We adopted Tommy on October 28th, 2007.  His name was originally "Jake." We liked the name Jake, however, our neighbors dog was named Jake...so, we thought that it would get a bit confusing over the years with dogs that lived next to each other had the same name. Plus we really thought he looked like a Tommy....The "TuTu' was added as the years passed and we really got to know our Tommy TuTu.
Tommy was our first and as it has turned out...our ONLY Pure Breed Dog to date. Tommy was from an very elite group of Pedigree dogs called the Kentucky Derby line of Beagles.  He was registered Under the American Pet Registry and named "A Million Dollar Baby" and The Copper Penny Breed. He was a 15 inch tri-color beagle. Whenever I'd read his lineage I was  impressed.  So regal and so very special.

I met Tommy TuTu for the very first time at the Park Animal Hospital. He was being boarded there because his owners had medical issues and were unable to care for a puppy of 6 months old.  We had just lost our beloved beagle Melvin and the doctors at the hospital knew that we were interested in a third beagle.  Maggie and Jimmy were left of our three beagles. So, the great doctors at the Park Animal Hospital, Dr.s Jane & Jim and the Vet Tech, Cathy, who knew how special our beagles were to us, contacted us and wanted to know if we were interested in adopting Tommy. We would then become a three family beagle brigade again! How wonderful!, I thought. Cathy suggested that I bring the other two beagles to meet this new little puppy...Just to see if they'd get along.  I will never forget that day...The weather was incredible! It was pouring rain! But, I didn't let that deter me from meeting Tommy.  I took Maggie & Jimmy with me over to the hospital in the torrential rain to meet Tommy.  We waited in the examination room to meet our potential new friend.  When the door opened a scared, super sensitive little puppy ran right between my legs and stayed there throughout our visit. Of course, Maggie and Jimmy nosied around...sniffing Tommy everywhere. It seemed that they would be ok with each other AND... I knew right then and there that this little boy was mine. It's funny as the years passed Tommy became more and more attached to me. He followed me around the house and found a place to curl up and lay his head when I was working in an area.  I had "Tommy" beds everywhere.  I knew that there was some sort of separation anxiety...I just didn't know that it was me that felt the separation anxiety the most. I always thought it was him.  I am missing him more since he ventured over the Rainbow Bridge with each day that passes. 

I think what I miss most was that Tommy was a true character. When we got the "Papers" from his original owners, in the packet was a note telling us what Tommy liked, what his daily routine was like etc. 

They wrote that Tommy loved socks, oven mitts and dish towels.  "That's common", I thought. What I didn't realize at the time was that he loved socks so much that he ATE the socks. Socks, very often, got Tommy in the most trouble. Most of the time he did end up at the Park Animal Hospital to get x-rayed to try to locate the sock. One such time was when Denis and I had gone to a concert in NYC.  We always had our Doggie Sitter, Gabby, watch the dogs for us while we were out.  Unfortunately, Gabby was unable to do it that night, but she referred her friend Bobbie" to come over to sit with the dogs.  Bobbie was a wonderful young man. While we were at the concert my cell phone rang...a very distressed and panicked Bobbie was on the other line. "Mrs. Dagger, he cried, "Tommy just ate one of my socks!"  I replied, "Are you sure of this, Bobbie?" He answered with even more panic in his voice..."He ate it right before my eyes. I tried to get it away from him, but he swallowed it before I could even get to him." I told him to give Tommy a slice of bread with butter smeared on it...sometimes this helps to get them to throw up the sock. He did just as I suggested.  Tommy ate the bread and walked away like the "king of the sock dog." We rushed home only to see a very anxious and stressed out dog sitter who was clearly apologetic. I felt so bad for Bobbie. But, this was Tommy...in true fashion. The next day I took Tommy to the Park Animal  Hospital to get X-rayed. After a few days in the hospital, the doctors told us that there was no sign of the sock. I always thought that Tommy had another pocket in his body made just for socks 😁 The doctors suggested us taking Tommy home since he was eating and looking good. That afternoon, I went and picked Tommy up.  On the way home from the hospital Tommy threw the sock up in the car. Yup, Tommy was a real character. By the way...we never saw Bobbie again.

I could go on and on about Tommy TuTuism's. In his later years he became a media sensation.  In fact, more people from all over the world expressed they deepest condolences when they heard he had passed. People loved him. He was so photogenic. But, most importantly he was loving, gentle, smart as a whip and a real character.  To us he was just Tommy TuTu...We had many nicknames for Tommy..."Bob Barker Marker.  Little pain in the drain and Tommy TooDaLooToo."  He certainly gave us 13 1/2 years of sheer delight and kept us on our toes with his antics.  We will miss him dearly. But, toward the end of his life, we knew that Tommy was not feeling his eager, spunky self anymore. It was heartbreaking to let him go. 

It's a funny thing...Life...I met Tommy up at the Park Animal Hospital through Cathy and it was Cathy that held Tommy in his last minutes here on earth. I will always treasure her love and compassion and all of the Doctors and staff at the Park Animal Hospital for Tommy in my heart forever.

Well, thank you for reading about Tommy TuTu.
​He will be forever in our hearts and souls. 

We are asked by Dr. Anthony Fauci, an infectious disease expert, to "Hunker Down" meaning that we should stay in place...stay at home with the hashtag #AloneTogether.  Our New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, talks about the Apex and flattening the curve...an apex, I've since learned, is the upper most point on a curved path. These phrases have become of late common place. We speak of them as if they had been a part of our speech for years.  Yet, they are all new and quite honestly scary.  It has become for all of us throughout the world a very frightening and uncertain time. ​

 Wow❤️! That's a month full of great National Days.
​There's a lot more too!! 

​What is it about lights and lighting candles that makes us so joyous and hopeful?
Is it a way of showing our homage and paying tribute to something or someone? Or is it a way of heralding in a new beginning?  I think it's both.  

We use candles to celebrate birthdays, holidays and special events. According to Wonderopolis, "for the Ancient Greeks, putting candles on a cake was a special way to pay tribute to the Greek moon goddess, Artemis. They baked round cakes to symbolize the moon. ... People may have believed that the smoke from the candles carried their wishes and prayers to gods who lived in the skies."  ​

But, what about the dark? Many people love the dark. I, for one, am not one of them. Comparing light to dark is a paradox of sorts. While they are opposites, each adds feelings of emotion to the beholder. Take Dagger, for instance, he'd prefer to be in the light than the dark.  You see, he's extremely afraid of the dark. I think that says a lot about Dagger. He really is a dog that lights the way for so many people. I believe that his loving the light so much and many other attributes make Dagger a very special dog.  

The other thing I love about October is everything pumpkin, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pie...all things pumpkin. For years now, I've been adding Farmers Market Organic Pumpkin puree to all of our dogs meals. It comes in a container. I add a table spoon to eat meal.  Just make sure that it's NOT Pumpkin Pie puree which actually has added spices and sugar in its ingredients. Pumpkin puree has added nutrients and aids in a dogs digestive system. Never give your dogs raw or uncooked pumpkin and pumpkins that have rotted.

While preparing this blog I came across PETMD's "10 easy tips to skip the stress and keep your pets safe this Halloween." I found them very helpful...
​I hope you do too🎃
1. Trick-or-treat candies are not for pets.All forms of chocolate—especially baking or dark chocolate—can be dangerous, even lethal, for dogs and cats. Symptoms of chocolate poisoning may include vomiting, diarrhea, rapid breathing, increased heart rate, and seizures. Halloween candies containing the artificial sweetener xylitol can also be poisonous to dogs. Even small amounts of xylitol can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar and subsequent loss of coordination and seizures. “Xylitol ingestion can also cause liver failure in dogs, even if they don’t develop symptoms associated with low blood sugar,” adds Dr. Jennifer Coates, veterinary advisor with petMD. And while xylitol toxicity in cats has yet to be established, it's better to be safe than sorry.

2. Don't leave pets out in the yard on Halloween.Vicious pranksters have been known to tease, injure, steal, and even kill pets on Halloween night. Inexcusable? Yes! But preventable nonetheless. Black cats are especially at risk from pranks or other cruelty-related incidents. In fact, many shelters do not adopt out black cats during the month of October as a safety precaution. Make sure your black cats are safely housed indoors around Halloween. 

3. Keep pets confined and away from the door. Indoors is certainly better than outdoors on Halloween, but your door will be constantly opening and closing, and strangers will be on your doorstep dressed in unusual costumes. This, of course, can be scary for our furry friends, which can result in escape attempts or unexpected aggression. Putting your dog or cat in a secure crate or room away from the front door will reduce stress and prevent them from darting outside into the night…a night when no one wants to be searching for a lost loved one. 

4. Keep glow sticks away from pets. While glow sticks can help keep people safe on Halloween night, they can add some unwanted drama to the holiday if a pet chews one open. “Thankfully, the liquid inside glow sticks is non-toxic, so it won’t actually make pets sick,” Coates says, “but it does taste awful.” Pets who get into a glow stick may drool, paw at their mouth, become agitated, and sometimes even vomit. Coates recommends that if your pet does chew on a glow stick, “offer some fresh water or a small meal to help clear the material out of the mouth.”

5. Keep Halloween plants such as pumpkins and corn out of reach. While small amounts of corn and pumpkin can be fed safely to many pets, ingesting uncooked, potentially moldy Halloween pumpkins or corn displays can cause big problems. Gastrointestinal upset is a possibility whenever pets eat something they aren’t used to, and intestinal blockage can occur if large pieces are swallowed. Coates adds that “some types of mold produce mycotoxins that can cause neurologic problems in dogs and cats.” So, keep the pumpkins and corn stalks away from your pets. And speaking of pumpkins…

6. Don't keep lit pumpkins around pets. If you are using candles to light your jack-o-lanterns or other Halloween decorations, make sure to place them well out of reach of your pets. Should they get too close, they run the risk of burning themselves or causing a fire.

7. Keep electric and battery-powered Halloween decorations out of reach. Electric and battery-powered Halloween decorations are certainly safer than open candles, but they still can present a risk to pets. Pets who chew on electrical cords can receive a possibly life-threatening electrical shock or burn. Batteries may cause chemical burns when chewed open or gastrointestinal blockage if swallowed. Shards of glass or plastic can cause lacerations anywhere on the body or, if swallowed, within the gastrointestinal tract.

8. Don't dress your pet in a costume unless you know they'll love it. If you do decide that Fido or Kitty needs a costume, make sure it isn't dangerous or simply annoying to your pet. Costumes should not restrict movement, hearing, eyesight, or the ability to breathe. Coates warns that pets who are wearing a costume should always be supervised by a responsible adult so that if something goes wrong, it can be addressed right away.
 
9. Try on pet costumes before the big night.Don’t wait until Halloween night to put your pet in a costume for the first time. “Any time you want to introduce your pet to something new, it’s best to go slowly,” Coates says. Get your pet costumes early, and put them on for short periods of time (and piece by piece, if possible). “Make it a positive experience by offering lots of praise and treats,” Coates adds. If at any time, your pet seems distressed or develops skin problems from contact with a costume, consider letting him go in his “birthday suit.” A festive bandana may be a good compromise.

​10. IDs, please! If your dog or cat should escape and become lost, having the proper identification will increase the chances that he or she will be returned. Collars and tags are ideal if a Good Samaritan is able to collect your wayward pet, but microchips offer permanent identification should the collar or tag fall off. Just make sure the information is up-to-date. Use Halloween as a yearly reminder to double check your address and phone number on tags and with the company who supports pet microchips."
Taken from: https://www.petmd.com/dog/seasonal/evr_multi_halloween_safety_tips