In Memoriam: 13 years with Bonnie

Tough moments for every pet owner - realizing that your journey with a beloved canine (or feline) companion has come to the end AND then following through on that ultimate decision.

The Powers' Family journey with Bonnie has come to an end after 13 years.  Although it may have taken us a little while to realize the decision we had to make, we finally did...today.  Understandably emotional. For my brother, sister, and I, Bonnie was a dog we grew up with.  We all went through high school with her.  We all "flew the coop" and went off to college, but when we returned home, who was the recipient of our first hugs and kisses?  You guessed it...Bonnie.

Bonnie was born with a heart murmur that got worse with age.  About a year and a half ago, she started having seizures when she got excited.  We tried making our routine a lot "calmer" to help her, but we eventually had to put her on a slurry of medications to combat the seizures, the heart failure, and the fluid building in her lungs.  Despite it all, this spunky, persistent, ball-obsessed dog lived on.  While I'll spare you the uncomfortable details of her last several months with us, it was obvious on Christmas Day the decision that had to be made.

Enough with this depressing stuff.  The rest of this blog is a celebration of Bonnie's life with us in pictures and some video.  If you are like me, you'll need a Kleenex (or two or three) handy.  While she isn't your dog, you'll inevitable think of yours...sorry.

Bonnie as a pup. Late 2000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hurry up lady.  Throw the ball.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonnie is reunited with her older "sister", Rexy.

Rexy

 

Farewell sweet Butternut!

Ken Ramirez = Awesome

Day 2 of Ken Ramirez workshop.  (Day 1 photos).  This time at the Oakland Zoo.  Lots of great, great, great information, and some time at lunch to wander around the zoo.  I'm always too pressed for time to walk around when I'm normally there volunteering, so I finally got to wander around and see some the animals that I never get to see.

Mr. (Well Fed) Baboon

Flamingos

Giraffe

Warthog doing some rooting

And a couple notes on Ken Ramirez.

Ken is the executive VP of animal care and animal training at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.  He's being training for 35+ years and has a background in animal behavior and biology.  He occasionally travels the world consulting and educating.  He is an amazing presenter, and anyone who can manage to listen to him will leave feeling as inspired as I have been.

His passion and dedication to his profession are clear and charismatic.  I am SO GLAD that I forked up the $$$ to go listen to him, and I am SO LUCKY that this workshop was local.

He leaves one feeling like the possibilities are endless and that no challenge is impossible to overcome.

Read more and get inspired: http://kenramireztraining.com/

Volunteerism

I'm not sure where or when I got the "volunteering bug"; it could be credited to my years as a Girl Scout or my community service class in high school or my mom for encouraging me to be a junior volunteer at the hospital...whatever it is, it stuck.

I've volunteered for a number of organizations over the years, and my general observation has been that most volunteers are either older/retired individuals with free time or teens/young adults who are interested in getting a behind-the-scenes look at careers they might pursue when they are older. Now, I'm not saying that I never see adults between 25-45, but they are rare, especially in the East Bay Area.

So this is a call out to all my friends and family or anybody reading this. If you have a free afternoon once a week or even once a month, why not try volunteering somewhere?

Here are some suggestions around the Bay Area:

Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) (I work here!)

Oakland Zoo (I was an intern, volunteer, and paid-apprentice...I love it, and I'm still an active volunteer here.)

The Marine Mammal Center (I volunteered here during college and wish I could continue, but it's a bit of a commute from Clayton. Video below!)

John Muir Medical Center (I volunteered here during high school.)

Chabot Space and Science Center

Habitat for Humanity

East Bay Regional Parks

Contra Costa County Library

And for more Easy Bay Volunteer Opportunities...click here.

Video of the release of an Elephant Seal at Point Reyes...coordinated and carried out by volunteers: