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As we feed Franny and Zuzu a mixture of chicken, spinach, carrots, and green beans atop their dry kibble, along with the occasional frozen blueberries and mango, and some pumpkin now and then, we like to picture Max, Molly, Sunny, and even Otis gathered together in doggie heaven looking at each other and shouting, “What the hell!”
My sister says this excessive doggie pampering,which includes routinely buying pricey elk antlers, yak chews, and obedience classes, is a direct result of empty nesting. With our child no longer at home to dote and spend money on, we’ve redirected our attention, affection, and forgiveness to a sea of tan and white, whom we lovingly call our Angel Babies from Heaven. Even Huck regularly uses this moniker when requesting pics.
Nearly all of our blankets have a random hole in them, and most of our sheets and pillow cases have either been destroyed or eaten at the edges. One day we attempted to separate the sisters while we were at work in hopes of protecting their spay incisions from each other’s mouths. It was the dreaded January 6th, soon to be forever referred to as Zuzu’s Insurrection Day, wherein she somehow got the cone of shame off her head, tore off the molding around the door, brought down the curtains, ripped parts of a picture frame apart, filled the floor with sawdust, wood pieces, and nails, and somehow did no damage to herself.
We no longer separate them.
At their first vet appointment, two weeks to the day of adopting them, we learned that Franny has heartworm infection. We’ve survived the first month of her treatment and are now starting the second, which is a bit of a reprieve. The real work begins in mid-March when Franny will receive her first of three injections that require cage rest and sedation for around ten weeks. The final test to see if she’s completely heartworm free is scheduled for January 16, 2026.
We’ve loved dogs, we’ve lost dogs, and now we’re cherishing every minute with these two and looking forward to warmer days with normal activities like walks and dog parks and playing. When Huck was little he made a small black spot with a Sharpie on his lime green comforter. When asked why, he innocently answered that he just wanted to see what it would look like. And though I love my blankets to be intact and Sharpie-free, every single damaged portion makes me smile.
A year ago!