Jasper Lily says “cheers for fall”!

It’s been a while since I’ve updated Jasper Lily’s blog. Like her madre, she is not a fan of the heat and it has been a very HOT and at times, humid summer here in Los Angeles. We live by the coast and our beach casa has no AC nor means for AC and the entire city has been sold out of fans for months. To say it’s been tough – understatement. She’s a trooper but I definitely notice that she’s more lethargic, hot to the touch and in general, not as much fun to be around.

The last weekend we had some classic LA “fall” temps – in the 70s which means boots, sweaters, pants! I know … we are so silly here.

Jasper was all frisky and full of (as my daddy would say) “p!ss and vinegar”. It’s like puppy Jasper has come back for a visit – last week I caught her with a container of Q-tips in her mouth, a pencil and one of my running shoes – all the while ignoring her overflowing box of toys! She wants to play more, run more, jump more. I love this side of Jasper and notice that her energy needs an outlet (aka not my stuff). It is harder since I am back to normal hours and I try and walk her long in the morning before I leave and then long dark walks at night. We long for summer light again but not summer temp.

Jasper still has some odd quirks that I just think are part of her and I will never understand them. For instance, she prefers to go under my bed, into her airline crate which is stored there, and hang out before I leave for work. I know she doesn’t spend her days there since she is at the door when I get home. Even at night sometimes, she will crawl under there and I have to coax her out so she will be on the bed with me. When I put her on the bed, she is quick to burrow her head between 2 pillows – to the point I do worry she will suffocate in there. She sleeps there most of the night but when I wake up early, she’s usually at the foot of the bed.

She isn’t much for cuddling … unlike Shelby, she tolerates me when I try and hold her like a baby or pick her up. She feels like she’s getting heavier but thankfully she still fits in her crate so we can fly home in a couple months for the holidays. She also has taken to going behind my kitchen table and laying in a corner. She’s got tons of beds in the living room and yet she prefers that location in the evenings if I am watching TV or not paying attention to her. She will not come when I call her for bed – at all. Shelby always ran to me when I called and wanted to be around / near me. Always. Jasper just presents a more aloof persona. I try not to take it personally since she doesn’t fight me when I put her into bed or try and cuddle her.

She hates my cell phone. HATES it. I have tried a million different tones for texts or rings and they all cause her to run and hide (usually the bathroom so I guess she’s also deemed that a ‘safe zone’). I do not get it so I keep the phone on silent / vibrate which seems a little less offensive to her. Perhaps each tone is an assault on her dumbo ears?

Lest it seem like I am only saying Jasper’s bad points in this blog, she does a lot that brings me JOY and makes me laugh – daily! I love her for her little quirks because they make her 100% different than Shelby. Sometimes I wonder if perhaps she really is living in the shadow of my dear Shelby but then I realize, dogs don’t get that. They live in the moment, the now.

I love when she lays on the floor in either frog pose or superman pose. It’s the only way she sits and I know she knows how much I love it as I call to her “frog dog!!!”. I loved the other day when I was trying to release my own aching hips by doing frog pose and she came and laid next to me and easily slid down into the pose – show off! I love the little sounds she makes, when she is playing, in the morning, her yodel, her greeting when I come home. She seems genuinely happy to see me. People say they can “hear her” before they “see her”.

I love to see her make little improvements; from less fear and almost love of the beach, no fear of the Halloween blown-up decorations on the lawns, less low-growls (however I do miss it because it was rather cute). She is still so cautious – all the time though.

I have to travel for work in a few weeks and Jasper can’t come. She will stay at her daycare since it is cage-free and it’s a place she knows. They want me to leave her one night ahead of time to help her see that I will and do come back. They also tell me it will be harder on me than her. I believe that to be true. I got a new dog since I couldn’t handle the silence in my home.  I rely so much on that “energy” and since I got Jasper, I haven’t been without her. I think if I am out of town, it will be fine but the one night in my home – alone – I see lots of wine and chocolate in my future. I cannot even imagine.

So as much as I said I would love her and not bond in the same way, I have found myself completely bonded to Jasper. I find myself sometimes fearing the future since I know I will outlive her. She is young and healthy at 2 but each day, each hour, each minute, we both age and I dread the day that I have to face those hard decisions again. Someone told me after Shelby died that every dog that came after Shelby would be different since I knew what was to come in many, many years. That I went into the relationship with Shelby somewhat “Pollyanna”, and without thinking of her mortality, I knew from the day I brought Jasper home that one day, she would die. It is hard to get out of my head and just live in the moment. I think the loss of your soul-mate does that to you. I think the trauma of what I went through fighting for Shelby exhausted and jaded me.

But Jasper and I do our best to live in the moment and find adventures where we can. Thank you for sharing our adventures with us and loving her as much as I do. She is my quirky little kelpie with a big booty and dumbo ears! I truly love her!

Portrait of a dog finding her zen!

Zen found … frog dog on the beach!

Cheers for the beach! (and yes, Sally, that is purple in my hair)

Mommy find her zen with a cocktail and Jasper finding hers with a big tennis ball!

Jasper says … no madre, I cannot put my ears down. They are always up!

Frog dog with her paws in the sand!