It's almost bath time for the boys so I'll keep it brief: today we adopted a new dog. We've named him Samson, and he's a 6-month-old yellow lab mix who is just the sweetest, most mellow pup you could ask for. He won't replace Aspen—she's irreplaceable—but he'll start to fill in the hole she's left behind her, providing a playmate for Bantry (who has been a little lost without her). Pictures will follow as soon as I recharge the camera battery

Today we said goodbye to Aspen, our beloved Rottweiler. Aspen had been losing weight despite continuing to have a decent appetite, and by process of elimination we determined that she had some form of cancer. What, exactly, we didn't explore—the answer to us is obvious, she's an elderly dog and if we spent the money and energy to treat her, she'd live maybe another year at most, and she'd feel lousy during the treatment anyway. So when we set an appointment with Dr. Tusch for Bessie's Pneumabort, we also requested that he be prepared to euthanize the old girl. We timed it just right—two days ago, it was clear that she was in considerable pain, and only the pain meds we gave her were keeping her going. And today, when we brought her out to the barn, she greeted Dr. Tusch like an old pal—great attitude in that dog!—and lay down contentedly on a blanket to be put out of her pain. We will miss her terribly... but perhaps her spirit will return to us someday in another form. (With luck... in a filly out of Bessie!)

 

I had the luxury of a couple of hours yesterday to go and watch Stevie's training over at Photo Finish Farm. It was only his second time under saddle, and a lot of fun to watch. He was a little leery of the sound the wind made against the ring's plastic sheathing, but beyond that did great. Video will follow as soon as I figure out how to transfer and edit the movies I took!