A White Christmas

I was driving to be with the family and it began snowing. It was so exciting to see the flurries coming down and I had to open the back windows for the dogs. Simba enjoyed every moment and couldn't wait to get out of the car. I love the calm after the snow has settled. There is a peace that is unparalleled. I walked the boys and we felt the serenity all around us. Even though the snow did not pile up, it was great to have a white Christmas Eve. Not only that, I am fortunate to have spent the entire day with my family. Among the awesomeness of this evening was playing "Cards Against Humanity". This game is the best and most politically incorrect game ever. We were even able to get my father in on the action and that is a very rare occurrence. Now it's time to wind down and watch some "Dexter" in anticipation of Santa's arrival. Good times! I'm thankful for having a wild, insane, silly and loving family. 

Merry Christmas!

Gone Doggy Gone

It was just a routine evening walk. We were finishing up and the rain was getting heavier. The small amount of day light that was left was steadily fading. I thought that the walk was over. I was tying up the poop bag and before I knew it, both leashes were yanked away from me. I only saw the shadows but I knew that there were deer and that they were running. The dogs were gone. I screamed in shock and began to run. Everything is darker in the woods. I had to focus to find the direction that they had gone. I found Simba first because his leash was snagged and he would never risk hurting himself. He just stared at me and wanted to find his brother. Huskies are insanely fast and pigheaded. I didn't know how I was going to find him so I had to let Simba help me. We ran together. I screamed for Buddha while he sniffed. We went deeper and deeper into the woods. My biggest fear was that Buddha would run into the road. As I reached the outskirt of the road I saw two deer looking back at me. They were heading towards the road and I flipped out. I thought that all was lost at that point. But Simba and I continued to run and the dirt quickly became mud. I fell. Hard.  I don't know how I didn't gouge my eye out with a stick. We kept moving because if anything ever happened to Buddha I would never be able to forgive myself. How long had passed? I do not know. All I know is that the darkness had come. I was running on adrenaline and sheer panic. This might sound insane to some people but these dogs are my family and with all that has happened in the last few weeks, I can't and I won't give up on my family. You fight for the ones that you love and you will find them no matter what the consequences. After falling a second time, I kept screaming and was soaked to the bone. Finally, something cleared up for a moment. I saw a bushy white tail and I used my kindest voice to convince him to come to me. It was indeed my Buddha bear. He came running to me as if nothing had happened at all. 

The rest is history but below you will see what happened to his leash. He must have gotten stuck somewhere and because he wanted to get away so badly, he destroyed the leash. Simba's leash is still intact but I will never use a retractable again. 

I'm just lucky that nothing happened to my baby. 

Can a Shiba be Trusted?

I spent Sunday with my family. It was my mom's birthday and we decided to have a BBQ. Since the house is in a wooded area with no neighbors in sight, I decided to let Simba be free and off leash. This is one of his favorite things in the world. He prances around and smells everything. Yesterday he even ventured into the woods, which immediately made me nervous because there are a lot of deer that he would undoubtedly chase. But Simba ran freely and then came back within a matter of minutes.

When the grilling began he was so totally transfixed that he did not move a muscle. He sat nicely right next to the meat and hoped that something would fall to the ground or his consumption. Even though Buddha was equally as mesmerized by the platter of meat; I couldn't trust him to stay. He seems to have less concern for coming back if he is off leash and he is always looking for squirrels.

The risks outweigh the benefits of allowing dogs to go unleashed, at least in my perspective, but I can say that I love seeing the look on their faces when they have a few moments of unrestrained bliss! Maybe if I move to a state that a) doesn't have a leash law and b) has wide open spaces for the dogs to roam c) and my dogs can be trusted to come back ....maybe, MAYBE then I will let them walk around without a leash.