It never ends

Guess who's taking a trip to the Vet NOW?

Yup. We're making a trip to the vet this morning. I took my German Shepherd to the dog park a couple times this week, and yesterday there were LOTS of dogs to play with. She did a great job, fell in love with a boxer and proceeded to "herd" him all over the park. She even got jealous when another dog started playing with the boxer and began vocalizing at him. A good time was had by all.

Last night, she was exhausted, and I think she's STILL tired this morning. And because we're (finally!) supposed to get some significant rain, I was going to take her out there to play again this morning, because it will be days before the mud about to be created dries out.

But we have a problem, so there will be no play time. And no long walk in the nice cool air.

This morning she was licking her paw and seemed to be pulling something off of it, as though she had stepped in gum or something. So I got a flashlight so I could take a closer look, and the large pad on both of her front paws is abraded, that entire outer layer of tough pad is worn away. On the other paw, it's flapping. She's not bleeding, but she is clearly in pain. And this is something that needs SOME KIND of attention, although I'm not sure what to do about it.

I searched the 'net trying to find a useful veterinary article, but they all address different types of injuries, involving cuts through the pad. Nothing like this. So I called the clinic, knowing that pad injuries can become serious quickly given the use they take by necessity. And as you all know...I can't afford an expensive infection. And quite honestly, I think if I just let this go it would get worse and then we would be dealing with a REAL problem. I guess I'd rather pay the fee to have her looked at than wait. If it does go all the way through the pad, a general anesthesia is typically needed to fix it and I don't WANT to know that cost!

So this morning in a couple hours, we're heading off to the vet. I don't want to go there, and really, she doesn't either. But we will do what's necessary. Because...well, it's necessary.

* sigh *





UPDATE: It was worth the cost of the vet visit, which was minimal. She cut the flapping piece of skin that could have torn had we left it untended. And for now, we just have to avoid pavement and other abrasive surfaces. So the dog park is out for now, which is fine, because now it's all muddy, and we're entering a rainy stretch of weather. But in any case the abrasion did not go all the way through and what she has left of her pad should heal with no problem.

I tried little fleece booties on her today. She walked funny, but after a short while didn't have a problem with them. So we'll be taking our walks with "protected" front paws for the next few days. And no, I don't care how dumb it looks. I'm more interested in avoiding other vet bills by ensuring the pad won't wear through to the flesh!

She's curled up on the dog bed near me right now. You've never seen such a cute Shepherd!

Unexpected Blessings

I just love how the Lord works. He constantly blows me away with his love and mercy, with the smallest of concerns. In fact...there are no concerns too small for God. Today was a lesson in that.

I went to Adoration this afternoon, and ne of the things I prayed about was my dreams involving Fire. I know I did the right thing, I was there, I said goodbye, and yes, I miss him. Jesus and I had a great discussion about that, and he said that he speaks to us in dreams...why am I not listening? I so rarely understand when such cryptic things come to me in prayer, so I just threw my hands up as usual (so to speak) and asked him to reveal himself and what he meant. That part of my prayer was answered today; it is that other people feel as I do when they suffer a loss, and sometimes, we are in the circumstances in which we can provide that answer to another soul. I will explain.

While I was there, I sensed that I should take my dog to the dog park this afternoon for awhile. I didn't really want to go; while I love going there, today is a warm day, it's rush hour, and a thousand other excuses. And then I was guilty for being distracted in prayer. I wasn't sure what I would do, but en route home from the church, I knew I had to go to the dog park. I figured I'd let her chase a ball for awhile, give her water, and come home. And that's what happened...but there's more to the story.

This is where it gets good...

There was no one at the park when we arrived, which wasn't surprising. 4 pm on a Thursday afternoon? People are at work, and it's a hot day. My German Shepherd and I are the only nutjobs dumb enough to be out on such an afternoon.

I was thinking about leaving when a car pulled up behind mine and a woman got out with her dog. I figured my dog could use some canine contact so decided to stay. Sure enough, the new dog made a beeline for us, and the woman who arrived commented that my dog looked just like Sadie.

She asked me where I got her? "The Humane Society", I told her. "A few years ago."

She was insisting that she never thought she'd see this dog again...that was Sadie. I told her that when I adopted her, she was called "Sugar Bear" and I had to change the name.

By this time, the woman was very excited, and I was a little shocked. "That's Her! When we got her, she was called Sugar Bear! We called her Sadie! CAN I HUG YOU? We were heartbroken when my parents had to give her up!"

So this afternoon, that's how I found myself hugging a stranger in a dog park in suburbia.

For a little backstory....when I adopted my girl, the Humane Society gave me her history. First she was brought in by a girl who was going to college, so had to give her up. Then a woman adopted her for her parents, who had recently lost their dog. She had a good home with that couple, but the man was diagnosed with terminal cancer, they realized they could not care for her, so found her a home. Those people couldn't care for her so brought her back to the Humane Society. She was adopted once or twice after that, and then came to me, where she has been ever since.

The woman I met today is the same one who adopted her for her parents! She explained that they were heartbroken; they LOVED this dog to death and always wondered what had become of her. J., the woman I spoke with today, revealed that she and her husband wanted to adopt her but they had cats and "Sadie" was not good with cats. So they, too, were heartbroken because they'd fallen in love with this sweet-natured German Shepherd. J. said that she had prayed to God that she'd found a good home, and was worried she'd gone to some crazy family that ignored her or treated her badly. All she wanted to know was whether their "Sadie" was all right.

She looked at me, then, thrilled. She could see with her own eyes that "Sadie", now Tikaani, is wonderful. She's healthy, happy, and has a good home. I told her how she came to be with me and how she's been...she was familiar with some of her behaviors, asked how that had gone, and it was just an amazing conversation.

And just to make the Hand of God so clear; she was there today with a dog that does not belong to her. She is taking care of her while her relatives are out of town, but they are coming back and today was her last day at the park as she does not have a dog of her own right now.

Can there really be any doubt that my presence there today had nothing to do with me, or my dog, but the answer to a prayer for a woman who wanted a little grace,a little peace, and made her request out of love? I'm not sure which of us was more blessed today:  me, for having a front seat to God's abundant love, or her, for having recieved the answer to a humble prayer?

But there's another facet to our meeting, perhaps a much deeper one. When she pulled up behind my car, not knowing at the time that she was about to be reunited with a favored pet, she took note of my bumper stickers. I have a pro-life sticker from a verse from Isaiah: "Before you were formed in the womb I knew you..." (It says more but I forget the rest.)

She commented, "Oh! A woman after my own heart!" She explained she and her husband are trying to conceive, so abortion really ticks her off. Here they are trying so hard to bring a new life into the world, and others are slaughtering their children. They are now looking to adopt, but still have hope God may bless their marriage with their own children.

I had the sense she is not Catholic, but is a practicing Christian. I asked her if she'd heard of the Pope Paul VI center. It's not based in MN, but she asked if they have something local? She knows people who went through a Christian fertility center, but doesn't know what it's called. Since I'm not married and don't have children, I'm not familiar with local resources, so I just suggested she look into NFP or look for an NFP only doctor...I explained that there is a ton of science behind NFP and couples have used this method TO BECOME PREGNANT when faced with fertility issues. She didn't seem thrilled, so didn't comment and slightly changed the subject.

So I am asking you all for prayers for her and her husband. She seems to be a delightful person, is my age, maybe a little younger and had she not told me she has no children, I would have assumed she was a mother. She SEEMS like a mother, and is clearly a very loving soul.

She did take my email down, so if any of you, esp. from the Mpls.- St. Paul area are familiar with good Catholic and other Christian fertility clinics (read: no in-vitro, no contraceptive chemicals, no tube babies, no surrogate, etc.), please post links. I know about omsoul.org and the Paul VI Institute (I think that's what it's called)and the Couple to Couple League, but is there anything else locally? I'd love to be able to send her some links if she does email me.

Above all, keep this couple in your prayers, that the Lord will bless their marriage and grant them a new life to nurture and offer for His glory.

Let us Bow our Heads...and then talk about dogs

The Saga of the Breadcrust has come to an end.

I just took my dogs out and checked on the remaining crust. It's gone. Mr. Gray Squirrel returned after I closed the drape and enjoyed his dessert in solitude.

So the crust has gone as quickly as it arrived, as silently, and ultimately, as mysteriously. For we cannot verify the coming of the crust, nor can we verify the demise of the crust.

Let us have a moment of silence in consideration of the crust.....




WELL! That's enough of THAT!

Let's move on to other topics...some of you have expressed surprise that I have a Greyhound. I also have a German Shepherd. Here they are:

I adopted the German Shepherd from the local Humane Society. She gave me "the look", much like the one in the photo. I didn't initially realize it, but it was all over. She was mine. She picked me, but that night my heart was broken because we could not get the paperwork completed before they closed, so I had to wait until TUESDAY morning to go pick her up! It was so hard to wait! In the meantime, though, I prepared for her, got supplies specific to her size and breed, and read over the adoption materials.

The form used to drop her off at the Humane Soecity was heartbreaking. Clearly a child had written it, and it was not the child's choice to give up her pet. Various questions were answered, such as, "Where does the pet sleep?" The child had written in, "With you." Awww...

I read through the form with tears in my eyes. The last line killed me: "What else do you want us to know about your pet?" Reply: "Just take care of her, please."

Awwwww!

Tikaani has been the source of both my consternation and my joy ever since I got her, and exactly two weeks to the day that I brought her home, she identified a problem with my furnace. Dogs are good at that.

When I adopted her, her name was "Sugar Bear." Clearly she had been named by children, but that name had to go. I re-named her "Tikaani" which is a native Alaskan language for "Wolf", and apparently a common dog name up there. She also goes by several nicknames.

Tikaani came with me to pick out my Greyhound six months later. I got him from our local organization, Northern Lights Greyhound Adoption, with which I am still involved. We love our meet-and-greets! Anyway, it was down to two dogs... "Davis" and "Fire". I asked Tikaani to choose her sibling. She sniffed Davis, they acknowledged each other, then as though she understood, she went to Fire,and they had some sort of canine conversation. Then she came to heel, sat down, and looked up at me. No choice made. She approved of them both.

The ball was back in my court. I liked both dogs very much, but their personalities were very different. I was considering getting into pet therapy so needed an outgoing dog..so Fire was my choice.

This guy's my buddy. His racing name was "Keystone Fire" and when I adopted him, he was four years old, indicating he had a decent racing career. Most adopted greys are between two and four years old; they are sent for adoption when they aren't successful on the track.

I kept his name, "Fire" because he responded to it, and it fit him. He has occasionally been called "Babbaloo", "Mister Hound", and "Buddy", among other names.

I must upload my story about how I taught him how to climb stairs.

I have TONS of photos of my dogs, and now that I have a scanner and know how it works, I promise to upload more photos of anything other than myself.