I am feeding Diamond Naturals, and was worried I wouldn't be able to get it. I got five bags Monday. That may sound like I am stocking up, but I usually by 7-10 bags at a time, as I currently have a dozen GSDs that all like to eat every day. I looked at the new recall to see if it is on there and it isn't.

Thank you, yes, things have been crazy. I have had some wonderful dogs. Jenna almost made it to 13, Babsy almost 14, Heidi and Bear over 13. And Odessa was 14. I lost most of the others between 10 and 12, except I lost Mufasa at 2.5 and when I lost Quinnie at 3.5 from the oral cancer, right before Babsy in that terrible year where I lost Jenna, Milla, Ninja, and rehomed Lassie. I suppose when you have a bunch of dogs you'll go through periods of extended grief.

But having dogs is so much more than losing them. The reason it hurts so much to lose them is because having them is such a (there is not one word, maybe awesome, wonderful, and fullfilling and that doesn't sum it up) experience. I can't let the pain of loss trump the beauty of their lives.

I love having them, but right now, I love what they do for other people. I have a puppy out there that has been trained to alert if the child with CF has a breathing issue in the night. Another dog I rehomed at three was the reason her teenager didn't succomb to depression, she said she did not want to leave Nikki behind. I got a boy out there pulling the pants off of bad guys and biting them and getting drugs off the streets. I have so many stories, Bullet, let's talk about Bullet, he was ten months old and got an injury at my house where there were tendons showing. I rushed him to the vet and for a week, I had him rebandaged there daily. Then he started going for the bandage, and I went two hours away to have him bandaged at the ER that was open. That was near my friend's house and she told me to bring him there. I did. She could take care of him during the day and take him every other day to get re-bandaged. They thought he might lose the leg. But an elderly retired couple told her they would take him and that dog has his leg and you would never know that he had that injury. He alerted in the night when the fellow had a heart attack and they say he saved his life.

I have a lady out there, the only littermates I homed together and not at the same time. She has Ozzie and Otis, but calls the Tyson and Zeus. I have watched them grow up with her son through pictures and videos over Facebook. Another lady who had two of my dogs, keeps Columbo for me sometimes and now she has another of my dogs. They send me pictures and videos of the dogs. I have made such good friends through the dogs.

Columbo. Columbo wins friends and influences people wherever he goes. My mom says that if I die, he can come live there. Teresa jokes that she has to kill me and my mom to get him. LOL. Elise would take him in a heartbeat. Lou's wife said she'd keep him. I have to share him. Now Teresa says I have to share Eowyn because she has stolen her heart. When I was worried about my pancreas, I told her that she has to take Eowyn because she might not fare well in a shelter, not everyone would take on a dog with one eye. She said that dog isn't going anywhere, she'd rehome Gilly (her pup out of Kaiah) before letting her go. Teresa will take care of finding my remaining dogs homes if I die, and that was set up a couple of years ago.

Right now I have mostly pairs:
Hepzibah (11.5) is in with Eowyn (1) when she is home.
Karma (10.8) is in with her daughter, Vera (4)
Tinuviel (5.8) is in with her pups, Yakira, Yuki, and Yona (Currently Teresa has Yuki and Yona) Yuki has a home come December.
Uzi (5) is in with Columbo (3) -- Uzi is timid. She has Babsy eyes. I love her, but wouldn't breed her. I got her spayed so Columbo can be with her.
Kaiah (5) is in with her daughter, Xara (1).

Dogs aren't my whole life, but they make my life whole.

This morning I let Yakira run with Columbo, Uzi, Karma, Vera, and Hepzibah. I let her play with the big dogs. I put everyone back where they are supposed to be, and went into the house and leaned over the x-pen and rubbed her all over. I told her she is worth a million bucks. But I lied. They are all worth a hundred million.