A decade old dog

Chloe Joanne Hoden turned 10 today! Her birthday snuck up on us this year, but we kept with tradition and took her to Pet Smart and let her pick out a couple of toys and some treats:) When I told Ivy we were letting her pick out some toys for her birthday she told me that Chloe was a dog and couldn't pick out presents. But then she also made sure to note that her birthday was coming up and she could pick out presents for herself! This was our first time in Pet Smart in Edmonton and the kids really enjoyed it. There were quite a few other dogs in the store and they had some cats in cages that you could buy that they liked. Ivy wanted to take one home of course, but we quickly distracted her!



When we got home we all had ice cream and sang happy birthday to Chloe. I made her some dog safe ice cream and she licked the bowl clean! It was 1 ripe banana, 1 cup peanut butter, 2 cups natural plain yogurt and 2 Tablespoons of honey. Even though the kids (minus Mya) would have loved the ice cream I made for Chloe they thought it was sooooo gross because it was for a dog! I took a few bites and then told the kids it was full of dog food, mashed up chicken, pieces of bone, etc. and they were just laughing so hard:)


Everyone enjoying their bedtime birthday snack:)


Now for a little update on Chloe! She is basically the same as last year, but just a little more gray in her face:) Her favorite thing to do is still riding along when we go places in the car. She loves to stick her head out the window and when we're waiting in line to pick up Max and Mya she loves when people notice her and give her attention. She is still a major lover of swimming. We found a dog park in Edmonton right on the river and she loved it. In the past she wasn't all about dog parks, but this one was so big and had the water that she didn't even notice the other dogs very much. Even though our backyard is fenced, she prefers to hang out in the front yard and I'm sure it's because there is so much more action. She likes to see the cars go by, the people walking by, etc. She has wandered down the street a few times, but doesn't go too far.



She can still rip up a toy in 10 seconds flat if it has a squeaker inside, still sheds A TON, still licks the plates in the dishwasher, still drinks water out of the toilet if her bowl is empty, still makes a gigantic mess every time she takes a drink, still digs in the yard, still tracks in dirt, still hates it when Chris wrestles the kids, still takes food out of the kids' hands if they're not paying attention, still paws at you if you stop petting her, still takes food off of the table if it's close enough to the edge, still stops if I don't take the long way on our walks, and is still the most loyal, loving, gentle dog in the world.

She is quickly becoming the kids' dog. Max and Mya feed her, get her water and let her in and out whenever we ask. (We said no more dogs if they don't start helping out and I'll tell you what, that did the trick!) Max is a total softie when it comes to his pup and is well aware of her age and what could happen to her in the next few years. For the longest time all he wanted was for Chloe to sleep in his room and it's almost like she heard him because now that's where she sleeps every night! Every once in awhile you can even catch her up on his bed which he absolutely loves.




Even though I complain about her almost daily, she really has been a wonderful dog for our family and I'm so glad we were able to find a house we could rent that would let us have a dog. Here's hoping for many more birthdays for our furry friend:)