We lost a good friend this weekend.

On Saturday morning, our dear friends Amanda and Jon said goodbye to Sierra: their fourteen-year-old elderbelle, cancer survivor, mind-changer, and beloved pet.

We came to know Sierra a few years ago when we moved into her neighborhood, and Amanda and I bonded over our mutual love for pit bull type dogs, and our own beautiful white beasts — her Sierra and my Chick. Back then, Sierra was an energetic, beautiful elderbull on three legs. She could go for walks and play with her human brothers, always sharing a big Sierra smile and a friendly wag with anybody who would look in her direction. The neighborhood kids all knew her and loved her. With her mama Amanda, she taught more than a handful of children how to properly greet and love a dog — and how to not judge a dog by it’s appearance.

But over the past year, Sierra’s physical health and mental lucidity had been in a slow decline. First, she stopped being able to get up and down the stairs on her own three legs. Then, she started slipping and falling on the wood floors in the house. Later, she stopped being able to get back up on her own. Then she became unable to go for walks, because she would grow tired just a half block down the street. And recently, she started to seem confused more frequently, and eventually it seemed that she just stopped enjoying everyday life.

For Amanda and Jon, this was the first clear sign that Sierra was ready to move on. At fourteen years old, her health was not going to get any better, and her frequent falls, spells of confusion, and rapidly declining energy and positive spirit — what made Sierra so Sierra — were a reminder to them to ask: are we holding on for ourselves, or for her?  Amanda and Jon quietly realized that even though they will never be ready, Sierra was ready to leave this world. She was tired of struggling, and they were tired of asking her to struggle.

It’s hard to deny that end-of-life care is one of the hardest parts of pet ownership. The financial costs of treating ailing pets can be significant, but the emotional costs are probably even greater. Watching the physical and mental decline of an animal who seemed so recently in her prime is hard on a family to be sure. And in many cases, it’s later up to the family to make the ultimate call on when it’s time to say goodbye.

Unfortunately, the decision is not clear cut, but rather deeply personal — almost spiritual.  For Amanda, it went like this: “I read a suggestion to sit in meditation with your dog and just ask, heart to heart. I thought that was so sweet. And when I did quiet myself and listened to her, I knew she’s ready…”

So last week, they bravely made an appointment with their vet for Saturday morning, and went — as a family — to see her off.

When it comes to The Dora, our boys just can’t resist climbing up on her and taking epic naps in the sunshine that streams in through the windows and bathes her in warmth. They’re drawn to her velvety grey upholstery and the fuzzy teal blanket that drapes over her cushions and leaves bits of blue fuzz embedded in their paws at the end of the day. She’s a true luxury.

But this weekend The Dora outdid herself: when Chick’s our dear friends from DC — M&M — came down to meet our Dude for a long weekend visit, the Dora shed her cushions and unfolded into a spectacular expanse of soft, springy wonder. Although they’d never seen it before, the boys immediately knew that the unfolded surface was made for one purpose and one purpose only: for laying on top of and requesting rubs and scratches from their visitors the Ms.

Clearly, the boys were not mistaken — their guests the Ms understood the task at hand and got right to work — not being put off by the boys’ ungentlemanly postures:

While Sir Chick is well accustomed to being fawned over by friends and strangers alike, this was the Dude’s first opportunity to be truly spoiled by overnight guests, and he really basked in the attention of his new devoted fans friends:

After the Ms’ visit, the boys have decided that overnight guests are so fun that they are going to open up their own B&B in our guest bedroom — in which the boys provide the bed and the guests provide the breakfast. They’re now taking reservations for this spring and summer!

In love with our boys and want your very own? Check out Love-A-Bull’s lovely adoptable dogs here.

I’m gonna let you in on a little secret, friends. There are a lot of reasons I decided to keep my Snickerdoodle, including our matching tails:

And the way he lets me blame him for my handsome devil antics:

But there is one special thing that I love most of all. When I do this:

He will often do this:

You see, hardcore snuggling is my very biggest specialty, and when a boy’s gotta get his snuggle on, he doesn’t want any brothers of his getting in the way. The Dude likes to snuggle too, but nothing like me. We’ve had other mega-snugglers in our house before, and although I am a very good sharer of attention, I do occasionally get tired of having to move over and let the other dog bask in half of the love. Sometimes a Chick just needs all of that love for himself!

So sometimes the Dude and I co-snuggle with visitors or mama and dad, and sometimes he scoots off to his own frog-dog spot on the floor and lets me have the lovin’ all to myself.

Mama says she always thought that if she adopted another dog to be my sibling, that the new dog would have to be just as much of a lapdog as I am. But she says that she now realizes she was wrong. Even though she loves lap-snuggling dogs very much, she had to take *my* preferences into consideration too — with me being an Elderbull and all.

Mama says it was a big day for her, when she realized what makes the right match for a family: it has to be the right dog for the people, but it has to be a good fit for the Chicken, too.

Want to adopt your very own Doodlebug? Check out Love-A-Bull’s sweet adoptable dogs here!

Mama says some of you are feeling happy/sad about my decision to keep the Dude for myself. But I’m here to tell you: that’s just plain silly! Not the happy part — that part is spot on.  But the sad part? You need to turn that frown upside down!

Instead of being sad that we’re saying sayonara to constant fostering, let’s celebrate all of the foster dogs who have been obsessed with me shared my home! I will lead you in a rundown. Once we’re through, you’ll see how very hard I had to work all this time and how very much I deserve my very own dog a break from fostering. Just look how tired I am.

First, we had Lollie Fartypants Wonderdog. Obviously, she was obsessed with me. She was also a pushy broad, which is NOT my favorite kind of broad. Still, I was a very good boy and tolerated her quite well. I also had to teach her about potty training, wearing red hoodies, and not escaping from the back yard. I did great on all of those except the last one. Her new family even changed her name from Lollie to Lily hoping that an identity switch would make her not climb fences anymore, but no — when they built an 8-foot fence, she climbed right over it! You can see why I had such a face of worry whenever I posed with Lollie Fartypants. I was concerned about her extreme athletic abilities!

Then was an energetic youngster named Gonzo Bunny-Ears. He was a whole lot of dog wrapped up into a tiny, 35-pound body. My dad called him “a cinder block covered in fur.” He was obsessed with me too. When mama got him from the rescue he was pretty mucha ready-to-go house pet, but I did teach him a thing or two. First, I taught him about not sitting in forbidden chairs. Then, I taught him how to eat his veggies. Then, I taught him how to properly share a dog bed with a larger dog. I am a smart Chick for teaching him that last one, because he went and adopted himself a 95 pound Presa Canario sister. Smart, smart, smart.

Ok. After that, we had two quickies, TANK and Baby Blue. They weren’t even here long enough for me to get to properly know them, so I didn’t get to teach them much. But I did love that TANK guy’s cool ears, and what a big gentle giant he seemed to be.

Then we got Stevie-the-spaz Wonder. And yes, you guessed it. She was obsessed with me too. She was a crazy oversized puppy, but I kinda did like her. Mostly it was her tiger-stripes that got me. I have tiger-stripes on my beautiful brown brindle patched furs, but Stevie had brindles all over her body, and I really respect that in a dog! My first task with the tiger-lady was to help her learn to relax and not be so scared of everything. And as if that wasn’t enough work, my next task was to teach her to relax and not be so spazzy! I did both of these feets feats by occasionally allowing her to snuggle on me, which did seem to chill her out. But I guess I did too good of a job helping her get out of that shell she was in, because once she climbed out of that shell, she couldn’t stop partying! Luckily her little human brother Henry loves to party too and her mama loves to throw the tennis ball, which is not-quite-but-almost-as-good-as snuggling on me for chilling her out.

Ok. After Stevie-girl, we had somebody called Little Zee. Would you believe mama never did let me meet her? She was an elderbull like me, and from the stories I’ve heard and the photos I’ve seen, boy oh boy is she a hot little granny. Mama said something about her brain working funny because of something probably happening to her when she was a young lass. Mama said it made her walk funny and it made her be really scared of other dogs — even handsome devils like myself! So the whole time she was living at my house, we were never together. I pined and pined after her, and I was so inspired by her beauty that I even let her wear my special necklace charm — the one that says “Chick” on it. And you can just imagine how tough it was for me to be separated from such a pretty old gal in my own home. Luckily mama didn’t let me get too lonely, and did give me plenty of puzzles and busy-toys to keep me happy.

Well Zee walked out the door one day, and the next day in walked Curious Georgia, maybe my favorite foster of them all except of course for my former foster and future forever brother, Doodlebug. Curious G wasn’t as hard for me to train as the other dogs. You see, she is a lady of mature age as well, so she enjoys the more refined things in life just like I do — laying in the sunspots, appreciating good arts, licking peanut butters off a spoon, and cuddling up together on the Stevie-chair.

So then Mama gave me the big news — that we’re moving back to Texas! I started digging out my cowdog boots and pearl snap shirts, and secretly rejoicing: no more fosters! Surely mama can’t make me foster any dogs while we’re moving . . . right?

Boy was I wrong.

Dora the Explorer showed up just about a week after we got to our new house. I had barely had a chance to sniff every inch of the back yard and give the free-range chickens next door a good barking before she walked in. And remember how I said that Lollie Wonderdog was a real pushy broad? Well that was NOTHING compared to Dora the Explorer, who was just stone cold nuts about me! And she not only stole one of my red hoodies without permission, but jeez, she was always staring at me in the house — like she couldn’t get enough of my rugged good looks! Well after a couple of weeks of that, I told mama: that’s enough! I am only putting up with this Dora-bull if you promise no more fosters! Or at least, no more girl fosters. Mama said OK. So I put on my big brother face and bravely withstood her starings for quite a number of weeks. I taught her enough cutenesses to get herself adopted, and I sent her off on New Year’s Day.

Well I had just gotten myself a tall pour of bourbon and taken a deep breath after she left, when there was another knock at the door. I gave my mama the stink-eye when I learned that it was another foster dog! But then he walked in, and it wasn’t just another foster, it was my Dude.

And you all know how that story goes.

Looking for your own love story? Check out Love-A-Bull’s lovely adoptable dogs here!

Remember Pocket Petunia from Love-A-Bull, our flash foster who we placed in an amazing foster home a couple of weeks ago? Well boy has she been having some big adventures!

Yesterday I joined Petunia and her foster mama at an Austin area elementary school for a Healing Species Dogs of Character assembly, in which little Peety was one of the stars! Healing Species is an award-winning, evidence-based character education program that brings rescue dogs into schools to talk to kids about issues that are otherwise hard to discuss effectively. Children learn about rescue dogs in general, and the story of each participating dog is told — along with a theme that the kids can apply to their own lives.

Some folks may have read about Healing Species Texas’ Director Joy Southard on our friend Jackie’s blog last fall. Jackie connected us with Joy, knowing we would have a lot in common. When Joy let us know that she was bringing her amazing program to Austin and needed a child-loving dog with a great story, I immediately thought of little Peety. And as serendipity would have it, Peety’s human foster brother goes to the very school where the assembly was going to be presented!

First thing in the morning, I met the Healing Species Texas team, including little Jackie O — who teaches kids about being nice to the new kid and not judging those who are different:

And Quincy — who teaches kids about speaking out if you’re being bullied or abused, and not giving up until somebody helps:

Little Petunia had her own lesson to teach — about how sometimes people are shy or scared in new situations because of bad things that have happened to them in the past, and it’s important to be kind and accepting to them — and it’s important for them to try to be brave and overcome their fears.

Pocket Petunia did great all in all, even though this was her first time in a big noisy, crowded building. The girl adores children, but 200 of them is more than even she knows what to do with. She was a little shy, but acted very sweetly with the kids who came up after the assembly to pet her.

After the assembly was through, Petunia was ready for a nap — it’s hard work, being so sweet and cute!

For info on adopting Pocket Petunia from Love-A-Bull, click here.

For info on bringing Healing Species Texas to your local school or other facility, click here.

It seems that long, long before foster dad and I started seriously talking about making the Dude a perma-dog in our house, the boys were already plotting. Here’s evidence from January 17 — just two weeks after the Dude’s arrival:

"I think I'd like for you to be my foreverdog"

I think I'd like for you to be my foreverdog too . . .

Through the safety of our big antique window, the boys sit and watch the world go by.

When it rains, they stay clean and dry. When it’s chilly, they stay toasty warm. When the boogieman (aka the UPS man) comes calling, they are protected by the thin, clear pane. When a neighbor’s adventuresome tabby cat struts by to dig in our garden, they can only stare intently.

They wiggle their tails in greeting at the mailman and the neighbors, and paint runny-nose-messages on the glass to the other dogs walking with their owners. When we hop in the car or head down the street for a run, their little eyes, noses, and ears are peering intently at us, beckoning us to come home soon. When we return, the boys are roused from their peaceful slumber by the sound of the key jingling in the lock, and their curious foreheads pop into view, like groundhogs checking on the weather.

Well, it’s the big day. This morning we’re shipping the Doodlebug off to the vet’s office for a sleepover. But not a fun sleepover — this one involves two heavy injections into his deep lumbar muscle tissue — hardly your average dog’s idea of a good time.

But we keep telling him: six weeks from now — assuming all goes well — the Dude will be heartworm and trouble free. We’re already planning his adventures. We’ve been talking them up so much, in fact, that he’s been getting pumped up for his vet stay and heartworm treatment.

Giant needles in my spine? Game on! Bring it on, heartworms. I’m gonna destroy you! High five!

It’s been so peaceful in our home since Pocket Petunia moved on to her true foster home, that there are moments when we almost forget that we have an extra dog in the house. In the first couple of weeks, when the Dude was destroying crates, chewing up our headboards, and being tossed in the car for an emergency vet visit because he was coughing up blood, we didn’t think such a peaceful day would ever come. But here it is.

Doodlebug is still bravely battling the worms that are trying to eat his heart and lungs. He accepted the first heartworm injection pretty well, and after a few lethargic days, he got back to his normal calm self. We’re doing our best to keep him totally calm, which is hard for a young guy who loves long leash walks more than anything in the world and gets very excited at the sight of other dogs. Leash walks are short when they happen at all, which is rare. We walk at night. Around the block only. Not every night.

To battle the boredom and anxiety that come from physical inactivity, we’ve introduced kongs (both regular frozen kongs and kong genius toys stuffed with kibble and yogurt), tug-a-jugs, and other food-dispensing toys to keep Snickerdoodle from going nuts. He eats all of his meals out of these toys — never bowls — and they help soothe his need to be active. When he’s feeling particularly itchy for an activity, he wiggles around on his back in the grass — a pastime that is as cute as it is funny, and seems to help him get his crazies out in a relatively low-key manner.

His destructive anxiety is all but gone. We haven’t done much crate training since the first death-to-crates spree he went on weeks back, mostly because his heartworm treatment has put everything else on hold, and because he has proven to be trustworthy when left alone with his foster brother Chick. He is also taking anti-anxiety meds as an extra precaution, but we hope to start tapering those down once he is through his heartworm treatment.

We’ve got seven more weeks to go, but we’re already getting ahead of ourselves and planning big celebratory hikes and camping trips to mark the end of Dude’s bedrest. It’s a ways to go, but we’re feeling confident — the Dude is a remarkable guy!

Just before Christmas, a young, healthy Knox sent a special holiday package to Chick and then-foster Dora the Explorer.

Today he is gone.

This weekend, our pal from Maryland Knox succumbed to a mysterious illness that grabbed hold a couple of weeks ago, drained his health, left specialists with no answers, and ultimately took his life. Jess and Brian said goodbye on Friday.

It always leaves us a little empty inside when a dog we know passes on to the next world. But Knox left a different, even bigger kind of void– the kind you feel when a young, vibrant life disappears with no reason, little warning, and no explanation.

Please visit Knox’ facebook page or blog and share a few kind words today.

Knox, you were a perfect foster brother, a champion ball chaser, a dapper ladies man, a pit bull ambassador, and the center of your mom and dad’s world. Rest in peace, sweet boy. We’ll never forget you.