Hattie puts her paw down

Over the past three weeks, we've been having some remodeling and repair done on our house. Some photos are below, not because they show the remodeling, but because they show the dogs during the remodel. It seemed to be more difficult than several years ago when we did the big remodel on the house although then we only had three dogs because that was right before Hattie was born and Hurricane Katrina hit. Daisy also was very friendly, something Gidget has yet to learn since she's afraid of her shadow although getting better, so we could often leave Daisy out with certain workers. Nestle is noisy so she couldn't be put in a bedroom or all of us would have needed a drink at 10:00 am to deal with her. We had some carpet removed and replaced with laminate flooring and then the next week we had the remaining carpet replaced with new carpet (shag! I never thought I'd like shag!). Because the carpet is in the opposite ends of the house, we (all six of us) had to be outside all day last Monday. That was hell. It was breezy and not very warm in the shade. When the workers went to lunch, we let the dogs inside with us and Nestle refused to leave the couch when it was time to go outside. That evening after they left, Joe was in his office with the dogs (we had replaced the flooring in there a year ago), and Hattie who never ever pees in our house, decided to pee right there in front of Joe. We knew then it was time to curtail the rest of the work for awhile. That happened five years ago when Chaco was the one to pee in the house and we, again, knew then we had to finish up and move on. They'd had enough and reality was so had we.

Summer Photos

Gidget the Un-German Shepherd

Gidget has made some huge strides in the last week– she's now getting in the pool by herself, swimming laps, and catching a ball in the pool. We took some video Friday which includes Hattie getting pushed in the pool (heehee! I admit, I was the culprit...).

Life with Gidget at 10 1/2 months

I was on the phone recently with someone I work in the same field with and Gidget let out a bark. He remarked about my having a conversation with my dog and I said that was my 10-month-old puppy. He said, "That's no puppy!" to which I then told him she also was at the other end of the house barking at the garbage truck. That about sums up life with Gidget. She might only be 10 months old but she definitely has taken the world by storm. I'm not sure how it will go on Thursday morning when I attempt to take Gidget with Nestle to the vet for Nestle's follow-up appointment for her ear infection. Gidget needs her nails trimmed and hasn't been weighed in some months. I'm sure I'll be shocked when the scale reads more than 60 pounds. She continues to get taller and longer although her tail hasn't dragged on the ground recently. As I write this, Chaco is outside the shut back door eating his food (so the others can't get to it) while Gidget and Nestle stare at him. The door (which is mostly glass) is filled with Gidget's muddy paw prints from when she tried to get into the house and I made her stay out because not only had she gone in the pool, she then traipsed through the dirt. She likes to drink from the pool but only after she gets on the top step and then plays with the water. Honestly, I think I like her best when she snoozing because she at least looks innocent and isn't capable at that moment of ruining the floor I've just vacuumed. I can hear her playing with her ball behind me in the dining room. She is more the Labrador (ie, Nestle) than German Shepherd, wanting to play fetch for a good portion of the day. but when I see photos on Facebook of the many dogs who are euthanized because of well, stupid people, and overcrowded shelters who can't take care of them, I can let go of the muddy paws. I'd let them all in my house with their muddy paws if it meant they could have a chance at life.

Daisy's Birthday

I admit that I have been procrastinating and not blogging here. I hope in the next two weeks I can get caught up. June 18 would have been Daisy's 6th birthday. It's still hard to believe she's not here with us in the same way now. On the fireplace mantle, I have her photo, her collar, and her ashes on one end. I was standing at them yesterday and feeling a little sad. Nestle came in the room first, followed by Gidget, and then came Hattie. They all wanted me to pet them which became very difficult since I only have two arms. Hattie kept trying to get under my arm. Having had Gidget now for seven months (who is what I call a rambunctious terror) has made me see how Daisy's life was a struggle from the beginning. She never had the energy that Gidget has. Outside of Gidget's stomach issues that she seems to have grown out of, Gidget doesn't have the illnesses Daisy had. Still, I miss her. She was part of our family (and still is). I know her time was limited with us and she had to move on but she was what I call "one of the original four." And I do know that if she weren't here, we wouldn't have Gidget who appears to bound for a long, happy life (fingers crossed). Death teaches us lessons that we don't always understand from where we are currently standing but I believe that one day, here or beyond, everything will make sense.

Refilling the Water Bowl: How Dogs Help Us Cope with Loss

Finally, I am working on the book about how people use dogs to help them cope with loss, tentatively called Refilling the Water Bowl: Dog Companionship During Loss. If you have a story/incident to share about how your dog helped you cope with a loss in your life, please send me a message: michelle@gingersgift.com.

Easter, Linn-Gust style

The plan had been to post these on Easter but thanks to a laptop that decided not to cooperate, it's Thursday and I'm catching up. My sister Karen bought the rabbit ears for Hattie who absolutely hates them. This year she was napping with Joe on Easter afternoon and the other three dogs followed me outside so I decided since Gidget isn't much bigger than Hattie, well, why not let Gidget wear them? Then I was having a problem getting Gidget to pose so I thought I would put them on Nestle. And then I put them back on Gidget. I finally had Chaco wear them as well. You can see the fun we had in the photos.

Sympathy cards outnumber the holiday cards

As of today, sympathy cards for Daisy far outweigh our holiday cards. The Daisy flower arrangement is still blooming and someone commented on the number (30 in one place!) of responses to my status update on facebook that Daisy had died. My friend Ginny said Daisy truly was a loved dog. Social media (facebook, blogs, etc) plus having written a book about my crew, have allowed me to share some of our lives with people around the world. I never ever thought we would lose Daisy so early. I finished sending out our 120 holiday cards today. People often tell me they look forward to seeing what I create each year- from the card with photos of the dogs to the letter with their antics and the photo stamp with a photo of someone or something. This year I had gone with one photo of the dogs that also had Joe and Devlan. It was taken in the summer and all of them were in the pool (except Chaco and Daisy who were poolside as usual). I bought labels with Daisy and put Daisy's name on the card as I usually do with the rest of us in the Linn-Gust clan. How could I not? I really thought she'd make it through to the new year- or maybe I was just hopeful. Still, writing the letter was difficult since I had to do it just a few days after her death. It was hard to even remember much of what happened this year before her diagnosis. As I learned with my sister's suicide almost 17 years ago, these losses happen to us and give us an opportunity to teach and help others. I'm sure Daisy is here with me in her own way, nudging my armpit with her cold nose saying, "Duh! That's what I've been trying to tell you!"

Chaco and the roadrunner

Joe took this of Chaco watching our local road runner. I've never seen him venture that close to our house. Joe said Chaco just watched and didn't let out a sound.

And a few more...

A Ginger's Gift Excerpt

The American Association of Suicidology's Surviving Suicide editor, Ginny Sparrow, printed this in the latest issue of the newsletter. Enjoy!

Not just the loss of a human, also the loss of dogs

As the death of Ted Kennedy settles in, there is a lot of change in the air for the people whose paths he crossed. An article appeared on Politico about how people won't be seeing his dogs around the senate buildings and the Capitol anymore. The article reflects the changing perspective of animals as members of our families. I work from home so I have my dogs with me all day but Kennedy taking his dogs to work with him is still unheard of for most people. What's even more unheard of is how many people say they will miss seeing the dogs around.

A few August photos

We had a fish fest yesterday since Devlan brought some fish from Belize with him (still frozen when he arrived!). I'm posting a few photos from the day of the dogs and one of Nestle who decided to take a nap between my feet.

Happy 4th Birthday, Hattie!

Hattie turned four today. It's hard to believe it's been almost four years since Hurricane Katrina changed so many lives, including ours. We will never know what the very beginning of Hattie's life was like but we know she's a happy dog, er, queen of the Linn-Gust House (don't tell Nestle!). I wanted a Golden Retriever, Joe brought me a Cur we named Hattie. She was meant to be part of our family and we're grateful for all the dogs who also got adopted because of Hattie. Joe's friend Craig returned to Mississippi and took 15 dogs to Maine where they found new homes (except the one who died). Happy birthday, Hattie!

Devlan arrives from Caye Caulker, Belize

Our friend Devlan has arrived from Caye Caulker, Belize, on Sunday. The dogs are happy campers, as seen in the photos, now that their buddy is here. They can be seen going in and out of Devlan's room in the morning, wanting to sleep with him (except Chaco who only sleeps at the foot of the stairs below me- he is my security). Yesterday Devlan's door was shut and Hattie was laying outside his door in the hallway waiting for him to get up. It took a day but Hattie finally swam to Devlan and climbed on his back so he could walk her around the pool (see photo).

Pooch sitting at the Linn-Gust house

I am in Los Angeles, on my way back to Albuquerque after spending last night here in Santa Monica to attend a memorial service for Ed Shneidman, founder of suicidology, at UCLA. My friend Virginia was kind enough to watch the crew for me as Joe is out of town as well. She came over two days before I left and the dogs were her best friends while we sat at the edge of the pool. Chaco licked her face (which he hardly does for anyone) and Daisy and Hattie tried to play on top of her (or Hattie tried to use Virginia to block Daisy) and Nestle was, well, simply Nestle. The morning I left, Chaco's look said it all. He allowed me to pet him and didn't want me to stop. My first dog report came last night. Chaco had barked and growled and then went away (typical for him when someone new is watching him), Nestle went for the pool, Hattie didn't eat, but Daisy allowed Virginia to brush her (which she doesn't do for me). The second report came a few hours ago. Daisy and Hattie had once again tried to play when Virginia was sitting on the couch by the tv. She wanted to know how I deal with the commotion. Honestly? It doesn't bother me. I'm not exactly sure why but I was a high school teacher at one time and I know how to shut the crew up pretty fast and send them hiding in corners. And they are loud at certain times of day, first thing in the morning until everyone has been run and eaten, about midday, then around 4:00 pm. We have a routine. The rest of the time, they mostly keep to themselves so I can work. But I realize that's our routine and when Mom's away....

Hattie goes over the wall...again!

Hattie Hattie Hattie. I was in the shower this morning (Joe isn't here) and when I got out, Nestle was barking. Knowing that Nestle barks at everything, I yelled at her to be quiet. Then the doorbell rang. I ran downstairs to see that three dogs were at the door. Hattie was missing. I knew then that she had gone over the 6-foot wall and when I looked out the window there was my neighbor Rich holding her. She immediately went underneath the couch when she entered the house. Hattie is laying under the table here where I'm working now. At some point it will be funny but I was shaking this morning after it happened. She seems to have been mentally shaken by it although she is physically okay. Her brain isn't exactly big and she's acting on impulse. She gets on top of the wall or over it after hearing a dog or something else. She goes after it and then I think she is wondering, what now? The important thing she is home safe and I'll shut the back door tomorrow morning when I shower.

The importance of dogs vs. the cost of vet care

None of us are immune. These are difficult times. Life itself is difficult. Each day we can be thrown any number of hurdles. Over the past few days, I've been subjected to two different circumstances that illustrate both the importance of pets and also the difficulties of paying for their care when times are tough. My first grade locker partner and I have reconnected on facebook and she recently adopted a puppy but he had to be weaned from his mother, etc. A week ago, Julie's mother died after a long illness and they buried her on Wednesday. Yesterday on facebook, Julie had posted photos that Marvin had come home it looks like either Thursday or Friday. I kept thinking of the importance of this event (I don't believe in coincidence anymore- this was meant to happen the way it did) and how Marvin came home just as Julie would need him most. On the other side of coin, there is a man who walks in the same park I walk my crew. He has two dogs who are older. A mutual friend who I walk with told me that one of his dogs (who is 14 years old) has an infection due to a seedling stuck between his pads but he can't afford vet care because he can't even pay his mortgage this month. His dogs are clearly important to him and he walks them consistently everyday. The dog already was declining in health, probably because of his age and now the man is struggling with what to do for the future of his dog who also clearly has been his companion for a long time. I can't even think of a line to finish off this posting because nothing seems to wrap it up. Maybe nothing is supposed to and I should just end it here.

Change no matter where we are

I flew to Chicago yesterday via Denver and Lincoln, NE, (don't ask me...you'd think United would want to keep me on fewer planes when I'm using a frequent flyer ticket I payed $10 for....). It was a cloudy and cool day in Naperville so this afternoon I took Ginger and Daisy for a walk. Daisy now has been with Mom for about seven months and seems really happy in her new life. She had very wiry fur that now is almost gone and turned more yellow than the former white it was and also is a soft as, well, a furry dog. Mom says it was her thyroid that did it and now that she's on medication, she's looking more like the yellow lab that she is. Ginger is Ginger. Some things never change. Ginger still opens the cabinet door when Mom leaves and we joke that Daisy stands at the window saying, "You better hurry! She's pulling up in the driveway now!" Mom doesn't keep the garbage there anymore. But on our afternoon walk through Brush Hill Park, it was sad to see one of the last parcels of farmland now gone. In fact, where Ginger and I once walked next to corn, they were putting up a fence today for what I assume is a car dealership on the other side. Change is inevitable but it was good for the last three years that when Ginger and I would walk, at least I felt close to some sort of Midwestern farm with the corn there. Each day I pray that I keep moving forward in my life but somehow there are some things I wish could stay the same. I guess I can't have my corn, er cake, and eat it too.

Mulling over scenes for the Ginger's Gift screenplay

I've been mulling over scenes for the Ginger's Gift screenplay in the last week. While writing a screenplay and making a movie has been on my list of things that I have wanted to do since I was oh, probably 13, this is the first time I'm attempting it. I have been reading the "Marley & Me" screenplay to use as a guide and it's interesting to see what was supposed to be shot and what actually turned into the movie. What I struggle with most as I do this, is how do I make it as close to the book as possible? I always see how books change as they are made into movies and now I'm understanding the true difficulty of this because it needs to be a powerful screenplay yet be true to my story. More to come as I continue to form and mold my notes into a piece of work.