Our Cosy Fireplace

This is our new fireplace.  Actually it is a new gas fire log, the fireplace is old.  I love to lie on the floor in front of it.

The life of a church dog.

Hi everyone.  We've been having a very busy time.  I love going to church.  There are so many nice people and interesting smells.  When we were there Thursday, some people who do organic gardens and stuff were there and they had compost and I escaped from the office to smell everything.  Wonderful.  I also like the people who come into the office to say hello to me.  Some of them take me outside for walks.  One night SHE let me out without a leash and this lady had just parked her car so I went to see her.  I had no idea it was so cold.  My paws started to hurt, but SHE came and picked me up and put me in the car.  I guess I shouldn't do that again. I really don't want to wear mittens on my paws though. It is such a sissy thing to do so I don't stay out too long.

Last Sunday I stayed in the parish hall while everybody else was in the church.  I only barked a little and somebody took me outside to pee.  I like it when people pay attention to me and I love sitting on people's laps. They don't like it when I go grrrr and make noises when SHE talks. I don't understand why I can't sit next to HER. I wouldn't grrr.

It is very cold outside

I really don't feel like going outside.  It's cold.  Also, I had a difficult day yesterday.  I wan't allowed to go to church.  I had to stay with my buddies Penny and Kipper and two cats. One of the cats is new at their house.  Her name is Juliette and she's pretty old.  Julie didn't bother me and I didn't bother her.

SHE not only got to go to church, but also to Portland for a concert. People at the church wanted to know where I was. SHE told me what the people at church said and about the concert when she picked me up.  It was after 5 pm and my dinner was LATE.  I don't like eating dinner late.

SHE said the concert was really nice.  The Choral Art Society sings every year at the Catholic cathedral in Portland and the Portland Brass Quintet played too.  SHE said she liked Daniel Pinkham's Christmas Cantata, although it was all lovely. I guess it's ok, but I want to go everywhere with her, but SHE doesn't agree. SHE says there are places where dogs are not allowed. That is not fair. I am really well behaved and I don't shed and I like people a lot. I just don't understand. SHE says I can go to church next week. YEA!

Our First Day at Church

I had a fun day yesterday. It started out with my human forgetting to put my collar on.  When we got to the church I had a great time running around the parking lot and over piles of snow.  SHE finally got me and made me go inside. It wasn't bad, although SHE figured out that my leash could also work as a collar, so I had to behave inside.  A nice lady took the leash and I sat with her and was very quiet even when SHE got up to talk.  Afterwards I got a bit of a cookie and went outside to pee. By that time the rain was icy, so it wasn't much fun outside.  We sat around for a while then a teen came in who loves dogs so I sat with her for another service.  Mostly I was quiet, but popped my head up when SHE talked.  Some more cookie and a bit of blueberry cake was my treat after that service.  People were happy to have me sit on their laps.  Some even gave me bits of things to eat, but no chocolate.  SHE warned people not to put coffee cups with cream in it anywhere I could get some.  I really do like coffee and cream.  SHE drinks hers black and I don't care for that at all.  Sometimes, though she drinks a nice tea and I will lick up what she doesn't drink.  I don't understand why SHE won't make me my own cup.  But I digress. After the treat hour people sat in a circle and I sat on this very nice lady's lap. Then I sat on her husband's lap.  I listened very carefully to what was being said.  Not sure I know what it was all about, but there was a lot of talking. I had a great day, but both of us were very tired by the time we got home.

My human left me alone last night for a while.  She seems to do that once a week. She says she sings with a group and she told me they worked hard last night.  It was something by Mozart called Misericordias Domini (I had her spell it).  She does a lot of singing around the house, too.  When she starts, I go to my bed for a nap. She insists I put some another group singing that music in here.  The group is about the same size as the one she sings with.  Of course her group isn't ready yet.



Her doctor told her to exercise more, but she won't go out and walk on icy roads, so she dances around the living room to Dixieland music.  She tries to get me to dance with her, but I only stand on my back legs if there is a treat offered.

The plow man came early this morning.  I guess I'm used to him coming because I don't warn my human with barking.  My human opened the garage door so I could go out that way this morning, but I didn't want to.  I like my spot under the deck. It is going to be a nice sunny day.

Maybe we will go for a walk later, or better yet, maybe my human will take me in the car.  That's my favorite thing to do.  I may get to do something interesting, like visit my friends Penny and Skipper.  Their human calls them Luci and Ethel and they call me Fred.  I wonder why they do that?  I should get my human to take their pictures.

My human has asked if I would take over Izzie's blog. It seems like a lot of work and I'm not really the church dog she was. The human has retired and I don't get to go to church very often. We did have a good time last summer in Brownville and Dover-Foxcroft. They like dogs and I felt right at home. 

Don't expect me to have a lot to say. My favorite things to do are to play with other dogs and to get people to scritch me. The other thing I love is to share a chair with my human and to have her hold me with my tummy up and my head in her arm so she can rub my tummy for an hour or so. I also like to nap on my comfy bed in the sun room.

We have had sooo much snow this winter.  It is hard for a dog with short legs, like me to walk in the snow.  But that's ok.  The man who plows our driveway does a good job.

RIP My Sweet Izzie

Izzie this morning (10:00 AM, 26 April, 2012).  She woke up, sniffed at her favorite toy, which she hasn't played with in over a year,  then went back to sleep with head on her little pillow (She "stole" the pillow from my daughter).

Izzie was put to sleep this afternoon.  My little sweetie has crossed the rainbow bridge.  She has been really failing over the last year or so.  She was blind in her right eye, however, she could see a bit out of the left.  She really didn't hear much except really loud noises.  She turned from an assertive, happy, and adventurous dog to an anxious one, needing to have me next to her all the time, growing at other dogs and jumping when I put my hand near her face.  If I went into the next room she would bark. She was constantly looking and sniffing to make sure I was nearby. She could no longer deal with staying at the kennel, even just for the day.  She would whimper all the way home and she would sleep with her body touching mine for the next week. Even in her sleep, she knew if I was there or not and would wake up if I left. In the last few months, she had accidents in the house more and more frequently.  What was most problematic for me, though, was she had started nipping at me if I tried to get her to do something she didn't want to do, like getting up.  She didn't bite hard enough to break skin, but it was worrisome non-the less. Izzie had become confused about whether she had eaten and whether she had gone outside. No longer did she walk around with her tail held high and curled over — it hung down between her legs.  Not much of a life, I'm afraid.  The vet and I talked a few weeks back and earlier this week I knew it was time. We could certainly have put it off a few more weeks, but that would be for me, not for her. Yesterday we went for a little walk (very slow and with a few missteps), we had lunch on the outside deck of a local restaurant (they gave her a piece of turkey) and then Izzie slept most of the rest of the day.  I tried to get her to go out to pee before her dinner, but she didn't want to go out.  She did eat most of her dinner but then she peed on the kitchen floor before I could carry her out again.  I will not miss that or hefting her 25 pounds down four stairs to get her outside.

Here are some highlights from Izzie's life as I remember it.

Izzie blogging

Izzie and I met in Gillette, Wyoming.  I was doing an interim at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church and had been looking for a dog for about a year.  One day while driving down the main street I had the urge to go to the animal shelter there, right then.  I told the woman at the desk that I wanted a small dog that liked being around people.  A dog I could take to the church office with me.  The woman said to go look at Isabelle.  There were three dogs in the shelter that day: two large yappy characters were in cages with a small, white, quiet and composed dog in-between.  I took her out of the cage and into a room to see if we might be compatible.  Isabelle decided that it was more important to sniff out the room than to pay any attention to me, but I decided I would take a chance.  After all I did have that urge to go to the shelter that day and Isabelle was the only dog meeting my requirements.  She had two owners in her four years before me.  The shelter said Isabelle needed to be around people (something that has been particularly noticeable the past year—"people" meaning me).

Our First Day

I paid the fees and went off to buy food, dishes, a leash, etc.  I returned to pick her up and take her to the rectory where she proceeded to inspect every room upstairs and down and then plunked herself in front of me as though she approved.  That night I prepared a bed for her next to mine.  She immediately jumped on my bed.  I told her to get off, which she did.  We went to sleep and I woke up in the morning with Isabelle sleeping on the bed in the farthest corner from me.  The next night we went through the same drill, but she jumped on the bed before I fell asleep.  I made her get off, but she was back on as soon as she thought I was sleeping.  Third night she jumped on and that was it.  Over the years she worked her way up to the pillows, right next to me.

We had been together for about a month and I was preparing a Thanksgiving dinner for myself and three guests.  We went off to walk a trail around Devil's Tower while the turkey was cooking, leaving Isabelle to guard the house.  I wish I had a picture of Isabelle sitting at the end of the table waiting for her plate of turkey.  I had put the turkey on the dining room table and she decided to put herself at the other end, seated on a chair, paws on the table and with a happy, expectant look on her face.  I yelled "get down" and she did.  She got her plate on the floor in the kitchen and never tried to jump on a dining room chair again.

Isabelle loved going to the Sunday afternoon teen's group.  We had pizza and watched and discussed episodes of The Simpsons. One rule was that I was the only one to give Izzie pizza.  (She became Izzie after one of my clergy colleagues decided that suited her much better than Isabelle). The teen group morphed into a Rite-13 group and they decided to put Izzie's picture and name on their banner and Izzie proudly marched into church with them on the Sunday they had their ceremony.

Shoveled sidewalks are best.

Wyoming was where I learned that one of Izzie's paws had suffered frostbite at some time in her earlier years and she couldn't tolerate cold on that paw.  One day she sat down in the middle of the street with her paws curled under her.  I picked her up and carried her home.  She wouldn't tolerate dog mittens either.  She had the most amazing ways of removing them on our walks while continuing to keep a fast pace.  I think we went through three pairs that first winter.  Izzie was delighted when spring came, the snow was gone and the rabbits were back to chase.  There was one rabbit, who lived in the vacant lot next door, who liked to tease Izzie when we came home from the church, even in winter.  I could see the tracks in the snow.  Izzie would stand on the passenger's seat, looking out the window, to see if the rabbit was there, waiting on the edge of the driveway.  If so, Izzie would bound out of the car and the chase was on.  Izzie would return tired, but delighted with the chase.  She never seemed to want to chase squirrels or birds though and there were plenty of those.

When we moved on to Sausalito and Christ Church, Izzie joined other dogs either in the parish hall or on the patio while the services went on.  They would all be let loose for coffee hour.  One winter day, Izzie was alone in the parish hall and walked across the street into the service, walking down the center aisle to be with me.  The ushers chased her down, put her back in the hall, and in a few minutes she was back.  It turned out that someone had left a downstairs doors open and Izzie went down the stairs, out the door, into the garden, up the garden stairs, across the street and into the church.  The second time they put her on leash and tied it to the railing outside the church. She was quite indignant.

Izzie did love the Blessing of the Animals.  In Wyoming the service was inside the church with at least 20 dogs and cats.  They lined up at the altar rails with their human companions for a blessing and treat.  Izzie walked next to me and barked at the one dog who dared put a paw up on the kneeler. Said dog removed paw quickly.  "She who must by obeyed" ruled.  Sausalito's service was outside in the garden, but with about the same numbers of creatures.  One young man brought his rabbit in a cage.  Guess who was VERY interested in the rabbit.  Thank goodness for the cage.

Izzie made some good dog friends in Sausalito and we had great walks together.  One of the highlights of our time there was the SPCA's Bark and Whine Ball.  Three humans and four dogs (all of us dressed up for the occasion) went over to San Francisco for a great night out.  There were walkers to take the dogs for pee breaks, lots of food, wine and music and dog treats.  Our friend, Liz, danced with one of her Australian Shepherds while Izzie hid under the table.

Izzie hiking in the mountains

I learned that Izzie loved to go camping while we were in Wyoming.  I took her up into the mountains and pitched a tent at about 10,000 feet elevation.  We got there late in the afternoon, ate dinner and when it got dark I unzipped the tent.  Izzie marched in and slept at the foot of my sleeping bag on her bed.  In the morning we went hiking up one of the trails and she stayed on the trail going up and down like she had done it many times before.  In California we went in our Eurovan up the coast to a campground on the ocean.  We walked down one path and along the shore.  When returning, I started up what I thought was the path we came down, and she pulled me forward, refusing to go up it.  When we came to the next path, she turned up that one and "voila" we were at our campsite.

OK, when do we leave?

That dog really loved to travel.  She made the trip with me from Wyoming to California at least three times before we moved back.  We drove from California to Maine (St. Andrew's, Millinocket) and then Maine to California and back (three times).  I loved the way Izzie would end the day on the road: rest for a half and hour—dinner—a final walk—then to sleep.  She would be ready to go at 7 am, except on our last trip this winter, when she wanted to sleep until 9 or 10 in the morning. One of our California trips was with our friend Pat from Millinocket where we stopped at as many National Parks and we could fit in.  Izzie and Pat were fast friends.  She is one of the few people Izzie would share a bed with besides me. She did not like it at all when Pat inherited Oscar the cat from her son.  Izzie viewed Pat's house as hers and Oscar was an intruder as far as Izzie was concerned.  I'm sure Oscar viewed Izzie the same way.

Izzie became part of the congregation of St. Andrew's, Millinocket.  She sat with Sally, the head of the altar guild and came up to the altar rail at communion time where she got a blessing.  I had no idea she liked communion wine until one day she cleaned up some that had been spilled on the floor after the service was over.  Fortunately she was too short to reach the cupboard where it was kept.  Had enough of people surreptitiously drinking communion wine in certain parishes (not Millinocket) and didn't want my Izzie needing to join AA.  When we left for Rangeley,  Izzie was given a formal letter of transfer.  I'm still not sure how Good Shepherd really felt about that.  The Vestry thought it funny, but Millinocket was serious. Izzie pulled her weight and was a great parishioner.

Izzie went to the early service in Rangeley and was quite welcome there.  The early service people always greeted her and brought her treats. They enjoyed her snoring through my sermons and occasional barks at the right time, like when I talked about God creating creatures with four legs as well as two.  Izzie was  was both my Amen corner and a sharp critique of my work. However, she stayed in the parish hall for the later service.  Occasionally someone would go down to use the restrooms and she would escape and just like in Sausalito, she would march up the aisle, only to be corralled by an usher or the Senior Warden.

Izzie's birthday was May 5.  She would have been 14 next week.  I had a party for her birthday in Rangeley and since it was Cinco de Mayo we ate chicken enchiladas, and drank grapefruit margaritas.  Izzie enjoyed the enchiladas, but was not offered a margarita.

I will miss my little sweetie.  I will miss her snoring next to me at night. Her snores were famous in Vestry meetings where they helped move the discussion forward, sounding out at just the right time.  I found her funny, loving, stubborn and always up for an adventure.  Now she will have a new adventure, joining her doggie friends, Sydney and Daisy and Luci as well as Bear and Oso and Eva who have already crossed the rainbow bridge. I'm sure she will be waiting for me, tail up and curled, when it's my time.

This is Buttercup, my "sister's" dog.  I guess that makes Buttercup my niece.  She got the NosePics treatment too.  My purse doesn't have that kind of money in it, but then I get HER to buy what I need.  Sis calls this "Rock and Roll Buttercup."

SHE and Me all gussied up with NosePics

My "sister" sent us her version of the two of us.  The original was taken soon after we became companions in Wyoming.  I LOVE the earrings and the purse.  Since SHE tends to be a bit silly, I think the beanie is perfect for her.  Sis has a buddy named Toban who has an App called NosePics where you can add fun stuff to pictures.  Good for whiling away time in the doctor's office.

Our friend Jane, from Vienna sent us the link to this.  If I knew how to sing, I think I would do a much better job than that dude (it may look like me, but it isn't), and I really haven't learned to do that. However my sister's old dog, Bear, was a master howler. I, on the other hand do quite well hitting the piano keys, but I need to sit on HER lap to do it. Hope you like it.

Yesterday

We got to go back to Bar Harbor.  I knew where we were, but I can't go down the stairs anymore. I just don't see well enough and SHE doesn't like me whimpering and shaking, which I need to do to get up enough courage to try.  I guess I really need for her to carry me.  I can go up stairs though. A nice lady kept me with her during the services so I couldn't help HER at the altar this time.  It was ok.  I had enough treats and I stayed nice and quiet. Coffee hour was pretty good, there were some bits of cheese left for me and I wiped up part of the floor eating bits of cheese and crackers that people dropped.

Izzie at St. Saviour's

I just have gotten used to our new house.  I can go up and down the stairs and I have comfy places to rest in the living room as well as the bedroom.  There is a really nice kitchen and SHE doesn't get mad if I spill my water or my food, because it is easy to clean up.  The yard is lots of fun.  I can wander around and sniff and I know how to find my way back in.  It is also fun to walk down the road.  Other dogs walk it too, so there are great smells.

This past weekend we went to a place SHE called Bar Harbor.  They have a really nice church and the people there really liked me.  I was allowed to stay for both services.  I walked into the church on my leash right next to HER and everyone said I looked like I really knew how to process, which I do.  It was a big church so there were lots of places to explore, but I did most of my exploring before church started.  I stayed very close to HER so I could help her if she needed me.  I do have a hard time opening the Prayerbook though.   I didn't even snore during the sermon.

The only problem was when we arrived and we went into a dark building with a lady.  I didn't want to go and I put my paws down, but SHE dragged me across the wood floor.  Drat wood floors, you can't get any traction!  But then we went up some carpeted stairs and into a room, which was very nice.  SHE took me back down the stairs and we went for a walk and then went inside again.  This time the lights were on and it wasn't so scary.  That's where we spent the night.  The bed was nice and SHE was there and I didn't have to spend any time alone.  When SHE went out to eat, I stayed in the car, which is ok because it is our car and I know it.

After church we drove and drove and drove some more.  I thought we were going home, but we went to visit my friends Desi and Luci because SHE and her friend were going to a concert so we spent Sunday night at Desi and Luci's house. It is good to be back home, although I had to go to get some acupuncture this morning and SHE has to go see her doctor today too.  I don't think SHE is going to be stuck with needles.  It is time for a little nap since it has been a very busy day.

Our New House

SHE is making me move again.  SHE promises it is the last time, but I'm not sure I trust her.  We have lived in 9 different places since we became companions.  SHE told me she bought this house and it is ours. It is very scary though.  I don't see very well and I don't know my way around and even though there are not too many stairs, I don't know them.  Today SHE put me in an LL Bean boat bag and carried me down the stairs. That was ok.  I could snuggle in the bottom and just rest.  None of our furniture is there yet and I don't have to sleep there for a few more nights.  I do love the yard though.  It is very big and I can sniff to my hearts content.

The pictures were the ones that SHE said attracted her to the house.  That is not our stuff, but you can see what it looks like.

Acupuncture II

It wasn't nearly as scary the second time.  I think I have more energy and SHE says I sometimes bounce up the steps.  When we finished getting the needles I took HER to where the treats are and SHE bought me one.  I think I'm going to really like going to see this doctor.

This morning I sat in the car while SHE and some guys wandered around a house.  SHE says we will be moving soon, only this time into a house of our own.  It won't have very many stairs so it will be better for me.  SHE says that after we know if we can have the house SHE will write about it and show everybody some pictures.

Acupuncture

I went to see a lady doctor today who stuck needles in me.  Only a couple of them bothered me and I shook one of them out.  Mostly I just lay on the floor and rested.  The doctor said I would probably sleep a lot, but I don't think I'm sleeping any more than usual.  SHE got to stay with me in the room and I was very nervous at first.  I was really shaking, but the doctor gave me something that made me relax and it wasn't so bad.  I have to go back next week.  My legs are pretty stiff and hurt when she moved them about.

The doctor's office is in the back of my favorite dog treat place.  When we were leaving I smelled the best stuff in a bin and practically dove in to see what it was.  I pulled out a great big piece of beef jerky that was wrapped up and tried to get the wrapping off when SHE took it away.  SHE was very nice though and bought it for me and gave it to me when we got home.  It was soooooo good.

You know I think getting needles stuck in you isn't so bad if you can get a treat that is that good afterwards.  Do you think SHE will buy me one every week?  I know where they are and even though I can't see very well, I can find that stuff by smell.  Anywhere.  I know I can.  You don't think they will sell them all before next week do you?  That would not be fair.

SHE is Sad

I don't like it when SHE is sad.  SHE doesn't take me out for long walks and forgets my eye drops.  I did get to go over and see Oscar this morning when SHE went to visit my friend in the hospital.  Oscar and I understand each other really well now.  We rub noses when we meet and I never chase him anymore. He doesn't seem to mind my being in the house at the same time he is.

The people at the churches are all very nice to me.  There are some girls who like to pet me and that's ok, but I keep hoping They'll give me a treat even though SHE said not to give me any.

I'm not sure about our long drives though.  Most of the time I sleep, but I do get restless.

I'm A Church Dog Again

After only one night at home, SHE put me in the car and we drove and drove.  Turned out we were back in a place I know and a house I know.  Even though it was pretty hot, I slept really well at the side of HER bed.  SHE put on a fan that blew nice air my way.  The very nice person who took care of me taught HER to put chopped fresh tomatoes in my kibble along with cooked veggies and a bit of cooked hamburger.  That makes a wonderful dinner and I eat it all.  For some reason they've stopped giving me very many treats during the day, so I have to eat my dinner all up.

Both SHE and I were soooo tired on Friday night that we both slept until 9 in the morning.  Most of the day was pretty boring, but I did get to visit my friend Pat and spend some time at her house.  Oscar the cat was outside so I didn't have to share the attention.

I slept near HER feet during church and when SHE gave the sermon I must admit I snored.  That seems to make people smile.  It's just that I feel good when I hear HER voice.  I'm glad they don't mind my being there.  I really hate to be all alone in some room.  After SHE talked with some people we got back into the car and drove and drove and drove again.

Now we're back home and I just finished a nap.  Long drives are tiring.  She has promised that we'll go next door and sit on the restaurant's deck and SHE will have some fish for dinner while I sit and watch sea gulls.  I've been told I cannot have any more hot dogs.  Drats!

A Dog's Life

This was in the e-mail my newest BFF and all-round wonderful lady who is taking care of me sent to HER while SHE is off somewhere.  They say SHE is helping out a friend who is sick and needs an operation, but I really can't complain.  I have it really good here.

Re Her Royal Highness Isabelle.....is reigning pre-eminently.  Her appetite and ALL bodily functions are great. I've been working on the black tarry "stuff" around her eyes and have made good advancement in it's removal (she doesn't exactly like the procedure.....but as the saying goes "O too bad.") She is happy with me afterwards when she gets her treat for good behavior.

She is sleeping in my bedroom with me at night alongside the bed.....happy as the proverbial clam.

Izzie accompanied me to Healing Service this morning (I was chalicing) so she was content to remain in the shade in the car (nice breeze from the water).....afterwards I took her for a short stroll and then back into Benedictine.  Came straight home afterwards.

A bit later I went back in to town to the market and left her here for the first time by herself as the temp. had risen and there is no shade in Hannaford's parking lot.  When I returned home she was curled up on the couch....promptly jumped off and came right over to me with tail wagging briskly.  Now she's giving me the eye and letting me know that I should end this and go downstairs and fix her dinner...so will do as I am being asked. Don't worry about her ....she's being taken good care of and enjoys being loose in the yard when I'm out there with her.

A Very Long Trip

We went north to Houlton, ME.  It's the north end of I-95, just before the Canadian border.  SHE celebrated at Good Shepherd and I stayed in the car.  Of course we did spend the night in the rectory.  I didn't know my way around and bumped into the bedroom wall after she turned out the lights.  I think I thought we were at home, and I don't see too well anymore. So SHE picked me up and put me on the bed.  That was better.

I did get to go to coffee hour and had a taste of an egg salad sandwich and a bit of cheese.  After coffee hour we drove and drove and drove. (US Route 1 goes across the top of Maine and then down the coast)  Finally SHE stopped for dinner.  I got some chicken pieces and a wonderful drink of ice water.  SHE also let me walk around a bit.  I was tired so I slept on the back seat for a while.  We got home just before dark.

Along the way we saw a young moose eating grass along the edge of the road and a turkey. Lots of people were taking advantage of the sunny day to mow their lawns.

Today I was very tired and we didn't get up until after 8 in the morning.  It was a bit rainy, but I enjoyed our morning walk.