Butterfly (the puppy)

Remember my post about my fur sisters? Well I forgot to take a pic of Butterfly before my dad took her home but she's back so I took this pic of her. Isn't she a cutie pie??!!?



This sweet puppy now lives with my parents but before she came to live with them, she was severely abused and neglected. When she was returned to the breeder, she was horribly ill, a complete mess and very gross but the worst thing was the maggots living on her. Truly, I cannot imagine allowing a dog to be so mistreated. Thankfully she was returned to her breeder who worked very hard to help her. However she still struggles with major health challenges. She has to wear the collar b/c she tries to chew her tail off. It's in horrible shape right now and she stinks. Not the smell of a dog needing a bath but the smell of sickness. Poor thing, she just moans and cries sometimes b/c she itches so badly. My dad will rub her to help but her skin flakes off so it can't be done too much. We know her sickness is inside her body and we are just seeing the symptoms on the outside.

My parents have her on a raw diet which is THE diet to heal animals. Dogs are supposed to eat raw. Dogs were wild long before they became domesticated and in the wild they don't cook their food after they catch it. They eat it raw. That's the ways dogs stomachs are designed. Fortunately many forward thinking companies make raw food prepackaged... which is perfect for my parents. :)

She sees a holistic vet who has given her a few homeopathic remedies. While she has improved some since coming to live with my parents, she still suffers terribly. The vet said her immune system is shot and it will take a long time to heal it.

Boy, we know all about that! We have the kid version of that here. :(

So my parents spend much time, money and brain power trying to help this little girl. If anyone knows something that will help her, please email me or post here. It's hard to watch her suffer and we are on a steep learning curve with homeopathic and natural dog treatments. There has to be more for her than Elizabethan collars and misery. She has a sweet spirit (really!! which is surprising considering her past but I think she knows she safe here) and we really want to help her achieve health. Please, if you can help, let me know.

And thank you. :)

Puppy love

Oh dear. We have done it.

We have fallen madly in love with my parents puppies.

Not good.

My parents will leave soon and take their puppies with them. And then the kids will be crushed.

Kate is so much in love with Daisy, who is so much in love with her. The second Kate gets up, it's all "Hi cutie, hi cutie!" and massive amounts of petting, playing and licking (on Daisy's part, not Kate's) and mushy puppy love. Daisy soaks it up and I'm sure if she could talk she would say "Hi big toy, hi big toy!". As I've mentioned before, she's just pure energy encapsulated in fur and teeth. Pixie is equally cute but a calmer puppy which suits Tony and Grace a little better. Pixie loves all the kids but is a mommy's girl. When her mommy (and mine!) are outside, life ceases to exist and she just sits there looking sadly at the door. She doesn't play with the kids nearly as much as Daisy.

There is a bond between Kate and Daisy. I think it has to do with the amount of hyper in those two. They're energy levels are an exact match. ;) When the kids are outside playing, Daisy sits at the door whining and scratching to get out. If I take her out on the leash, she jumps around like a lunatic trying to join in their games or chase them down. They're seriously just giant play toys to her and they're happy to be that. lol

Having a dog also evens the playing field. When two kidlets gang up against the other, the dog makes it all ok because said ousted child can go play with puppy rather than pout and cry that they are being picked on. It's almost completely impossible to be sad when a ball of energy is jumping all over you and showing you how much they love you. I can appreciate that.

Instead of our down times in the day being filled with "I'm bored!" and "I don't have anything to do!", it's filled with taking puppies out for a walk, or tossing a ball with them, or laughing at their crazy antics. The kids appear to have almost completely forgotten about TV b/c the PUPPIES are here to play with. It's truly magical to have a little furry friend to keep you entertained and happy.

I really didn't want anyone to fall in love. Puppies are work and money. Puppies always end up being mommy's job. They make the carpet dirty. Do not tell me about how cute and adorable and wonderful they are, I'm not listening.

But I'm afraid. At some point, parents and puppies will go home and then sad little faces will work their way on Daddy and we're going to end up with a puppy. They've always wanted a puppy but allergies have prevented owning one. Once these puppies got here, the allergist treated us and the kids are no longer having problems with dog allergies. Daddy especially has always wanted the kids to have a dog.

Oh dear. ;)

My fur sisters

I do have a human sister but this post is about my fur sisters. :) When I left home (being the youngest), my parents decided to get a dog to fill the empty house. They got a sweet little shih tzu named Molly. She was with them 15 years but she passed over the Rainbow Bridge in February this year. It was like they lost a child. I know that may sound extreme to some but she was a child of their heart and it was painful to see her go. For such a tiny girl, she left a HUGE hole.

They came here to our house for a week to heal. I love being their safe place.

They mourned (and still do... you understand if you're an animal lover) but couldn't stand the emptiness so they began looking for another. They were only going to get one puppy but one thing led to another, love happened and now they have three. :) So here they are:

The beauty at the top is Pixie. The kids and I got to put our stamp of approval on her name before they sent her papers in. Her official AKC name is Sweet Midnight Pixie Dust (part of that name is a tribute to Molly). The one climbing up my mom is Daisy. Her official AKC name is Sweet Princess Daisy.

Did I say there were three?? Why yes, yes I did. :D But I forgot to take Butterfly's picture before my Dad took her home. He only stayed a day to drop off my mom then had to go back home; he took Butterfly with him. I'll get pictures of her when he comes back to pick my mom up. :) Butterfly was abused by her former owner and brought back to the breeder where my parents were blessed to get her. She has some official name somewhere but it's stupid so we call her something better. lol

So now you know what two of my new fur sisters look like. They are adorable and sweet. Each one has their own individual personalities. Daisy has a zest for living that makes her seem hyper, but she's really just awesomeness in too small of a body. Pixie is playful yet loving, wanting to be near her mommy every second of the day. Butterfly is very laid back and is no doubt EXTREMELY happy that those two puppies who are always annoying her are far far away. lol

Aren't they cute??? I think they look like me. :D