Xavier left on transport this morning. Plenty of tears, but no regrets.
They are beyond ready for him to join their family and I will anxiously await the news that he has arrived, safe and sound, in his new life.
I always feel a little guilty leaving the house with one of my fosters for the last time. Dixie and Jax have no idea that their friend will not return with me this afternoon. Our house will be sad for a while, as usual, but we will move on. Somebody else will need us soon.
Good bye, boy. You and I will walk separate paths through our lives from now on, but you will always be a part of my pack and have a place in my heart.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
When you gotta go, you gotta go.
Once again, I have been neglectful with updating the blog. It is the very busiest time of the year for us at work and in balancing all the extra stress of work with the dogs, I am fully consumed.
Xavier has been being treated for a bladder infection of some sort. It got really bad for a while. He couldn't even hold it for a couple of hours and he even peed himself in his sleep a few times. Because it's not fair to leave a dog to sit in his own urine, it put our crate anxiety training on hold. Instead he came with me to work every day and even road along with me during my sales leads. I had to pull over every hour or so, but we made it work. It's situations like these that make me realize how fortunate I am to be able to have my dogs at work when need be.
The urinalysis revealed something very odd. "One for the books" according to the doctor. I will spare the details, as people who are not fascinated with medical oddities, like I am, might find them a bit disgusting. The puzzling test results caused us some concern that there may be some remaining damage to the bladder, which was repaired during one of his surgeries. We got opinions from several different doctors, none of whom could give an explanation. Everyone had ideas, but none too confident. The starting point was a strong course of antibiotics, because the ultrasound that was done the day before I got him was perfectly normal. He seems to be making good progress. He can do three hour stretches in the crate now and he can control the urge a bit more. I'm hopeful that there is no hidden damage. There is a chance that he may always be prone to bladder infections because of his medical history. His adopter aware of this and it doesn't deter him in the least.
Oh, and by the way, he has an adoption pending! And, it is far, far way from the people who did this to him in the first place. Just like Rheagan and Enzo, Xavier will be heading to the D.C. area. His future "dad" is a chef and his fiance, who is from Italy, is just finishing up her final year in law school. The two of them will be getting married this summer. It sounds like they are very active, just like X, and are surrounded by walking trails and dog parks. They have been preparing their home with all of the things that he needs. They are aware of his separation anxiety and want his transition to be as smooth as possible. They got him the same crate, same food, his favorite kinds of toys, and a Thundershirt. They are also setting him up with dog medical insurance, because of his history. He has had dogs all of his life, but X will be her very first. She is excited, but nervous about the whole adoption process. I think they will provide a wonderful home for X. They are going to London next week, so he will be with us for a couple more weeks, which will give us time for follow up lab work. We want to be sure that everything is figured out before he goes on transport, which, by the way, I am dreading already!
Xavier has been being treated for a bladder infection of some sort. It got really bad for a while. He couldn't even hold it for a couple of hours and he even peed himself in his sleep a few times. Because it's not fair to leave a dog to sit in his own urine, it put our crate anxiety training on hold. Instead he came with me to work every day and even road along with me during my sales leads. I had to pull over every hour or so, but we made it work. It's situations like these that make me realize how fortunate I am to be able to have my dogs at work when need be.
The urinalysis revealed something very odd. "One for the books" according to the doctor. I will spare the details, as people who are not fascinated with medical oddities, like I am, might find them a bit disgusting. The puzzling test results caused us some concern that there may be some remaining damage to the bladder, which was repaired during one of his surgeries. We got opinions from several different doctors, none of whom could give an explanation. Everyone had ideas, but none too confident. The starting point was a strong course of antibiotics, because the ultrasound that was done the day before I got him was perfectly normal. He seems to be making good progress. He can do three hour stretches in the crate now and he can control the urge a bit more. I'm hopeful that there is no hidden damage. There is a chance that he may always be prone to bladder infections because of his medical history. His adopter aware of this and it doesn't deter him in the least.
Oh, and by the way, he has an adoption pending! And, it is far, far way from the people who did this to him in the first place. Just like Rheagan and Enzo, Xavier will be heading to the D.C. area. His future "dad" is a chef and his fiance, who is from Italy, is just finishing up her final year in law school. The two of them will be getting married this summer. It sounds like they are very active, just like X, and are surrounded by walking trails and dog parks. They have been preparing their home with all of the things that he needs. They are aware of his separation anxiety and want his transition to be as smooth as possible. They got him the same crate, same food, his favorite kinds of toys, and a Thundershirt. They are also setting him up with dog medical insurance, because of his history. He has had dogs all of his life, but X will be her very first. She is excited, but nervous about the whole adoption process. I think they will provide a wonderful home for X. They are going to London next week, so he will be with us for a couple more weeks, which will give us time for follow up lab work. We want to be sure that everything is figured out before he goes on transport, which, by the way, I am dreading already!
Please, Stop!
When Asia died, it about destroyed me. The only thing worse for me, concerning my dogs, would be for one of them to get lost. I just couldn't take not knowing if they were dead or alive, suffering on the side of the road somewhere, or, God forbid, had fallen into the wrong hands. That is why I never hesitate to stop what I'm doing to assist a loose dog. I understand that not everyone is capable of handling a "stray" dog. It isn't necessarily safe if you don't know what you are doing. But if a dog has a collar on, he isn't a "stray," he has simply lost his way. He likely has a home and he may just have somebody, like me, worried sick and broken hearted at his absence. So I ask of you all, dog lovers or not, the next time you see somebody's four legged family member running at large, please don't ignore him. Please stop. The five minutes that you take to check the tags and call the owner, the vet, or even animal control (for those of you fortunate enough to have animal control in your area) could make a world of difference to somebody.
I did just that on Thursday afternoon while I was driving around doing sales leads for work. I shuddered as a stout little beagle narrowly avoided getting hit by a car. He clearly had no clue as he padded down the middle of a well-traveled street. He had a red harness on and I could see the id tags from my car. Beagles are usually pretty friendly to strangers so I'd no doubt that I could catch him. I got out and called to him and he came scampering over, tail wagging. He was clean and well fed. His name, "Chance," was printed on his collar. It was strange because the phone number on the tag was from a town 25 miles away. I called the number and got no answer but I left a message. It was during work hours, so I wasn't surprised. I put Chance in my car and he accompanied me the rest of the day. Later, back at the office, I got the phone call from Chances very relieved owner. He and his wife were staying in Little Rock preparing for an estate sale at his recently deceased mother's house and the back door had been left open. They had been searching and worrying all day. The house wasn't far from my own, so I told them I'd bring Chance back to them. When I pulled up with him, an older couple met me in the yard. There were instant tears and big hugs for me. They were so thankful. The woman told me that she had been praying to God to bring him home safely. She said "and God sent you. You are Chance's guardian angel." We talked for a while and the husband gave me $50, which I promptly refused. They both insisted and I could see that it meant a lot to them that I take the money, so I gratefully accepted it. The happy ending was enough for me though. I told them that I only hope that somebody would do the same for me. They promised that they would always remember this and pass it on if the situation ever presented itself.
It was a good day.
I did just that on Thursday afternoon while I was driving around doing sales leads for work. I shuddered as a stout little beagle narrowly avoided getting hit by a car. He clearly had no clue as he padded down the middle of a well-traveled street. He had a red harness on and I could see the id tags from my car. Beagles are usually pretty friendly to strangers so I'd no doubt that I could catch him. I got out and called to him and he came scampering over, tail wagging. He was clean and well fed. His name, "Chance," was printed on his collar. It was strange because the phone number on the tag was from a town 25 miles away. I called the number and got no answer but I left a message. It was during work hours, so I wasn't surprised. I put Chance in my car and he accompanied me the rest of the day. Later, back at the office, I got the phone call from Chances very relieved owner. He and his wife were staying in Little Rock preparing for an estate sale at his recently deceased mother's house and the back door had been left open. They had been searching and worrying all day. The house wasn't far from my own, so I told them I'd bring Chance back to them. When I pulled up with him, an older couple met me in the yard. There were instant tears and big hugs for me. They were so thankful. The woman told me that she had been praying to God to bring him home safely. She said "and God sent you. You are Chance's guardian angel." We talked for a while and the husband gave me $50, which I promptly refused. They both insisted and I could see that it meant a lot to them that I take the money, so I gratefully accepted it. The happy ending was enough for me though. I told them that I only hope that somebody would do the same for me. They promised that they would always remember this and pass it on if the situation ever presented itself.
It was a good day.
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