Blonde Rocky

Today has been one of those days where I had to remind myself that it's okay to still miss our girls. Today marks two years since we lost our Sydney Girl. Today is the day that I was reminded that there were so many good times.

It's amazing the things that go through your head during that uninterrupted time in the car. I had a full hour and fifteen minutes today to relive that day two years ago. That moment I carried her into the vet's office... I look back at that moment and think how did I manage that. I carried my 37 lb. baby into the office cradled in my arms while Christian waited in the car with Cocoa. I opened the door on my own without dropping her or shifting her in anyway that would cause her discomfort. Really, how did I do that? The more I revisited that experience I knew I had to call Christian. He got me refocused as he told his favorite story about our girl.

We live near the Carl Sandburg Home and would occasionally take the girls there to walk. If you have ever walked to the top of Big Glassy, you know it is a journey that is all uphill. On this particular day Christian decided that he was going all the way to the top with Katie. Um, really?! You can count me out. More importantly, there was NO way that Sydney could make that climb. Given her hip issues and arthritis, there was no way I was going to push that girl to walk to the top.

Picture of Sydney from a trip to Charleston. 

As we stood there in a clearing, I watched Christian and Katie take off. She pranced in front of him with her ears bouncing like antennae. Slowly, I began to nudge Sydney back down the way we came. She was resistant. To be honest, resistant isn't a strong enough word. She was downright belligerent. Eventually, she got her way and we headed up after the other two. Yes, I had just let the dog manipulate me, but she was insistent. That's the thing about Sydney, she had this way about her, this silent determination that always amazed us.

That was a slow walk up to Big Glassy. Every step was slow and deliberate, but it was determined. As Christian told that story today he mentioned the feeling that he felt when he saw us arrive at the top. I will never forget his look of disbelief. I explained that the choice hadn't been mine, but I had been forced to head that direction against my will. From there on out Christian dubbed her "Blonde Rocky."

This was such an appropriate name for her. She battled so many health issues her entire life but emerged on the other side with dignity and perseverance. Even to the end she was a fighter, and I am so lucky that she was a part of my life, even if it was too short of a time.

How to Train a Cat

Ok, I am not really going to teach you how to train your cat, but I am going to talk about our adventures in training our sweet guy, Jack. However, based on the minimal work we have put towards these actions in our house, I have no doubt that cats can be trained given the right amount of devotion and immense patience.

It all started with the fact that Jack was becoming more friendly than desired when someone was eating. While I love that sweet black and white face, seeing it hovering over my plate left a lot to be desired. To combat this I just started directing Jack away from the plate by pushing him away with my arm and saying, "no". This almost always forced him into a sit position. Then we began adding sit to the routine. Now, as long as there is food involved, I can almost always get him to sit. The execution of this is not perfect. He often uses those front paws to bat at me. Hard to get mad at him though because he is still sitting. That being said, there are certain foods that almost make you wonder if his bottom is on a spring. Cheese or any food with cheese inevitably means that we will be asking him to sit repeatedly.

So sweet when he's sleeping!

The newest training goal has revolved around sleeping at night. Jack has his own room in our house. Since he has lived with us (yes, the last six years), he has slept in his room at night. We round him up (the difficulty of this varies from night to night) and put him in the room with the door closed. Early on we found him full of energy at night. This, of course, meant that we didn't sleep. The easy way out was leaving him in his room. About two weeks ago, I decided to explore leaving him out at night. I had hoped that he would come in and sleep in our bed without circling our heads and walking all over us. Didn't happen. He might pop in once when we first go to bed, but after that we don't see him. Once morning rolls around, Jack comes in crying, ready to eat. Sometimes he will even stand up beside the bed and cry in my face as I lay in bed. This is where the training piece comes in. Initially this started around 3:30 in the morning. I would get up, he would run out the door (getting excited, because he thought it was time to eat), and I would shut the bedroom door behind him. This tactic really works. He now won't come in to the room until he hears me get up in the morning. I am so pleased with his progress. 

All this to say, it can be done! Cats are trainable too. We spend time training our dogs, but maybe it's time we train our cats too.