Christmas Preparations

Hope everyone had a great week last week!

Well Christmas is almost here and it will be gone before you know it, that's the sad part.  I always try to give donations at least every month, but I'd like to be more creative in the upcoming year.  I will still give every month but I'd like to do something different once in awhile this time.  What, I have no idea, so don't ask. :)  I think I might actually make a "to do" list for next year, and make sure it's done by years end. 

My fur-kids had Santa visit them last week with his elves.  I can't post the pictures yet as I sent out my cards late and some haven't received it yet so I don't want to give it away.  Santa brought them some festive collars and some nice jackets for when it gets cool and rainy...and we've been waiting and waiting and waiting for that cool.

Miss Holly had an ear malfunction in her picture.


Here's a sneak peak of our Christmas tree with Lucas and Holly both dreaming of treats and squirrels to chase for Christmas.

 

 

Both of them had baths today so they don't stink like dog when we have house guests.  Holly had her nails painted red sparkly.  I already have some on my couch.

 

 

 

Well that's about it for right now.  I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, and be safe out there if you're traveling!!  Love from me, Lucas, Holly, Patches, and Lily

Time is Flying

Hope everyone has been well!  Time has just been flying by!

Lily has been doing well.  I've been getting her fluids every week.  Next week I'm going in to the vet and I'm determined to have them show me how to do give her the fluids without being nervous that I hurt her, at least sticking the needle into her.  I can handle an insulin sized needle, but this needle is much larger.  I know it will be easier for her, and me, to do it at home.  She seems to be doing about the same, no worse, and if anything slightly better.  I know the fluids have helped her.  Maybe the medicine is helping too, I don't know.  I know the medicine won't reverse it though.  I'm thankful for every day I have with her.

Since it's getting closer to the year end, I've been packing up paperwork at the office for a years worth of bookkeeping.  I loathe this time of the year and wonder why I'm still there after doing this job for 7 years now.  I've been there for 18 years but have been doing the bookkeeping for 7.  I sort of 'inherited' the job after the last person retired.  Not something I wanted to do but figured I'd try it especially since it pays much better.  Let's just say I'd rather do what I was doing.  I really need to kick my husbands gear into saving some more money so I can find something else.  My dream would be to have my own business but I have no idea what type of business.  I've basically been running their business for 7 years on my own as neither boss is capable of actually doing anything.  I'm tired of running someone else's when I could run my own.  I need to put a thinking cap on for ideas.  Here's some of my packing at work.

 

Holly is the only dog I know that doesn't like french fries.  She only likes nasty stuff to eat.

 

 

 

Here's Lily, Holly, and Lucas all watching dad one morning this week before work.  Funny picture.

 

 

 

Lucas riding in the back of dads truck. We had to drop him off yesterday for a cardio work up because he has a heart murmur.  Hoping for no bad results next week.

One day on the way home from work this week. Thought the clouds looked neat.

 

 

The shelter didn't have their Christmas photos this year so needless to say I didn't have any done this year which basically lead to no cards.  I know, I'm terrible.  I was waiting for the shelter to do them and they always do them at the beginning of December.  Well they didn't and know I don't feel like rushing to get any done anywhere else.  The rescue guy where we adopted Lucas and Holly from might be stopping by today, and if he does he will be bringing his Santa suit to dress up in so we can take pictures then.  Of course they won't be professional pictures, but I'll take anything.

 

 

Well I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Lily's Vet Visit

I brought Lily to the vet last weekend as she hasn't been eating much lately.  She's getting older and I probably should have brought her in for a check up awhile ago.  I had some blood work done on her, got her groomed as she hasn't been able to do it for quite some time and no matter how much I brush her I can't get the thickness out, and they gave her some fluids.  Her blood work came back and she has Chronic Kidney Failure.  According to her creatinine number (5.9), she is in severe failure.  I didn't ask the doctor what this meant in terms of extent of her life because I believe I know that answer.  I bought the kidney diet food for her which she seemed to love right away.  I haven't seen her eat too much lately again.  I might have to switch to a different brand.  I also started her on the medicine Azodyl.  I had a previous cat that was on this for years, but he was much younger so I don't know how much this will really help her.  Being almost 19 years old, kidney failure will be a part of her life and I'm will probably end hers.  I just hope I don't lose her before or at the holiday.  I lost one cat on Christmas a few years ago, and I really don't want to lose another.  As much as I know she has had a good long life, I still begin to get upset at the thought of losing her.  I believe I'm thinking about this so much too as I will probably have to help her instead of letting her suffer away to nothing if she gives up.

Lily came to us in 1995.  My husband had a friend who was dying from cancer and he knew that Frank and I would take care of her for the rest of her life.  His friend gave her to us before he passed away.  She has been the sweetest cat we have had.  Please hope that she will be with us at least for many more months.

Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and a Happy Hanukkah!

We went to my parents for Thanksgiving.  Just four of us plus the fur-kiddos.  It was nice and quiet, just how I like it.  Here's some pics of our day.

Holly waiting to leave.

Lucas ready too.

Holly and Lucas getting loving from Grandpa.

Holly loves her Grandpa so much!

Holly after dinner.

Dad and Mom

 

Frank and me

Dad and me

On our way home, Holly missing Grandpa.

 

 

Have a great Sunday everyone!!

Two Transports, One Failure

I hope everyone has had a great week, well last 2 weeks!  I just haven't been able to get on here and update on my ever so exciting life, lol!

Well last weekend I had offered to transport a dog about an hour away.  He was in our local shelter and a local rescue girl was going to take him but she couldn't for another week until she processed some adoptions so she got another rescue to take him in until then.  He is a 7 year old Rottie/Dobie mix, 110 lbs. named Jackson.  Definitely more Rottie.  Very handsome boy.  Very strong boy.  Well at the same time I was picking up Jackson at the shelter, another rescue was to bring me a Doberman to bring up to the same rescue.  This boys name is Munchie and he is 130 lbs.!  I've never had so much dog in my car at one time...and it will be the last time.  Long story short, Munchie's ride was an hour late and an adoption time for the rescue that I was meeting had been changed twice and the rescue guy couldn't meet me so I ended up bringing them to someone local until he could pick them up that evening.  What a mess that was!  Truthfully, I was glad I didn't have to drive an hour with these two big boys.  I had one in a kennel but he never calmed down the entire time.  They are both beautiful, but Munchie needs to loose a few pounds.  And of course Jackson has heartworms so he is being treated for it.

Today I offered to transport another dog.  I almost didn't because of what happened last weekend, but I figured I would give it a try.  This ride took about 3 hours total.  This transport went smooth and I'm happy I did it.  Her name is Emmy and she was saved from Miami Dade Animal Services (one of the worst shelters in Florida).  She's a 10 year old American Bulldog, has mammary tumors, an URI, and a skin issue (probably demodex).  She was a pleasant and quiet passenger.  When the vet tech came out to help me load her in my car (just in case she had an issue with lifting) he said she's a puller on the leash.  I almost laughed hysterically at him after having gone through the real puller last week.  She was a breeze to handle at about 40 lbs.

This is her picture at the shelter.

This is where I stopped to hand her off

to the next driver.

 

 

Well I'm off for the night. I'm tired.  Just in case if I don't get back on tomorrow, I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!!  

Birthday, Bed and a Visitor

Hope everyone had a great week!

It seemed like a long one for me since I had to work a full week for the first time in two weeks.  Thankfully I can sneak out early.

This past Wednesday it was 7 years ago that we adopted Lucas.  We don't know his birthday so I consider that his birthday so he is about 9 years old now.  I really can't believe how time flies by.  I try not to think about it and enjoy every day I have with my wonderful boy.

Little Rosie stopped by for a visit with her dad on Thursday.  It was really great to see her.  At first she seemed to have calmed down a bit, but then she got going with Holly and it was non-stop until she left.  Boy when she's around Holly all she wants to do is play with her.  Holly enjoys it at the beginning, and then I think she cringes after awhile, lol.  A dose of her own medicine I tell her.  Here's a quick second shot of the three dogs sitting, Rosie being on the left.

Today I dragged my husband shopping with me.  Found a Kirklands not too far and bought Patches a bed.  They had a really, really soft regular open bed which I loved because it was so soft, but all I though of was Lily puking on it and me having to wash it a dozen times because of her doing that, so the tent I bought.  I know Lily won't go in this.  Lily has her certain spots around the house and I have many little blankets and throws all around for her to lay on so if it does get puked on it's very easy to clean and wash and won't get ruined.

Well I'm off for the night.  Tomorrow is our anniversary.  We will be married 22 years!  That is another one I can't believe we made it that long!  Anyone tells you marriage is a piece of cake, kick them in the shin.  Sure, you love the other person, but marriage takes work, it takes commitment, and you have to work on it all the time. 

Have a great rest of the weekend everyone!

Live Oak

Well I had a really nice time on my little mini-vacation last week.  I really enjoyed the time I spent catching up with wonderful friends, and who I still can consider family.

The drive wasn't too bad.  When I went up I stopped in Gainesville and ate lunch with my first best friend I ever had, Mary.  That drive took 4 hours.  There really isn't much of anything on the way there to look at and the traffic wasn't too bad, even in the Orlando area.  We actually have rolling hills in Florida. I didn't take too many pictures but here's a couple of the drive.

 

 

 

Then the next stop was Live Oak where I spent time with her parents and her sister Suzanne and her family.  We didn't do much of anything which didn't matter to me.  I enjoyed hanging around.  Friday we took a ride to Valdosta, Georgia to go do some shopping.  The drive to Valdosta was nice and only took about an hour.  That was about the only thing we really went out and did.  They showed me their small town of about 6,000 people and their business they own.  It was a nice little town.  Saturday on the way home I stopped back by Mary's then came home.  Of course on the way home you want to get home faster, so I might have had a little lead in my foot.  Had a nice drive home too.  I couldn't have had better weather the entire time.  Plus it was a lot cooler up there than down south so I really enjoyed that! 

 

My first best friend

 Mary's mom. I spent a lot of time with her

and I really enjoyed it.

 

One of Suzanne's outside cats. Reminded

me of my Patches.

So many lily pads

 

The roads were filled with trees with moss.

One of many huge oak trees.

 



Happy Halloween!

                                                          Happy Halloween Everyone!

Halloween Pics and Days Off

Happy Saturday! Hope everyone had a good week.

Last weekend my Patches had some blood work done to re-check her thyroid.  She is hyperthyroid and the last time it was high, so we got her on some chewable medicine instead of pills since the last time.  It did come down but it is still high.  The vet increased one of her doses and we do a re-check in 6 months. This is her in her prison at the vet.

Last weekend husband went and bought himself another little toy.  I've been harping on him to get rid of the Mustang he no longer wants that is sitting in the garage that he says "he's working on it", ha!

Took some pictures of Holly and Lucas with some new Halloween collars that their Auntie Carol gave them for Christmas.  The other pictures in their costumes are from previous years. 

I took this one and labeled it as "my support system".  Don't dogs always support us?

This week I'm finally taking a little mini-vacation.  It's only about a 5 hour drive away and I still won't be out of the state of Florida, but at least I'll be 'away'.  I'm going to visit an old childhood friend and family who lived down the street from me growing up.  She was my best friend for about 5 years and her family was like a second family to me.  I really need to get out of work for awhile because I feel like I'm going to crash soon if I don't.  I'll only be taking off 3 days this week.  Then the following week I'll be taking off 2 days (Halloween of course).  I can't take an entire week off at once as I do payroll for 4 companies plus the bookkeeping, and I'm the only employee.  It has many advantages, but many disadvantages too. 

Well I hope everyone has a great weekend, what's left, and a great week too!

 

Stray Is Now An Angel

It is with a very sad heart that I must say that the shelter euthanized the wonderful boy I found last week.  I went to see him Tuesday after work and was told he had heart worms.  When I got home that night I asked friends if they knew of anyone who did rescuing so they might be able to save this boy.  One of my friends friends gave me hope.  She tagged a whole bunch of people the next morning trying to find a foster for him.  I offered a donation to a rescue who could take him.  I got word from the shelter that afternoon that they had euthanized him that morning.  I guess when they have medical issues and no one interested, they are the first ones to go.  Even now, I still can't talk/think about him without starting to cry again so I'm going to leave it at this. Rest in peace big guy.  I know you won't be in pain wandering the streets, or likely to be hit by a car.  I love you big guy.

A Stray and Yard Sales Time!

Hope everyone had a good week!

Well I went to work on Thursday and found a poor little ole stray dog outside my office door.  At first he kind of freaked me out because he was quite large, but once he came up to me and I got the leash on him I knew he was okay.  I couldn't let him just wander back to wherever he came from (if he did at all) because my work is literally steps from a very busy road.  Seen one too many dead animals on it.  I posted his picture on a lost and found page on Facebook then called our County  Animal Control.  Every time I've called other rescues I have never had any luck on them accepting animals.  Our animal control, I believe, they truly do everything they can in their power to get dogs adopted.  But seeming they HAVE to take in every single animal that is brought in, they have no choice but to euthanize for room.  They do work with many rescues in our county and surrounding counties, and even they can't get them to take the animal to save their life.  Anyway, the 8 hours I spent with this boy, of course, I just fell in love.  He slept most of the day.  Never barked at anything.  Greeted everyone who came by my office like a good boy.  One person came by with their dog because they thought the dog I found was theirs.  He got snapped at by their dog because he tried to mount her and he did nothing, showed not aggression or anything.  When I took him to the shelter he was excited to see other dogs but looked like he wanted to play.  He was a genuine all around good boy.  The next day I had to drop some toys off at the shelter so of course I went to go see him.  He was still his happy self.  I told him he was such a good boy and I loved him.  I spent just a few minutes petting him through the bars and had to leave.  I almost didn't make it out without crying.  I plan on stopping by there on Monday after work and asking if I can take him out in a grassy area.  I feel so bad for him.  I can only hope that he gets adopted after the 5 day hold period.  I do plan on offering a donation for any rescue who can take him, or even to an adopter to put towards their vet bill.  This boy is going to haunt me.  If anyone does live in South Florida and would love a great dog, Palm Beach County Animal Control has a great one! His ID# A1701581.  Here's a few pictures I took.

Today my mom had a garage sale.  Holly and I went down to help, and Holly solicited for donations for the rescue where she came from, Dobermann Rescue of Lake Placid.  She received $20.25.  Almost as much as I made off the stuff I brought down, lol!

Grandma made her donation vest.

Well I'm off to get a little r&r!  Have a great weekend!

No New Ones and Decoration Time

Hope everyone had a great week, and weekend!

Well we decided not to adopt Fiona and Minerva, the two kitties at our vets office.  The second I seen them I was saying "they will definitely be coming home with me next week". Over the week I had time to think about it and how it would affect my two cats. In the meantime my husband was okay with getting them both.  We both went to the vet yesterday with both the dogs (Lucas was just along for the ride). We brought Lucas so we could see how he got along with the kitties if they were still there.  Well while we were waiting for a room, the rescue came and took the kitties to an adoption event.  I discussed it with my vet about what I would need to test for before they came home if I did adopt them.  I needed to plan how much money also because basically we would have to pay for these tests before we even adopted them to make sure they didn't have anything contagious.  Plus I didn't even know if the rescue would go for that or not.  Then we discussed how my two cats would do.  Her (as well as our) main concern was stressing out Patches, our diabetic and hyperthyroid senior.  Lily, I'm sure, would be fine with other cats.  She always got along with others.  Patches gets stressed and pissed off and likes to (I guess you could say) scream at other cats.  So we left to finish thinking about it.  My husband still was okay with adopting them, but I didn't want to stress out Patches.  So we're back at our original plan and waiting until they are both gone, then starting over.  I hope that doesn't sound horrible.  They are 18 and 19 years old and I believe they both need to finish living out their lives in peace.  I will have more cats again, just not right now.  I feel bad for Fiona and Minerva, but they are truly great cats that get along with both cats and dogs and I know they'll make a great addition to someone else's family.

Started going through some boxes yesterday to find stuff for a yard sale.  My mom is having one next Saturday and I'm going down with little Miss Holly.  Holly will be the spokesdog this year to collect funds for the rescue where we adopted her from.  Lucas had that pleasure last year.  I finally got around to my Halloween stuff.  Here's a couple of pictures of some of the stuff I put out.

Now time to get off the computer and finish the dog rope toys for the shelter that I've been putting off forever!  Hope everyone has a great week!  And Happy October this week!!