Homecoming

Our pack was incomplete for a few months.  T went to visit her grandparents and enjoy summer fun like Zoo Camp and Science Camp at Auburn University.  She had a good time enjoying carefree summer days with little to do.  That's what summer means, after all.  But we missed her terribly.

For the first few weeks, Matt and I came home to quiet.  We thought we'd be excited to have time away from the 13 year old.  There's only so much excitement in watching True Blood in the middle of the day.  We looked at each other and felt sad.  A part of us was missing and far away.  As the weeks wore on, the sadness lessened and we enjoyed each other's company.  We're best friends, soulmates, so the time spent was wonderful.  But somewhere in the back of our minds, we were always missing T.

My boss rescued some kittens and brought them to the clinic.  She wanted to make them visible to clients, and I offered to bring little Haimmie's cage for them to use.  I didn't realize how hard it would be to clean out Haimmie's toys and hammocks.  I didn't expect Nyxie's to sniff and paw at the cage, stuffing her snooter into each hammock desperately trying to find him.  It had been a couple of weeks since he crossed the Bridge.  I thought she understood that he was gone.  It was bittersweet to see her concern.  I caressed her and distracted her with tennis balls.

T came home this past Sunday.  She ran to us at the gate and we hugged her hard.  We had breakfast at The All Good Cafe, one of our favorite diners in Dallas, and came home to relax.  She had missed her dogs, especially Nyxie who is always up for a cuddle or a game.  At the sound of her voice, Nyxie let out one stern bark and then started to whine.  We let them out of their crates and both dogs ran and danced, tails wagging, zooming with joy.  There's nothing quite like the joy of dogs.

Before she left, Nyxie was in the habit of barking at T when T would come out of her bedroom.  We couldn't figure out why, and it was an obnoxious behavior that we were continually trying to break.  Since she's returned, there hasn't been a single bark.  Not a single, solitary squeak.

Maybe like us, she didn't realize how much she's miss her when she was gone.

T and her shadow...

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Please keep in mind that this is prime heartworm disease time, and rad my article for The Examiner Dallas about heartworm disease - "What you don't know could kill your dog"  A refresher on the basics can't hurt, right?

Also, I wrote an article for Hello Dallas about dogs and water safety, "Doggie Paddling Through the Long, Hot Summer" about tips for water fun with Fido.

As always, please let me know what you think either here or directly on the sites themselves.  Thanks and happy weekend!