A Tough Anniversary…
This Saturday June 29th marks a year that my sweet baby boy left this world and crossed over to that big tennis ball filled field in the sky. It really is a tough anniversary to acknowledge. And it is even tougher to believe that is has been a year. Sometimes it seems a lot longer… like it was forever ago that his tap tap tap was following me, shadowing me all around my life. And sometimes it seems like it was just yesterday. Death is weird like that I guess. It is mood dependent…
I have been really busy lately but when I realized it was coming up on this landmark date in my life I felt the need to… not celebrate… acknowledge in some way. His birthday is July 15th so I will celebrate him two weeks later… but this is a solemn day of remembrance… Yet I am not wanting to wallow or be sad. He was ready, as you readers know. He let me know he was ready and it was time… and it was the day, the first day since his diagnosis, that I was certain that he felt no pain or suffering any longer. I remember it all. All the details. I will never forget it. And I have yet to dig up that blog entry and read it again… not quite ready. Maybe Saturday morning with coffee in hand I will attempt that task…
So after remembering what was coming I mentioned to my guy that I would like to take Oscar down to the Keys on Saturday for the day, and take him to Cody’s beach and watch him run around and be a dog for the day. That would be the perfect way to “celebrate” Cody. But then as it came out of my mouth it dawned on me that we already have plans and they are even better!
We are going to meet the Labrador that we will be fostering for the month of July!!!!!
Lucas is a 5 year old yellow pure bred Labrador that one of my guy’s coworkers owns. The family will be traveling abroad for the month of July and they were worried sick what they would do with sweet Lucas for that month. I can so completely relate to that anxiety of going away and worrying sick about leaving your furry baby. And I freak out for just a weekend! I cannot imagine being away for a month. So we offered and he readily accepted. So we are going to introduce Oscar and Lucas this weekend and get them ready.
What better way to honor Cody than to spend time with another Labrador and have him hang with Oscar!
And Oscar desperately NEEDS the influence of a good well mannered dog, especially a Lab. Oscar is picking up like a 10 month old sponge all of the cat behavior I am horrified to see him mimic. UGH! It is SO ridiculous to see him jump on the table by the front window FROM THE GROUND to watch me when I leave the house, barking. It is even more ridiculous to have him wake up at the foot of my bed in the morning licking his paw and rubbing his face with it just like a cat cleaning himself. And then to walk all over me like the cats do regardless that he is 50lbs.
This needs to stop.
I want him to see Lucas jump into the pool. Chase the tennis ball. Be obsessed with the tennis ball IN the pool!!! I want them to rough house. I want them to bond.
I am very excited!!!
So all of the solemnity will be channeled into exciting Labrador bonding time and in that way, we will be hanging with the quintessential Labrador Cody spirit and Oscar together on Saturday…
As it should be.
Saving Cody 
It’s super tough my Kuma’s anniversary is next month August one year😔
Has it really been a year? Man. My girl is nine today and I’m well aware of the sands through the hourglass, trying to see each day as a gift and make the most of it.She’s healthy and happy but that can change in an instant.
So glad your new labrador bud is working out well. You’re a great dog mummy and it’s a lucky pooch that ends up with you, Michelle. All the best for a nice summer.
I gotta say your new 50 pound cat has me cracking up:) LOL😭😭
It is always tough to remember their death and your post made me cry, remembering the death(s) of my sweet dogs. All of them were different. I miss all of them, but there are one or two that I don’t think I will ever ‘ get ‘ over. Ever since you started posting about Cody and the lympoma, I check my sweet dog almost every day, the place behind his jaws. I panicked one night because it felt like he was swollen on one side, kinda like where our lymph glands are in our neck. I kept checking there for a few days and it went back down, so I figured maybe (hopefully) it was due to allergies or something, but I continue to check them. I enjoy reading your posts and the antics of Oscar lol I hope Oscar and the Lab you’ll be taking care of for a month get along! It should be fun if they do. If it goes well, I can see you getting another lab to keep Oscar company! :) Susan
The part where you talked about all the cat behaviours your dog had picked up made me literally laugh out loud. I needed that because my eyes were still wet from tears reading about how much you loved the dog who had died- I feel you- my sweet cat Growly has been gone for 2 1/2 yrs and I thought of her… She had been rescued from someone that abused her, kept her in a tiny cage not even made for a cat- she was so confused, would growl then purr (hence her name). Once she realized she was safe and loved she was the sweetest most loving cat I ever had (which is saying Alot) She was codependant like me, a match made in heaven! 😻
I am a firm believer that you get the pet you need, and vice versa. It is always up to you to understand it.