

Sugaree is going to be Sweet 13 in December!

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.

Toby's seal of approval

We got a new mattress and Toby gave it "4 paws up" for his seal of approval! He really loves the cushiness of the mattress as it conforms to his body. Luckily, he allows us to use it as well;-)