Can you believe that it is October already? Boy did September go by so quickly.
A couple of weeks ago I participated in an event called Drums across Canada at Victoria Park here in London Ontario. It was televised across the country. It was great to get my drum out and join in to support our native community. September 30th was a day to reflect on Truth and Reconciliation. I hope that we never forget what was done to children in our country. May we learn from each other and find a better way to be the best we can be.
I mentioned in my last blog that I had some important information to tell you about. It is actually pretty exciting. We got a new puppy named Bella on September 5th. She is 3.5 lbs and is a Chorkie. Part Chihuahua and part Yorkie. Although she is little she is mighty.
She gets what we call ‘the Zoomies’ just before she crashes to sleep in our arms. She runs like crazy around our backyard. She chases every leaf or stick. Like a true baby, everything goes in her mouth. We have many rawhide chews for those tiny needle-sharp teeth. So far I have only heard her bark once when Jim came in the house after a period away. Mostly she has this soft trill that lets us know she needs to go out. I hope that keeps up as small dogs have a reputation for barking a lot. She did use those teeth to get some fibres out of the carpet. She was aided by our other dogs that had started this process!
We had missed Freckles and River so much but wanted to wait to get through the summer as we had places to go and relatives to visit. When Bella runs we call her Thunder Hooves! She sounds like a herd of Elephants. This is hard to picture in our Little Bit of a girl. We have a ramp up to our couch which she learned quickly to use. She has also learned her name and Come. We were at Heimstra getting our trailer winterized and she was picked up by all the staff, but when I said Bella Come she ran to me from the end of a long hallway.
We went in the afternoon to visit some friends we hadn’t seen in a while. They have two dogs, Nicky and Rudee. Nicky is very old and didn’t pay much attention to Bella, but Rudee wanted to play. Bella, once she got comfortable wanted to play too and walked right up to Rudee. She didn’t back down at all. So funny to see them interact. Both Bella and Rudee had long naps after the visit. I don’t think Rudee knew what to do with such a little dog.
We have been trying to keep Bella socialized not just to dogs, but kids as well as adults. We want a well-rounded dog. She came from a breeder with lots of dogs and Grandchildren so she had a good start. She has been with us in the car in the little bed she sleeps in. We have a harness that attaches to the seat belt then to her harness. So far she has been a great traveller. So many friends have donated things to us including a car seat which I call the Throne. It has her quite elevated in the back seat. She got a tee-shirt, sweaters, toys, and a canvas dog bag (like a front backpack) for when she gets tired. Her breeder Mom gave her a tiny mouse that she loves. We got her a Kong squeaky bear which she adores. She even plays with the larger Kong toys our previous dogs had, that look like octopi and drags them around. They are bigger than her. Generally, she gets at least 6 hours of sleep before she wakes us up. Not bad for a puppy.
Jim and I are thrilled to have a dog again. As a puppy, she was well-loved before we got her and we are continuing this process. The only problem is remembering to look down before we take a step as often she is at our feet. We are blessed to have this sweet little girl in our lives and we look forward to the further joys she will bring us.
Find the joy in your life whenever you can. Treasure each day especially as we have a few lingering warm days. Honour all people wherever they are in their lives.
May you and your families keep safe.
Sue