Amalie

Over the weekend a friend came to visit with her daughter, Amalie. Charlie has met Amalie once or twice before, but we've never really allowed them to mix much for fear that he would overwhelm her.

Amalie, however, loves loves loves Charlie, so as the initial frenzy of company abated and Charlie quieted down, we let them mingle and ultimately engage in some supervised play.

It went better than I ever could have imagined! Amalie was wonderful with Charlie -- she understood when to pet him and when to back off, she knew how and when to tell him to "Stop" and "Sit," and she redirected him to his toys when he needed it. Charlie was great with her -- he listened, obeyed (mostly ;) ), and played nicely. I think they both had a blast!


The highlight of the play session was a rousing round of "Chase Charlie" (known by Amalie as "Chase the Charlie"). This is Charlie's absolute favorite game, and Amalie indulged him, chasing him around and around, through the kitchen and back through the living room, again and again. I don't know who had more fun -- Charlie, Amalie, or we onlookers!

 

Over the Rainbow...

It's almost too sad to say, but Charlie's sister Sophie crossed over the bridge Saturday morning. I won't go into detail, but she was quickly getting worse. She did manage to consume a box of Snausages and one of T-bones, and then surrounded by her loving family at home, was gently helped across the bridge.

Sophie was active and happy almost to the end (she chased a squirrel on Monday and a rabbit on Thursday!) and for the last month was able to spend almost all her time with her mom.


"We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle; easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we would still live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan." -- Irving Townsend*


Thanks, everyone, for your warm support. I know it helped!

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*Thanks to KT, who posted this after Lady crossed over.

Peanut Butter Heaven

Charlie's nails have gotten long and he's fussy about letting me cut them, so today he went in to the V-E-T's, so the techs could trim him up. Unlike his sister, Sophie, Charlie does not like going there.

He was fine in the parking lot... he willingly went in the front door... at the scale he started to quiver, but got on for a weight check... however, when it came to going in the back for the nail-trim, he refused. And he wasn't just kind of balky; he really refused --- an all paws down, "there's no way you're getting me in there alive," kind of refusal.

"Nom, nom, nom..."
It took treats in front of him and a push from behind to get him in the back. But, once there, he settled down and started to enjoy... the petting... the cooing... the PEANUT BUTTER!! Yes, they got out a jar of peanut butter and a big tongue depressor and started scooping.

"Another scoop of peanut butter, please."
After the second glob, I think Charlie ceased noticing that anything was happening to his paws, he was so in heaven.

"Nom, nom, nom..."
He was very alert to the peanut butter, however, and managed to snatch a whole glob off the stick at one point, necessitating some adjustment in technique.

"Mmmmmmmmm..."
All in all, it was a very successful trip! Charlie's nails look great and, who knows, maybe next time he'll BEG to go in the back for a nail trim?   :)

 

Ups and Downs

I'm sad to report that Charlie's sister Sophie is starting to have some days where she doesn't feel as well as before. At first Karen thought maybe she'd gotten into something, but Sophie's recheck at Purdue showed that the chemo doesn't seem to be helping. Sigh...

At the park.
Still, Sophie seems to be mostly feeling well. She went to the park Friday and chased a squirrel off-trail and into the woods, causing Karen to have to yell like crazy to get her to come back.

Hoping for squirrels.
So please send some fresh Power of the Paw to Karen and Sophie. Let's hope they get a lot more good days together -- days where Sophie feels like doing all those things that would get her in trouble if she wasn't being spoiled rotten! :)

 

Wordless Wednesday