11 Years Ago Today...

The newborns

Today is the "puppies' " birthday!  They all turn 11 years old today.  It was a bittersweet day.  Celebrating and mourning at the same time.   Joyous that Chance, Blaze, Zappa and Fiona are all with us and mourning the loss of Daddy Dog Brut, Momma Dog Silver and two of the homed puppies that are no longer with us.  I kept thinking about 11 years ago today, they were all here.  All ten puppies, mom and dad.  Seems like such a long time ago, yet I can remember it like it was yesterday.

It was also bittersweet because the four "puppies" are all still with us and made it through a scary year, yet that only means another year closer to the inevitable.  We've had what felt like close calls, yet everyone is healthy and nothing that some adjustments in food and medicine won't fix.

I think about time quite a bit and trying to make every memory last, yet time keeps moving and is short.  I had a little emotional breakdown this evening while playing with the Zappa and Fiona outside...so many things I miss.  Thank goodness for the dogs, they never let me cry without adding a smile to my face, when the tears stop.  Fiona was just all kinds of silly tonight.  Warmed my heart to know we will always have Brut and Silver with us through their kids.

We've been through a lot these past eleven years and I'm so grateful to my husband for his innocence in wanting Silver to have puppies when we first got her.  That brought Brut into the picture and eventually ten healthy, beautiful puppies whom we were to blessed to have four of them to call our own.  Four puppies that are still with us now.  And whom we share our life with.  I couldn't ask for a more blessed beginning to the year.

The Power of Ten