Our little black dog.... a love story :)

It was 3-1/2 years ago that Mr. J came to live with us and I wrote all about it in this post. 

He was about 9 to 11 years old at the time.

 We learned quickly to not forget to bring the bag of trash out before leaving the house, 

even for the shortest period of time!

Mr. J  immediately became a beloved member of our family, and is to this day!

He's a pretty low key family member, so I'm afraid he doesn't get as much blog time as Baby, his wild and crazy feline sister.

Exactly one year ago today, March 23, 2013, Mr. J came home after a 3 day stay at an Emergency Animal Clinic after life-saving surgery. His spleen had ruptured and he was bleeding internally. Our vet had us rush him to a 24 hour clinic where they could remove his spleen and then watch him for several days.

(Our poor baby the day he came home)

The doctors suggested that if he seemed to be handling the anesthesia well, that they go ahead and remove his right eye at the same time. The lens had shifted and we'd been working with our own vet to try to correct the problem, but nothing seemed to be working. Both our vet and the emergency vet felt he would be better off just having the eye removed, so we agreed.

After all, we'd had first hand experience with our sweet Ms. Gizmo (who crossed the rainbow bridge in 2008). She was about 13 or 14 when she had to have her eye removed to to complications with diabetes. And we'd seen how well she'd adapted to one eye, despite being practically blind in the other. She lived several more very happy years being a one-eyed pup.

And just like Ms. Giz, Mr. J has adapted wonderfully. 

Here he is napping with little Lamb Chop on his favorite chenille rug.

It's right in front of the hutch which sits between the dining area and living room.

There's a reason he likes this spot.

When he finally wakes from his naps, he has a clear view to the kitchen.

He knows what is in the kitchen.

Dog treats.

You'll see how he still has laser vision when it comes to catching a dog treat, 

even with just one eye!

And here he is retrieving Lamb Chop after a game of catch and, as always, enjoying a little tug of war at the end. His little tail starts wagging whenever we start that game!

Yes, our little 'Enchanted Cottage' wouldn't be quite so enchanted without our little Mr. J (who loves nothing more than to bury his nose in the snow before he comes inside!)

(This picture was not taken today - our snow is JUST ABOUT GONE!!!)

Have a great week, everyone!

Donna