Vacation time for me too!

Mom and momma MT are leaving early tomorrow morning for Bimini, Bahamas ... they're going on vacation and they're going to go swimming with wild, free dolphins! I'm gonna miss them ... but i'll get to hang out at home with the best doggie and kitty sitters. I'm going to get lots of napping and lounging in the backyard with my sister Missy. Henry the kitty will be with us as well ... my brother Mister is off hanging out with auntie Laura at Rescue Buddy Boarding and i'm sure he's going to have lots of fun there ...

so just wanted you all to know that I'm probably going to take a little break from blogging too while mom's on vacation.

Have a great vacation mom and momma MT!! And say hi to the dolphins for me :)

A day in the life of therapy dog nung-nung

My day began with being pampered at Pampered Pooch Playground grooming. I always have to make sure I'm looking and smelling good when I work as a therapy dog ...yes, I get pampered and spoiled and treated like a queen by my Uncle Keith, the owner of Pampered Pooch! He gave me a bath and a good brushing ... he told mom that I was shedding like crazy ... heck, what's new?? :) After I got done being bathed I got to hang around and wait for mom wherever I wanted to!! Uncle Keith told mom that I like to open up doors ... ha! my new trick!! I'm a houdini dog and I can go wherever I want! My brother Mister got to spend the day at Pampered Pooch and get some of young crazy energy out ...

Then later in the day mom took me to meet my one new friend in hospice. Unfortunately she's taken a turn for the worse so she was sleeping when I went to see her so I just hung out by her bed while she slept ... she was breathing pretty heavily and on occasion she would stop breathing (my mom was warned about that ... she said it's something called apnea) but she would always start back up again. I got to say hi to lots of others who were there and the staff ... of course, the staff just loves me there! One young woman gave me this huge bear hug!! We hung out with our new friend for a little while to see if she would by chance wake up, but she didn't .... but that's okay. I believe she still knows that we were there visiting her and that she is cared for ....

Then mom and I headed out ...  what a day!! When I got home to our backyard there was this squirrel running up the tree ... so now I'm busy fixating on the squirrel :) I love my job as a therapy dog but I do get tired ... so tonight, I'm doing nothing and I don't care what Mister, Missy or Henry say!! or even Mom!! I am not playing or doing anything other than sleeping, and waking up for dinner! That's it!!

Hey, and if you're free tomorrow, stop by the Pet Haven dog adoption event from 10 - Noon. Medium and large dogs will be at the Richfield Petco (66th and Lyndale) and the small dogs will be at the Lake Calhoun Chuck & Don's. Check out the Pet Haven dog blog for more info!

By your side

My first friend I visited for my volunteer job as therapy dog in hospice got released from hospice!! My mom was told that that was kind of unusual ... I'm so happy for her .... it's been a couple weeks but we got our next assignment, and actually this time, we've been asked if we could become friends with two new patients! I convinced mom to say YES!! This weekend is going to be a busy one for me. On Saturday I'm going to meet one of my new friends, then on Sunday we're going to visit my other new friend. And as you know, as a Delta therapy dog we have to make sure we smell good and are all freshened up for working ... so guess what?? on Friday I get to see my Uncle Keith at Pampered Pooch Playground for my spa day, pampering and lots of hugs ... I always love going there because they treat me like a queen there ... I get to roam around and check out all the rooms, greet the guests and sleep wherever I want ...

I also wanted to congratulate the first six pet therapy teams at Rice Hospice ... I stole this from their website (you should check out the full story and their photos!):

"The newest Rice Hospice volunteers don't drink coffee or drive a car, but they can still decrease patient anxiety and stress, provide a diversion from physical discomfort, and make their patients laugh and smile. Visits from pet therapy dogs can also reduce incidences of depression, alleviate social and emotional isolation and boredom, and expand communication and comfort for the grieving. A visit from a calm, friendly dog might just be the best medicine for many patients....."


Mom always tell me that I'm her best medicine. I tell her that she's my best medicine. And we both believe that it is an honor that we are able to join in the circle of those approaching the final stages of their journey. There's something sacred about the moment of transition. I tell mom that if I go first that I want her by my side ... and she tells me that if she goes first that she wants me by her side ...

meanwhile, we hope that we can share the journey with many others as we volunteer as an animal therapy team in hospice ....

Street Survivor to Couch Hogger

Here's a common story for those of us who are taken into animal rescues ...  sometimes Humans call us 'Rescued Dogs' (but I do beg to differ on if it's really just us being rescued ...) --- many of us have been roaming the streets, scrounging around or hunting for our food, dodging bullets (I got shot and so did my "son" Julius, who is now Jackson) -- except, we didn't succeed in dodging all the bullets. I still have a pellet in one of my nipples and Jackson has a pellet on one of hie ears. We would sleep any place we could, and in the winters any warm place we could find. My brother Mister was found as puppy in a ditch in rural Iowa along with two of his siblings.

We're survivors. And we are grateful that an animal rescue took us in and helped us find a place we could call home. We're grateful that we don't have to hunt for our food anymore ... although, I do have to say that the hunting for food was kind fun. So a word of caution to the bunnies, bird and squirrels of the city .... our backyard is the bunny beware zone ... Enter at your Own Risk!

We're street survivors and we learn pretty quickly how comfortable human couches are!! Here's my brother on the couch .....

and here's Jackson (aka 'son of Ahnung') who only recently got adopted and his new mom sent my mom this picture ... looks like my boy learns really quickly! Good boy Jackson!!

Here's how we celebrate at our house!

Yesterday was a holiday ... yeah, Independence Day ... lots of excitement, noise and commotion with all the fireworks!! At our household, we celebrated really hard ....

Momma MT took this photo of us .... she tells us this is a common scene at our household. Mom has been feeling fatigued lately ... heck, I just tell her she's gotten smart like us pups ... humans spend way too much time DOING or PLANNING or ACTING!! You humans have a lot to learn from us :) Sleeping, napping and just BEING is the way to go!!

Finally, mom is learning to relaxing like us!! My mantra: 'Sleep! Sleep! and Sleep some more!"
"

The Day you Came and Stayed

My mom wrote this shortly after she adopted my sister Missy in September, 2006 (yes, gorgeous Missy with those beautiful eyes .... Missy was 2 years old when she ended up in mom's home .. she hit the jackpot, just like me :) Mom lost Shadow (who's mentioned in the poem below on July 2, 2007 to intestinal cancer ... but then Mister was adopted shortly after that, then of course, I came along a couple years later!! :)

I can relate to how Missy needed a little time to trust again ... ahhh, life is good.

From the voice of Missy:

The Day you Came and Stayed

- by Marilou Chanrasmi

September 23, 2006 –

You picked me up.

Some kind stranger, I thought.

Until today, I had spent six months behind bars,

as kind souls worked tirelessly to save me:

Changing faces, changing places,

Locked behind bars.

I’ve been moved around like cargo.

If I’m lucky, there’s a “handle with care” stamp.

But I’m just one of thousands, and I’m big and black, and part pit –

Nobody wants me.

Who are you?

Are you just another passing face? A shooting star giving light and hope,

only to fizzle out?

Is today different?

Am I just hopeful?

Do I dare hope, again?

Only to come crashing down, again.

I am cautious.

I am skeptical.

It’s November now. 

I’m still here.

You’re still here.

I’m still counting – as days turn into night.

Each night you whisper gently

“I’m here to stay.”

Each night I learn to trust, just a little bit more.

I’m still counting,

but the beat of the drum is fading into the distance

as my days and heart fill

with walks, carrot treats, snuggle time, play time with Shadow, and car rides.

September 23, 2006 -

a day I’ll always remember.

Because it’s the day you came, and stayed.