I know I still have to do the post on picking up Comet and the outing from Saturday, I promise I'll get it up as soon as I can, probably tomorrow.
Comet is settling in well! She loves Eva and Mowgli and every once in awhile will entice Rizzo to play too. Riz is sort of a cranky dog so doesn't usually play with other dogs besides Eva but Comet has gotten her to play! Comet has tested us a bit but she has mostly stopped that and is starting to respond very well to her new name and the new commands. Since she did come from a different organization, there are some changes for her. We use slightly different commands for some things and the harness which is new for her. She was going stiff when we put it on her but Ally worked with her a bit with treats and then yesterday Max and I took her and Eva to the park for a walk and we started the walk with her just wearing it but the leash not attached and then we attached the leash to the harness once she started ignoring it and it went much better then the outing on Saturday! She is still finding some actions awkward with it on, such as jumping in the car, but she's doing very well. We haven't done any outings (besides Saturday) yet, we wnat her to settle in a bit and to learn how she ticks a bit more before tacking an outing. I need to get some pictures of her for you all to see. She's absolutely adorable! I'm enjoying this raising experience so far! Yes, she has her challenge behaviours but she is so sweet and so attentive and the organization is such a pleasure to work with!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Welcome Home
Comet (aka Mattie) is home! It was a long day yesterday but an amazing outing and me and Comet have started working on her weaker areas. She's such a sweet girl who loves to cuddle and get some loves but definately has an onary side! I'm exhausted and have a lot to do today so once I get some pictures from Ally I'll do a post on the outing yesterday, the long drive home and the first night with our little yellow spitfire. Eva just loves her and these two are gonna be quite the dynamic duo. This will be a fun raising experience for me and really challenge me to put my skills to use and try some new techniques and what not. Ok, well the girls are taking their morning nap I'm gonna go clean the house and maybe take a nap ;-)
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
2010
I'm gonna try my best to remember what happened this year. Bear with me!
January: I started college in January. I loved being back in the classroom but realized that the problems I had in high school are still there in college. I have a very hard time paying attention in class, not getting bored and getting my homework done due to how boring it is. If something challenges me, I love it, but the stuff I do well in and pick up quickly is incredibly difficult for me to not go into a coma sitting in class. Max was still working at the call center and we were struggling to get by at that point. Charlie was 9 months old and his immaturity was pressing my patience. I felt helpless in helping Charlie progress and started to get depressed about it. I also started experimenting with going gluten-free to treat my Celiac disease but didn't take it serious. My depression deepened for a couple reasons including the depressing thought of never having children. I knew we had a long way to go in treatment for fertility but sometimes things just get to you.
February: February is always a hard month for me as it holds the anniversary of our sweet nephew's death. It's also a happy month since it holds the anniversary of Iverson's graduation! (the day before the other anniversary of the month...) I got sick in February and it feels like that started an almost non-stop cycle of feeling fine for a couple days and then being sick again for a couple weeks. I think my body was struggling with the celiac disease and the torture I was putting it through with the constant changes in my diet.
March: Max and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary! Max also got a good paying job that he enjoyed and things started to look up. Charlie was still driving me crazy and I was frustrating with that raising experience in general. My first term of college ended and I did nothing for spring break.
April: Charlie turned a year old and not much changed. He just got bigger but was the same goofy puppy. The next term started. I don't think much else happened in April....
May: I requested Charlie to be transferred/recalled. I was at my wits end with him and I couldn't handle him much longer. There was a program called Puppies In Flight that transports service dogs and service dogs in training for no cost. The organization has to submit the paperwork and it took an incredibly long time and took several attempts to get it right. So May we spent waiting for the paperwork to go through and to get a flight scheduled.
June: Eva had been home for a year as our pet! Continued to wait on a flight for Charlie and struggled with raising him. I applied to raise for Canine Angels Service Teams, a small local organization that we had been following for years, just took our time to make sure they were a good fit for us. Had our home visit at the end of the month and dreamed about the possibilities of raising on the the Space Litter pups born at the beginning of the month. We also moved into the downstairs apartment, easier on all of us and a better place for us to raise our kids, without stairs.
July: Found out I would be raising for CAST but not a Space puppy. I also found out that the Puppies In Flight program was on hold and was no longer transporting dogs for the time being. I resigned myself to dealing with Charlie for the coming months and tried a little harder with the boy. Began working on a two bedroom house from the same landlord we would be moving into.
August: I turned 22! Rizzo turned 3 and worked on the house some more. We chose the paint colors, new carpet and some of the light fixtures. We moved in in the middle of the month and it was so nice having a yard and a doggie door for the dogs to play. Charlie improved with the added freedom and time to mature.
September: Max and I both started fall term of school and we settled into our new home.
October: Eva turned 2! A thing we never thought would happen! We turned Charlie in and I felt relief. Char went to the prison to continue his training. We got our Mowgli, my dream kitten! A long-haired black and white tuxedo boy who loves to cuddle but has a feisty side!
November: I learned that I would be getting a Space puppy after all! Mattie was donated to a different organization but was returned to CAST for personal reasons of the raiser and I was the chosen one to raise her! We found out Eva had cancerous cells in her urine which could point to cancer in her urinary tract soemwhere. Our life changed in another way, with the possibility of adding a baby to our family through foster care (may lead to adoption) and started to bond with the baby (due Feb. 14, 2011) and met her older sister (8 months old, in foster care). It was an exciting but emotionally tolling month.
December: I am getting my sweet Space puppy and we continue to bond with the baby girls. I visit weekly with the older sister and we got to see the baby girl on U/S. We are waiting on a referral for our home study to be complete since we live in a different county but I can't wait for that to happen! The anniversary of our nephews birth was easier this year and I realized that I am ready to be a Mommy, despite the pain and fear from losing Koen, I'm ready.
The coming year will bring a lot of changes. A change in my major, a possible change in our family dynamic, a change in raising for a different organization and changing from a couple to a family (hopefully!) Who knows what the future will bring with the baby girls, we may end up with one, both or none. We hope beyond hope that our family expands by a daughter or two. If not, we move forward to more advanced fertility treatments. One way or another, this coming year we will have a baby or two or at least be pregnant! We will enjoy our time left with Eva and learn what we can from raising our first lab/golden cross! This coming year we will also find out what's going on with Eva and what we can expect with her future.
January: I started college in January. I loved being back in the classroom but realized that the problems I had in high school are still there in college. I have a very hard time paying attention in class, not getting bored and getting my homework done due to how boring it is. If something challenges me, I love it, but the stuff I do well in and pick up quickly is incredibly difficult for me to not go into a coma sitting in class. Max was still working at the call center and we were struggling to get by at that point. Charlie was 9 months old and his immaturity was pressing my patience. I felt helpless in helping Charlie progress and started to get depressed about it. I also started experimenting with going gluten-free to treat my Celiac disease but didn't take it serious. My depression deepened for a couple reasons including the depressing thought of never having children. I knew we had a long way to go in treatment for fertility but sometimes things just get to you.
February: February is always a hard month for me as it holds the anniversary of our sweet nephew's death. It's also a happy month since it holds the anniversary of Iverson's graduation! (the day before the other anniversary of the month...) I got sick in February and it feels like that started an almost non-stop cycle of feeling fine for a couple days and then being sick again for a couple weeks. I think my body was struggling with the celiac disease and the torture I was putting it through with the constant changes in my diet.
March: Max and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary! Max also got a good paying job that he enjoyed and things started to look up. Charlie was still driving me crazy and I was frustrating with that raising experience in general. My first term of college ended and I did nothing for spring break.
April: Charlie turned a year old and not much changed. He just got bigger but was the same goofy puppy. The next term started. I don't think much else happened in April....
May: I requested Charlie to be transferred/recalled. I was at my wits end with him and I couldn't handle him much longer. There was a program called Puppies In Flight that transports service dogs and service dogs in training for no cost. The organization has to submit the paperwork and it took an incredibly long time and took several attempts to get it right. So May we spent waiting for the paperwork to go through and to get a flight scheduled.
June: Eva had been home for a year as our pet! Continued to wait on a flight for Charlie and struggled with raising him. I applied to raise for Canine Angels Service Teams, a small local organization that we had been following for years, just took our time to make sure they were a good fit for us. Had our home visit at the end of the month and dreamed about the possibilities of raising on the the Space Litter pups born at the beginning of the month. We also moved into the downstairs apartment, easier on all of us and a better place for us to raise our kids, without stairs.
July: Found out I would be raising for CAST but not a Space puppy. I also found out that the Puppies In Flight program was on hold and was no longer transporting dogs for the time being. I resigned myself to dealing with Charlie for the coming months and tried a little harder with the boy. Began working on a two bedroom house from the same landlord we would be moving into.
August: I turned 22! Rizzo turned 3 and worked on the house some more. We chose the paint colors, new carpet and some of the light fixtures. We moved in in the middle of the month and it was so nice having a yard and a doggie door for the dogs to play. Charlie improved with the added freedom and time to mature.
September: Max and I both started fall term of school and we settled into our new home.
October: Eva turned 2! A thing we never thought would happen! We turned Charlie in and I felt relief. Char went to the prison to continue his training. We got our Mowgli, my dream kitten! A long-haired black and white tuxedo boy who loves to cuddle but has a feisty side!
November: I learned that I would be getting a Space puppy after all! Mattie was donated to a different organization but was returned to CAST for personal reasons of the raiser and I was the chosen one to raise her! We found out Eva had cancerous cells in her urine which could point to cancer in her urinary tract soemwhere. Our life changed in another way, with the possibility of adding a baby to our family through foster care (may lead to adoption) and started to bond with the baby (due Feb. 14, 2011) and met her older sister (8 months old, in foster care). It was an exciting but emotionally tolling month.
December: I am getting my sweet Space puppy and we continue to bond with the baby girls. I visit weekly with the older sister and we got to see the baby girl on U/S. We are waiting on a referral for our home study to be complete since we live in a different county but I can't wait for that to happen! The anniversary of our nephews birth was easier this year and I realized that I am ready to be a Mommy, despite the pain and fear from losing Koen, I'm ready.
The coming year will bring a lot of changes. A change in my major, a possible change in our family dynamic, a change in raising for a different organization and changing from a couple to a family (hopefully!) Who knows what the future will bring with the baby girls, we may end up with one, both or none. We hope beyond hope that our family expands by a daughter or two. If not, we move forward to more advanced fertility treatments. One way or another, this coming year we will have a baby or two or at least be pregnant! We will enjoy our time left with Eva and learn what we can from raising our first lab/golden cross! This coming year we will also find out what's going on with Eva and what we can expect with her future.
Thursday, December 02, 2010
6 Things At 6 Months!
Today is the 6 month day of the Canine Angels "Space Litter", part lab/golden cross with a couple full goldens thrown in there! Talk about a good day to meet my new little girl!
I would like to introduce you to Mattie! Once a Space puppy, ALWAYS a Space puppy, even if your name doesn't fit into the theme (which may or may not be changed to a more theme appropriate name)! Mattie was donated to a small organization in San Diego but due to some circumstances with the raiser's family, she has been returned to Canine Angels! I've known for almost 3 weeks now that she would be coming home but the weather prevented us from picking her up a couple weeks ago.
It has been decided (with my blessing) that Mattie will stay at the kennels for the next week or two to see how she does and who she is. It'll give us a base to work from and see what areas need work and where our focus needs to be. So even though I met her today when we picked up Jackson, she is still about 90 minutes away from us. I'll try my best to come up with 6 things after only spending 45 minutes with her today!
1. I'm thankful that this gorgeous little girl has found her way back North to join our family.
2. I'm thankful that I was given the oppurtunity to finish her raising!
3. I love her coloring! She's quite dark but has white bloomers!
4. She needs reminded that she is a retriever, not a SPRINGER!
5. I'm looking forward to teh day I get to bring her home.
6. I love how little she is! I think Ally's Tiki (at 15 weeks) weighs more then the short, thick Mattie!
1. I'm thankful that this gorgeous little girl has found her way back North to join our family.
2. I'm thankful that I was given the oppurtunity to finish her raising!
3. I love her coloring! She's quite dark but has white bloomers!
4. She needs reminded that she is a retriever, not a SPRINGER!
5. I'm looking forward to teh day I get to bring her home.
6. I love how little she is! I think Ally's Tiki (at 15 weeks) weighs more then the short, thick Mattie!
Visitor
As I don't have a puppy yet, I offered to puppy sit any dogs for Canine Angels that they might need. So a week and a half ago at the outing, we were told about a 6 month old dobie that was donated but would be privately placed as a pet that needed some work. We picked up Jackson today! He sure is a soft fellow, shy but oh so sweet. He will be here a week or two and we'll work on his potty training and some basic obedience and work on getting him to gain some weight. I'll post some more pictures as soon as I get some good ones!
Winner!
We have a winner for the puppy pool!
Congrats Lisa, Ellie & Hosta! Contact me to let me know which store you would like your giftcard for and we'll figure it out!
Congrats Lisa, Ellie & Hosta! Contact me to let me know which store you would like your giftcard for and we'll figure it out!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)