11
April
2016
Jingle
It’s been a while since I have posted an update. Jingle was a bit of a handful when we first adopted her. She is a cuddle bug now and makes us laugh daily with her antics. We never taught her not to leave the yard or the driveway, but she elects not to despite being allowed out…now if there was a squirrel we might have a different discussion, which is why we have a fenced yard. We have been blessed to have another great dog. We miss our Bailey and Prancer daily and wish they were here but feel we need to honor their memory and have taken on a new venture…don’t know how long we will do this but we are trying something new.
Mr. Winston
We have kept in touch with the rescue where we adopted Jingle trying to support them. Recently I called regarding someone who wanted to adopt one of their dogs and told her I was going to call her myself about him because I felt so bad for him. He came in so matted, he looked pitiful. Needless to say she said she had another little pup that needed a foster home; he hated being in a crate and cried. She had just rescued him and we took him matted and all. She let us name him since he didn’t have a name yet. We called him Winston or Mr. Winston. We took him to be groomed and for his neutering. This little guy was so sweet and Jingle loved him. They played almost all day but Winston was an escape artist. He could get out the space between our fence if he tried, sneak out when a door opened or through any gap he saw, yet he never truly ran away. He would run but also came back when I sat down to play with him. A friend fell in love with him and they adopted him; he is now Riley. She brings him by to visit Jingle.
Unfortunately the friend who was going to adopt Phoenix decided he wasn’t the right dog for them. The rescue called and asked us to foster him, but said she was also bringing a chihuahua pup too for us to see which one fit best with us. We couldn’t decide and now we are fostering both. P.S., they both can fit through our fence. Phoenix has done such a few times but doesn’t go anywhere. We are outside with them about 99% of the time.
Phoenix has tested heart worm positive and has a lump here and there. He is a bit of an aggressive eater but learned within days to do his business outside so I am sure he will learn food is readily available now and might lighten up on the food. We are pre-treating him now to prepare him for his heart worm treatment. I think I am allergic to him, however, so I hope he finds a home soon. I don’t want him to go back to the rescue or another foster as I think that would hurt his little feelings. He needs to find someone who will love him right away. He is believed to be a Cairn Terrier and about 5 years old.
Phoenix
Jingle Jr. is another story. She is still a puppy, about 5 months old. She likes to play and is cute as a button. Her sad story is she has luxating patellas. The best way I can describe how he walks is he looks like Dawby from Harry Potter when he walks. He was “allegedly” trained to go on a wee- wee pad, well he kinda’ might go near it, in the same room as it or in the same house as it. We are working on it. I am concerned he might not be adopted because of his patellas and the expense associated with fixing it. The rescue certainly does not have the finances to pay for that surgery. A friend is interested in him but I am not sure they are committed to adopting him yet.
Jingle Jr.
Well that’s our happenings for now.
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28
February
2015
This poor dog just does not get a break. So we started taking her to the dog park. It is a super nice park with a side for big dogs and small dogs. Bags are provided for your dog’s droppings and a doggie water fountain is there too. We just started going last week and Jingle was doing pretty OK with the other dogs and would be a little calmer at home after her romps around the park.
I was checking my Facebook page yesterday and I see a post from my vet that they found someone was leaving chunks of meat with aspirin inside around the fencing at the dog park. One dog was already suffering from the effects and was in the doggie hospital. So, guess what I stepped in that AM at my house, dog vomit. Uuuggggh. Really. My brain starts working and I send my hubby home to check on Jingle. By nighttime it is on the news and all doggie parent friends are yapping and one says you should really watch the news report because it says what to do if your dog was exposed. Now, I have already researched aspirin and dogs and know what to look for and despite our little vomit episode she is fine. Finally back at home and sitting to watch the news to find the report because for whatever reason I cannot get it on my computer or phone.
Last time we were at the park was Wednesday and it is now Friday. I am thinking I am overthinking. The report finally comes up on the news and they say, “If your dog was exposed call your vet, the poison was found at the park on Wednesday”. Vet is closed as it is Friday night at 9:30 PM, but frankly I now consider our ER vet our night vet because we have now had enough interaction with them they know Jingle by name. I call up and they say bring her on it considering she was there and has vomited. They say it could be in her system and she might not show signs until it is too late. We all pile in the car and 1.5 hours later we are back home with a healthy Jingle, good blood work and a new charge of $180.00 on our credit card. We have decided to open up a Jingle account and see what she can do to pay for all her expenses in our house. Ya’ think the credit card company will go for it? LOL.
The vet said just accept Jingle how she is, she probably won’t change much, love her for who she is, she is sweet but she does seem to have something that draws “trouble” to her. Aaaaaaahhhh. Boy is Jingle lucky she found this household. I sure hope this household makes it.
Then when we get home Jingle goes for the peanut butter in the rat trap we had in our garage and snap…yet again she escaped harm. (BTW, didn’t know hubby put those down, was not happy when I found out)
P.S. The dog that was exposed and in the doggie hospital was actually at our ER vet, they were the ones who alerted all the local vets. They told us the dog was doing fine and was going home in the AM.
Jingle with her new haircut sound asleep after the park
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26
February
2015
I can’t actually believe I am writing this post. It is hard to believe Bailey has been gone for a year.
Our angel, Bailey. My daughter drew on his wings and halo.
Tears have never stopped in this household. There is a void that will never be filled. Jingle, our new dog, actually makes the void bigger. I call either Bailey or Prancer’s name out to her at any given moment and am reminded of either of them. She is so different from them and in fact is almost the exact opposite. Life with her has been difficult as you know if you have been following my prior posts. She came with her own set of problems and is has continued to chew everything in the house, not listen at all and try to bite your ankles. She does remind me of the days when I first brought Bailey home. He also chewed on the carpet, ate the cushions of my couch and would chew on all the couch pillows. He would attack the mailman at any given time (this never stopped – he actually bit one mailman – it was the mailman’s fault for sticking his hand out to him – and was pepper sprayed by another). He would constantly run away thinking he was playing tag with me. As he’d be running down the street he would turn and wait for me as saying “Come and get me”. He was such an excitable dog I would have to greet him outside the house because he tinkled on me whenever I came home. I thought it was a great idea to teach him to jump into my arms when I came home only to have to change daily for a while. One time a Rottweiler in the neighborhood got out while my aunt was taking Bailey for a walk and Bailey turned ran to her, jumped in her arms and peed all over her. Fortunately the Rottweiler was well trained and when the owner yelled it froze.
For about a year my grandmother lived with me and when I would leave for work in the morning I would peek in on her and she would lift her covers and Bailey would run in to finish sleeping with her. From the first night I brought Bailey home until the day he was gone he slept right next to me on the bed with my hand on his chest to make sure he was breathing. The first night I took my hand off was the first night my daughter came home from the hospital and my hand went to her chest. I eventually went back to Bailey especially as he aged. The first night my daughter was home and work up crying, Bailey was right there with her whining until she stopped. Once she went into her own room Bailey would check on her nightly before coming to bed with me. When he no longer had the energy I would carry him in there.
My daughter asked me last week when was B-day (Bailey’s day). I told her with a sad face it was February 26, 2015, next Thursday. She asked me why I was sad and I told her I missed him and it reminded me that he has been gone for so long. Oh the wise words of children. She responded “Don’t think of it that way, think a year ago he got to heaven and he is now there with everybody and with your Grandma, it was a happy time for him”.
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20
February
2015
Jingle, Jingle, Jingle. I have considered starting a blog, “What did Jingle do this week?”
Since my last post, Jingle has chewed on two more of my area rugs, has torn my mail to bits, destroyed my daughter’s art work (it was painted so we had to call the place she did the art work to find out the paint that was used and then call the vet to make sure she would be OK), chewed my inhaler case (she didn’t puncture the inhalant), ate the fingers off a doll, ripped up gift bags, chewed up pictures (one of Bailey and broke the memorial plate my vet sent us) and…wait for it… opened the sliding door to my laundry room and entered the Girl Scout Cookie Room (I am the cookie mom and store all the cookies from week to week), let’s just say her breath smelled like lemons that night. She helped herself to a box of Lemonades. She meticulously opened the package and helped herself to almost the whole box. She had a little bellyache that night, but nothing significant.
Oh, I am not done. The finale was her jumping out of the car window (which was not even half way open) to chase a jogger. I was completely freaked out she was dead or broke a bone, but when I jumped out of the car in the middle of the road she was just standing there turning in circles not knowing what to do. Miraculously she only had a tiny road rash mark on the inside of her leg…I am amazed nothing else happened to her considering where the road rash was she must have landed with her legs splayed open. My husband was in the car behind me and said the face of the runner was priceless.
She is able to jump onto any surface in my house, including my kitchen island even though we move the bar stools away. She’s like a cat. And when you scold her she bows her head and looks up at you with her big eyes and tail wagging.
So we are still “those people” at dog obedience class, but I think the others enjoy us coming as it takes the pressure off of them; their dog’s look well behaved compared to us. She has improved and I think she might actually graduate, we will know next week.
I have not been able to find a bone yet that she cannot chew threw within 20-30 minutes or a toy that she cannot break. She has chewed through or broken 2 Kong toys and eats Bully Sticks within 30 minutes. I think if I could find something to entertain her while we are gone she would’t feel the need to get into everything else. Any suggestions?
Jingle got a haircut – how can you be mad at this face? Sorry can’t post pictures, it says I have exceeded my storage limit even thought I deleted pictures. 🙂
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2
February
2015
Aaaaahhhh. She is crazy. Now that all her “issues” seem to have passed we are getting to see more and more of her personality. I never thought dogs could have ADHD but I think she does. If the wind blows she must bark at it, run after it and try to catch it. If there is a branch down, she must bring it inside with all the berries, twigs and dirt attached. If we are gone she must figure out how to get on the kitchen island and know everything off… or today, chew the corner of the chess board, open it up and chew, not the chess pieces, but the piece inside that holds all the pieces nice and organized. Last week at obedience class Jingle was called to the front of the class to show “what not to do” and as an example of a high strung and easily distracted dog. We are not in Kansas anymore. She has so much energy I am concerned she is younger than one and might get bigger and continue to chew, chew, chew…oh did I mention the rug and …. wait for it… that we are getting a new couch delivered Wednesday. Oooh the joy of a Jingle. She is beyond sweet and loving. She is acclimating to our home and I think she is finally feeling she belongs. I mock her with a smile on my face and a giggle in my heart. She is learning. She is amazing at all her tricks when there are no distractions. She will even let me put a treat on her paw and leave it until I tell her she can take it. She just has so much energy she doesn’t know what to do with it. She has the freedom of the house and the yard when we are not home; we just went to the pet store to get some more chew bones that may be Jingle indestructible (she chewed through her “indestructible” Kong toys).
We built her a ramp to join my daughter on her swing set. Guess what she now does… yep… you guessed it. She slides…or runs… down the slide. I can’t figure out how to attach the video, I will try to share it on Tripawds FB page.
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15
January
2015
Nothing seems simple with poor little Jingle. We took her for her spaying yesterday. I was so happy we received a call early to pick her up, but when I got there things happened… The girl at the front desk told me, “Oh you are the one who has the dog in serious heat”. My perplexed look at her and my aghast clearly sent a message something was wrong. I proceeded to tell her what happened and that my dog could not be in heat. She went and told the doctor, and much to my pleasure, the doctor performing surgeries that day was the same doctor we saw that horrible day at the ER vet. She immediately knew who I was and came to speak with me. She said there was so much blood that she was sure the dog was in heat, she didn’t realize it was Jingle. Her uterus was not normal looking either. As she explained, there are 2 “branches” to the uterus, on one side Jingle had an extra “branch”, it was an artery leading into her uterus that she had to tie off and on her other side she had a good size lump. It was her belief she could never have had a viable puppy based on what she saw and that that was why what happened happened.
She told me to watch her gums to make sure they stayed pink and call her if there were any problems. And just for fun, Jingle had poop stuck to her bum that she must have been sitting on in the cage. Ten minutes later after a good cleaning we left.
She did not have a great night but we are still here this am. She still is not herself at all and does not want to go outside. She has eaten breakfast and continue to drink water when we offer it to her (she is not going to get it on her own), but I feel we are moving forward. We have an appointment to see our vet tomorrow due to a bald spots on her I wanted them to look at, so I know she will at least be checked over tomorrow, unless there is a reason we need to bring her in today. She is resting comfortably, I am just concerned she doesn’t want to go “do her business”. She has not tinkled or had a movement since yesterday.
We are missing obedience class tonight too, and let me tell you she needs this. She is normally a sweet pup and listens fairly well in the house, but boy oh boy, once she is distracted she is another dog. She cannot control herself. She tries to attack other cars and my windshield wipers when we are driving, she can’t stand it when another dog is around and she is not playing with it, and it is as if I don’t exist anymore when these distractions happen. Another issue for another day. We are taking a short break on lessons until she is better.
My daughter dog sitting Jingle, they are watching TV together. She has been a good mommy to Jingle.
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3
January
2015
So after petting Jingle’s “fake” babies, letting her run around the house with socks as her babies the unimaginable happened today. My husband found a puppy’s body in the yard today. I am so sick over this. After 2 vets checking her she was pregnant after all – no false pregnancy. I took her to the ER vet today with the pup and the wonderful vet (we are lucky here that we have a great ER for fur babies) said the puppy was not normal looking and probably a stillborn. In all honesty, doesn’t make me feel any better. I just feel like if I knew I would have been more attentive and maybe could have helped the poor puppy, deformed or not. I know the likelihood that it was alive is slim but I have this irrational belief if I was there it would all have been alright.
I called my vet to take her in a few days ago (and you all know what a big fan I am of my vet) but they cancelled the appointment because there was nothing they could do for her in a false pregnancy. I am annoyed I wasn’t more vigilant. I think that was the day she had the pup or the next day.
Jingle is on meds now due to a fever and hopefully to prevent mastitis, because she does have milk after all. We have cancelled her spaying, per doctor’s order and as a result of her infection. We have a new tentative date for spaying on January 14 assuming all is well. Aaaaaaaahhhh.
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30
December
2014
Despite the emptiness in our hearts from losing our beloved Bailey and Prancer we decided the best way to honor them both was to open our home to another four or three legged friend. We know this would not be an easy process as I have allergies and our new family member had really big shoes to fill. I wanted a senior pup who needed someone to love him or her, but after much discussion my daughter she decided she didn’t want to have another dog die right away and wanted a younger dog. We first had a Chihuahua mix spend the weekend that someone from our vet’s office was trying to place and needed someone to watch for the weekend. She nipped at my husband and daughter and we decided that she was not the dog for us. Next my daughter found a dog from a rescue. They let us take her home for the weekend, which turned into about two weeks. We loved her but my allergies were crazy. We fostered her until they found a new home for her. I cried like a baby when she left, my heart broken again. She was a mix of both Bailey and Prancer and made me laugh with her shenanigans. I decided at that point we could not get another dog to take their place; we needed a dog that just fit our family and would be my daughter’s best friend. The rescue had another dog, BB, that they asked us to meet. I fell immediately in love with this little boy, but on the day we were to pick him up we got a call that he was now showing signs of aggression and they were uncomfortable placing him in a home with a child. AAAAAAAAhhhhhh!!!!!!!! They felt so bad that my daughter did not have a dog coming that day they told me they had just got another dog they thought would work with my allergies but was a little bigger than I wanted. Normally they keep the dogs for a few weeks to assess before they place for adoption, but she was really sweet and since they now knew us pretty well and were comfortable with us they would bring her for us to meet and foster if we wanted. She was 22 pounds, we were looking for a dog under 20 pounds so we could travel with ease with our pup. I agreed for them to bring her over for us to see.
Into my yard came a little bear. That is the best way I can describe this fluffy all black creature that ran around our yard. I saw my daughter’s face and thought we are not getting a small dog anymore. Jingle has now been a part of our family for three weeks. The first night here I found 11 ticks on her. Later we found out she was hookworm positive. I am now learning to trim all of her hair, having already given her 3 haircuts and a bath. Through all of this Jingle has patiently sat. There is one issue that I do need help with though… she is having a false pregnancy. She has an enlarged vulva and teats, to the extent they look like they can be milked :). She is whimpering and has set up shop in my closet with a pillow I gave her, her stuffed toys and a tennis ball. I feel so bad for her and don’t know what to do to make her feel better. She is definitely anxious and keeps me up a good part of the night (right now she is resting in the closet). She is scheduled to be spayed on January 7. I am stressed about how she will do until then and worried about her being spayed during this false pregnancy. My vet, who you all know I love, says her symptoms will stop once she is spayed, however, reading on the internet I have mixed views now about spaying her during her false pregnancy. Any advice or insight anyone can on making her comfortable, how long this will last or on spaying give would be greatly appreciated.
Before my haircut
Jingle in my closet nesting
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9
August
2014
It has been a very sad two days for me. I thought my heart was broken when Bailey moved on, but apparently not totally, because the pain and loss I feel at losing Prancer has been overwhelming. At 17 years of age she has crossed that bridge and is basking in the sun and running free next to her buddy Bailey.
Yesterday at 8 AM I brought her to the vet for her final visit. By the time I got home from work, about 3:00 PM I could see things had changed. Although she was happy to see me when I got home her breathing had changed. It seemed a little heavier. She licked some plain yogurt, but not enough to feel excited about her eating. I took her to bed with me early and thought maybe a good night sleep would make her feel better. By 2 AM I was up for the night with her. She would doze for maybe 10 – 30 minutes but her breathing was comprised of short pants. Her balance was off and her stance was unsteady. She tried relieving herself outside, but had some difficulty having any bowel movements. I prayed for her to pass in her sleep, but apparently that was not the plan.
Our wonderful vet allowed us to sit with her in the sun as she drifted off to sleep. We sat outside with her for a while to let her feel the sun on her body before we took her back inside for the final shot. While we were outside I swear her heart stopped and started again. Her passing was different from Bailey’s. Her body was poisoned from all the toxins inside her and when her body relaxed it become obvious. I held her for as long as I could and we sang to her. My daughter is a rock, and despite her fear and tears she keeps telling me Prance is with Bailey where she belongs and we will see her again in heaven.
Thank you all for your constant words of support. I know this journey of ours would have been a lot harder without this community.
Pictures of my BFF’s over time. Always willing to be hugged, play dress up, attend a tea party or just give us love. Thank you for being part of our family.
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7
August
2014
Well, Prancer’s blood work did not come back with good news. Vet said her numbers are at her worst and he is pretty sure her kidney function is now below 20%. She has been finicky about eating. She liked the Science Diet KD, then would only eat it with the KD Stew (a new mixture out there but the vet can’t get anymore just yet – he gave us his samples), however, then turned her nose up at that. I poured some tuna water over her food and she ate some. Then I moved onto just tuna, but now she won’t eat that either. We then made boiled chicken and she wolfed that down last night, however today she would have none of it. I even tried some parmesan encrusted tilapia (I know it’s not the best for her, but she liked it the other day when I gave her a little and then she ate the tuna) but she didn’t even look at it. Plain yogurt was another effort but only a lick. I am going to try some chicken broth over any of the above and see if she is interested.
We have started fluids 2/week and went in today for her second round and weirdly so she gained a half a pound – no clue how that happened. It is sending me mixed messages, just when I think we are done, she gains weight. She is very mellow and sleeps most of the day but when I take her to the dog park or just out with me to run errands she seems OK. She seems a little down and I assume it is because she is not feeling well, but I have only seen her throw up once a few days ago, other than that all her bodily functions are seem to be fine. I have no idea what to do at this point. I know the end is near, but it is so hard when she doesn’t seem like she is that bad off, just more tired than normal and picky about eating. She really just seems to want to be near me too, which it was my understanding she would become distant if she felt bad.
My daughter doesn’t want to live without a dog and is crying that it will be too weird to come home and not have one of our dogs greeting us. She says it is too close to losing Bailey … boy is she right, but then in the same conversation she tells me not to cry because Prancer will be in heaven with Bailey and isn’t that where she should be with him. We should be happy they will be reunited. Praying for guidance and hoping when it is time she just goes to sleep. I think it will be very hard for my household to have to decide again.
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