TbT: Hiking with Lasya

Hiking at Horsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins, Colorado with my Chow/GSD mix, Lasya, not long after adopting her in 2000. I had no idea what I was going to do after college, and it wasn't the smartest time to get a dog, but my family had just lost our young GSD mix, Ripley, to a rare form of leukemia and life just didn't seem complete without a dog in it. I actually turned down a really cool job offer in upstate New York because I couldn't bring Lasya.

She grounded me during uncertain times and kept me company as friends dispersed to summer and post-college locales. We moved many times together and she always adapted easily, staying with friends and family and getting along with all other dogs. She loved being outdoors and was a wonderful hiking partner. You can't tell in this picture, but both my sandals and Lasya's leash had a moon-and-stars pattern!

TbT: Lineage

I've said before that my love of dogs is genetic.  This is my mother in my kitchen with Freya, Lasya and Scout in 2009. She is about to dole out some liver treats, and you can see that they are all in a state of rapt attention. Dogs always listened closely to her. There are other, similar pictures of my grandfather, surrounded by dogs. Everyone in this photo is now gone. My Gotcha Days with Lasya and Freya would have been celebrated this week. I miss them all very much. They were such a beautiful trio, all together - silver, black and gold, with my mother the voice of love, kindness and wisdom. 

TbT: Beautiful Lasya

This is my Chow/GSD mix, Lasya, in 2006.  I'd had her since 2000 but at the time of this picture I was living by myself for the very first time in a charming little duplex in my favorite neighborhood in Denver, along with my other dog, Freya, and my cat, Nina.  The Purple-Tongue Clan often get a bad rap, but she was an amazing dog.  She could be aloof and was definitely independent, but I could trust her around all people, dogs and children.  She had wonderful social skills.  A little girl once whacked her on the nose for no discernible reason and all she did was blink.  I love how her mahogany eyes stand out in this picture.  Lasya was my first dog as an adult, and I could not have asked for a better one. 

TbT: Snow Dogs

Lasya and Freya, my beautiful doggessses, in 2009 on my parents' mountain property.  They were made for winter - double coats and furry paws, the curled tails of Northern breeds - and there is nothing like tromping through knee-deep crunchy snow between the evergreens with your loyal pack of two.  If I sent out holiday cards, this would be mine.