Furry Friday: In Remembrance

It's been a week since we said goodbye to Riley. It's taken me a week to gain my composure and to collect my thoughts.  Riley was taken from us all too soon following an emergency splenectomy. The surgery went fine. A clot claimed our little guy the following morning.  The staff at the Capital District Animal Emergency Clinic did all they could and we were well aware of the risks,  including blood clots. We just clung to the hope that he would be the minority who defied the odds.  Our spunky bearded boy.

They say everything happens for a reason. I truly believed that when we adopted Riley.  We only had him a few short weeks before the passing of my father-in-law and if it weren't for Riley, I'm quite sure my husband would never have emerged from the depression that followed. 

Riley was a lover and a fighter. He loved nothing more than snuggling on the couch or between the pillows on the bed.  He was mellow like that which suited me just fine. Those who know me know I like to lounge around on the weekends and he provided great company.  Everyone loved Riley. He didnt believe he was a dog and he firmly believed your sole purpose in life was to provide him a lap to lay in and perpetual belly rubs. True to his breed though, he made few friends of the canine sort so we were a one dog household.  

Riley was a good dog. He never stole any of the baby's toys, he didn't ever exhibit food aggression and would frequently allow Jayson or my sisters to hand feed him his entire bowl of kibble.  I was always nervous about how Riley would accept a new baby in the house, but he accepted it just fine. I was also nervous how he'd be once Jayson was up and walking on his level, but again he put my fears at ease. He would follow Jayson all over the house. It didn't hurt that Jayson frequently had snacks and Riley was never one to turn down food.

It goes without saying we will miss our first son terribly.  I used to joke that he was the best child I could have because he didn't give me stretch marks and I didn't have to endure hours of labor.  Well, despite being spared stretch marks and labor pains I am enduring the pain of his loss and even though the grief will subside,  it will long outlast any labor pain I'll ever experience.

In closing, I'll leave you with a quote from Walter Anderson: "Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have - life itself."  I choose to rise from the pain and remember just how full of life Riley was and how much joy he brought to mine. 

I'll love you always and forever.  RIP Riley Chance Krueger. "If love could have save you, you would have lived forever."

Furry Friday: Toy Explosion

It's no secret that after a period of time dog toys start to stink. I decided to wash our fur child's basket of toys and believe it or not there were enough there to constitute a whole load of laundry! Well now that Riley's toys are all fresh smelling he couldn't decide which one to play with first, so he decided they all needed to be strewn about the floor.  How nice, right?

Furry Friday: Looking Fabulous

Yesterday both Riley and I had a few appointments that afforded me the ability to work half day and spend the other half of my day driving around with my number one fur-child.  The old man had a check up, a bordatella shot, and a grooming.  I had a follow up doctor's appointment, six vials of blood work processed, and an x-ray.  Fun fun.  But at least he looks fabulous.

Furry Friday: Tidbits

It has been forever and a day since I posted a Furry Friday post.  Since I don't have any cute stories to share, I'll do a quick update on how Riley's been.  So far he's been pretty good with Jayson.  He's a little much with the kisses to the face, but I guess it's better than biting.  However, speaking of

Furry Friday: A Great Big Brother

MAN'S BEST FRIEND

They do not ask for all your love,

But give you all of theirs.

The good and bad times in your life,

They willingly will share.

No friend you have could be as true,

And love you without measure,

Yet bring into your daily life,

Such multitudes of pleasure.

They have a way about them,

That's sure to win your heart,

And then before you know it,

You cannot be apart.

Such a blessing when our Lord above,

Puts the puppy dog on earth,

Man's best friend, he is indeed,

That will always show his worth.

~Albert N. Theel

The Bonsai Run

Top o' the morning to ya!  How are we feeling today?  Tired?  Hung over?  Imbibed a little too much in the green drink yesterday?  Ah, I remember those days.  The most I "imbibed" in was an extra scoop of rice pudding.  Oh so good, but I digress.  This holiday weekend was jam packed full of a little bit of everything.  Guess I might as well just get to it.

The great majority of Saturday was spent in the first of two "Prepared Birthing" classes the hubs and I are signed up for.  Our instructor Judy has way too much energy for a Saturday and the class instructions of "bring a yoga mat and a snack" for a 10a-2p class should have been translated to "if you need to eat lunch, bring freaking lunch."  Now I know for next week.  Anyways, the class so far has been pretty informative and I can honestly say we at least feel comfortable asking questions and participating in the class dialogue.   We also realized we need to get going on writing up a birthing plan/wish list.  I guess you really shouldn't just wing it.  We followed up our class with a great lunch at Panera, a tux fitting at Men's Wearhouse, a trip to Macy's for some nursing bras (ahhhh! sizing is such a headache!!),  Lowes for some supplies for the future playroom, Harbor Freight for tools, and lastly Walmart for some last minute grocery items including the fixings for homemade Irish Soda Bread.

Furry Friday: Holiday Excitement

This time of year my Rye-guy goes gaga for presents.  He's a like a little kid.  If you bring any packages into the house without allowing him to inspect them, he immediately thinks it must be a present for him and will sit and whine at the spare bedroom's closet door (assuming that's where you hide your presents) because he knows its in there.

Trying to wrap gifts with Riley around is also a feat.  He's only a foot tall, so keeping things out of his reach isn't really the issue.  The issue is that he cries as if you are hurting him the entire time you are wrapping something outside of his reach.  He's mister impatient when it comes to Christmas.  He wants a present and he wants it now.  If you even say the word "present" he gets all anxious and trots off to stand guard outside the spare bedroom's closet door.  Yep, he's one smart cookie and a real pain in the you-know-where sometimes.  But I love him and watching him open presents is worth the aggravation.  Here's a video from last year:

Anyone else have a dog, cat, ferret, etc that loves to open presents?

Furry Friday: Jürgen

Riley has a new friend.  His name is Jürgen and he's an eight month old rescued husky mix.  Our neighbor Bill recently adopted him after some coaxing by his son.  Apparently Jürgen is the spitting image of a dog he'd once owned and so the decision to adopt him came fairly easily when his son brought him by the house.

Furry Friday: 10 Commandments

This little gem has been floating around the internet.  I'm not sure who the original author is, but I've customized it to include a photo of my favorite fur-child Riley.  Click to enlarge.  Enjoy!

Furry Friday: Sidelined Slumber

Two nights this week are particularly memorable to me.  Monday night and last night.  Monday night was a "slept like a rock" kind of night whereas last night was the "toss and turn, up since 4am" version.  Sometimes my sleep patterns can be attributed to caffeine too close to bed, whether or not I exercised that evening, what I ate for supper, etc.  However, a great majority of the time my sleep patterns (much like my life) revolve around Riley Chance.  One would think that a 15-17lb dachshund wouldn't take up much space in a queen sized bed, but he does.  Especially when he decides to lay perpendicular to you. If you haven't noticed, dachshunds are long!  I have found that my best nights of sleep, like Monday night, are when Riley is also exhausted and stays put the whole evening.  Nights like last night he was all over the place.  First he was by my head, then he decided to sleep by my stomach, then he decided he needed to be under the blankets, then he got too warm and decided to kick the blankets off, and finally he felt it was necessary to hog the pillows after practically stepping on my face.  It's a jarring feeling to be woken up by a dog who's just stepped on your hair, and that's putting it politely.   Needless to say, I didn't sleep well last night.

Furry Friday: Toddler Tuesday

This Tuesday I watched my friend Danielle's daughter Jackie again.  I held off on posting about it until Friday because much of what I wanted to post about centered on Riley.  I must say I was so proud of how good he's been when we've had Jackie over.  You see, he's a spoiled only child.  He's great with adults, dislikes other dogs, and hasn't had too much interaction with anything under 4 years of age.  Crying babies on TV make him go bananas, as do animals, people dressed as animals (i.e. Lola), joggers, and the occasional football/basketball game.  So each time we've had Jackie over, it's been interesting to watch his interactions with her during some of his daily activities.

Furry Friday: On the mend

I know it's not Friday but I felt Riley's return to a stable, less psychotic fur-child important enough to post about on a Tuesday.  I didn't post last Friday, however I've yet to post this Friday...so you can look at it as either a delayed or early Furry Friday post.  Either way, enjoy his returned enthusiasm for life in the below video:

Furry Friday: Roll With It

This past weekend we had dropped our little fur-child off to visit his Grandparents while we wined and dined with friends in Cortland.  Like any good dog mother I packed his food, water, snacks, and even a couple of his favorite toys (not that he doesn't already have a basket full at his Grandparents.)  Well much like a toddler who'd rather play with the box than the toy, his Grandparents discovered that Riley would much rather terrorize an empty paper towel or toilet paper roll than the store bought squeak toys on hand.  

I don't think there's a day that goes by where I don't say that he's so freaking cute.  Sunday when we picked him up was no exception.  My sister Jessie demonstrated his new found affection for fetch with a paper towel roll.  Each time he brought it back to her he would give it the death shake, shred a little bit off of it and then playfully await the next throw.  He was so excited to play this new game that he wore his little self out!  Plopped himself down on the floor with a big grin, puffy cheeks, tongue out, and panting.  Like a dog.  This is unheard of. 

Thirteen

I'd participated in a poll not too long ago asking if I choose to celebrate a dating anniversary, a wedding anniversary or both.  Being the better half of a married couple, my response was both.  Here's why:  we were together for so long before getting married that our dating anniversary was our anniversary.  So once we got married, I continued to celebrate it because it was an accurate depiction of how long we've actually been together.  We've only been married for two years, but today marks thirteen years in the history of us as a couple.  In light of reaching thirteen years, because God only knows how we did, I've decided to share thirteen memories and a collage of photos of us through the years.

Furry Friday: Sleepy Boy

With the onset of Fall, I can honestly say I myself have been sleepier than usual.  Getting up when it's dark out to get ready for work is a total bummer.  By the time I get home and sit down to dinner, it's dark out.  Pretty soon it'll be back to the old routine of driving into work in the dark and driving home from work in the dark.  The days will be severely shortened and I'll start to feel like Al Pacino's character in Insomnia.  Well, maybe not that tired because I am not subjected to the six months of darkness that Alaska experiences, but you get my drift.

There is someone else in our household who is much sleepier lately.  Riley is just about to go into all out hibernation mode here.  It's colder and darker now which means all he wants to do is snuggle and sleep.  It makes it especially hard for me to leave him in the mornings because, likewise, all I want to do is snuggle and sleep.  And he's so cute at it, just look at my sleepy boy:

Furry Friday: Kindergarten

With all the back to school posts running rampant on Facebook, it got me thinking that if Riley were human I'd have a full-fledged Kindergartner on my hands this time next year.  Can you believe it?  He'll be five this coming June.  To me he's still a pup.  I can remember the first day we got him and the long ride home with him on my lap.  When his red loofa toy was as big as him.  How my heart felt like it would break every time I left the house because he would cry. Where does the time go?

Over the course of four years there are things about Riley that have definitely not changed and then there are other quirks, so to speak, that have become more pronounced.  Things that presumably will always be the same: he wants you to be in the same room as him while he eats; he loves to snuggle with his mommy in the mornings when daddy is showering; he loves to chew his bone in bed but wants daddy to hold it; and sitting on the back of the couch to look out the window will always be his favorite past time.  Quirks which have definitely become more pronounced:  his distaste for any other animal on tv is cause for full scale attack mode; tub time becomes a new game of hide-and-seek where treats have to be present to coax him out from under tables and beds; and bed time is 9:00 sharp or else he becomes a whiney over-tired toddler with a temper tantrum.  What can I say?  He's a creature of habit and I love him all the more for it.

What are some of your pets quirks that have become more pronounced over the years?  Reminisce with me.

Furry Friday: Vocabulary

Earlier this year there was an article published in the Huffington Post about a border collie named Chaser breaking the world record for demonstrated comprehension of a 1000 words.  This of course is amazing to me.  Heck, it's amazing to me what few words my little fur-child seems to have a grasp of.  Just last night he was chewing on his cow loofa and I said "Riley, you want to play?"  His head perked right up and he brought his toy over.  Just to see what word it was he perked up to, I said "play" a few more times which caused the same head-jerk reaction and subsequent tail wag.  Apparently he understands play, which got me thinking about all the other words I believe he understands:

• Bed
• Work (when I say I have to go to work, he goes in his crate)
• Red Guy (another toy of his)
• Cow
• Dachshund (another toy of his)
• Eat
• Bone
• Snack
• Dinner
• Breakfast
• Cheese
• Girls (referring to my sisters)
• Grandma
• Grandpa
• Mommy
• Daddy
• Sit
• Stay
• Easy (if he's playing too rough)
• No
• Up
• Hugs
• Kisses
• Out
• Come
• Now
• Let's go in
• Asparagus (he learned that when I said this, we were going to the patch to pick it)
• Truck
• Water
• Wait (we tell him to wait while we're picking up his #2, otherwise he runs and rips your arm out of your socket while you're doing so)
• Cuddle

I'm sure there are more but these 32 are just the typical words I use with him every day that he seems to understand just perfectly.  What a little smarty pants.  He makes his momma proud. 

What do your pets do that amaze you?

Furry Friday: Relaxation

Well hello blog world!  How have you been?  I must apologize.  August is by far the most trying month for me at work.  I work at a college and there is a lot of hustle and bustle to get ready for the new school year.  There's many a late night and an early morning that you will find me still at my desk entering transactions.  I pretty much don't have a life until the semester starts to wear in, which means missed blog postings and even absences from family dinners.  Fortunately for me, my boys are understanding.  Without them, this time period might actually set me over the edge.

Just in case you didn't know, there are several documented health benefits to having a fur-child (visit WebMd) the likes of which include allergy reduction, less instances of depression, lower blood pressure, and less chances of developing heart disease.  Not to mention they are great conversation starters (I know I always bring up my dog when meeting new people).  Well in times of stress I can most certainly attest to the calming feeling that comes over me when I hang out with little Rye-guy.  He's always all too happy to see me and when I'm feeling wiped out and just want to relax, he's okay with that too.  There's nothing better than chillax' on the couch with my fur baby and a good book, especially in the month of August.  There's just something about his mannerisms that bring me back to the present and help me to appreciate the little things and forget the stresses of work.  

Now if I could only bottle that up and sell it, I could retire with him while we're both still young...

Furry Friday: Superstition

They say dogs bite grass for one of three reasons:

1. They have an upset stomach from the heat or illness.  Totally believable.
2. It's going to rain.  Pure superstition.
3. They want more fiber in their diet.  I don't know, apparently they are connoisseurs now.

Riley has bitten grass on occasion and generally because he needed to throw up.  He has also bitten grass for a fourth reason the scientists haven't yet listed: Spitefulness.  If I am not paying attention to him or if he doesn't really want to be outside he decides to start biting grass like it's his J-O-B.  Not biting it to swallow it, just being all out destructive.  Similar to when he decides to shred tissue or toilet paper.  And to think he's just a fur-child.  I can only imagine what's in store for me when I decide to have real children.  JOY.

Furry Friday: Crack & Manners

I cannot believe my mind has been so boggled with boat debacles (say that ten times fast) that I almost forgot to post a Furry Friday post.  I must admit yesterday I didn't win dog-mother of the year award.  Justin and I spent most of the evening out working on the boat in preparation for this weekend so Riley didn't get a lot of one-on-one time.  He forgave me though when I gave him a Dentastix.  I don't know what it is about them, but those things are like crack to him.  He'll whine and beg and persistently stand by the pantry doors until we humans catch on and give him one for snack.  I try to give him one a day.  On a side note, I think they keep him regular.