{This Moment} See Beautiful: Happy Old Man

Happy Friday!  It's a beautiful day here in New England (although it's going to be hotter than I'd like... I was really loving the few days of fall-ish weather we just had) and today we are participating in the See Beautiful blog hop hosted by Sugar.  Sugar recently celebrated her 14th birthday, and any dog parent knows just how special that is.

We lost Zeus in April, just one month after his 14th birthday. I am so incredibly thankful he was here and feeling good enough to celebrate, but man do I miss him every. single. day. This morning, Facebook reminded me that it was exactly one year ago today that I thought we were losing my boy. I thought his body was shutting down. It tuned out to be Vestibular Disease of Old Dogs - not something I'd wish upon any dog parent to have to go through, but certainly a huge relief when I was dwelling on the worst case scenario. 

Zeus enjoying his 14th birthday cake!

While it was a process, very scary at times, and required a lot of nursing care on his humans part (I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat), my boy got thru the bout with Vestibular Disease and aspiration pneumonia (which he was susceptible to due to his megaesophagus) like a champ!  Zeus had a truly amazing will to live that I have not seen matched in any dog, or human for that matter.  I am so thankful for the many, many years and memories,  and the unconditional love and pure joy he gave us.... but man, do I miss my Happy Old Man (and my Baby Girl).

Zeus loved nothing more than lounging outside, whether in the dirt or on the back deck... and I know he would have loved to spend time chilling out there his new little sister Penny, just as he did with the rest of his pack. 

 

And, I know Penny would have been infatuated with her big angel brother, just as all of our foster puppies were in years past.  Which leads me right into sharing a few foster updates with you, thanks to these shots I stole borrowed off of their humans' Facebook pages.

First up is Booth... or, my little Boo-Man as I liked to call him.  Just look at that grin... I think he learned it from Zeus. 

Zeus and Booth in 2011

Maverick was such a teeny-tiny tot when he was with us... and he still is!  His human sister shares lots of photos and I have to say, the little mini-munchkin's facial expressions are just too cute for words.

Zeus and teeny Maverick chilling, 2011

And, just because I adore this photo (and happened upon it while looking for the shots above), here's Zeus with Belle, our former foster baby who was adopted by friends of ours.  I miss that big 'ole happy grin of his!

Have a great weekend, and remember to make every moment count!  Fall, my absolute favorite time of year, is quickly approaching and I'm really going to miss Zeus' love of making the leave crumple...

Thankful Thursday: Foster Family Update

It's been a few months since I last posted any foster family updates, so I figured why not use this first Thankful Thursday in November to share some cuteness...  After all, I'm incredibly thankful every time I get updates and see new photos of my babies thriving in their forever homes.  I could be having a terrible day, yet just one photo makes me smile from ear-to-ear!  Let's see if I can make you smile too... 

Two and a half years later, Little Maverick still loves his snuggie, which simply makes my heart melt.  If you knit, crochet, or sew, please keep your local shelters in mind and donate some snuggies.  They are a great way to use up leftovers, and Mavie is proof that not only do they help comfort during transition, but for many, many years to come!  

Rosie got into the Halloween spirit and was as cute as a pumpkin, don't ya think?

Booth recently got to go to work for the day with his Mom.  Doesn't he look so proud?

Harper celebrated Halloween with her little human sister, and showed her how much fun it is to hand out treats.

Speaking of little human siblings, Izzy took pumpkin decorating to a new level when she shared her exciting news with the world... she's going to be a big sister in 2015!

As I said, I just love watching my former foster babies grow, and now I get to watch their families grow as well! 

Fostering Makes My Heart Melt

Happy Doggy Thursday! As I mentioned last week (and probably 1,000,001 times over the years), I love nothing more than getting updates from our fosters' adoptive families!  I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it feels to get photos, emails, videos, etc.  Really, you should see the ear-to-ear grin they put on my face.  A couple days after I posted that updated pic of Maverick, his human sister posted this on Facebook...

That post truly melted my heart and had me smiling for days!  Here's a bigger shot of the pictures so you can really see how he's grown.  The shot on the right shows teeny-tiny Mavie when they first adopted him, and the one on the left shows how he has outgrown his big brother Zac.  They are just the cutest little pair...

I was going to share Zeus' 13th birthday "party" pics with you today, but I haven't had a chance to download them yet (story of my life).  I will post them next week... really, I will!  And on that note, I'll leave you with a single shot of his cake.



Monday Mischief: Rockin the PJs

Monday already?  Yup, that's what the calendar tells me.  The weekends go by faster and faster, don't they?

Not a lot of mischief going on today... at least not that I know of.  After all, who knows what kind of mischief goes on when the humans are at work, right? 

If I had to guess, the Lapdogs are all recharging snoozing on the couch right now.

They're probably saving their energy for a good 'ole game of King & Queen of the snow mountain later on today.  

As you may know, the Lapdogs have quite an extensive family of foster siblings.  It's been awhile since we've shared some of our updates with you, but I thought these two were cute mischief makers.  

Maverick's sister snapped this picture of him ignoring her contemplating life.  Don't you just love that cute little face?

Cotton decided to try on her human brother's PJ's... what do you think?  I think she's rocking them pretty well, although she doesn't look very pleased with her Mom's mischief.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week.  I'm hoping to get a couple of reviews posted and we have a very special birthday to celebrate on Friday... stay tuned!

Mischievous Babies

There's really not a whole lot of mischief going on around here today.  Well, unless you count last week's sleepless nights incident. Lola developed a UTI which resulted in a trip to the Emergency Vet for antibiotics and a couple of exhausted humans after those sleepless nights. She's doing much better now, thankfully, and the humans spent part of the weekend catching up on zzz's.

There's a little human mischief going on with trying to get all of our holiday preparations and shopping completed.  I'm sure we're not the only ones with long To-Do lists however, so instead of dwelling on that today, let's all smile!  I have a few foster baby updates to share and nothing puts a smile on our faces like cute, mischievous pooches, right?

First up is the tiny tot, Maverick.  He just got a new blankie and is all set for another New England winter...

Little Rosie is always getting into something!  Her Mama managed to snap this super cute pic of she and big sister Rascal snuggling in their chair.  Yes, I said their chair.  Don't you just love the cover? 

Not that I can't help but smile every single time I see photos of any of my foster babies, but there's something extra special about Booth, aka my little Boo.  Add in an adorable football costume and my face hurts from grinning ear to ear!

The beautiful Addie just celebrated her 2nd birthday.  She's such a big girl now!

And of course, there's Miss Belle.  If you read our blog regularly, you see her a lot ... since we get to see her all summer long at the race track!  She's truly a special little lady and holds a big piece of our hearts!

There's nothing better than getting a photo or update from my foster babies adoptive families!  I'm really enjoying their Christmas cards as they start to arrive.  We were not able to foster any babies this past year, but I hope we'll get back to providing a loving, temporary home to some special little tykes in 2014.

Foster Baby Updates

Time to get Wordless again.  Today it's all about things that make me smile... foster baby updates!

Maverick

Maverick

Izzy

Cotton & her human baby brother

Belle, showing off a Casey Jones Bones treat at the race track
* CJB is a sponsor on our race car this year *

Belle

Monday Mischief & Foster Updates

Happy Monday, Happy March, Happy Days-Getting-Longer week!  With the humans back to the daily grind, there won't be a heck of a lot of mischief going on at home today.. or will there be?  Have you ever wondered just what our crazy furkids do when we're not at home?  hmmm...

Here's what the did yesterday...  

Lola wanted eggs for breakfast and begged her Daddy to share.

Tut just wanted to stretch out and chill.  I call this his "Got Paw?" pose.

Zeus was on the job as Chief Bird Watcher.

Sophie thought the NASCAR race was about as exciting as watching paint dry.

Yesterday was the 1 year anniversary of our former foster baby Maverick's "gotcha day."  His family met us at Sturbridge Village and instantly fell in love with the little tyke -- but who wouldn't?  Mavie's sister said he started his day off with stealing a sock and hogging the blanket... his typical mischief!

This seems like a good time for a few other foster updates, doesn't it?

Here is Booth's easy-like-Sunday "recharging for mischief making" pose...

Izzy seems to be enjoying that crazy white stuff that just will not stop falling...

Harper was caught enjoying a long winter's nap with her cousin...

 

Don't they all look so cozy and well loved?  Photo updates like these always make me smile so much... knowing we helped them all find their perfect forever homes is the best feeling in the world!

Mavie the Blanket Bandit

Happy Dogs on Thursday / Thorsday / Thankful Thursday.  As you may have read on Monday, I've had the nerve to leave the Lapdogs at home all alone returned to the world of full time work... at least for a little while.  As a result, I haven't been able to do regular daily blogging.  Bear with me as I work on learning to auto-set posts on the weekends and at night... and stay tuned for tuns of great reviews we have coming up (the Lapdogs have been busy).

Back to Thankful Thursday... Of course I am thankful to have a full time pay check again, but I'm even more thankful that I get to share this video of our former foster Maverick with you.  Mavie's human sister is so awesome when it comes to putting together videos of he and his brother Zac for us.  I just can't decide what the best part of this one is...  Mavie chasing his tail?  Stealing the blankets?  Licking the birthday cake?  Or maybe his absolutely adorable bark/howl?!?!  What do you think?



Foster Updates!

Happy New Year's Eve!  I'm curious to know how everyone is spending it this year.  Are you heading out on the town for a First Night celebration?  Hanging out at a friend or family house party?  Hitting the clubs?  Or, perhaps you're like us this year, getting take-out Chinese food and enjoying a relaxing evening in with our furry babies.  Whatever you are planning, be safe and enjoy!

It's the last Monday Mischief of the year, so I've decided to share a few foster updates.  After all, there's nothing better than some puppy mischief to make you smile (although they aren't puppies anymore... they're all growing up so fast)!

First up is tiny-tot Maverick (on the left), who got into the Christmas spirit along with his big brother Zac.  Doesn't Mavie look like he's making a wish to Santa?  I just adore the bow on his head.

Belle spent her first Christmas in New Mexico, where she is "wintering" with her parents and two kitty siblings.  I can't wait for Spring when they return to New England!

 

Sweet Izzy's neighbors bought her a Christmas toy which she proudly carried around all day on Christmas eve.  Don't you love that "what?!?!" look?  The second shot was titled "Izzy is one happy snow puppy" by her Mom... snow always makes the Lapdogs smile too!

The Big White Shadow (as his Mom calls him), better known as Skipper, still enjoys lounging by the wood stove on a cold New England day.  Here he is happily sharing the heat with kitty sister Amelia.

We truly love getting updates and photos of our foster babies, and I hope you enjoy seeing them as well!  We got to foster several wonderful pups in 2012, which led to meeting many new friends who gave these precious babies their forever homes.  We greatly look forward to helping many more on their way to forever homes in 2013!

Woofy Thanks

Happy Thankful Thursday / Dogs on Thorsday / Litte Friday!  I should be writing a review today, but ... hey, get this ... I'm behind!  It's been a busy couple of weeks, combined with far too many sleepless nights.  It seems someone put out a "welcome mouse family" sign that I was unaware of.  While Lapdog Daddy works to trap them, my hooey hounds and their dobie mix sister are working to eradicate them in their own way.  Zeus simply runs back to bed when he realizes his siblings are on the hunt.... yes folks, I have a 110 pound scaredy cat.  Anywho, although we close the bedroom door and turn on the AC for noise, Lola's bionic nose and ears know when the little b*&#@*#$ venture upstairs and it's up and at 'em!  Yawn.... Send your good eradication vibes our way please.  I can't deal with the thought of them running around any more and I need sleep!

Now, back to being thankful.... I have more foster family updates to share!

I was thrilled to learn Maverick is still carrying his (freshly washed) snuggie around everywhere! I always send our fosters home with a favorite toy (or two), as well as a snuggie when available. Mavie's family has continued to tell me how much his snuggie and piggie toy mean to him, which truly makes me smile.  A friend had crocheted and donated a whole bag of snuggies to me for our fosters a couple years ago and we've finally exhausted the stash. If you enjoy knitting/crocheting/sewing snuggies and need a place to unload a few, please keep me in mind! 

Jack, aka mini TutLo, has become quite the competition superstar!  His Mom tells me he's always tops in his class.

Cotton was caught doing what I'd love to be doing right about now!  Isn't this a perfect, cozy picture?  Add a yarn basket to that empty spot and I think it would be a stunner!

Sure, I just shared a Belle update last week, but I do get to see our mini-Lola often... which means you do as well!  I snapped these at the race track last Saturday.  She truly is the perfect race dog... such a chillax girl!

Since I can't resist those ears (and I still owe a real post), you get another Booth update too.  His Mom posted this shot of her adorable co-pilot on Sunday afternoon.

I truly am so very thankful for all of the updates and photos that make me smile!  What are you thankful for today?  I'll leave you with those four faces that make me smile (even if some keep me up all night) on a daily basis...