Saturday, January 10, 2026

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Tonight's picture was taken in January of 2007. Mattie was five years old and as you can see he was a climber! In fact, when I was Mattie's age, I used to do the exact same thing on the staircase in our house. I used to drive my mother and grandmother crazy! Since I knew how much I loved doing this, I did not try to stop Mattie. But that said, I was always close by in case he slipped or fell. While going through my saved photos this evening, I realize I had several folders that were blank. So I went on-line to the place we used to store all of our family photos! When I got into the account, I came across many photos like this one, which I hadn't seen for years. But overall, seeing photos of us as a family practically made me sick! I had to back out of what I was looking at because I truly can't process losing Mattie and being divorced. It was like looking at the photos that belonged to a different person. 

Quote of the day: A dog is the only thing that can mend a crack in your broken heart. ~ Judy Desmond

Today marks the second anniversary of Sunny's death. Two years may have marched on, but his love, presence, and companionship are felt forever. Sunny changed my life around after Mattie died. Sunny helped me get back out into the world, walk, and re-engage with the world. He was a remarkable soul, who I hope is now united with Mattie. As Mattie always wanted to have a dog!

This photo was featured on Facebook in 2016. A friend sent me this photo and a link to Sunny. Well actually Sunny's name was Lenny at the time. My friend knew I was trying to adopt a dog, but since I lived in the city, most rescue agencies did not want to work with us. I fell in LOVE with Sunny's photos and contacted the adoption center because I wanted to adopt him even without ever meeting him in person. It was a gamble, especially since I never owned a dog as an adult. The adoption process was rigorous as it entailed an interview, an inspection of our home, a letter of support from our complex's office, and we had to attend a dog behavioral training session. If you believe at love at first sight, then that was Sunny and me. The day we picked him up to adopt him, Sunny approached me first and then did not leave our sides. He was an companion until his last breath.

Look at that face! Eager to go out for a walk... rain or shine. That was the thing I quickly learned about owning a dog..... walking happens no matter the conditions outside. Sunny and I walked in the bitter cold and during intense summer heat. 

Sunny and I went through training for him to get his good citizenship certification. It was a ten week course, if I remember correctly. Honestly I think the training was more for me than for Sunny. Clearly Sunny had been trained prior to me adopting him, and he knew all the commands already. I had to learn them, but the reality is that Sunny made me look good in class. As he was compliant and very motivated by the treats in my pockets. I will never forget one of the tests we had to pass for his certification.... it involved walking 10 feet away from Sunny. He had to stay where he was and not follow me. Which was a feat in and of itself. Once I was 10 feet away, I then had to face him, call him, and get him to respond to me by running to me. This exercise always freaked me out because in class, sometimes Sunny would do it and sometimes he wouldn't! But in true Sunny fashion, he rose to the occasion during testing and it was an amazing sight to see and experience. This photo was taken right after we passed certification. 

Sunny was a great companion visiting Mattie's memorial tree. Sunny seemed to understand instinctively around this tree, as he never tried to mark it or dig around it. He would just sit and patiently watch and wait for me! 

Sunny had to have two different knee surgeries! During one of his physical therapy sessions, his therapist dressed him up for Halloween. Kristy absolutely loved Sunny. She called him the professor, because she felt that when he looked at her with his big beautiful eyes, he was studying and examining her!

Two pals.... Sunny and Indie! The first time these two met each other in 2016.... they touched noses. Each respected the other and Indie just knew, Sunny got my full attention! This was not an unusual sight for me, as both of them would track me during the day as I was working at my desk.

Sunny loved to claim the couch!

That particular day, my neighbor asked me to babysit her pooch. Sunny was NOT happy, he was actually jealous that he was not getting my full attention. I really wasn't expecting this from Sunny, but as you can see, I was trying to explain what was happening to him and to reassure him who was number one! 

In Sunny's younger days, when he could jump on top of the bed, he would grace me with his presence many a morning. He was better than an alarm clock. 

Sunny was an Australian Shepherd/Australian Cattle Dog mix. So in essence he was a herding dog. Sunny tracked and chased anything that moved.... even on TV. I absolutely loved how he was transfixed on that squirrel. 

I end tonight with this beautiful photo of Sunny and me. It was true love! 

Born on August 14, 2011

Adopted September 1, 2016

Died on January 10, 2024

13 years old!