Don't Get Mad

No, we didn't break into the garbage bag or destuff all the toys but we still don't want you to get mad, friends. We haven't been around as much as we would like and we know you're concerned. The truth is: we're not going anywhere. Scot's honor! The humans have a lot on their plates (we offered to help them eat some of it...) and as such, Scottie Mom hasn't been able to tell our Scottie tales. Here's the Scottie digest on what you need to know:

• We both have birthdays later this month! Can you guess how old we'll be?
• Traditionally, we spend our birthday weekend in North Carolina with cousins Snackle and Circe. We will continue that tradition this year and hope to score another birthday cake from Canine Cafe Charlotte (watch us eat our cake here)!
• In three weeks, we travel north. Not quite to the North Pole but close enough. We'll make a pit stop in New York and then travel on to the great state of Rhode Island. Scottie Mom is going to let us explore the place she called home for 14 years. Oh yes, and we get to meet our Scottie great grandma for the first time! Think she'll like us?
• Get ready for the second annual Howl-o-ween pawty! Got a pawesome costume you want to debut at our second annual Howl-o-ween pawty? Send a photo to us at thescottiemom(at)gmail(dot)com. Details to follow in a future post.
• Mr. Bunny, the stuffie Mr. K got on our trip to Savannah, Ga. in March is still alive and squeaking - with no puncture wounds. Can you believe it?
• It's no secret that we all miss Scotties Barney and Miss Beazley's White House holiday videos. We're trying to convince Scottie Mom to let us decorate the Scottie House all nice and have a camera follow us around as we go. Would you like that, friends?

From Here to Oz

Me and Oz posing for a photo.

Me and Oz chasing toys around the yard.

Me and Oz looking out for squirrels.

Oz had one of the very best smiles.

The great and powerful Oz will watch over us from his resting place.

Mr. K here. It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I announce the passing of one of my very bestest friends Oz. You might remember seeing him in pictures from our play dates a while back. (See the pawesome photos here and here.) Oz was only 5.5 years old when he went over the rainbow bridge on Friday. The evil C of the lymph glands took my friend away. He was the sixth Scottie dog his Scottie Mom and Dad lost to cancer in their time together. One day, we'll be able to banish the evil C from this planet for good. I just know it. 

Oz leaves behind a brother named Sydney - my other bestest friend - as well as his Scottie Mom and Dad who miss him sorely. Oz and Syd were rescued from a breeder's house. They never had much interaction with humans until their Scottie Mom and Dad found them. And believe me, did they strike gold when they found their Scottie Mom and Dad. Take it from me: they have one of the bestest backyards I've seen in my whole life!  The three of us were rulers of the backyard every time we got together. And though the three amigos has dwindled to two, I hope Oz doesn't worry much. I'll be sure to visit his brother and help him keep those pesky squirrels in line since he cannot. 

My dearest friend Oz had been sick for the past few months but his family treated him like a prince until the very end. Rumor has it that he got all the people and even C-A-T food he wanted to keep him eating. Lucky guy! Oz also was showered with attention not only as it neared closer to the end but for his whole life. He passed on in his Scottie Mom's lap while they were sitting outside watching over that glorious backyard. He only lived a short time but he had the most wonderful, loving family and brought so much to this world. Oz taught me how to play nice with others and I'll always be grateful to him for it. Play on, dear friend. Until we meet again...

Scottish Terriers of Instagram

Here are some really great photos of Scottish Terriers we found on Instagram this week. Be sure to follow @TheScottieMom and all our Scottie friends on Instagram to see more! Want to share your Scotties' Instagram photos with us for a chance to be featured here on ScottieMom.com? Use #ScottishTerriersofInstagram or tag us on Instagram. 

 

Scottish Terriers of Instagram

The Scottish Terriers of Instagram have really outdone themselves this week! Check out the cuteness we found hanging around recently. Which photo do you think "takes the cake?" Or should we say, "takes the treat?!" Remember: if you want a chance to have your Scotties' Instagram photos shared here, be sure to use #ScottishTerriersofInstagram or tag @thescottiemom on Instagram. Oh yeah, and don't forget to follow these fellow furry friends! 

Scottish Terriers of Instagram

The cuteness overload continues! Here are some really great photos of Scottish Terriers we found on Instagram this week. Be sure to follow @TheScottieMom and all our Scottie friends on Instagram to see more! Want to share your Scotties' Instagram photos with us for a chance to be featured here on ScottieMom.com? Use #ScottishTerriersofInstagram or tag us on Instagram.  

The Dance

We won't get to dance at the Scottie Mom Wedding but at least we got to dance.

Years ago, when I was a little girl and my Papa asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I told him I only had one wish: for him to dance with me at my wedding one day. He looked at me, smiled and said, "I can't promise that but I will try my best because I'd love to be there."

Flash forward a decade or two and just days after we laid Papa's wife of 56 years to rest in December 2012, Scottie Dad and I got engaged. On the one hand, I was ecstatic. On the other, I was hesitant to let Papa in on the news so soon after he himself had just lost the love of his life. How would he react? Was it insensitive to be so happy he was still around to take part in this milestone in my life?

I called Papa the next morning and told him I was engaged. The news didn't register with him right away and he went on to talk about his favorite topics: the weather, food and outrageous medical bills. I was confused. Maybe this his way of gently letting me know now wasn't the time to have brought this up? Just as we were about to hang up 30 minutes later, I had a fair hunch he hadn't understood what I had said and decided to try again. 

"So I guess I'll see you at the wedding, then?" 

He stopped short. 

"What wedding? Who's getting married?" he asked. 

"My wedding, Papa...that's why I called. To tell you I'm getting married!" 

The next words out of his mouth were ones that will have me laughing the rest of my life. 

"Oh, thank God!" he exclaimed, as if he had been waiting to hear that for quite some time or he'd thought I was doomed at the ripe old age of 25 years old to be a spinster because I hadn't yet settled down. Even then, he never committed to seeing me at the wedding and simply wished me the best of luck. Less than nine months after that call, he was gone and with him, so was my one wish. 

It has been one year since I lost my Papa. And while time has made it easier in some ways, the closer the Scottie Mom Wedding gets, the more memories like this bubble up to the surface - leaving me saddened by the realization that he won't be there and neither will any of the other family members I've lost in recent years. What I struggle to remember is that while Papa and I won't get to dance at the Scottie Mom Wedding, we did get to dance and celebrate other occasions in life. That doesn't seem fair even now as I write this but such is life. My hope is to build a strong and loving marriage that spans 56 years (or more) like Papa and Grandma did...and that Scottie Dad is ready to dance!

Papa and Grandma at their wedding in 1956.

Scottish Terriers of Instagram

Scottish Terriers are taking over Instagram! Each week, I'm blown away by the photos of fellow Scotties using social media to show off their cute selves. I decided to share a few of these pawesome photos going forward in an effort to extend some Scottie love to our friends and followers beyond our #TooCuteTuesday celebrations on Facebook. Want to share your Scotties' Instagram photos with us for a chance to be featured here? Use #ScottishTerriersofInstagram or tag @TheScottieMom on Instagram. Oh, and be sure to follow us and the Scottie dogs featured each week!