Tax Dog on Hiatus

Lizzy is really gone. It is still sinking in and I know by the end of this post I will be crying again. Saturday night Lizzy went out about 9:30pm. Usually she is only out about 45 minutes or less but the weather was nice and cool, so I wasn't worried when an hour had passed. When someone set off some fireworks in the neighborhood and she didn't come home, I started looking for her. No luck. I ended up sleeping on the sofa so I could let her in when she came home. Sunday morning I did the laundromat and spent the time my clothes were in the washer and dryer to search the area more. I even checked at the office.  I was assuming she found a friend and ended up out of the neighborhood and  I keep expanding the search area. I did leave a message with Animal Control describing her and sent a fax to the local shelter (both officially closed on Sunday). A little after 3pm I got the call from Animal Control that she was dead, apparently hit by a car. She was found in someone's driveway. They didn't give me any details. I think she hide under a car after she was hit and when they moved the car there she was. It probably happened soon after she went out since she comes home within an hour. I didn't see her, but I did get her collar and the tag numbers match. 

I know I haven't been the best at keeping this blog up but now I will be taking a serious break. I don't know if I will be replacing Lizzy but I won't start looking until the fall. I will also take my time. Lizzy was a great dog for me. Loving but also independent. The cat like qualities of her Chow heritage showed through. And she was a great dog for the office with lots of people coming through.

Once I get another Tax Dog (or Cat), I will post it on my business blog; Our Taxing Times.

Lizzy Is Missing

Lizzy went out last night and hasn't come back and that is not like her. It's been almost 14 hours and I am worried. And since it is Sunday, animal control and the shelter are closed. I have been all over the both neighborhoods and no sign of her. She's chipped so if she turns up I will know (I've already talked to Pet Watch. I honestly think if she is okay, she will find her way back but if she's hurt or someone else took a fancy to her I am worried that I won't see her again.
UPDATE: I won't see her again! About an hour ago I got a call from Animal Control. It looks like she was hit by a car and crawled into someone's driveway to die. Needless to say, a crummy day has become a nightmare.

1040d

Searching for something on the web, I found a tee-shirt design for a income tax return for dogs. 

How fun! I just wish it was in my size.

A Long Time

It's been a long time since I posted. It was tax season then and now it is the 4th of July. Part of my problem is that when Blogger changed hands to Google my sign-in info was changed and I wrote it down wrong. So there have been a couple of times I have tried to post and couldn't get in to do it.

Lizzy has been doing well. I think she misses some of the traffic of tax season. 

It is shedding season again but I found something that helps. She had a vet visit a couple weeks ago and Carol, the vet tech, showed me the Furminator on Lizzy and I was impressed enough from what I saw said to buy one. The proof was in the office carpet. I was vacuuming twice a week before finding the Furminator. But that changed. I had vacuumed on Sunday and Carol did the demo on Tuesday morning. The results were dramatic. By Wednesday, I should have had to vacuum, but the floor was still in good shape. I wasn't picking up hair clumps and best of all, Lizzy wasn't scratching as much. So every couple of days, I use the Furminator and brush her and the fur doesn't fly.

Lizzy's Tax Season

It is almost half way through tax season and I realized I have not posted about Lizzy dealing with the extra people passing through. The basic reason is that there have been no surprises on her part. She greets most people, has a good smell and then goes back to her current favorite spot. Sometimes she stays where she can see what is going on, but most of the time she goes up front. There are times in the afternoon that she is so soundly asleep that she completely ignores clients.
There have only been a few times that I have had to put her in the back room. Mostly, to protect her from badly supervised kids. If only I could have hid with her.
I have been very surprised at how receptive most clients have been to her. They will baby talk, rub her stomach and just make her feel like a queen. I was concerned because she is a bigger dog and thought that some people would be afraid of her. But so far there has only been one older lady who was concerned. And that was more because Lizzy would go away after first greeting her. My biggest concerned is with my older clients. Lizzy has a habit of plopping down where she stops and occasionally that is right behind someone. So I am extra careful with her around clients who have problems moving around.
But like I said, Lizzy is becoming a great tax dog. Now if I could get her to answer the phone.