Frankie was not a judgmental dog. So I was sad, and little bit angry, to discover that some people have used praise of Frankie’s Fund, which is dedicated to helping homeless senior dogs get a great sendoff, to diss others’ ways of saying good-bye to their pets. Judge Much? As far as some folks are…
Expect the Worst!* And Be Utterly Surprised & Thrilled When You Get the Best
No one could ever accuse me of being an optimist, or of being warm and fuzzy. One of my childhood friends, who only began reading this blog since it returned in August, was surprised to discover the depth of my feelings about Frankie, I’m that guarded about my emotions — and apparently always have been.…
Frankie’s Fund: A Progress Report
Last week I introduced Frankie’s Fund, administered by Grey Muzzle. The Goals–And the Gets [olimometer id=1] Goal: [olimometer_target id=1] Left to Raise: [olimometer_remaining id=1] It’s devoted to providing palliative care to homeless senior dogs so they can leave this life in comfort, feeling loved. And of course to keeping my beloved Frankie, who retired with…
Frankie’s Fund: Help Give Every Dog a Great Sendoff
Many people have asked if there was an organization to which they could donate in Frankie’s memory. This has touched me no end. I confess that Frankie was not very philanthropic. Like most dogs, he was your basic narcissist: My food, my yard, my person. But I was that person and he gave me endless…
Frankileh’s Ashes: A Thanksgivikkuh Meditation
I’m spending Thanksgivukkah with Frankie. Which is a little crazy-making. It’s not the multi-cultural, multi-prepared feast itself that is mind-scrambling: turkey from Brushfire BBQ, latkes from Trader Joe’s, cranberry and turkey tamales from Tucson Tamale company, pumpkin bread pudding baked by my friend Rebecca, to name just a few of the meal’s highlights. I’m sure…
Frankie Art: A New Trend?
Last week I was thrilled to be able to show you the wonderful gift of Frankie art I got from AJ Emm. Then on Saturday, I was totally blown away to find a box with another artistic rendition of Frankie — this one a small wire sculpture, a surprise gift from my wonderful niece Rebecca.…
Best. Gift. Ever.
I got a wonderful surprise in the mail on Saturday: the portrait of Frankie pictured here, created by AJ Emm. I originally e-met the artist when she was AJ McDowell and blogged at PupLove. Of course I immediately burst into tears. Because it was a picture of Frankie. Because it captured him so wonderfully. And…
Life After Frankie: A Dog Wake & A Eulogy
If I’ve learned anything from losing Frankie, it’s that grief is unpredictable. Few of my reactions in the last few weeks were close to what I anticipated. The New Normal? I behaved very badly the first weekend, acting out. And I was bone tired for a while, wanting to sleep far more often than I…
Gratitude & Grief: A Guide to Dealing with (My) Loss
I had this insane idea that I would leave you with Frankie’s departure and then move on to my new life and my new(er) blog — as though my years with Frankie could be put aside that easily or that, maybe, if I didn’t write about it, the pain wouldn’t be there. But that’s not…
Frankie D., Canine Video Star, Muse, Retires
Frankie D. — short for Frankie Doodle or Frankie Doodle Dandy, sometimes known as Pretty Boy Frankie — does not subscribe to the philosophy of poet Dylan Thomas. He believes there is nothing wrong with going gentle into that good night. To that end, he ate some Ben & Jerry’s Stephen Colbert Americone Dream ice…