Today, April 3, 2021, our beloved Irish Terrier, Orla, died. I’m consoling myself by digging through old photographs. This post has pics from 2008, the year Orla came to live with us.
I was working in my home office on July 21, 2008, when Beth, who had gone off somewhere with Samuel for a while, appeared in my doorway looking like this . . .So of course I followed her down the hall to the living room where Samuel was occupied with this newcomer to our house.She liked to play.Who had captured whom? (Appearances can be deceptive.)The next day it seemed good to verify that she liked to play outside also.Samuel was inside, snapping photos through the family room window.Of course puppy needed a name! Since she was an Irish Terrier, I found a list of Irish names on the Internet. Samuel chose the name “Orla,” a shortened form “Orlaith.” Officially she was named “CH Czar Orlaith.” We always called her “Orla.”Miriam was in Florida at a ballet summer intensive when Orla came to live with us. When I brought Miriam home from the Lansing airport on July 27, Samuel brought Orla out to welcome Miriam home.Orla, meet your big sister, Miriam!Here’s Orla on August 6, 2008. Her coloring matched the pergo floor in our kitchen-dining area. She’s resting next to the cage of our parakeet’s Cyril and Bobbie. Cyril and Bobbie liked to play outside the cage. It turned out Orla really loves birds! We’ll never forget the day she ate Bobbie. (Not depicted here. Nothing to depict anyway. All that was left was a feather hanging from Orla’s beard.)Just in case Orla looks big in that previous picture, this one (same day) shows she was still a Little Dog.Orla got a little rope for playing tug-of-war.There was also the sock.She was pretty much Samuel’s puppy in those days.Being little, she was easily captured . . . . . . and easily portable . . . . . . which helped a lot when it was time to take her to Mommy for cleaning up. (This was August 7, 2008.)Everybody wants to cuddle clean puppy Orla!Why get cleaned up? So you can go to Char’s for a visit with Mommy Neila!Downstairs in the family room, puppy Orla needs to be in the crate. (August 28, 2008)Aunt Janet and Grandma Dolores came to visit in September. You can see the ad hoc fence that kept puppy Orla in the kitchen-dining area, off the living room carpet. (September 5, 2019)This happened more than once in those days . . . Orla Puppy naptime arrives while she’s sitting on Daddy’s lap in a corner of the kitchen. (October 7, 2018)I wouldn’t have remembered this, but apparently by December 8 Orla had landed a job delivering mail.Orla’s first Christmas was approaching! (December 23, 2008)Christmas Day, 2008.
Verba Sparsa
James,
Surprisingly tough to lose a pet. We just put down one of dogs, whom I didn’t particularly like. And still I shed tears! Weird.
Thanks for you ongoing posts!
Mark
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Thanks, Mark. The dawgs have a way of getting into your heart.
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