Acquiring a Service Dog: Zeus, the Neighborhood's Dog

Zeus enjoyed being retired. Frequently I'd take him to school with me and, out of habit, he would buzz through my classroom and sniff every kid's desk. No narcotics were ever found, but man, those kids liked to hoard their Goldfish crackers! 

Craig and Zeus were very close, much like Pepper and I are. 

Craig would walk Zeus every day at least once. They'd go all over the neighborhood, chatting to folks as they went. Soon, Zeus was very well known by the people who lived in Arbor Chase.

I wrote about that in my Teachinmama blog on May 21, 2010:

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Zeus truly is the "neighborhood dog." We are among those who moved into the neighborhood as it first was being built, and, even though the neighborhood has grown tremendously, since Craig walks Zeus every day at least once, just about everyone knows them both. 

Zeus has a "fan club" - kids who drop by and knock on the door, asking if they can play with him. Anna is the "president" - she'll even bring him treats or come right in and get them out of his jar! Her brother, Ian, and her mom are Zeus-lovers, too. 

Zeus sporting a dusty handprint on his head left behind by Ian who had been playing in the dirt and had stopped to pat him..

Anna's mom, Lisa, once invited Zeus to a backyard BBQ they were having (Craig and I were not included in the invitation!) I was outside watering flowers and they were celebrating a friend who had been battling cancer. Lisa called across the yards, "Can Zeus come over?" and when I assented, off he rocketed - he knew there was a burger waiting for him!

He's been battling cancer himself, is riddled with lumps, and has arthritis. Taking walks is too much for him - he makes it clear that he just wants to stay home and off his feet. No longer do he and Craig wander the neighborhood, chatting to the neighbors, being petted (er, Zeus, that is) and catching up on the neighborhood news.

I just got a Facebook message from one of the neighbors who has lived here the longest and knows Zeus well. She said that several of them were down at the lake, sitting in the pavilion and enjoying the evening. The conversation came around to Zeus, and a few people were asking if he was still alive. She wanted to know how he was, and so I sent her back a message that his spirits were good (as was his appetite) but that the arthritis had made it so he just did not want to take walks.

I am deeply touched that he has made his mark in the hearts of our neighbors so deeply that, when there hasn't been a recent "Zeus sighting," they wonder how he is and what he is doing. And not only do they just wonder, they actually make the effort to contact us and ask.

That is the sign of a dog who is beloved not only by his family, but those around him, too.

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Speaking of family, Zeus loved when family came to visit.

Playing catch with snowballs thrown by Kyle and Braden.

Camping in our back yard with Curt, JC, and Trinity.

Cuddling up with Braden.

Helping Granny Slash supervise Emily and Cole as they played a game of bocce in the front yard.

Distracting Boompa from shoveling snow.

Hanging out by the table during Thanksgiving dinner and hoping someone might share. (Of course, they did!)

Feeling well enough to head over to the park for a bit.

It was hard to see Zeus growing older and the arthritis and cancer were starting to impact his quality of life. Meds helped a lot, but we knew our time together was growing to a close.

Stay 'tooned.

 

Our Thanksgiving Day

When you have a big family gathering, you have to get creative with space. 

Like using our spa tub to store pies and other food as needed. (The tub is cleaned before we do that.)

And when it is cold outside but still above freezing, cans of coke and bottles of water can be stored on the front porch. (Two coolers are kept on the back porch for other items, too.)

Our bedroom is on the main floor and becomes the general repository for things we don't have room for/won't be needing that day. Coats, hats, and purses are piled on the bed.

Because tables for eating will be set up in the living room, the coffee table is moved into the bedroom and put under the gift wrapping station.

Every nook and cranny, every open space fills up.

The dog beds are piled princess-and-the-pea style, and gifts for an early gift exchange are stashed. (Pepper has been known to climb into the top bed. It's hers, after all!)

A spread of cheeseballs and other nibbles is set out so hungry people can have a little something while they wait for dinner. (We work on those all day long.)

Tables are set (one in the dining room, three in the living room)

and this year I had some fun placemats from Sarah that I thought kids and adults alike would enjoy.

The kitchen is busy with people clowning around putting the finishing touches on their dishes and the kitchen table is soon covered with our Thanksgiving feast.

We all gather in the kitchen for instructions (usually, "Grab a plate, fill it up, and find a seat!")

and then someone offers a prayer expressing thanks for being together and the good food we have.

The kitchen empties out fairly quickly despite the number of people eating. (We had 21 this year.)

People come in and out to get a drink or for seconds (or thirds, depending on your appetite) for the next half hour or so.

When the grands give their approval, you know the food is REALLY good.

Not only are the kids cousins, but they are good friends, too. They get along really well.

This year I cried uncle - too many plates and glasses and too much time spent washing them after dinner. (Although EVERYONE pitches in to wash and dry.) So, I went with paper products. It made a huge difference.

When dinner is mostly cleared away, we play Dirty Santa (pics to come) and then it's time for dessert.

Andrew has a talent for making pies and this year he made two lemon meringue pies for the family. Leslie brought two pumpkin pies, Kyle and I made two cherry pies, Eric brought a carrot cake - we were not lacking for desserts!

Susie wearing a dala horse shirt - she's ready for BreyerFest!

I had popped into the bedroom to lie down for a few minutes, and Mila followed me in to show me the sweater I'd given her.

For the rest of the day, we just enjoy being together. We continue to eat,

we play games in both big and small groups, 

we watch football and catch up on social media,

we let the dogs nap on us and by us,

and some of us absolutely crash and are able to sleep despite the noise of a family gathering!

What a day! I am blessed.

Thanksgiving 2025: Quick Pics

It's Friday and everybody is heading home today. Which is a good thing because we are under a Winter Storm Warning beginning late tonight. Heavy snow, arctic cold, blowing winds...

Go, kids go! 

Thanksgiving Day was absolutely wonderful, although we were sad to be missing Lisa who is very, very sick with Influenza A. My brother, Steve, and his wife Cindie are both ill, too, so three much loved people weren't with us. We packed up plates of food for them all and took them over late afternoon so at least they got some food, and Lisa joined us via FaceTime for Dirty Santa.

Here are some pictures from dinner.

Jenny, Eric, Kyle, Rick, Leslie, Craig, and Curt.

A shot of the living room where my sewing table became a dinner table.

Vanessa, Julie, Titan, Mila, Kate (behind Andrew), Andrew, and Jessica. 

Ian and Cambria. (With a hopeful Gus.)

Susie, Lukas, Emily, and Cole.

Kate with all the desserts. So many to choose from! Why not try a piece of each!

Blog reader fastapp said she hoped I'd show a picture of the cherry pie filling - here it is!

There were just two pieces of cherry pie left but they had to be thrown out. While cleaning up, a glass by them got broken and shards ended up on the pie.

That wasn't the only breakage we had. Vanessa's drink dispenser suddenly cracked while in use and a big piece came off the side.

She had lifted the top to add ice, and when she put the top back on it, the side broke. Luckily it was above the liquid line so we didn't have a big mess to clean up. We don't know why that happened, but think maybe it got too cold.

One last pic for today - Lukas came to dinner wearing his first Feast shirt. He wears it to school, he wears it to church, I should not have been surprised that it made an appearance at Thanksgiving dinner!

Needless to say, Leslie, Rick, and I were all smiles when he walked in the door.

More to come, but not today. Too much to do to get everyone on the road or to the airport.

Stay 'tooned!

Thanksgiving 2025: Selfies with Grammy

First Post of the Day

This Thanksgiving,  I decided I would take a selfie with every family member who had come for the holiday. Here's who I have thus far:

Mila (Guess what movie she'd just gone to?)

Julie

Lukas

Susie

Ian

Cambria

Titan

Kate

Curt

Cole

Kyle

Vanessa

Jessica

Emily

Andrew

Lisa was not feeling well and not there; we are hoping she feels better soon! I will get her and Craig ASAP.

Stay 'tooned!