In today’s world we have each learned what matters most to us. Life, love, health, and safety are on the top of most lists. At certain times in our lives the priorities of our list will no doubt change. If we were to be diagnosed with a serious illness, health would move to the top of our lists. In times of severe storms, wild fires, or floods, safety can certainly become the most urgent factor in our lives. But for the most part, love will likely always occupy a preeminent place in our needs and desires, and life is the basis for all of these factors.
In our world here at the sanctuary, Rick and I spend a tremendous amount of time discussing the health and happiness of our babies. Each evening we review the positive and negative factors in the lives of our dogs. Did everyone eat? Did everyone take their meds? Does anyone need to move to the top of the vet visits needed list? We also confer about the recovery status of recent surgeries, wounds, stomach upset, depression, and multiple other forms of malaise. If the day has gone fairly well we spend an abundance of time delighting in the highlights of the day. Did you see Bonnie and Clyde spooning in their bed this evening? Didn’t you love the way Dexter had the zoomies again this morning before his lunch? Did I give you the most recent report from Doc Jess about the progress Emily and Sadie are making in their physical therapy?
Each day brings new worries that must be addressed, new developments in yesterday’s topics of concerns that must be talked through, and new triumphs that must be celebrated. Today I decided to share some of the keynote subjects that have occupied our minds and our conversations of late.
Sierra (AKA Sack of Sugar) cannot enjoy her regular mid afternoon stroll in the yard as the heat is becoming oppressive during that time of day and she can no longer make her way back into the house thru the doggie door. She has not figured out how to leave her heart medications in the bottom of her food bowl since I started cutting those tiny pills into even tinier halves that are not discernible in her food.
Otis is having less issues with his arthritis now that the weather is warmer. He has a spot on the east fence that he occupies each evening to catch the last of the sunshine for the day.
Lexi did not give up on getting completely under a blanket this afternoon, even though she was forced to drag three blankets across six beds to get her body completely covered for her nap.
Cashew has found the perfect spot inside the Doggie Room door to watch all the babies in the yard while still blocking me from carrying in the filled water jugs for their watering bowls.
Petey was distraught this morning when he found Pumpkin asleep in his favorite bed. He bounced on the side of the bed which caused a ripple effect that woke Pumpkin and encouraged him to move.
Even though Sydney is overweight and missing one of her back legs she can still put her front feet on my leg while waiting to be lifted to her crate for lunch.
Delilah insists on being in my lap when the dogs begin their evening round-robin to let the world know they hear the sound of a far off ambulance or fire truck.
Maddie has now gone a full six months without having a seizure, but she certainly comes close when the thunder rolls thru our west Texas skies.
Dexter continues to demand anyone brazen enough to get in his favorite bed move with lightening speed or suffer the consequences of his toothless jaws.
Zoey waits with great patience for her heart medication. She knows it comes right after Maddiie has her thyroid meds and undeniably before Cashew gets his heart pills.
Oscar insists on backing away from me while still wagging his tail when I try to pick him up to put him in his crate for his lunch. Ironically, he insists on standing directly behind my feet when I work in the kitchen and moves like a cutting horse in front of me when I attempt to walk past his treasured position.
Zorro is convinced there is a mouse or possibly a monster of undetermined intentions behind the old wood stove in the doggie room. He will squeeze in between that stove and the table beside it far enough that he must put his engine in reverse for multiple steps to come to me when I call.
Butterfly will fly out of her crate after her meal with no concern of being caught before she hits the floor. She has recovered very well from her two bouts with IVDD in the last sixteen months, and it is now a “set in stone” rule that she only eats in the bottom crates so her flight to the floor is only a few inches.
Dasha does not claim an individual bed or a specific spot in the kitchen. But she makes no excuses for snarling at anyone that gets too close to her no matter where she is.
Gilbert continues to be the “keeper of the gate” at the point where the top of the ramp joins the bottom of the bed. He looses his temper quickly and with great fervor when any of the other babies attempt to pass thru his duly assigned post.
Jake makes a much better wall than a door when he lays across the hall in the dark.
Beth can see no plausible reason why she should not be allowed to stand in the middle of the kitchen table while Rick eats his lunch.
While there is no doubt that our discussions about our day will most likely be very different from anyone else, the common thread is that we all discuss the little things. The things that make us laugh out loud, the things that take our breath away, the things that we cannot explain, and the things that make us shake our head in disbelief. All of these themes in our daily conversations are important to us. They determine our good days, and our bad days. They make us laugh and they make us cry. They make up our lives. They are the things That Matter the Most!