Back Again !!!!

Yes, it's been far too long since the blog was updated...so since I am enjoying a long-overdue and well-deserved week's leave....time to get this taken care of.

There have been loads of changes since November....so first with the dogs...

Most of you know that my darling Mollie ( Good Golly Miss Mollie JT, CGC ) passed away on March 5, 2008. Mollie was my very first Newfoundland and the absolute light of my life. Mollie was 11 years, 9 months and 5 days old at the time of her passing...a good long life for a Newf...although far too short of a time for us to love each other.

Mollie came to me as a breeder re-home from Julie Thomas ( Windancer Newfoundlands ) in August of 2001; Mollie and I bonded, I believe, right from the beginning. She thoroughly enjoyed life as a spoiled rotten house Newf.

Although Mollie had had her CGC and was listed with Therapy Dogs, Inc for a few years, due to work commitments we did not make near as many Therapy visits as I would have wanted to make...but what we did do, we enjoyed. Perhaps Mollie's greatest joy was in being around children...all ages and sizes...she loved them all. The summer before she passed away, we took every Wednesday off during a local school's Summer program and two classes took turns reading to Mollie .. and one day we taught a special Safety program. She grew to look forward to those Wednesday afternoons.

Mollie was the "M" in M & Zee's...she always will be....she loved her morning and evening cookies so very much and often when I was late in handing out her "allotment"...she would stand by the cookie canister and BOOF insistently until I gave her her due.

Mollie had had increasing arthritis issues and living in a two story house with the main living area upstairs did not help the matter. In February she also got a diagnosis of Spondylosis with neurological complications. A series of supplements and the use of a Lift & Assist Harness bought us more time than what she would have had otherwise...but..soon these had no effect and although Mollie's mind remained sharply intact...she simply could not walk without difficulty and this was the deciding factor in helping her to the Bridge. It allows a dog no dignity if they lower themselves to potty and then cannot get up and away from their wastes...and I bawled that whole last evening and morning when I took her to the vet for a final relief from her pain.

Things were very unsettling with my sadness over Mollie's death and a sudden, dramatic increase in work responsibilities.....and I noticed that Jessie, a Golden Retriever of advancing age, was having difficulties keeping food down. It came on, I thought, rather suddenly.

Jessie was adopted in January 2000 and I believe she was around 5 years old at that time. She came from an irresponsible family who had allowed this tiny Golden to whelp litter after litter of puppies; the one she'd had shortly before adoption left her an emaciated wreck. She weighed 33 lbs...no kidding...when I took her to the vet the day I'd picked her up ..and her lack of grooming care necessitated the 4-65 Air conditioner ( translation...4 windows down and 65 miles per hour ). As soon as we got home it was into the bathtub and the full effect of her emaciation became really apparent. This was a lost soul if there ever was one.

I had had no intention of adopting Jessie but God, in His Infinite Wisdom, had another plan ..and Jessie stayed on. Jessie was very quiet and unassuming...and at times almost annoyingly "clingy" and velcro. But she made it quite clear that she was happy here.

A trip to the vet after alterations in diet and supplements gave no relief...and to my horror...she was given a diagnosis of Kidney Failure. She was placed on special renal diet dog food...which she hated .... and soon afterwards was placed on twice daily subcutaneous fluid infusions. The vomiting soon came back and I then opted to try to syringe feed her with pureed baby food.

She started to come back, I thought, and then just 6 weeks after her first diagnosis, developed a massive gastrointestinal hemorrhage and was sadly and lovingly helped to the Bridge.

So...in the space of a little over 2 months our herd was reduced by 1/3; and hopefully we will not see another passing for a long, long time.

Morgan will be celebrating her 14th Birthday later this month and she is still going hale and hearty..and were it not for the silver throughout her gorgeous Golden Retriever coat...one would find it hard to believe that she is that old.

Zander was rather perplexed when Mollie and Jessie were no longer here...so that made me extra glad that Peggy Sue so charmed Ron that he was the one to decide that she was going to stay.

Penny, the little Beagle mix, still rules the house; she makes the two Newfs sit sharply and say " Yes Ma'am" ..which never fails to amuse everyone.

There have also been loads of changes in the Cookie line-up; after careful consideration..I decided to discontinue the Apple/Carrot flavor and substitute it with Apple/Peanut Butter. This new flavor is a special favorite of my crew...made with freshly ground dry roasted peanuts..this is a cookie that even YOU could snack on and enjoy.

I also added a special Grain Free variety and this is also getting some good reviews. I took the ever popular Veggie/Parmesan recipe and eliminated all the grains..even the oatmeal...and added fresh white potatoes and an organic sweet potato flour. This is an interesting cookie to bake since there are no grains to bind the mixture....it certainly is NOT a pretty cookie and is somewhat difficult to shape and bake but those who have tried this for their dogs tell me that the dogs love them....so this is a flavor which will definitely stay.

I have been honored to be asked to support several Rescue fund-raisers...some for Newfoundlands and also for Golden and Labrador Retrievers and these are always a pleasure to do. We have also been able to support several local Shelter events with Gift Baskets and I have been told that these are always a hot item to bid for or to buy a raffle ticket for.

And coming again this year, we will have the Hanukkah treats...for our Jewish doggie friends....these were a spur of the moment addition last year. I take the regular recipes and bake them in the traditional Hanukkah shapes and package them in the appropriate theme bags. This was a fun addition as well as educational for me as I learned more about Jewish customs and traditions while researching and ensuring that my recipes were within the dietary guidelines ( although I do not have a kosher kitchen per se ) and baking the treats.

Due to all the responsibilities with the two ill dogs I had temporarily suspended the Challenge contests but these will again take place very soon. These were always a lot of fun for me and especially for those who participated...as not only did a Rescue get a prize check but the winner of the contest also got a nice assortment of cookies as a Thank You from me.

This is getting very long....so I will continue with more updates in a future installment.