Barrens at Bay

The cottage.....
And the residents......

This slice of heaven was so good for my soul. Thank you, Stephen and Gary, for sharing your Eden with us.

Guysborough, Nova Scotia July 2009

All in a day's work. After spending hours splashing around in the Atlantic ocean....

Climbing rocks.....

Playing catch and belly flopping in every body of water she could find.....

We rented a one-bedroom oceanfront cottage in Guysborough, Nova Scotia for our first family trip. Tia was pretty excited. Although it was a long roadtrip, she was incredibly well-behaved the entire time. She met a lot of new friends, dogs and otherwise, and had a blast. Not even the weather could put a damper to her spirits, and mine. To watch her discover new things everyday brings me immense happiness. It reminds me that I too should live in the moment. Live life with gusto.

Tia's paw prints on the beach.

Notable Pooches of Woofstock 2009

These two teacups were just absolutely adorable!

Sporting the latest in goggle fashion....

Too cute!

These two chic chiens were the belles of the ball...

Meet Ozzy (I think this was his name). A highly trained police dog from Czech Republic.

At first I thought this sweetie was a toy, and then she moved!

This pretty little thing has the eyes of her husky lineage. Tres unique....

There were definitely some stand-outs during this event and I apologize if I was not able to capture your pooch......I was limited by where Tia dragged me to so I am sure I missed quite a bit.

Woofstock 2009

This was Tia's first Woofstock event and her first time in downtown Toronto. We didn't know what to expect but she just did what she did best.....being herself!

Roxxi 1995 - 2008

Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace.

-Milan Kundera-

Getting back on track

I must apologize for the extended hiatus. I have been in and out of depression for awhile but I am finally getting on with my life. You see, I lost my beloved dog Roxxi to cancer late last year. After six months of chemotherapy, she succumbed to her illness and as much as I wanted to have her with me, I could not bear to watch her go through the weekly IV infusions and injections that caused her immense stress, anguish and pain. I loved her so much but I had to let her go. I don't regret my decision, but I miss her very much. Things just weren't the same without her. Until I brought Tia home.

My husband and I drove six hours to get her. She is so beautiful and everyday I grow to love her more. We took a family trip to Nova Scotia back in July, where we rented an oceanfront cottage in Guysborough. There, she really showed me how full of surprises she is. On her first day, I took her to the beach and immediately, without prior exposure to any large body of water, she ran headlong into the crashing waves and started to swim.

Do you know what happiness is? I see it everyday on Tia's bright, innocent puppy face. But I also know profound sadness and I live with this feeling too, everyday. I am getting better and only now am I able to talk about Roxxi without falling apart. I had so many wonderful memories of her, for almost fourteen years of my life she was a part of it. She watched me graduate from high school and struggled with me throughout my undergraduate years. She kept me company when I moved out of my parents' place and stayed by my side while I wrote my Ph.D thesis. I am thankful that she at least saw me through my wedding day and as if she knew before anyone else, she closed that chapter of my life.

To eternal friendship and new beginnings.....