Today we are celebrating Sullie’s 10th birthday.
This one feels extra significant not only because it’s a milestone birthday but also because of the cancer scare and surgery that we had a couple of months ago.
10 years seems like such a long time and it’s hard to believe that she’s been with me for so long. I can’t help but reflect back on how much we’ve been through together…the unexpected twists and turns and all the ways life has changed. She has blessed me in countless ways and has been a constant loving, supportive force in my life.
I baked her a personal-sized cake this morning.
And took a trip to PetsMart to buy her favorite bones (one for Sullie and one for Zoey so no stealing!) and a few new toys.
Sullie loves plush toys but we can’t keep them with Zoey in the house now. I got her the cutest dragon toy today with a squeaker and I’ve been letting her have solo play with it. Sullie LOVES squeaking!
Gosh, being mom to a senior dog really pulls at your heartstrings. She was so puppy for so long and now I look at her and I see the sweetest old girl. I’m grateful for her good health. She bounced back from her surgery in remarkable time and is showing no obvious signs of arthritis. While she’s definitely slowed down a bit, she still loves to play. We don’t run together anymore but long walks are the highlight of her day.
She makes me smile all the time. She is the most cuddly dog ever and we spend a lot of time with her just putting her head in my lap and getting patted. She’s also decided in her older age to come up on the couch late at night for cuddle visits which we can’t say no to.
I’ve said this a million times but bringing Zoey into our family was one of the best things I did for Sullie. She enjoys her company so much and Zoey has kept her so active and engaged. It makes my heart really happy that she has a companion.
Happy birthday Sullie girl!
How do you celebrate dog birthdays in your family?
Past birthdays…
Fourth
Fifth
Sixth (the year I mixed up the date! bad mom!)
Seventh
Eighth
Nineth
We go all out with birthday cakes/doggie ice cream! Happy birthday Sullie!
Glad I’m in good company! 🙂
SO sweet! Wishing her many more lovely years <3
Thank you Rebecca! <3
Happy birthday Sullie! Same birthday as my baby sister 🙂 Jen, the love in your words for Sullie, and your story about her being there for you through thick and thin, reminded me of my dog Maggie, who was with me for 17 years. Having dogs, and especially bonding with them so strongly, is one of the biggest blessings in life. All the best!
Happy birthday to your sister! So special that you got to share 17 years with your Maggie. Dogs are incredible!
Sullie is so sweet! I have a 12 year old “old” girl. She is my baby, and I cherish each moment with her. I try to make sure she is comfortable and happy every day and most importantly she knows she is loved…
Thanks Lisa and I couldn’t agree more Lisa! I feel like I can never give her enough love to show her how much she’s blessed me.
The photo of Sullie with the hydrangeas must be framed!! It’s interesting how important the relationship with your dog is as you both grow up together… Ten years! A decade of sharing highs and lows together without judgement — just love. I get it. When we lost our dog at just over 9 years old it was like the end of an era. She had seen me/us through college, getting married, moves, first jobs, opening a business, etc. I love how honored and treasured she is in your life.
I know! I’m going to frame it this week with a frame I received for my birthday! Yes to the no judgement. They are such amazing examples of pure love. Those years in our 20s are especially complicated and messy with so many changes. I will forever remember her for being such a grounding force for me throughout it all.
Happy Birthday Sullie! Looks like you planned the perfect doggie birthday! In my family, I like to get the pup a new toy and a pup cake ice cream treat ?
Thanks Amanda! I need to get more of the ice cream treats this summer while it’s so hot!
Happy birthday, Sullie! She doesn’t look a day over five. 😉
We don’t know our dog’s birthday, but we might have to celebrate her “gotcha” day, the day we adopted her. It’s actually close to the anniversary of when my father-in-law passed away, so it might be nice to have a happy celebration during a time that’s usually pretty somber.
Haha! Sullie says thanks Rebecca!
I love, love, love the idea of a gotcha day and I think it’s really special for all of you.
Happy birthday to beautiful, sweet-hearted Sullie. Started following your blog about two months ago and just get such pleasure out of your straightforward, intelligent, entertaining, witty content. The fabulous relationship you share with your fiancé because I share he same with my husband/BFF and my awesome young adult children and their significant others. I do yoga daily for two hours at wonderful NYC yoga studio for the past four and a half years and jog daily. We love good food and your diet is very similar to ours. We travel a lot at this stage and so we experience different foods constantly. Just wanted to share with you how cool your blog is. Have an awesome 4th.
Thank you so much for the incredibly kind and thoughtful comment. It made my day. I so appreciate you reading and always love connecting with fellow yogis. I’m hoping for a fall trip to the city so I may reach out to you for yoga recommendations!
This made me both happy and sad to read. I just lost my 9 1/2 year old boxer mix last week, 4 days after a myasthenia gravis diagnosis when she had been a perfectly healthy dog until the week before (a bordetella vaccine triggered the disease.) I miss her so much, like Sullie she grew up with me in my 20s and was a loving support through so many rough times. You seem like an amazing dog owner so I know you’ll cherish the good times with Sullie. I’m glad she’s in good health after her cancer scare and surgery. I hope you two have many more good years together!
Hey Laura – I am so, so, so very sorry for the loss of your pup. I know how heart wrenching it is, especially when it’s so unexpected. I will never forget how much Sullie helped me through my 20s, no matter how long I live. I am sending you so much love and strength. Thank you for sharing and commenting. <3
I’m so sorry for your loss. We had to put our cat to sleep kind of suddenly last year, it so hard to say goodbye. But on the other hand, he had 11 healthy years and didn’t spend a long time suffering, so we are thankful for that.