My Aunt Krissie: A Tribute

You may remember my Aunt Krissie who came to visit back in August with Bubbe and Zayde. That was the first time I met her and we spent a few afternoons together. She was very nice. After they got home, Bubbe and Zayde found out that Aunt Krissie was very sick. She had surgery and felt better, then she had to take a lot of very strong medicine that made her sicker. Her doggy doctor told Bubbe it would be best if they stopped the medicine, so they did. Last night, Aunt Krissie started to feel really bad, so Bubbe and Zayde took her to the doggy doctor this afternoon. She died today.

I was not born when Bubbe and Zayde adopted Aunt Krissie. She was about 3 or 4 when they got her. Bubbe and Zayde love her very, very much. Mama says Aunt Krissie was a very nice dog. Here's my mama:

We had a dog growing up, but that was a disaster-- the poor dog was unloaded on us by a family member. Krissie came along when my parents retired and were still going back and forth between Baltimore and Florida. They had wanted a dog for a while, and they found her in the local paper-- a woman was moving and giving away some of her pets. Her loss, my parents' gain.

Krissie was a funny little dog. My parents treated her like she was human, and she sure acted like it! Krissie didn't like treats or toys. She didn't play with other dogs. All she ever wanted to do was sleep and hang out with the humans. She got by on being super cute and small, and she was a big hit wherever she went. Krissie especially loved men-- the doormen at my parents' old building in Baltimore thought she was the greatest. One night, my mom and I were walking her near Johns Hopkins University, and we encountered a group of students, 4 guys and a girl. The girl was gushing over this adorable little creature, but Krissie wanted none of it-- she sidled right up to the boys for her rubs.

My parents adored her, particularly my stepfather. My stepbrother went to visit a few months after they adopted her, and he called me and said, "Who is this person???? He leans down and kisses this dog and rubs her and brushes her teeth every night. What did he do with my dad???" I used to love seeing her-- she was the doggy in my life. I cannot imagine the void she will leave.

Over the last couple of years, Krissie started to deteriorate. She was old, most of her teeth were gone, and she got ever lazier. As it turns out, she was pretty uncomfortable; she had an enlarged spleen and a tumor when my parents discovered the root of her problems. My mom is an oncologist and approached Krissie's treatment with that expertise, but unfortunately it didn't work well; her poor little body couldn't handle most of the chemo. She was happy but anemic and getting lethargic. It was time to let her go.

Krissie will always be remembered as the little pup who was the light of my stepfather's eye and a huge part of our family. As a dog mama myself now, I know my parents' pain will be very real and the grief hard to overcome. I cannot do much but comfort my parents and hug my own buddy very tightly. RIP, Krissie. You were a very good girl.

She used to lie on the floor of the guest room in Baltimore as I was packing up to go.

Shaggy days, Naples, FL

Hiding under the bed. One of her favorite spots.

Reading the paper on a lazy Sunday in Baltimore

With Grandpop (Avon's Great-Zayde), Rosh Hashanah 2010)

Naples, FL, 2013-- a happy, smiley girl

Time at Home

I have not written in a while and I am sorry! It's mostly because we have not had that much excitement since the Badass doggies left. That was so fun.

The biggest excitement we have had is Mama's new job! She hasn't started yet-- she says that will be in a few weeks-- but she is very happy. I am happy too, because Mama said I can go to work with her sometimes. She said there is a giant sunny spot in front of a window where I can lie down and watch people go by. That is very cool. But Mama won't be working from home anymore, and that makes me sad. I am enjoying these last few days with Mama at home. I am spending lots of time in the office. Mama says that after her job starts, I will have the office all to myself. That's ok, I guess. Here I am working on my toys while Mama works on her laptop.

Mama says the holidays are coming up too, and that means presents! And because Mama has a new job, she needed a very special present, so Papa bought her a special bag. When Mama and Papa came to visit Raleigh in May, she went to a shop called Stitch and met Miss Holly and liked her bags a lot. Mama wanted one of those very badly, and now that she has a new job, she can get one! She said Miss Holly is making it for her in special colors and it will be ready soon. I am not allowed to chew on it. Mama says it is very important to shop at local stores and buy things from your neighbors. I wonder if Miss Barnes the pointer puppy across the street has things for me to buy, but somehow I don't think that's what Mama means.

The weather has been very up-and-down. It was warm a couple of weeks ago, so I took advantage of it.

But then it got very cold! It has been too cold to sit outside. Mama and Papa turn on the electric fire and take out the blankies and it gets very cozy in here. Here I am chewing on my leg in front of the fire.

Yesterday it was very rainy, but it was warm. We snuggled on the sofa as a family. I like that. I stayed on my blankies and didn't move, then I decided to put my face on Mama's sweatpants. They are warm and soft, like my mama.

Today is warm again. I went to daycare today. I like daycare, but I don't like it when Mama leaves. I yell and yell for her! But Mr. Mike and Mr. Josh take me back to the play area and I see my buds and it's so much fun. Then Mama and Papa come to pick me up and I cry because I don't want to leave. Mama says I am conflicted and silly.

Thanksgiving is coming up! We are going to visit Grandpa. Mama says I will get to meet my Aunt Bonnie and that is very exciting! She is Papa's sister. She likes to make pie. Mama also says I will get to eat turkey. I am looking forward to it, but I am also resting up because I know I have to be on alert for all the cats. I cannot rest if cats are near my family!

Houseguests for a Good Cause

Last month, my friends at Badass won a very special van in a contest. I don't know the particulars, but I know they were on TV and it was very fun and special. The van meant that Badass could go down south and rescue more doggies like me! I was rescued like that too, except I didn't go to New York in a van. But anyway, Mama and Papa were very excited that the Badass van might be coming through our state, so they sent a message to Miss Candace and Miss Eva and offered them a place to pee or sleep or eat. Mama hadn't heard anything from them, but she followed their adventures on Instagram and Facebook.

Then on Wednesday night, Miss Eva called! Would Mama and Papa mind if she and Miss Candace and Miss Amanda came over the next night with the rescued doggies? Not at all, Mama said! They were welcome. She didn't tell me, though-- all Mama said was that we would have visitors and I should rest up, which I did.

Mama spent the day getting ready. She made the bed and cleaned the bathroom and washed the dishes. She made a giant loaf of bread. She and Papa were very excited. Then at 7:30, we saw the van pull up!

It was pouring rain and very muddy and cold. The Badass ladies pulled the van back towards the backyard gate and started letting dogs out a few at a time. Mama made me stay inside and it was very sad. I wanted to run around with the doggies! But Mama said they were too excited and some of them were scared because they had just been rescued from the shelter. I am a dog and therefore I do not remember a lot of things, but I remember the shelter and I didn't like it. I loved it when the nice volunteers came and took me outside, even when it rained. So these doggies were enjoying my backyard and that was ok.

Two of the doggies were allowed inside because they were nice, calm girls. Maxine and Missy were their names. Maxine was a little hyper so she hung out in my crate, but Missy was very calm. She found a spot in the office and decided to lie down. She stayed there all night, only moving a little. I asked her why she didn't want to play. She was very shy at first, but then she said that she had never slept on something soft and she liked it very much, so she didn't want to move. I understood.

After all the doggies had peed and went back to the van to sleep in their crates, Mama and Papa and the Badass ladies had dinner. Papa made delicious cocktails for them and everyone sat around and chatted. I chatted too! I especially chatted with Miss Candace, but I also went over to Miss Eva for belly rubs. Miss Eva took care of me at her farm in Pennsylvania. She gives very nice belly rubs!

Then Maxine and Missy had to go pee, so I went to the backyard with them. It was so fun! We ran around in the dark with Miss Eva! I loved it. Then everyone was tired, so it was time for bed. Miss Candace slept on the couch and I was allowed to stay with her.

I moved around a few times but had a very nice sleep. Then Mama came and got me for our walk, and I didn't want to go! Miss Candace laughed and pushed me off the bed, and Mama and I went for a stroll. When we got back, we heard all the doggies-- they were being let out to pee. After a while, most of the boy doggies went back in the van (some of them only just got their dangly bits cut off and they're still mean) and Mama let me out to play. I showed all the rescued doggies my backyard and where I pee and where it was ok to poop.

We had a very nice time. Then Mama and Papa had to leave and the Badass ladies were in charge of making me stay inside. I said goodbye to my friends and waited for Mama to get back. I will miss them! It was so exciting to have company!

Mama said I was a very good host. I hope we can do that again soon, and I hope all of my new doggy friends get adopted very, very soon so they can have comfy homes like mine where they can host new Badasses!

In Which I Protect My Grandpa

Last Saturday, we had a very exciting day! Mama and Papa put together a bag for me and we all got in the car and we drove and drove. Sometimes I like the car, and I especially like it when we take long trips and I can relax or look out the window or listen to Mama and Papa talking. We were on the road for about 90 minutes, and then we got to a nice house in a town called Greenville. Mama and Papa took me to the front door and rang the bell and there was my grandpa!

I met Grandpa once before-- I wrote about how he came to our house when it was new. I liked him a lot. He likes me too. It was nice to see his house. He has lots of rooms to explore! Grandpa rubbed my ears and my butt and said nice things to me and gave me treats. It was fun. But I could smell something terrible and I was very distressed! My grandpa has CATS.

OH MY GOODNESS! It is so bad! They are everywhere in the house. I ran around and around looking for them. Their smell and hair was in every corner, but luckily I didn't see them. Whew. I was very ready to jump up and protect my family from the mean cats, so while Mama and Papa and Grandpa had coffee and relaxed, I had to be on the alert. When I visit Bubbe and Zayde, I get to lie down and enjoy the sofa and watch TV, but I had work to do at Grandpa's.

I got to take a break when they went out to lunch. Mama set up my crate and I took a nap. That was ok. I fell asleep and didn't worry too much about the cats. Then they came home and I was back to work. It was very tiring! We got in the car to go home, and I guess Papa was busy looking for cats too, because he snoozed on the way home. Looking for cats is exhausting.

We are going back for Thanksgiving, so I am working on my cat-deterrent skills. Yesterday, Mama let me sit on the front porch and I saw a cat across the street! I yelled at it. Then it tried to go into Miss Barnes's house. No no no no no! I barked and barked. I told it to go away, but it just stood there. I knew it was waiting for me to go inside, but I am a determined doggy. Eventually it left, and I stayed outside to make sure it didn't come back. Cats have no business around me or my friends or my family!!!

So Many Fun Things to Do!

It has been quite a week for me and my family. Mama and Papa went to the North Carolina State Fair on Wednesday and had so much fun! I don't know how much fun they could have had since doggies weren't allowed, but whatever. They had a good time. They ate yummy things and played games and rode a big wheel with seats on it! They said they could see the whole fair from way up high and it was so fun. They also saw giant pumpkins and big cows and goats! The fair sounds really cool. I am sorry I missed it.

But today I got to go to my own fair! The SPCA hosted a fundraiser at a place called Seaboard Station, which is one of Mama and Papa's favorite spots, because the nice wine store is there. I like it too-- my favorite doggy store, Phydeaux, is there! So we went over to give the SPCA some money and see all the doggies, and we had such a fun time! There were FREE TREATS. Mama got some yummy coffee, and she entered something called a raffle. We went into Phydeaux and Mama and Papa bought me lots of treats and chews and got me a new toy. It was amazing! I had the best time. And everyone was so nice to me.

While we were walking outside, I met this man, who is an SPCA volunteer.

He had two doggies with him, and one was very pretty and brindle, just like me. Her name is Lola. (Mama asked me to say here, "She is not a showgirl." I don't know why. Mama is silly.) Here we are saying hey.

Then Mama asked what breed Lola is, and the man said she's a Mountain Cur-- just like me!!! I haven't seen another Mountain Cur since I left West Virginia! It was so cool! She is probably my cousin or something, Mama said. It was very nice to hang out with her. Here she is getting cuddled by my papa.

It was a very fun day. We also ran into Miss Barnes, my neighbor across the street. She was getting ready for a costume contest and she was dressed up like a pumpkin.

Miss Barnes said she didn't like the costume, but I don't believe her-- she was getting a lot of attention, and she likes attention! I think she kinda liked it. She is a silly puppy, but I like to watch out for her. We keep watch for the cat together.

After we spent time at the fundraiser, we went into the wine store. I met Mr. Corbett, and he rubbed my butt. I liked him.

We went to the back of the store so Mama could drink wine. There were lots of other doggies there too.

Mama and Papa chatted a lot with the people there, and they were very nice, but I wanted to leave because I was so tired.

We left a little while later and dropped Papa off at campus. Then Mama and I were close to home when she got a phone call-- she won the raffle! We went all the way back to Phydeaux, where Mama got to choose a basket of stuff, all for me! She got to pick a bag too. She said I have bully sticks and a new toy and a bag of new treats and a new leash and a new harness! It was so exciting! And on the way back, she let me sit in the front seat. It was a very good day.

New friends!

What a week I have had! I've made a few friends here-- Olive and Frankie and O'Malley, and some buds at daycare but I don't know their names-- and Mama is always encouraging me to make more. This week? I made two new ones and it was so fun!

On Thursday, I met Miss Trouble. She is very silly! Mama took me out for our lunchtime walk at about 2:15, and when we were on our way back, a doggy came running up to us. She was so cool! She sniffed me and I sniffed back, then she bowed to me (when we doggies bow at each other, it means we want to play and play!), but I was on my leash. She ran off after a squirrel, then she came back to me and Mama. I asked Mama where her mama was, but there was no mama or papa in sight. So Mama started to put her jacket sleeve around the doggy's collar (she had a nice pink and brown collar, with flowers on it). Then two nice men in their truck stopped and offered Mama a rope-- one of the nice men attached the rope to the doggy's collar and made a handle! A nice girl walked by too-- she was on her way home from school-- and she stopped and gave me and the other doggy rubs. We were having a great time. The nice men said goodbye, and Mama, the doggy and I went on our way. I had a new friend! It was so cool. I like walking with other doggies. Mama said it was tough, though, because the other doggy kept pulling. Then I had to poop really bad, so Mama had to make sure not to lose my new friend while she picked it up. But she did ok. Mama is very good at picking up poop. Then we all went home. I was so excited to show my new buddy my house! Mama tried to keep her outside, but she made her way in and started exploring. We had the best time! But then Mama took my leash off my collar and attached it to my friend's collar and she asked me to stay inside. She took the other doggy and got in the car. I was disappointed! I wanted to play, and I liked the new doggy.

Mama came back a bit later and told me the whole story. She took the doggy to the vet nearby and scanned her for a microchip, but the doggy didn't have one. This is not good! I have a microchip-- all Badass doggies do-- and that means that if I ever get lost, someone can take me to the vet and find my chip and call Mama or Papa to come get me. But this doggy wasn't chipped. This is very frustrating. So Mama put the doggy back in the car-- Mama said she was very good in the car-- and decided to drive very slowly around the neighborhood. She went down Rosemont Avenue and passed a car that was also going slowly, but the woman in it didn't notice Mama. But my mama is a quick thinker! She put down the windows and heard someone calling. She turned around right away and pulled up next to the lady. "Ma'am, is this your dog?" And it was! The lady was so happy! She was crying. Mama hugged her and said it was ok, here's your doggy, please get her chipped. That's when Mama found out the doggy's name is Trouble. That is so silly! Apparently she got out of the backyard and dropped her tags when she was running.

So Mama came home, but no Trouble! I was very sad. I liked her. I thought I would have a playmate for the day, just like Jackie back in Harlem, but nah, it was just me again. Oh, well. So this morning, after our walk, Mama got her stuff together and grabbed my collar, and she and Papa and I got in the car! Papa put on my car harness. Where were we going???

Turns out we went to meet Mr. Lee and Miss Jodi and their doggy! His name is Newton. He is very handsome. Here we are saying hi:

This is their backyard! It is so nice, with lots of trees.

Newton and I ran and ran and ran. He was so cool! But at one point he wanted to sit with the humans and I kept bugging him to play. But Papa said no, that I have to let Newton take breaks. OK. I let him take breaks for about two minutes! Then I nudged him and we played.

Eventually I got tired too. 

Then I hid under the deck. It was so nice and cool down there! It was a beautiful day. I liked Newton and his mama and papa. Mama says we are going to do this again, and next time, Newton will come to our house. I am so excited to show him my plants and my shed!

Besides my friends, I am enjoying fall. Here I am with my porch pumpkins:

The weather is getting chillier, so Papa takes out more blankies. Here we are the other night, snuggling on the sofa:

We have been very busy, so I sleep a lot because I am so tired. But that's ok, because I like to sleep and I have a comfy bed. I also have my antler to keep me company. It's a nice doggy life.

My Routine

We have been in North Carolina for two months now. As far as I'm concerned, that makes it home, because it's home when I know the way back, no matter where we are. I definitely know the way back to my house and my yards! Mama, Papa, and I are building up our daily life, which Mama says takes time because we have to get into our routine. We have one now! I figured I'd share.

In the morning, it's my job to wake Mama. When we first got here, I slept in my crate in the bedroom, but lately I've decided to stay in the living room so I can keep watch during the night. It's very comfortable, but last night it got super chilly, so I went back to my crate to be with Mama and Papa. That was nice. But I licked too much and Papa kicked me out at 6am. Oh, well. Anyway, I get up every morning at about 6:30 and I walk over to the bedroom door. I used to have to wake Mama by punching her foot with my nose, but now I just have to walk-- she says she can hear my nails clicking on the floor. Sometimes I give a little warning bark-- "Mama, get up, get up!"-- and I can hear her stirring. She washes her face and brushes her teeth and puts in her contact lenses, she puts on her yoga pants, and we're off!

Mama and I walk about 5000 steps every morning, unless it's raining. We take new routes all the time. Sometimes Mama lets me pick, sometimes I follow her. We go to Jaycee Park, which is a block away, or we walk all the way to Oberlin Village, or we just walk through the neighborhood. A lot of times we walk all the way to campus! That's where Papa works. Mama says it's about a mile away. I like it over there-- it has restaurants and coffee shops and people, just like when we lived in Harlem. When we go to campus and turn back, we walk by the new apartment complexes near Cameron Village, where there are nice new stores and we can watch people exercising! [Note from Mama: there's a gym in the building on the ground floor.] It's fun to watch people exercising, because they jump a lot, but Mama doesn't let me watch them too much. If we walk by there, we go through Cameron Village where there are lots and lots of stores and restaurants, and people are there getting ready for their days. Sometimes we see other doggies. I pee on alllll the trees (so many trees!) during our walk, and I find some good poop spots. Mama won't let me poop on nice lawns. She is a mean mama. But I learned and now I poop on corners and on the grass between the sidewalk and the street. I try very hard to poop before we get to a trash can; Mama says one thing she misses about New York is all the public trash cans-- here in Raleigh there are only a couple, but now we know where they are! But sometimes I make Mama walk for a long time, swinging a full poop bag. Sorry, Mama.

Here we are on our walk the other day. After I poop, I have to kick up the dirt to hide it from the other doggies, but this time I kicked the street instead. Oh, well. I filed my nails!

We usually get back from our walk a little before 8am. Papa is usually up by then, so I say hi to him while he drinks his coffee. I get my food and Mama makes her breakfast, and I sit with her while she checks Facebook and reads her email.

Papa says goodbye and walks off for the day with his backpack-- he goes to campus too! I am very happy that I walked first and made sure he wouldn't run into any mean cats. Then I take my nap while Mama showers and gets to work.

Mama works from home. Her office is right next to the living room. It's so nice to have my mama around all day! I go to her all the time for playing and rubs, but sometimes she doesn't like that because she's busy, so I make her let me outside. I love to be outside! I like to lie on the deck and nap in the sun, and sometimes I like to go under the shed and hide. I like to run around the outside of the fence and sniff and eat all the grass! Sometimes I even pee behind the big tree. It's so fun. Sometimes Mama comes out and throws a ball to me and I run and chase and get so tired. Then I nap some more. Sometimes I stay outside but make sure to keep watch on Mama inside, which is very important.

Mama also started giving me big chewy things to enjoy, like the cow's ear I wrote about already. I like to chew. So I chew and Mama works and we're busy together. Then we take our afternoon walk. Sometimes we run into Miss Dawn and Olive and Frankie at the park near our house, and we run and run and run! That's the best.

Sometimes during the day we have stuff to do, but not often. One day, Mama took me with her when she went to drop of the dry cleaning! That was fun. Then last week we had to go to the doggy doctor. I didn't like that very much. But the nice vet tech, Miss Courtney, gave me rubs and told me I was handsome, and the doggy doctor told me I was a very good boy. It was ok, but I don't like getting the stick up my butt. I like all the treats, though! Mama said I get lots of extra treats now because I lost another 4 pounds! Everyone thinks this is so great. I do too, because it means I get all the Wellness Bites I want.

Back to our normal day! Papa comes home in the afternoon, and hoo boy, I get tons of belly rubs! TONS. Papa is the best at belly rubs. Much better than Mama. Except this one time-- that was pretty good.

And that's our day. In the evenings, after I eat my dinner, I usually end up curling up on the sofa. Mama sits there to watch TV or read, and sometimes Papa joins her if he doesn't have too much homework and studying. Depending on when we took our afternoon walk, Papa will take me out to pee before bed, but only if I need it. I don't need it a lot here. I don't really like night-time walk in Raleigh; in Harlem it was so nice to go out one last time and see all the people and all my friends, and there was a lot going on, but in Raleigh it's very dark and quiet. Sometimes I think I see cats and I get all growly and agitated, which isn't very fun. But if I gotta go, I gotta go, and Papa will walk me down the block and across the street to a parking lot where there are lights and trees and I can see where I'm peeing. Then we go home and I curl up again and I sleep. Mama says I snore. Mama is silly.

We do other things, like go to dinner or watch a movie, but that is our regular day, and it is very nice. Lots of naps and treats and belly rubs-- that is all we need!