A tribute to my sweet boy....

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We're still here......

I must admit that after Kai's death, I've had very little motivation to get on the blog. I've tried but I end up just sitting and staring at the screen. I'm working on a video of Kai's life and will post it here as soon as I'm able to finish it. I miss my big boy more than I can ever describe. When I call the dogs in from outside, I still find myself calling out to him. Of all the dogs, Lucy seems to miss him the most. They were best of pals and she's super clingy to me now that he's gone. I had asked Kai just two days prior to his death to please hang on until after my middle daughter's birthday. I could not have said goodbye on her special day. And he did just that.....the day after her birthday was his last. He was always looking out for me.....right up until the end......

I appreciated all the kind messages left on here during such a difficult time. I especially want to thank Behr Behr's mom for sending the nicest card in the mail. It's not often people take the time anymore to actually send cards but it truly made my day and meant the world to me. So, thanks again!!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

My One In A Million

Kaiser

January 27, 2001 - June 21, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

Photo courtesy of The Brat Pack's mom

Overdue ramblings

Some days I wonder if I should keep this blog going or just close up shop. I've tried many times to sit down and catch up on the blog but for some reason just never do. Have I lost interest? Not sure, but I told myself that I need to try to post at least once a week. If I can't keep to that promise I've made to myself, then I figure it's time to close shop. So let's see how I do! Echo is growing like a weed. She'll be as tall as Willow before long. She remains a handful but is as sweet as ever. Her training is coming along and she just graduated from her basic novice class. She is still stubborn when it comes to following commands she doesn't want to do, but with time I know it'll all "click" and she'll realize that being stubborn doesn't get her far!

Some of you probably guessed from the "wordless wednesday" post that we have a new zoo member. My oldest daughter got a pup for her 18th birthday. His hame is Walter and he came from a rescue group several hours away from us. He's sweet but owning a breed other than a dane or dachshund has proved to be an experience! He's quite vocal but his sweetness makes up for it! He gets along with everyone and loves the big dogs.....however, he's learned to run for cover when Echo is out of control, as he knows that could mean trouble for his small little body!

And sweet old Kai....here he is snoozing with his new "baby." He's the only one of the entire pack that doesn't destuff toys. He loves them, mouths them, carries them around, and quite honestly, treats them like they're his "baby." It's really rather cute :) He's still getting around ok, although every day seems to be a "slower" day. He has lost most of his vision but gets around ok since he's been in the same house for the past 5 years and knows the layout like the back of his paw ;) When he goes to take treats from my hand or the ground, he does have trouble finding them. The muscle wasting in his hind quarters is quite significant but his appetite is still really good and he hasn't slowed down with his eating. Several things have happened in the past few weeks that have led me to believe that he most likely has cancer so the goal at this point is to make sure he stays comfortable.

Last week, we had a special visit from The Brat Pack's mom. The dogs tried to be on their best behavior, but we all know how that goes! Here's some of the crew above, saying their goodbyes!

Happy 9th Birthday, Halo!!

"Card" courtesy of Snarfydogs

Wordless Wednesday

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Basking in the warmth of the sunshine

2 years and still missing my girl.....

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Wordless Wednesday

I'm stink-free!

Poor Halo has suffered from bad teeth her entire life. It doesn't matter how often they're brushed, professionally cleaned.....how often she chews on bones, etc.....she just simply has bad teeth. This isn't uncommon in dachshunds. She's already had several teeth pulled in her almost 9 years but it doesn't phase her one bit. Well, her mouth was getting pretty stinky and her teeth were in desperate need of a good cleaning, so she spent today at the vet's. She came through the procedure and anesthesia just fine, but poor thing has been totally out of it all afternoon and evening. She must not be swallowing her saliva either because her drool is slightly bloody, I'm sure because of the two teeth they had to pull.

The big dogs won't leave her alone (well, let me rephrase that....the big white puppies won't leave her alone) because I'm sure she "smells funny" from the meds and other various smells from the vet's office. So she's enjoyed spending time in my room on my bed in peace!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy St. Patty's Day!!!

Wordless Wednesday

6 months old and still a terror

Echo turned 6 months old on the 1st of the month. She seemed to be doing a lot better for a while but has turned into a real terror lately. Some days I'm at a loss as to what to do with her. She's a challenge for sure. Some days I long for that quiet and easy life that existed prior to her joining our family. It will get better, right? The little ones won't come out of their room if she's loose in the house. If anyone wants to sit at the table, eat, work on homework, play, well.....just about anything, she can't be loose in the house. She is a TERROR and mouthy, hyper, vocal, jumpy.....and exhausting to be around. This is Echo about a month ago. She's 86 pounds now. Please tell me it will get better......send some calming vibes her way ;)

Missing you, Zen....

Today would have been Zen's 6th birthday. I miss her more today than I did yesterday. It doesn't get easier. At. all.

Wordless Wednesday

What's been happening with the zoo?

Well, with the dogs, not much! Life for me, however, has been stressful and chaotic. Hence, not much blogtime lately. I miss updating the blog and visiting all of our blog buddies, so I hope to make the rounds soon and catch up with everyone!

Kai still loves his Kuranda bed! Just look at those lips....dontcha just wanna smoosh them? ;)

The LWT is growing like a weed!!! Can you believe that she's already 82 pounds? Yep....not such a baby anymore, even though she's only 5.5 months old! She just finished her first puppy class and is waiting on a novice class so she can continue to work on her manners!

And does it get much sweeter than these two?? They make me smile every single day. And I've been really needing that lately.........

Happy 1st Birthday Willow

Thanks for the wonderful birthday card from "Snarfy" on Big Dogs Porch forum where I'm a member.

The past year has flown by with Willow! She's now a little over 35" at the shoulders and is 128 pounds. She's thriving on her (half) raw diet and still has a very sweet and gentle disposition. She is now "crate free" and sleeps in the laundry room when we're away from the house. Otherwise she always has free roam in the house. We're still working on the counter surfing but she's getting better. She's never had an accident in the house since she was 10 weeks old......the girl is much easier than Kai ever was!!

Here's to many more years together, big girl. We all love you!!!!!!

Happy (Belated) Birthday, Big Guy!

Kai celebrated his 8th birthday on January 27th. I've been without a computer for almost 2 weeks now and thanks to Cookie and Crew's mom, I have a laptop til mine is returned from the shop. But as a result, I'm behind in posting and visiting blogs.......story of my life!!



Doesn't he look so distinguished? Although 8 doesn't sound old to most, for a giant breed, that's "getting up there in age." And setting that aside, it's amazing for Kai because of his health problems that he's beat the odds the vet gave him 2.5 years ago! He's such a fighter and the epitome of a Gentle Giant!!

He was trying so hard to get the Frosty Paws out of the container but there is a serious size mismatch going on!


Oops....pics are out of order.... :) He's waiting so patiently, just like he does for everything. He's not a "grabber" and is always this patient!

I love this boy more than I could ever put into words. I'm so excited that he's hung on this long and I pray that we have many more days with him!

We all love you, Kai-Kai.....you're the most awesome guy!

4.5 months old and doing better!

The LWT is 4.5 months old now and I'm finally starting to feel like there's hope afterall for the little terror! She had a vet appt. this morning and she weighed 66 pounds. No surprise.....she feels so solid now! She is absolutely loving her raw diet except that she growls when any of the other dogs get close to her crate while she's eating. I don't like that. So I'm going to start holding the food while she eats it and then we'll work on it from there. While at the vet, she did not jump nor did she try to nip/chew on the vet during her exam. I was so pleased and even the vet made mention of this! While I was chatting with the vet, she actually decided to take a nap on the floor. I couldn't believe she was actually able to act in a calm manner. So when we got home, we went on a walk through the park and she loved being out.

Her newest perfected skill is not taking food out of my hands until she gets a "release" sign. I will hold a treat in front of her nose and give her the "wait" sign. After about 10 seconds of holding it there and her waiting calmly, I give her the "thumbs up" sign. She's then allowed to take the treat gently. The minute she lunges or grabs it aggressively from my hand, I take the treat away. She has learned exactly what is expected of her and does great with this. Even with the little ones doing it!

We're still alive!

Yet again, things have gotten away from me and I've been remiss at blogging, both posting and reading others' blogs. I'm going to try to make the rounds today to see what everyone has been up to!

To catch up...... Echo is now 4.5 months old and weighs somewhere in the 68 pound range. She is not as 'nippy' as she used to be although she has replaced that with jumping. I swear she has springs in her feet. My two 5 year old daughters hide when Echo is running around the house because they know they'll be knocked over and trampled on. We're working hard on this but as with everything else so far, it is going to take time! Echo started her puppy kindergarten class a few days ago and not only is her sister, Sky, in the class, so is a labradoodle, greater swiss mountain dog, golden retriever, lab mix, as well as a few smaller pups. It's a great mix of dogs/sizes and they focus heavily on socialization so I'm excited for this class. She loved it...

Willow has slowed down in her growth. Last weigh-in, she was around 125 pounds and she's 10.5 months old. I think she's much bigger than Kai was at this age, so I have a feeling she's going to be a bigger dog than he is. Not as tall, but "wider." Although you can't tell in the pic above, her lines are really nice and I'm so pleased with her overall build. After dealing with a lifetime of problems with Kai, this type of stuff jumps out at me right away! Also, in the picture above, you can see Kai's back legs. If you notice, there is no "bend/curve" to his back legs. They are straight; this is what has caused his orthopedic problems. He has to stand on his tippy toes and it has caused damage to his knees and now arthritis. I'm amazed that he's still getting around as well as he is. The above picture cracks me up because not only can you see the difference in their sizes, but you it looks like they are all grazing! ha ha

My old man...yes, he's hanging in there. I just can't believe he's doing as good as he is. He'll be 8 years old the end of this month. That's getting up there in age for a giant breed dog. But not only that, given his health problems, it's truly a miracle that he's still here! He is loving the warmer days we've been having and wants nothing more than to find the sunny spots outside and sunbathe!

And the LWT is finally getting some jowls...I love it! I was practicing taking pics with my new camera and thankfully I've got great subjects with the dogs and kids!

I think I need to hang this picture on the fridge so when she's really misbehaving, I can remind myself that she *can* be sweet! ;)

And the biggest news is that I have finally switched the dogs to a raw diet. Well, I should say I'm in the process......I still have about $100 worth of kibble left and I don't have the finances to just throw it away so they are getting kibble in the AM and raw at night. Once the kibble is all gone, they'll be on raw only. So far they all LOVE it! A friend from work has a freezer full of deer meat that she doesn't want, so it'll be nice to save some $$$!

And I love this picture showing the oldest and the youngest of the crew! It's not often the LWT sits still long enough for a picture like this so this is a keeper! :)

Happy 2009!!

With many wishes that 2009 is a great year for everypup and their families!