My "Comfort Dog"

We are friends with this dear family. They have three children, one of which is a five-year old daughter. Quite the character this little girl is.... And I appreciate everything about her!! She's fun, thoughtful, childish, plus grown-up all in one!! This little girl's favorite playtime activity is doctor. Interesting. That was always one of my favorite playtime activities, as well. But only because I loved Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and admired our Pediatrician!! Seriously!! So whenever these dear friends visit, this little girl asks to play doctor. We each trade off being physician or patient. When I play the ill one, she has me lean against my bed frame in her "hospital room".... With Rose by my side!! Sweet....Then this little girl calls Rose my "Comfort Dog"--which really means Therapy Dog--and acts as though the mongrel is visiting me!! Cute.... Lately, Rose's fictional "character" has become reality, as I continue to heal from my leg/foot injuries!! There will be absolutely no more walks until I am well enough. Sigh.... I miss them already!! But my "Lazy Bones" Rose is not complaining!! We have lived the life of Reilly, as they say!! Who can complain about that? Every morning, we sit/lie upon "our" unmade bed. I rest and ice my foot, which is less swollen than it was three days ago. Yes!! I stroke her velvet-soft fur, while she, of course sleeps!! I read books--aloud--to an uninterested Rose. Well, I whisper the words, at least!! But she literally dreams through my story time!! And I listen to Christmas music. Why not? Twain local radio stations have been playing Christmas music.... All month long!! Come evening, we repeat!! While Rose just contentedly lies at my side!! Except for yesterday morning. There was a rare near-Winter sunshine. Its beams were pouring through our living room window. Ahhhh, Solar heat.... Rose stood up and left "our" bed. She headed toward the living room!! I hobbled behind her. She then collapsed happily in the sunshine!! I followed suit. My bedroom was cold, anyway, because I had not turned on our heater!! Wow, what a difference the sunbeams made!! Within seconds, I was no longer cold!! Rose knew exactly where the best place was!! Perfect!! Together we soaked up the sunshine's warm, welcoming beams, while I read aloud. What a wonderful "Comfort Dog" I own!!

Special Blog Post

Good day, Readers!!

As you may already know, commenting on this blog has recently grown difficult to partake in!! It was not always that way. I have been writing on Endless Possibilities for about a year now. To begin with, anyone could comment!! Then, somehow, that changed. Nobody could comment. I became frustrated and annoyed about this concept. At first. Then I asked myself why is it that I am writing Endless Possibilities? I can just shut this blog down, if all I care about are people's inputs!! Right? But obviously, I have not done that!! So why? Twain reasons:

1. I love to write. Endless Possibilities is an incredible outlet for expressing myself via words.

And....

2. This is a journal of the sorts. About Rose. My beautifully unique Beagle/German Shepherd mix, who I very well know will outlive me. Someday, I'll have this blog to reflect upon as I grieve her inevitable passing!! Our good times, plus our bad times. Is that such a negative thing? I do not think so!! Memories can be healing!!

Now, we have changed the way comments get sent!! It will no longer be difficult!! So feel free and share your comments with me....

My Perfect Walker

I must be growing clumsier with age. Seriously. I have always been somewhat of a klutzy person, with more falls and injuries than anyone can even count. I've dislocated my knee. Sprained both ankles. Stabbed my thumb while carving a jack 'o lantern. At age fourteen. And I have the scar to prove it!! Still!! I have knocked my two front teeth out as a toddler. The list is lengthy.... And it's only by some miracle that I have never broken any bones!! Yet. Yesterday, while breaking an injury "world record", even for me, a leg fracture was my darkest fret. I fell twice in three days' time. That is the "world record" part. Twice in one week. I have never experienced that before.... I was running through our muddy backyard when my second fall happened. Daft, I know. I slipped and twisted the bottom half of my right leg. Felt something pop. Then I panicked. Something popped!! I thought. Something popped!! Then, I mentally told myself: Just stand up. I did.... I could bare my weight.... Hardly. I am someone who tolerates pain, but the leg throbbed!! "Walk it off, walk it off, walk it off", I coached myself. However, with each step I took, the pain intensified. Time for an adrenaline rush!! I walked inside, found some frozen broccoli, plopped myself upon a chair, and "iced" my ankle. Then, as soon as my fear melted away, I inspected the injury. Minimum swelling!! Zero bones poking out!! Yes!! But, alas, my injury was still present. The foot/leg does hurt. Now I have my ankle wrapped, am taking potent pain-killers and walk like an elderly man with a cane. Sigh.... But no broken bones, thankfully!! Meanwhile, Rose has instantaneously figured out that her Mama is not one hundred percent. Canines have an incredible way of sensing such things!! When we go on our walks, I hobbling behind, she does not run up our front yard toward home like usual. No. She just walks slowly. My sweet girl!! Rose has always been a wonderful walker. She doesn't pull, lunge, or run as my right arm is connected to our red leash. Not even after cats and squirrels!! My mongrel walks at a leisurely pace, stopping to smell bushes or fence posts along the way. Typical. She is a hound, after all.... Plus, Rose sniffs the air. Yes, the air!! She leans her head back and takes in aromas my own nose cannot detect. I walk Rose down our cul-de-sac, which takes about ten, to fifteen minutes. But it really depends on how many distractions we encounter!! I walk at her pace. Unless we are in a hurry, that is!! Then, she is not even allowed to sniff out bushes!! Lately, she has patiently walked at my pace!! Halfway, because it is shorter. We must look like quite a sight to witness, Rose in front, and myself lagging closely behind!!

Sporadic Accidents

Sometimes, these things just happen. Quite unexpectedly. One second life is good, and the next, I find myself cleaning up a yellow urine spot!! On "our" mattress!! Whenever these accidents--which are sporadic--occur, I attempt to figure out why. Was Rose spooked by something? Did she need outside, but "asked" nobody to take her? Is there a medical issue behind this? Then I use my head and flip through veterinary books, or search the internet. And I find zero reasons to visit our doctor!! Every time. One night, Rose was being strange. This is never a good thing!! Rose was not playful. She refused attention. "What's wrong, Rose?" I continuously asked her. "What's the matter with you?" Our skies were dark, as night had befallen. But she did not want outside, either!! "Go to bed, Rose." I encouraged cheerfully. "Go to bed." I gestured toward "our" unmade mattress, with sheet coverings and blankets thrown about. Rose would not even enter the bedroom. Oh no!! I understood now. Rose had an accident.... On my bed!! I inspected it. Sure enough. Upon the foot of "our" bed, was this small damp spot. Great.... My heart raced. I always feel an adrenaline rush whenever Rose is bad!! I looked at the sorry expression upon her face. I scowled at my naughty girl. What else was there to do? Immediately, I stripped my bed of its sheet and mattress cover. Threw them in the laundry "room". We will wash my bedding tomorrow. Next, I found some lavender/vanilla scented air freshener spray. I love the sweet smells of lavender and vanilla!! I sprayed my bare mattress. Inhaled. Exhaled. Ahhhh.... Now my bedroom smelled good!! I looked at the mattress. Zero visible stains!! Yes!! Her urine did not even touch my mattress!! Next came forgiveness. While my mattress dried, I knelt down next to Rose. Stroked her velvet-soft fur. And suddenly, I could feel my heart break. "Why, Rose?" I wished to ask. "Why?" And she glanced up at me with loving brown eyes.

I Learned Something New!!

Four days ago, on a whim, I Googled "Mixed Breed Dog Blogs". I was hoping to find some places with people like me, who own and love mongrels. I discovered one suitable blog, written by this Dog Behavior Psychologist. She resides in England. This blog author owns twain dogs, one of which is a mixed breed!! I was thrilled!! And, although I am not sure exactly how a Dog Behavior Psychologist works, her blog is highly educational!! I read this today:

"What lies beneath ~ DNA breed testing for mixed breed dogs"

If you own a ‘Heinz’ or a ‘Bitsa’ of unknown ancestry, I expect that like me you’ve spent many hours wondering what breeds your dog is made of. (Rose!! Does this sound familiar? I thumbed through breed identification books. Asked around: "What do you think she is?". Guessed wrongly.... Twice. And it all came down to what nearly everyone said: "Beagle. And I see some German Shepherd.") Tilly was described as a Labrador-cross by LRRSE who rescued her from Ireland. As she’s entirely black, this was an obvious assumption. Certain aspects of her behaviour are good indicators that the ‘cross’ part of her make-up is largely terrier, but for some time now, the Labrador part I have had my doubts about. I did a communication for a client dog earlier this year. He looks exactly like a black Labrador, however, the first thing that he said to me in a rather insistent tone was, “Everybody thinks that I’m a Labrador, but I’m not.” This is precisely the kind of information that requires me to put aside any preconceptions that I may hold about an animal, trust that what the animal is telling me is true, and faithfully relay the information to the animal’s owner no matter how inaccurate it may seem at face-value and regardless of how rubbish an Animal Communicator the owner might think I am. On learning that her dog had told me that he wasn’t a Labrador, she got him DNA breed tested. The result was that he has zero Labrador in his make-up. (Sort of like Rose having zero traces of Blue Heeler or Italian Greyhound within her?) What a result for Animal Communication too! For a couple of months, I considered whether or not to get Tilly DNA breed tested. The test from Wisdom Panel http://www.wisdompanel.co.uk/ isn’t cheap at £59.99, but eventually, curiosity got the better of me. I bought the cheek swab kit, and following the instructions to the letter collected the required cheek cell samples from a rather bemused Tilly before her breakfast one morning, and then sent the swabs off to the lab to be tested. That was three weeks ago, and today, I got the results! Tilly is ½ Jack Russell Terrier, ¼ Collie, and ¼ - who knows - but definitely not Labrador. For the 'mix' part, Wisdom Panel identified the 5 next best breed matches that appeared in the analysis of Tilly's DNA, with one or more of these breeds being possible contributors to the genetic make-up of her mixed breed ancestors. Listed by the relative strength of each result those breeds are Border terrier, Lakeland terrier, Soft Coated Wheaten terrier, Dogue de Bordeaux and Dandy Dinmont terrier.

Interesting, huh? I thought so!! And, chances are, I cannot afford any DNA breed testing on Rose!! Provided that America even practices such a thing!! Not that I am complaining. Seriously. I'm not. I love my Beagle/German Shepherd mix!!

Daylight Saving Time

Why must time change every Autumn and Spring? Honestly.... This only messes with our heads and moods. Makes us tired. Produces cranky attitudes. Why cannot time remain consistent all year around? Wouldn't that be simpler? Yet, each year we "Spring Forward", only to "Fall Back" again!! This can become so confusing!! Even to canines. We own an Audubon Society singing bird clock. It hangs on our great room wall. Every hour there is a different bird sound. I feed Rose at 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM daily. An Eastern Bluebird sings for her morning meal. A Purple Martin chirps at 2:00. And my bright girl recognizes both of those birds!! Seriously!! When Rose's floppy ears hear the Eastern Bluebird, they perk, her head sometimes cocks from side to side, and she performs an adorable "dance"!! 2:00.... Same ritual. Occasionally at night she will hear the Eastern Bluebird tweet. Then Rose stands up, and does her "dance".... Ready for food!! But it is dark outside!! I cannot feed her now!! As if she knows that!! Or even cares!! The Eastern Bluebird sung.... It must be time to eat!! So I allow Rose a baby carrot, instead!! That is the best I can do. It's always well received, of course!! She is, after all, a Beagle mix!! Anything will suffice. As long as food is concerned!! I never encourage Rose's late-night snack. She ingests countless baby carrots a day!! Most times, at 8:00 PM, Rose is sound asleep on "our" bed, dreaming. My mongrel never hears the Eastern Bluebird then!! So.... No baby carrots!! The other night, on Saturday, we were running through our house turning back time.... I wish!! There is a clock in nearly every room of this house--plus our electronics--more than I can count!! Anyway. When our bird clock needs changed, we have to play every single call, one by one, until its time is right. I sat on my bed, stroking Rose's velvet-soft fur. We listened to each bird. Rose's head cocked with every single one, a curiosity strong in her eyes. Then the Purple Martin chirped!! At 11:00 PM!! She cocked her head, jumped off my bed, and performed that little "dance"!! "Do you want a treat?" I asked. (More "dancing" from Rose!!) "Alright." I smiled. "OK. Let's go...."

Evidence

Some houses try to hide the fact that children shelter there,
Ours boasts of it quite openly, the signs are everywhere,
For smears are on the windows, little smudges on the door,
I should apologize I guess for toys strewn on the floor,
But I sat down with the children and we played and laughed and read,
And if the windows do not shine, their eyes will shine instead,
And when at times I'm forced to choose the one job or the other,
I want to be a housewife, but first I'll be a Mother.

I found this poem on the page of our dear friend's blog. What beautiful words!! It is uncertain whether she wrote it or not, but I instantaneously appreciated the poetess's strong message of motherhood. So powerful. So moving.... And I feel the exact same way. With Rose!! Not to take away any meaning behind this poem's words. Our sweet friend is in a much different season than I am. She's married. I am single. She has borne six wonderful children. I have zero offspring. Nonetheless, Rose is the closest thing that I will ever get to having a daughter right now. Strange as this may sound. Even though she is an animal, not a human being!! But I have to seek contentment somewhere.... Enter my bedroom and you will immediately take notice: It's obvious that I own a canine!! The evidence is all around!! I do not hide it. But, rather, proudly display the proof. Upon my shelf are diverse dog books. Fifteen, thus far. Three breed specific books. One local hiking guide. Three training/activity manuals. Two books about mutts. Four guides which contain medical issues. A manual about living with older canines. Plus one dog biscuit cookbook. And this "library" is ever-expanding itself!! That's right. Hung on the left side of my dresser is an adorable Disney Store plastic Mickey Mouse bag. Its background has fun comics all over. Inside is where I keep recycled plastic newspaper bags for cleaning up after Rose. Several of them. For they arrive daily, after all!! Hung on the right side of my dresser is a floral-print backpack. I purchased it during those "dreaded" Back-To-School sales. Rose and I use this backpack while hiking together. Inside is a vacant canteen for my girl's drinking water and recycled newspaper bags. Yep. Just the basics!! Although my backpack could also use some hand sanitizer!! Plus a First-Aid kit. In front of my bookshelf is Rose's reversible dog pillow. Alongside that, lies her red "emergency" leash. It is lengthy and easily links to Rose's collar while in a hurry.... Perfect!! This leash has come handy on several occasions, none of which were for any emergencies!! Then there are the toys. Usually Rose's plush Garfield, long-bodied "Mutt" and home-made "sock" are kept in our great room. That is where they live. But occasionally Rose's toys wind up in my bedroom!! Or wrapped up in "our" blankets. Ah, evidence. Sweet proof that Rose shares my existence. I wouldn't have it any other way....