A Subtraction

For nearly a week we kept a secret at our house. And it was that Jaycee, our foster girl for Lab Rescue, that we had for just over one year, left us last Sunday for a 'trial adoption.' We decided on a "trial adoption," because of some of the insecurities that Jaycee has that didn't and don't make her a fit for some homes. Added to her not always liking some people, for reasons that only she knows, made a "trial adoption" a good option. It gave the family an "out" if it didn't work - and of course, Jaycee would be returned to us. With so much on the line, I just didn't want to jinx anything out there in the cosmos, so we silently kept  all fingers, toes crossed and paws crossed, and hoped it would be a match for Jaycee.

It was a cold and snowy day last Sunday when "Semi-Retired-Couple" and their Lab Ian, made the more than 2 hour drive from Annapolis Maryland to our corner of Virginia. They spent nearly an hour alone with Jaycee, walking her around our property, and just getting to know her, while I watched from the inside. 

"Semi-Retired-Couple" decided that they and their boy Ian wanted to take Jaycee home. So, I took their photo together....

and with a kiss on top of Jaycee's head, she was put into the back of their car and I said good-bye and they were off. 

It didn't take as long as I thought it might for "Semi-Retired-Couple" to decide that they wanted to adopt Jaycee. I will confess that I tried to get them to hold off for a few more days, but their hearts knew that they wanted Jaycee to stay with them - With their saying more than once, how much they already loved Jaycee, and how well it was going, I knew it was time for me to let her go.  

~Jaycee now at home~

"Semi-Retired-Couple" could not be any more perfect for Jaycee. I liked them right away. They are previous adopters from Lab Rescue, and with no children, being home most of the time, not too many comings or goings and being no strangers to dogs like Jaycee, who as a retired breeder girl, can be shy and unsure of herself, they really are perfect for her. 

It was and is bittersweet, and we miss Jaycee. But those hard and discouraging days where I felt like her family would never come, are now replaced with the joy I feel at knowing Jaycee is where she should be.  

~On our way home -
A first photo of Jaycee, when we met in March 2022~

**And I know that some of you may be wondering why we didn't adopt Jaycee. It goes without saying that we loved and adore Jaycee. But she just wasn't a fit for our home. As hard as my brother and our dog walker tried to be friends with Jaycee, for reasons only known to her, she just didn't like them, and was afraid of them both. Unfortunately they both stopped trying to be her friend, something I wasn't happy about it, and I tried to understand. And with that, I felt strongly that Jaycee should be in a home where everyone loved her, and she loved everyone. All dogs deserve that. ❤ **

Lily Arrives at Golden Pines

If there’s anything else you should know about me, it’s that I’m actually awful at managing my free time. I think it's because I chase the clock from the moment I get up in the morning and all day at work. So when I get home, it's gotten to the point where all bets are off as far as me really rushing to get anything done. I think it's happening partly because I am easily distracted, usually by the dogs and I am simply losing track of time. Which is easy to do sometimes.

~Ree and I enjoyed a warm sunny day a couple weeks ago~

And as disappointed as I am in myself, because I'm not keeping up on some things, like my blog, I am determined to just keep going. 

With that, I'll skip over some of the smaller things that have been happening including the 2 vet visits that I had this week with Iva, who had an abscess, that also blew up into a really ugly hotspot. Thankfully she's finally feeling better, and that's what matters most. 

~Iva, worn out from her vet visits this week~

Lets get to the bigger news, and that's that a week ago today, we welcomed a new arrival named Lily to Golden Pines. Lily comes to us via the Golden Retriever Rescue. 

~On our way home~

Her previous owner is a single mom, balancing kids, and a busy schedule. Part of her e-mail to the rescue is below.

Hello, I am inquiring about giving up my golden retriever. This is really hard to even inquire about as I don’t want to give her up, but she is being neglected from love and care that I know she deserves. She is 11 years old. She can barely go up the 3 steps to outside.....  She was my world for about 5 years, then I had kids. Now I’m divorced and a single mother. I don’t have money to take her to the vet, for medications, even to have her groomed. I am too busy to brush her, to love her, to care for her. I am too busy. I barely have enough time to see my kids as I work full time. When I am home, I don’t want to see the dog I want to see my kids. I feel so badly for her. She has arthritis so she needs medication probably, that I can’t afford. She is disheveled, overweight, and never taken on walks. I am so guilty about all of this. She does deserve better.

Needless to say, when I read the e-mail, my heart went out to the Mom, and Lily too and so of course I said I'd take her. How could I not? 

Lily is a lovely senior girl, and she is getting along really well with her new packmates. She is however, a pretty nervous girl, and more than once during the night this past week, she starts howling. We aren't quite sure why she's doing this - She has the company of another dog or two - So we are thinking it may have to do with her not being able to be with us, despite that she can come into our room if she'd like. However, since it's only been a week, we really think and hope that maybe with a little bit of time she will relax and feel right at home.

Welcome Lily! 

It's About Balance

Yet another vet visit this week and this time it was Ree's turn. Let me just start this by saying that she's a terrible traveling companion. Even though she happily gets into the car, she'll sit directly in back of me and barks at everything that she sees. She also likes to have the window down so she can stick her nose out to sniff the air. Lesson learned to remember to use a crate next time. 

We've had Ree for over a year now, but she'd never met our vet. So, it was time that she did. Ree was really good, and we're waiting on the bloodwork results to be returned. 

So, after being the defender and protector of my van yesterday, today Ree's job was laying around and doing nothing. 

I think that there are days when I'm just like Ree. Some days all I do is bark at everybody, and some days I just want to lay on the floor and do nothing.  I think Ree has got it right. It's all about balance. ❤

~The snowdrops are blooming!~

Jaycee - Color Dilution Alopecia

Our February began with just a little bit of snow, that practically disappeared if you blinked. It was the bitter cold that was hard to miss. But it was easier to take knowing it wasn't going to hang around for long. By Sunday afternoon milder and warmer air arrived and is in the forecast for the week ahead.

Lately, my days off have been spent at the vets office. This past week was no different and this time, it was Jaycee's turn. 

I am both sad and worried for Jaycee. We've had her for almost a year now and there has been some interest from hopeful adopters, but no matches. And I have to confess to being brought to tears when it's not a match with someone that I thought may be perfect and when other dogs who've not been available for adoption that long, find their new family. I'm trying to remain hopeful. But it's not always easy.

But Jaycee's vet visit was an uneventful one because it was just a yearly exam to make sure she's current on everything for when the day does come, she'll be ready for adoption. 

A health concern I have with Jaycee, is that she has alopecia on her sides, and on top of her head. 

~The top of Jaycee's head~

I've always thought she would regrow hair in these areas, but she hasn't. The vet explained that she has "color dilution alopecia" (CDA) which is a genetic-recessive-inherited condition that causes patches of hair thinning or loss. Interesting, at least to me, it's also this same diluted gene that gives Jaycee her silvery color, and her dappled ear.

I had no idea, and because everything on the internet is true, I looked it up and read about it. You really can learn something new every day. Even on the internet. 🙂

~The beautiful Daisy~

The 2023 Re-Start of Life at Golden Pines

Welcome Back Readers!

I know, its been a while, too long of a while since I posted.  I have all kinds of things I want to share, making it hard to decide where to start. But there's time for all of that, so I'm just going to make this post the official restart of my blog in 2023.  

I'll just start by saying that life got a little crazy. I won't bore you with all of that and say that for the past few months I've known I needed to readjust my priorities and decide my own direction for this year. Starting of course with the dogs. I had the chance to give a home to 7 year old Golden Retriever. It was a bit of a knee-jerk reaction saying I would take this girl, who was being given away by her owner. At first I was excited about the idea of welcoming her. But when the dust settled I realized that it was not what I wanted. My heart belongs to the senior dogs, and I really want to be able to continue to give a home to the most senior and hospice Goldens and Labs that need a place to go. If we accepted this new and younger girl, with the dogs we have now, it would make doing that very difficult. A younger dog adds a level of energy and even stress and pressure on us and our dogs that I just don't want. So, she is not coming to us. 

The dogs are of course oblivious to all of this and are doing pretty well for the most part. I've been doing some "light reading" during lunch at work. I am finding that it has helped to refocus my mind off the hectic days we've had at the office where I work. 

Iva, our newest addition is feeling much, much better these days. She has quite the fun personality under all that hair, that we're working on getting rid of. Below is a photo of that first brushing session. 

Iva returned to the vet this past Friday for a weigh in, and to recheck her thyroid levels. We've had her on thyroid medication for over a month now, and we'll see if an adjustment needs to be made. The good news is that Iva has lost 8 pounds and as I said, she's feeling great and is much more active and loves to play with Milo and the other dogs too. 

And speaking of Milo, he's met our vet for the first time. With no medical records from his first life, we had to start all over with him. I'm hoping the reports will come back just fine, even though he is getting over a really (!!) ugly staph infection. Despite that, he remains in good spirits. 

Then of course there's Todd. The star of our household is doing pretty well.  He's still having bouts of snorting/sneezing. With spring coming I know I need to decide what the next step is going to be with him because I do think it's allergy related - So, should he see an allergist, or holistic vet?  A decision to be made in the coming weeks. 

With that, I'll end this re-start of my blog in 2023. Thank you for stopping by. I'm grateful for your continued friendship, support and cheering us on! 

It really does mean a lot to me. ❤