BENTLEY ALLEN REW

This is Bentley.  He's a lover.  Can't you tell?  He's a rescue too.  How in the world could someone give him up?  Insane.  He came with the name Bentley and the Rew family thought that suited him well.  I thought he was the cutest thing EVER!  The Rew family lives just four doors down from me.  I cherish their friendship and how they've loved me unconditionally over the years.  Just like they love Bentley!  Bentley used to be a boinger.  He lept from place to place like a deer.  But in his middle age he's slowed down a bit and doesn't boing quite so high any more.  That's ok.  We all slow down as we age.  I think he's about 8 now.  Lately Bentley has been hanging out in the kitchen a lot more.  Why just last week September cooked a whole chicken in the crock pot all day.  She took it out and pulled it apart to let it cool in a pretty platter on the kitchen island and then left to do a little work at her desk.  When she came back a leg was missing.  Now if only Bentley had thought to put the bone in the trash can he might have gotten away with it!  I'm pulling for him to learn this little trick.  His thieving has become a problem recently.  It was September's dad's birthday a few weeks back.  September always makes these awesome cakes made from scratch with incredible icing.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it!  But.....so does Bentley.  He only took a little off a corner when it was left to cool!  He didn't take a lot!  But it was obvious it was him.  You could see his teeth marks that were left behind in the cake.  If he'd just waited until it had been iced the icing just might have run down the edge to cover up his nibble!  I'm pullin' for ya buddy.  We'll talk later about trashcans and timing!

Breed:  Mutt
Favorite Toy:  Ratty old stuffed pheasant
Activities:  Chasing squirrels and stealing food
Slumber Zone:  Sleeps at the foot of Grace's bed

SADIE LEE GRAHAM

This is Sadie.  She's a yellow lab who made her home with Doug, Aimee, Stephen and Hannah for 12 1/2 years.  She is the most gentle lab I ever met.  When Stephen and Hannah were toddlers she let them pull her ears and crawl all over her.  Like I said, she was gentle.  She always had compassion in her eyes and was a source of great comfort on a hard day.  When I would drive to Bryant to see the Grahams, I couldn't sneak in to their house.  I tried!  But no matter how quiet I was she would hear me and would be standing wagging her tail right at the back door.  When dinner is served at the Graham house I always sit in the chair at the head of the table.  It's sorta my seat there.  Sadie always came and rested her head in my lap - the entire dinner.  She wasn't really supposed to eat table food but she knew that I would sometimes sneak her a nibble so she stood quietly and waited.  Oh now Aimee knew what was going on.  She watched this little routine play out over many years.  I would give her a bite and then put my hand on her head while I ate.  When dinner was finished she was satisfied and would go play with the kids.  Literally.  She wasn't going to be left out of anything.  If they were in the back yard she was too!  Right there ON the play gym!  If they stormed upstairs you could hear her feet pounding right behind them.  Sadie was somethin' special.  She was found as a puppy on Aimee's dad's farm where she had been dumped.  When Aimee saw her she took her right home.  She was always given a new collar each Christmas and big bones were kept by the back door so anyone who came in could offer her one.  When Doug got sick and needed surgery, it was Sadie that comforted them both.  She was there for Aimee during those long uncertain days when Doug was so ill for Aimee to love and for Sadie to love Aimee back.  Isn't that typical of our dogs?  Not long after that a lump was found on her side.  The doctor said is was cancer.  He removed it and we tried to forget about it as best as we could.  It was years later when it rared it's ugly head again this time taking up residence in her tummy.  She lost weight.  She had seizures.  And then she was gone.  Just a memory.  But a good one.  One that we'll all cherish.  It's so worth it - even the pain.  Thanks Sadie for the love you gave.  Sadie died three weeks ago on a Sunday morning.  It was October 31st.

Staci

Sadie
Breed:  Yellow Lab
Favorite Toy:  Plastic ball
Activities:  Fetch and plays in the backyard with the kids
Slumber Zone:   Sleeps on a blankie on the couch or by it

Up next:  Bentley Rew and his escapes in the kitchen!

Welcome to For the Love of Dogs

I love dogs. Young dogs, old dogs, quirky and lazy dogs. I love ornery dogs that give me the devil face (a grin showing all their pearly whites) when I greet them and big push over dogs that roll over on their backs when you enter their homes. It doesn't matter to me how they look or behave. I see them as individuals that express themselves in as many different ways as humans do. I just love dogs. I bet if you're reading this blog, you do too. The relationships I've had with dogs have brought me deep joy and happiness. I've been blessed with three dogs in my life that I've gotten to love into their old age. Even when they grew tired and weary and turned into something like babies that I cared for I never wavered with my love. My compassion and love just grew more intense until their final days. How about you? Do you have a dog that words can't express how you really feel about them? On this blog I'll spotlight our dogs and stories about their lives with you. I hope to photograph and spotlight your dog one day but for now I'll begin with my own. Above is a picture of Murphy. She was my last dog. I just lost her to old age at in April. She was one month from turning 15. And oh how I loved her...

Murphy Sue was a month from turning 15 when she died and she had most definitely turned into a snuggle bunny those last years. She had three or more blankets in her nest and would bury herself in them to nap. Sometimes she couldn't find her way out and I would find her in duress. I would uncover her and a look of joy would come across her face. She had been found!  The only thing that got her out of her nest was....dinner or Cherrios. Yep, Cherrios! She loved to chase them. It was her only form of exercise the last year of her life. And you wouldn't believe how that old wiennie dog could move when she was chasing them! She looked more like four when the game was on. When she was younger I would take her on Wiff-n-Sniffs - slow walks up to the stop sign and back. We never went any place fast but took the time to enjoy every leaf or pole or porker (there's a pig that lives on my street - I'm serious) along the way. When Murphy slowed down in her old age, I did too. Those were quiet moments on warm spring afternoons that brought us both contentment. When she was younger she would sleep on the back of the couch and I was always afraid that she would roll off and hurt herself during her nap. She never did. How did she do that? She also loved to snuggle in bed at night. I admit it. She was little and cold! In the morning when Eric and I would wake up we'd be hanging on in our sleep to the edges of the bed. Why? Because Murphy turned sideways in the bed and stretched out! We moved over in our sleep so we wouldn't roll over on her! Mmhmmmm...she trained us well. Oh she was a funny thing. I never left the house without leaving the tv on for company. She watched Animal Planet or sometimes I'd put on a movie that I thought was appropriate for her (teee heee). I once left the tv on FearNet accidentally and boy did she become a bear! No more FearNet! I miss her so. Her last day was a very good day. It ended like it should have. Even in my pain I knew it was a gift. See, Murphy was not always mine. She belonged to a friend who after a virus attacked her spinal cord was left a quadriplegic on a ventilator. Monica could no longer care for Murphy so I took her permanently. But that didn't mean Monica didn't love her. I think Murphy had two mothers who both loved her tremendously. I honored Monica's love by taking Murphy to see her every Thursday for years. Murphy would sit in Monica's lap and nap and we would chat the afternoon away. It was a Thursday when Murphy died - right after seeing Monica. I cried until I nearly threw up. The boys didn't know what to do with me. I knew I'd be ok but at that moment the pain was so great. Her nest is still here. I can't seem to give it away or put it up. I have so many sweet memories of her. I know they won't fade. She was a good old dog. She stole my heart long, long ago.

Up next: Sadie Lee Graham and how she was discarded and then found and the happy life she's had!

Staci

Murphy:
Breed - Miniture Dauchshund
Favorite Toy - A tiny squeeky yellow duck
Favorite Activity - Chasing Cheerios
Snooze Zone - Under the covers with me
Dislikes - Being outdoors - she doesn't like to get too far from her kitchen