Adventures in Fostering

Last night Dan and I started a new foster adventure!

It's a special case for the shelter and the pup (about 1 1/2 years old Chihuahua mix) will be with us for maybe a month. Here's what we've learned so far.

1. Kittens are easier to foster

2. We DEFINITELY do not want a yip-yip dog

3. Theo doesn't care for yip-yip dogs (he's a little stressed)

4. Theo is a gentle dog and will stand up for himself (or guard mama) when the other dog is acting up.

5. We definitely have been set in a schedule and this is a (good) disruption.

We know that eventually we’ll get back into a schedule.  It’s a little stressful, but luckily we know we’ll eventually get into a schedule with the visitor.

Wish us luck!

Success for yearly shots!

So about a month ago, Theo had his yearly checkup and shots.  He was suppose to get 3 shots, a nasal  shot, and blood work.  None of it happened.  We started by looking (or should I say, trying to look) at his ears. We had to muzzle him and it still didn’t go well.  We had given him some treats previously to putting the muzzle on, and he got so worked up that he threw up - with the muzzle on, and then more when we took the muzzle off.

That was that.  Since he was so worked up, we ended the visit and went out to dinner.  We are so lucky that our vet is also a good friend, so we always end up hanging out afterwards.

Today was the 2nd try and we also gave him Xanax to help calm him down.  I’m not sure if it helped or not.  We did get the 3 shots in and decided to pass on the heartworm check since we are deligent at giving him his meds.  The nasal shot didn’t go as planned.  He was on to us.  We decided to let us try to give him the shot after they left - thinking he would calm down and we would be able to get the syringe at least close to his nose.

It didn’t get any easier.  He still gave us a hard time, but we think we got the medicine in.  Not sure how much, but hopefully at least enough.  It’s for kennel cough, which is an optional shot anyway.  It just is dependent on if you board your dog.

Poor pup is sore in the shot area and is restless.  Dan has touched his back where the shots were given (not even thinking about it) and he’s yelped.

It’s bedtime now, so hopefully, he’ll sleep and feel better tomorrow.

20 years later, and still know how to skate!

For the first time in about 20 years, Dan and I went ice skating.  One of my friends, Kobby, has been asking about going since about July and we FINALLY went today.

I wasn’t sure how I would do.  I figured it would come back and sure enough it did - at least the basics - keeping my balance, basic stopping, strides.  But let me say this, my feet HURT! And I am a little sore.

Since Dan and I did so well, he mentioned about going again, so hopefully, we will.

Theo's first Halloweeen

Every year, it seems like we get more and more kids.  We are on a PRIME street/neighborhood.  This year, we bought a whole (reusable) grocery bag FULL of candy - so probably like 20 bags of candy (and only spent like $25 because of coupons).

We always bring the pups out - along with their outfits.  Esa had collars and then Z had costumes and a Halloween sweater.  They always did well.  They loved seeing everyone and of course, didn't want to be left inside.

2 of Esa's collars

Theo's bandana - we picked this up at Barktoberfest

We really weren't sure how Theo would do, but definitely knew we needed to keep training him on meeting people and not reacting.

Dan held him the whole night and I handed out candy.  Theo did pretty well unless there were just so many kids/people that he was just overwhelmed.  Or the kids were running. Overall, I thought he did well especially since it was all so new to him. 

Can I have some candy? How about a treat?

He got some pets and was good with those people.  Although, sometimes he did jump at them (and bark/growl) as they were moving away from him - that was only a couple of times.

The teenagers were the ones that came up and petted him.  One teenage guy even came over and said, I just want to pet your dog.

Obviously, we tired him out last night because this morning, I woke up before him and it still took him a few minutes to get out of the chair and go outside.  Then he came back in and laid back down.

Oh, and I bet you anything, we were the only house that handed out dog treats for the dogs who came by too.

Catching up

I'm still not in the habit of blogging again.  I enjoy it, but just don't sit down and do it at the end of the day.

A week ago Saturday, we took Theo to The Blessing of the Animals Event.  We just went before the blessing and visited the Loudoun Animal Services mobile adoption since our friend Erin is the driver and then to see our friend, Holli with Compassionate Animal Communication.

Theo did will with everyone.  Everyone was all over him wanting to meet him.  Then of course I remembered I hadn't made him any business cards yet.

So today, the business cards have been made and ordered!

Now it's time to really get blogging and setting up the website!

Community yard sale today!

I always go back and forth about doing a yard sale - it's a lot of time and work and then people just want a bargain and don't want to even pay the low prices I put on things.

Today we did ok - we didn't get rid of too much, but made $31 - better than nothing.  The leftovers are being donated this week.  To Lupus, FOHA (to their upscale thrift store) and then Birthday Blessings Inc who is a friend's charity.

The things learned today -

1.  Always ask for double of what you want.
The person is going to offer less.  This happened SEVERAL times today.  I had a BRAND NEW purse that I was selling for $5 and was offered $3 a couple of times.  Come on!  Same with a brand new clock - I was asking $10 and then they offered $5.  Same with stuffed animals - I was asking $1 for a beanie baby (brand new), and they offered 2/$1.  I rather just donate and get a better tax deduction!

2.  People do not pay attention when driving around at yard sales.
I don't know how many times people drove by looking at our yard and there was either a car behind them or coming towards them.  Same with just pulling over at a moments notice.

One of our neighbors came over with their dog, Apryl - who has met Theo before, but he was in one of his moods and was growling at her.  Then he was growling at Apryl's dad too.

Don't know if it was because we were at our house and he was "protecting" it or what.

One of the things that I got rid of was a bunch of containers (shoeboxes and larger containers). I used them A LOT when I was stockpiling.  I haven't been stockpiling or couponing that much since I started my business (and that was 4 years ago!).  It became more of a chore than fun.

I still use coupons, but it's mostly online coupons that I print with MyPoints.com and using Couponmom.com for the sales on that week. Even then, there are times, when I'll do all of the work (look up the sales, match the coupons) and then not go shopping.

When I do have multiple coupons for items and they are on sale, I do stock up, NOTHING like I used to do.  I think some of it is because we are eating a little better - less processed/boxed foods. Still, when I do have a major shopping spree, I do save majorly - like 60% savings.

OH! We had a really good "dining" and "shopping" experience today.  We went to Chipotle - the one we always go to and it was CLEAN - like they were on top of cleaning as soon as the customer was gone, and the floor was swept.  I could tell that the manager was at the register because she gave excellent customer service -saying the extra comments, etc. I said something to her before we left - that we hadn't seen this place this clean in a long time.  I asked if she was new and she said she wasn't but I don't think we have ever seen her.

Then we went to CVS for water. The cashier was AWESOME. Chit chatting and asking if we needed help and making a joke "getting some water uh?" (because we got 4 cases).

Tell you what we were both in a good mood when we got home - just because it was a memorable dining and shopping experience.

Theo is my protector

Mama had a scare this morning on the walk.  We were walking the path and as we were coming up to an alley way, a loose dog (blond lab) came running up to Theo.  Then another loose dog (black lab). 

By that Theo was growling and I was freaking out and couldn't tell but thought the black lab was attacking/Theo was attacking.  I was just screaming and saying, get the black one because the wife was getting the blond lab who wasn't doing anything.

Everyone was fine, the owners, who I think I have met before, were nice.  They apologized and you can tell they are responsible and understanding owners.  

We stood there and chatted awhile.  They understood, of course, Theo was going to growl when two dogs coming running up - he was trying to protect me. 

Mentally, we (both Dan and I) need to get over the fact that we know he was in a dog fight before at the shelter.  Because of that, we are guarded when we introduce him to other dogs AND we think that is why he growls at other dogs.

Anyway, hopefully, we'll be able to introduce the dogs another time when both are on leashes.

The day is finally here.....

The last month as been so emotional.  We have been stalking rescue websites for the last couple of months, but within the last month, we have actually been going to see dogs.

We knew we wanted a pup that is totally different looking than Esa or Zed - even though we are partial to huskies, shepherds, and terriers.  We knew we didn't want a golden retriever, a pitbull, or Australian shepherd.  We just waited to see what came to us.  We knew when we saw the pup, we would know.

It all started with me seeing a puppy online at Wolf Trap Animal Rescue.  I felt the same way I felt when I saw the picture of Esa.  I had sent in an application on a Monday and followed up with an e-mail to see what the next step would be (if we would be able to meet her or the next step in the adoption process).  I got an e-mail back saying that she would be at the public adoption which is first come, first serve and suggested that we get there by 9 am (on the website, it says 11 am, adoptions start at 12 noon).  So, Saturday, we headed out to Tyson's Corner and got there right at 9 am.

We were 3rd on the list, and then when we were asked what puppy, we were once again, 3rd on the list for the same pup.  We waiting and waited - along with tears from me.  We asked about the process.  Basically they just look over the application, and you get the pup - no what is best for the pup, who would give it the best home.  So of course she was taken by the first person (who got there at like 7 am when the store opened).

The next day, we went to Petsmart in Casacdes to visit Lost Dog rescue.  I needed to it get over the previous day's emotional rollercoaster.  We did see one dog that was really nice, but he was getting over a surgery on his leg.  But, not the dog calling to us.  None of the dogs (except one) that we were looking at on the website were there.  There was one dog that I was interested in looking at was there.  He was nice, but not the one.

The next weekend we went to Homeward Trails.  Had a couple of dogs in mind that we saw on the website.  They have a lot of dogs that are from the meat trade circle.  There was one dog that we really liked.  We walked away to think about it, and she was adopted.

During this whole time, I have been following Shenandoah Shepherd Rescue on Facebook.  It's a new rescue, and the dogs have been pulled from Texas and Florida high kill shelters.  A lot of them have medical issues, but there were several dogs we were interested in visiting (you could not visit until you have submitted an application).  So the next Tuesday, I was planning on sending in the application.  Low and behold, one of the rescues had puppies that were a surprise - and when would they be 8 weeks - a week after my birthday.  I went ahead and submitted an app.

We also had been looking at Friends of Homeless Animals.  They are also a rescue that you have to submit the application before visiting the first time.  The next Sunday, (the 5th) we went there with our list of dogs who we wanted to see.  Several of them were immediately taken off because the group was afraid that the dog would jump our 4 foot fence.  We walked around and got a couple of different dogs that we decided to look at.  The first dog we looked at (that wasn't on our original list) was Bobby.  Our first dog on our list, Quincy, was out on a walk when we asked to see him.  Bobby was FULL of energy.  We played "fetch" (or at least throw the ball) with him.  He wouldn't drop the ball at all.  Liked him, but a little too much energy.

We then saw Quincy.  He was great on the leash and was a little playful on the walk (a little bit of the zooms), then we went into a play area.  He was just kind of walking around in the play area, but played with us and a toy.  We really liked him for decided to ask about the next steps.

We sat down and had our interview and then decided to think about it overnight because we had an appointment for a house visit from Shenandoah Shepherd Rescue.  So I wanted to wait and see what happened with that visit.  We (or should I say I) didn't know if we wanted a puppy or something a little older.

So after thinking about the pros and cons of a puppy vs. an older dog and then the pros and cons of getting a shar pei, we decided to go with Quincy!


Thursday night, we had our house visit and today, he is HOME.

Adventures - Christmas Eve & Christmas

So we always celebrate on Christmas Eve and we prepare all of the Italian dishes from my family.

Orange Salad

Zeppole

Sous Chef watching over making knots

After dinner we opened up stockings.  We just did stockings this year, but hubby buy me more than just stocking stuffers.  He got a big present before Christmas.  Z was really excited for the stockings - his and both of ours.

We always have extra frozen bread dough, so a couple of years ago, we started making cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning.

When my aunt Helen was in the nursing home, we started ordering Chinese on Christmas Day.
We've continued that tradition since she passed away.

We hope your day was good!

Adventures for the week - December 20

So I really want to start getting more active on here.  I usually post to Instagram which is linked to Facebook for Daily Zed.

Tuesday, we went to see the lights around the neighborhood and then to Leesburg, Va where there is a house that has lights and music.  They also do this at Halloween time. - Edwards Landing Lights.  We decided that since we would probably just be in the car to bring Z.  He doesn't mind the car at all.  
He kind of freaked out because he slid off of the seat and we decided to just bring him up front.  He just FROZE.  Dan was like "maybe he thinks we are dropping him off."  Once he was upfront on my lap, he was fine.  We drove around then headed up to Leesburg.  We didn't know how big of an event it was going to be.  There were people hanging out all over.  We parked and luckily we had his leash with us.

Adventures (in Health): Day 32 on Youngevity

As of today, I have been on Youngevity Classic 90 for 32 days!

I started taking approximately 2 tablespoons of Ultimate Classic and 3 capsules of Ultimate EFA daily.

I finally found a good item to mix the Ultimate Classic with - a protein shake.  I first tried taking the Ultimate Classic straight.  YUCK.  The next day, in unsweetened tea - still not that great.  The next day, milk - pretty good!  Then I figured, why not try protein shakes?  YUMMY - even better than milk!

I have been switching between vanilla and strawberry shakes and it's been working out well.  Before that, I never really drank milk, so this is helping me get some extra calcium.  The Ultimate EFA has replaced the 4000 mg of fish oil that I have been taking for the last couple of years (per doctor's order).

Unfortunately, for the last couple of weeks, I have not been doing well with walking on the treadmill.  That will be changing because I have seen my blood pressure going back up (like 130/90).  So January was one positive health item and one negative item.

I think the Ultimate Classic has helped my body digest food better.  I feel more regular and even without taking fiber pills (which I did not take for a while because I ran out).

I'm not the only one in the household taking Youngevity products.  Zed just started taking Healthy Pet Combo.

The first day (and second day), he took the perPetual fine.  He treated it as a treat since it's a chewable pill.  The dose for the ArthryDex 3/4 scoop which I put over his food dry.  Well, it was way too much.  Zed ate it, but then was licking so much afterwards, like he had a cup of peanut butter.  

Here's a picture of him just licking way. 

So after that, I posted to the YGY Pets Facebook group asking how people give their pets ArthryDex.  Several people posted that they mixed it with 1/4 cup water and made a gravy out of it.  The next day, I tried that - MUCH better.  He just ate the gravy straight.

The next step in my health change is that I am going to try doing replacement shakes for lunch.  So many times, I have breakfast around 10 am and then don't think about eating lunch until like 2 pm.  Then I think, I don't want to eat too much - dinner will be soon.

I am also going to try to do a 3 day cleanse.  I'm interested in seeing how my body reacts to a cleanse since I no longer have food cravings.  I'll be blogging about it.

Adventures: Taking My Health to the Next Level

Yesterday I posted that I started taking Youngevity Ultimate Classic and Essential EFA.

Straight up, the Ultimate Classic was nasty, so today I mixed it with unsweetened iced tea.  This wasn't as bad, but still a little after taste.

Even though I am new to Youngevity, I would love to have you join me on this journey.  Please contact me for more information.

Adventures: The next steps into a healthy lifestyle

This is basically a follow-up to my August post regarding my health.

My food craving are still non-existent. When I have a former craving food, I have a "regular size" portion, not a extra large portion.

I am down about 20 pounds and when I went to the doctor in November, he took me off of the cholesterol meds.  I am walking 3 miles a day, at 3.2 miles an hour.  I've taken a couple of weeks off from walking, but look forward to starting again on Monday. 

For the new year, I wanted to "take it to the next step."  I have been a distributor for Heritage Makers which is part of Youngevity.  So for the new year, I ordered the supplements pack called Classic 90 which has the basic 90 nutrients essential for health.

The pack arrived yesterday (Dec. 31), just in time for the new year!  So today was the first day.  Since I wasn't home most of the day, I only took 1 pill (up to 3 a day is suggested) and did my "shot" (1 1/2 Tablespoons). 

OMG - good thing it was just a "shot"!  YUCK!  Tomorrow I might try it in some tea (since I have some) or buy some juice to mix it in.   Who knows, maybe I'll just keep with the shot and my taste buds will get used to it.

Adventure: Sick Puppy this Week.

We know that Zed always starts itching whenever we are traveling.  I don't know if it's just the environment change that messes with his system or what.  Usually, I give him some anti-fungal medicine and it keeps the itching at bay.

At the end of July, we went to NY to see family and Z started itching up there.  Unfortunately, we were running low on the med so we had to wait until we got home to get a refill.  So that following Thursday(we got back on Monday), I started the medicine daily.  He was itching but not too bad - maybe a couple times a day. 

This last Tuesday, his itching got out of control.  So much so that he was whining and wasn't able to relax to fall asleep.  So, we took him to the emergency vet.  We just assumed he was having some sort of allergic.  The vet assumed so too.

She ended up giving him a steroid, benadryl, pain medicine, and a sedative.  Needless to say, he was out of it by the time we left the medical center.  Unfortunately, he woke up at 4:40 AM and immediately started scatching.  So I called the emergency vet and the vet tech said to give him a benadryl a little early since the medicine was still in his system.  He ended up sleeping a little.

Our vet (who is a good friend of ours), called and said that if the steroid isn't working then obviously it was probably mites.  So Wednesday afternoon, she stopped by with the medicine and checked him out.  He was so red all over his belly and he was whining so much in pain.  

I gave him his first dose and changed from his daily Benadryl to Zyrtec.  Yesterday he was a little better.  He stopped itching as much, but his belly wasn't that good.  So our vet told me to cook some rice and chicken.  

Today, Zed is so much better!  His belly isn't red and he is almost back to his normal self.  We were able to go for a mile walk this afternoon and his tummy is better.

He'll continue his parasite treatment for about 6 weeks.  Hopefully that doesn't come back.

The Daily Zed: Geocaching

We decided to go geocaching on Sunday since it was a long weekend and it was going to be nice out.  We invited Dan's sister and her husband along too.  We had gone to the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship  before, but still had a lot of geocaches to find.

Our plan was to go to the Equestrian entrance since that would be closer to the geocaches.  Well, that didn't go as planned.  First of all, we took a wrong turn and ended up at another "sort of " entrance that only had like 2 parking spots.  We got out of the jeep and then looked at the map.  WRONG PLACE!  

We got back into the jeep and went to the right place.  The gate wasn't open.  WHAT?!  So much for that plan.

So we just went to the main entrance and walked the trail.  It all ended good.  We walked a good 3.5 miles.  Little Z was a tired boy when we got back to the Jeep. 

ready to pass out on mama's lap

We did find one geocache, but the container was broken and there was an ink pad in it that leaked all over everything.  Disappointing.

It was great to spend time with Donna and Bill, so the day wasn't a waste at all.  We all enjoyed the day.

Of course, we had some excitement on the way there.  The check engine light came on.  GREAT!  Not again!  We'll see what the code is this time.....

After taking a little nap, Zed was up and around and back at it.  He knew there were treats in the geocaching bag, so what does he do right in front of Dan?

That little stinker!

Adventures: Esa is still with us

At least one a week, I cry for Esa.

Last week I had a REALLY good cry, it cleared my sinuses up.  Seriously - since the beginning of the year, I have had sinus issues (stuffed up, headaches, etc.).  Then I had a really good bawl and my sinuses felt better.  During that bawl, I basically cried out to Esa, "Please let me know you are still with me."

Now, I will admit, we have Esa fur dust bunnies.  Not that I don't clean, but if you have dogs or cats, you know what I mean.  Basically, the fur has gathered at the baseboards or on the stairs (we have carpet throughout the house).  No real hair strands, just fur dust bunnies

So anyway, a couple of days later.  I brought the mail upstairs to the office and as I was going through it, what do I find.  A strand of Esa fur.  Plain as day, you can see the blond to white end.  I put it in an envelope, and later told Dan about it.

This week, I found ANOTHER single strand of Esa fur.  This time, it was on the kitchen counter.  Nothing else was on the counter where I found it.  That's when it hit me.  I had asked for a sign, and I got it.  I didn't even remember when I found that first strand that I had asked for a sign.  Not until that 2nd strand did I remember.

I added that second strand to the envelope, and found a little peace.  She is still with us.

Adventures: The New Normal - Day 3

Another day without Esa.  I know eventually it will get better, and I know she will always be with us.  Thank you (again) for all of the support during the grieving process.

Today has been a little different.  My nephew, VJ, came and spent the night with us.  Although it was a short stay, I think it helped Zed a little.  He loves his cousin Vinnie.  This morning, Zed came downstairs and looked in the living room to see if VJ was there.  After I had Zed go wake VJ up, he kept looking to see if he was coming downstairs. 

I also saw a glipse of the happy, playing Zed.  He went and got a rope toy for VJ to play with him.  We haven't seen that since Sunday and that is a daily ritual.  Zed also jumped up on the bench by the door and looked out the window & was barking as VJ was leaving.  Something else Z hasn't done since Sunday.

I think Zed is all set with the morning treadmill walk routine (at least while it's cold out).  As soon as I finished my breakfast, he ran to the basement door.  It was like he was saying "OK, time for your walk Mama!"  That was confirmed with this pose by the treadmill when I started the walk.

"MOVE IT, MAMA!"

Zed is also starting to leave my side some.  He went downstairs while I was taking a shower today.  Yesterday, he stayed by the bathroom door and also kept walking in to make sure I was still there.

I tortured myself some today watching videos I had of Esa.  I do regret not getting a video of her barking "LET'S GO CAPS!" and her barking in our face to get us to play - that video plays in our heads though.

Yesterday on the afternoon walk, we ran into a couple of people and had to tell them.  As soon as they saw us walking without Esa, they knew something was wrong.  One is a dog owner & we always stop and visit with Shelby when she is out.  The other is our neighborhood UPS driver, Eric, who I have know for about 15 years (he used to deliver to the airport where I worked).  Esa LOVED Eric.  I know he gives all the dogs on his route treats, but I don't think all of the neighborhood dogs acted the way she did towards Eric.

Esa would run to the window if she heard the UPS truck drive by.  She didn't do that with any other delivery truck.  If she was outside, she would run to the fence and just start barking (even if he was just driving by).  Like she was yelling out to him, "ERIC! STOP BY!"  If he stopped next door, she would run up to the fence and just watch him.  It doesn't stop there.  If we were walking and Eric was making a delivery down the street from where we were, she would stick her feet in the ground and just wait for him to drive by.  I always joked with Eric that Esa was the president of his fan club.

One of our friends posted to my facebook timeline the below:

 



 

I thought of posting in the comments, but here is more fitting.  I guess first let me say, it's nice to know that everyone knows how great fur baby parents we were/are.  We don't ever regret not having kids.  Our animals have filled our lives.

 

I believe that everything happens for a reason.  I guess because of the major turn of events and choices that have happened/had to be made in my life.  I don't see it now, why Esa was taken from us so soon, but I'm sure we will eventually know.

 

Maybe this is the moment why Zed came into our lives?  We weren't planning on getting another dog.  We were waiting for the kitten season.  Now I can't imagine not having Zed here with me while we grieve.  It wouldn't be the same with a cat in the house or if there were no animals in the house at all.

 

I know that Esa was meant to be ours. Way back then, I was blogging on Yahoo360, so the entries were cut and pasted into blogger and some of the pictures didn't transfer.  Check out the entries from that week. 

• Entry for May 1, 2007
• Entry for May 2, 2007
• Entry for May 3, 2007
  Entry for May 4, 2007
• Entry for May 7, 2007

We know we were meant to be with Esa.  She was returned by the first family who adopted her and we weren't the first people there to adopt her (when the procedure is first come, first serve & needs to fit requirements) - it was meant to be.

 

We succeeded in what we wanted to accomplish with her.  One of our main goals was to have a dog that we could take places.  She hated the car, but enjoyed wherever we went once we got there.  Once we got Z, it was easier getting her in the car.  She didn't want to be left out.  She traveled to Canada every single year of her life and LOVED visiting the family cottage.  She went to the beach, different dog events and dog parks, geocached all over with us, and enjoyed visiting the "Clark Compound" and spending time with her uncle, aunt & cousins (especially cousin (kitty cat) Tom).

 

 

 

 

 

One of the things I wanted was a frisbee dog.  Esa was NOT that.  She rather chew the frisbee than catch it.  I didn't expect an agility dog.  She LOVED going to classes at Petsmart when she was younger and loved the agility "training" we did in our back yard.

 

 

She had such a personality and she was way too smart.  She was our baby and will never be replaced.  I am sure she knew how well she had it.  We knew how well we had it.