Zeus, Forever in Our Hearts #HeartDog

Today marks the second anniversary of saying goodbye to our Happy Old Man.

Zeus was truly one-of-a-kind. He was such a happy-go-lucky dog, and taught us all to live, love, and be happy.

Zeus' love of life and will to live were beyond anything I have ever witnessed before - canine or human. He loved nothing more than to please his humans, and we were so incredibly lucky to share 14 amazing years with him.

Not a day goes by that I don't miss my big boy. At 140 pounds, he was the original Lapdog... and boy did he love to cuddle!

So today, in honor of my boy, please give your furbabies some extra kisses and cuddle time.

Love and kisses, always and forever, we miss you big boy...

Dear Zeus, Happy Birthday.

Dear Zeus,

I miss you. I love you.

Happy Birthday, My Dear Sweet Boy

You would have been 16 today... and not a moment goes by that I don't think of you and your sister. I hope you are both happily romping over the Bridge, lounging in the sun and eating all the cake you want.

One Year Later, Part 2 #CancerBites #LiveLoveLaughBark

It was just over a year ago my heart was ripped out for the second time in six short weeks as we said goodbye to the happiest dog in the world... my Zeus... my Moose... my Happy Old Man.

My sweet, loving, big boy... I miss and love you so very much.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner! #Chewy

Well, no chicken dinner, but there sure are a lot of tasty treats included in some of Zeus' Favorite Things!

I don't usually take a whole post to announce our contest winners, but I really wanted to publicly thank each and every one who entered this giveaway in honor of my sweet boy whom I miss so very much.

We heard from so many new visitors during the contest period, as well as long-time followers and friends.  I cannot even begin to tell you how much it meant to me to see the comments and Tweets coming in every day.

Celebrate Life - In Honor of Zeus! #Chewy #DogGiveaway

Today would have been Zeus' 15th birthday.

Not a day goes by that I don't miss him...

Today marks the first birthday since we said goodbye, and I won't lie... I am heartbroken that he is gone.  But instead of mourning him today, I want to honor my big guy... and celebrate his life!

So Long 2015 - Don't Let the Door Hit Ya On the Way Out

I know I'm not the only one who's happy to see 2015 come to an end.   

In short, 2015 sucked.  There is simply no better way to say it.

I was forced to write my first tearful, heart wrenching goodbye at the end of January...

And my second tearful, heart wrenching goodbye just over nine short weeks later...

It is not something I want to do again anytime soon, but with aging furbabies, one never knows.
 

 

After all, I never expected my baby girl would get such an aggressive, fast moving cancer like osteosarcoma... completely out of the blue.  If nothing else, Lola's ordeal has taught me to live in the moment and to not put off doing even the littlest of things.  I had so many regrets of things I had planned to do with her, but never got around to it.  Because of that, Miss Penny has probably experienced more in her 10 short months than most dogs do in 10 years! 
 

Speaking of my spunky little furball... Penny's arrival was indeed one of the brightest moments of 2015.  Her adoption was a bit of a confusing mess, and we weren't even sure we were going to get her.  I'm so thankful everything worked out... and yes, I truly believe Lola and Zeus both had something to do with that (never mind the fact that Penny's original name from the rescue was "Karma."). 

Penny not only brought the smiles back to her humans' faces, but she brought happiness back to Teutul and Sophie as well.  My two seniors are playing so much more these days, thanks to a pesky little sister who won't take "no" for an answer. 

The senior hounds don't seem to mind...

 

Here's to health and happiness in 2016... may it be a much better year for everyone! 

PS - I swore I wasn't going to do one of those "year in review" posts...

Wordless Wednesday: 6 Months, Again.

Wednesday again?  Time to get wordless...

 

 

 

 

 

In some ways it seems like he was plopping his big 'ole head in my lap just yesterday...
In others, it seems like forever has passed...
In reality, it has been six lonely months since we said goodbye for the second time this year... 
If only I could turn back time. 

I miss you, my Happy Old Man.

I miss them both so, so much. It's been the worst year imaginable, but I do believe they are still with me each and every day, looking out for us. I know they sent Penny to us and call me crazy, but sometimes I think she can see them. There have just been too many times I find her infatuated with, or barking at, empty space.

Priceless

In honor of the old Dogs on Thursday blog hop that many of us used to participate in, and because it seems to have morphed into Thankful Thursday, I want to take a moment today to tell you about a little something that is very, very special to me... priceless.

A couple years ago I had noticed those dog nose print necklaces on etsy and in a couple of the catalogs I receive.  I had toyed with the idea of wanting one for quite awhile, but they aren't cheap, and I went back and forth on just how much I would wear it.  

When Zeus' mega esophagus started to get worse last summer, I began pursuing etsy for something special.  I happened upon Flirt and Flutter Jewelry and those cute dog nose prints.  After several messages back and forth with Kaleen, I opted to go with a double paw pad heart, using Zeus and Lola's prints. As much as I loved the nose print, I just kept going back to that double heart. It seemed to make sense to use my two oldest kids' prints, and I thought that perhaps I could do something else with Teutul and Sophie at a later date.   

I placed my order in July, and the process began.  The first step was for me to get molds of Lola and Zeus' paw pads. I did several impressions of each, and shipped them all off to Kaleen, who would decide which were the most unique and interesting to use.    

After what seemed like forever (the process does take a couple of months and Kaleen stays in touch throughout), my beautiful heart pendant arrived in September.

 

Last Wednesday, I wore it for the first time.

I'm not completely sure why I didn't wear it before then, but something just told me not to.

In January, I decided to snap a few photos of it with Lola and Zeus' paws... something  I'm really glad I thought of, as these paw pictures are now extra special to me.  

I sort of wish I had gotten Zeus' nose print done, especially on those days when I'm really missing those big 'ole nose nudges and kisses from him... but now realize there was a real meaning to the decision I made nine months ago. Had I gone with doing his nose print, I probably never would have done anything with Lola before we lost her so un-expectantly.

This heart pendant is truly the most valuable piece of jewelry I now own... priceless.