In which we face inevitable sadness and patch a leaky boat

I'll lead with the hardest part.

Foxie Loxie   March 28, 2014 - June 18, 2026

Foxie Loxie, stealer of beans and cough drops, the most charming little friend ever, died suddenly a few weeks ago.  His cheeky naughtiness made every day brighter and I will never stop missing him.  We had so many tiny adventures together--from years of hanging out in ridecamps to years of planting and harvesting the Haiku Farm gardens together.  

There are many Shelties in this world, but only one Foxie Loxie Pants on Fire MacFeagle.

But the world does not stand still while I cry.  

Our friends at Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue warned that they rarely have Shelties seeking homes these days, and yet...

The Dread Pirate Buttercup o'Noodles

This big banana needed a soft landing.  Her owners were trying to parent a newborn and care for an active 2.5-year-old Sheltie, and the situation was just not working well for anybody. 

So now she lives with us.

Buttercup is BIG for a Sheltie--nearly 40 pounds!--but is a gentle caretaking soul.  She plays very soft chase games with Pooh Bear early in the morning and late in the evenings when temperatures are cooler and he won't overheat, always running just barely faster than him so he won't get discouraged.  

She chases balls and apples, which is handy during apple-culling season.  

And every morning around 5am she very....quietly...sneaks...onto...the...bed  without waking anybody up, and stays there until the alarm goes off.  

It doesn't fix anything, but extra joy is never a bad thing and this dog has a bunch of that.

In Dragon News, she is lame.  

She was lame last winter--sore tendons in the right rear leg-- and we successfully rehabbed that.  But right around the time that Fox died, the wheels came off the horse, too.

According to the vet, this is not due to any mis-management or trauma; rather, it's a result of this horse having lived that life.  

And it has been a heckuva life, by all counts.  

TO BE CLEAR she is not done living her life.  But her retirement is now complete and official.  

My last photo from the saddle, May 2026

We have a treatment plan (a change in shoeing protocol combined with acupuncture and different pain meds) to keep her comfortable, and we will monitor her quality of life carefully.

We know that she is a "leaky boat" and we will patch the leaks as best we can until we can't.