Changing up the blog a bit

I am changing up the blog a bit. It is hard to see Falkor's name in the title and blog name. I know I should change the blog name, but I don't think I'm quite ready yet. I think I will just leave it for now.
Most days I still find it hard to believe that Falkor is really gone, but I am able to smile at some of the memories instead of instantly bawling. We all miss him so very much.
There may be a new addition to our family in the near future. It was actually in the works well before we lost Falkor. But I'm not going to do the big reveal until I know for sure. I think I am afraid to jinx it! But if you all could keep your fingers and paws crossed for us, I would greatly appreciate it!

Falkor, my very own Luck Dragon

When I found out that Falkor's litter theme was The Dragon's Lair, I was so very excited. One of my favorite childhood movies "The Neverending Story" has this huge, dog like flying dragon in it named Falkor. I always LOVED that name and I thought it would be perfect for a Dane pup.

From the minute I held Falkor in my arms, I knew he was meant for me. I had so many plans for us and I could wait to get started. We started puppy class the week I brought Falkor home and he was so eager to learn even from that first night. Falkor thought training was the most fun thing in the world and he picked up on new things with lightening speed.

He was a joy to train and a joy to have in the house. Jackson was only 2 years old when brought Falkor home and for a short time I thought I was maybe a little crazy for bringing home a Dane puppy. But I was wrong...Falkor fit into our family with ease. He actually came home at 8 weeks already housebroken and was didn't chew things or dig in the yard. Believe me I know how lucky we were. :)

Falkor was such a fun dog! He did everything with joy and enthusiasm. That tail was ALWAYS wagging, which is the reason why all the corners in our house are covered in protective foam. We had to deal with happy tail on more than one occasion. But Falkor couldn't help it. When he wagged that tail he had to wag it enthusiastically too.

My hopes and dreams for Falkor including doing agility but knee issue prevented us from pursuing that dream. That was really hard for me but we had a blast training in obedience, Rally, tracking and freestyle. Again as with everything else, Falkor took to all this training like a duck to water. He got his CGC at the tender age of six months. We worked on Rally and Falkor got his Rally Novice, his Rally Advanced titles, and two legs toward his Rally Excellent title. In keeping with Falkor's zest for life with had an issue with zoomies during his recalls so I waited a while to try for his CD. Even though those darn zoomies made me want to pull my hair out at the time I will look back on those memories with a smile on my face now. He was quite a sight tearing around the ring with those big lips flapping and a huge grin on his face.

We got our CD in the fall in three tries. I was SO proud of him and as always he wagged his tail the entire time. We also tried for the American Temperament Test Society test in the fall and Falkor passed that as well. My favorite memory of that test is Falkor giving the people at some of the testing stations wet willies. He even licked the judges face after the test. :)

I feel like our time was cut way too short and I feel cheated. Falkor and I had so much too look forward to together. But I feel lucky to have shared my heart with such a truly one of a kind dog. He always gave me everything he had and then some. I will never forget that big ol' grin or to sweet brown eyes looking at me asking "What's next Momma???". Rest well my big ol' honk we love you so much.