Raven’s spay/dental went well and she came home yesterday afternoon. Aside from a little loose poop this morning, she seems to be feeling fairly well, though she’s much more subdued than normal. She DOES want to eat – that’s always a good thing. She’s not happy that she’s spending time on leash in the house, but I’m afraid she’ll try to jump up on something if I let her loose. And she’s not at ALL happy about the stockinette they put on her to keep her from messing with the incision. She’s already been nibbling on one of the “armholes”, so she may end up in a cone before long.

She probably won’t be happy about that either.

Here’s a cute picture I took of her the day before she was spayed – it will be a while before the long hair they shaved grows back!

I have to admit, I was disappointed this past weekend that Bryce and I didn’t make more progress in our Regular or Chances classes. This prompted comments from people about how fortunate I was just to be still running with Bryce.

Don’t get me wrong – I know that it is a blessing and am very thankful for each and every opportunity I have to run with him. Heck – I count myself lucky each morning that I wake up and am greeted by his wagging tail and smiling face!

So why do I still care about goals?

I don’t trial as often as many people, so while my dogs may have the potential and the training to finish advanced titles and championships, they don’t do so at an early age.

Bryce was stricken with cancer at the very peak of his career. A lot of things were right within our reach, then the rug was pulled out from underneath our feet. We were robbed. We were cheated. We worked hard for years and years and now Big Bad Cancer was trying to take it all away from my little boy.

Each time we run, each time we qualify, each time we get a title, it’s one more thing that bastard cancer hasn’t managed to take from us.

Stubborn ass that I am, I just don’t want to let the bastard win!

Today is Jayda’s 5th birthday! How time flies – it seems just yesterday she was a little … well, not that Jayda was ever really “little” (she was a huge singleton who had to be surgically extracted), but you know what I mean…

Here’s how she looked when I first met her:

Jayda has come a long way in the last couple of years, especially in agility – from a dog who used to leave the ring and hide in tunnels, to a becoming very consistent all-around agility partner with an impressive Q rate.

Jay, if there was one thing I wish I could give you for your birthday it would be a big dose of self confidence! You’re beautiful, you’re smart, you’re funny, you’re sweet and you’re so very talented. In short, you’re WONDERFUL! I absolutely adore you, and will never give up on trying to convince you to believe in yourself as much as I believe in you!

Happy Birthday, my big, beautiful girl!

Today is Bryce’s 10 1/2 birthday. I usually don’t commemorate half birthdays until my dogs are 12 or 13, but under the circumstances I felt it was appropriate to mark the occasion.

Today is also day #9 for Bryce on chemo, and so far so good. His first bloodwork is scheduled for Wednesday. I won’t breathe easy until after the bloodwork comes back … maybe not until his dosage gets reduced … but things seem to be going well with (knock on wood) no apparent side effects so far! When I last spoke to his oncologist she told me that if they’re going to have reactions to the drug it “usually shows up before this” – that was Thursday.

When I started the chemo “not making him sick” was my first concern, but “having it do some good” was of course a close second, and it will be at least Thursday before we know that. Keep the good thoughts coming!

The other cause for celebration? Friday was the one year anniversary of the day Raven came to live with us! And even if I’d known about all the other things that were to throw my life for a loop last year, I’d do it all over again. She’s a delightful little munchkin and we all adore her !