Flower Bed Pix

Begonias, clematis, petunias, pansies, some white ground crawler things.

Clematis blooms.

Update on Minka

When I decided to move to Dubai, I had zillions of things to do and decisions to make. The biggest and most heart wrenching: what do I do with Minka? There were really only 3 choices: bring her along, find a new home or euthanasia. I ignored the last one; although she had been diagnosed with some impending health issues, the vet himself had no idea when or if things would progress and she was not suffering in any way. She was old but as far as I could tell, she had lots of life left. Putting her down was simply not an option.

I pondered the idea of bringing her to Dubai but decided against it. Aside from being costly, the shipping experience is traumatic for the heartiest of creatures and since I had no idea what to expect at the other end (I read that Dubai is not all that dog friendly which turned out to be partly true, not to mention the weather), this was not practical for me either. So there was only one thing left: find a new home. I spread the word and hoped for the best.

To my good fortune (and Minka's), my flyer on the Boxer Rescue Network website was answered by a local couple who had recently lost their beloved boxer to cancer and were looking for another one to fill the void. When they came to meet Minka, they fell in love with her and called back later to deliver the news that they would be happy to take her. A huge relief but a bittersweet one. So one afternoon shortly before I departed, her new 'Dad' came over, I gave her a hug and whispered good bye and with that she embarked on a new life.

From the emails and photos I received over the next 2 years, it was apparent that she was very well taken care of: they bought her an orthopedic bed and a snow suit, they switched her to a raw-food diet, they took regular road trips to the Canmore dog park, all of which she must have loved (well, the snow suit maybe not so much)! Her 'twilight' years were turning out to be the best of her life!








As I was packing up to return to Canada earlier this year, I received one last email from them:

I have some sad news. We had to make the agonizing decision to put Minka down yesterday. More tumors developed, the worst one being in her mouth. Even though her spirit was still so very bright, her little body just had enough. We were both with her when she passed. Thank you very much for giving us the opportunity to care for this precious life. We loved her dearly.

For a second time, I had to say good bye to my "Stinky Minky". She was challenging at times but through all the pee on the floor, the drool on the furniture, the rummaging through the garbage, the dead grass in the back yard and mistaking my baby niece for a chew toy, she was still my girl and I could never stay mad at her for very long. Funnily enough, when I got my truck out of the storage compound, it still had Minka's nose prints all over the passenger side window! She was a big part of my life for nearly 7 years and in many ways, she always will.

And to the wonderful people who took her in and gave her so much love, thank you ... once again.