I introduced Sweet Pea, the rescued Beaglier, last October when she and Dudley met for the first time. Dudley hadn’t spent much time around a female since Zoe had died and the entire time Sweet Pea was here Dudley acted like a hormone fueled teenager chasing and sniffing after her. It was a fun day and  reminded me that no matter how old he was, Dudley was forever young at heart. Sweet Pea has visited a couple of times since Dudley passed and she never fails to cheer me. She and a couple of other friends came for dinner on Christmas.

Sweet Pea

Christmas day the temperature here was in the low 60s so we hung out on the deck. It took a little while for Sweet Pea to warm up to Bill, but by the end of the day they were old friends. Sweet Pea loves to ride in the car and doesn’t like to to be left home alone. Santa did bring her a navy blue sweater for days when it is cooler. I’ll have to get a picture of her wearing it, she’s tres chic!

Sweet Pea meet Bill, Bill, Sweet Pea

It’s really strange not having a dog in the house after 13+ years. I catch myself wanting to toss pieces of pizza crust, but there’s no dog to catch it. I still expect Dudley to be underfoot to catch anything I drop while I cook. I miss him coming up and putting his head on my lap just to say hello. I’ve also learned that I am every bit as responsible for tracking leaves in the house as any dog that’s been here. It’s lonesome and a huge adjustment and, as anyone who has lost a pet knows, an incredibly sad time. But I wouldn’t trade one second of the misery I feel now not to have had Dudley and Zoe in my life. I’ve used this quote before, but it bears repeating:

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.  ~Roger Caras