Life with the four-leggeds

For as long as I can remember, dogs have been a part of my life.  My parents had an amazing German Shepherd before I was born.  Years later we got a German Longhaired Pointer named Jenna.  She was a bit of a crazy pup, had loads of energy but she was a big love bug.  Much to my discontent, my parents decided to re-home her with family friends, as she was not well suited for the city lifestyle; she spent the rest of her days living happily on over 100 acres, lakeside, in a more remote part of our province.  

It didn't take long before we welcomed another pup to the family.  Fibs was our first miniature schnauzer.  Having a small dog was a first for our little family, but not the last.  In fact, when Fibs was 5 or 6 years old we decided to get a female miniature schnauzer.  Xena was a spitfire and definitely brought the puppy energy back out of Fibs.  To this day I attribute my love for this breed to these two pups.
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​When I moved away to begin teaching, not having a dog around was quite the adjustment.  The new career, moving to a new city and living on my own for the first time definitely didn't leave time to add a fur-ball to the mix, but alas, a mystery cat named Misty joined my small little home. Cats are in a league of their own, but Misty quickly made herself a home in my bungalow. It was during this time I was also volunteering as a dog walker with our local SPCA.  I loved going to our local shelter and taking the dogs for a walk around the block, although it felt more like the dogs were walking me at times, especially during the dead of winter and icy streets.  

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Had it not been for my time with SPCA, I'd have never adopted my first dog, Buster!  Buster the Beagle was my best friend, my sidekick and he had such a gentle soul.  He was stubborn and challenged me to get him through his separation anxiety.  But he taught me so much more about the meaning of life, happiness, forgiveness and just enjoying the simple things in life.  He came into my life when I most needed him and we went through countless adventures together, including 3 moves.  When it was his time to cross the rainbow bridge, my heart shattered into a million pieces.  It was difficult to comprehend just why he left me, but his time had come to live to be free and wild, chasing rabbits and who knows what else.

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I'm a strong believer that everything happens for a reason and that the universe sends us signs all the time.  Fast forward 6 months later, I had a dream of Buster playing with Xena and somehow that evening came across a Kijiji listing of the cutest little schnoodle puppy, now known as my little Tikah.  She sure has been a blessing in my life and I am grateful to have jumped on the chance to bring her home in 2014. Over the past 6 years, Tikah and I have made sure to continue those traditions that Buster and I had started - beach days, hiking up mountains, road trips, park trips and a lot of couch snuggles.  She makes the best adventure buddy and Buster's spirit surely lives on in Tikah.

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But why have 1 adventure buddy, when you can have two?  Loki is the newest addition and we couldn't be happier.  It didn't take long for Tikah to accept him into our pack, although she was a little hesitant for the first couple of days. These two spend their days wrestling fiercely, stealing each other's toys and sometimes even sleeping snuggled up side by side.  There are times I've most certainly forgotten what it's like having a puppy around, especially when the little monster leaves me a little puddle on the living room floor or when he thinks anything and everything is a chew toy.  The last month has felt like a rollercoaster of a ride, but I wouldn't turn back the clock and I'm excited to see what this new phase of life brings.  

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Our special friends
A blog post about the fur-balls wouldn't be complete if some of our special four-legged friends didn't make an appearance.