The Wild Thing And The Distinguished Gentleman

When Tilde and me were driving on our way to meet Baxter the Hovawart I was filled with anticipation. Baxter would be one of the few 13½ year aged Hovawarts I would have the privilege of meeting face to face.

Furry Surprise

I had forgotten all about Kenzo's green stretch-leash. Yet there it was, hanging on a hook behind the kitchen's back door. I slowly reached out my hand as if it was a sacred object. I had forgotten all about it.

I'm Right Here

There he was. I had dozed off for a second and quickly looked around me for Kenzo. He had dozed off too, but my sudden movement alerted him, and his face came up from beneath the tall grass to check on what I was doing.

Kenzo's Song

Sweethearts have songs. Me and Merete have one. And yes, me and Kenzo have one too. It usually is a song from when you first met, but theirs came later, first after Viva taught me how to chase sunsets and Kenzo showed me how to live from day to day.

The Comforting Tiger

When we arrived at our cottage on the West-coast during Christmas Day, Tilde jumped out of the car full of anticipation. She rushed inside and quickly examined all the rooms while she was barking with a high pitched voice, "I'm here, I'm here!". She returned to the hallway when she found out the house was empty, and I let her outside again so she could scout the surroundings, which didn't took her very long either.

Kenzo's Final Gift

I felt all the blood leave my face and could just hold on to the edge of the examination table. The vet immediately noticed. She grabbed my arm while the vet technician made an attempt to support my back.

Laughter Therapy

"OMG! This is so much fun!" I shout at the top of my lungs.

"Hey Kenz! We are getting wet big guy! Woohoo!" and I burst out in laughter.

My Dogs Are My Gurus

"They changed your life" my old friend said the other day. With "they" he meant the dogs. Kenzo, Viva, and Tilde.

He called me up to hear how I was doing. I hadn't spoken with him for a decade. I can imagine his surprise to find me on the other end of the phone, not doing business or developing a new tech gadget or application, storming through board-rooms with new ideas. Instead, he found me in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, self-employed, which allowed me to work from home, and I talked about the dogs a lot.

What Nature Has To Offer

The underwater treadmill has been switched for the North Sea's surf. Muscle tone exercises on a wobble board are exchanged by slowly walking through sand on the beach and the dunes. Cavaletti's are done on the heath fields.

We are doing Kenzo's physical therapy with what nature has to offer.

Waiting on a Friend

Was it them? Kenzo sat down in the shallow sea water, as if he was in thrilled anticipation of the imminent reunion with his friend. His gaze was locked at something on the horizon. He was waiting on a friend, but I knew he would never come.

High-Five

Just a note from every day life this time, and a photo I wanted to share.

I shot this photo last week and can't help myself. I keep coming back to look at it.

After last week's encounter with the vet, Kenzo's smile and high-five speak volumes I like to think.

There is not much I can add in words, which Kenzo is not already telling in that photo.

Dogs Don't Lie

"You might need to consider if you want to offer him this life. You might want to consider euthanasia."

Silence.

"We need to discuss this next time we meet.", the vet said.

Fire In The Hole

"A dogwalker found ..." Did you ever notice how many local news stories contain this sentence? We do come out and about, us dog people, and somewhere down the line we tend to bump into something out of the ordinary. Yesterday, on our after-diner-walk, it was our turn to make such a discovery.

Antidote

There was just that moment of silence. "It is probably the GOLPP" I said. The vet nodded her head. "Most likely" she replied.

The Moment My Heart Stood Still

I was taken by surprise by the dark man suddenly standing in our back garden. I was occupied with reading a book while enjoying the warmth of the sun, and Kenzo was sleeping beside me. Suddenly the man was there. I looked at him, and as soon as his lips started to move in an attempt to say something, I knew it was too late. At the first syllable he uttered, Kenzo was rising from behind my chair, and I grabbed in vain for his collar.

Return To The Valley

It would be just the boys. A male bonding trip. A boy's day out. Just Kenzo and me.

Excited we left for the valley. The valley lies in the middle of a dune landscape at the West-coast. It holds a couple of small lakes, hidden out of sight by the sand dunes towering out above it. The highest of the surrounding dunes offer a fantastic view over the valley and the rest of the landscape.

Tilde's Ambitions

When you have read my blog from the start, you know I participated in all kind of dog classes with Kenzo. Obedience, tracking, defense, SAR, and more.

I had to learn the craft as it was all new to me. It was a road of stumble and fall, partly because of the trainers we met, partly because training in a group for some kind of diploma simply distracts from what it is about.

A Valley and A View

The light in the sky signals the end of Winter and the return of color is underway. It is a special time of the year when the days start to get longer. People venture out more. I think we meet twice as much dogs on our walks these days, as we did during Winter.

All of us can have strong feelings around a change of seasons, a certain holiday, or a time of year.

Men And Sweethearts

"What a sweetheart", Stefaan commented on the photo of Kenzo I posted earlier on Facebook. I thought that was funny. I always call Kenzo for sweetheart too. Some men though, will never call a dog a sweetheart, I thought.

About Laryngeal Paralysis, Idiopathic, and GOLPP

Two weeks ago I wrote about how I had nothing to show for when we went to the vet. I thought that would be the last of it but no.

It ain't over until the fat lady sings.