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Oh what a precious memory! It sounds like there may have been a little sibling rivalry between your daughter and Zoe. :) I hope the good memories will outweigh the bad this Thanksgiving, but I know that even the good memories can cause their own kind of pain and longing. I'm glad you have Koko to keep you hopping. Maybe he will share his turkey with you this year. ;)
Wish I knew Zoe but am learning a little about her now...She sounds like a little Diva:p You still have your memories to celebrate, nothing will ever take that away. Hope your mom can make it. Pats for Koko.
I loved those days when you put on the oldies and you and zoe and koko danced around the kitchen and house. That always put a smile on my face as I could see it so clearly.
Zoe was a character and queen of her domain, never any doubt about that. She was also, just entirely precocious and so much of that was the bond between the two of you.
I will never forget the summer of her eye problems and how you too the time off work to be with her and give her all the various drops every so many hours apart. You got it cleared up though!
Yes there are Zoe memories all over the place, but my most special ones are always of the interaction between the two of you.
love and hugs!
Oh yeah I liked the dancing to the old radio shows... could just imagine you all in the kitchen!!
I also like how you used to share your breakfast and give her a lick of the bowl!!! All those little routines that Zoe knew backwards and to her advantage smart little minx!! xxxxx
Addy, back when you first posted them, I so loved seeing those videos of Zoe and Koko and the jumping game. "Dogs Stay" "Dogs Jump!!!" :) :)
Zoe's eyes never left you for a moment. Not for one moment. Even when the jumping was a bit premature :rolleyes:, she was running straight to her mom.
What I also love most about those videos is your own laughter. Sheer, pure delight! When I think about Zoe, at the top of my list of memories is the joy she gave you and that you ended up sharing with us all.
That's how she became "our" girl. Such a bright little bundle of joy all wrapped up in a fur coat. That was our little girl.
All of your memories are so dear and I love them all, thank you for sharing them. They are at the top of my list for Zozo moments, golden oldies was a biggie and so was jump:):):)
I was always looking for new tricks and new games to play. I read about teaching your pup to jump in a low box. I thought that might be fun so I brought home a box from work and hauled out the clicker and chicken. First I was to teach touch the box, then put their head in the box and lastly, they were to jump inside the box. Zoe went straight from touching the box to jumping inside in a few tries and then would not get out of the box, just smile, eyes blazing and said arg, arg, arg:rolleyes:
Koko never graduated past touch the box. He did not want to jump in for some reason, it bothered him.
Zoe jumped in that dang box every time, oh and Marianne, it was pure joy and delight fo rme to watch her face when she did it.
I even bought a hula hoop and had them jumping through that.
We loved playing together and Koko is waiting right now for a game of hide and seek and puzzle before Mama goes to work. I love that.
Beautiful time and memories. Zoe was the boss,the queen. Miss reading about her.
Hugs Sonja and Angel Apollo
Browsing through our bookcases, I came upon a copy of How to Speak Dog written by Stanley Coren. I had purchased the book a few months after Zoe came to live with us. It has been more than five years since I last read the book. I love to reread all of my dog books.
As I was reading the third chapter, I suddenly remembered when I taught Zoe how to “speak”. We had just completed our first clicker training course. Zoe excelled at clicker training. She adored it because the clicker meant food. It was winter, our walks were limited. Zoe’s paws would freeze at the first drop in temperatures. I was looking for ways to occupy her time when I stumbled upon how to do Free Shaping with a clicker. Retrieving the clicker and a pile of tiny chicken bites, Zoe and I sat on the floor facing each other. The idea was for Zoe to start throwing out different behaviors to get me to click and treat. I was to wait for her to give me a behavior I liked, click and treat, then wait for her to repeat. Eventually we would “name” the behavior so Zoe would do it when asked.
Zoe threw out a few of her current tricks. I did not acknowledge them. She gave me a puzzled look and lay down on the floor in front of me. I continued to sit still. Suddenly, she reached out with her right paw, tapping it softly on the floor. Immediately, I clicked and treated, then waited. Zoe thought about that for a good few minutes and again gave me a quizzical look. As soon as she moved her right paw just a tiny bit, I clicked and again treated with more treats. Soon, her right paw was tapping on the floor. Each time she tapped, I clicked and treated, laughing and laughing. My laughing only encouraged her, along with rapid fire treats. Now Zoe was pawing at the floor as if she were counting!!!!
Success!!! The next day, Zoe and I once again sat on the floor with a pile of chicken and the clicker. Her dark rimmed eyes were blazing with excitement. She seemed confused about whether I wanted her to count with her paw. I did not give the command to count. Frustrated, she woofed at me. I clicked and treated and thus, teaching Zoe to speak was how “Bark Fest” was born. We added the command “speak” along with a duck quaking hand gesture. Zoe barked and barked, apparently, she had a lot to talk about.
Zoe never stopped speaking after that day. She asked for everything, woofing and barking through the remainder of her life; talking to me every day. I loved every minute of Bark Fest. Sometimes she would throw in “count” for good measure.
The house is very quiet now. I miss Zoe “speaking”. If I close my eyes and wish very hard, I can still hear her talking to me. I will always remember her voice and I know I will never forget one single minute of Bark Fest.
Thank you all for helping remember my girl and I hope we all Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!
What a sweet story and a smart dog! :-)
How funny they can be with their individual quirks.
Daisy had no interest in boxes, she LOVED anything soft and cuddly. Often walked around the house with her blanket still across her back.
Bella has forced the cats to share their cardboard boxes with her :)