January 17th, 2011
Today we celebrate Josie’s 10 month Ampuversary! We are celebrating with lots of peanut butter treats, a piece of cake, hamburgers and never ending confetti, as yet another snowstorm rips through Eastern Wisconsin.
We have seen a couple changes this past month. First of all, we moved, a little over a month ago, during the first BIG snowstorm the lakeshore has had this winter. Snow…that would be the second change. Even though Josie is almost 7 now and has experienced many a winter in her lifetime, this is her first winter as a tripawd, and I must say, she LOVES it, just like she always has….from bending down and taking a refreshing mouthful of the newly fallen powder to romping around with her buddy Miss Gully.
We made the big move from a busy street in a small city to the end of a dead end road near little country town. Our new home is nestled on 5.25 acres with 1300 ft of river frontage…. or “doggy heaven”. Right now the river is frozen which makes for the perfect daily walk. It is a winter wonderland out there with lots to explore and many good smells for inquisitive doggy noses.
Things have been going good for Josie….she seems to be doing great right now. She had a few learning lessons so far this winter, falling on the ice and slipping on the hardwood floors since being a tripawd dawg, but she doesn’t let anything slow her down. It is priceless to see her at the bottom of a hill, looking up at me, her eyes full of doubt, and then watch her conquer that hill and be able to celebrate with her at the top.
I tend to spoil her more often than not. Arriving here at 10 months, I am very aware how fortunate I am to still have her in my life, have the funds to pay for expensive amputation, chemotherapy, bloat surgery and numerous medications. I try to keep things in check, to not sweat the small stuff and really appreciate what we have together. I snuggle with her, kiss her, massage her and tell her how much I love her on a regular basis. I am reminded of this by the recent losses of Mackenzie, Fortis and other tripawds along our journey. Today we will celebrate, we will celebrate the love we share and the life we live….