Dogs of Our Lives

Oh, sweetie. I love you so much and I appreciate that you stick close by and watch over me in case I need something. I understand that your guide dog training says that you should go under the table that I am sitting at. Really, I do. And theoretically, that that gets you out of the way but lets you still be close.  But it's just not working. You see, this isn't UNDER the table; you're sticking out and I can't get up without doing some gymnastics. And I have to get up and down - I am placing pattern pieces and cutting them out so I need to walk around the table.  You have a solution? Why, yes, I'll listen - tell me! Um... sorry. There is no room in the dining room for a bed.  I know, I know. The bed in the sewing room keeps you out from under the sewing table and allows you to be close and keep an eye on me, but a bed in the dining room simply isn't doable. I'll keep thinking and in the meantime, continue to step over you as needed, okay? But maybe you could...

Hallo, sweet Nashie! You want to join me on the couch? Of course, you can, buddy! C'mon up. Why yes, I am aware of those dog treats on the table. And no, buddy, I haven't forgotten to give them to you. Would you like to have one or three?  What is it you want to show me, Rosie? You brought WHAT into the house?? Sweetie, branches, sticks, and the like have to stay outside. And how on earth did you get that branch through the doggie door?? Don't be sad. I put it outside for you and you can play with it there. But let's leave it outside, okay? Oh, Tammo, really? Out of all the big rocks in the border, you've decided the temple stone* best meets your needs? Let me help you find another. The other rocks are just field stones Boompa dug out of the ground when the neighborhood was being built while the temple stone is, well... it's historic and from a place that was sacred. Use the field stones instead, okay? Pepper. You know I love you and I know you love belly rubs. ...

Bored, bored, bored, bored, BORED. Wait, what's that, Mom? Do I want to invite Tammo over for a sleepover?? I sure do! Tammo, did you hear that?? ::Wild and crazy barking and howling:: ::Climbing into Lisa's car and heading to her home:: Wow, Nash! This is so much fun! Your mom put some tasty treats in my dinner bowl! And now we are going for a long walk! Wow, Nash! Your mom lets me stay up much later than I get to at Grammy and Boompa's home. Let's play some more! Boys? Bo-oys! ::pause:: BOYS! It's time to stop playing and go to bed. It is almost midnight and I can't keep my eyes open any longer. Go outside, do your business, and hop into bed. If you need a drink, now's the time. I'm not getting up to bring you one. Capice?  ::Flap, flap, flap, flap goes the doggie door. Sounds of romping and playing. A few moments of quiet. Flap, flap, flap, flap. Lap, lap, lap, lap. Some pushing, some shoving, and finally two leaps onto the bed.:: Okay, Tammo, This is...

First Post of the Day Taken from another blog of mine that consists of letters from Pepper to Sarah, the woman she guided. Knowing how hard it was for Sarah to part with Pepper, I began writing these letters shortly after Pepper retired and came to live with us. Nacho is Tate's predecessor and guided Kathy. --- Dear Mom, Oh, boy, just wait until you hear about this! I have a new toy and I am so excited because I absolutely love it. Can you guess what it is? Here are some hints for you. First hint: It's round.  I'll bet you guessed a tennis ball. Nope! It's not a tennis ball. They're fun, but this is funner. (Lynn says that "funner" isn't a word, but I had her look it up and she discovered that by normal rules of adjective formation, it is a word. She says she still won't use it herself but agreed to type it in for me.) Okay, here is another hint. My new toy is round and flat. I can hear you now - you think I got donut #5368, right? It isn't a d...

This is the story that Sarah LaRose shared with me about Pepper's abilities to think for herself when guiding. The story is incredible and the stress must've been tremendous, but Pepper got the job done. --- Sarah was at a convention for the blind and visually impaired and they were staying in the convention hotel. Many conference attendees were also staying there.  An afternoon break was scheduled during the conference, and a lot of people, including Sarah and Pepper, had returned to their rooms. Sarah settled in for a bit of a breather. Since Pepper was no longer working, she removed her harness and they both began to relax. Suddenly, a loud announcement boomed over a speaker. "All people in the building must evacuate immediately. We have a fire situation. All people in the building must evacuate immediately."  The fire alarms began blaring and the evacuation began.   Sarah later shared, "We were told at The Seeing Eye that, if there is a fire emergency and you...

A few days ago, I got a call from Sarah LaRose, the woman Pepper had guided prior to retiring and coming to live with us. That's not unusual; Sarah calls once in a while to say hello, ask about Pepper, and share what she has been doing. Like Kathy, Sarah is a very active woman. She has a doctorate in Divinity, is a minister, teaches university classes in Hebrew and Greek languages, translates those languages for others, does public speaking, and is an author.  When Pepper came into our life, it was an unexpected transition, both for Sarah and for Pepper. Pepper had collapsed one day while working. Realizing that the collapse meant something was seriously wrong, Sarah immediately raced her to a specialist.  In doing so, Sarah saved Pepper's life. She nearly died and was ill and in the vet hospital for several days. The diagnosis was a severe Addison's Disease crisis and Pepper had to be retired from guiding immediately. Thanks to a recommendation from Kathy who is also a fr...

 Hello, all! Today we have a very special guest, Poppy Mitchell! :: applause, especially loud from the Mitchell family:: So, Poppy, er, may I call you Poppy? Oh, of course, Grammy! I happen to love the name that my new family gave me. It's Poppy Rowen Mitchell, but you can call me Poppy or even Poppy Ro-Ro like they do. They really love me and Cambria and Titan worked very hard to convince their parents that I needed to come live with them. What a beautiful name, Poppy. Is there a story behind it? It's rather unusual. Oh, yes, and the story connects me even more to my new family. Well, those Mitchells LOVE to perform,  and Cambria was performing in a production of  The Wizard of Oz.  I'm named after the poppy field scene. You know, beautiful flowers and beautiful me! ::laughter from both Poppy and Grammy:: ::Grammy looks at her notes:: I hear you have a story to share. Something about a surprising walk with Uncle Kyle? And he said you'd like to have it posted on...

 (From September 20, 2025) Whoa! What the... Look at that! OH NO!! I know what  that  means!" Alert! AlertAlertAlertAlert! Everybody come quick! Important safety announcement! Oh, good grief, Nash. We are all already here. No kidding! I think he just wanted an excuse to howl. Yeah, he loves to exercise those pipes of his. And now my ears are ringing. Let's just go back inside. I'm sure it's not important. Listen UP, I say. Take a look at what I just found on the patio! Do you KNOW what that is? It's a Wooly Bear and its stripes tell us how bad winter is going to be. If I remember right, that big orange middle means lots of heavy snow, ice, blizzards, zero degree temperatures with wind chills at minus 300, and being stuck inside for months at a time! What?? Nooooo! That means I won't be able to play frisbee at the park! I'm shook!! SHOOK, I say! It's true! And remember that sparrow feather we found in the yard? That's another sign it will be a bad wi...