I miss my Sissy. It's amazing how she had become such a huge part of our daily lives since she got sick. I don't think we really realized how much we had adjusted our lives to revolve around her and caring for her until she was gone. I'm still a little lost without Kayla - caring for her had become my 2nd full time job. And although it's a relief to not have that burden constantly weighing on my mind, it's hard to readjust my life and figure out what normal life is like again.
And I miss the little things about Kayla and I think of her at the strangest times.
I miss how she'd cuddle with me in bed. She'd fit so perfectly curled up against my chest.
I miss having her greet me when I come home from work. She'd damn near throw a ticker tape parade anytime I walked in the door - no one was ever happier to see me than Sis.
I miss her kisses - she was the best kisser.
I miss hearing her tell us when she was irritated with her - she was a loud dog and she'd let out the loudest, longest sigh when she was irritated, it was too funny.
I miss hearing her snore at night - she'd drown out a freight train with her snoring, but I always found it so comforting to hear her snore.
I miss hearing her walking across the kitchen to find me - dragging her back feet. She'd come as fast as she could go and we'd hear her a mile away and say, "Here comes Legs."
I actually miss her having to be in the bathroom with me. She was convinced I couldn't possibly go potty without her licking my left leg!
I miss petting her - she had this extra skin on her neck that I called her neck fat and I always loved petting that and stroking her head and rubbing her smooth belly. I miss kissing her head and looking in her big brown eyes.
I thought of her the other day when we were watching a movie and an eagle screeched. Oh, she HATED that sound - I always had to be on top of my game so I could change the channel as soon as an Oneida commercial came on cuz they always have the eagle screech at the end of the commercial.
I thought of her tonight when I was watching Wheel of Fortune - she always barked at the dinging noise made when the letters appeared.
I'm thankful we have good, happy memories of Kayla. I'm thankful we had 5 1/2 years to be blessed with her. She was a special dog with an amazing spirit. No matter what she had endured for the first 3 years of her life, she eventually overcame all of that and learned to love life and people. She never hesitated to push Diesel out of the way so visitors would pet her instead of him!!!! I learned a lot from Makayla - a lot about life and overcoming obstacles and moving on from the past. She was an amazing creature and I'm absolutely blessed to have been loved by her.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Ahhhh, doggy daycare!
We haven't taken the pugs to daycare much, if at all, since Kayla got sick in late 2009. Today, they had a half off deal for daycare so I figured it was a good excuse to take Diesel and Grace to daycare. And tonight I'm reminded why I so enjoy the days they go to daycare - they came home, ate dinner, went outside to do their business and promptly passed out sound asleep!!! I'm hoping we can get them back to a sort of regular schedule of attending daycare because it really is good for them and they really do enjoy it. And I really enjoy the evening of daycare day because they're so well behaved while they sleep!!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Saying Goodbye
When we adopted Makayla 5 1/2 years ago, she had had a tough start in life and I promised her she would have nothing but the best life for however long she had left. And we've been utterly blessed to have her with us for 5 1/2 years. Over that time, we've laughed and cried and "grrrrrr'd" as she frustrated us. But no matter what, we've always loved her. And she's always loved us.
Her body is giving out - her spirit and spunk could last forever, but her body just isn't going to last. And she's not happy not being independent and able to do things for herself. She's tired - it takes all she has to make it through the days. And that's no way for our special girl to live.
So this weekend we will say goodbye to our Sister. How do we even begin to say goodbye? How do we begin to tell her just how much we love her? Just how much we've enjoyed having her in our lives? How much we're going to miss her? How we'll always remember her? We're going to spend the next several days doing nothing but loving her and cherishing her. And then we're going to do the hardest thing any pet owner can ever do - we're going to let her go and be at peace again. Even though our hearts will hurt, we're going to give her her health back so she can run and jump and climb again. Even though we're going to cry and grieve, it's the most loving thing we can do for her. And knowing she's healthy again will make it just a touch easier for us to live without her.
To our Sister - we love you more than you'll ever know.
Her body is giving out - her spirit and spunk could last forever, but her body just isn't going to last. And she's not happy not being independent and able to do things for herself. She's tired - it takes all she has to make it through the days. And that's no way for our special girl to live.
So this weekend we will say goodbye to our Sister. How do we even begin to say goodbye? How do we begin to tell her just how much we love her? Just how much we've enjoyed having her in our lives? How much we're going to miss her? How we'll always remember her? We're going to spend the next several days doing nothing but loving her and cherishing her. And then we're going to do the hardest thing any pet owner can ever do - we're going to let her go and be at peace again. Even though our hearts will hurt, we're going to give her her health back so she can run and jump and climb again. Even though we're going to cry and grieve, it's the most loving thing we can do for her. And knowing she's healthy again will make it just a touch easier for us to live without her.
To our Sister - we love you more than you'll ever know.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
44 more days til vacation
This is my mantra - to get through each day, I remind myself of the vacation countdown. In less than 44 days, I will be lounging poolside at Secrets Silversands in Riveria Maya, Mexico!!!!!!!!! It's going to be a week of doing absolutely nothing, sleeping through the night, lounging poolside, maybe doing a little shopping, lots of eating and drinking and most importantly, relaxing and reconnecting with my husband. I. CANNOT. WAIT.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
"Normal" dogs
I wonder what people with "normal" dogs do.
You know, those people who don't have to herd the dog outside IMMEDIATELY upon walking in the door before she gets the instant urge to pee and potties on the floor. Those people who don't have to search the house high and low to see where the male dog(s) peed during the day, flipping on the lights in every room and making sure to check their "favorite" marking spots. Those people who don't have to boil chicken and cook rice for their dog's bland diet to resolve their diarrhea. Those people who don't have to have boxes of kleenex strategically placed throughout the house in order to have quick access to them for picking up poop that the girls constantly trail behind them when they walk. Those people who don't need to have a waterproof mattress pad on the bed for when their dog pees on their bed. Those people who don't have to set alarms to remind them of their dog's medication schedule.
You know, those people with "normal" dogs!!!
You know, those people who don't have to herd the dog outside IMMEDIATELY upon walking in the door before she gets the instant urge to pee and potties on the floor. Those people who don't have to search the house high and low to see where the male dog(s) peed during the day, flipping on the lights in every room and making sure to check their "favorite" marking spots. Those people who don't have to boil chicken and cook rice for their dog's bland diet to resolve their diarrhea. Those people who don't have to have boxes of kleenex strategically placed throughout the house in order to have quick access to them for picking up poop that the girls constantly trail behind them when they walk. Those people who don't need to have a waterproof mattress pad on the bed for when their dog pees on their bed. Those people who don't have to set alarms to remind them of their dog's medication schedule.
You know, those people with "normal" dogs!!!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
A Vacation of Volunteering
A large network of pug friends and rescue volunteers/supporters are planning a trip to Best Friends Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. I'm crossing all fingers and paws that this happens for me. I need to save up the money to be able to go and hope that Kayla's health is still stable at the end of August so that I can leave her with Josh for a few days while I indulge myself in a vacation of volunteering at Best Friends. It's a once in a lifetime trip for me and I so hope it works out because I'm really excited thinking about it.
Be sure to check out their website and support their cause. www.bestfriends.org.
Be sure to check out their website and support their cause. www.bestfriends.org.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Welcome 2011
Well, 2010 is over and 2011 has begun. Here's hoping that 2011 will be a better year in our household.
December was extremely hectic in our house. Josh was working out of town most of the month. I was working overtime every day. We basically were home to sleep and eat and take care of the dogs when we had time. Thankfully my dad is a huge help when we need him to come out during the day to let the dogs out and give them a break from being home alone all day.
It was a tough (and expensive) year in 2010. Kayla is still holding her own. We haven't been using her cart, but I really think we need to implement her cart into her daily life and hopefully that'll make a big difference for her. Grace is doing well - we've got her on a daily pain med regimen that seems to be helping her arthritis in her legs. She's sassy as usual -not sure that'll ever change!! And Diesel is the best ever. He had surgery in early December to remove the remnants of his dew claws since they had started bothering him (and apparently become infected, we learned when they removed them). He also started an intro to agility class in late November. We have our final class on Monday night and he has been so good at agility and had so much fun. He picks up on the equipment quickly, though he still tries to avoid doing the tunnel and tire swing every chance he gets!!! I'm really hoping to continue doing agility with him because he and I have both enjoyed it very much.
That's the year-end wrap up for 2010. We're looking forward to a quieter, healthy 2011. And hope everyone else has a healthy, happy and prosperous new year.
December was extremely hectic in our house. Josh was working out of town most of the month. I was working overtime every day. We basically were home to sleep and eat and take care of the dogs when we had time. Thankfully my dad is a huge help when we need him to come out during the day to let the dogs out and give them a break from being home alone all day.
It was a tough (and expensive) year in 2010. Kayla is still holding her own. We haven't been using her cart, but I really think we need to implement her cart into her daily life and hopefully that'll make a big difference for her. Grace is doing well - we've got her on a daily pain med regimen that seems to be helping her arthritis in her legs. She's sassy as usual -not sure that'll ever change!! And Diesel is the best ever. He had surgery in early December to remove the remnants of his dew claws since they had started bothering him (and apparently become infected, we learned when they removed them). He also started an intro to agility class in late November. We have our final class on Monday night and he has been so good at agility and had so much fun. He picks up on the equipment quickly, though he still tries to avoid doing the tunnel and tire swing every chance he gets!!! I'm really hoping to continue doing agility with him because he and I have both enjoyed it very much.
That's the year-end wrap up for 2010. We're looking forward to a quieter, healthy 2011. And hope everyone else has a healthy, happy and prosperous new year.
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