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Snoozer, Chicago, IL (2025)

09/24/2025

Mom says bail money is in the shoebox in her bedroom closet. 😉

09/23/2025

🦄 Maya [aug 21 2005ish + aug 27 2025]

“Everything is connected, like a delicate web. Ever growing, ever changing. New silvery strands come together every day, and once the strand is formed, no matter what superficial circumstances may sometimes keep you apart, it is never broken. You will meet again, perhaps in another lifetime. The connection is unbreakable, lying dormant in your subconscious.”
Chelsie Shakespeare

My sweet Maya,

Dogs are magic, pure and simple. But you always knew that, didn’t you? They seem as if they’ve been woven by Mother Nature herself out of threads of absolute goodness. There’s a reason that dogs are used to rehabilitate the hardest of criminals, and soothe the sickest in the hospital; they are ambassadors for their greatness.

You, along with other dogs, took away the meaning of temporary and threw the winds of eternity at me.

I absolutely loved finding your very own light within the delicate cracks of my soul. There is solace in knowing that every bridge within my brokenness was being restored by your tiny but unconditional heart.

You see, Maya, it’s somewhat taboo that a human would show such a display of grief for another species. To morn publicly without reservation and to take the time to self-sooth and to rest. To vulnerably face the realisation of the absence of a heart connection once felt.

So how do I, how do we (because I hope there are others, like myself) cope with the loss of a pet, a friend? The absence of the overexcited tail wagging and the grief that sometimes others don’t understand?

Grief for a pet is not a sign of weakness. It signifies the beauty of a heart that is capable of a love that not all human being are capable of – the animal human connection. The deep relationship that has been created with an animal. Some people pray. Some people meditate. Some people have a celebration of life. Some people get drunk. Some people get another pet right away, and some people don’t.

Because when it comes to grief, there are no rules. There is no walking away. It’s a roller coaster that we must ride. Such is the price we pay for the unconditional love of a friend like you. And in all of that, maybe others will have the same tiny epiphany - the greatest heroes of all, are the ones who come cloaked in the smallest of fuzzy packages. 🐾

Have you ever looked into someone's eyes and seen the entire universe smile back at you?

That's LOVE. ❤️

If you don't have a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life.❤️

Fair winds and following seas, my sweet Maya. Your wings will forever flutter in my now paw shaped heart. 🐾

07/03/2025

Shout-out to all humans out there who love on us fuzzies. We were lucky to find the best one there is!

We woof you! ❤️
You are our MVP. Always.

06/20/2025

Five trips around the sun with Sir Francis!🌞

Happy Gotcha Day, stinker!!! ❤️

On May 28th back in 2020, a call for help was placed by local law enforcement to South Suburban Humane Society. A hoarding/puppy mill situation in Melrose Park, IL got a little out of hand and dogs varying in age were rescued. Everyone worked tirelessly for 24 hours to process all dogs- some went straight to foster homes (shout-out to all those amazing people who line up in times of need!!) and those with medical issues were kept with the humane society for a bit longer.

Mom donated to care for those dogs and filled out an adoption application right away. Boom! A few weeks later, she was invited to participate in a Zoom meeting. Dogs were being released in batches of about 10/13 dogs at a time. That Zoom call had over 200 participants!

On June 18th, 2020 she received the most wonderful email- one dog was ready to come home with her. Adoption documents were finalized and mom paid the adoption fee. She went to pick Francis up the following day- June 19th, 2020.

We all think it’s safe to say- things are going well ❤️

Ps. Don’t upset our mom by buying your fuzzy friends from a breeder- always adopt! ❤️

05/28/2025

Happy birthday to our human and Sir Francis. It will be cuddles xtreme tonight in our house and a huuuuuuuge love fest! ❤️ We woof you! 🐾

May 28th is the day Snoozer found mom at PAWS back in 2011 and opened the doors to all unwanted and discarded dogs (and cats, too!) into our family’s home and hearts. While Snoozer’s actual birthday remained unknown (he was found stuck under a dumpster), May 28th was a very special day while he was with us.

Aaaaaaand… really cool fact: Francis was one of the 43 dogs rescued from a puppy mill/hoarding case in Melrose Park, IL back in 2020. She never met him in person and finalized the adoption based on a very bad photo that she saw during a Zoom call with the rescue. Also- mom didn’t know Francis shared her birthday until she received proof of vaccines a week after adoption was finalized. This was meant to be. Don’t you think? 🦄

05/24/2025

To my brave and beautiful fuzzy soulmate,

You were a wild, tender mystery—a creature of lightning shakes and thunderous snores, of moonlight paws padding down the hallway just to check on me. You carried the heart of a wolf and the soul of a poet who only speaks in licks and sighs.

I saw you. I still see you!! The way you tilted your head at the wind, as if listening to some secret I could not hear. The way you pressed your weight against my legs when the world felt too heavy, like you were holding me together without a sound. You pretended not to notice when I cry, but you always brought me your favourite toy after, as if to say, "Here, this fixes things."

You did not have to be good. Though you were so, so, so, so good. You never had to earn your place. You carved it into the bedrock of my life the moment you chose me, and now I can’t remember what the silence felt like before you.

Be proud of your scars, your goofy underbite, the way you snored like a chainsaw but woke up delicately, as if afraid to break the morning. Be so fu***ng proud of the way you loved me - without maps, without conditions, as if devotion is as simple as breathing.

The world moves too fast for creatures like you. They don’t see the way you memorized the exact sound of my keys in the door, or how you sighed when dreams took you somewhere far away. But I did. I saw it all!

Five years ago time stole the weight of your head from my lap, the warmth of your paw on my knee. But Snoozer, I need you to listen closely, my wild-hearted friend: You were never just a chapter in my life. You are the ink!

And long after the last page was written, I still listen for you — in the creak of the floorboards, in the rustle of leaves, in every quiet place where love outlives bones.

If I could have just one more day with you, I wouldn’t say a word. I would just listen to the sound of your paws padding softly across the floor, your gentle breaths, your quiet whimpers—memorizing each one until they became the only song my heart could ever sing.

I would watch you. I would trace the curve of your ears, the way your nose twitched when you slept, the way your eyes lit up when you saw me—until every detail was etched into my mind, so I could see you perfectly, even in the dark.

I would run my fingers through your fur, over and over, feeling the warmth of your body, the rhythm of your heartbeat, until the memory of your touch became a comfort I could cling to when the silence felt too heavy.

I would breathe you in— the scent of sun-warmed fur, of grass and home—until it lingered in the air long after you were gone, a ghost of you I could still reach for.

But more than anything, if I had one more day with you, I would hold you. I would hold you so close, so tight, hoping that if I just held on a little longer...
You wouldn’t have to go.

Yes, if I had just one more day with you, I would beg. I would beg so hard.

That the world would be kind enough to let you stay.

05/15/2025

A dog creates, transcribes, a new landscape for you. Dogs sharpen out joy of all the seasons, and for a while, sometimes a long while, dogs seem capable, by themselves alone, of holding time in place—of pinning it, and holding it taught. And then when they are gone, it is as if the world is taken away.

Dogs are young for what seems like a very long time....

When I die, I hope in every lifetime I will earn a spot in their heaven, for I care not for mine. 🐾

📸 circa may 2012

05/13/2025

Mom used to play Sarah McLaughing Animal Cruelty commercial so we could see how good we have it. Today she said she’d shave years off her life to give us extra, and I’m here wondering why she breaks out treats in half. Because if you ask me, that’s a bunch of doo doo.

Guys, I’m so freaking ravenous, I can barely see. If there is anyone who wanted to call PETA watching this abuse unfold over the years, this is your moment to shine.

🆘 send treatos! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

05/12/2025

When it’s you and your mom but you’re straight chillin’... 😎 and she is crazy.

But on a serious note, please don’t tell this woman you can’t parent a dog. Because rabies is real with this one, and while she attacks you (her vaccinations are not current, by the way), I will stand by and watch. Also most likely, I will urinate on something of value to you. Because in this house, we listen and we judge. Actually, scratch that. We started judging before you started talking. Aaaand, because passive aggressiveness is up mom’s alley. 🥰🥰

Happy Mother’s Day to our MVP. We woof you!

04/12/2025

is rabies real? or is it a vast government conspiracy aimed at stopping our mom from cuddling raccoons?

because honestly, she’s the one with rabies. someone needs to warn the raccoons. 🦝

04/12/2025

Maya is 20. Or is going to be. I don’t know her exact birthday so I selfishly decided to celebrate twenty trips around Sun on my Name’s Day on August 21st. She has aged significantly in the last couple months. She is still excited to see me through her cataract-graying eyes, then stares up at me as if she was saying “I’m a little tired, I’ll go lie down.”

She now has trouble sitting down, she can barely could climb two stairs, but she still asks to be helped with her frequent trips to the backyard. Her body is fragile and she more often than not looses balance. Her skin is covered in dry spots that I try to moisturize but the effort is quite fruitless. I do it because she enjoys it. I still wince a little when I scratch her and give her the love she so unbashingly asks for these days.

When she gets excited—she p*es a little. Actually, she has incontinence, and can’t hold her p*e anymore so with that - she’s ruined a floor board or two dozen. So yeah, I sometimes I look at pet owners with their bright-eyed, well-mannered pups, and no. I’m not bothered by any of it, and she does not seem to be bothered by trivial things, such as aging, losing eye sight, hearing or the ability to control her bladder either.

Lately, when she is sleeping and I approach her—she doesnt move at first, and I’ll admit I am almost always afraid that she died sometime in her sleep. To my relief, as I touch her, she struggles to her feet and dutifully heads to the back door. She knows where the treats are kept and her way to the backyard.

Maya is a 20 year old tiny but mighty, very sassy and extremely spicy old lady. She has an off black coat with an all-white face and a very healthy appetite who has given me the privilege of caring for her. In return, I get a limited amount of tail wags, b***y wiggles, and her determination to trip me as she follows my every step around the yard and house. Maya gives what she has to give, but the truth is that it isn’t much.

It didn’t cost me anything to bring her into my house because she sort of quietly walked into the heart of my life and made herself comfortable. She’s been relatively healthy so the vet bills aren’t piling up like what I am used to. But - because she’s old and her body is beginning to fail- the amount of cleaning supplies. Laundry detergent. Floor cleaner. More laundry detergent. And, of course, upkeep of the vacuum cleaner that will suck the carpet off the floor—but somehow seems to leave more dog hair littering my hardwood floors than it should. However, I’ve stopped counting how much I’ve spent, because I’ve learned something really valuable in caring for Maya (and really, every dog I’ve ever cared for)…

I’ve learned that caring for someone who really can’t give you anything in return is of immeasurable value. Most of us willingly care for our children, our mates, and our parents if we need to. Generally, we get something in return for that care. It may only be the satisfaction of seeing our children do well, our spouses find happiness, or our parents living their final days in the warmth of our love—but we do get something in return.

As I write, I find that Maya and my other senior fuzzy friends have given me something more than I could have expected from these old dogs. They helped me recognize the day may well come when I may need to be cared for and be unable to offer much in return. Maybe, if I’m fortunate, I can offer a warm smile of gratitude or speak the words that accompany it. Maybe I’ll even be able to offer someone comfort, encouragement, and make them laugh. Or, maybe I won’t.

If you're lucky, like me, your home has a heartbeat. Or three. 😊 Lately I have realized that I measure my life by those who love me. My fuzzy friends are always my good days and I honestly don’t know what I did to deserve any one of them.

I am an ordinary woman who has been blessed with the love of very extraordinary dogs. ❤️❤️

04/02/2025

“Dogs are made out of love and tail. But mostly- love.”

Snoozer

09/24/2025

09/23/2025

07/03/2025

06/20/2025

05/28/2025

05/24/2025

05/15/2025

05/13/2025

05/12/2025

04/12/2025

04/12/2025

04/02/2025

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