David J. Keating 
January 18, 1929 - October 10, 2020


"The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him."
                                                                                                    Proverbs 20:7 

Thank  you, Daddy.


​

Saturday, December 7, 2019, from 11 am to 4 pm. If you are on the email list, you have all the details and will get a reminder very soon. If you are not on the email list and you would like to come, please contact me and I will give you all the details and directions. Hope to see you on the 7th!!

Never was there a sweeter, more gentle dog. I will love you forever, my sweet girl.   XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

So...remember when I did a decent of job of adding new blog posts? Yeah, so do I. Life got crazy-busy, and I had to turn my attention to other things, mostly like taking care of the people in my life. And the pooches in my life. Things are still pretty busy, and this is also why I am not hosting my open house this Christmas season. Sorry about that. If you need something to give as a gift this holiday season, you can always contact me through this site and we can work it out.

Maeve is doing very well. She is healthy, quirky, and spending more time outside due to the dropping temperatures. Is it ever too cold for a Great Pyrenees? Not lately. She loves her nightly walks when it's absolutely freezing. I have to admit I enjoy them, too. The only time I whine is when there is a wind chill. I'm also a little annoyed at having to carry coyote-defense gear, but after coming across three of them, at one time, on our street, a "big stick" is in order. Generally, I suppose, a Great Pyrenees is itself a defense against a coyote since they were bred for that kind of thing, but I'm not willing to let that go down, especially as I would refuse to let go of her leash.

Maggie, on the other hand, has been very ill. At first it was pancreatitis, and within the last few weeks her kidneys and liver have become involved. She also still has to deal with Cushings disease, which is a contributing factor to pancreatitis. She has spent many nights as an inpatient with our vet. We brought her home again yesterday, with a pile of medications. Fortunately, she has an appetite now, so it is possible to get the medications into her. Unfortunately, her appetite focuses mainly on freshly cooked chicken and very little dog food. Unless you count chicken as dog food, which it is around here. We believe that this is Maggie's end game, and we aren't sure what to expect, time-wise. She is happy. She is comfortable. And she is as sweet as ever. So, as long as she remains happy and comfortable, we will do all we can for her.

You know what? November marked Teddy's passing. Three years! And Sophie has been gone six years as of October. I think about them daily, as with all my dogs that have gone on. I came across a moving blog entry on a website relating the passing of a beloved dog, and it reminded me of Teddy a bit, due to the cancer of the spleen and the rabbit incident. What is it about retrievers and rabbits?  In remembrance of my dear Teddy, and my sweet Sophie, I want to share that with you. Click here if you would like to read it.

I hope you enjoy it. You may want a tissue nearby...  ​

Happy New Year! I hope your Christmas was meaningful and I wish you many blessings in 2018.Thank you to everyone who came to my Open House this year. I always enjoy seeing you! Congratulations to Michelle F. and Eva J., winners of the drawing for a personalized pendant and a mini-portrait, respectively. Stay warm! (I say that right now as I prepare to get up from the computer to take Maeve around the block. Maeve doesn't seem bothered by bitter cold, so we have to limit her time outside and on her favorite couch, which is practically outside. Maggie is very happy to go out only for business.)

This is Jack. His Mama won the drawing for a free mini portrait (5" by 7") last year, and now she has a sweet little keepsake for years to come. You could win a mini portrait of one of your pets if you stop by my open house next Saturday, Dec. 2nd:

So, maybe you won't win the portrait, but maybe you'll win a personalized paw print pendant (available with a dog paw print, cat paw print, or horseshoe print). It would look like this:

Still don't think you'd be a lucky winner? Well, not everyone can win all the time, but I still have a little something for you just for coming by (at least for about the first 30 people or so)...just to say "Thanks for coming by."

I hope you'll consider stopping in...Saturday, Dec. 2nd....11 am to 4 pm...contact me for directions.

If you're on my email list, your email invitation will be arriving in your email box very soon. If you're not on my email list and you would like an invitation (that will include the address and directions, let me know and I will add you to my list, or just send you an invitation.) While it is an opportunity to shop for pet lovers on your gift list or for yourself, it's also (and mostly) a no-obligation invitation for you to come by, say "hi" to me and the pups (and Art--the husband and the paintings...) and grab a cookie or two. I also have a nifty little gift for the first 30 or so friends to stop by. So please add this to your calendar, and I hope to see you the first Saturday of December.

I have been wanting to take Maeve to the groomer's for some time now, but she so dislikes certain aspects of being handled and having things done to her that I have put it off again and again. I've tried to do the best I could for her at home, but she really needed a thorough, full-on professional grooming. So, I called Sally, who has groomed Maggie for years and took such good care of Teddy, (whom she deemed "the hairiest dog ever," despite owning three golden retrievers of her own)...Sally, "you ain't seen nothin' yet"...

Things a groomer should know about Maeve: She hates getting wet and is highly suspicious of water squirting out of anything. I have not successfully trimmed more than two toenails in a single day on her when I have done it myself, and the last time I took her to the vet to have her nails trimmed, it took forever because they needed three technicians to get the job done. And she has double dew claws, so that means more nails to trim. She is also deeply offended by any activity that involves moving her tail to accomplish it. Too much of any of these and Maeve goes into sulking mode in her crate for a while. 

So, we arrived at the vet office where Sally does the grooming, and she asked me if I would accompany her to take Maeve down stairs to the grooming area. Sounded like a good idea. And it was necessary, because once Maeve got to the landing in the stairwell, she decided she wasn't interested in going the rest of the way. So, with a little pulling from me in the front and a little pushing from Sally in the back, we got her where she needed to go. A little more pushing and she was in the wash tub. I was worried. Sally was worried. I had to leave. I told Sally to just do what she could, at least it would be a start.

Less than an hour later, I got a text from Sally, with this photo:

and the message that the bath went well and the hair dryer went well and Maeve was wonderful. Relief! Then a couple of hours later, another text saying that the nails were no problem and declaring Maeve to be "a great girl"! After an afternoon of more drying, trimming and lots of brushing, Maeve looked even more beautiful than usual (and slightly smaller with much of the undercoat gone) and Sally was in love with her. So all my worry and fear for nothing. Isn't that always the way...Look out Maggie!! You're next...