Tag Archives: Endo

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‘Puppy Tales’ has returned!

It’s time for me to admit that I have been a neglectful puppy parent … but it has nothing to do with the care I give the pups who enjoy a special place in my family.

You might recall that when I had Toby the Puppy I routinely chronicled the things he would do to make my wife and me laugh out loud. Then came 2023, the worst year of my life. I lost my bride to brain cancer near the beginning of the year. Then I said goodbye to Toby near the end of that horrible year, also to cancer.

I put Puppy Tales on indefinite hold. Then in 2024, Sabol joined my family. She has been an absolute scream. In 2025, my family added Endo, who became BFF with Sabol immediately on joining us in our Princeton home.

Today, I made a command decision. I am dusting off Puppy Tales and will resume telling you stories about the joy of returning to the world of puppy parenthood.

I have a quick story to tell, so here goes.

I took Endo to the veterinarian’s office this morning. My intention was to determine her age. The doctor told me she could give me a pretty good guess, based on the condition of Endo’s teeth. We walked in, got our place in the exam room.

Endo’s doctor took a look at her teeth and said she is “between 3 1/2 and 4 years old.” So, there you go. The doc estimated Sabol’s age to be between 6 and 7.

Then I made another command decision. I declared that today, March 31, is Endo’s birthday. I declared also that she turns 4 on this day. “She’s still a young dog,” Endo’s doc told me. The doctor also assured me that she appears to be in excellent health. We had fought off a yeast infection and some skin allergies. Endo weighed about 37 pounds when she first joined me. Today she tipped the beam at 46 pounds, earning her the affectionate nickname of Fatty. She’s not fat, but she clearly has gained weight, which she wears nicely.

Sabol and Endo are still besties. I am grateful they love each other. I had a little fear that Sabol might assert herself as the queen of the house. She didn’t do that, although I do consider her to be the Alpha female around here.

I am looking forward once more to sharing their lives with you. My hope is that you enjoy reading about them, too.

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Life with puppies …

Today I want to regale you with a brief tale I am living as I sit at home in North Texas trapped indoors by the bitter cold that has swept in as announced.

I’ve turned the TV off because I am sickened by the news created by the monsters disguised as immigration cops.

So, I will talk briefly about my life with two dogs. They are — to put it mildly — a serious hoot and a scream.

Sabol is the older of them. She is a Chihuaha mix. She’s about 7 years old. She joined my family about 18 months ago. She loves attention. She cannot lick you enough. She’s a little pudgy but she gets around just fine. She runs around in the back yard and she likes the sound of her own voice … if you get my drift.

Then there’s Endo. She joined me almost a year ago. Endo is a 4-year-old black-mouth cur mix. She and Sabol are BFFs. They established their lasting friendship the moment Endo walked into the house. Sabol had to sniff up and down. She gave Endo the once over and conveyed the message I understood completely, which is that “this one is good, Dad.”

I had been a bit fearful that Sabol might not like another fur baby joining the family, as this is her house. She’s the boss.

Hey, no worries.

Well, we’re all kinda trapped inside for next little bit of time. We’re all waiting for the deep freeze to lift.

Normally, I keep the back door open to the back yard. Our doggie door allows them to move in and out at will. With the temperature hovering at around 20 degrees, I am keeping the door closed. The puppies let me know when they want to go outside.

Endo usually sends the message by jumping up and down in front of me. I ask her, “Do you want to go outside?” She responds by bolting for the door. Sabol joins her there and they sort of “play growl” at each other. I open the door and they blast through the doggie door.

Then Endo launches into a three- or four-lap sprint around the back yard. Full tilt! Flaps up!

Only this morning, when she went out she couldn’t keep her footing when she wanted to reverse direction. The ice covered the lawn and made it treacherous for her. She made less than two laps today before bolting back inside. Endo is a short-hair pooch, as is Sabol. Neither of them is comfortable with the cold weather.

I am happy to report that life around my house is a bit quieter than normal. I am even happier to report that I hit home runs when I acquired these two pups. I’ll be clear on this final point, which is that I don’t do cold weather well. I am ready to let Sabol and Endo enjoy the great outdoors.