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I made a video of Jackson being silly
February 21st, 2010
These souls we love
September 17th, 2009
Last night was a rough one chez Swenson-Tiano. You probably know that Sandra’s been in Edmonton for a few weeks taking care of her family after her mom’s knee surgery, so the boys and I are home alone, living the oh-so-exciting single life. We found a great dog walker to take them for runs in the afternoon, so I’ve been working as usual, getting home between 6 and 6:30 most nights to spend the evening with Cooper and Jackson.
When I got home last night, I thought everything was fine. Cooper and Jackson were both ecstatic to see me, doing little dances around the living room. And, they both enthusiastically devoured dinner, then a post-dinner dessert of frozen organic yogurt. (Lucky dogs, eh?)
Around 8, I noticed that Cooper was acting weird; just sitting in the backyard and staring at me. Sitting. Not laying. Not playing. Not walking around. I tried to call him in, and he still didn’t move. I brought out a dog treat and held it a foot in front of his face and he didn’t move. When I jumped down into the yard (we have no back steps), he came right over and jumped into the house, so I didn’t think much of it.
Until an hour later.
In the middle of the living room, he was just sitting. In the middle. Not doing anything else. Not following me, as usual, when I went to the kitchen for some ice cream. I started to worry.
A little later, he was standing with his tail between his legs and crying softly and I knew we had to rush to the vet. Did he eat something? Was he sick? What happened???
We drove downtown, Cooper on the passenger seat just crying next to me. We waited. And waited. And waited. And then waited some more for xrays to come back. And thankfully, everything looked ok. Thankfully, everything looked like maybe he just felt a little sick from something he picked up in the park.
After the vet reassured me that the xrays would have shown serious problems or Cooper would be vomiting or worse, we went back home and I tried to sleep.
This thing about love is hard. I tend to forget that, inevitably, Cooper and Jackson will get old, will get sick, and will leave me. And so it is with every soul that I love. My family, my friends, these beloved hundred pound drool monsters…. everyone. I tend to forget the natural impending loss that will happen at one point or another. And how much that’s going to hurt. And maybe I also tend to forget to be thankful for the brief time we all have together.
I’m reminded sometimes that love is both a blessing and a curse. It’s so great to care that much, and feel that joy. But it’s always tempered with more than a little fear of loss.
Last night, I lay in bed, Cooper stretched out next to me, worn out from being sick, from being stressed, and from his late-night adventure. And I felt like we dodged a big bullet. He’s two and a half. He’s just a kid, really. But last night, maybe for the first time, I realized that no matter what, some day, I’m going to lose him.
And I’ll never be ready.
Dog Day at the Blue Jays Game
July 26th, 2009
I wasn’t sure what to think about this special event when I found it on the Blue Jays’ website. “Dog Day”? Really? My first thought was that it was bound to be a disaster, what with all the… well… baseballs… flying around. But how could we pass up the opportunity to spend the afternoon at the Rogers Center, watching a game, with Cooper and Jackson and a hotdog or three?
We got up early and spent an hour or so at the dog park near our house, throwing tennis balls, running around. The key to properly behaved labs is exhaustion. (This is an invaluable lesson for all you dog owners. Want your dog to walk nicely on a loose leash? Wear ‘em out first, and they’re so much more likely to listen!) Our original plan had been to walk to the Rogers Center; about an hour from home. With the rain blowing in, we decided to drive and parked in a lot I knew a 10 minute walk from the park.
The directions had been vague; come to Gate 1 prior to 11:30 for a “dog parade”. So, we lined up with everyone else, and soon had four tickets; two for us, two for the dogs, and headed in to the 100 level outfield seats. Inside the dome, they’d set up ‘relief stations’, complete with grass and fire hydrants. Several groups had booths and promotions going on, from first aid info to radio shows, to pooper-scooper services.
The dog area stretched roughly from section 100 to section 106, and was gated off from the rest of the public. Tickets were spread out a bit, giving each group generally one to two extra seats to allow more room between the dogs. Still, we heard that over 300 dogs were at the game!
At noon, the parade started, with owners leading their dogs around a section of the outfield. Naturally, there were more than a few accidents, but our dogs did us proud in every possible way.
Back at the seats, we settled in, and split a hot dog for everyone and a couple of beers for Sandra and I. I can’t say we really watched much of the game compared to a normal day out, but it was still really fun, and I saw several of the runs. Cooper spent much of the actual game on one of our laps, or on his own seat. Rather hilarious to see a nearly 100 pound dog trying to be a lap dog like the little Bichon behind us! Jackson settled down and slept on the floor beneath my legs.
So, it was a great day all in all. We’re all exhausted now! Will we be going to next year’s Dog Day? I think so!