#doggoduke

The day I adopted him, Denise, who was his previous owner, his first mama, and I had joked about dressing him up as a lion for Halloween. Last year, I finally got a lion mane costume. A few weeks later, the day after halloween, Duke crossed over the rainbow bridge. I’m so glad I got one last chance to dress him up as a scary lion. #doggoduke https://www.instagram.com/p/CGashObFhyy/?igshid=95odtkf8av0o

Dear Duke, Today is your first birthday in heaven. Instead of running and gallivanting up there, you should be down here with me. You are in every step we take, everywhere we go, but it will never be the same as having you with us physically. Today, we should be taking you to McDonald’s to get your fries, we should be giving you the babybel cheese that you love so much, despite the upset it would cause on your stomach. We should be taking a nice walk around the building and greeting our neighbors and saying our hellos. I should be giving you kisses, and playing hide-and-seek with you. I should be cuddling you on the bed and listening to you snort as you roll over and take up all the space... You should be turning seven years old today, Duke. Seven. You’re still a baby! I wish I had more memories to create with you. More places to take you. More mud puddles for you to roll in... Duke, I miss you so much. Your cats miss you so much. But I know you are up there with your gwams, eating all the steak your big heart desires... Happy 7th Birthday, my Dukers. #doggoduke https://www.instagram.com/p/B81aeTglo2r/?igshid=z8xbuv8f9ihi

This week has been filled with emotion, and quietness. On the day Duke passed away, it was Eleven’s second Gotcha day. The next day was Ellen, Wonder and Rowling’s second Gotcha day. And yesterday marks two years since Fox met the vet that would save her life. I had forgotten because our home has been so empty and quiet without our Duke. We miss him terribly. Every little thing. His sounds. His actions. Even with how naughty he was, he did it all because he loved us so much. He was truly the best dog ever, and I’m so lucky I knew him... He is our forever guardian angel. We brought him home yesterday... Our hearts will never be the same. Thank you all for your kind words, your well-wishes, your thoughts and your prayers. We appreciate it very much. 💗 #foxhedgie #doggoduke https://www.instagram.com/p/B4nJYFvlfqf/?igshid=6574rcjr5qvd

Shadow is OBSESSED with Duke. Duke, however, does not like Shadow. 😂 #doggoduke #shadowhoggo https://www.instagram.com/p/B1disixFhIP/?igshid=1sewbw4jcrk55

Ah, Duke. The HuffyPuffs dog. He’s a big boy. But, he’s a big boy with an awful allergy. Duke has a protein allergy. Can you believe it? He literally cannot have meat, eggs or dairy. Any animal-based proteins make him super sick. It is sooooo hard to keep weight on him. Like, right now, he looks like he hasn’t been fed in weeks. It’s because he’s gotten bored of his hydrolyzed protein diet. Soooooo now we’re adding rice and broth to make him like it again. This dang dog, y’all. I tell ya. I love him though. Sometimes. 😂 Who else has a big brawny dog with an allergy? #doggoduke . . . . *also, I didn’t make this post looking for food advice. I’m not looking to switch his diet—that’s hard enough as it is. It would be deadly to do that to him right now* https://www.instagram.com/p/B3pU0XhFb97/?igshid=qn5yxwj5di68

How lucky are we that we have such easy access to beautiful bits of nature? I love our coulees. While being in the midst of the city, I still am able to see things I wouldn’t otherwise be able to see. We recently saw a beaver building his home. We recently stumbled upon an owl that decided to tease the cat. We have been able to see herds of deer in their glory, and see birds take fight. I love that I can take my fur (and quill) babies out to explore and be closer to a natural habitat. When our, we are sure to clean up after ourselves. You really want to be sure to respect the environment around you. We never leave our items, such as trash, behind. We always carry a small garbage bags with us during our outings, to ensure we don’t leave a mess. Especially if the animals make a mess. I love that we are able to see the coulees, and that animals are allowed in most. If we go to a designated nature reserve, we are sure to leave the pets at home. I mean, come on. Respect wildlife, y’all. @helenschulernaturecentre @cityoflethbridge #cleanshorelineyql #lethbridgeviaduct #doggoduke #foxhedgie #rowlinghedgie #marimeows #catventureswithmari #thetravellingtripawd #yql #yqlpets #yqlcoulees https://www.instagram.com/p/ByqCGZhFGDT/?igshid=iopk3kh44ar1

He likes them. Doesn’t mean they like him. :/ #hedwighedgie #doggoduke

My two. Oh, how I wish they could have met. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that Duke came from a wonderful woman who had to rehome him. She clearly still loved Duke, so I made sure she was still part of his life. Duke would see her, her two daughters, and she would babysit him when I needed. She was behind every decision that I made regarding his care, and she was there when we said goodbye. She came and met Maggie the other day. We hung out, relaxed while Maggie chewed on her bone (something Duke couldn’t do). It was bittersweet. Duke would have made the best big brother. #maggiemoothemutt #doggoduke https://www.instagram.com/p/CEcscngFoqH/?igshid=1f72akbi8mol9