House in Progress Diary

Aw, that's so sweet. What would life be without such loyal friends, eh?

our chocolate lab, dinah, passed away unexpectedly last week. based on the things you've written about coco, i always thought they sounded like two peas in a pod (or two bulbs on the tree...) i miss dinah terribly, but it's nice to know there's another good, good dog out there, keeping the labrador faith. give coco an extra scratch behind the ears today, from me.

Oh, Mary! I am so sorry. Few things can twist your heart around then hearing that. Lovely Dinah-girl.

I'll go pat Coco right now for you. I wondered what was up in the Tudor household these days...thought you all must be terribly busy. Now I know that you were tending to a pal.

Coco turns 13 this July. Every moment we get with her is marveled at by me. She came to us when she was almost 7 years old. Aaron is very used to the sight of his wife curled up on the bedroom floor with Coco in the middle of the night. Why? Because I want to get it all in now.

We're going to try to head down to the parent's house for a weekend this summer, which means cruising by Cinci. We'll have the Coco-girl with us so we can hook up and she can give out lots of hugs and sloppy dog breath kisses.

Take good care.

dinah died suddenly, literally in the middle of playing ball with ken---we think she had either a heart attack or an aneurysm. she'd just turned 6 in february, and was starting to mellow into a wise, old gray-muzzled girl. but she was fit, healthy, and full of energy, and none of us were prepared for her death. i always expected her to see the girls off to college with me.

though i'm not really ready to think about it, we've talked about adopting an adult lab when the time is right. (as much as i love puppies, i don't really want to go through the first two years of labrador childhood again.) it's encouraging to hear that coco joined your family as a middle-aged dog, and you've all managed to form such a strong bond. if you stop by this summer, you can fill me in on the details of adding a full-grown dog to the household. and coco can bestow as many sloppy kisses as she wants---i could use them.

and she would be ALL to happy to give them. Really. slobber and all. she will sneeze on you if you'd like.

I have nothing but awesome, awesome things to say on behalf of adopting an adult animal. Both Dave and Coco were adults when we got them. Both are VERY attached. (Too attached? Dave, can I leave the room now? Please, can I have my lap back?)

I went back and forth emotionally..."What if it doesn't bond with me?", "I'm only going to have 6-7 years with her if I'm lucky...is it worth it?" But then, "Hmmm. I already know she is great with kids and other animals, very gentle." "She doesn't chew things and she is already house trained. I wouldn't need a crate." "She is so obedient already...it would be very easy to maintain that for her." And then I met her and, well, fell in love and that was that.

There are many breed-rescue shelters if you are looking for a specific breed which foster the dogs first...this gives you information on their personality, habits, quirks, health, etc. "Multi-breeds" (sounds better than mutts :) are also awesome adult dog adoptees. An adult dog will bond to you when you spend time with it and give it the attention it is often craving. Dogs are pack animals and they love their people. Meanwhile, you get a lovely dog which is over the "puppy stage".

People adopt dogs for so many reasons. Some of them don't consider: the time a dog needs, how much exercise it will need, that training and obedience is critical to raising a dog that will be free to go anywhere with you, the cost of food and vet care, the hair, making sure it is cared for if you won't be home, etc. Sometimes a young couple decide they cannot handle a dog AND young children. Or a single person gets married and their new love is allergic. Or an older person passes away and a dog is left homeless.

That is when these dogs find their way to shelters or foster homes. The faces melt your heart. These are such good dogs that the time spent with them is pure quality time, pure joy.

Sorry. I'll get off of my soapbox now. :) Can you tell that I'm a BIG fan of adopting older animals?

Well said! Thank you for reinforcing the benefits of adopting an older animal. Puppies are cute, but I think require more care and attention than people realize. As an animal shelter volunteer, I can attest to the countless, good, loving older animals out there that are in need of forever homes. Oh and one more thing-- PLEASE HAVE YOUR PETS SPAYED AND NEUTERED!!!

Well said! Thank you for reinforcing the benefits of adopting an older animal. Puppies are cute, but I think require more care and attention than people realize. As an animal shelter volunteer, I can attest to the countless, good, loving older animals out there that are in need of forever homes. Oh and one more thing-- PLEASE HAVE YOUR PETS SPAYED AND NEUTERED!!!

Well said! Thank you for reinforcing the benefits of adopting an older animal. Puppies are cute, but I think require more care and attention than people realize. As an animal shelter volunteer, I can attest to the countless, good, loving older animals out there that are in need of forever homes. Oh and one more thing-- PLEASE HAVE YOUR PETS SPAYED AND NEUTERED!!! PS: Give Coco a pat for me, too!

Thank you for reinforcing the benefits of adopting older animals. Puppies, while cute, require much more care and attention than people realize, I feel. As an animal shelter volunteer, I can attest to the countless loving, quality animals waiting for forever homes...
So sorry to hear about Dinah, tudorhead. Please give Coco a pat for me, too:)