This week it seemed like @galenkp was inspired by my daily life. During the week or weekend, it makes no difference. Every day is dedicated to my pets. What a surprise for most of you who have been following me for a while. LOL. I have already said so much about my "wonder dogs" that I don't feel I have anything special to say about this.

In fact, just two days ago I wrote a blog saying that our Skipper was already celebrating his fifth birthday. I brought you all with me in my life when our Lex died, I received sympathy across the entire blockchain during the difficult time after Rowan was diagnosed with an anal gland tumor and his operation for that. And unfortunately in December 2019 the moment we finally had to say goodbye to my white champ. I also told you about the breast cancer that Lana has now been diagnosed with and about Myla, who is becoming noticeably older and increasingly precious. It feels like I've already told you everything about my great dogs, who enrich my life every day.

Should I?

Wouldn't it be wiser, or at least less according to expectations, to choose the second topic? What chores do I not like doing on the weekend? Perhaps it would be less in line with expectations, certainly! But believe me, I would also be told very quickly. For me, there is currently little difference between weekdays and weekend days. The only difference is that during the week my partner is not at home, and during the weekend he is. You would think that we would do things together at the weekend and go on trips. But that's not what reality taught me. There just isn't enough financial space to do those things right now, and my partner has a strong preference for staying home after having to leave for work every day all week. So that automatically means that it makes no difference to me whether I do my chores during the week or whether I do them on Saturday or Sunday. Every day looks pretty much the same. Except for one thing... and that really has to do with our pets!

During the weekend my partner has more time to come along, and he likes that ... especially because he has little time for that during the week.

So I ended up with a blog about the dogs in my life!

Sit back and take the time to REALLY get to know my darlings. We'll start with the standard stuff.

Starting with MYLA.

She is a Malinois, born on March 7, 2009. Yes, she is an old lady now, but she still has a great zest for life, and she gives a lot of zest for life. Myla is a super social, caring lady. That is not completely normal for her breed. But other things that she has shown over the years are completely part of her breed. Her will to work is great! At the same time, she is very smart and will not do anything that she believes is not necessary. She often pulled that joke during her training.

Training with Myla was challenging, to say the least. Many times she has made me guess as to whether or not she understood it, only to then, when it really mattered, clearly demonstrate that she had understood it all along. She just didn't think it was necessary before. Myla has never been a 100% obedient 'slavish' dog. Her own character has always predominated. But her social character and her will to collaborate have always radiated from her.

She's retired

You could say that Myla is now retired. She no longer has to train, and she no longer has to learn new tricks. She knows everything, and at the same time, she sometimes knows nothing anymore. Myla is an old lady, and dementia also occurs in dogs. Her age also brings other discomforts, such as mild incontinence sometimes, and she receives a small dose of CBD oil for the osteoarthritis in her hips. Despite these inconveniences, Myla still enjoys life every day, plays with Skipper and Lana in her own way, and has not yet let them push her aside. If she disagrees with something, she lets us know and she still walks in the area every day. I honestly admit that at the beginning of this year I did not expect her to still be here, but I am still grateful every day that she is still here. That it is still possible, and that she will come to greet me with her sweet face. Hopefully the joy of life can continue for a while, and my sweet girl can enjoy another summer.

The Next is LANA

She's a Whirlwind

Then we have our Lana. An over-enthusiastic, hyperactive Dutch Shepherd. Born on April 6, 2010. Lana is a special dog in every way. I have never known a dog like her. She has a very emphatic presence, she is stubborn, she can be super annoying and at the same time, no one looks as sweet as she does. She's a whirlwind and she is a dog that wants to hang with you for hours and cuddle. She prefers busy action all day long, and as soon as you take a step she jumps up and expects this action. Lana is not obedient, Lana does what she wants. But Lana is also a very good listener if it suits her style. A dog with instructions for use in which I still sometimes discover new things, even after all these years. Every few months the entire instruction manual has to be completely rewritten because she comes up with new things with her incredibly smart head. She presents us with challenges that we have never faced with any other dog, and at the same time, she overwhelms us with a loyalty and affection that is so endearing that you forgive all her pranks on the spot.

Lana is Lana. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Another operation at her age was not recommended, it would be an ordeal for her, and for us too. There was no guarantee that she would be cancer-free after that ordeal. A prognosis with and without surgery ultimately made too little difference to give her that major operation. So... it's a matter of seizing the day. Enjoying every moment that we can still have our black gem with us. Enjoying every day and giving her the action she wants as much as possible. Playing with balls every day, and cuddling every day for as long as possible. The tumor is visibly growing, but Lana seems to have little to no trouble with it so far. The time will come when this changes, and then we will have to see what else we can do. I don't want to think about it yet, but of course, it is in the back of my mind. Hopefully, it will last a while, I won't look beyond "another summer"... The way things are going, things will turn out fine. Fingers crossed that this will continue!

Last but not least, SKIPPER

Trust and Self-confidence

And then of course our youngest, Skipper. A beautiful German Shepherd male. He was born on November 16, 2018. Just five years old now. This week I told you about Skipper and how he has grown into a handsome guy after his initially difficult start. No puppy socialization, a bad start in his boy's life in which he has had several owners at such a young age. Just under a year and a half when he came to us, and we were already his third owners. His confidence had suffered a major blow, he was very insecure and, so to speak, still scared of his own shadow.

It is now almost 4 years later and much has improved. His confidence in us, but especially in himself, has grown considerably. And although I think it is of course important that he trusts us, it is even more important that he has gained more self-confidence. Only through self-confidence can he grow in his own character and become stable. He will always be a dog that needs more support in certain situations, and he will be more likely to snap at other dogs if they come too close to him. But now that he has slowly gained more self-confidence, I can keep him under control, I can guide him out of situations that he finds scary, and we can even guide him through situations that he finds scary. And that really wasn't possible when he came to us.

All I have to do is tell you that my first encounter with Skipper was when he bit me on the hand. That won't happen anymore. Of course, I was a stranger to him at that time, and I also had another dog on a leash. Two red flags for Skipper then. Luckily for both of us, I didn't let that put me off, and now almost 4 years later we are best friends. I trust him completely, and he trusts me completely. Even if I now have another dog on the leash, he will no longer bite. He has grown that much. I immediately admit that Skipper has never let strange dogs near him without any problems, but we have now progressed so far that he can also be guided in this way. And so you can get to know and ultimately play with strange dogs. It is a condition that the dog in question is very social and speaks good dog language. Skipper can't go along with every dog, luckily for him, he doesn't have to do that from me either. And normally we don't encounter dogs on our daily walks.

Unexpected situations remain difficult for Skipper, but we are proud of how he has grown and we continue to work with him to improve. Taking into account what he can handle. He's a sweetheart, and every little step forward is another victory for us and for him. We accept him as he is, we love him as he is and we teach him what life is best for him.

During the week AND on the weekend. My days are filled with love from three special dogs.