She Makes Me Stop

I try really hard to make sure I spend one on one time with each of my dogs. Playing and interacting as a group is good too, but I feel they all need that individual time. Sometimes my schedule gets hectic, and there just is not enough hours in the day to get everything done I set out to do that day.
Jessi, although second to the youngest, with Jarie being the youngest, Jessi will always be my baby. She prefers me all to herself. She doesn't like sharing, and really seems to thrive when it is just her and me. Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day, 80 degrees out, nice cool breeze, perfect for her and I to just enjoy.
Those of you that have read my blog for awhile, know that Jessi does not stop. Very difficult to take photos, she is a very high drive working line Aussie. Her mouth is always open, tongue hanging out, running from this corner to that corner, sniffing the ground, watching the planes fly over. She doesn't miss a single bird, butterfly, or the wave of a tree branch, always always busy.

Of course the only time her mouth shuts is when she is told to sit, she hates sit, for that just means she has to quit moving, something she just doesn't like to do, but she complies, although you can clearly see it in her face, she wishes *sit* was not a word in my vocabulary.
I have never seen a dog as happy as Jessi. She will play with anything you throw for her, she really doesn't have a favorite toy, as long as she gets to interact with me, whatever toy I choose to toss for her, she is content.
Yesterday was a day that was very much needed, I think for both Jessi and I. She makes me stop. Even for just an hour, she makes me stop and forget about all my worries, all my chores that need to be done, life happenings. Spending time with a dog that is non-stop action, I really have no time to think of anything else but her and the smile on her face, the sparkle in her eyes when she looks up at me, as if she is saying "Life is good, lets play".

Introducing Karl

Yes, I finally gave him a name, so let me formally introduce you to Karl. I will spare you all the details of how I came up with his name, but it fits, so he is now affectionately referred to as Karl, or how I normally refer to him as "The Karl". Makes him sound much more important.

He still is not neutered. I feel very guilty about that too. I put off trying to trap him after I was unsuccessful a couple of times. Then I became just too ill and too tired to really try.

He is so mean too, always protecting his territory. He has staked his claim with the cat shelter and my yard. He guards and patrols all day and night. Several times a week he wakes us up in the middle of the night, yowling and fighting with the other tomcats in the neighborhood. My poor hubby is the one to get out of bed and run outside to break up the fights. I always ask who he was fighting with, but my hubby never gets the chance to see the other cat by the time he gets outside. I very rarely see any other toms anymore except for Karl. Perhaps after he is neutered and a little more settled, I can trap the other toms too. I really must get busy!
He now sleeps most of the time in the shelter or on the cat walk. He spends a lot of time in the backyard, until I go out there, that is when he will just jump up on a wall or the cat walk and watch my every move. He won't let me get any closer then maybe 10 feet. He never use to sit still for long when I was outside, but now, he allows me to just watch him, as he watches me. Something about him makes me sad though. In his eyes, the way he looks at me, there is such sadness in his eyes that tear at my heart. Not all ferals have that sadness, that unmistakable look in their eyes, but when you see it, it is a look you don't forget.

So, I have to quit neglecting what I had set out to do, a very long time ago. I have to get busy working with "The Karl". First things first, I need to trap him, and soon!

On to other things, I want to thank all my wonderful friends here for emailing me and asking how I have been. I did finally go to the doctor, this past Wednesday. I had a lot of tests, still have more to do, had a brief scare, but I am ok, and I am going to live, Hooray! I will be starting my antibiotics tonight and hopefully will be feeling much better soon. I think I forgot how feeling well feels, hopefully I will experience that feeling again, soon.

Random Thoughts

I remember when my favorite veterinarian retired. He had treated so many of my past pets. When he retired I was devastated. he knew us so well. He knew, we knew our pets, and trusted us just as much as we trusted him. When he introduced us to the vet who took over his practice, we had no idea how things would go. By our surprise, we loved him even more then our original vet. Who knew?! He was perfect, and had the very best bed side manner with our fur kids. Then he moved out of state a few years ago. Could we possibly be as lucky again with another new vet? You know, three times a charm? No. We were so unhappy with the new vet, and he just didn't seem to be what we wanted for our pets. So I did my research. A lot of research. I got recommendations from friends. Made several calls over several weeks, talked to Office managers at all the clinics I might have been interested in, and asked a lot of questions. Yes, that is what I do. I just don't go to any clinic. I want what is best for my dogs and cats, and I want the vet to be as comfortable with me, as I am with him/her. I researched for weeks before finally settling a couple years ago.

With human doctors, I do the same thing. It seems like every time we find a good family practice physician we like here, they move out of state. When my husband wasn't feeling well a few years ago, I again was back to researching, asking questions, about different practices, getting referrals and such. Last month I had to do the same thing. Find a certain type of doctor for my Father in Law. One that he would be comfortable with. Lots of research and telephone calls again.

So why is it so easy for me to do my research and find doctors and make appointments for everyone I care about, but so difficult for me to do this for myself?

I know I haven't been well for several months now. I just kept brushing it off as a stubborn cold. But things just are not right. I'm having breathing difficulty, pings in my chest, my lungs hurt, well, everything hurts. I am so stubborn. I hate going to the doctor because anytime I go, they always seem to find something else wrong that I didn't even go in there for. So, now I have to start my research all over again, but this time for me, and here I am writing about it, instead of doing it. If this was for my hubby or my dogs or cats, you better bet, it would have been done already, and they would have already been there and back.

Sometimes I think I am just too picky, nah, I'm just stubborn. I never complain, and just keep on going about my chores, my daily routine, but I know now, I really need to find a doctor. I don't think this would even be a problem for me if Doctors would just stay here. But it seems every year I have to start all over, and it gets really frustrating. I don't do well with change, and changing doctors, and finding new doctors, takes me out of my comfort zone.

Happy Anniversary

Tomorrow March 23rd will be our 23rd wedding anniversary and it has been an amazing, 23 years. Please bare with me while I tell you about some of the reasons why I love my husband like I do....

• He has a very sexy wink. ( etc, etc)
  

• He can fix just about anything in and around the house.

• He always helps me put my coat on.

• He opens doors for me everywhere we go and even opens the car door for me too.

• He cracks me up when he says goofy stuff and keeps a straight face!

• He's extremely thoughtful and giving, not just with me but with others too.

• He pays attention. When we go out shopping , if I see something that I like and mention it, he will remember it, And then one day for no reason at all, he will have that something I liked as a gift for me, sometimes even months later.

• He is so smart and has so much useful knowledge, I get amazed at some of the things he knows.

• He sings to me. I love his voice, and can listen to his singing for hours.

• He cooks dinner many nights for us, and always cooks Sunday breakfast.

• He's always there to listen to me if I need to talk, or if I need a shoulder to cry on.

• He's my biggest fan and cheerleader.

• He is a good daddy to all of our cats and dogs.

• He is a huge animal lover, and an excellent dog trainer.

• He gives me a kiss and a hug before leaving for work every morning, and surprises me when he walks back in and says he needs one more kiss.

• He's my personal hero, my everything.
  

I couldn't imagine being married to anyone else. He is always looking for ways to make me smile… especially when I’m not in the mood to smile. He is always complementing me, telling me I look beautiful even when I don't think so. He is a dedicated, committed man in everything that he does. He is very committed to our marriage.

He hasn't been taking much time off work in quite awhile, but with this being our anniversary weekend, he took the time off so we can have the weekend together. Despite that I have been really sick, and have spoiled our plans, he has made sure he has been right here with me to take care of me.

My husband is my best friend in the entire world. There's no one I'd rather spend my time with than him. He takes such great care of me and invests so much of himself in me and in our marriage. He has made the last 23 years of my life absolutely wonderful!

Happy Anniversary Honey!

I'm Back, and Lacee

Here I am again apologizing for my absence. My computer has been having some issues which has caused me not to be able to access Blogger, and on the days I was able, it would not allow me to comment. First I was thinking it was Blogger, but I have been having problems with my internet service. For now, I am back on, hopefully for good.

The last time I missed a couple weeks blogging, was last December when I was sick. I must admit, I never really got over that, was getting better, but never feeling one hundred percent. Then a couple weeks ago, I took a turn for the worse, and became very sick again. My immune system just isn't doing its job. I had gotten where I couldn't eat anything because my esophagus felt swollen and it hurt with anything going down. I have no voice half the time, and just plain miserable. My mom says stress is affecting my immune system, well, moms know best, right?

I think I may have discovered why I haven't gotten much better, but I will post about that another time. For now, let me update you all on Lacee.


I have begun to let her loose running around the cat room doing what ever she pleases, for longer periods of time, without me standing right over her, but still I am in the room. Lets just say she is one wild little girl! She is all kitten, pouncing and jumping on anything and everyone. I tried so hard to get good pictures, but she is just too fast. Mac loves to play with her, but he is afraid. She does not play gently, she has never learned how, so when she bites him, he cries and tries to get away.


LG on the other hand, is an excellent teacher. I am so proud of him. He would run up to her, then walk away and get her to follow him, when she didn't he would go back to her until she did. He was teaching her how to climb up all the shelves and how to get back down again. She had a tough time at first, as she wouldn't jump from shelf to shelf, she tried to stretch and climb at first, but it did not take long for her to catch on. She loves to play and wrestle with LG, as he is a little tougher then Mac, but he is still very gentle, and watching them play, I can clearly see how he is teaching her how to play gently, although watching her, that may take awhile.




She gets to running and pouncing so fast, she goes sliding sometimes across the mats, dumping food, water, and even litter from the litter box everywhere. She is a fun and very wild little thing. I have a feeling quiet days in my cat room are going to be few and far between.




She walks all the time now. No more crawling. We can see she walks a little odd and stands a little differently then a normal cat, but for her, she is doing just fine. She still prefers to climb, rather then jump up on things, but she is getting the hang of it.

Enjoy the pictures. Now, I am off to go catch up on all of your blogs.

Jake and Jarie

Jake

I guess it is time I update my blog on how Jake and Jarie are doing. I have debated with myself over and over if I should even write about either one of them. I know I cause a few of you that have been following my blog to cry when you come here to read. I do apologize for that. I try to write about the good happenings in my life too, but sometimes a few sad happenings occur also, and since I started this blog with all of my dogs stories, it is only right that I continue with how they are doing. So here is our update.

Jake is doing as well as can be expected considering his age and health. He will be 11 years old this June. We notice subtle changes ever day with him. He slows down a little more each day. He can not stand for long without falling on all fours. His hind legs just can not hold him up for long. When he is walking, his hind legs cross over quite a bit. Most times he stands on the top of one of his back feet. It is important that I am next to him to help him step over the threshold of the back door.

He still has his sight and hearing, but we have noticed him becoming a little "confused", (for lack of a better word). He sits at my desk waiting for a treat from his treat jar. The confused part is his treat jar has not been on my desk for 6 months or so. It is in the kitchen. When he goes to the back door to go outside, he stands by the wrong door, and gets a little confused on which door opens. This is new behavior for him, so we are being cautious in observing any new behaviors that may need more attention from us.

Jake's cancer has returned. Where it is located, all we can do is give supportive care. Despite his mobility issues and the cancer, he has a great appetite, which is always good, when it comes to cancer.

We know our time is limited with Jake, but we remain positive and are making each day count.
For anyone who has read this far, I hope you are not crying. For now, Jake has many more good days then bad. He is still thriving and happy. He enjoys playing with his toys and chomping on his tennis balls, and waiting each evening for the hugs and greetings he gets when hubby comes home.

Jarie

Oh Jarie, where do I even begin? My baby girl. She just turned 3 years old last month. She will always be my baby girl. I wrote a few months ago that she was having problems again with her allergies. Back in October she started chewing her side. She created a circle of hair loss about 3 inches round. She also chewed a patch of hair off the base of her tail. She was put on many meds, some helped, and some she had bad reactions too.

Finally after a couple months, no more itching, and her hair is growing back, although quite slow. We can still see the circle she created, but no more redness, and the hair is coming back.

Those of you that may be reading this and don't know, Jarie has a compromised immune system, IBD, von Willebrands Disease, (bleeding disorder), and many, many allergies. Her allergies are not just food, and environmental, but she is also allergic to many medications.

I switched one of her supplements, and after just 2 days, she started chewing her side again, and scratching everywhere. I was a bad mama, I did not realize the supplement had soy in it. She can NOT have soy. I immediately assumed this was the cause. She vomited a couple days. I thought to myself, ok, she is back on the other supplements, and the soy is out of her system, she will be ok. No, not the case with Jarie.

I have tried many treatments, and nothing has helped the scratching, and itching. Finally last week, that has calmed down some, and we are thinking, we may get back to normal. No, not yet.
This week on three different occasions, Jarie has refused to eat. She is not lethargic, and she is still the happy, wild silly girl she always is. With our experience with Jarie and all of her medical issues, she must eat. I can not give her supplements on an empty stomach or she ends up very sick. But, she needs her supplements to thrive. When she has gone through bouts before without eating, she has gone as long as 4-5 days. When that happens, it compromises her immune system even more, and adds more complications with her IBD. When she refuses to eat, she refuses everything. No human foods or treats, she won't touch anything. On the times she didn't eat this week, she did eat eventually at the end of the day.

I finally realize our weather has been a major cause with her allergies and immune system. We have had a lot of rain the past 2 months. We don't normally get that much, and we know it is just one more thing wreaking havoc on her immune system.

We were battling these issues for her first two years, and we were so hoping we were past it. I am trying to remain positive, and am hoping the non eating will become a thing of the past, before it causes more concern. This is why I always refer to her as my bubble girl. It seems anything outside her little bubble affects her health.

Despite all of this, she is a very happy loving little girl. You would never guess she was sick and not feeling well, with all her running around, destroying her toys, chasing the dogs, and of course her zoomies. Oh yes, at three years old, she still gets the puppy zoomies!

Gaining Confidence Everyday

Little Lacee

Lacee loves Oscar

LG loves Lacee

Where are you going?

Gotta wash that face

Gotta wash that neck too.

Missed a spot.

Mac wants to play too.

Getting more confident everyday.

I think she fits right in, don't you?

Those of you that don't know Lacee's story, you can read it here, or just go to my archives, labeled Lacee.

She has made tremendous progress in the last two weeks. She walks 90 percent of the time, with great confidence. She stands so pretty and tall, letting on an air about her, like she is so proud of herself, almost like she just discovered her legs for the very first time.

She made her first jump last weekend. I was so very proud the first time I witnessed her crouching down low, wiggling her body, looking at me then back at the shelf contemplating, then up she went. She still climbs more then jumping, but she is definitely gaining strength in her legs, and jumps now about 50 percent of the time.

The rest of the cat pack has accepted her, and she loves all of the attention. She is still supervised while loose with the cats, and will not be left alone with them, until I know she can safely get away from them if needed, although I don't think she will need to, but best to be safe.

Each and everyday, we all just fall in love with her a little bit more. She is a very special little soul who has brought so much to our lives. If someone would have asked me 2 months ago if I thought she would ever walk normal, or close to normal, I would have said no. Look now, who am I kidding? She is my little walking miracle.