Over the bridge

This is Mandy's human dad, updating Mandy's blog, just in case anyone is still checking it. I'm devastated and so sorry to have to report that after 15 delightful years with us, Mandy has passed on, at the estimated age of 17.5 years. In the last few days, she started acting strangely, twisting her body and moving in unusual ways. We weren't sure if she'd had a stroke, or was acting strangely because of pain from a medical condition. Her regular vet wasn't answering the phone, so we took her to CVSG Veterinary Hospital. They did a complete workup on her, and reported that she had a serious medical problem that was making her extremely uncomfortable, and her several other serious long-term problems would prevent them from doing any surgery to make her any better. We are so sad that she is gone, but we are taking some comfort in knowing that she is "over the rainbow bridge," and no longer in any pain. This picture is from just a couple of days ago, with Mandy trying to relax on the couch with us, after I gave her some pain medication to help relieve whatever she was experiencing. I'll leave this blog up in Mandy's memory for a while.

Stylin' with a new collar

Found this cool new collar at the open air market on University Blvd just north of Arapahoe Rd.

Cold dog

It's been cold all week, with single digit lows at night, dropping down to -9 overnight during the weekend. Dad and his walking buddy have just been going out for a hot breakfast, and not trying to walk, this weekend. We tried going for a short walk on Saturday afternoon, but that was a bust. I came up lame after just a minute or two, with the bitter cold quickly biting into my feet. It's too bad Dad hasn't been able to figure out a way to keep my feet warm. Mom got me some pretty cool boots, but we all call them anti-gravity boots, as my feet seem to just float up into the air, when I have them on.

Happy Dog

I'm a happy dog. Since K is in hospital, and J isn't coming to the house today, I got to drive with S to work this morning. I get to sleep all day, under the warm blankets in my bed in the back seat of the car, in the nice cool shady covered garage at work. Then I got to go for a chilly 43° walk at lunch time.

Holiday Hat

This is my new Santa hat. Not a big fan of hats.

Happy Independence Day 2012

We enjoyed a walk down to Blueberry's Bakery and Cafe and back, only the second walking trip to go this far, since February when S broke his ankle. It's good to be getting out again!

The lake at Sterne Park is looking much better, since last Winter, when they drained it, dredged it out, and reworked some of the large rocks along the shoreline. The ducks and geese seem very happy with the changes. Even our old friend, the Great Blue Heron, is back wading around in the shallow spots.

In tune

These two pics should demonstrate the connection between dog and owner. The captions should read, "Out for a walk" and "Look, there goes a rabbit" :-)

Visiting K in hospital

This is me, visiting K at St Joseph's new Orthopedic wing on the East side of Franklin St. It is so cool, that they allow me to come visit her. S is very proud of how much better I've gotten, riding the elevator. I don't hunker down and cower in there any more -- it's just routine to me now. The nurses get a big giggle out of my uncanny ability to find her room by myself, after we leave the elevator.

Me and Mookie

Our in-laws brought their new puppy Mookie to visit, from their home in San Francisco. Mookie had very sharp puppy teeth, and that enthusiastic puppy approach to nibbling everything, including the people and other dogs nearby. I was begrudgingly sharing my bed in this photo. S was nice enough, to fold the blanket, so that I had protection from Mookie's sharp puppy teeth.

Companion Dog

Up and at 'em! Our HOA Spring Cleanup starts in 15 minutes. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it: Looking cute, while keeping K company, at the same time I'm keeping tabs on S as he looks out the window to gauge the weather. K doesn't usually let me sleep on top of her, but she's so sleepy, she hasn't noticed me yet.

Cold Feet

My walking buddy is very gracious about picking me up off the snow every once in awhile, when I tell him that my feet are starting to sting from the cold. He holds them with his hands, and warms them up for a few minutes, then I'm good for another mile or so. While I'm waiting, I can look way down the street, and check out any other dogs that may be nearby. Hey, there's one now!

Sleep Glorious Sleep

What can I say? There's nothing quite as satisfying, as dozing on the couch with my best walking buddy, after walking a few miles, on a nice sunny day.

On The River

Walking along the South Platte River with my walking buddy's sister Mikele has been very fun. She walks even faster than my usual buddy does. We stopped to admire the waterfall, and Mikele held me for a picture.

Life is Good

Having a wonderful time! I've been going on walks in the evenings, and most weekends with Sumner and Ken and Freddie. I keep everyone company in the car whenever they go anywhere. I snuggle on the bed with K&S every night. I do circles for my friends, when they come to the house. Tail wagging is a big part of my day.

Here I am, on a walk along the Platte River today. There was a big Spring snow this week, but it's already melting off quickly.

Happy New Year 2009

Happy New Year! Here we are, lounging on our relatively new deck, on a beautiful sunny New Year's 2009 day. Check out my cool dog door in the background. I can come out on the deck any time I please. I'm a happy dog.