happy friday!

We are all glad it's Friday. It has been a long week...Rosie is
exhausted from all the work...here she is in one of her office poses.
TGIF!

Rosie accidentally goes for a swim

Rosie's office mates look on as Rosie surprises herself with a swim.
Guess that water wasn't as shallow as she thought!

More on the joys of dogs in the work place soon.

a cruising angel

Another lovely day in Southeast! Here is Rosie Mae biking (or rather riding) to work this morning. It's been a great way to get to work and home this spring. Rosie get's goodies as we peddle and seems to be perfectly happy cruising along. Hurray for summer and 8lb dogs!

Getting it together

How do people keep these blogs up, anyway? Stay tuned as we're getting it together and hope to get back to making regular posts this week! The Chilkoot Trail is sneaking up on us and we have lots to do! Rosie is working on learning the boundaries of the yard, how to stay out of the vegetables and not bark at the other dogs cruising by the house. So much to do! Here is a shot of Rosie Mae enjoying some sunshine in the yard. Gardening is hard work!

Chilkoot Trail Here We Come!

As spring creeps in early on us here in Juneau - our thoughts are turning to what sort of fun things we're going to do with our summer. I am excited to report that we have decided to hike the Chilkoot Trail this summer - with Rosie Mae! Dogs are allowed, although they must remain on a leash. We think this will be fairly easy with Rosie. The trail is about 32 miles long, and we hope to hike it in four days - likely 8-10 miles of hiking daily, some of which we will need to carry Rosie for - but fortunately, she only ways 8.5lbs!

Why do we think we can do this with our tiny pup? Because Rosie is in good shape, I walk 2-4 miles with her everyday - but for her she's running around going back and forth etc - so she probably get's in more than that total. Remember, proper exercise is one of the most important things you can do for your dogs - and of course, it has the added benefit of getting us out and moving too.

Stay tuned as we prepare for this trip - learn to dehydrate Rosie's food (and ours), and get ourselves and Rosie out on lots of hikes to be ready for the big one! We suspect Rosie might be the first Chihuahua to hike the historic Chikoot Trail! Any advice on hiking long distances with little dogs is more than welcome! What tips do you have to share?

Losing a Family Member

Earlier on this blog I wrote about my dear friend and loyal companion of 14.5 years, Zoe.

On the morning of the first day of 2010, while the sun rose out the windows behind her, and the blue moon went down behind the mountains, Zoe left us. She was surrounded by myself, my husband and my sister. We sat with her, we stroked her and we cried as she quickly slipped away.

It was a tremendously heartbreaking moment for me. Even more so than I expected, and as I write this, two weeks later, my eyes are welled with tears and I feel a great loss in my life. Zoe was a member of our family and she had been with me longer than anyone else I share my home with. Zoe would come to me when I was sad and play with me when I was happy. She was amazing at reading moods, and as I shared earlier, she had a way of reaching out to those she loved and those in need. In her older days, Zoe followed me everywhere, even into the bathroom. Now, I miss the clicking of her feet on the wood floor and the sound of her old body slowly moving up and down the stairs. Then of course, I just wanted her to stop, for fear that she would hurt herself.

Zoe gave us so much in her life and in her death she did the same. She spared us from having to make the decision of when it was "time," she went when we were all there, in our home, she made one cry in the morning, awaking us all and asking for us to be with her. I am so thankful for that.

We had decided (thanks to Patricia McConnell) that we would allow Zoe -when the time came- to "lay in state" in the house. I had read that this would help Rosie Mae to understand what had happened and to mourn the loss of her friend. So, this is what we did. Zoe was in the house, on her favorite bed, in the place she died for apx. 32 hours.

For the first 12 hours, Rosie would not go anywhere near her. We all spent the day in the room Zoe was in, petting her, talking to her, being with each other. That evening, Rosie went to Zoe. She kissed her all over her face, she cried out and she pushed on Zoe with her tiny little front feet. She did this more than once that night, while we watched in amazement as Rosie accepted the loss of her friend. It was wonderful and sad.

After that, Rosie would come and sit quietly near me while I pet, brushed or just talked to Zoe. Her perception of our sadness, coupled with her own sense of loss (what I can only assume to be), seemed to quiet her, she did not ask to play, she did not cause any mischief, as we all shuffled about the house in a fog of grief. She cuddled and loved us and quietly kept watch over her friend and over us.

We decided to have Zoe lay in state because of Rosie. What I didn't know then, but realize now, is how cathartic it would be for me. We were not ready or prepared for Zoe to leave us, we did not know it was time, we had not said goodbye. Having her in the house allowed me time to be with her, to talk to her and touch her. It allowed me time to thank her for all she has done for me and to apologize for all the silly mistakes I made when I was just a kid. No one will ever share those times with me again, she shared them all and now she's gone.

As I sit by the small shrine we made for her with her ashes, her lovely collar, photos and cards from all the friends who reached out, I feel ache and relief, sorrow and joy, and mostly appreciation for all that Zoe gave me and for how long she stayed here with us. We bring dogs into our lives for many reasons, what we don't fully realize until they're gone is how much they bring us into theirs.

Rosie's Coat Review

Being of a warm climate heritage, Rosie Mae is not totally cut out for Alaska's inclement weather. That being said, we have found one coat that serves as a fantastic accommodation for Rosie's shiver prone body. The K-9 Overcoat by Ruffwear makes things possible all times of the year for Rosie.

On an earlier post you saw a picture of a soaking wet Rosie in her Overcoat - well, under that coat, she was totally dry. The coat is insulated with recycled fleece and is enclosed with durable recycled polyester, so you can rejoice that it is eco-friendly! It is wind and water resistant according to Ruffwear - but I have never seen it soak through on Rosie even in Southeast Alaska's driving rain. It also has reflective material on the sides and a spot to put a light for safety - which is extra great when you're less than a foot tall!

Another super thing about this coat is that it has clips on the side. It is a cinch to put on and it will stay on. This is true dog outdoor gear made for true dog outdoor activities, this is not for decoration. Rosie is regularly on the go in this coat and is able to participate in a lot of activities she would otherwise be miserable doing.

One draw back of this coat is its' price point - the coat costs $59.99 - which is a bit spendy. That being said - it holds up great, it doesn't fall off so it won't be lost, it does just what Ruffwear say's it will do if not more - and it doesn't look completely ridiculous. We think it's worth the money and we give it a solid 5 Bones, our highest score!

Here is Rosie hiking up the side of a mountain last winter on Valentines day. This activity would not have been possible without the K-9 Overcoat. Thank you, Ruffwear!