One Year

It is hard to believe that one year ago today our sweet Simpson was killed by a cobra in our yard. I still miss him so much and not a day goes by that I don't think of him. 

Simpson came to us in May 2007 from a breeder in Victoria, Australia. At the time he went by the name "Chino" and we decided to change his name to Simpson, after the Simpson Desert which was near (relatively speaking) to where we lived in Australia. One winter, we had a fantastic time camping in the Simpson Desert with a group of friends so there were a lot of good memories associated with his name.

 
This is the photo the breeder sent me when I indicated an interest in giving him his forever home. 

These photos were taken the night I picked him up from the airport. 

At the time, Sonder was about 10 months old. Poor thing! He had no clue his world was going to turn upside down!

Simpson was definitely the alpha dog and very quickly established his place in the household.

The day after we got him, I took him to the groomer to get all of that hair shaved off! The groomer said he was so happy to be shaved that he danced around her shop. We didn't recognize him when we picked him up but at least he looked like a proper dog and not like a sheep.

He traveled the world with us. From Australia...

To Miami.

And to Thailand.

You would never guess that Simpson was a former breeding dog and, as such, had never been around children or kept as an inside pet. He settled so quickly into our home and our family and loved being wherever we were. Except in the pool. Unlike Sonder, he HATED swimming.

On our summer vacation trips to Virginia and New York, the dogs were quite content to be sandwiched between the kids and used as pillows. 

One summer, I drove with the kids from Miami to Virginia to New York to Cape Cod and then back to Miami. I think we calculated that we spent over 55 hours in the car on that trip and the dogs were great. 

These are two of the last photos I have of Simpson at our home in Thailand before he died. 

Christopher was having a sleepover and the sleeping bags we were setting out for the human boys were quickly claimed by the animal boys. 

Simpson always kept watch over our family and I continue to take comfort in the fact that he died protecting us. 

Sonder had a rough few months after Simpson died but he seems to be back to normal and is eating well. I try to let him socialize with other dogs as much as possible - he really enjoys the company. I am looking into "rescuing" another labradoodle when we return to Virginia so his little world is going to get rocked again.

 Have a great Tuesday!