Bowpi 寶媲, the Precious Companion

Bowpi 寶媲, the Precious Companion,
a.k.a. Peeps, Peepsy/Peepsi/Peepsie
Dec 31, 2004?? – early a.m. hours of July 18, 2020
Adopted into The House of Two Bows 雙寶之屋 on March 23, 2010

Did I think that if I never posted here again, I could avoid the inevitable?

No, of course not.

That’s not how this works.

During these last few months of quarantine, Bowpi the basenji had been testing the physical boundaries of Bowdu the shiba. Though she had a wide selection of soft, comfortable, and heating pad-augmented beds of her own, she kept trying to sneak into his bed, claiming his space. A younger, grumpier Bowdu would have chased her out with a snarl and flashing fangs. As a more sedate old man, Bowdu instead just looked at her in his bed with an expression of quiet exasperation, even resignation, then either moved aside to lie elsewhere on the floor, or waited for me to nudge her back to her own spot.

But one day, after seeing her steal his bed again, Bowdu did something he had never done before — he climbed in beside her, laid down so she was pressed snugly against his side and the wall of the bed (she was already most of the way there) …

… and then, when Bowpi repositioned her head to rest her chin on Bowdu as a pillow, he actually let her do so with absolutely no fuss. NEXT LEVEL CUDDLING CUTENESS, UNLOCKED. As I raved on other social media at the time, this “event” of Bowdu allowing himself to be used as Bowpi’s body pillow took over ten years of cohabitation to happen on its own. They’d been close enough to touch limbs or bump sides before, but nothing ever quite like this.

I lingered and watched them sleep that way for most of the afternoon, appreciating that the current state of sheltering at home allowed me to fully witness the moment.

A couple days after I took those pictures, Bowpi completely stopped eating and drinking. Some 34 months after first being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, she had gone into total renal failure. Her strength declined rapidly, and a few nights later, she was gone.

Bowdu has been mourning her loss as deeply as I have been. He has his ways, and I have mine. I put together a 3-hour freeform radio show filled with lesser-known dog songs, mourning/grieving/yearning songs, African music (with an emphasis on Central Africa and the Congo, of course), sound clips and other audio connections to Bowpi. I invite everyone to join me for this LIVE radio event, happening just a little more than a day from now.

SPIRIT OF BOWPI: A RADIO TRIBUTE
Who: For Bowpi and anyone who has grieved the loss of a pet, with DJ Microtone (M.C.)
When: Tuesday, August 4th, 2020, 12:00pm to 3:00pm Pacific Time
Where: KALX 90.7 FM Berkeley on terrestrial radio, KALX.berkeley.edu for the link to the online stream (upper right hand corner)

The full show as it is meant to be heard will only air LIVE, during this specific time and place. The radio station licensing agreements do not permit us to post or share archives of shows, so you’ll have to catch the broadcast on Tuesday, or never. I may share a modified, music-only playlist later. The ephemerality of radio is a fitting medium, in its own particular way, to commemorate the fleeting presence of a most beloved, precious pet.

Roll of 28, Day 28: Yesterday’s clouds were dramatic — today is ok

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roll of 28

I’m making an exception on the final day of Roll of 28 and officially registering this shot a day late, instead of backdating it to the last day of February, where it belongs. Oh, how these whirlwind days rend asunder all my best-laid plans…

Alas, I didn’t get to capture the sunset at its most brilliant. I haven’t figured out how to import from my album of mindpictures.

Thanks for indulging me in another round of Roll of 28, this annual February ritual. I retreat now to relative silence again. This blog is usually reserved for more thoughtful writings, and I just don’t have the headspace to draft dog-centric texts worth sharing right now. I fully expect the words to return again. In the meantime, you can peep images on my Instagram. Dog-specific pictures are usually pushed through to the Tumblr that I don’t otherwise maintain. Rest assured that this WordPress site remains as the primary dwelling for the House of Two Bows, and they are doing well.

Until next time.

Roll of 28, Day 26: First dibs

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dog beds, roll of 28

Bowdu spends a lot of time lurking underfoot on the hard floor while I’m working at my desk these days. I got him an orthopedic cushion bed to make things easier on his old dog hips. However, Bowpi got to break it in first.

Roll of 28, Day 22: Desirous duo

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roll of 28

Everything she eats becomes the most fascinating meal ever to the Bows… Doesn’t matter that she’s vegan!

Roll of 28, Day 18: Two old dogs

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roll of 28

Roll of 28, Day 12: The Easy part of the day

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roll of 28

Roll of 28, Day Nine: Postal inspectors

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roll of 28

Roll of 28, Day Two: The Anticipators

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roll of 28

A few weeks ago, the Bows were recognized out and about town, by a reader who had stumbled across this blog.

Also, something seems to have changed in Facebook page algorithms. Despite the fact that I haven’t posted here since September 2014, there’s been a spike in activity on the FB page, suddenly pushing us past the 400 “likes” threshold within the last couple weeks.

I feel compelled to thank and acknowledge our visitors old and new, and to account for our absence from blogging.

Hi everyone. How have you been?

There have been a number of significant changes on our end. The HoTB is now the House of Two Bows, Two Birds, and Two Belles. For the past year, we’ve been adjusting to new domestic dynamics which include an aviary of King Pigeons in the backyard belonging to my new housemate whose vegan diet inspires curiosity, hungry eyes, and previously unseen mooching habits from the well-fed canine duo.

Indeed, the Bows remain as present and underfoot as ever, my canine constants in the midst of a year of upheavals. I’ve had to channel my energy elsewhere in the last few months, though I think back often to this space and the enduring lessons of blogging.

I’ve long considered this less a dog blog and more a personal blog — one that happened to have my dogs at its center from the very start. And they are still central, even as my center of gravity has expanded to contain so much more lately.

Bowdu hit a landmark age in January 2015. He is now ten years old, with arthritic hips and a bum knee to officially mark his passage into seniorhood. The diagnosis was made back in September 2014 with an expensive round of X-Rays under sedation. With glucosamine supplements, a carefully moderated diet, and a regimen of gentle walks, he remains active, hale, sanguine.

… If I may take the liberty of speaking on his behalf. After all, hour for hour, I have spent more time with him in this last decade than any other single sentient creature. For the sake of survival, you learn to speak each other’s language, even across species. My mind boggles sometimes when reflecting on how we’ve changed and aged together, how different he was as a puppy, and how precious he remains now.

Bowpi is presumed to be ten years old this year, too. Half of those years were spent in the HoTB. Though we share less depth of experience, she, too, is a model for how to age with grace.

There’s a lot of life to these dogs yet, and so I must prioritize my time off screen for now. However, I intend to reappear every day in February for the Roll of 28, during which I take and post one picture a day, taken on that day, for the entire month of February. It’s a pretty significant ritual of reflection for me, something I’ve done since 2007. Though my physical address remains the same, sometimes it feels like the HoTB has been hurtling through a whole other cosmic dimension. Photo documentation is one of many ways in which I force myself to marvel at the distances traveled; sometimes you don’t really know how far you’ve come until you’ve really had a chance to look back.

The Cost of things: August 2014

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budgeting, creston valley meats, dog treats, elanco, pet finances, poop bags, vet

Incredibly busy lately. I have about two posts in me for September, and this is one, already way later than usual.

This is my fourth year of tracking pet finances at the House of Two Bows. This is an ongoing effort to get a practical sense of what it costs to keep two 20 ~ 30 pound adult dogs in an area of the US with relatively high costs of living. Previous posts in this series can be found under the category of finances.

The Cost of (Pet) Things for August 2014:

• Food: $211 [previous month, $30]
• Treats: $49 [previous, $31]
• Grooming: $16 [previous, $5]
• Vet & Medical: -$35 [previous, $411]
• Accessories and misc: $50 [previous, $0]
• TOTAL: $291 [running average for 2014: ~$200/month]

Crazy high food total included a 15 lb. bag of Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream, one more 4 lb box of Honest Kitchen Embark, and an unanticipated, large order from Creston Valley Meats. I decided to buy another two large boxes of ground turkey, as well as an order of lamb bones. It may be a while before my schedule frees up so I can make their delivery times, so I decided to restock while I could. I did not anticipate over 20 pounds of lamb bones in my order, which I’ve been trying to disperse generously amongst my dog friends. Apparently, I need to know more raw feeders, because an extra freezer is really not in my budget. Yet it was hard to pass up lamb bones at 55 cents a pound!

I loaded up on buy 3 get 1 treats at the local Pet Food Express, and dehydrated a whole bunch more chicken hearts, in order to appease the Bows when I left them with a housesitter back in August. I went overboard, so plenty of treats remain.

In grooming, I finally got my act together to order a bulk box of poop bags from Amazon. 700 poop bags for $16, with Prime shipping? Can’t really argue with that deal.

Bowdu’s major veterinary appointment was postponed for this month, September. It already happened, and I’ll have more to say about that later. What I did receive last month was my $35 Elanco rebate, slightly more than what is normally offered as a “loyalty rewards” customer. I honestly was not expecting to receive the check so efficiently. I was even notified by e-mail when the check was on its way — overall resulting in my most positive experience yet with the company that manufactures Comfortis/Trifexis.

Finally, I tacked on a somewhat arbitrary $50 fee to Miscellaneous, which includes a rare expense category for the House of Two Bows: boarding and pet care by an outside helper. The only reason I could go to Denmark was because I roped a dog-savvy friend into watching the house and the Bows, all in exchange for a free place to stay and unlimited access to all food and drink in the house. I did lug back some Danish beer as payment, so that and some miscellaneous extras are included in the $50.

Under normal circumstances, in-home pet sitting would cost way, way more — like $50 for each night, let alone seven. All the more reason that friendships with dog-friends must be carefully cultivated, with the expectation that we’re always paying it forward, and that the winning personalities of your canine charges will help balance out the karmic scales.