Sometimes people share notes about their pets when they submit their guys for the pet calendar. This one today had me in tears, such a lovely tribute to a beloved dog. I don’t think BretH will mind my sharing it.
Pets of Ballon Juice 2025
About Cody
First, I think a heart next to Cody’s name would be great as he loved everyone and was loved by everyone.
Cody has been the Neighborhood Dog for years now. He would hang out in the yard and jump up on the low fence whenever anyone came by for pets and scratches (and the occasional treat).
Eventually people planned their walks to come by our yard in case Cody was outside – and more than once we were asked if we would let him out for people. I had actually contemplated adding a little doorbell by the gate. His huge heart truly touched everyone he met.
When Cody passed I made a little sign for the yard letting people know. We now have flowers and cards, some made by little children, letting us know how much he was loved and how much he will be missed. (I will attach a copy of the notice).
Cody turned 11 this year and while we didn’t think we were ready for another puppy (moving, life, etc), when the breeder we got Cody from offered us a puppy we didn’t hesitate. We felt he could use some young energy and we also know that at some point he would need to leave us.
So Rosie came into our lives, joyous, bouncy and cheerful, and immediately attached herself to Cody. She did indeed put a spring in his step and he in turn taught her it is OK to chill out every now and then.
Thanks for putting the calendars together!!
BretH
Mathguy
Sure is dusty in here.
mrmoshpotato
Awwwwww! Thanks for sharing, BretH.
I’m sure Cody’s and Rosie’s time together was great for all of you.
WaterGirl
Beautiful dogs.
headed for bed. Thought I would leave something nice for the overnight thread.
Open thread.
Ruckus
A good dog is always adding life to those that feed them.
An old fart dog can be a lot of fun though. My last dog, Bud, an older male cocker spaniel I got as a rescue was a piece of work. Acted like he owned the world but he was one of the best dogs I’ve ever been blessed with – in most ways….. once he discovered who was the actual boss – you know the person that fed him. I had him for a while but one night he came over and slept next to me. We were far better buddies after that.
seaboogie
My first love was a golden retriever that my husband brought home. My husband died 9 months later, and that good boy Seamus was my boon companion for the next 13 years. He was so smart and so sweet and the truest love I have ever known.
Gloria DryGarden
Incredible photo.
story made me cry, too.
These dogs remind me of a golden retriever that came up to me one evening at a ranch in the mountains, and told me I had to get up now, and come walk around with her, because she was now my friend.
I tried telling her, “say what, nah, I don’t know anything about dogs, I’m a cat person. “ but she was real insistent, you come along now, we’re taking a walk. so i did, and we did make friends for the rest of my time on the ranch, and now im a convert, at least for golden retrievers.
NotMax
@Gloria DryGarden
As promised, working up a list of info related to Black Friday streaming stuff. Planning to post in Tuesday’s morning thread. With later posts should more than I’ve found crop up.
Not a banner year thus far but there still are some el cheapo deals nonetheless.
pieceofpeace
Thanks for this. Love the photo! Lots of love at your home for and from Cody, who sounds like he was filled to his brim with enthusiasm for as he was living his best life.
BretH
Thanks for posting that WaterGirl. It’s fitting that Cody is able to share of himself even now, as he did in the time he had here.
Torrey
Thanks for posting that. I also lost a pup this year, and Cody’s story is welcome.
eclare
That is beautiful. Thank you.
eclare
I guess I am uninformed, but I do not understand the crabs in the bucket analogy everyone keeps using. What does that mean?
VFX Lurker
Beautiful dogs; beautiful tribute. Thank you for sharing this.
From Wikipedia (italics mine):
Jay
@eclare:
When you catch a bucket full of crabs, the top crab will try to crawl out, over the other crabs. All the crabs will fight to be top crab.
Doesn’t matter what type of crab.
When you catch a bucket full of Humbolt Squid they will cooperate, kill the fisherman and take over the boat.
Kathleen
@BretH: Thank you for sharing your story. I’m in tears. Sweet doggie!
TBone
I watched snippets of some old Disney yesterday (on a cable channel) for comfort (Bambi, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty) and now Disney is sending email. I do not really use streaming (have Netflix but only sporadically watch it). So the “smart” TV keeps track of what I watch on cable TV. Creepy. I guess I thought this was happening all along but since it wasn’t in my face I kinda forgot. Google and Google TVs are creepy.
Digby has an article on the goings on with MSNBC and also media capture which is also creepy.
https://digbysblog.net/2024/11/25/is-msnbc-elons-next-playtoy/
Gah!
TBone
Yesterday hubby and I had a few loud and cussy spats. Some windows were cracked open, so the yelling was not private (facepalm). Afterwards, we realized that someone from our new church had stopped by and left a gift bag on our front porch.
I just know that person heard me dropping the eff bomb and saying unkind things. Hubby said it serves them right for surprise visiting. I remain in an uncharacteristic state of regret and embarassment.
Gotta shake this off and return to my usual IDGAF.
TBone
@TBone: being watchful
(Links to each reporter and a description of what they’ll be focused upon provided at Propublica front page! Under the top stories, scroll down a bit.)
https://www.propublica.org/
TBone
Walmart can straight up kiss my ass with getting rid of all DEI training and also preemptively hiking up their prices. Fuck you, Waltons. Despite the lack of choice in shopping venues here, I will now go back to my years of going out of my way to avoid your gatdang crappy quisling bullionnaire stores.
Big story on the a m. news about this. Walmart is cancelled in my world.
TBone
I guess everyone else is peacefully sleeping while my insomnia settles in for the usual seasonal craptastic fuckery. Not staying asleep pattern will morph into no sleep sometime in January but this year everything moved up a month early.
Guess I’ll break down this year and try a S.A.D. fighting light box.
TBone
@TBone: better link
https://www.propublica.org/article/second-trump-presidency-issues-contact
MagdaInBlack
@TBone: Good morning fellow insomniac 🌻.
My sleep pattern is erratic at best, because I’m pretty sure I’m really nocturnal.
TBone
@MagdaInBlack: good morning 🌞 here is some pretty funny good news to start the day off – schadenfreude!
…
😆
Dog Mom
Sweet pups! I want to reach out and pet the soft, warm fur babies!
TBone
@MagdaInBlack: did you see my church story at #17?
Jiminy cricket if that doesn’t make you laugh!
MagdaInBlack
@TBone: At least the recognized it was an inopportune time to knock?
TBone
@MagdaInBlack: 😆😭
I’ve always been bad at
firstthird impressions. Big blabbermouth combined with Sagittarius hoof in mouth disease.Ah well, as I always say, if I don’t sin, Jesus died for nothing.
TBone
Random comment of the morning:
TBone
In other news, no vet appointment is necessary for Josey Wales of the Nicked Ear. Come to find out hubby was sneaking him waaaay too many Temptations treats, causing him to get constipated and refuse real food. Hubby now properly chastised and Josey eating Gravy Lovers and Fancy Feast cat broth. They are both spoiled rotten!
TBone
Rumpy neighbor mom has asked us to take selfies with their Golden Retriever no-longer-a-puppy that (mostly) hubby cares for on some weekdays, letting her out to pee and supervised play and run for an hour midday. For her Memory Book. I am honored to be included despite my old age aversion to appearing in photographs. Hubby says “meh.” But he will smile for the camera when the time comes!
Geminid
@TBone: I ran into another appalling story yesterday. I’ve taken to reading Al Arabiya Engish. That’s Saudi Arabia version of Qatar’s Al Jazeera. They have an internet TV station that carries some good interviews.
Yesterday I checked out their print coverage of an interview with Iraqi Kurdistan’s Prime Minister, Masrair Barzani. He seems like a serious and intelligent man; also a careful one. Iraq’s four semi-autnomous Kurdish provinces and their government have a very fraught relationship with Iraq’s central government.
Barzani gave careful answers about topics such as Kurdistan’s recent elections, the central government restrictions on Kurdistan’s oil exports, and the influence of Iran in Iraqi politics. He also spoke about Israel’s current wars with Hamas and Hezbollah:
What appalled me was the story’s lead:
TBone
@Geminid: aaaarrrgggh!
Aiyee!!!!
Cuss words not enough to cover that!
WTF is wrong with a grown person who would even THINK about doing something like that. I don’t wanna know because I might catch on fire from rage.
TBone
Now I remember my mom talking about what an early morning child I was. She said I’d puff out my toddler chest, hands on hips, and waddle into parents’ bedroom every morning like I was leading a parade. I was born at 5:30 a.m.
Hubby says
Geminid
@TBone: From what Prime Minister Barzani says, there must be some hundreds of grown men in Iraq’s parliament who want this law and potentially have the power to pass it.
If the legislstion is enacted, the Kurdish Regional Government might be able to prevent its application in the four Kurdish provinces. The Kurdish Regional Government there has established a fairly liberal and modern polity. But I’m not sure a politician in the southern provinces could safely oppose this horrible law as forthrightly as does Barzani.
Baud
@Geminid:
I wish the U.S. had that.
TBone
@Geminid: I had to refresh my memory on this and am sharing for anyone else who might want to.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi%E2%80%93Kurdish_conflict
Some fine day, women will be in charge of things and settle disputes like human beings with contests for best food, etc. Everyone will eat the winners’ and losers’ submissions to the contests. Swords will be used for chopping vegetables.
KeninHogtown
BretH, my condolences. When our kids go to the Rainbow Bridge, it is always devastating. Good to have a young one around. Goldens are such happy dogs. Love on that Rosie!
lowtechcyclist
@Geminid:
Boy howdy, good thing we fought a war to liberate Iraq from Saddam, huh?
Torrey
Holy crap! Those things are also known as Jumbo Flying Squid. What kind of bucket can you even keep them in?
I got one for you. When I was in college, one of my roommates was taking acting. The piece she was working on was a heated exchange from “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and I was helping her learn her lines. So there we were yelling away, warm day, all the windows open. Rehearsal completed, Roomie headed off to class, calling out a cheery greeting to our new neighbors, just moving in, a sweet and innocent evangelical couple, as she went past their wide-open living room windows. She later informed me that the woman gave her the strangest look. Me too, oddly enough, later in the day, when I went to take out the trash, walking right past new neighbors’ wide-open living room window.
It occurred to us later that possibly neighbor lady was also taking acting classes and was working on an exercise called “you’re on a dark road; you’re a deer; those are headlights.” But that turned out not to be the case.
I blame Edward Albee.
sherparick
@Mathguy: Yea, me to. It appears I have something in my eye.
Such a good dog.
Thanks Brad & Water Girl
TBone
@Torrey: 😆