gung hay fat choy

Happy New Year! Today is the first day of the lunar new year, 4074 in the Chinese calendar, and the year of the dog. I have only ever had two dogs, and I still have them, a geriatric mutt named Zoe, and her perpetually adolescent nemesis, an Australian Shepherd named Zappa.

As a child I would have done almost anything to have a dog, but my parents were against the idea, so the minute I was in a position to have a dog I did, though I lived such a transient life during the years after I left home that it definitely didn't happen immediately. I adopted Zoe from a shelter where I worked as a volunteer 15 years ago. And now, after ACL surgery on both her knees, just getting up the stairs is a major challenge for her and I realize that she won't be with us for much longer. Zappa came to us in 1999, and with his perpetual high energy, turned out to be the perfect kids' dog and running companion. I adopted him through a rescue group with whom I worked myself for a couple of years, fostering and adopting out abandoned Australian Shepherds. Zappa was an escape artist, which is how he eventually ended up in rescue. He still likes to go on reconnaissance missions when the opportunity presents itself, which it almost never does, fortunately, though I have had calls from as far away as the local pub. One beer too many and he blew his cover I figure.