Tag Archives: dogs

Fight like a GIRL

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I want to take a step back and talk about two of my friends who are facing some tough challenges right now.

First up is my lovely Afro gal pal, Kaitee. A few months ago, after suffering extreme exhaustion, difficulty breathing, and finding a lump on her neck, she decided to go to the doctor – a challenging thing to do when one doesn’t have health insurance. It’s a good thing she spent the money to do so, as she was diagnosed with Stage II Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. While – thankfully – treatable, it costs a lot – financially, emotionally, and physically. A working mom, Kaitee has had to quit her job indefinitely, while her fiance works as much extra as possible to take care of her and the family. I’m happy to say she’s destroying this cancer like the bad ass that she is, but she’s still got a way to go. She’s one of the hardest working, kindest people I know, am I’m glad to have been able to call her my friend for the past ten years! Here’s the link to Kaitee’s gofundme, started by our friend, Lindsey, and where she is SO CLOSE to the goal! Let’s get her there!

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No one sparkles quite like Kaitee!

Next is my and Rosie’s Boston buddy, Tammy. Rosie and Tammy’s Boston, Coach, have been Instagram friends for a couple of years now, and you might recall that I got to meet both Tammy and Coach in March at the dog beach meet-up in California. Immediately, Tammy embraced me as a member of their tribe, trying to convince us to move to California. I couldn’t have felt more welcome, and can’t wait to take Rosie to a meet-up! Not long after that trip, Tammy found out that she had Stage 4 Ovarian and Lung cancer. She, like, Kaitee, is a total warrior, and is kicking cancer’s ass! But, also like Kaitee, she has had to leave her job in order to fight the good fight. She and her friends have rallied to start BAM for TAM, a group effort to get her where she needs to go, the supplies she needs, and all of our support. Coach, Rosie, and my mom, who is a Scentsy rep, have teamed up and formed TEAM BAM FOR TAM, a fundraiser where all commissions from their Scentsy sales go directly to Tammy and her family. We’re about to start another one, with a custom Tammy and Coach warmer! Here’s the current link to TEAM BAM, but since Facebook only lets one hold events for two weeks at a time, we’ll be creating the new event page this weekend. I will update as soon as it’s live!

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Coach & Tammy, cruising Cali on their bike!

 

Boston Beach Party

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Friends and family asked me if I saw any celebrities in California, and my response was, “yes, the four-legged kind!” Rosie’s Instagram friends are pretty much legendary.

I met up with Jamie, whose pups are Peanut Girlfriday and Butters, and with her was also  Cricket Outlaw Moonshadow, who she was taking care of for the day. When we got to the beach, Coach was holding court, running around and keeping all of the Barktechtives in line. It was so nice to meet Jamie, Tammy, Lisa, and all of Rosie’s friends! Because it was Zoie’s birthday the following week, her momager brought treats for all the dogs, and was kind enough to send one home with me for Ro. It was an all-dog meet-up, but the Bostons definitely outnumbered all the others – about a dozen of them! I Facetimed with Rosie, so she could “attend” the meet-up, too, but she was unimpressed, having been awakened from her afternoon nap. I also Facetimed with Nicole and Travis, so that Lucille and Kumba could take part, as well. It was such a fun afternoon-I’ll let the photos speak for themselves!

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Cricket, Peanut, & Butters

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Hi, Coach!

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Peanut and Butters having a drink

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Happy Birthday, Zoie!

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Ziggie & her momager

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Chunk of nocluelulu putting on his speedo

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Coach is ready for his close-up

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Boston moms unite! (s/o to Tiger’s Den Vintage for my Member’s Only jacket!)

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Jamie & sweet Peanut

So, Jamie is pretty much the best. We went to lunch after the meet-up and I, overwhelmed by so many amazing Bostons, lost my mind and managed to lock my keys in my car. She stayed with me the whole time while we waited for the company to send someone over to unlock it. I can’t wait to see her again and hit up Disneyland for some Dole Whip!

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Barktechtives group photo

Look at all of those beautiful squishy faces! We really are a cult of Boston Terrier owners who just want to hang out together and talk about our dogs – and it’s so much fun! These fur babies are so amazing – they do SUP, surf, ride in motorcycles, are detectives, and all-around sweethearts. Everyone was so welcoming (and tried to convince Rosie and I to move out there!), and I’d love to visit again this summer with Rosie, who, by the way, is also a member of Barktechtives! Newport Dog Beach is really great, and everyone has been working really hard to save it from becoming just another beach. You can help by signing the petition here!

So, did I convince you to get a Boston yet? 😉

Church Shoes

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It’s been a whirlwind of a year since my last post in March, with an abundance of change. As the dust has finally (finally!) settled, I can now get back to posting about our adventures!

Rosie and I have had to endure a great amount of sadness but received so much support through these challenging months. I look forward to sharing with you my trip to the Pacific Northwest, with stops in Portland and Olympia –  including a stay at the most perfect Airbnb, and replete with Boston Terriers! I even got to meet Lucille Marie of The Pawsh Puppy!

The Autumn air is beginning to reach that perfect cooler temperature, and I’m taking advantage of it with lots of walks, foraging for the perfect pieces of moss and mushrooms, creating soul-warming soups (butternut squash and parsnip!), and roller skating in my vintage skates for a little extra exercise, followed by soothing and meditative yoga sessions.

There are lots of surprises in store in the coming months, as well – I can’t wait to share them all with you! Until then, be on the lookout for some new vegan recipes, a tour of Portland & Olympia, and lots of beautiful wares and clothing from my favorite makers and shakers!

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(Vintage saddle shoes by Bass)

The Beauty of the Canine

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Our holiday weekend took a turn on Sunday when one of the family dogs suddenly and unexpectedly took ill. Sweet Dolly awoke with severe intestinal issues from an unknown cancer, and crossed the Rainbow Bridge later that night. With the help of my Vet Tech “sister-from-another-mister,” my mom was able to keep her comfortable throughout the day. Dolly was a half Basset/half English Shepherd mix, whose father, our giant, red-headed Basset, Hubert, had a gone to the Bridge as a result of bloat (very common in the breed), a year and a half prior. Her mama, fluffy blonde Zooey, and her many brothers and sisters, cleaned and loved on her during the day, and said their goodbyes when it was time.

The emotional capacities of dogs are widely discussed and debated, but I think that anyone who has any kind of pet, knows that they all have the ability to feel something. We all know that they can tell the difference between happy and sad, and Rosie knows how to get some “happy” attention from me just by smiling, but do they feel emotions such as grief and loss? Zooey, Dolly’s mother, instinctively ran after us, a look of anger across her face, as we took Dolly outside that night. We can easily question whether it was because of propriety feelings toward her flesh and blood, or was it love for her child who was being taken away? The following day, dirt and grass put back into place, my dad found my Great Pyrenees, Astrid, sitting beside Dolly’s grave, in an area she never sits, gazing off into the distance. The next day she would do the same.

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Dogs have an innate sense of smell, so why shouldn’t they have an innate sense of feeling? While we can track brain activity and test them all day long, I think our pets possess an ability to understand, to emote, to just know, in a way that cannot be measured or qualified by evaluations or trials. It stems simply from their hearts, in a knowledge of unconditional love and understanding that we as humans only wish we had.