Our friends John and Michael ...

... have a new dog, too! He's not a puppy who chews things up and breaks things ... he's a Greyhound who used to be a racing dog and now he's just going to be a regular dog.

Here's John's blog about his arrival. They say that it takes a little adjusting from race-dog life to regular-dog life, but it looks to us like he's adjusting pretty well!

Welcome to regular dog life, Festus! You're gonna love it!

Love, Luna & Juno!

Luna's teaching me the ropes around here ...

How'm I doin' so far?

First the synchronized couch sit ...

Followed by the synchronized snooze ...

Stay tuned for more of our "Sister Act!"

If we could just get the puppy to RELAX a little more ...

(Juno in a post-romp nap posture)

Hi there ... I'm Juno ...

... and this my first time putting something up on this blog.

I've been here a week now in my new house with my new family and I think it's going pretty well. Today I decided to pitch in and help out ... here I am helping my mom sort through the clothes that are going out of the closet and over to "Out of the Closet" ... the thrift store that sells stuff to help people with AIDS.

Stay tuned ... I'm sure I'll have more to say later! (But right now it's time for another nap.)

The Olympics may be over ...

... but we still have floor exercises going on at our house:

I think we get a Perfect Ten ... what do you think???

(And yes, she IS sleeping through the night now ... thank goodness!)

So it didn't go so great last night ...

"The Puppy" decided this was the night she was NOT going to go to sleep like she was supposed to in her crate.

While my one mom just pulled the covers up over her head and tried to sleep anyway (good luck with THAT!!! ) ...

... the other one couldn't resist getting the sound effects "on the record."

So here's a peek into how much fun WE had last night ... here's hoping tonight goes better!

So how IS the puppy getting along with the cats?????

A lot of people have been asking about how Juno is getting along with the cats. We figured if a picture is worth 1000 words then a video is probably worth about 10,000 ... check it out:

Look what the stork brought to OUR house!

Last night, when my moms got home from the movie they went to see ("Brideshead Revisited" ... not as good as the book or miniseries but they liked it anyway) they came home to a BIG surprise ...

MY NEW SISTER!

Turns out they were less surprised than I was ... they at least new she was coming because it turned out they'd been talking to Chuck up at Husky Camp (that's where I came from) and they had two rescue puppies (a boy and a girl) who were Malberians (that's 1/2 Malamute and 1/2 Siberian) who needed a home.

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So they decided on the girl ... and I guess they were going to tell me EVENTUALLY ... but they thought they had a little time to break it to me because they were going to go pick her up from Chuck. And lo and behold Chuck showed up at the front door and dropped her off to save us a trip!

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Life as we knew it officially ended at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 19th.

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So we hurried up and got a bed ready for her (the crate was sill needing cleaned out after being stuck back in the garage since I outgrew it) ...

She still had stiches from getting spayed (I'm sure glad I was too young to remember all that!) so she had a bandage around her belly.

I'm honestly not sure quit WHAT I think about all this and I'm giving myself a little time to get used to the idea.
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Don't get me wrong ... I like the idea of someone to play with and I believe them when they tell me the reason they wanted another dog was because I'm so fabulous that they want another sweet one like me. And I know no other dog will ever replace Harvey but I do get lonely being the only dog sometimes ... and she IS pretty cute ...

But she's going to have to learn a thing or two ... and thing NUMBER ONE is that this is MY chaise lounge ...

and it's going to stay that way.


24 hours down ... a lifetime to go. Stay tuned!

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PS -- What did we name her???? Oh yeah ... Juno.

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And -- BTW -- August 19 would have been my Grandma Betty's birthday so I'm wondering if she didn't have something to do with the timing on all this, being a puppy person and all!

You never know!!!

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Luna Surveys the Dog Park

We're trying to get back to some kind of life-after-Harvey so we're back at the dog park and here's our first foray into video blog land:



What it lacks in drama it makes up for in cuteness!

Remembering Harvey

1994-2008

R.I.P.
Harvey Emerson Brooks

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My beloved big brother Harvey died June 5, 2008. He was 15 years old and his heart just gave out. I will miss him terribly. He was my best friend and my mentor. He was brave and macho and loved protect me at the dog park. I’m kind of shy and submissive and Harvey taught me to channel my inner guard dog self.

My mom Louise adopted Harvey when he was 12 weeks old.


He had been thrown out of a car onto a freeway off-ramp and she agreed to foster him until he found a home. She already had a dog named Cody, an Alaskan malamute who was 6 moths old. Harvey fell in love with my mom and Cody. They grew up together.






Then when my mom Susan came into the family, she loved Harvey and Cody so much she made them dress up and look stupid at Christmas.

Harvey was always patient with me ... even when I was a little bitty puppy and used to chew and bite and want him to chase me around all the time. (Can you believe I was ever this little?)


And even the CATS loved him ... well, at least Birdy and Walden did!



Harvey’s death took us all by surprise. On the day he died, my Moms were on their way to a wedding in New Hampshire. Before they left, my Mom Louise took us for our usual “morning constitutional” to the dog park. That morning at the park, Harve was perky, tried to chase other dogs who were bugging me and got petted by our many human friends. When we got home, he immediately chowed down his breakfast and lurked over me til I reluctantly finished mine so he wouldn’t eat it. Then the Mommies left, giving us our favorite bones, hugged us real good and told us to guard the house til they got home.

Harve and I immediately settled into our guard dog modes … feigning sleeping soundly so as to surprise any would-be burglars.

But all was not well. When our Aunt Stasia (who was taking care of us while our moms were away) came home, Harvey came in the house and went right under the bed. They wouldn't let me in where he was but I heard Stasia saying that he was breathing really hard ... panting and panting. And then his heart just gave up and he went to Dog Heaven.

It was hard enough for us here to deal with, but our poor moms were on an airplane (that had been delayed for five hours before it took off for Boston!) and nobody could get them on their cell phones. When they finally got the news it was 2 a.m. and they were devastated.

So now we're all trying to figure out what life AH looks like ("After Harvey"). I know we're all grateful that he lived as long as he did and was such a good friend and companion.

He was so patient ... with not only me but my moms who took such pleasure in humiliating him by dressing him up for just about every occasion.

And he taught me everything I needed to know to be the Queen of the Dog Park ...

We've been blessed to have him in our family and his memory will live on even now that he's gone to Dog Heaven which I think is a REALLY big dog park and Harvey is romping there with our friends who have gone before: Kenneth and Cody and Molly and Cuthbert and Blue and many, many others.

We love you Harvey!

Happy Mother's Day!

We're late getting this blog up today, but we didn't want Mother's Day to go by without wishing a happy one to all the dog ... (OK, OK) the dog and CAT moms out there who put up with us, clean up after us, and basically just make us the luckiest pets on the planet.

We now return to our regularly scheduled pastime ... napping!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

When Grandma came to visit ...

We loved it when our Grandma was here ...

... she came to visit ALL of us, but Birdie got to sit on her lap.

Come back, soon, Grandma ... we miss you!

Love,

Harvey & Luna

LUNA: It was "go to the vet day" at our house ...

It was just one of those routine visits but we ALL went. Harvey is having more and more trouble getting his back legs to do what he wants them to do so they wanted to check out the pills that he was taking were the right ones. Me they just wanted to weigh and pet and give treats to.

Anyway, here we are ... back again ... none the worse for wear. (Although it's always a little bit of an adventure getting us there and back.) The only way you can tell we even WENT is from the bandanas around our necks ...

Harve got the metro-sexual mult-colored geometric print...

... while I got the more femmy pink Easter motif.

Anyway, we're probably going to sleep off the adventure for the rest of the day. The moms are both home all weekend (we LIKE that!) and so maybe there will be more adventures later.

But for now, I'm settling in for my post-vet snooze ...

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ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

A Kid's View of a Dog's Purpose Driven Life

Our mom, Susan, put this story on HER blog but we decided it should go on ours, too! It came in an email from one of the people who goes to All Saints Church ("Hi," Jack!) and she offered it on the First Sunday in Lent with prayers to all for a Holy Lent and Joyous Easter! And WE offer it today because we think it makes more sense than most of the stuff that gets posed online ... in Lent or any OTHER season!

Sincerely,
Harvey & Luna

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?" The six-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."

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Lessons we can learn from a dog

• Live simply.


• Love generously.


• Care deeply.


• Speak kindly.


• When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.


• Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.


• Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy. Take naps.


• Stretch before rising.


• Run, romp, and play daily.


• Thrive on attention and let people touch you.


• Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.


• On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.


• On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.


• When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.


• Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.


• Be loyal.


• Never pretend to be something you're not.


• If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.


• When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

"I'll take 'The Iditarod' for $400, Alex."

This is what a big night at our house looks like ... the mommies settle in to watch "Jeopardy" and I settle in on the couch.
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This is the "lifestyle" they're so worried about? Give me a break!

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Luna and Harvey: Everyone, meet and welcome Sophie!!

SOPHIE MACKEY-MASON

8 weeks old

Isn't she a cutie?

Rescued from Aussie Rescue by our friends Chris and Sheila

What a wooly bear!

We can't wait til she's old enough to play with us!

LUNA: All politics all the time

It's all politics, all the time at our house ... and I'm pretty much over it.
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I mean, I know it's all important stuff. At least that's what my moms tell me. But really ... how many times can the same people NOT answer the same questions and expect everybody to hang on every word?

Not me. I'm napping through this one ... and frankly, they all looked so tired I'll bet they wished they were on the couch with me instead of on yet-another red-white-&-blue sound stage trying to figure out how to make the message they want to give fit the questions they're getting asked.
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It kind of feels like a great big game to me -- but the stakes are sure higher than catch-the-frisbee or toss-the-tennis ball at the dog park. I guess if a dog can figure that out then so can the people in charge of making the decisions, but they didn't do so good at that last time, did they?

That's why even if we're napping on the couch, we're keeping one eye on the TV and one eye on the countdown clock ...



Can't come soon enough for us!

Luna : We are devastated!

Tis the season to be jolly but there’s not much joy at our house this year. We have lost our beloved brother Walden and our hearts are full of great sadness.
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1996-2007

He was almost 11 years old and he was a magnificent cat. One of his favorite things was to sit on our patio wall and survey the neighborhood. He was definitely the master of his domain.

He was also a mighty hunter and kept our yard free of nosey neighborhood cats, pesky mice and lizards. He would scare our Mom Susan with these “gifts” that he would proudly bring into the house and deposit in the bedroom.
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He loved nothing better than to hang out with us and our Moms.


Walden, or "Wal Dee", was a macho guy but he quietly tolerated the Moms penchant for dressing us up during the holidays.



He was especially fond of Harvey and would often curl up on a rug close to him after giving him a kiss on his ear.

He tolerated me. He would even play with me in the back yard sometimes. He would run and dash and then jump out at me from behind a bush. Other times I bugged him too much with my “puppy-ness” and he would hiss at me to let me know I had gone too far. Yet he always forgave me and let me share the couch with him.

Most of all, he loved our Mom Louise and his loss is very hard on her.


He was her "sweet baby boy kitty." He was the male kitty she always wanted. He was a very handsome chap with his white chest and paws. He was part Maine Coon and had fluffy, fuzzy fur. He also had a sweet, sweet disposition.


He and his sister (named Baby) were abandoned at 7 weeks old and miraculously, for them, made their way to her front door. She let them in and they made themselves right at home.
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And Walden could make himself comfy almost anywhere.
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He was street smart and brave. He survived a month on the streets after he ran away from Hope’s house. My Mom searched for him every single day and with the help of some friendly animal lovers, found him. He had traveled over two miles and was headed back towards our house. He slept on her chest for several nights after he came back home.
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Walden loved to put his head up against my Mom's neck and cuddle. She told me that on his last day, he climbed up on her chest and kissed her cheek. I know Walden loved my Mom a lot gave her lots of joy and many fond memories. She misses him very, very much and so do I. She says we were very lucky to have known him and that he’s in doggie and kitty heaven now. I’m happy to know that ... but there will be a big empty spot in all our hearts without him.
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