Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

This ‘N That Thursday

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Today we’re joining 2 Brown Dawgs blog for This ‘N That Thursday.

This ‘N That Thursday is for those times when you want to post about unrelated topics or each topic isn’t quite long enough to make up a whole post.  It can be anything you want, so feel free to grab the button and join us!

Dogs are opportunists.

Just ask anyone who has ever left the door to their garbage cabinet open, only to return and find garbage strewn hither and yon.

I’m trying to live this year with a heart like a dog.  No, that doesn’t mean I’m playing in garbage.

It means when the combination of getting home a few minutes early, coupled with the later sunsets provided an opportunity to hit the trails, Sampson, Delilah and I jumped at it.

The dogs were excited to be out sniffing and exploring.

Sam I know there are deer around here somewhere.

Delilah Yup, I smell them too.

We had rain here a couple of days ago and then a cold spell, which means the snow froze.  Walking on frozen snow is just as challenging as walking on fresh snow.  On the well-worn paths, the trail was a bit uneven, but it held our weight.  When we deviated from the path, our feet sank.

Click on any of the pictures to enlarge them.

 We had thirty-five glorious minutes taking in the sights, smells and serenity of the woods.  I can honestly say we all returned home, with joy in our hearts and appreciation for the beauty that surrounds us.

Heart Like A Dog Lesson:  Don’t let a good opportunity pass you by.

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Yup, the time suck is at it again, but this time I thought I’d share it with you.  It’s totally non-dog related (but involves our military which in my book is fair game) and it definitely put a smile on my face.

That’s it for this edition of This ‘N That Thursday.  Many thanks to our friends at the 2 Brown Dawgs blog for allowing us to join them.

One Word

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Love, loyalty, courage, kindness, forgiveness.  These are just a few of the words that pop into my head when I think about the qualities I see in the hearts of my canine companions.

When I chose the name of this blog, my intention was to learn from my furry pals.  Learn to live more in the now and less in the past.

To embrace and enjoy the simple things in life, and not to worry about something that may or may not happen.

To be enthusiastic about learning new things, and exploring new opportunities.

To not let obstacles deter me from the path I’ve chosen.

To be thankful for the gifts in my life and not worry about what others around me have or are doing.

IMG_0019 To not worry about what others might think of me and allow myself to enjoy the things I enjoy.

There’s a saying that goes something along the lines of, Help me to be the person my dog thinks I am.

In other words, I want to learn to live my life with a heart like a dog.

When I first read about the one word project on Gizmo’s blog, I knew immediately what my word should be.

This week I contacted Melanie from Only a Breath, she’s agreed to make free buttons for anyone participating in the One Word project.

It took me a while, but I finally figured out how to add the button to my side bar.  You’ll see it about half-way down the page.

My word is:

OneWord2013_Heart150

And that means that I intend to put my Heart into everything I attempt this year, to be loving, loyal, courageous, kind and forgiving.

To think with my heart and not with my head, even if that means I get hurt along the way. To live up to the name of this blog.

I’d love it if you took this journey with me, but I understand if you choose not to.

Either way, I’m living this year with my heart, how will you choose to live?

What would your one word be?  What kind of traits do you see in your furry pals that you’d like to emulate?

I Like Sticks

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When my kids were little, there were times when they’d put something in their mouths that was totally non-food related.

Like matches.

My mother always said, they only do that because they’re lacking something.

Okay, I’d buy that if they’re eating salt or drinking milk, but matches?

My mother said, they must need the sulfur. (So what was Lisa lacking when she drank that wine?  Yeast?)

I bring this up today because Hubby and I just had this conversation last night.

About Sampson.

Yesterday morning about 3:15, I was awoken by the jingle of dog tags.  Sampson was not on the bed, he was by the bedroom door.

When he has to potty, he gets off the bed and puts his face THUNK on the mattress in front of me.  He doesn’t go and wait by the door.

He only heads to the door when he’s going to vomit.

I got up and when I got to the bedroom door, even in the murky darkness, I could see the spot on the floor.

This isn’t infrequent. Without keeping track I’d say he vomits at least once per month.  Typically I’m a light sleeper and the sound of retching will shoot me straight up out of bed, but I didn’t hear him.

Poor little guy, he had to clean up after himself.

Had I had the opportunity to clean it up, (Yes, I really did just refer to cleaning up vomit as an opportunity.) I can almost guarantee you there were sticks in it.

Why?

Because Sampson likes to eat sticks.  And they always make him throw up.

Hubby and I always joke when we catch him eating a stick and say in a doofy voice, “I like sticks.”

I opened the bedroom door, found a flashlight and finished cleaning the mess.  Meanwhile, Sampson went and lay just outside the door.  I offered him the option of going outside.

He declined.

I headed back to bed and he went with me, jumped up and curled into my side, he wanted comforting.  So as I lay there for the next hour or so, comforting my dog these questions chased themselves around in mind.

Does he eat the sticks because he likes the taste but they make him sick or does his tummy bother him and he eats the sticks because he knows he will throw up and feel better?

And in the dark, quiet of the night I wonder, is it something more? Is there an underlying reason why he vomits frequently?

Did your mom abandon you for NaNoWriMo?

I just like sticks.

Delilah Stick Here you go Sampson, I’ve got a stick for you.

Hubby says, maybe he’s lacking something in his diet.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes those nefarious thoughts that fester in the dark on a sleepless night will stick with me long into the daylight.

As always, your thoughts and comments are appreciated.

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