Happy 15th Birthday, Jasmine!!

Yes, she is a dog, but she's 15! That is really old! She is our good friend who has pretty much retired from being our watch dog, although she still sometimes goes out when the kids play to guard them.

On New Year's Eve nearly 15 years ago, William and I were at the flea market looking at puppies -just looking. A little boy who had a playpen full of pink-bellied teddy bears asked me if I wanted to hold one, and I did. It was the sweetest puppy, and all that I needed to push me over the edge. We had already talked extensively about our desires to have a dog in our family. After some research our in an issue of Dog Fancy, and a stop by the ATM, we went back to get our little Keeshond puppy! We were HUGE Disney fans, so ended up being named after the heroine of the most recent film.

Two and a half years ago, we almost lost her to a grapefruit-sized tumor on her spleen. After much anguish, we chose surgery hoping to prolong her life, and I'm so glad that we did.

Jasmine has been here to greet each child as we added them to our family and has done well tolerating them. She has helped comfort us through our losses. She is a great friend.

Happy Birthday, Miss J!