Bright Star Suki Has a Birthday

This small girl with the purple collar arrived with a big and important job to do.

One love can never, ever replace another.

What a dog can do is give us reasons to get up, to keep moving, to keep living.

It takes someone very special to enter the dark spaces and be that soft, gentle, persistent light that lets us know we are not alone and reminds us that life still contains joy.

Linda shares Bright Star Suki with us:

“2025 was a good year for Suki.

She is always watching over us.

She loves to play in the snow – rolling like a seal during our walks.

She reminds us of “Super Dog”

Suki is irrepressibly happy.

She had lots of friends to keep her company in Alaska this year.

Editor Note: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

 Suki couldn’t get past this little guy to do her business!!

She gets into some good trouble now and again.

As always, she spent time with Sue, Dave and Gherkin. They are good to her and she loves them for it! She returns home happy and exhausted!

She treats her toys with the same love she treats all humans. She’s had this toy for +4 years. Note, she is telling us it’s time for bed.

At the end of 2025, it was the 5th anniversary of our son’s death. It’s been a rough time, but our therapy dog works hard every single day to help us deal with it. We were lucky enough to have 5 of our son’s college friends join us to celebrate his life. Suki is always a part of the family.

Another Editor’s Note: 💔❤️😭

As always, we thank Mary-Ann for Suki!!”

Please rest your hearts and minds on Suki’s family and their son, Jeff.

Thank you, Linda and Gary, for letting Suki be a small bright star in the darkness.

Happy Birthday, Suki — you are a Super Hero 🩷

Bright Star Birthday continued

When there are TEN, the birthday updates are spread across the week 🎂 While we wait for Fauci, Suki, McCovey, and Dallas — here is Capella. Wasn’t she SO CUTE as a baby?!

And here she is at five — what a good sport!

Capella continues to be easy, sweet, smart, and all kinds of other wonderful things. Since she is on the blog a lot, there isn’t too much more to say except that I have the father of her second and last litter finalized (and I am SUPER excited), she is almost back in coat (having a litter makes them go REALLY bald), and Capella is almost ready for her obedience debut 🎉

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAPELLA 🎂

Birthday Continued

Baby Xeena!

Kim sends us this update from Canada:

“What can I say about Xeena … she is sweet and gentle while at the same time sassy and sometimes a bit bossy.

Xeena is becoming the best cuddler, especially with my partner Colin.

Last year he was off work for 6 months after major surgery and Xeena became his unofficial therapy dog - staying near his side and showing much concern. Even now that he has recovered she seems to have become “his dog” and cuddles with him every day. She has made it her job to make sure he stays calm, especially during sporting events on TV - she will bump his arm when he gets too emotional about how is team is performing. It is like she knows he is supposed to stay calm and keep his blood pressure down.

Although Colin is her main cuddle buddy, she looks to me for all her fun.

We play, train and hike. She is a great offleash dog and never wanders far from my side.

She also continues to love nosework and had a really good year trialing. It really is her favourite thing to do and it’s amazing to watch her work out the scent puzzles and grow in the sport.

Xeena has been such a wonderful addition to our family. Thank you Mary-Ann for trusting me with this special dog. 

Happy 5th Birthday to all the Bright Stars!”

Xeena is one lucky girl — a Cuddle Buddy AND a Work Buddy! Thank you to Kim and her partner, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY XEENA!!! 🎂