Shadowfax Chewing on a Tasty Bone

We've gotten some comments that all of the recently posted pictures of Shadowfax are of her napping or sleeping, or even snoozing. She does do stuff, but it's sometimes hard to capture her in all her majesty. Chasing after a squirrel in the backyard is tough to catch on camera.

When we had Shaak Ti we didn't give both of the dogs bones to chew on. The dogs would get weird and start resource guarding and being prickly towards each other, so we decided that we just wouldn't give them bones. Now that Shadowfax is an only dog we can give her things to chew on - bones, bully sticks, and other tasty items.

Chewing is a good low key way for her to release some energy, when she's too tired to play but not tired enough to nap. Chewing or licking is also a good soothing mechanism and keeps her relaxed. 

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Shadowfax Hunkering Down

Cold weather is upon us here in Boise, Idaho. Cold rain and snow overnight led to a lovely day of gentle snow flurries throughout the afternoon.

Shadowfax is prepared though. She's got her comfy bed and fluffy blankie from Chewy. 

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A Trip to the Oregon Coast

We spent a few days last week at the Oregon coast, our new favorite place. John had to work most of the time, but sitting at a computer with the ocean in the background isn't the worst office environment.

The weather was gorgeous, sunny and warm most days with some tastes of fog and ocean breezes.

Shadowfax accompanied us and enjoyed early morning walks on the beach. Because she's reactive to other dogs, we had to walk early in the morning. But that's OK. There was a full moon and the we had the silvery, shimmering moonlit beach to ourselves at 5:00 am.

Alycia's friends came to visit too and spent the day hanging out with us. They doted on Shadowfax and gave her love the whole time. 

Between the walks on the beach and all the extra attention, Shadowfax was exhausted by the time we got back home and had to sack out in her comfy dog bed.

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Shadowfax Making Faces

Shadowfax never fails to impress us with her majesty. Majestic, noble, the adjectives could go on forever. Or we could just let a picture do all the talking for us. 

She's a majestic beast all right. Other dogs might like a fancy orthopedic dog bed, but Shadowfax? She's happy with a stuff sack filled with old t-shirts and washable duvet cover for a bed. Head squished against a nightstand, teeth showing, that's our delicate lady. 

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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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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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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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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.