Deaf Dogs and Benevolent Gnomes

Monday, September 5, 2022

Family Visit Aftermath

We had some family in town for the long weekend. My sister and her 3 kiddos, all boys under 12 years old. Even though they have dogs of their own, Shadowfax was a great attraction for them. We supervised carefully and explained what it meant that she was deaf. The boys were great with her and she enjoyed loving on them.

Shadowfax had kisses, hugs, fetch, tug-of-war, and more pets than she knew what to do with. Our house wasn't equipped for them to stay with us but they did visit for a few hours each day and Shadowfax had far more activity than she is accustomed to. Now that they've left, Shadowfax is exhausted, just completely done. I think it will be a quiet week around here as she spends a lot of time in bed napping.

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Friday, August 26, 2022

National Dog Day

Did you know that today is National Dog Day? I consulted with Shadowfax about the holiday and she mentioned that she had marked the occasion on her calendar.

She also had a series of naps on her calendar. We had a discussion about time management and not double booking things. Actually I just mentioned it to her as she snored away on her fluffy pillow.

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Monday, August 15, 2022

A Trip to Graeagle, California

We recently took a trip to Northern California and stayed at a The Gray Eagle Lodge for a few days. Shadowfax accompanied us and had a great time strolling around, sniffing, and lounging in the sunshine. The weather was lovely; warm and sunny with blue skies and no wildfire smoke. To top off the great weather we only counted 2 mosquitos and John only managed to get one mosquito bite.

The cabin we stayed in was a lovely little spot along a babbling creek. The picture above is our morning stroll just as the sun was coming up over the ridge.

We took a few short day trips to the town of Graeagle (yes that spelling is correct). There was a lovely park in the middle of town and Shadowfax enjoyed lounging in the shady grass.

There was also the scenic and (according to Shadowfax) lovely smelling Gold Lake, a huge state park that only had a few visitors. This was a vacation that we had planned for some time, and it gave us a much needed chance to get out of town and immerse ourselves in some nature.

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Saturday, July 23, 2022

Saying Goodbye to Shaak Ti

Shaak Ti left us a few weeks ago. She was 16 years old and had been a part of our lives for 15 years. So much a part of our lives that the gaping hole her passing has left behind is impossible to escape. She's no longer watching us upside down from her dog bed or underfoot, demanding pets. No longer greeting us with enthusiastic "woo woo woos" when we come home. It's been a hard couple of weeks and life without her is too quiet.

She brought us 15 years of joy, love, and silly Shaak Ti antics. And though we might be incredibly sad now we won't let our sadness overshadow all the years of magic she brought. We will always have dogs here at the house and we will always love those dogs with all our hearts. But Shaak Ti was so, so special and she will be missed as fiercely and unconditionally as she loved us.

There is so much more to say, so many happy memories, but this is all we can muster right now. Hug your pups, tell them you love them. Even if you are lucky enough to get 15 years with them, they still leave too soon.

Saturday, July 9, 2022

Shaak Ti Has Left Us

We had to say goodbye to Shaak Ti the other day. It was a heart wrenching process. Her little body simply couldn't take it anymore and she was telling us it was time. She left this world in her favorite bed, covered with her favorite blanket, laying her head on my leg and surround by the two people she loved so fiercely.

Shadowfax is trying to fill the void, but it's such a monumental task. She is going to need to get acclimated to getting all of our attention.

We'll post a more comprehensive ode to Shaak Ti, this magical little beast who was so much a part of our lives. Right now everything is still too painful, and we are processing our grief.

Friday, May 20, 2022

Cedar Waxwings

We have had some interesting bird sightings around the homestead this Spring. There had been some cedar waxwings over the past weeks around the neighborhood. We'd watched them picking berries off various shrubs and trees on our afternoon dog walks.

Over the course of a few hours one morning though we got to see them up-close in large numbers. Cedar waxwings are a very striking bird with a dark eye mask and bright yellow tail feather tips.

They weren't interested in the thistle seed or black oil sunflower seeds at the feeders. There were only interested in the bird bath - drinking, splashing, and making a ruckus.

For a few hours in the morning they rushed in, drank and splashed, and flew away. Only to return minutes later. It was quite a show and we refilled the bird bath several times.

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