Wordless Wednesday: Anything to be the center of attention

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This wordless wednesday won’t be completely wordless, because I want to let you all know that Lassie and Petal’s vet appointment went really well!
I told the vet what I knew about Ella and he went over the Collies very thoroughly. Everything looked and sounded well.
I can’t even begin to tell you how relieved I have felt since we left their appointment.
A huge weight was lifted and that worried/sick feeling in my stomach is finally gone.
Thank you all for your well wishes and for being so kind and supportive through everything.

Off to the V-E-T we go!

Lassie and Petal are in for a fun day today.
Today they’re going to the v-e-t.
Since Ella’s sudden passing every little thing Lassie or Petal do worries me.
I know I’m being irrational. I know they’re okay and I know I’m worrying over silly things.
But they’re due for a check up anyway, so why worry?
Why worry over every little thing when I can have them checked out by a vet?
I’m also irrationally nervous about their appointment.
I can’t handle any bad news. They better be in perfect health.
Wish us luck.
And wish me the return of my rational mind.
I’m starting to miss it.

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“When will she realize I know how to spell?”

Our gratitude

I wanted to write this post the moment I started getting comments from friends and then from friends of friends, but I knew it would be an emotional one, so I put it off. I can’t put it off anymore though.
You wonderful people sent me more wonderful people to offer words of comfort?
I am so blessed and so grateful to you.
Every comment that appeared in my e-mail made me cry. I’m so grateful for each one.
I can not thank you guys enough; words cannot express.
I want to give an extra thank you to Janet of Basset Momma and Leslie of Bringing Up Bella. I feel as if you two sent me an army of kind and thoughtful people to offer me their condolences. It made me feel so blessed and so loved, thank you both from the bottom of my heart.
I also want to give an extra thank you to Carly, my best friend. You used nearly every means of communication to send me your love and condolences, and I’m truly sorry I dodged every one of them for days. It honestly meant so much to me, I just didn’t know what to say, I still don’t know what to say, other than thank you.
Thank you Nola, Brianne, Pixel, Cotton, Essex and Sherman and their Dog Dad, Daisy’s Mom, Kim, Theresa & Prudence, Donna, H and Flo, Teje, Cindy, HoundDogMom, Val, Julie, Melissa and Yuki and Rocket, the brown dawgs, Cinnamon and Linda, KSO (Betty), Pauley, and Collie222— I hope I didn’t miss anyone— your kind words mean so much to me.

I feel I should give a little update on things around here.
It has been quiet and empty and lonely without my sweet Ella.
Lassie has taken it pretty hard, but you guys would be so proud of Petal. She has really stepped it up over the past few days. She makes sure Lassie and I get up and she makes sure we still go for our walks and we still play and have a little fun. I honestly don’t know what we would do without her, but we probably wouldn’t be leaving the couch all that often.
She always seems to know when I’m about to lose it and she knows exactly what to do, whether it be cuddling with me and letting me cry, or doing something extremely goofy to make me smile instead.
Lassie has been clingy. Tuesday I ran a few errands with my Mom, hoping that getting out of the house would help, and when I came home I was told by my Dad and my siblings that Lassie actually howled while I was away. He doesn’t do that often and usually he’s pretty upset when he does do it. 
I took a shower that night and Mom said Lassie cried for me.
He follows me from room to room. He’s licked away a lot of tears and offered many hours worth of snuggles.
Lassie is wonderfully understanding when it comes to mourning and he brings me so much comfort. Petal has as well, but she also reminds me that— despite how hard it may be— I have to keep going.
Sometimes going, going, going helps, but sometimes… I really hate it.
How can everything keep moving and going after Ella left so suddenly?
Like she did with everything else in her life, she left so quickly.
One morning I thought I heard her shifting and getting comfortable in her crate.
When I leave the house I look for three furry faces to say “Be good! I’ll be back!” to.
When I walk in the door I expect to see her dancing around me with a toy in her mouth.
I wake up in the morning, ready to feed and care for three dogs, and quickly realize there’s only two now.
I miss her so much.

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Monday Mischief: Mud, mud, mud

We’re still getting rained on here in Utah. More than usual it seems like.
It’s definitely not like Washington rain or anything, but still.
Ella and Petal have been having a blast in the mud while Lassie has been avoiding it like it was the flu.
Today I almost wished Petal and Ella would avoid it as well as Lassie does.
But alas, they did not. Instead they went and found some deep (up to Ella’s chest) and very, very muddy water.
And yes, they took several dips into that water.
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You’ll have to excuse the quality of the photos. They were taken with a cell phone. Not too bad for a cell phone though!

This picture does not do Ella’s dirty-self any justice.
See how her chest appears to be a peachish color? Her neck and white feet looked the same.
She had a lovely layer of mud alll over herself.
But no one, no one, can outdo Petal.

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“Do I have a little something on my face?”

Yeah.
She had to have a bath.
With shampoo and everything (Ella only needed a quick rinse).
I think she might still be a little peachy-colored here and there.

Snoopy's Dog Blog

Kicking up dirt

I think I may have mentioned this before, but
have you ever had one of those moments where you think,
“Man, I wish I was a dog, so I could run around like this,”
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Or am I just crazy?
(naw, you don’t need to answer that. ;))
Because I find myself envying admiring their powerful four legs often.
Admiring the graceful way they move.
Until they face-plant it in the mud.
Then I don’t feel so jealous anymore.

Happy Saturday, everyone! :)
Have a lovely weekend!

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"Wow! Look at those show dogs!"

When I take Lassie and Petal out we get a lot of “Lassie! Come home!” calls, which Lassie of course responds to and then everyone has a good laugh. Including me.
Apart from the Lassie jokes,
“What’s that, Lassie?! Timmy is stuck in the well?!”
we also get the occasional “Wow! Look at those show dogs!” and I smile.
I smile because I think it’s quite the compliment. I do try and work hard to keep them well groomed.
I also smile (and chuckle) because those people haven’t seen them looking like this,
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Adorable still, yes.
But they’re not about to enter a show ring, are they?
😉

Oh, and yes, I did have to go all the way back to the winter time (early December, to be exact) to find a goofy, candid shot of Lassie. That’s when he really lets his hair down; when there’s snow.
He’s obviously not a mud fan like Petal and Ella are.
Speaking of Ella,

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Ella is 6!

Today is Ella’s birthday!
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Yup! It is!

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Today Ella is 6 years old!

Or 42 in dog years!

To celebrate her big day she got

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a new collar and a new ball!
Spoiled pup.

Ella hasn’t had a new collar in two years (that’s a world record for her; she ruins the usual collar within weeks, thank goodness I discovered Dublin Dog collars) and though she didn’t really need a new one, I got her one anyway, because hey, it’s her birthday!

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The new collar.

She also got some tasty dog cookies from our local pet store/bakery.
Because no birthday is complete without cookies!

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Cookie time!


Today is also Thankful Thursday.
How great is that?
Today, on Ella’s birthday (and everyday, but today especially), we are thankful for Ella.
We’re grateful she’s so strong and healthy.
We’re grateful for her kisses and snuggles.
We’re grateful for her silly, wiggly dances, even if it does hurt like the dickens when you stand too close to her tail.
Yes, I did just say “hurt like the dickens”
Anyway.
We’re grateful for her hilarious “roo roo roooo”s and the way she’ll shimmy down a dirt hill on her back.
We’re grateful for her entire sweet self.
Especially her extremely soft ears.
:)

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Happy Birthday, Ella!

Thank you Cokie the Cat for hosting this blog hop!