September happenings

All I can say is that I FEEL BLESSED! On Saturday we sold the Suburban to a guy who saw it online, flew down from Washington to purchase it, and drove back home. Yahoo! This means the rescue will basically be self-sufficient now, and I won't have to put my own funds in to cover the care payment, the vet care for the dogs, etc. And I'll now be able to afford liability insurance too!

Last week I took in a pair of Standard Poodles. Oh my, I *LOVE* the male. His name is Marley and he is so fun, does the typical little Poodle prance. I can hardly wait to have my own Standard....some day!

Below is a picture of me and the dogs taken about six months ago. I love my pack of Poos!

Two months later

It's hard to believe it's been two months since I last posted! Yikes! Let me see if I can think of all that is new:

• I'm now overseeing Hospice at work. This is actually a lot of fun, although a lot of work as well. We have a new Program Director that I'm mentoring who I think will be stellar in time.
  
• We have had a financial loss the last three months at work, with July being the worst. We just had our finance committee meeting today and it was rather depressing/discouraging and made me feel like the Board is simply not addressing the capitated issue which caused $120K loss. They are ignoring that piece and asking us to make more cuts in FTEs - and we just did $50K last month, which weren't yet reflected in the financials.
  
• We have a daughter! A Miniature Poodle one. After considering what a Standard Poodle pup would entail, I thought better of it and instead we have Chloe! She is a little black girl, now 8 lbs, and full of sprite. Talk about fun!
  
• I *may* have the Suburban sold. That would be HUGE....much less of a drain.
• We are working on purchasing a solar system for our house. That will save considerably on the electric bill.

Dogs, of course

The last time Ed flew to Europe (just three months ago), he came home to another dog - Maxwell. I didn't think we'd be adding any additional dogs for a while, as that put us back up to seven dogs - the three Goldens, three Poodles, and Jubie the Corgi. Well, we put Jubie to sleep on June 6th. Then Friday I came home from work to find Dexter, only 8 years old, with a distended abdomen, pale gums, and lethargic. I took him to the emergency clinic where my suspicions were confirmed - he had internal bleeding caused by a tumor on his spleen. I put him to sleep. I can not believe I am down to just two goldens, Abner & Coral. I feel like an era of my life has ended. It is sad.

Well, Ed is back in Europe again. He took Jeremy with him and it has truly been quite an adventure. Ed had previously said after at least one large dog passes and Jubie, we could consider a Standard Poodle addition to the household. I broached it with him on the phone, but think I'd better wait until he returns to get his buy-in. His trip is 18 days, and he's only half-way into it, won't be home until the 4th. I am sure hoping to be able to finally have my Standard Poodle!

Poodles, Jubie and my grey hair

This morning I decided I was going to work from home as I had an appointment in Temecula at 1 p.m., and figured I could do performance evals, etc. at home. I decided to have my coffee in bed while snuggling Coral, Abner and Poodles and watching the early news. First I'd let the kennel dogs out to run around, and didn't think much of it when I heard barking later. About 7:15 I got up to feed our dogs, and Dexter was running around at the fence line barking at a dog I couldn't visualize. Strange, I thought, but didn't think further. About 7:30, though, I noticed there were only 4 foster Poodles in the big play yard.....not good... there should be SIX. Jeremy and I looked everywhere, and there was no sign of Charlie & Lucy.

In the car I went and searched everywhere. While I was driving, Jeremy made about 40 flyers which I posted through out the neighborhood. I got a call from one neighbor who had seen the dogs a half-hour earlier but was unable to catch them. They were right near his house. He kept looking with me, but didn't spot them later. Driving, driving, driving with a full bladder, I feared the worst. About a half-hour later I got a call from another person who saw them on her way to work. She didn't try to stop because she didn't have time, but did see the flyer and called. They weren't too terribly far from home. I kept searching. I was about to give up hope after three hours, when I got a call from the microchip company. Thankfully I'd been able to register their chips on the phone this morning when they were discovered missing, and they were wearing their chip tags. Someone just a few properties down had them in their yard and had called. WHEW! I thought it was going to be the end of me! When I pulled up the dogs looked exhilarated and had clearly enjoyed their grand adventure.

While I would have been stressed beyond belief on any given day with such an escape, today was NOT a good day for it. I had told Kati that it was time to put poor Jubilee to sleep. She came and visited with her yesterday, then called me last night to ask if she could come again Sunday. I told her that wasn't fair to the dog. What I wanted to say is that she'd had ten months and never once visited her. It was the whole reason why I didn't want to let her take the dog to begin with - she isn't and hasn't ever been even a slight priority. She never got her the care for her back, never made sure she had a clean place to live, nor did she provide even the most basic care for her. And now the dog is supposed to suffer for five more days just because she feels guilty and wants one more visit? Nope. I had her put to sleep this afternoon and will mail her the ashes. I feel such a relief for Jubilee, and a sense of...hmmm...accomplishment? Satisfaction?.....that I made it to the end, cared for Mom's dog to the end. I feel like Jubilee was another part of my obligation to mom that I satisfied, and did well, another door to that chapter of life that can be closed.

Everyday blessings

Ephesians 3:2o - "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think..."

I recently read a great book called The Glass Castle. It was the true story of a famous journalist and her upbringing. Her mother wasn't into caring for the kids, and her father was a drunk and often unemployed. It left the four kids to their own devices, often trying to hunt down food to feed themselves. They raided trash cans, often had no elecricity or indoor plumbing. They had an awful, difficult childhood. It made me feel like I grew up in royalty. However, while I didn't have to raid trash cans for food, I certainly didn't have it very easy. Mom did the best she could, but caring for two girls on an LVN's salary was challenging at best. When she went to school to get her RN, we were on welfare temporarily. We lived in government subsidized housing. I always felt inferior to the kids at school who had "in" clothes. I didn't have to have the latest and greatest, but I knew I definitely showed our lower income status. It was hard, but it gave me character. It also gave me deep appreciation for all that we are now blessed with. Yes, we work hard for what we have, but I believe it is all due to the Lord's blessing us with great jobs and with a strong work ethic. Today Ed & I went to Costco and bought our patio furniture. We sat out there for an hour this evening, me sipping my decaf and Ed his glass of wine. It was peaceful and relaxing. Our yard and pool is so nice. Things are really coming along. I just feel so very peaceful and love my home.

Celebrating Abner

Just six days ago I thought Abner was a goner. I really needn't have worried though. I should know by now that this goof ball's previous conditioners have been mostly self-induced. In fact, previous to Monday (which was also Memorial Day and Ed's birthday), Abner's last two visits to the Emergency Clinic were for gorging himself on dog food. Knowing this history, I really should have thought hard about his gassiness, his slightly enlarged stomach, and considered how it might be playing a role in his most current condition.

What is that you might ask? Well, I had my introduction to dog seizures. About 10 a.m. he had his first one. He was incontinent of urine during the episode, making me ever grateful for tile throughout our house. He had another at 4 p.m., one at 8 p.m. and when had the last one at 9:30 p.m. I knew it was time to head for the doggy E.R. All his lab work was normal, at least for him, and nothing seemed amiss. Dr. Byrd thought for sure he had a brain tumor causing his sudden onset of seizures. She wanted to keep him overnight, but it was already midnight and I'd need to pick him up by 8 a.m. It didn't seem like 8 hours of ER care was going to make a difference, so I had her dose him up on Phenobarbital and off we went. When we got home, the diarrhea hit. A few more episodes of diarrhea came on, followed by a huge, enormous pile of.....vomit. It was the worst, most foul smelling stuff. It was also mixed with cellophane. I was so relieved that it seemed like instead of a terminal brain tumor, my goofy golden had garbage poisoning! I kept him on the Phenobarbital for the week, and tapered him off. Yesterday and today he was medication free, and no seizures! Yahoo! I am NOT ready to lose my precious boy. He and Coral are really getting up there in years, but I just can't stand the thought of losing either of them. Each day is truly a blessing. After Monday, instead of being annoyed with Abner's mealtime barking, it is like music to my ears. Another day to celebrate this wonderful Golden.

Real Men Love Poodles

When Scooter first joined our family, Ed had no problem showing him affection - PRIVATELY. What he did in public, however, was an entirely different story! I'd be carrying Scooter with me, and if I had to use the restroom and ask Ed to hold him, Ed would exhale loudly, and hang on to the dog as though he was holding a lump of clay. There was NO WAY this guy was going to act even remotely affectionate - or even tolerant - of a Poodle in front of people! After all, what would people say about a guy holding a...a...a...POODLE?!?!?!?!

Fast forward 1 1/2 years and two Poodles later....

There was a local agility event that I'd hear about, and one of Ed's co-workers also mentioned it too. So, I groomed all three Poos and we managed to make it at the end of the day. I had Max on the leash, was carrying Scooter, and Ed was happily carrying his little girl, Chelsea. That's not too big of a test - after all, it's a dog event with dog people.

After we'd watched the competition dogs racing around and enjoying the courses, Ed & I decided to head into town and grab some dinner at Rosa's Cafe. There's a nice outdoor eating area there that is very dog friendly. Ed went and cleaned up first, and when he got back, I handed the Toy Poodles to him to hold. It was quite a site - Max laying on the chair next to Ed (yes, at the table!), and these two "high society" Poodles (that's one someone at the agility event called them!) in Ed's lap. I had to hold a chuckle, thinking how far we'd come. When I returned to the table, I overheard snickering from nearby customers. They obviously found it funny to see this guy at the table with not just one, not two, but THREE Poodles! The best part was Ed didn't even seem to mind. I guess he's now a Poodle convert too!