Sadie entered our life on June 8^th, 1998.  We had gone to PetSmart to pick up dog food for Kayleigh and naturally I sent Ernie to get the dog food while I went to see the dogs from the Humane Society there on weekends.  We had talked about adding a second dog to our home, but were not actively looking.  Then I saw this sweet, black dog staring out at me from behind the grate of the kennel.  She was a golden retriever /lab mix just like our Kayleigh and, just like Kayleigh, she was long furred in gorgeous, sleek black. 

I ran back to the dog food area to tell Ernie he had to drop everything and come see this gorgeous dog!  The volunteer from the Humane Society brought her out to us and she was as sweet as she looked.  She was about a year old and seemed a bit shy, in a ‘I’ve been rejected – will you love me?’ way.  Ernie saw that I was completely taken with her and said I could bring her home as an early 9^th anniversary present. (our anniversary was a month later on July 8^th).  However, we needed to first make sure that Kayleigh was okay with it.  So we went home and I dashed back to PetSmart with Kayleigh. 

The initial meeting between Kayleigh and Sadie was, to say the least, anticlimactic.  They looked at each other, took a few sniffs then proceeded to lie down and ignore each other.   When I mentioned to the humane society volunteer that I was disappointed, as I was expecting more interaction, she explained that the two dogs had figured out who was the lead dog in their first moments and they were content with their positions together.  This was my first introduction to pack dynamics.  It was all I needed to hear to decide that Sadie was a wonderful fit for our family. 

Sadie had become attached to the Humane Society volunteer and was very stressed out when I took her leash to lead her and Kayleigh back to the car.  We arrived home a little while later, walking Sadie around the yard to let her see her new home.  It was a beautiful day with gardening on the agenda.  It would be a good opportunity to be outside with the two dogs.  Sadie was an affectionate dog who was following me all over the yard and house.  I decided to weed the front garden and went into the shed to get out my kneeler.  What happened after that was our first indication that this sweet new dog of ours had not been treated kindly in her previous life.  Sadie saw the white kneeler, her eyes got wide and she bolted to hide behind Ernie.  I immediately put the kneeler back in the shed, but Sadie would not even come near me until much later in the day.   My heart broke for her.  And that pity we felt carried through for years…and did her no favors. 

Though she was an anniversary gift for me, Ernie quickly became Sadie’s human of choice.  They had the special ‘something’ that every dog owner dreams of having with a dog.  Her favorite thing in the whole world was to have ‘chair time’ with Daddy.  Sometimes I would look over and the two of them would be sleeping the deep sleep of contentment, snuggled together, both in their happiest of places. 

Sadie was a leaner.  She would come up to you and very softly start to lean into you, hoping that you would reach down and rub her ear.  Then hold on!  Because once you started to rub her ear, the bliss was written all over her sweet face and she would sigh and put her full 90+ pound of weight onto your leg!  I often told Ernie we should rename her ‘Lena’.

I am forever grateful for my friend Beth Line’s recommendation of Jan Fennell’s book ‘The Dog Listener’.  That book changed how we interacted with our dogs and it changed Sadie’s life.  I discovered that our pity had done nothing but reinforce the insecurities that Sadie came to us with and, after Kayleigh died, Sadie became a reluctant alpha for too many years in our home.  Ever sweet, she carried a watchfulness and uneasiness with her at all times.  When we finally took on the mantel of pack leader, Sadie blossomed into the lovely, calm follower she longed to be.  Her last few years were the happiest of her life.

Sadie lived a full and loved life in our home for exactly ten years and one month.  Except for about three weeks after Kayleigh died, she always lived with another dog.  She and Sonagh were the best of friends and we would often find them curled up together.   When Wally came into our pack last year, Sadie was just turning ten and wasn’t overly interested in playing with the new puppy.  But on occasion, she would enjoy a wee bit of a romp in the back yard or a good bunny chase. 

The week before Sadie died an angel came into her/our life in the form of a foster dog named Murphy. We are convinced he is an angel sent to make our beloved Sadie’s last week here with us happy and carefree.  Because Wally was very occupied playing with Murphy, Sadie was free to play with her pal Sonagh, chew sticks in peace and generally reign as queen of the household, unmolested and unperturbed.  Sadie gave Murphy a very strong ‘Go away kid, you’re bothering me!’ when he first arrived, so I only have this one picture of them together. 

At 6:00 PM on July 8^th our beloved Sadie suffered a massive stroke or heart attack after having a wonderful time playing in the back yard with the other dogs.  With the help of our friend Tom, we rushed her to the vet, but we knew that what ever had happened was massive and final.  There was no real decision to be made as it was evident that she could not recover.  She went peacefully with the kind help of the veterinary staff and Dr. Bey, her paw draped over her best friend Ernie’s arm.

Ironically, I have the last, blissfully happy 30 seconds before she collapsed on video.  It is comforting to know she was having a big time just before this all happened.

I want to share two videos with you.

The first one was from a couple of days before Sadie died…I had forgotten I had it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfLj1m0xmV4

The second was literally less than two minutes before she collapsed.  It is such a huge comfort to us to know she was having such a good time just before she left us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WorulBA5PSo

Sadie slept at my side for almost every word I have written in the last five years.  I would often find myself just staring at her when I would get ‘stuck’.  She always seemed to sense this and either look up or, better yet, come over and put her head on my lap.  Some how, that would get me ‘unstuck’ and I would move forward with whatever I was writing.  My writing continues, but as I look forward to my next big project, there is a deep sadness in my heart that my darling old girl will not be snoring quietly next to me. 

For ten years and one month, we regularly asked ourselves who could ever give up such a wonderful dog.  We will be forever grateful that they did. 

The love and support of our friends, family and the Doodle community has been overwhelming, comforting us beyond words.  To be embraced by those who understand that our dogs are not just pets, but much loved members of our family is to know the true nature of dogs and the humanity they bring to our souls.  Dogs teach us to reach out and give someone a puppy kiss when they are sad.  From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you all for the puppy kisses!

Edie, Ernie, Sonagh, Wally and Murphy

Snuggle Puppy!

Jenni and Sonagh - these two have got some kind of bond going on….

Look how relaxed Sonagh is in this photo; a dog being hugged is not usually relaxed!

It is so lovely to see Jenni starting to live her life again and creating a new normal for her life. She is a remarkable young lady!

Or a mysterious sea creature??

Momma Emily (a.k.a. The Lunch Truck!)

Did someone say “Lunch!” ???

My niece in puppy heaven…

I am hoping this little girl (she is so sweet I have dubbed ‘Dolce’) will go home to my friend Arika. Arika owned Sonagh’s brother Wrigley. Sweet, darling Wrigley had to be put down at Thanksgiving because they could not get his seizures under control. Her four year old son Max really misses and sometimes sits and talks to Wrigley’s picture! This little boy needs a dog!

No, seriously! I want to sleep in the corner this time!!

Pretty cool how I just blend in with the hippo, huh?

Collective Food Coma…

Cool! The Greta babysitter is here! Party!!

One last look at sweet wee Dolce…

And I can’t resist adding a few pictures that Amy sent me the other day:

Wee Dolce coming in for a kiss!

Orange girl

OY!  What a cutie oie!!

Take Me Home Eyes!

Don’t you just want to kiss this little chocolate nose??

Dude!  Go long!!

Side View - Before

Side View - After

Front View - Before

Front View - After

Contrasting with Sonagh - Before

Contrasting with Sonagh - After

Stop with the camera already, Mom!

Seriously! Get that thing out of my face!

Sigh! It is so hard to deal with the Pup-arazzi!

Before

And the handsome boy after! He doesn’t look like a puppy any more!

 Discovering Labradoodles

At a rest stop on the long ride home from Noble Vestal Labradoodles in Noblesville, Indiana. He cried for the first ½ hour or so and then was a perfect angel (naturally!) for the rest of the 12 hour trip!

Loving his new sisters, fully confident that they are as enthusiastic about playing with him as he is about playing with them. (The girls soon disabused him of this rather misguided notion.)

He is, however, completely correct in his assumption that his momma adores him!

His sometimes spooky human eyes…

A dedicated fan of that team that was soooo darn nice and named their mascot after him!

Happy camper hangin’ with his sisters.

They don’t come much cuter, do they?

Discovering Labradoodles

Dog Health Facts 

Today we were working on having our dogs stay, walking away, calling them and then having them sit or lie down half way through the recall. We had playing cards laid out on the floor to give us our targets for the sits and downs. Wally was a champ!!

Then Jeff began scattering the entire deck of cards, face up, all over the training room floor. Gina (Bella’s mom) and I looked at each other, wondering what in the world Jeff could be up to! That is when Jeff announced we were going to play a card game…with our dogs! The first round went like this: Black was a sit and Red was a down. The dog’s butt had to be on the card for it to count as a sit and their front paws or legs had to be on the card to qualify as a down. 30 seconds…GO!! Well, Wally won that round with us holding four cards.

On to round Two! In this round, rules were the same with one twist – their body had to be going in the same direction as the card! One minute…GO!! We won again, this time with six cards!!

Wally, my man! You are a true Card Shark!!!

Yeah, Baby!!

Discovering Labradoodles

In my mind and musings, this begs the question: What is the difference between these AKC breeds and our purpose bred doodles? Time?

The first archaeological evidence of selective breeding occurred around 7,000 BC in early Mesopotamia. The Mesopotamia’s recognized the Arabian Desert wolf as an impressive hunter, since it was lighter and swifter than its relatives. So over time, and with selective breeding, the Mesopotamians developed from this animal the first example of a purebred dog. That dog still exists today and is known as the Saluki or Persian Greyhound.

Now let’s fast forward to the present day, because all you need to do is stroll down any street to see all of the different breeds created to fill a special need for humans.

The Labradoodle, the first dog to be labeled a ‘Designer Dog,’ was developed in the late 1980’s to fill a void in human/dog world, an allergy friendly guide dog.

Their development was not some chic attempt to create a ‘designer dog.’ They were developed as a specialized service dog, because that type of dog didn’t currently exist. The development of the Labradoodle, and later the Goldendoodle (a golden retriever /poodle hybrid), allowed people needing a service dog, but who suffered from dog allergies, to finally get the help they needed to make life more manageable.

Like the breeds showcased at Westminster, only a few of our doodles do the work for which they were originally developed. Most are loving, allergy friendly companion dogs, not active service dogs. But wait! Wasn’t the development of an allergy friendly companion dog also one of the original goals?

In our modern, sometimes disconnected, society more and more people are turning to their dogs to fill an emotional gap in their life. Some of those dogs, in particular the doodles, have been specifically bred to fill yet another human need, that of companionship.

And isn’t molding dogs to fulfill a human need what man has been doing for thousands of years?

Here is my crew – Best in Show, each one of them!! (Okay, so it is only my show, but I still think they are the best!)

Discovering Labradoodles