Good news and bad.

*Levi is officially my cat now! He was walking with Morrison and I in the park this morning. I saw a man drive by slowly in a truck, and when he got out to visit with Levi I walked over to talk to him. Turns out Levi (whose name was originally Tsuki, and then Raoul) I found that he lived in a house about 2 doors down that is for sale. The owners lost the house, had to move, and left Levi. That's why I found him in the park. The man, who works for the city, said he figured someone was taking care of the cat since he had seen him and noticed the collar, so he told his friend Joe that Levi was being well taken care of. I told him that I put the collar on him so nobody would steal him and people would know he has a home, since he is so friendly. I also told him Levi has had all his shots and is being very spoiled, in fact I can't wait to get home from work every day to spend time with him (and Morrison too). So the man, whose name happens to be Owen, said "well, he's your cat now". I wanted to cry, I was so happy. In fact, as Owen drove away and Levi ran to catch up with Morrison and I to finish our walk, I did. That absolutely made my day.

*Levi Leipheimer, his namesake. He looks more like a Levi than a Raoul, don't you agree?

***

On another note, I'm very sad to say that my friends' dog Ruby lost her courageous battle with cancer last week. She was an amazing dog. A certified pet therapy dog and accomplished (titled) agility competitor, she loved hiking, splashing in puddles, playing ball, riding in the car, dressing up for Halloween, and living in the moment. She will most certainly be missed by everyone who knew her, most all by Jennifer, the human at the end of her leash. This is a picture I took when I was there in July of Ruby doing something she loved - playing with a stick. Her goal in life was to run, swim, play and do everything her human(s) asked her to do. She lived to please her humans. She was fortunate enough to accompany Jennifer to visit patients and to read with kids at the local library. She loved everyone, and showed absolute joy in everything she did. She loved the beach, the Deschutes River, Bessie Butte, and anywhere else she could hike or swim with her favorite humans. Always well behaved, she could understand anything her humans told her and was absolutely the most intelligent dog I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She brought me the newspaper every morning when I stayed at their house. She trained me to get the ball out from under the coffee table. She was a great watchdog and was very protective, but always greeted humans she knew with a kiss and wag of her tail. She was very talkative, playful and had impeccable manners. I watched her perform at many dog shows and she was always calm and focused, even in a huge noisy arena full of people and dogs. Her desire was to earn Jennifer's love and praise, and she was perfect no matter which ribbon she won or what her time was in the agility competition. If the purpose of a dog's life is to teach humans how to love unconditionally and to live in the moment, then Ruby most certainly accomplished this, though her eight years of life was much too short. Ruby was well loved, and she will most definitely be missed by all who were fortunate enough to know her.