The Last Road Trip

We have sad news to report. Daisy Jones-Klein, beloved pet, avid road-tripper, keen observer of the human condition, imaginative Googler, and dogblogger extraordinaire, has died. Being seventeen-ish, she had a long life, and one well-lived.

After, we were tidying up her belongings – her pied-à-terrier as she called it – for donation to our local shelter. As she wasn’t much into material possessions, there wasn’t a whole lot – a couple of pillows, food bowls, and squeaky toys. But we also came across some notes she had prepared, what appears to be a finished but unpublished entry for her blog. We offer it below, as her parting gift.

Now it's time to say good night

Good night, sleep tight

Now the sun turns out his light

Good night, sleep tight

     ─The Beatles (1968)

Hi, everybody! Daisy Jones-Klein here.  I know, I know, it’s been a long while since I last wrote about life here in New Mexico. It’s not that there’s nothing going on; au contraire, there’s much more than one dog can keep up with. I’ve been here five years now, and still it’s a sweet life.

But I’ve been slowing down of late, more and more it seems.  Lots of little things adding up, but since I’m not one to kvetch, I won’t bore you with details. Still, increasingly, it’s becoming clear that my Outer Doggie is struggling hard to keep up with my Inner Puppy.

My Peeps have noticed this too, and seem worried. The other day, I overheard them talking in hushed tones. They spoke of a special place out in the country; Rancho del Bunny they called it. It’s a place where dogs like me could feel better and chase bunnies and nap and snack to our heart’s content, free from aches and pains. It sounded kinda nice.

Actually, though  … I think I know what they really mean by that. And I also think they don’t want me to know, hoping to shield me. And I, in turn, don’t want them to know that I know what they know, respecting the tough choices that Peeps must face from time to time. Sometimes, within a Family, Deep Truths can be shared without being spoken.

But it’s all okay. We critters get it. Circle of Life, Hakuna Matada, Que Sera, Sera.  Really, it’s okay.  It’s always been good to be Daisy, as I hope it’s been good to be you too.

Even my early, troubled days were good. There’s not a lot of history on my wayward youth, and not a lot that I still remember. But I remember well that day back in September 2005. I was living in a Russell Rescue shelter out in Harrisonburg, VA, waiting for my third or maybe fourth Forever Home. My Peeps walked in, anxiously looking around. We made eye contact, and I made that special move where I tilt my head a little to the side and then show my Sad Lil’ Puppy Eyes™. (C’mon, you know the one!) That’s all it took! They knew Resistance was futile, and the deal was sealed. A little bit of paperwork later, me and the New Peeps were on our way to my next Forever Home.

Life was pretty good in Virginia. I was the very embodiment of a High Energy Jack Russell Terrier. And to all our neighbors’ ankles and terrorized pets, my sincere apologies. My Peeps, used to wussy Cocker Spaniels, had no idea what they adopted. But eventually we became attuned to each other’s’ rhythms.

Then, in 2012, we took our Epic Road Trip, leaving behind our Forever Home in Virginia to our new Forever Home out here in Santa Fe. It was during this time that my literary career was launched. The Peeps had made promises to friends and family to keep them apprised on our westward trek progress.  Bo-ring! As fate would have it, about three days in they were too pooped to blog after driving, and asked me to take a guest turn. As seen through a dog’s eyes, road trips and most everything else are just more interesting. It didn’t take long for me to pretty much take over the blogging operation, letting them focus on their chauffeuring duties.

Once here, I kept up the blogging activities. Now living in a state they call the Land of Enchantment and in a town dubbed The City Different, there was never a lack of things to write about. And in addition to blogging about this dog’s life, I also enjoyed my role as a researcher, using that Google thing to bring y’all cool FUN FACTS. These are three of my favorites:

• Personal Achievement. Everyone’s good at something, even if it takes a while to discover what that is. I was about 10 years old – no young pup – when I started blogging. But FUN FACT:  If you Google the phrase "favorite dogblogger", this blog is at the top of the Google charts!  That actually happened my first week into this job, and I’ve been there ever since. Under my fur, I’m blushing.
• Healthy Living Habits. One of my perennial New Year’s resolutions has been not to get eaten by a coyote. On that score, I’ve done pretty good, year after year not getting eaten. Not that such things don’t ever happen, though.  FUN FACT:  If you Google “was eaten by a coyote", you get several thousand hits. That’s a lot of coyote snacking! But if you add “Daisy” to the beginning of the search phrase, the hits drop all the way down to a handful, and those were all for Jessica Simpson’s maltipoo dog Daisy, who actually was eaten by coyotes in 2009. So according to the Google, to this day I’ve never been eaten by coyotes, and Jessica Simpson’s not my Peep, so those are actually two good things right there.
• Pride in my Tribe. They say all breeds are created equal, but some of us are … well … especially equal. My very favoritest FUN FACT: Google hits for "Lovable Jack Russell Terrier" number in the thousands. No surprise there; we JRTs are just totes adorbs, and bred to melt hearts. But to this very day, there has never been a single instance of "Unlovable J--- R---- T----" across all the Internets. So don’t you dare break the streak!

And from time to time, I also offered up a few nuggets of the Wisdom of the Canine, guidelines for getting through perilous times. I know that chillaxing can be difficult for Peeps, and I hope I’ve helped bring a Dog’s-Eye View to living in the moment – head close to the ground, four feet firmly planted , open to the possibilities of each dawning day, and all the senses cranked up to eleven.

I look back with no regrets. Well, maybe a few, but I’ll chalk up to youthful indiscretions my occasional ankle nipping and sometimes disastrous choices in sampling roadside mystery treats. But every rescue dog knows that there can be second or even third chances to get things right. Other than that, I guess I can say that this has been a great gig. I grew up in a State for Lovers, and moved out to live in the Land of Enchantment. I’ve taken some epic road trips, napped in the sunshine, licked a lotta plates, snuggled with my Peeps, blogged for my friends and fans, barked when I needed to let my Freak Flag fly, got a barrelful of bellyrubs, and chased a hundred bunnies. My Bucket List is complete.

But you know, it’s a funny thing … for all the chasing, I never actually caught a bunny. But in so many other ways – the ways that seem to Truly Matter – I kinda caught them all.

So don’t mourn that I’m gone. Smile that I was. And give someone you love a little lick on the nose for me.

Daisy Jones-Klein

Santa Fe, NM

Dream sweet dreams for me

Dream sweet dreams for you.

Good night.

Good night, everybody.

Everybody, everywhere.

G’night.

     ─The Beatles (1968)

Thank you, Daisy. For all of it.

We’ll be making a donation in Daisy’s name to the Española Valley Humane Society and to Russell Rescue. Both are fine organizations. Somewhere, out there, there are other Daisys looking for their Forever Home.

May her memory be a blessing.

Dan & Robbyne

June 2017

Seasons Fleeting, Season’s Greeting

… Ten-nis balls bouncing,

Nine running bunnies,

Eight treats for tasting,

Seven plates need licking

Six naps a-waiting,

Fi-i-i-ive belly rubs! …

Oh! Hi Everybody! Daisy Jones-Klein here. I didn’t hear you come in. Guess I was, um, focused on other things. Yeah, let’s go with that.

But I’m glad y’all are here! There’s lots to share!

Can you believe we’re near the end of another year? Me neither; time seems to fly by. It sure doesn’t seem like a whole 'nuther year (or seven dog-years) since my last year-end message, and yet, here we are, one more trip around the seasons.

For those of you not familiar with northern New Mexico, you might think that it’s all desert-y, with broiling sun, lots of tall cactuses, sand dunes, and bleached cow skulls lying around everywhere. T’aint so! In the high desert country – it’s 7300 feet altitude here at my Forever Home – we get four full and glorious seasons.

Autumn’s maybe my favorite time of year here in Santa Fe. The summer crowds have eased up, and just about perfect weather and changing colors make it ideal for walks and conducting my “business,” and I think you know what I mean here.

But this Fall was even more special, ‘cause my Big Sis Lindsay came to visit, all the way from North Carolina! It’d been a couple of years since I’d last seen her. So there were lots of hugs, and bellyrubs, and extra plates to lick. Really, what’s not to love?

And being the Fall, there’s lots of stuff to do outdoors. Walking around the neighborhood, we see how the chamisas are beginning to lose their golden glow, and slide into their silvery autumn colors.

And behind us, further up in the Sangre de Cristo mountains, the aspens were turning all yellow and gold, soon to drop their leaves and settle in the colder weather to come.

And it wouldn’t be October without the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, the biggest hot air balloon festival in the whole world. For over a week more than 500 balloons from around the world gather for their big party. The cool morning temperatures and the “Albuquerque Box” provide ideal wind conditions for the pilots. Being so early in the morning, I chose to slept in; but the Peeps had a great time there.

     

They even got into the Star Wars mania a little early. Yoda they like; True it is!

And as Autumn eases into Winter, the aspen forests completed their change from green to gold to brown, making the mountains look bare before the winter snows arrive. And along Tesuque Creek, the cottonwoods lining the river banks lose their leaves as well, snaking a long gray trail through the landscape between the green junipers and piñon trees. 

After Thanksgiving, Santa Fe starts to dress itself up for the winter. On the Plaza – the heart of The City Different – lights and garlands go up everywhere. Farolitos line the sidewalks and parapets along the building roofs.

And Winter begins to settle in for a while. El Niño, which is making a big mess across much of the country, has actually been pretty kind to the Southwest, bringing extra needed rain after too many dry years. But in the winter, it comes as snow, and in some places it was up to my neck!

 

And in the low Winter sun, the light seems to take on a special glow.

Happy Holidays to you all! Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, or Festivus for the Rest of Us, may it be a good one for you and yours. May you nap in the sunshine, let your Inner Puppy play, have very few visits to the vet, avoid being tricked into taking a bath, not get eaten by a coyote, get lots of bellyrubs, wag more and bark less. Good luck with catching your bunnies, in whatever form they may take, but always remember to enjoy the chase. And give someone you love a lick on the nose today.

“And now let us welcome the New Year—full of things that have never been.” – Rainer Maria Rilke

And ... that's a wrap. It's Par-tay Time, and I'm outta here! Mmmmm ... eggnog!

Daisy Jones-Klein

Santa Fe, NM

December 2015

Daisy’s 10th Anniversary!

Hi Everybody! Daisy Jones-Klein here. Usually, I like to tell y’all about all the things to see and do around here in the Land of Enchantment. But today’s a good day for reminiscing. It’s my tenth anniversary! Yay!

You see, it was just about ten years ago that I adopted my Peeps. I’d been staying at a Russell Rescue home near Harrisonburg, Virginia. My Peeps happened to stop in, spent a little time with me to let me work my charms (the Sad Little Puppy Eyes™; you know the look!), and the rest, as they say, is history. They took me back with them to live in our Forever Home in Virginia, up until three years ago when we took our epic road trip to our new Forever Home out here in New Mexico.

Ten Years! Wow, the bookies sure took a beating on that bet, as they say. Of all my Forever Homes – and I’ve had more than a couple – this is by far my most Foreverest. No one ever said that training your Peeps is easy, but I think I’m finally getting the hang of this.

Training Peeps is tough work! I speak from experience when I say it can take a few times to get it right. And, truth be told, it can work the other way too. I think that in the early days, my Peeps just didn’t understand that biting neighbors’ ankles is a simple way to say "Howdy"; that doorbells are the universal starter pistols for Jack Russell Terrier barking frenzies; and that the phrase “stop eating when you’re full” is simply gibberish that makes no sense to me at all.

But eventually, we came to understand each other a little better. They became fans of Cesar Millan and his show The Dog Whisperer, and belong long they were all trained! Now I recognize that not all Peeps respond to training in the same way, so I can also recommend some excellent advice recently published in that insightful journal, The Onion. Try these handy tips!:

Tips for Training Your Dog

• Start with simple commands like “sit” before working your way up to the more complicated ones like “fill the gaping void in my life.”
• Remember that consistently good behavior will take time. You’re letting a wild animal loose in your house.
• Set a good example for your dog by never chasing after squirrels, no matter how badly you want to.
• It’s important to establish dominance. Show your dog who’s boss by cleaning up its waste and paying for all its food.
• Consistency is key. Remember to use the same expletive every time your dog chews up your shoes.
• Dogs crave clear direction, so be sure to schedule yours for quarterly performance reviews.
• Remain patient during training sessions with your dog, as English is not its first language.
• Rather than simply saying “no” to your pet, engage it in a constructive dialogue about the moralistic implications of the undesired behavior.

And speaking of keep trying ‘til you get it right, here’s a FUN FACT: It’s sometimes said that if you practice something 10,000 times, you become really expert at it. Well, bear with me while I do some math. I was about 4 to 6 years old when I found my Peeps at Russell Rescue. (No one’s really sure about my age, but a lady never tells, anyway.) So that makes me at least 13. With 365 days per year, that’s probably 5000 days for moi. And with at least two walks per day, and most of them being “meaningful” (and I think you know what I’m talking about here), then I’ve probably delivered over 10,000 times. So I guess that makes me an expert Puppy Pooper! I hope that all of you can achieve your dreams and achievements as well as I've achieved mine.

Do anniversaries make you nostalgic? They sure do for me, especially when I realize that in dog-years it’s like a 70^th anniversary. I’ve been looking through some of my picture albums from the early days with the Peeps, and comparing them to my recent pix. One thing's for certain: I still look good!

And despite all the changes and activities over that time, it seems that in so many of the important ways, we revert to form, and what was good then is still good now. For instance, there’s pinning down sunbeams:

  

Then ………………………………………………. Now

Finding a favorite pillow:

  

Then ………………………………………………. Now

The simple joie de vivre of a fresh tennis ball:

   

Then ………………………………………………. Now

Going on neighborhood patrol:

  

Then ………………………………………………. Now

Taking a meeting:

 

Then ………………………………………………. Now

And especially showing appreciation to my hard-working Staff:

  

Then  ……………………………………………. Now

And on that last point, here’s a bit of good advice for all you finer critters out there. If you like your Peeps, and they like you, show your appreciation. A little lick on the nose works for me. My Peeps seem to like this so much that they rarely even think about the last place I licked.

All in all, it’s been a pretty good gig for the Internet's "favorite dogblogger". Can’t wait for the next 10 years! As our favorite Vulcan would say, “Live long and prosper.”

Daisy Jones-Klein

Santa Fe, NM

October 2015