Hercules Went to the Rainbow Bridge

'Member Hercules? We didn't talk about him a lot, but we mentioned him on our blog a couple of times. He went to our doggie birthday party. See here. And here. He didn't particularly like us... cuz we're bigger than him and he had a big ego, being a Corgi and all...

Anypaws... dogmom used to work with Hercules' dad. And here's what Herc's dad had to say about him:

HERCULES’ GUIDE TO BECOMING A BETTER PERSON

Pictured is Hercules, the Weber family’s pet of the past 11-plus years.

I wouldn’t normally talk about my home life in a blog that is mostly news and notes for Southwest editors and reporters. However, I’d like to share five things that Hercules has taught me about becoming a better person, colleague, boss and perhaps even journalist.

1) It’s not always about you. Raising children can wear you out, but having a dog is humbling work, too. You need to feed, walk, entertain, groom, train and, yes, especially love a dog if he or she is truly a part of your family. You might think you’re a big shot, but – seriously – who rules and who drools when it’s you that’s carrying the bag of dog droppings while walking down a busy street?

2) Praise matters. I believe we’re somehow hard-wired to enjoy hearing our name linked to a compliment – though it may not show as much in humans, since we don’t have a tail that wags. (Actually, Hercules is a Welsh corgi, a breed that has its tail docked while still young. But when praised, he can still get a pretty good shake going in the trunk vicinity.) Lay some praise on a co-worker or news source, and mean it.

3) Believe in people. My dog does, greeting me at the door after work every single evening with the unstoppable conviction that nap time is over and the fun will now begin. Even though I don’t always deliver. That’s true faith in another, which among humans – especially hardened, skeptical journalists – is often in short supply.

4) Get out there and play. Sometimes just getting outside and going for a walk is enough to forget about the heavy burdens we sometimes shoulder at work. Scientific studies back me up on this. And there’s nothing like dog ownership to provide the daily motivation to take that stroll.

5) Life’s too short. Enjoy your family, friends and colleagues … today, tomorrow and every single day. I’ve come to learn this lesson recently, and the hard way. Hercules died yesterday, after going through a quick but fatal slide caused by liver and kidney disease. He was an important part of our family, and the best friend I’ve ever had. May God bless his soul.

Until next time … thirty-dash.

Herc was a special little guy with lots of spirit. He's going to be missed. We hope he's playing in the rainbow bridge meadow with Floppy, Tosca's kitty, Tasha and all the other pets we've temporarily said goodbye to.

Wuf Ya!

We're Off to Dog Pad!

So, good news and bad news, dawgs.

The good news is that we get to go to Dog Pad a lot these days. We wuf Tory. She comes with the big blue truck and picks us up every day where dogmom works. And then dogmom either comes and picks us up at Dog Pad, or Tory or Nate drive us back to dogmom's work. Doesn't that sound like pure doggie fun? Well, it is!

Anytails, the bad news is that dogmom is really busy these days and that's why we go to Dog Pad so much. She still works full-time at her job at the newspaper company. She says that one pays the rent and for the big bags of food and treats that she brings home. And she likes her job there and all the peoples she works with (well, that's not really bad news, is it?)

And, more bad news is that she works at Pet Crossing Animal Hospital and Dental Clinic. You know that one; it's were Dr. Kate is. She's our favorite doggie doctor and dentist. She makes our mouth and teeth feel all better when we break our teeth... which dogmom says we do way too often for her liking. She works at Pet Crossing about 20 hours a week. The only reason this is in the bad news category is 'cuz she comes home smelling like all kinds of puppies and kittens and dogs and cats and even bunnies and ferrets! It makes us crazy when she comes home smelling like animals we haven't met yet.

Anyways, more bad news is that she also spends a lot of time on the computer for her class. She started at veterinary technology school and right now she's taking classes online; so I guess that's not totally bad news because it means she's at least at home. But she hogs the computer for hours at a time and then she reads really weird books to us and says things like hydroencephalitis and pneumothorax. Like we need to hear those things, right?

Anyways, we get to go to Dog Pad more, so I guess it's all worth it.

Hey - don't forget to send us some questions that we can answer from the Dogs' Aye View! Anything goes... except not medical or behavioral issues that you should talk to your doggie and kitty (and hampster, Girl-Girl) doctor about. Dogmom needs your help here! (See post from the other day...)

Wuf Ya!