After a week of visitors

My last text post was just before our visitors arrived. They're now out of town for a few days travelling and it's my time to catch up.

First off, having kids and commotion means less focus on Cassie. And while that seems disloyal at some level, it also feels good to reengage with the world. Maxine & I both agreed today that we're a bit antsy having been home for 5 months and that when that bad, and inevitable, day comes, we're going to want to take both a quick release trip (Vegas, San Diego), and immediately start planning a longer one. Initially we'd expected that the longer one could be something like a month in Sydney or London in September, but with August beginning tomorrow and Cassie still "I'm not dead yet" we have not begun to plan a trip. So, with the September window mostly closed, we're not sure what happens next.

Anyway, Cassie has adapted pretty well to having 5 house guests, including a 2.5 year old, a 5 year old, and a 13 year old. The 13 yr old tends to chase her from behind, which Cassie does not like. We keep trying to correct the 13 yr old, but he doesn't listen to much. Cassie has snapped 3-5 times while they've been here, something she's never done before. She's also barked at me when I've come into the room, which has me worrying about brain damage, or whether this might just be the reaction of a geriatric dog to commotion (i.e. bark first and sort it out later). The 2.5 year old doesn't like Cassie. Apparently Cassie snapped at/bit (????) her once. And she's had problems with other dogs in the past. The parents don't seem distressed by any of this, so we're choosing not to be either.

We do take Cassie back to our bedroom for rest breaks and to keep her from being underfoot too much. The 5 yr old LIKES Cassie. The pix are of Cassie with her. Maxine has made a ritual out of letting the 5 yr old give Cassie her drug treats, which also makes her feel a special bond. And I've given her a dog paw necklace which she's worn just about continuously since she got it.

It's Sunday now and our guests left yesterday at 1pm. They won't be back till late Tuesday which gives Cassie a break. Then one last day together. I think Cassie has influenced their family to get a dog when they get home.

The 5 year old (of course) does not remember that she met Cassie when she was an infant.

Earlier on in all of this I hadn't expected Cassie to be alive when they arrived, but Cassie continues to surprise us... Aside from throwing up a few times, and the leaking, and the seizures, Cassie hasn't been much of a problem to take care of, and both Maxine and I look at this as a labor of love to a dog who's been a companion for 12 years....