Sage's surgery & fun w/ firewood : )

Ray and I finally decided to have Sage spayed. We had been considering breeding her even though we didn't get her for that purpose initially. We had her join our family to be a pet/companion/working dog and of course, Ray's best friend (next to Kary.) If we were going to breed her, we wanted to make sure she met the standard and find her a Berner with similar temperment, markings, etc. to be her mate. She's pretty small for a Bernese Mt. Dog which we feel will actually work in her/our favor as far as prolonging her life and causing less joint problems that this breed is prone to. We also wanted to keep one of her puppies if we did breed her so we could always have part of Sage w/ us when she crosses the Rainbow Bridge. If you own or have owned a pet, you must read the "Rainbow Bridge" to fill you in on meeting your pets after they pass on. Be prepared to cry. I'm sure you can google it or I'll add it another time. Anyway, now that we live in the valley and we don't have a fenced yard, it would be hard to keep other dogs away from her during her heat cycle (which is a pain to deal w/ anyway.) We just felt that the timing was right even though it was hard for us to do. She came home so sad yesterday. We had her rear dew claws removed too while she was under anesthetic, so she has bandages on her back legs and an incision on her belly that we have to prevent her from licking. We sure love her and can't wait to play w/ her again soon...10 days for healing. One picture is of Sage the day before surgery when we were out in the woods collecting wood and the day on her blanket is when she had her surgery done. Her coat is really shedding right now. she looks pretty skinny w/out her full coat. But, her winter coat will be thick and fluffy soon. Then, she can keep our feet warm.: )

Monday night, we went out to collect more firewood for our future fireplace and our outdoor firepit. We are trying to get prepared for winter. We definitely have a year supply of wood now. Ray loves to cut wood and haul it. I help w/ the hauling and it's fun to work together. Stephen was in his little stroller to watch us the other night. We told him he could help next year. He can't wait! Ray has even invested in a pair of carharts now for his work clothes (totally a valley dude thing!) but, I think they look good on him and now I call him "rugged Ray." You should see him w/ a chainsaw. I think he uses it for stress relief after a long day at work. All is well here. Remember to count your blessings today!