I am 40 years old and have a wonderful husband and 3 beautiful fur kids. Buddy is a 9 year old Labrador/Pit mix or as I refer to him my Pitador that we inherited from my brother-in-law when he passed. Samson is a 6 year old Rottweiler/Australian Shepherd mix, who is very quirky. Finally, our newest edition is Rocket, a 6 month old Border Collie.
Prior to Buddy and Rocket joining our family, we had Raja our 13 year old Border Collie/Rottweiler mix and Mopar our 10 year old Labrador. We lost both of them within 15 months of each other to Bone Cancer. It was during this time that I started cooking for the dogs. I still fed them kibble but began buying better quality food and started baking homemade dog treats.
I spent time with the boys, but looking back, I didn’t take enough time to smell the roses (or whatever it was they were smelling) with them. I started spending more time with Samson and Buddy but I didn’t truly become “one of those” dog mommas, until Rocket joined the crew.
I’ve spent even more time outside this summer playing with them. So much so, I think I actually had a tan. I take Rocket with me every chance I get. Whether it’s to the pet store, dog park, the wineries or just for a ride in the car. I have Rocket in training working towards his Canine Good Citizen test, and he will be walking with me in the next Canine Cancer Walk in Elk Grove CA. When parents of human children start telling antics of their children or extracurricular activities they are participating in, I listen patiently and then tell the latest story of Rocket or antics of his brothers. Some look at me like I am absolutely nuts, and others just understand.
While I am in no way an expert in canine cancer or canine nutrition, I do feel I am an expert in receiving and understanding the unconditional love that my boys provide me. And through that love I can share my experiences of living with and trying to treat canine cancer, research on all things dogs, recipes for dog treats that have them sitting patiently at the oven door, and the daily/weekly antics that bring a smile to my face and have me looking forward to coming home.
I'm so sorry to hear about your sick doggies. How sad. you will contribute so much . I fully understand though I'm not interested in being a 'mom ' again. I adopted a wonderful rescue 2 .5 years ago, Chester Chesapeake, who was a support dog to a blind woman. Today he is my husband's primary companion because I prefer working to being a 'mom' or keeping semi retired man busy. My dog is Alpha of our Dog Park, the perfect gentleman. I think of his first family often, of the work they did to perfectly train this sweet 92# big guy. Enjoy parenthood.
ReplyDeleteI read about you losing 2 dogs to cancer. Oh my goodness, I can not even imagine how sad that was for you. Losing a pet is the hardest thing and no one understands that like another pet owner. I think your blog is a terrific idea and a wonderful tribute to your pets (Past, present, and future!)
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