The first year and a half or so of my life was overflowing with change. Not only did I have to make the change from puppy to dog, I moved 3 times including 3 different countries. Everything was new and different and there were so many new experiences. Luckily, 2008 and 2009 slowed down. Katie and I settled into our home and life in MN. We have had friends over from Germany a few times which was fun. It is always nice when people come so far to visit us dogs! Sometimes mom says that they came to visit her but we know they were here for us and we don’t want to hurt her feelings. Unfortunately, none of our dog buddies have ever come to visit. It is fun when we have company as we often get to go to new and different places which Katie and I love to do. 2008 & 2009 turned out to be calm years but with some family losses and additions.
In memory of Tom
September 17, 2008, our cat Tom went outside and never returned. He joined us in the US in Jan. 2008 but did not actually go out until April because of the cold and snow. Needless to say he was not happy about being in MN in winter. It was quite amusing when mom opened the door for him and the cold and snow blew in his face – he raced right back to his bed! He had to be outdoors a lot which mom did not like but if he had to stay inside all the time he got nasty so she had to let him out. He typically hung around the yard but occassionally he would venture off for a few hours. That September night he never came home and we never saw him again. We looked everywhere – spent an entire day out walking and looking for him but found no trace. Every walk for weeks we looked for him with no success. Mom was devastated! The year before Boo passed away and now Tom. We had just the one German cat, Biene, left. Poor Biene was abused as a kitten and never liked anyone, especially not us dogs!
Sophie and Bert
In October 2008, mom went to the Humane Society and came back with 2 new cats, Bert and Sophie. Mom always gets cats from the Humane Society, even in Germany she got them from a German rescue place. I hear her previous dog was also from the Humane Society but Katie and I are not. Bert and I became friends after a very short period of time. I really think the guy thinks he himself is a dog. Sophie is very fancy and proper and does not care much for dogs. Sometimes I think it is fun to chase her if mom is not around. She is scared of me if you can imagine that.
Cousin Lena at 8 weeks old
Then on Dec. 1, 2009 our little cousin Lena was born. We would not see her until she was about 8 weeks old but she was a cute little yellow Labrador puppy. She brought out the mommy instinct in me. I enjoyed and still do enjoy telling her what to do and how to do it. Finally we had another dog in the family circle! There will be more in upcoming blogs about our escapades with little cousin Lena!
