It’s been exactly a year since I last posted on this blog.
I had my reasons for taking a break, some valid, some delusional.
“I’m starting a new blog and I’m not good at multitasking” falls into the valid category.
“I want to leave on a high note, with Frankie as a forever young — okay, perpetually middle aged —Β superstar” falls into the delusional category. On some level, I suppose I thought it would be easier to pretend tough things weren’t happening if I didn’t have to talk about them.
It turns out, not so much.
Getting a reality check is one of the reasons I’ve decided to return to the pet blogosphere, on an as-yet-to-be-determined basis.
Frankie and I have some unfinished business with you all.
First things first
Those “tough things” I’m alluding to: Frankie has Canine Cognitive Dysfunction, CCD, doggie Alzheimer’s… whatever you want to call being a bit out of it much of the time, although he’s generally in good health. Trying different treatments, attempting to adjust to his new circumstances (and mine), figuring out how to explain what’s going on to other people… all that is difficult.
So my goals are:
Taking back some sanity
One of the key reasons I decided to start posting again is that I need to air the crazy that’s been festering in my brain. When I’m not pretending tough things aren’t happening, I’m imagining that I have the power to prevent them or make them better. I’m convinced that I’m not doing enough, say, to reverse the laws of physics by turning back time.
I definitely need to re-enter my own guilt-free zone.
Giving back some information
During the year that I was away, I continued to getΒ questions and comments on my Seven Canine Diabetes Myths post. I answered them all and was very pleased to be able to help.
I never wanted Frankie to be the poster dog for diabetes — as I wrote very early on, he’s a dog, not a disease — and I feel the same way about CCD. At the same time, if I can help others who are going through a similar experience, why wouldn’t I? These days I know a few things about CCD, even beyond the information included in the excellent article by Dr. Janet Tobiassen-Crosby that I solicited when my friend Clare’s late dog, Archie, was first diagnosed. I know more medical stuff, yes. But I also know first hand how it feels to live with a dog experiencing the syndrome.
And how it feels to live with an old dog, period. It occurred to me that I was being horribly ageist, implying that Frankie wasn’t worth writing about any more because he was getting on in years. We tend not to discuss old age in humans very honestly and it’s worse when it comes to our pets — in good part because we lack a clear understanding of what’s going on with them. I plan to share my findings.
I’d also like to provide a place for people who need to vent about what they are going through — or what they went through — during this phase, a safe haven for all kinds of feelings, the good, the bad and the ugly.
Okay, almost all feelings. If you’re seriously contemplating giving your dog to a shelter because you want a newer model, I really don’t want to know about it.
Returning to the community
I’m still feeling my way around here. I don’t know how often I’m going to blog, or how involved I’m going to get with various aspects of pet blogging. I’m not here for the pet products or the SEO.
I’m here to hang out with my peeps.
You guys get me, in all my Frankie-obsessed glory and misery. It’s been exciting to find members of my human family on Freud’s Butcher — which is still going strong; check it out — but I sometimes feel a bit like a misfit. You may not fit the standard genealogical definitions of kin, but you are my soul family, and you’re stuck with me as a member, for better or worse.
Welcome back Edie and Frankie!
Thank you!
I for one am glad to see you back and will be following along on your and Frankie’s continued adventures in life
Much appreciated!
We’ve often had the discussion about being married to our blogs and the insanity that becomes wrapped up in satisfying what everybody else expects our blogging to be. I’m living proof that blogging whenever you feel that something important has to be said, or when you just want to have fun, is absolutely okay.
Your reasons for coming back are important. I value every one. What you want to talk about is far more important to me than when you want to talk about it. You’re back now and your announcement on Facebook has been so well received because others feel as I do.
We love your mind, your perspective, your inquisitive and knowledgable nature. We love your dog Frankie and his unique qualities, some of which provide more challenges than others, but that’s what creates your wonderful life, stories and insights. Without challenges, we remain stagnant. You? You have not been stagnant. You’ve been percolating.
Welcome home, Edie. It’s so nice to have you and Frankie back in this space, however that manifests.
Oh, Kim, friends and readers like you are why I returned. [Wipes away a tear] Thank you.
Welcome back! Indeed, living with aging (not quite healthy) pets is a real thing unto itself. Happy to help you walk that road — or at least witness the tough times. Hugs all around.
Thanks, Rox. Hugs back!
We’ve been keeping your chair warm for you. Grab a glass of wine and sit down to tell us what’s been going on. We’ve missed you in this space. And we’re happy to have you and Frankie back in our little community.
It’s a little too early for the wine so, for now, caffeine will have to do. Thank you for your nice words — and for the seat warming!
Hello Mr. Smiling Frankileh! Oh yeah, and Edie, too. Nice to see that you are back!
I have always just been an adjunct to Frankileh, Karen. He appreciates the welcome (me too).
SO glad to have you and Himself back, Edie — yay!!!!!
Thank you!
Welcome back! I’ve enjoyed keeping up with Frankie’s story on Facebook, but I’m so glad you’re back in this space where you have room to share all your insights!
Thanks, Maggie. I was pretty inconsistent on Facebook — and I tend to be wordy — so this is a better outlet.
Yay for being back here! I missed you writing about Frankie…I was always more interested in him than our other family members. π
Ha! Thanks for coming by.
Wow! What a wonderful way to greet the morning. I opened my email and there it was — “Will My Dog Hate Me?” in my in-box. I’m SO glad you are back—both of you. I think about you and Frankie often and have really missed reading your blog.
Thanks, Deborah. It’s hearing from friends like you that inspired me to return. Hope Sadie is well!
Yes, it’s fun to lope into a different neighborhood from time to time and leave your marks, but now that you’ve come home, we’ll be giving you lots of treats to reward your return. Hurray!!
I haven’t left that other neighborhood entirely (contrary to the rumors, which I started) but I’m glad to be back here. Looking forward to the treats…
Welcome back, Frankie & Edie! I’m super excited about your return to blogging – I love keeping up with you on Freud and through Facebook, but I’ve missed having you in this space too. I’m just greedy that way. π
Thank you! Greed is good — Gordon Gecko π
Hey! I saw the FB notice — glad to have you back! As you know, I think you should blog when you have something you want to say or share, not every day just to make Google happy, but I am a rebel that way π It will be great to have your unique brand of humor back at the ready! Virtual hugs to you and Frankie =)
Thanks, Mary; it’s great to be back in spite of the Viagra ads that Frankie seems to have snuck in (heaven knows why he needs them; he doesn’t have any, um, equipment). Hugs back to you and Tashi!
And who needs Viagra more than somebody without, ummmm, equipment? Not that it will do any good, but if it makes the poor dears happy….
Hanging out here seems like a great plan! The guilt-free zone 2.0.
I am glad you guys are back blogging, we missed you.
I missed you all too — and you should know that a comment you (specifically) put up on Facebook about wanting to have me back helped inspire me to return. So you have yourself (partly) to thank.
Awesome to have you back. I’m looking forward to reading about Frankie’s journey as he ages … I think!
Thank you — and I know what you mean by “I think.” My goal is to find a way to write about these topics without depressing the hell out of everyone (or myself)! I mean, it would be wrong for person who posts Pet Adoption Videos that Don’t Make You Want to Kill Yourself to write posts that… make you want to kill yourself π
Can’t express how much we’ve missed you in this dog blog realm! All I can say is, Welcome back π http://youtu.be/QVS3WNt7yRU
Thanks, Kim — it’s good to be back (except for the part where I started out with Viagra ads…). I appreciate your letting me know — it’s like the friend who tells you when you have spinach in your teeth when no one else will!
I’m a little late to the celebration, but here I am. π
Welcome back Edie. Your frankness, honestly and writing was missed greatly this past year. As always, you have a way of opening up the conversation. I love that about you.
I knew about Frankie’s CCD, but I did not know how bad it was or that you ere trying different drugs to help him. I am so sorry. I would imagine it would be tough to write about. π
I was thinking that I have never had a dog with CCD when it occurred to me that perhaps that is what my first Sheltie, Alicia, had when she was older. She was prone to wandering off (even though our yard was fenced), in her older age and would often seem confused when she did so. I’ll go read that article you mentioned to see if I recognize similar behaviors.
I suspect we will all be learning more about it through you and that’s a good thing. Your experience will help others who are also dealing with it with their dogs, but it will also educate all of us who may experience it in the future.
So very glad to have you back.
Thank you so much for this thoughtful comment — you’ve helped me remember why it is I returned to pet blogging, in addition to the support I get (in spades). You brought up a point that will help me start a conversation about CCD: Does getting a diagnosis matter? Maybe not always.
Welcome back to my favorite alumnus! (And his adoring handmaid, of course). Makes me feel I am missing less, as well as seeing the two of you more.
Frankie thanks you (as do I). Since he rarely gives private audiences these days, I thought his public deserved a bit of more of him.
No matter what you blog about, or how frequently you post, we’re just happy to have you back. You are the most talented writer I know in the pet blogosphere and your perspective has been missed over the past year. Happy days are here again!
What a nice thing to say, Amy! It’s a great joy to be back in your company again.
Welcome back. Sharing, helping others with the burden of their experiences, that is what blogging is about to me. No, Frankie is not a disease. He is a disease fighter. Just like Jasmine was.
Thanks for coming by, Jana. I’m sorry that Jasmine lost the struggle but you gave her a wonderful life.
Welccome Back! I can sympathize with what’s going on with Frankie, as I went through it with Snick. CCD can be really challenging at times. But there are treatments to help – keep trying different ones, as sometimes the side effects can negate the good they do (for example, while Anipryl did help Snick’s CCD, the gastric side effects just weren’t worth it, so we switched to BlueBonnet Power Thought).
I totally agree with your “new model” comment – many tiimes, I feel like we’re living in a dog/cat nursing home here, as we have quite a few geriatrics. While we’ve lost some key fur-family members and fosters over the past few years, we wouldn’t change the experience. Each one has taught us so much…
Thanks for coming by, Jo — and thanks for you input. I would be very interested at some point to hear about different things you tried and the different experiences you had with them.
And yes, they do teach us don’t they? (Though I can’t really say “they,” having only studied at the four feet of doga master Frankie.)
Welcome back to blogland…although you certainly had some valid reasons for staying away. Sorry to hear that Frankie has CCD, but it sounds as if you are coming to terms with it. With a few ill dogs in my household, I certainly know how hard it is and really feel for you. Wonderful of you to come back with the intention of helping others. I think it is nice for others to learn they are not alone.
It’s also great to have a place to air your “crazy thoughts” – I think writing them out is great therapy!!
Thanks for the welcome, Donna, and for giving me the impetus to check out your blog. Very interesting…and great writing. I see what you mean about having ill dogs, and love the way you described it. I can just imagine how stressful it must be for you dealing with one dog hacking and the other reacting with an anxiety attack, but at the same time I can see the humorous absurdity of it.
I’ll look forward to the mutual support!
Saw you listed today on Pamela’s SWTWC and am so excited to have you back – and little Frankie, too. I love old dogs, had one with CCD, and counsel people about what to do with their old dogs. As my dogs are adopted and age here at Silverwalk, I hope fo focus only on seniors.
Enjoy your perspective and can add you back to my widget blogroll :).
Thank you, Roberta — so nice to see you! You always had a lot to contribute to WMDHM and it’s nice to see we’re on the same track again. I look forward to your insights about old dogs.
Yay. Glad you are back!
Thanks, Jessica. I’ve been keeping up with your wieners while I was away!
WONDERFUL to have you back, Edie! And Frankie.
For the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Jillian
Aw, thanks, Jillian. Hugs to Caleb!