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CNN) — Fifteen camels, several llamas and a potbellied pig broke out of a circus near Amsterdam on Monday. The ringleader? A giraffe who bolted, too.Police said the giraffe kicked open a fence and walked out.

“The other animals walked out with him,” said Amsterdam police spokesman Rob Van Der Veen.

The animals were part of a traveling circus that had set up its tents in the city of Amstelveen, six miles outside the Dutch capital.

They made their break about 5:45 a.m., wandering about a residential street and riling up a neighborhood dog, police said.

Officers and circus employees rounded them up before they could get too far and returned them to their pens.

“It must have been a funny sight,” Van Der Veen said. “Waking up in the morning and looking out the window to see those animals walk through the streets.”

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 Meet our little devil, Ruby!  She’s a 9 week old, Vizsla!

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My posts have been even more infrequent than I anticipated.  It’s been a rough couple of weeks.  We’re still recovering from the loss of Zephyr.  So much of her is still around us and I still have days where I look for her sleepy spot on the couch.  It’s very hard. 

I also had to pick up her ashes from the vet on Saturday.  I was a little worried about what I would be picking up.  Do they give her to me in a bag? A zip-loc? An urn?  Will everyone know that I’m walking down the street carrying my dead dog’s ashes?

It turns out that she was in a discreet brown handled bag.  Inside was a nice card from the cremators, a couple in Guelph who handled her with the utmost respect and dignity.  That’s what the card said and I believed it. Inside the bag was a paper box. Inside the paper box was a nicely stained wooden box with a lid.  Inside the wooden box was a heavy golden bag which was knotted and tied with a golden twist tie. And inside that was, what I suppose, was Zephyr.

As I walked down the street with her, I was amazed at how heavy the bag was. The poor thing never felt that heavy in her last days.  It felt as heavy as my heart.

I cried a lot on Saturday and Sunday.  I know that there are people reading this that think that I’m crazy or over emotional.  And that’s OK.  But I know that Zephyr will always be part of our memories and she is worth every tear.

On a very happy note, we have decided to get a puppy.  Last month, when we realized that Zephyr was terminally ill, we started talking to breeders about getting another dog.  We met with a breeder who is recommended by the Vizsla Society of Ontario, the CKC and the Vizsla Society of Canada.   They are wonderful breeders and a super family.  The pups have been raised with lots of little people around.  As well, their adult dogs were all that we love about the breed.  We fell in love with the bunch.

We’re getting our puppy this Thursday.  Jack and I will be picking her up by ourselves because James is still in Melbourne.  We can hardly wait.  She is nine weeks old.  She is absolutely adorable.

I have the crate ready.  The food. The toys. The treats. The blankets.  And the love. Jack has been drawing pictures of her.

So we begin a new chapter in our lives.  A new furry, red bundle of crazy is coming home.

By the way, her name is Ruby.

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Weekends are nuts.  And by nuts, I mean all sorts of fun.

This weekend kicked off on a sunny patio at 5:30 pm.  After a rough week at work, I rallied the troops to join me at St. Louie’s for some hot wings and cold beers.  I must admit that I’m exceptionally fortunate to work with people whom I enjoy immensely.  So much so, that I’m more than willing to share my very precious private time drinking and carrying on with them.  Toronto is awesome in the summer.  Patios are everywhere.  People leave work and set up shop at a sunny spot for hours of relaxation. 

As per usual, we drank and drank and then ended up at one of my co-workers houses where we continued to drink.  An insane thunder storm hit the city and at one point, I wasn’t sure if I would make it home.  But I did.

Saturday was all sorts of biznass.  We had t-ball and Jack was amazing as pitcher (pitchers don’t pitch in t-ball but they catch all the grounders and throw them to first). We also had to go Father’s Day shopping.  Jack picked out all sorts of stuff for James.  I let him go wild.  He also made an apron at daycare that said “King of the BBQ” and he drew a very sweet card of him and James playing football.

Today we hung out. My brother and a whole band of his relations showed up at my door after they were done brunch at a local eatery. Jack stormed the neighbourhood with various hoodlum children.  Miscellaneous rugrats were in and out of my house and yard.  Charlie, one of Jack’s good buds left his rubber boots by the door with a cap gun in each boot.

We’re having Korean BBQ for dinner.  It’s our last meal together before James heads off to Seattle and Australia.  Two weeks of single mom-hood is going to suck.

So that’s about it.  Nuthin special happened but all these things combined were very special in their own way.  I have lots to be thankful for.

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We love you and miss you, Zephyr.

You always had a kiss and wag whenever we needed one.

Hope there’s lots of bunnies to chase where you are now.

Love, Your People

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I’m very proud of my boys in orange.  Holland kicked Team Italia to the curb.

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Last night we were watching some stupid show with all these clips of old TV shows.  They had a segment in which Bea Arthur was MC of a comedy awards show and she was doing this schlocky bit with a giant seal.   Jack watched it intently and then he turned me to and said, “Mommy, why is that man wearing a dress and that fluffy white wig?” 

He didn’t think it was weird at all that she talking to a seal.

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As you may be aware, Zephyr took a turn for the worse last week.  After rallying from her hospital visit, the effects of the prednisone weakened and her liver began to fail again.  She had stopped eating and was barely drinking.  She no longer wanted to sleep in our bed even though she has slept there every night since she was a pup.  She went outside in the rain and lay beside the shed at the back of the yard - all very odd behaviour considering Zephyr could go 2 days without going pee because she didn’t want to go out in the wet grass.

By Thursday we knew that her time had come.  There was no way that she could survive this cancer.  We made the plan to take her in to the vet.  On Friday, James and I worked from home.  We told tJack that Zephyr was very sick and had to go back to the hospital.  We told him it was very serious and that Zephyr might die and not come back home.  He gave her big kisses and hugs and covered her up with her blanket.

We took her in around 3 pm.  The whole thing is a bit of a blur because I was crying so hard.  The vets and staff were incredible and did everything they could to comfort us and Zephyr.  After the injection, she put her head down on the table and we all let go.

I miss you Zephyr.

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Jack’s worm Sizzle is alive and well.  Jack forgot about him for a few weeks and I was sure he was dead. Apparently, worms are a lot hardier than I expected.  Sizzle had turned his dirt/herb melange into some lovely dark compost.  He’s a hard worker.  Jack got him back out again on the weekend and gave him a bath. (?)  He then carried him around for awhile until Sizzle accidently split in half.  I thought it was just a myth but worms can divide and live quite happily as separate entities.  Nevertheless, Jack did not think it necessary to keep both halves of Sizzle and the smaller of the two ended up back in the garden. New Jack Sizzle has some fresh lettuce and ball bugs to keep him company. The circle of life continues.

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I was heading out the door this morning with Jack when he stopped and inquired about some loose change on table by the door.  “Mommy, you should put this money in your purse.” “No, that’s OK.  We should leave it there in case of emergency,” I replied.  “Oh, like in case the Sushi man comes and we don’t have enough money for a tip?” “Uhhhh, something like that.”

This kid is almost five and already he knows the important things in life, like tipping the sushi delivery man.  I couldn’t be prouder.

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