Blood, Pee and Poop Everywhere!

I've hardly had a moment to myself up here at the Rainbow Bridge since I volunteered to help with the dogs in the path of the hurricanes. Those poor dogaroons down there really need what our angel dog team is doing to help calm their fears. It's rewarding work but I feel a little guilty for not being around for my baby brother, Levi. His problem is getting worse.

Levi will be nine months old at the end of the month and he's been housebroke for five of those months but it's been raining a lot where Mom and Dad live and Levi is giving Mom fits about going outside when it's raining and when the dirt in the dog yard is wet. He's even started peeing and popping on the deck. He'll also ask to go out one door and when he finds out it's raining there, he'll run to another outside door and ask to go out, thinking it might not be raining on the other side of the house. Mom has gone back to square one and is sitting outside with him until he goes where he's suppose to go, regardless of the rain on his back or the wet dirt under his paws. He's making progress. This morning he peed on the rubber mat at the bottom of the deck steps and pooped while squatting on my grave stones. That kid has scrambled eggs for brains when it comes to respect for the dead.

Mom's got the right idea about going back to square one, and I'm sure the problem will work itself out, but I did feel sorry for her yesterday. She woke up with Dad saying the S word over and over again. At first she thought he was trying to pull on his pants while Levi was trying to pull them off. But the tone of the word was different this time, not filled with laughter but panic stricken instead. He'd transferred to his wheelchair, cut his foot and had bled all over the carpeting from the bed to the bathroom and Levi was licking it up. Dad is taking a blood thinner so there was a LOT of blood. Mom jumped out of bed---as much as an old person can jump with arthritic joints---to get Dad and the floors cleaned up and to shut Levi out of the master bedroom while she worked. It took a long time and in the meantime Levi pooped and peed in the living room. That was not really his fault given the circumstances but still it wasn't a great way for Mom to start her day.

So tomorrow the carpet cleaners are coming. Between having the blood removed and sanitized—a $95 requirement for "health reasons so says the cleaning company"---and having the floors in three rooms cleaned and the pets stains deodorized that have accumulated since Levi joined the family it will cost Mom $239 total. If I had time, I'd mental telepathy a little humor down to Mom and remind her that puppy stains might be a good reason to get the hardwood floor she wants installed. What the heck, I'll take the time. What's my angel-brother going to do if I show up late for work? Kill me? I'm already dead. ©

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BIG Trouble for Levi

Anyone there? Levi here. I'm in BIG trouble and me don't know what to do. I needs advice. Oops, Levi has to go. Moomie is coming and I'm not allowed on the computer without her next to me.

Being an angel dog sure isn't as easy as you might think. I was right in the middle of watching the Angel League Agility Trials when Levi started sending urge mental telepathy messages out into the world. By the time I got back to the magic water to look down to see what was going on, Mom had come into the kitchen after her nap to find my dad had scattered every mail order catalog in the house all over the table and counter top. He was on a mission. He was looking for the same baseball cap that Levi had just chewed up. It was his favorite hat, a Tony Lama number they bought 3-4 years ago, and there wasn't a chance in hell he was going to find it in the current batch of catalogs.

Mom had been warning and reminding Dad not to leave that hat on the table next to his La-Z-Boy but he forgets that Levi isn't me and he will steal things off all the low tables in the house. Poor Dad. He wore that hat every where, probably because it reminded him of his pre-stroke days. He loved his western attire---Pendleton wool shirts, Levi jeans, Tony Lama cowboy boots and Stenson hats. But they aren't very wheelchair compatible so he traded them in for a better level of independence that comes from sweat pants and pull over knits.

Levi was upset when Dad caught him in the act. Dad was upset, too, and he blamed himself for not taking better care of his hat.. My baby brother had never ruined anything more than a piece of paper before. (Not that he hasn't tried but Mom keeps a close eye on him.) Even Mom felt guilty for not corralling Levi in the laundry room when she took a nap. The whole house was in a gloom and doom mood as Mom searched the internet for another Tony Lama hat like the one Levi ate. No such luck. I wanted to use my angel power to help find one but my older brother tells me I can't do that. There are rules, he keeps telling me, about frivolous interference. Yadda, yadda, yadda. So now I have to watch poor Levi worry about getting un-adopted over this. Silly boy thinks Dad and Mom won't love him anymore.

Speaking of love, Levi got this neat Blogging Friends Forever gold card from Nottie Scottie, Rocky, and the gang over at Forget Sit & Stay. Levi will be beside himself when he sees this gold card and maybe it will make him forget about the hat. Thanks you all!

Like all awards it has some suggested rules for pawing it forward:

1. Only five people allowed.
2. Four have to be dedicated followers of your blog.
3. One has to be someone new or recently new to your blog and live in another part of the world.
4. You must link back to whoever gave you the award.

We're going to paw it foward to: Mr. T-Bone Beasley, Secret Schnoodle, Scruffy, Lacie and Stan's Place. And the forth one goes to any long-time friend who hasn't gotten this award yet and wants to grab it. For our new blog follower we paw it forward to: Mona and the Mommy.

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Best of Levi Sleeping Award

Mom and Dad went to a family day picnic today. They had all kinds of entertainment for kids and grandkids, which Mom and Dad don't have but they always go anyway. Among the activities was a clown show, a balloon artist, dunking booth, fish pond and Mom's favorite, a cake walk.

Mom has fond memories of cake walks going back over sixty years to her pre-school days when she won a cake at her very first cake walk. It was a strawberry angel food cake made from scratch and it was decorated with whipped cream and juicy red berries. The cake walk was a popular custom at the weddings of her youth. Mom walked the cake walk a dollar's worth today---four times with 2008 rates---and she told Dad, "Some traditions die hard when you have such vivid memories of the first time you ever won a prize." That got me to thinking about poor Levi not placing in the medal at the Paw-limpics today. Every puppy can't win every contest they entry but they should have a good memory of their very first contest. So I want to create one for my baby brother.

Levi sent in several photos for the sleeping category at the Pal-limpics and the judges picked the first one below to go up against all the other dogs who entered. Did they get the best photo of Levi sleeping? I'm asking all our friends in cyberspace to vote between the four below so I can present Levi with his very own prize. Silly, I know, but he'll be so happy when one of his photos wins this Best of Levi Sleeping Award that he'll forget all about not winning metal at the Paw-limpics. Vote in the comment section!


1) The Wall Hugger



2) The Floor Kisser



3) The Full Monty #1



4) The Full Monty #2



Congratulations to all the dogs who placed in the medal and honorable mentions at the Paw-limpics. There were some awesome entries. Here's a link to the sleeping event. Mom especially like Bolo, Archie, Willow, George, Happy and Jackson.

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The Neutering Ritual

Poor Levi is having a bad day and he's desperately trying to piece together what happened when he went to the vet's office to get neutered and micro-chipped. Mom told Dad that my brother's surgery went good and they don't expect any complications. But poor Levi doesn't like the cone and all he's done since he got home is sit, trying to tell Dad his troubles. Listen to the thoughts he's blasting out of his little boy brain, trying to connect to dad to get some answers ……

What happened to Levi? Moomie took me to the visit the nice vegetarian---or was it veterinary? (Darn words get so mixed up!) But while we were waiting a lady snatched me from Moomie's arms and put me in a wire cave---no---cage. Me don't remember what happened next but when me woke up from sleeping me discovered something missing. Me looked every where for my walls---no---balls but they are gone. They used to be right here between my legs. Me almost sure it was my back legs but me looked in between my front ones, too, just in case they moved. Me counted my foes---no---toes and they are all still on my foots---no---feet. (Darn English!) Me checked my tail. It's still there. Just my balls are gone. Then Moomie came and brought me home and put this thing on my head. Now Levi can't walk anymore! Me hope Moomie doesn't get sad---no---mad when she finds out my balls got lost. Me don't feel good. Levi needs a nap!

I'm a little stressed up here watching Levi being so scared and confused over his surgery. When he gets to sleep I'm going let him know he'll be just fine without those body parts. That's not a frivolous use of angel power, do you think? He's really worried and it won't take but a second to whisper reassurances in his ear. He should know that humans apparently think testicles are just accessories we don't need and to tell you the true, I never missed mine for very long.

There's a rumor going around, though, that neutering makes dogs more responsible citizens. Judging by all the neutered angel dogs I've met, it must be true because there are some awesome guys up here. Don't get me wrong. Those fully equipped dogs are great, too. It's just that some of them seem pretty damned proud that they escaped the neutering ritual---oops, I've got to quit swearing. I'll have to get one of my fully equipped friends to tell me exactly what those balls are for. I never gave it much thought when I was still on earth.

Hey, look at that! Mom took pity on him and put Levi in a onsie. That did the trick of covering up his stitches so he can't pull them out. No more cone! He's even got a little hole cut in the onsie for his tail. He's settling down for a nap now so I've better get ready to do a little angel business. ©

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Houdini Dog

Levi should be renamed Houdini. He managed to escape between the four-inches-apart slates on the white, plastic fencing while Mom sat reading the paper only eight feet away. She thought he'd gained too much weight to fit through them so he was in the dog yard without his retractable leash on. Surprise! All that hair of his is deceptive.

He was gone five-six minutes after Mom noticed him missing and she went into a full panic attack. She did manage to grab the dog whistle and she alternated calling his name and blowing the whistle, forgetting to yell "come" as she'd been practicing with him in their mini training sessions. On her second pass through the back yard she found him chasing one of the robins he's been barking at since they came north. That boy is going to a sissified ornithologist when he grows up. He loves birds so much he even barks at the life-size polyresin owl who watches the house from the pine trees. Anyway, Levi came right to her and it was a good thing, too, because he was about to go up a hill too steep for Mom trail after him without having a heart attack in the process.

That afternoon Mom spent several hours putting plastic lattice work around the outside of her beloved white picket fence. Mom can fix anything with duck tape, bungee cords or electrical plastic ties. This job called for the ties and the left over material that was used to enclose the bottom of the deck, keeping out the wild animals---well, sort of. The rabbits have chewed themselves many access points of entry and departure. But I digress. Mom only had a cheap hand saw for cutting plastic so it took her forever to accomplish the job. Mom told Dad she'll probably have to put bricks at the bottom of the fence when Levi figures out that he could dig his way to the backyard bird sanctuary.

Speaking of digging, Mom got the patio stones down over my grave but my baby brother likes to dig in the soft dirt around the edges, so mom is going buy more of them to stop his chances of getting to my bones. But what if he keeps digging around the edges of the new row of stones and she keeps buying more stones? By the end of summer the dog yard will become a patio! And all because my grave is taking up a couple of feet near the garage wall.

Mom read something in a book about setting up a kid's sandbox for puppies to dig in. In theory you bury toys in the sand to get the puppies started digging in their only approved digging area. I'll have to ask around and find out if any of my new pals up here ever had their own sandbox. I'd hate for Mom to buy one and have Levi dig all around the outside of it instead of inside. She could fall over dead hauling bags of sand to the back of the house. Unfortunately, my dog-to-human telepathy doesn't seem to work from up here so I'm going to have to find another way to let her know what I find out. ©
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Another New Experience for Baby Levi

Today Levi got a pretend haircut at the grooming salon. It consisting of a bath, a blow dry and they ran the clippers over him with the guard on so it didn't take any hair off. The groomer also scissor trimmed his face and feet and Levi looked so cute. He did well, stayed calm and didn't bark or whine in the cage. He'll go back in a few weeks for a real haircut.

After his Saturday afternoon experience getting his paw hurt with Dad's wheelchair Levi recovered very quickly. By night he was back to normal, not limping or showing any signs of pain so Mom didn't give him any of the pain pills the emergency animal hospital sent home with them. The veterinarian at the hospital said that sometimes when puppies have their first experience with getting hurt they can get really distressed and overreact. That's what the little guy did. By the next day Mom could move the two toes in question around and it didn't bother him a bit.

Thursday he'll get another new experience---a day trip to Lake Michigan to get sand in his newly washed fur. ©

P.S. Mom tried to get a close up of Levi's new face cut but he doesn't cooperate with the camera.
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Animal Emergency Care

My angel siblings here at the Rainbow Bridge and I have been on pins and needles for the past few hours while our baby brother on earth had his first accident resulting in a trip to Animal Emergency Care. Oh, my God Levi cried so loudly when he accidentally got his paw rolled over by our dad's wheelchair! And here I thought he was doing such a good job learning to stay a safe distance away.

When he tried to walk afterwards, his leg gave out on him and he went face down on the floor. It was SO hard to watch! He looked like a drunk every time he'd tried to take a step. In no time at all Mom whisked him from the floor and off they went to the hospital. A set of x-rays later and a lot of sympathy, Levi was back home in two hours, but not without getting a few drugs that made him act really odd-ball when he was leaving the hospital, pooping and peeing all at once and dragging his butt on the pavement. Mom was really scared! It was a reaction to the pain injection he was given and something else they gave so they could do the x-rays without him moving.

Mom took him home and he spent several hours in bed except for one slow-as-molasses trip to the living room to see if he could find Dad. Levi didn't have any broken bones but two of his toes are pretty sore and he'll be on pain pains the rest of the weekend, if Mom gives them to him. She's kind of afraid to after seeing his reaction to the pain injection. Later on, we all knew he was feeling better when he started chewing on his hospital blanket.

Watching this all unfold made me feel bad for Mom and Dad and guilty for all the times I was rushed off to doggie emergency when I was a puppy. Once while I was in my time-out cage I managed to get my flea collar off and eat everything but the buckle. Once I ate a cork coaster, and one time I got my leg and belly burned. That time, my dad had put a cup of coffee on the floor and I thought it looked like fun to play in. So I stuck my paw all the way down to the bottom of the cup and then pulled it up quick to my belly. Mom put got me in some cold water and then off we all rushed to the animal hospital, me crying all the way. For a while there, the hospital people knew me on a first name basis.

Levi's pain will be short-lived, I know that. Like my angel brother Jason says bad
times teach us all to be more appreciative of the joys in life. But still, it doesn't seem fair that a helpless little puppy has to learn about pain at such a tender age. I think I'll mosey on over to Philosophy Square where the wisest of the wise old dogs up here debate the meaning of life, death and everything in between and beyond. Maybe they can help me understand why bad things have to happen. ©
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Angel Puppy on Earth, Trouble Bubble in Heaven

I've been at the Rainbow Bridge just over two weeks now in human time. Up here, though, there is no such thing at time marked by weeks, months or even years. What is IS if you know what I mean. Mom and Dad still talk about me every day or I should say Mom talks and Dad listens because he can't talk since his stroke. She tells him stories about me as a pup and how much different little Levi is from me at the same age. They laugh and smile at the memories and pour the love on Levi that they can no longer give to me. I may be absent physically but I'm still presence in their hearts.

Levi is the perfect pup for them at this time in their lives. He is sweet and obedient and God knows I was anything but obedient. I was nicknamed the Trouble Bubble for a reason. Adopted at five-and-a-half weeks, I turned out to be a hell-raiser on four paws and didn't make an effort to get civilized until many months later when I had some sessions with a doggie shrink. (See this blog entry for details about Dr. Spock of Dogdoom.) But Mom and Dad were younger back then and they couldn't go through all they did with me again.

At fourteen weeks Levi was the last of his litter to find a home and many of the problems adjusting to living with humans that I had he never developed. He is so tender hearted that he gets his feelings hurt with the slightest reprimand and he takes Mom at her word when she says 'no' to things like chewing shoes laces and table legs. He also doesn't whine or cry when he has to sleep behind a baby gate in the laundry room or ride in a crate in the car. He accepts everything except the vacuum cleaner in his new world including the fact that he can't poop and pee in the house anymore. I'm bragging here but my baby brother even sent his very first mental telepathy message to our mom and she got it! He stood with his front paws on the window sill and kept looking back and forth between the view of the dog yard and Mom, asking her how he can get out there to do his job. Yup, God and I did a great job matching my humans up with little Levi.

Not that Levi is a perfect puppy. He has a stubborn streak about things like Mom's requirement that he not pull weeds in the dog yard and toss them in the air. And forget about the Fooey brand bitter tasting stuff she sprayed on the bark still left along the edges of the fence. Mom got some on her fingers and about gagged on her cookies when it got transferred by accident to her lips, but Levi likes it. He's also a puppy who loves to roll in the dirt and yesterday he discovered the joy of digging holes. Mom better hurry up and get those patio stones over my grave before Levi decides to dig up my bones.

Well, I'm off to my first Mother's Day party up here at the Bridge. I hear tell there will be grills set up where we can snatch all the hamburgers and hot dogs we want and there will be a champaign toast to our earth mothers everywhere. ©
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Rainy Days and Sing-Alongs

Oh, my gosh, baby Levi has so many new things to learn. Today it was a lesson about rain. It was coming down very lightly when Mom took him outside at noontime and he acted like a kitten trying to wash its ears. First one paw, then the other came up and over his head, trying to brush the raindrops off his furry little head. He never did pee. He just parked himself at Mom's feet where he was getting some protection from the rain and contemplated what was going on in his newly expanded world. On his next trip outside it was pouring rain and the spoiled little puppy got an umbrella held over him. He still didn't pee but he discovered mud is fun.

Mom thinks it would be nice if people threw puppy showers the way they do human baby showers. There are so many new puppy things on her 'want list' including an electronic press paw door bell. Isn't that silly? I used to just stare at Mom until she'd have a moment of clarity and let me out. She also wants a doggie 'travel bag' for Levi's gear, another bed for the bedroom---if Levi ever gets potty trained enough to be trusted on the carpet---and a puppy rain coat. For a minute and a half she even wished for a doggie stroller until she remembered that it would be quite a feat to push our dad's wheelchair and Levi in a stroller at the same time. It never occurred to her that Dad could push the stroller while Mom pushes Dad. But, heck, he's a DOG. He should walk like a dog. Years before my time on earth, my human grandma used to tell Mom when she had Sarah: "Put that dog down! She's got legs." Sarah still laughs about that up here at the Rainbow Bridge.

Still, a stroller would have come in handy when our humans take Levi on day trips. He won't get to be the travel dog that I was but our folks still go to some fun places. Every week in the summers, for example, they attend an outdoor blue grass concert in the park and dogs are not an uncommon sight there---some even in strollers. The park runs along side of a jogging trail and lots of dogs and their humans stop mid-way along their trek to listen to the music. Me, I was never invited to go with them to the concerts because when I was earth bound I would have sung along with the people on stage. I was quite famous, you know, in the days when we used to give 'birthday grams' over the phone to everyone we knew. Dad would play the harmonica, mom would sing and I would howl HaaaPPPPyyyyy BirthDAAAAyyyy to YOOoooOOUUU. I used to sing with Mom and Dad a lot. Levi, being a schnauzer, won't be encouraged to sing I heard our humans say.

Speaking of music, I've got choir practice in a little while. The Rainbow Bridge Chorale is giving a performance tomorrow night. ©

Stroller photo: Petzip Urban Vague

Goodie Two Shoes

Levi and his teddy.




Goodie two shoes---my new earth brother---finally did something to upset our adoptive mother. Or I should say it's what Levi didn't do that upset her. He didn't pee for twelve hours today and she was thinking he was getting sick from the vaccinations he got yesterday or from being outside last night in the frosty cold when she was trying to get him to pee before bedtime. Worry wart that she is, she called the veterinarian's office and they said, "No, the vaccinations shouldn't cause that to happen." And, "Are you sure you he didn't pee when you weren't looking?" (I was watching, too, and the little guy really didn't pee over night or in the morning.) "Is he acting listless?" "Is he eating?"

"He's acting the same way he has since we adopted him," Mom replied, "and he's eating well," to which the vet's receptionist advised Mom to call back if anything changes.

After hanging up the phone, Mom started worrying that her pop-can-turned-rattle with the pennies inside scared Levi TOO much when she'd caught him squatting where he shouldn't be squatting. It was the last time he'd tried to pee---before the twelve hour dry stretch---and she'd startled him so bad he'd stopped mid stream.

Finally, mom decided to give Levi some filtered water instead of the tap water in his dish and he drank like he'd been out on the desert for a week and promptly peed all over the kitchen floor five minutes later. Mom was so happy that she didn't even ball herself out for missing out on the action until it was too late to rattle the can or scowl him.

It's a good thing Levi is a good puppy and nothing like the trouble bubble that I was at his age. The veterinarian's phone would be ringing off the hook. ©


What do you mean blankets aren't toys?



Total trust, total comfort.




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First Trip to the Vets

My little brother is a putts. This morning our Dad dropped a corn flake on the floor and when Levi found it later on he just played with it. Granted, it's the first corn flake he's ever seen but even so you'd think he would have known enough to eat. I can't wait until he finds his first bug.

At the veterinarian's office, Levi was a whooping ten pounds, two ounces. I---an angel dog looking out for my earth brother---was right when I said the breeder lied when she told my folks he'd only be seventeen pounds full grown. The vet said we'll know in a few weeks because you can double whatever he weighs at sixteen weeks and that will be close to his adult weight. And she's sure it will be a bit more than seventeen pounds. Our MOTHEEEER is making a MISTAAAAKE with Levi. Every morning after she takes him outside and he's had a little play time inside, she rocks him to sleep in her computer chair in the kitchen while she surfs the net. That's not going to be easy to do when he's a two ton elephant sitting on her lap.

Levi got the works with his first wellness exam: an up the nose bordetella vaccine to prevent kennel cough, a pyrantel dewormer by mouth, and a starter kit for sentinel flea and worm prevention. He got his claws trimmed, too, and his stool checked for worms. Dad said Levi has flies. You got to laugh at Dad's language disorder. He meant that Levi has fleas but the vet tech couldn't find any signs of the varmints. The vet says Levi was the best puppy she's seen in a long time. I'll bet she says that to all new adopting parents.

I've got a play date at Rainbow Meadow with my new friends Nora, Nikka, Sam, Daisy, Mittens, and Pockets so I'm signing out from doggie heaven for now. My social calendar is filling up fast. ©

Photo: Levi played with his blanket and then wrapped himself up for a nap.
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Naming Levi and Me

Since I arrived at the Rainbow Bridge, I've met a lot of happy, healthy dogs and, let me tell you, the variety of names I've run across is mind-boggling. There's Koobus III, Samantha, Lacylulu, puppy Bijou, Old Goofy, Rose and Sneakers just to name a few of my new friends up here. Someone at 'Dogs With Blogs' should start a topic about how they named their furry children.

When I got my name, Cooper, I was named after a sign along the expressway but that's only half the story. My folks had been swapping suggestions back and forth for over a week. On the day they finally found one that suited me they were doing that back and forth name game while we were all in the pickup truck---me on Mom's lap---and they had resorted to reading street signs and billboards. My humans were only half serious and laughing a lot. Let's face it, they were being down right silly.

One name Dad suggested was Myrtle. I hated that old lady name and I let him know it with a scowl. Dad said I looked at him with major disgust in my eyes, like the name hurt my pride. And it did. I wasn't a girl and I wasn't old back then, can you blame me? Not long after that he suggested "Cooper" and that sounded movie star cool so I wiggled my approval from head to toe. Thus my humans always told people that I picked out my own name.

Levi wasn't so lucky. My dad has a severe language disorder since his stroke so my humans needed to find a name that Dad could say. He doesn't have many words in his vocabulary. So Mom suggested that a good boy's name would be 'Levi' because Dad says that word every time he sees a pair of Levi jeans on someone when they're out and about. Dad liked the name right off and replied, "Father." It took a few minutes for Mom to figure out that Dad's father's middle name was Levi and he was pleased to have the family name passed down. It's hard to figure out what kind of personality puppy Levi is going to have when he's finished making his up but some how the name will probably suit him. He's a sturdy sort of pup, laid back and causal who got his name before he was even adopted.

Mom's other four-legged kids up here with me---Jason and Sarah---have the names of the human kids she was never able to have, so she gave her favorite names to her first two poodles. Speaking of

Jason, I wish I could let Mom know that he's forgiven her for corn rowing the hair on his ears that one time when she got bored. He says letting him get photographed with the Playboy Bunny more than made up for it. That was Dad's idea, but Mom wasn't to sure it was a good idea. Jason had been out in the motor home that night and Dad talked the photographer and bunny into letting him bring Jason into the Playboy Club for a photo shoot.

I'm signing off now to go wander over to Couch Theater. It's a great place near the Rainbow Bridge that's sort of like the old drive-in theaters for humans only instead of cars lined up in rows we have couches where we can lounge to our heart's content. We busy angel dogs love our naps once in a while, you know. ©

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Levi's First Twenty-Four Hours

This is Cooper reporting from the Rainbow Bridge. I'm an angel dog, now, with the power to watch over my humans and their new addition to the family. Without further ado, let me introduce Levi, a thirteen week old schnauzer with big feet. Oh, my God! I think the breeder lied to my humans when she said he'll only weigh seventeen pounds when he grows up.

Levi's not a hell raiser like I was at his age, but he's inquisitive and he likes my old toys that mom washed up for him. My humans also gave him the new bed that Mom
bought for me a few months before I came to doggie heaven and wouldn't use. She ended up digging my old one back out of the trash. But I digress. Little Levi took right to the new bed and uses it for a playpen. He hasn't it figured out how dogs are supposed to sleep in beds. Most of the time he hangs half in and half out.

Levi is doing well with Dad's wheelchair. He isn't afraid of it like some older dogs are. He's already found the short cut underneath and he's learning to 'sit' when Dad transfers. Little Levi likes the tags on the chair's cushion, though, and he got his first "No!" reprimand for chewing on them. Something tells me he's going to get a lot more of those before he grows up because Levi's not going to be allowed up on all the furniture like I was. He's only going to be allowed up in Dad's Laz-Z-Boy when the two of them take naps. Levi's been up there already for several short bonding sessions, with Mom close by to make sure he didn't jump down and hurt himself.

My folks were happy that little Levi's first night in his new home went well. He didn't cry or make a fuss when he had to stay in the laundry room. He didn't even cry when he woke up before Mom and Dad. He just played with his toys and used his puppy pad. The only real problem Levi is having is learning to walk on a leash. He plants his butt down on the floor, locks his front legs stiff and pulls backwards with all his might. But I know our mom; she's stubborn, too, and she'll get my little brother leash broke. Otherwise he'll miss out on all the fun stuff in an earth dog's life.

Tomorrow Levi gets his first visit to the veterinarian's office so that he can get the paper work required for the puppy classes at the Humane Society and for the groomers. I don't think I'll get "remorseful" tagging along in spirit to the place where I departed earth---especially since they have a special room they use for families and dogs that are parting company and little Levi won't be going in there. My humans made a difficult but loving decision that last day and I think they know it was the right one. Little Levi is helping to fill the holes in our parents' hearts that I left, so they will be okay. He's a joyful presence in a house that would have been too quiet without either one of us there. ©
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