A Summer Birthday..

Until one has loved a dog, a part of ones soul remains unawakened.
~ Anatole France

 

We had a special birthday this past week.  Summer turned a year old.  It was a beautiful day for a celebration and naturally included grain free treats. And she got to romp and play with her best friends Waffles (a corgi) and Alaska (a lab/pit mix).  I got a bit of an eye roll when I insisted that she wear a party hat..

But she humored me when she saw that it came with a Kong:

She has followed my lead and believes in getting her greens every day.  And if I’m not careful, she helps herself right from the colander in the sink.

We started her young with boat rides..

So now she’s an old pro on a lake:

And just like me, she loves a good nap..

And a lazy Sunday catching up on shows:

Every morning when I take a shower, she ever so quietly pokes her head around the shower curtain to lap at the water, as if I won’t notice.  And every night when I lay on the couch to read or catch up on the news, she ever so gingerly crawls onto my chest to fall asleep, as if I won’t notice.  

And just like me, she takes her nutrition seriously.  Twice a day she gets a big ole scoop of Orijen, which is grain free and comes with substantial amounts of meat-based protein.  It gave me peace-of-mind when it showed up on this list.  And every day she gets a tablespoon of coconut oil, because around here, we believe in healthy fats!  As a result, she’s got a soft, glowing coat.

“Hey hooman, you’re not the only one who benefits from medium chain triglycerides”

You can read about coconut oil for dogs here.

As we celebrated Summer’s birthday, it was not lost on me that it was this time last year that Ellie was quite sick.  I couldn’t help but reflect on the fact that as I was saying goodbye to her, a beautiful puppy was being born just waiting to fill my soul with love & laughter again.

Who could not love this face?

Happy Birthday Sweet Summer.