Tag: black lab

Fall in Irvington

Our black lab Ellie sits next to a tree amidst the fall color in Irving Park

A picture from the fall of 2011 of Ellie in Irving Park, there was a lot less gray in her face back then. The big red strip attached to her collar lit up, one of several approaches we’ve tried over the years to make her more visible at night on our walks. The dog park is at the top of the hill in the background, normally she would be on leash at this point but I took it off for the picture.

Sadly I haven’t found a good time to photograph her in the fall color in the years since.

Black & Gray

A black-and-white photo of our black lab Ellie resting on her homemade dog bed, her paws sticking out in front of her face and her eyebrows arching, taken on Halloween in October 2014

I love Ellie’s gray eyebrows, they add so much expression to her face. I sometimes wonder if the price she pays for being such an amazing dog is that she gets a gray hair for each moment of joy she brings into our lives.

The Best of Times

Our cats Boo, Sam, and Emma sleeping on me while our dog Ellie sleeps beside me, mostly out of frame

Boo is clearly on the mend, he’s eating his normal meals and was pretty playful tonight, Sam even got in on the action for a bit. They’re both still a little high strung, especially Boo, so when we start their introduction to Trixie we’ll take it slowly. Our dog Ellie met her tonight for a few minutes but we didn’t push it, Ellie was a little wound up.

This picture is from September 2013, when all the pets were cuddled up around me. Boo, having been accepted by the older cats, was sprawled out in my lap with his arms around me. Emma slept down by my feet with Sam using her as a pillow. Ellie was curled up beside me, you can see a couple of her paws at the edge of the frame. Laying quietly covered in pets, these are my happiest times.

Sam is curled up in my lap at the moment while Ellie is snoring in her dog bed. My wife is upstairs with Trixie, Boo I think is in one of the cat beds just around the corner. What joy these little creatures bring into our lives.

Dog in a Cat Bed

Our dog Ellie sleeping in a cat bed

Ellie sometimes sleeps in one of our cat beds, which is large enough for two cats but not nearly large enough for a black lab. I don’t mind that she takes their bed, as they are frequently sleeping in her beds, but worry she thinks we’re incompetent dog bed buyers, only she’s too polite to say anything.

Floppy Ears

Our dog Ellie raises one of her floppy ears while resting on her dog bed

A picture from 2013 of Ellie on the dog bed in my office. We had adopted our youngest cat Boo a week earlier but he was still being kept in isolation, so she didn’t have to worry about him stealing her bed quite yet, although Emma did occupy it at times. I couldn’t resist a picture when she raised one of her delightfully floppy ears.

Good News

A close-up of our dog Ellie lying on the kitchen tile with her ears raised and wiggling, taken in July 2013

I took Ellie in for an ultrasound yesterday as the protein count in her urine has been on the high side. Thankfully everything looked good on her test, the vet even commented on how nice it was to be able to deliver good news for such a sweet dog. The protein levels are just below the need to treat them, so for now we’ll continue to monitor and start treatment if necessary. She had to get her belly shaved for the ultrasound but I haven’t done my duty and take embarrassing pictures of her, this one is from a year ago on the day I got my first mirrorless camera.