Yesterday, my friend Kendra shared with us that her beloved dog Fizzy is nearing the end of his 13-year life. Hearing of her grief at the impending decision she and her husband face, brings back the sadness we dealt with this time last year as we watched our darling Consuela slowly slip away. Like it was for us, it's particularly difficult for Kendra to watch a loved one fail at a time of year when the world is awaking from a long winter's slumber.
A month ago tomorrow we welcomed Brandy the puppy into our home. It hasn't taken long for her to work her way into our hearts. I worried about whether I could love another dog as much as I loved Consuela. I've realized that I probably won't love Brandy the same way, but I already love her in a new way. I love that she has quickly figured out that when that big yellow bus shows up twice a day it comes bearing biscuits. I love how she finds a sock in one of the bedrooms, marches out to where we're gathered, and with a sideways glance, lets us know that it's GAME ON. It has, at times, taken all four of us to retrieve a sock from her clutches. I love how quickly she figured out the invisible fence and how she now spends hours in the warm sunshine. I love how she does NOT like the rain and gets annoyed when the drops fall on her soft coat. She despises putting her precious puppy paws in puddles. I love that she has NO FEAR when it comes to much bigger dogs. I call her Ballsy McBalls A Lot. She found the face fat of a Great Dane to be an awesome plaything. The big dog stood there with endless patience and let the little twit have her way with him. I don't think it occurred to Brandy that the Great Dane could've sent her into the middle of next week with one swing of the paw. Luckily, he didn't demonstrate that capability even though no one would've blamed him!
I love that she's nothing like Consuela or Roscoe, our other old friend who died at 14 in 2006. Rather, she's her own unique personality who has brought a blast of energy and laughter into our house. Now, if we could just make her civilized! She's a work in progress to be certain (Exhibit A: helping herself to cake from my niece's plate tonight), but we can already tell that she will be worth the effort. Brandy has taught us that life goes on even in the wake of an unimaginable loss. She has taught us that Consuela and Roscoe can't be replaced but their memory can be honored by the new friend we have taken into our home and our hearts.
On another note, it's tax day here in the U.S., but Rhode Island residents scored an extra month to file due to the epic flooding last month. It's also my dad's birthday. We jokingly called this his second "bonus" birthday after the life-threatening head injury last January. We're happy to still have him around and thankful that he is doing spectacularly well. Happy birthday, Dad!
