#lovemydog – rootedbythewater.blog

A “Doggie” Staycation

October 11, 2026Leave a Comment

It’s been a busy few days but I have survived! My son Joshua had to go to Charleston S.C. for the “hands on” in person part of a nationally recognized certification program for Licensed Massage Body Work Therapists to get certified to work with oncology patients. My husband Ron drove him down last Thursday and I’ve been on “dog duty” since they left. I really wasn’t sure how it was going to work out since Joshua’s 18 month old Berna-doodle (Moose) has never been with just me and our old dog Joy.

Thursday I got the house cleaned up and prepared for a luncheon for friends on Friday. I wasn’t sure how the dogs would do at night. Moose had never slept in my room before. He kept going to the garage door and staring at it as if waiting for Joshua to come get him. I finally got a blanket with Joshua’s scent and spread it on my bed, sure enough, he hopped right up and snuggled down for the night. I didn’t sleep well though since I was unsure how the dogs would do during the night. There was a weather front coming through and seemed to affect Joy’s back hips and back legs. Joy is 15 1/2 years old. She’s the Queen of the house.

Friday when my four friends arrived, Moose was very sh. I had ordered two bones to keep the dogs busy while my friends were over. Moose stole Joy’s bone from her though. I just have to shake my head at these dogs sometimes. They act like kids. The lunch was fun. We had homemade tomato basil soup, salad, ham and cheese sliders and a carrot cake to celebrate a birthday. That night I slept 10 hours. I had been so tired. Thankfully there were no issues with either dog.

Saturday I woke up to rain and it rained all day and all night. Joy was having the hardest time on the deck steps as she went out to use the bathroom and come back in. I had to give her a boost so she could make it back in. It was a long day. We had just had the yard aerated and seeded and the rain made for a muddy mess. Meanwhile, Moose would go on a “fun run” in the mud to release some energy. 😳 He is a beautiful dog but he is such a DOG: loving mud and chewing on sticks, playing fetch and all that. He woke me up several times in the night to use the bathroom.

Today I watched church online twice. I also finished switching out seasonal clothes and cleaning the closet. Almost every time Joy goes outside I have to help her up the steps to get back inside. I decided I needed a nap this afternoon so I laid down for two hours hoping the dogs would be fine. I woke to both of them beside my bed wanting out. Joy had left a surprise “trail of poop” on the kitchen floor. I got that cleaned up and floor mopped. The guys are about one hour away from home. I can say I survived this! I have no clue what Ron did with the tv remote control. It has been the most quiet weekend ever. I did play some “dog music” on Saturday while I was cleaning the closet. I had never heard of that before until a friend told me about it last year. It put both dogs to sleep and almost put me to sleep too.

I will say that I had some powerful quiet times with the Lord over this weekend. Even though I’ve been home alone (except for my friends coming for lunch Friday) and have not been anywhere, God has been with me and the dogs. He is always there and always faithful. I will be so glad when the guys walk through the door. I know they are ready to be home too. It’s a good thing we did not take Moose down to Charleston because it rained there all weekend. My friend would have been stressed about Joy’s issues on the deck steps. God worked it all out. I’m sure there will be a wrestling match later between Joshua and Moose. I’m going to sleep well tonight. It is well with my soul!

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Our G.Q. Dog(Old Guard & Queen Joy)

October 30, 2025Leave a Comment

Joy looking out the front door this afternoon.

Our sweet Joy will be 15 in March and still rises to the occasion to alert us when needed. She’s slowed down so much this year and has become a “closet dog”. Probably to escape for uninterrupted long naps. She is still such a sweetheart though and a loving watch dog at heart, even though she can barely get up the deck stairs these days. I wonder often how much longer she has. She sure has been a great dog. Her only “downfalls” are her excessive barking, if anything is in the yard or passing by on the road and her shedding. Otherwise she’s been perfect.

Speaking of her barking, if you’ve been over to our house before, you know exactly what I mean. She is the “welcoming party” and the “protest when you leave party”. We had Jehovah Witness’s ring our doorbell years ago and when they heard Joy bark, one lady said, “Don’t you open that door.” It was the funniest thing.

In her old age, she’s missing quite a bit. However she was the “Hero” last night in alerting my husband Ron to what was happening outside. Ron had let her out to the bathroom and when she saw lights in our driveway she began barking. Turns out a drunk driver took down a large section of our privacy fence. Two of the guy’s friends had come to attempt helping him get away. Thankful to Joy’s alert Ron was able to call the police. That young man who spoke no English, was arrested for DUI and taken to jail. Ron asked the young man’s friend who showed up to try to help him escape why they didn’t knock on our door. She said they didn’t think we were home. Which is a lie. She also said the guy had a flat tire. Ron checked the tires and none were flat. We are thankful no one was injured and the guys insurance will cover the damage.

In honor of our “Old Guard” Queen Joy, I will post some of my favorite pictures of her. She is a rescue that we got at an animal shelter in Charlotte. I fell in love with her cute face. She’s been a good dog and I’m so thankful for her faithfulness over the many years. Enjoy the pictures. http://www.shannonkhinson.com

Joy in front of our family Christmas tree several years ago.

Hiking in the mountains with Ron and Joshua.

Joy watching me write my book “Rooted by the Water”.

Joy loved her soccer ball when she was younger.

My favorite picture of Joy when she was a puppy.

Spontaneous getaway

June 6, 2022Leave a Comment

Blogging in the car right now. Joshua was in a wedding over the weekend in Wilmington, NC so we decided to tag along. Since it was kind of last minute we couldn’t find a dog sitter and decided to just bring Joy with us. This was her first beach trip and we had no idea how she was going to respond. She is such a sweet and loving dog but her one pitfall is she is a “barker”. We took her bark collar just in case but she was amazing and didn’t have to wear it at all.

On Saturday Joshua was dressed for the rehearsal when we left home. Driving east across the Carolina’s we finally found the wedding venue.
When he was finished at the rehearsal we all were excited to take Joy to Wrightsville beach. The beach is my happy place. Anywhere near the ocean is always soothing. I was disappointed when we found out dogs are not allowed on the beach at all. Thankfully it was cool and breezy so Joy could stay in the car with the windows cracked while we took a walk on the beach. We did find a patio where she could have dinner with us.

Once back at the hotel I did a search online to see where Joy could come with us. Fort Fisher state park was the winner being dog friendly year round. We made plans to go the next morning and early afternoon before Joshua had to be at the wedding.

It was not the typical beach day at Fort Fisher. There was a beach soccer tournament going on with lots of people and dogs. There must have been three or four games going on at once. Joy was definitely overstimulated but she loved it. she was curious about the sand, wasn’t afraid of the water and cried when she couldn’t play with every dog that walked by. She loved it and was worn out when we left.

I’m glad we decided to tag along with Joshua this weekend and have family time including Joy. Joshua is grown and family get aways are rare but this was refreshing. A change of scenery and memories made together as a family is priceless.

Take that quick weekend trip. Make memories. Family time is always special. So thankful for this time away.

If you’d like to read more of my story please check out my autobiography “Rooted by the Water”. It’s a true story of how God has enabled me to overcome great difficulties, not by my own strength but through His strength made perfect in my weaknesses. You can find it on Amazon and many other online retailers such as Barnes & Noble, Books a Million, Target and Walmart.

Www.shannonkenleyhinson.com