It's All About Monty and Max

Just as we were getting to know Monty, a new foster home for him was found. I've said it over and over again how much we loved having him as part of our household because he was or is such a nice dog!! But Monty's "enthusiasm" for fun and life was too much for two resident grouches, who see life as serious and no nonsense. --can you guess who the two were?  But I'm grateful we got to be a small part of Monty's story. And, I'm grateful for the rescue for being there when he needed 'rescuing.'  It has given Monty a bright future.

~Monty at the vet~

Speaking of fun, April 4th was a day that I was humbled and grateful for  .... Our boy Max, Maxie... Maxine, our fun resident canine clown that always makes me laugh, turned **14 years old**

It is a true milestone for any dog, which is why I am thankful we were able to celebrate him. 

I've had a hard time thinking of Max as a senior boy. Of course I've noticed that he doesn't see or hear as well as he once did, and some days his appetite is off, and of course he doesn't jump on the bed like he once did. And after his recent yearly vet appointment and being groomed, I know that I need to be more mindful of his age. Especially since he was really worn out and tired from those two full days, that made him a bit grouchy. 

It's all totally understandable, and totally okay for him to be however he wants to be  -- at 14 years old he deserves to be.

~Max pre-grooming~

Monty Arrives at Golden Pines

Another busy couple of weeks, made a bit busier this past Friday, when we had an unexpected and unplanned arrival of a new boy at our house. 

Meet 10 year old Monty.

~Meeting Monty - His new chapter begins~

He comes to us after his owner went into hospice care and Monty was left in the home with no one to care for him, or his feline companion. 

And so, after a few twists and turns, Monty was turned over to the rescue to begin a new life -- As was the cat he lived with. 

We knew absolutely nothing about Monty, barely even his name or age. But, despite all of that we of course agreed to take him to keep him safe, and give him a place to call home. 

First intros didn't go all that well, but that was totally my fault. Monty's life had been totally turned upside down, and he just didn't understand what had happened to him and so he was really nervous and so unsure. 

But after a week, he's settled in, and second intros have gone well. He's an active, bouncy and engaging boy that I'll confess may be too much for our household, so I've asked that another foster home be found for him. I think it's for the best. 

However, now that we know that Monty gets along with other dogs and cats, that he listens really well, that he knows all the basics, has good house manners and that he loves to play ball, is a good start. And with the rescue totally committed to him and his care, it gives Monty a bright future. ❤

***I have to add that this is also a reminder for all of us to have a plan for our 

dogs and cats in case we're unable to care for them.***

Letting Go of Iva

Thank you all for the good vibes that you sent for Iva as we traveled last weekend to meet "R&R," near Lynchburg Virginia. The 4+ hour drive was a bit dicey because it was raining the entire way. 

But R&R and their son, daughter in law and granddaughter were all there when we arrived, and they could not have been more welcoming-- Even having lunch prepared and waiting for us. I felt like I was sitting with friends as we ate lunch and talked about Iva and any other topic that came up. They are the real deal; a kind, caring and a perfect family for Iva. They loved her right away, and Iva responded so well to them, and was relaxed and comfortable in their home. 

~Last time at the vet with Iva~

She was also a good match for their girl Lady, who had been missing having a canine friend. So, we signed her adoption contract. 

~Post adoption photo of Iva and Lady~

It was of course a bittersweet moment to let Iva go. I love this big girl with her big personality. We'd had quite a journey together, helping her to regain her health and lose over 30 pounds. And, despite some of the lows, and the hard times, there were many more good moments with this fun girl, and I would do (most of) them all over again. ❤️

Afterwards I drove to the home of friends for dinner and to spend the night. It was a really good visit, and a nice and a recharging ending to a trip filled with a lot of emotion. 

~The view my friends enjoy every day!~

The two post adoption texting reports have all been good and positive. I had to grin at the first photo that was sent of Iva on a sofa - I'd told them Iva never ever got onto our furniture ... and there she was ... never-evering, like she'd never, ever had before. Ya just gotta smile at that! 🙂

I miss her.  

Better Days

Thank you to those of you who have stopped by to let us know you were thinking of us. It lifted my spirits and gave me that needed nudge to update my blog - that I'm not kidding, I have thought about doing nearly every day. 

As you know, for several reasons, it has been a difficult few months for me. The winter coming to an end and the warmer days and more sun has boosted my mood and energy levels. I'm feeling more like myself, and it's translating into better days.

The dogs, including Todd are all in good spirits. 

They really have done a great job chasing away my winter blues like they did on a snowy day in mid February. The video below is Ree and Milo playing with Marley trying to get in on the fun too. 

This weekend is a big weekend for us. In early February, the rescue's Adoption Coordinator told me about a couple on the outer edge of the area that the rescue covers that expressed an interest in Iva. The rescue requires a home visit prior to approving anyone adopting from the rescue, and finding a volunteer to do it could have been a challenge. However, longtime friends (we served on the board of the rescue together) live about an hour away and so I called my friend -- The Adoption Coordinator and I were glad when "Jill" agreed to do their home visit.

*R&R* live on a small, fenced farm near Lynchburg, Virginia. SHE is a semi-retired Veterinarian and HE is retired. They have an 11 year old Golden that is missing having a companion. In our conversations and e-mails, I feel like they could be the long awaited match for Iva. I do have just one concern, that I won't mention, but I'm hoping that when we meet them TOMORROW it won't be a stumbling block. 

So, Iva and I will be leaving early in the morning to make a 4 hour drive to meet *R&R* and their girl Lady. The hope is that they'll all fall in love with each other, be totally perfect and adopt Iva all in the same day. I'm then going to overnight at my friends home and I'll be back on Sunday afternoon. And if Iva isn't a match for *R&R*, she'll be home on Sunday too. 

Wish us luck! 

~Marley~

Good Riddance January!

I could not be more grateful to have January coming up in the rearview mirror! What a month it has been. I am hoping that February will be a better month at our house. 

To start, many, many thanks for all the good and healing vibes for Todd. 

He has healed well and uneventfully and the stitches have been removed. **And I'll add for newer readers, who may not know, Todd at almost 12 years old, belongs to us and is not a foster dog - We've had him since he was a 12 week old puppy. ❤

~Stitches out - the healing continues~

The past month has been filled with trying to find and get back that balance. Yes, the dogs appear to have moved on from everything, but I'm still stuck back at that moment I arrived home at the start of January. Friends that have unfortunately found themselves in a similar situation, tell me that just as it is with Todd, something like this takes time to heal, and I think we are. 

~Milo makes any day better~

Life continues whether I wanted it to or not, and in the rain, snow and cold, I still had to go to work. 

~On my way to work on a snowy morning~

Vet appointments made weeks ago still needed to be kept. 

Marley saw the ophthalmologist for a follow up. The higher dose of the eye medication, (tacrolimus) is making a difference and his eyes are looking better. He'll have another recheck in 3 months to be sure.

~A tired Marley on his way home~

Iva was also at the vet for a skin infection, and hot spot. The good news for her is that her weight loss journey is getting results. She now weighs in at 88 pounds and has lost a total of 32 pounds. Yay Iva!! As you know, she is a foster dog, and the journey also continues to find her forever family, that I so hope comes soon. 

Lily also saw the holistic vet. She's so nervous when taken anywhere, that I decided to add Marley as a comfort dog for her. Wholistic Vet has such a dog friendly office, and she and Marley were totally comfortable and relaxed during the visit. 

~Marley, left playing the roll of comfort dog for Lily~

We now have a plan for Lily going forward that doesn't cure her cancer, but hopefully will slow down its progress. She's now taking 3 Chinese herbs and we've added CBD oil to help alleviate her anxiety. 

~Lily, as relaxed as she can be~

And as I have already said, and as we all know, somehow and someway life goes on and I know it needs to. And a good cup of hot chocolate shared with a friend really helps with that. So, onward we go. 🖤

How Fast Things Change

For the most part, things have been going pretty well at our house. Despite a few things, the dogs have all been in a pretty good place. But we all know that things can and do sometimes change quickly.  

With that I'll start by saying that we've not had any real issues that felt like I was totally being knocked off my feet. That is not until this past Tuesday. 

When I arrived home on Tuesday evening from work Iva was outside barking, and inside it was chaos because Carl was trying to get Todd back into his crate -- The rest of the dogs were equally upset barking and running between me and Carl. A few minutes before there had been a fight between Todd and Iva, and Carl was trying to see how badly Todd had been injured. We got him into the office, but were not able to handle him without his whining, crying and snapping at us. This was not good. We finally got Todd into his crate to settle him down, and for a moment turned our attention to Iva. 

Thankfully we found no injuries on Iva except for a scape on her muzzle. It was a totally different story for Todd. We knew he needed to see a vet and after a phone call to an urgent vet, Carl was quickly on his way. Of course I wanted to take him, but we felt that Carl taking Todd was better because the dogs needed to be fed and settled down and I was best to do that - Also, not knowing how long he'd be gone, Carl could take the next day off work, where I can't as easily. 

So, I got everyone fed and settled and I waited for news from Carl. He would arrive back home at about 2 AM with Todd who'd had emergency surgery. He has several stitches, and 2 drains in his neck. 

The drains were removed on Friday and for the most part, aside from some swelling, the vet said his injuries are healing as well as they can. Todd is being crated most of the time, and is allowed to interact with most of the dogs when going outside, except Iva.

~Inside the urgent vet on Friday~

Unfortunately we don't know what caused this fight. Todd and Iva were the only 2 outside together, as they have been many times. In the more than a year that Iva has been here, there have been no issues between the two of them. What happened and how it happened is only a guess. But my thought is that it was maybe a tennis ball. Carl plays ball with the dogs every evening, Todd plays ball by himself, and one may not have gotten picked up outside. Which is where the fight was.  If one of them had found a ball that had not been collected, and the other wanted it and didn't want to give it up, I think that's why a  fight may have started. I only say this, because later Milo had a tennis ball, and I don't know where he found it - But all this is just a guess. 

I am still reeling emotionally from this. I am at a low and feeling heartbroken, discouraged, sad, depressed, guilty and so many other things for so many reasons. And I am worrying about what's ahead as far as Todd's recovery and he and Iva co-existing together. I just hope with some time we will know the answers and can go back to those days we were having, even a week ago. I just hope .... and hope .... and hope some more.