Monday, April 2, 2012

For better or worse!

Hello sweet souls. I am just checking in to say I am alive, and still following all of your blogs,and still following the BFC. The weekend was a bit rough. We went down to our shore house to start to get things ready for summer. It was a carby weekend, but back on track this fine Monday. I have kept up with all of your posts. Please forgive me for not commenting. It's hard for me to comment on my phone and I wasn't around my laptop all weekend. Congrats to Beth on the birthday and the puppy. I am here with any advice you may need, having impulsively taken two puppies from the shelter 3 years ago. What was I thinking?? I have to tell you my story.

I have done insane things for the love of pets. One example would be taking two pound puppies from the Last Chance Ranch 3 years ago. Yes, I said two, as if one wouldn't be enough for the two dogs we already owned in our family, Steve (another rescue)

 and Sadie (a glorious and regal harlequin great dane) The last thing these dogs needed was two rambunctious puppies. They were just settling into the lazy, sleep most of the day, get up to eat and drink, then back to the comfy frontgate dog bed, dog days of senior life. No one to bother them, steal their food, chew on their ears, jump on their head. Just blissful naps lasting hours and hours. They had earned these luxuries of old age, and they were going to make the most of it.

Enter  Riley and Roscoe.


 They were about three months old, heinz 57 variety, mutt puppies. Life as we all knew it changed. Up went the baby gates, out came the doggie crates and new puppy bowls. Puppy classes, training sessions and potty training filled the days that I had planned to fill with me time. This was the year I was going to get serious about yoga, cook from all those cookbooks that had been piling up, do things that I had put off. Time for me. I sent my baby to college and impulsively...yes I can admit it now honestly, it was impulsive. I went to a shelter and took TWO puppies.

I didn't plan it. I wanted a two or three year old, house trained dog. One without any real issues. One that would fit in and not be too needy. The shelters were full of them. I worried that once Sadie was gone, Steve would be lonely. He would go nuts without another dog. He needed a companion. But those shelter people saw me coming. They brought out one puppy and then another, told me they were crate mates and I instantly felt bad about taking one and leaving the other. Not to mention they were cute and cuddly and I had my 19 year old son along. "Mom", he said, "you can't take one and not the other!" He was right.

So our lives have changed since these two entered it.   Sadly our Sadie is gone, and Steve is enjoying being the grumpy pack leader. Riley is meek and mild, Roscoe is wild and wacky...oh and he has bladder issues! But a few hundred dollars in vet bills, and some expensive food for dogs that form bladder crystals, have resolved that issue!! I love them and I commited to them....for better or worse!! But it's mostly better! Mostly!!!

P.S. Did I mention Riley grew into a 80 lb tank??  What happened to that little puppy?

Thought for the day: "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." ~ Roger Caras

8 comments:

  1. Oh Pattie....your pups are precious! I LOVE dogs and I have the most handsome Golden Retriever ever to step foot on this planet! His name is Toby and he is the sweetest boy. Just love him! There is nothing like the love of a pet. They are true companions & loyal friends.:)
    Thanks for sharing those pics.
    Love
    Sherri
    p.s On a side note, our neighbors have a Goldendoodle who is sooo adorable! I want to dognap her and my husband says the police are gonna come after me becuase I keep trying to take her picture with my phone when shes out. lol. Im sick!!! lol

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pattie I LOVE your post today! Sadie was a beautiful girl. I've had dogs all my life - never been without one or two. They bring such love into our lives that even though we know we will outlive them, the joy they bring is worth the sadness we go through in the end. Two puppies at once! Wow! I can only imagine the craziness you went through! Those sneaky shelter people, playing on our heartstrings. That's how I ended up with my older dog, Marley. All your dogs are just adorable!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love your dogs and I would love to have one, but it is time to be free:) I guess I always use the excuse of having 4 kids to take care of and love, I didn't want one more thing to take care of or love that much. I love my Kitty, but she still prevents us from just "taking off".
    I don't mind if you don't comment, I love it when you do, but I do mind if we don't hear from you:) You write too eloquently not to share your thoughts.
    Blessings, K

    ReplyDelete
  4. Awww! My family are huge dog lovers, but since we live at the beach and have a patio and not a yard (even though we live in a house) we don't feel it would be fair to a dog. My husband and I both grew up with labradors and Golden Retrievers and would love to have a big dog like that, but our guinea pigs are treated like dogs. We rescued our little girls and surprisingly, they are the sweetest, most loving and cuddley animals. Anyhow, you did right by getting crate mates. You (and I) would've felt guilty doing anything else :) I bet they cause a lot of laughter and smiles in your life?!
    Carey

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for sharing such a sweet story. I have two little babies and since my daughter moved in we now have 3. I love them all but they do seem to take a lot of my time but I would not change that for anything they bring me such joy. I hope things are going well for you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Who else would lay by us...all day if needed? We can be sick and grumpy and they still love us. We have two little dogs ourselves: Max and Ella.
    Sweet posting.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for you post. I am such a dog lover too and worry that if I ever saw a puppy or dog to rescue, I would have to add them to my existing 2 dog household. It might mean divorce, but I always tell my husband, don't make me chose between you or the dogs. LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Aww I forgot how cute and cuddly they once were, and how Riley's head used to be too big for his body! Who would have known what mongrals they would turn out to be, yet I love them nonetheless!!

    Xoxo

    <3
    Future DIL

    ReplyDelete