Category: Labradoodle

first animal day of 2025

whbeebe
Zoë claiming a new box

I’m making some changes for 2025 with regards to reporting about my menagerie of animals. I’ve always had a mix of cats and dogs, and before the cats, it was two (and rarely, three) dogs in this household. So instead of writing about caturdays, I’m now just calling it an animal day, and writing about every little creature that has a story to tell for that particular day. In this case, it’s Zoë and Annie.

Zoë decided to claim yet another cardboard box as her own. I’m always dropping empty boxes on the floor for the cats to explore and play in, and almost always it’s Zoë who leaps in (yes, leaps) and starts to make a racket playing in “her” box. That, of course, is a siren call to all the other cats within earshot, and they come over to watch Zoë or, in the case of Danï, drive her out for their own amusement. Never a dull moment with cardboard boxes in this household.

“Hey…”

Annie and I chauffeured mom to an orthopedic clinic on Friday. We waited in the car (they don’t allow Doodles in the premises). After a time I began to sense someone looking at me. I turned around to look and sure enough Annie was giving me that side-eyed look. After a few moments of silent communication, dumb dad finally figured out she needed to go outside of the car and do her business. So we both got out and walked around a bit, during which she sniffed and tinkled in a few spots to leave her calling card. After a time we moseyed on back to the car to climb back in and continued to wait. Eventually mom exited the facility and we all drove home to lunch. Annie loves going on car rides with her people, even if she sits and waits in the car when we stop at places. She knows she’ll eventually get to check out the surroundings.

a new era with annie

whbeebe
Annie car ride

It’s been six weeks since we said our goodbyes to Ruby. Since then I’ve been working consistently, and sometimes intensely, with Annie, working with, and just being with her. I’ve been working with Annie since the very first moment I came home from the vets.

The first week Ruby was gone Annie missed her companion intensely. It motivated us to consider getting Annie another companion. But we couldn’t seem to find the right one, and Annie was beginning to respond to my attentions. So we made the decision to put off getting a second dog, just to see how Annie would continue to respond. That turned out to be a good decision on several fronts, the first being that Annie loves being the center of attention now. Where-ever I go I try to take Annie with me, and that’s especially true if the two of us need to go out on errands. The weather is cool enough that I can crack the windows and Annie will stay cool in the car if I have to run inside a store. I don’t stay long at all. If the two of us are out, then one of us stays in the car with Annie. Annie loves her car rides with her people.

The second reason not getting a new dog was a good decision is that my wife wound up in the hospital again for about a week. If we’d gotten a new dog, or especially a new pup, I don’t know how I could have handled everything happening all at the same time.

At this point in time Annie is my biggest fan, and I’m her’s. We do multiple walks per day, and when I go outside to work she’s with me, watching and just enjoying being with me. Of course, I enjoy her company just as much.

I don’t know if we’ll get a new companion for Annie or not. Frankly it’s good not to have to worry about an animal in decline the way Ruby was towards the end. Annie is a sweet and joy-filled little girl, and I’m so glad we have her at this point in time.