Panda

Cowboy here. Sadly, our Rott Panda passed away a few nights ago. Naturally my wife is having a hard time of it; she's grieving for a beloved pet. The saving grace is that the animal had a good life. The dog's last few months were filled with romps on the beach, good food, and in the company of loved ones.

The dog's lungs were fading. She had several bouts of pneumonia last winter. A constant cough left her weak, a bit debilitated. It was just a matter of time. In short, she died in Sar's arms, her mate, Tank, beside her. I finally had to pull Sar away from her; David had to separate Tank from the 2 of them so we could do what was necessary.

We've lost other dogs, a few cats over the years. Our first Rott and Bull Mastiff accompanied us from Florida to the West Coast. Both dogs, about the same age as Panda, were lost to cancer, dying within a week of each other. Our current dogs were a few months old at the time. I fully believe they are responsible for keeping my wife sane through that ordeal.

I'm aware that the death of a beloved pet does not compare with the death of a person. Due to the nature of my career, we've experienced the loss of too many friends to combat as well as family members. Losing a pet still hurts. Panda was more than a pet; she was a highly trained guard dog. Like our other dogs, the Rott was a certified therapy dog as well - visiting folks in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, schools for disabled children. She was particularly gentle around children and the elderly.

There are many stories that could be related about Panda's character, personality, her strength, loyalty, her bravery and her love for my wife as well as her mate. I'll let Sar tell these stories if she's so inclined. For now, she and Tank are comforting each other.

We fly to Greece in a few days. One of us will check back with you once we're settled.

Cowboy

Good News & Better News!

...And one complaint.

First, the complaint. One of you, a diligent, loyal and faithful reader - sent me a v-e-r-y l-o-n-g email arguing the pros and cons of my blogging style. On the pro side, you said I usually post more than several paragraphs and fill you in on the highlights of living with a giant squid that has a tendency to swat. On the con side, it is "ages" between posts. You cited several bloggers - not all into TTWD - that post daily and/or 2-3 times a week. You said they have children, spouses, jobs, hobbies and even friends! And... they still have time to update their blogs with unfailing regularity.

Mea Culpa! (I hope that means I'm blameless even if I'm not Catholic.)

It's true. I'm only an "occasional" blogger. No excuses. That's me. Take it or leave it and if you're leaving, MORE chocolate for me! Between this and that and a few other things, life comes first.

Had a birthday recently and received momentous amounts of chocolate. This made me very happy. Happier was waking up to a loving cuddle etc from the giant squid. I had no idea the band played so well and so long at that hour of the morning but I asked for an immediate return engagement. Lots of presents and goodies to eat but BEST of all... drum roll here...

David and Bull are home from Afghanistan, a little worse for wear but home. They're both on the thin side and still tired but a little rest and plenty to eat and they'll be A-1 rated in no time. David gave me a list of foods he wants - I anticipated a lot of it and it was already waiting and in the freezer. Bull just said FOOD! It's no surprise the big fella didn't waste any time consuming most of what was in the refrigerator and freezer. This man is a non-stop eater. I mentioned that if he kept up that pace a bunch of sweet cows were going to die before their time. He didn't reply because his mouth was full. However, the squid replied in his fashion...

SWAT!

Tsk

Saw the heart doctor and he said all was well. I don't have to see him again for 6 months. Everybody breathed a sigh of relief with that news. Even the office vampires seemed happy about that. Of course that might have been because I figured out how to hook a leg around a knee and apply pressure if they take too much blood. Those kick boxing lessons really come in handy.

SWAT! "Don't hurt the techs, Sar. They're only doing their job."

Yeah, yeah, me too. Tsk. They've collected enough blood from me to start their own blood bank. Double tsk.

I've posted a BUNCH of new recipes in various categories. I try to add a few every day but frankly, cooking and baking nonstop for David and Bull and of course, all the other critters - FYI: a squid is a critter - I'm a little frazzled at the end of the day. Then, there's other matters that need my attention... like Mr. Superior Mortal's ego...

SWAT!

Laughing, but not too loudly.

~Sar~