The Chocolate Wheel

The latest LAP-ra-dor, to land in this Iowa Girl's lap is Black Dog, aka Sweet Sadie. She came on Halloween and in two short months has had quite the adventure. What we know about Black Dog's before story is this: her human died shortly before our Molly died. Molly met Black Dog's owner in heaven and arranged to have Black Dog meet us. The rest is history.

Black Dog clearly was well loved but had fallen in to some disrepair. She had tape worms, ear infections and fleas. We treated and changed her food. Her coat grew shiny and she grew stronger.

On week number three, we began our first road trip to this Iowa Girl's home state of Florida. My parent's home is a home for LAP-ra-dors. My parents participate in a diverstiy program and there are represented at the Florida home a yellow, a chocolate and a black lab. So upon our arrival, the dogs now out numbered the humans (as it should be). During the Thanksgiving grace, my Dad gave thanks for the National Convention of Retrievers and the dogs all wagged their tails in appreciation.

Black Dog was a most excellent car rider and slept quietly next to Vegas during the trip to and from Florida. She did not embrace sweeeming as most labs do but she enjoyed circling the pool with abandon.

Black Dog has attached herself to all in the house but has a special twinkle in her eye for the other human with whom Vegas and I share a roof and a water bowl. On one weekend when said human traveled west to be with family, Sadie and I had some time to bond together. Apparently, while she was in Florida, her cousin "Black Bart" taught her some stealth Black Lab moves. Lulled into a false sense of security by her timid ways and big brown eyes, I had placed a bowl of dark chocolate in a Christmas bowl. Sadie ate said chocolate. While I was turning out the lights in the house, on our way to bed, I found the empty bown on the floor with not a trace of chocolate to be found. I had confidence that Vegas was not involved in the heist because she couldn't reach the bowl.

I called the animal hospital. "My dog ate some chocolate" I explained. They said, "What kind of dog? How big? What kind of chocolate?" I answered mechanically and they responded, "Yes she should come in". So I piled the girls into the car and off we went to the animal hospital.

They know me there.

They immediately took Sadie in back and began treating her, making her vomit her little heist. Vegas and I sat patiently in the lobby, greeting other parents and dogs. The phone rang and the receptionist answered, pulled out a cardboard wheel and began to spin it while asking the questions, "What kind of dog? How big? What kind of chocolate?" When she hung up the phone, I asked if that was a Chocolate Wheel? Yes it was. Sadie was the third chocolate event of the day and number four was on its way in to the hospital.

I explained to Sadie that a trip to the animal hospital was an extreme form of bonding. Gratefully, Sadie suffered no permanent damage from my poor judgement.

Moral of the story: Do not be seduced by big brown eyes and a sweet smile, even if they come from a dog.

Winter Wonderland

Sweet time with family and friends in a green, wet place known as Oregon. The Iowa Dogs are back in Iowa enjoying a winter wonderland. A very sweet human type is staying at the house attending to their every need.

Note: Vegas recently emailed me to let me know she is VERY worried about the human providing care in Iowa. The human built a temporary shelter for a CAT that was suffering in the cold and snow. I responded that all animals need a warm place to land and that said human was a Rescuer, just like Vegas. Vegas was concerned that I had been drinking too much eggnog and did I not hear her say CAT?

Update on Black Dog aka Sadie: Sadie arrived with tape worms and ear infections and an unquenchable thirst to love and cuddle us. She is a non alpha like Vegas. After two months, they are beginning to play with each other as Vegas is coming to terms with the fact that Black Dog might be here to stay. When chasing down a tennis ball with Vegas, I imagine them saying,

"You take the ball"

"No, no you take it, I couldn't"

"No really - you have it".

As a result, most tennis balls are thrown and not retrieved.

She has very good manners and will sit and stay and sometimes shake a paw. She prefers laps to blankets and sofas to floors, like most good dogs. She goes crazy for car rides and dog walks. When she sits and looks up at you with her big brown eyes, her tail wags from the middle of the tail to the tip, like the Disney dogs on Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

At Christmas Eve services in a small quaint church in Oregon, the pastor invited us to come up and light a candle for people who we lost this year or who we were missing this Christmas. I thought that was such a wonderful blessing - to acknowledge the love and light of the people who were not with us. I stood up and walked to the front of the church and waited to put a candle in the little box of sand. When I got to the front, I lit two candles and said a prayer of thanks for my dear friend Harold and for my beautiful blond dog, Molly. I knew God would honor the candle I placed for my dog, amongst the candles for the people because God spelled backwards is dog which is proof positive that God is a dog God.

Molly stayed with me for that entire service and when I went to kneel at the front of the church to thank God for baby Jesus, both Molly and my brother Scott joined me, one on each side. It was a beautiful Christmas moment of love I will never forget.