Leaving Austen and Adler

In about three hours, I will be heading for San Diego. This is my one long trip that I have to do for work every year. I won't be back til next Wednesday so that means leaving Austen and Adler for a week. Adler is used to my work travel and is always excited to see me when I return but I'm curious to see how Austen will react to not seeing me for a week. I'm curious to see how I will react too! Now, I know what it feels like to miss Adler but being without Austen is a whole new ballgame - at least for this long. Tom and I talked about him bringing Austen out for part of the time but it's just not worth it as we have little if any free time during the week so I think they'll all be more comfortable staying at home.

Anyway, wish Tom luck. He'll do fine. (I already quizzed him on what Austen eats and set out all the clothes Austen should wear for the next week - I hope the weather doesn't change!) And, wish me luck - I'm already counting the days til I get to come home and pick up Austen at daycare and see Adler and of course Tom.

PS. To Tom...good luck, I love you and I hope you have a great week and enjoy spending time with our two great gifts.

Will Adler Help Austen?

So I'm checking out Yahoo's homepage today and wouldn't you know there's a video called baby vs. dog. Intrigued, I click on the link and find a dog who is more than willing to help out its owners keep their baby in line. You'll see the baby trying to get into the cabinets and then dog pushing the cabinets back in each time. Who needs to babyproof your house when you have a pet that follows your kid around like this!

Anyway, I wonder what kind of help Adler will be with Austen?! Now don't worry, we are actually going to babyproof our house (and soon since Austen is starting to get the hang of crawling). In fact, Tom just watched his favorite show - This Old House - on babyproofing your home. Who knew they had an episode for this?!

Peekaboo, I See You

Austen has become quite the character. I swear once kids become six months old they are so much more fun because they can interact with you. For the record, Austen's eight months now and developing a little personality all his own.

His favorite thing to do now when I put him to sleep at night is to play peekaboo with me. I do not provoke this mind you. He is down in his crib and then pulls down the bumper on the side to see me through the slats in his crib and then starts laughing hysterically.

Of course, I can't resist and must play a few rounds of Peekaboo with him because he's so cute...then it's off to bed. Surprisingly he hasn't had trouble settling down after laughing himself silly.

Rainbow Bridge

I'm part of a Berner List Serv where people can write in and talk about their Berners, share information and ask questions. Another popular thing to do on this site is wish your Berner a happy birthday as well as let others know that he/she has gone to Rainbow Bridge.

Rainbow Bridge is aka Heaven for pets. Each time I see an entry about Rainbow Bridge, I can't help myself from reading it even though I know it will make my heart hurt for those who have lost their beloved pet. This week my heart hurt for my friend, Jenny. Her six-year-old dog died suddenly - they think from a heart attack.

I have written about the loss of a pet twice before on this blog and I'm writing about it again because it's something I think about often. The life expectancy for Berners is only 7-9 years. That's really short. Too short. I can't imagine having Adler for only 7 years. That means I only have four more years left with her. So I better enjoy them. Every day, I do. I think about a time when I will no longer be able to look into her trusting eyes or pat her beloved head, and then I spoil her rotten.

I dread when her time comes to cross Rainbow Bridge, but I know I will find comfort in the time that she gave us here on Earth. Until then...I'll just enjoy her each and every day.

Adler Loses 10 Pounds

...or at least she looks like she did. She got a haircut on Saturday and let me tell you, she came home looking like a totally different dog. Turns out most of her weight is from all that hair! Check out her picture. I know it's hard to tell from a photo but seriously, she does look much thinner. I hope the scale agrees. It must be all those green beans that has helped her slim down a little. I swear she's probably only 75-80 lbs. now.

Not only did Adler come back from the groomer looking like a totally different dog, but she was acting like one too. She laid around and didn't eat for more than 24 hours after. It was only this evening, when I was making my lunch for tomorrow, that she took her usual position right next to me in case I dropped any food. So I know she's almost back to normal again! Maybe going to the groomer is a traumatic experience for her and this is how she reacts?!