Saying Goodbye

Yesterday I had to do one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

I had to say goodbye to Youri.

It was so sudden.

One minute he was fine.

The next he wasn't.

I noticed on Tuesday night that he was having a hard time breathing.

Through Wednesday it started sounding worse.

Yesterday I took him to the vet.

When I went to bed Wednesday night,

I didn't realize that was the last night he'd sleep with me in my bed.

When I took him out of the house that morning,

I didn't know it was going to be the last time he was there.

I thought I'd be bringing him home.

A couple hours after dropping him off the vet called.

She said that his lips were turning purple because he wasn't getting enough oxygen.

She said that they had put him in an oxygen box, and that he was doing well in there.

But it was only temporary.

They tried giving him medicine to open his airways and an antibiotic to try to get any fluid out of his lungs.

But he didn't respond to them.

They told me the best thing I could do was to put him to sleep.

They said that if I didn't, he would end up suffocating to death.

So yesterday at 5:30 p.m. I did the only thing that I knew to do, and I let him go.

I can't help but to think that all the abuse he went through caused this.

He was only 9.

I just can't believe he's not here.

I can't believe it happened so fast.

I can't believe that when I get ready to go down to Charleston for drill this weekend,

there won't be a little dog running along side of me making sure I don't forget him.

I couldn't believe he wasn't there when I woke up this morning.

As I was telling him goodbye, I sang this song to him.

I used to sing this song to him often.

He was so misunderstood by so many people.

But I loved him despite it all.

And I miss him terribly.

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Happy Wednesday y'all!

It feels sooo good to blog again!

And that's just one of the things I'm loving this week :)

I'm loving that I got some much needed rest over Fall break! I think schools must seriously know when we're all about to lose our minds because I don't think I could have done it for one more day!!

I'm loving that my mom and my sister got to come visit me for a couple of days. It has been awhile since we've all been able to get together at the same time.

I'm loving Youri's Halloween pajamas! He looks so cute in them, and I got them really cheap at Target :)

I'm loving that I won the super, awesome giveaway for the stuffed pumpkins from PidgApeg Cottage! They're so cute, and I can't wait to add them to my Fall decor!

I'm loving my cute new boots! And right in time for it to cool down this week :)

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What are you loving this week?

Hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday!

Tail Wagging Tuesday

Happy Tuesday y'all!

I'm so excited to be back to blogging again, and what better way to start the week than Tail Wagging Tuesday?!

Today's topic is:Share any photos of your pets old or new.

Youri

D'Artagnan

Kili

I have so many furbabies!!

I wouldn't have it any other way though :)

I hope everyone has a terrific Tuesday!

My Passion

I love animals. I always have. There is a soft spot in my heart when it comes to them. That's why when Ashley over at The Shine Project asked for us to link up our pet stories, I knew this challenge was for me :)

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She just adopted this little cutie, Oliver, from the pound!

As a lot of y'all already know, adopting animals is something that is near and dear to my heart.

ALL of my animals have either been strays, headed to the pound, or rescued from a shelter.

Since I've had quite a few, I'll only tell you about the two most recently adopted :)

Meet Youri

Youri is an 8 year old, full bred Pomeranian. March 2011 marked one year since I adopted him from Lowcountry Animal Rescue. It was love at first sight when I first saw him online, and I had no doubt that he was the dog I was looking for. I had to wait months to adopt him because he had so many problems. 

His previous owners before me were very abusive. He was malnourished. He was kept outside on a chain that caused him tracheal damage due to him pulling on the chain. 

He has scarring around his neck. His teeth are broken off from (my best guess) attempts of escape. His breath smells from tooth decay. He scares easily. He has trust issues. He has aggression problems. He has a bad cough from his tracheal damage. He has an overly sensitive stomach. He goes to the bathroom a lot in the house. His eyes don't see as well as he should. His ears don't hear as well as they should. He has bitten me a couple of times.

And he is mine.

The way his face lights up when I tell him we're "GOING," and he knows he's going for a ride. The way he trembles when I come home because he's glad it's me. The way he wants me to play with him with his toys, but he doesn't know how to trust me yet so we do the best we can. The way he lifts his nose in the air when he smells his favorite treats. The way he nuzzles his head in my neck as we go to sleep at night.

These are the things that I think of when I think about my experience adopting him. Not the bad.

Not the things he experienced the 7 years before me.

But the experience I've given him for a year now.

The things he should have been given all his life.

Meet D'Artagnan

D'Artagnan (pronounced Dar-tan-yun) is a 12 week old kitten. I adopted him from Operation C.A.R.E about a month ago. He was found underneath a porch. He doesn't remember any of it :)

To view adoptable animals in your area, please visit petfinder.com. You will enter your zip code, type of animal (optional), and breed of animal (optional). The search engine will give you a list of animals that are adoptable, their bio, and the shelter associated with them in your area.

So What Wednesday

Happy Wednesday y'all!

I saw Ashley over at It's just a bunch of Hocus Pocus doing this linkup for a couple of weeks now so I'm taking a break from What I'm Loving Wednesday and linking up with Shannon for So What Wednesday!

This week I'm saying SO WHAT! if...

... I haven't blogged since Friday. I was very busy over the holiday weekend!

... I'm about to kill my rescue dog Youri. He is special and has lots of problems. He pooped on me two nights ago, threw up on me last night, and got poop on the sheets as I was crawling into bed. You'd be about to kill him too.

... I stayed up until 3 o'clock in the morning watching the first season of One Tree Hill with my sister. I needed to know what happened!

... I didn't count points over the weekend. There was way too much yummy food for me to do that to myself! Luckily I didn't do too much damage on the scale :)

... if my house is a mess. I'm getting some good painting done.

What are you saying so what to this week?

I hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday!

Friday Confessional

Happy Friday y'all!

These are my confessions.

I confess... that yesterday morning when I stepped on the scale, and it said 139.8, I got back on the scale just to double check. I can't believe I've reached the 130's! Again, thank you Weight Watchers!
I confess... that I may not be so diligent about counting points this weekend since I have tons of fun planned for the Fourth with my family.
I confess... that I bought Youri and D'Artagnan matching polos to wear for the Fourth of July. Hey. They were on sale.
Here's a preview:

I confess... that I am super excited about date night with Chris tonight! We are going out for Mexican :) Surprise, surprise right?!

I confess... that I am really in love with my new blog design! Stay tuned for a post on how you can get a design like mine :)

Need to confess? You can HERE.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and SAFE Fourth of July weekend!

Friday Confessional

Happy Friday y'all!

Let's just cut to the chase.

I confess... that I am the saddest girl in the world.
I confess... that I love my dog Youri very much. I adopted him from a rescue just over a year ago.
I confess... that when I adopted him, I knew he had some health and behavioral problems.
I confess... that he has on occasion bitten me once or twice.
I confess... that after having him a year, I thought we were making some real progress in the behavioral area.
So yesterday when he not only bit me but laid into my hand like he was trying to take my thumb off, I confess I was shocked. He has never done that before.
In his defense, he was disturbed that a strange man was outside spraying the house for termites. I was trying to keep him from attacking the poor man.
I confess... that I cried like a 5 year old girl that got a boo boo on the playground.
I confess... that as much as my bloody, swollen thumb hurt, I was crying more because my feelings were hurt.
I confess... that I didn't cry in front of the termite guy.
I confess... that I just can't believe that this little face who always seems to love his mommy so much...

...could bite me like that.
I confess... that I don't care who thinks this is ridiculous.
I confess... that I feel a little ridiculous.
I confess... that I feel better now that it's all out in the open.
Confession is good for the soul. Just do it and link up HERE.

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thursday y'all!

Here's what I'm thankful for on this beautiful day!

I'm thankful for hot showers! After all the painting and cleaning I've been doing to my house this week, a hot shower at night is the best thing in the world.

I'm thankful for a short work week this week.

I'm thankful that my family got home safely from their cruise and had a great time!

I'm thankful that my mom got to swim with the dolphins! My mom had been looking forward to swimming with the dolphins ever since she started planning the cruise. When they got to the place with the dolphins the group was taking turns, and they could hear a thunder storm in the distance getting closer and closer. My mom was afraid that it might start storming, and she wouldn't get to swim with them. But the storm held out long enough for her to get her turn :)

I'm thankful that my parents' cat came home! When they came home from the cruise our outdoor cat, Muffin, was missing for a couple of days, and they were very upset. She found her way home yesterday though and has been getting the royal treatment :) I'm so glad she came home. We've had her for 12 years so it wouldn't be home without her!

I'm thankful for the great weekend my husband and I got to spend together this past weekend! It was so nice to be able to spend time together just having fun!

I'm thankful that my husband cooked dinner last night so that I could finish working on the dining room.

I'm thankful that I live close enough to my family that they can come up to see me this weekend for my birthday!

I'm thankful that I can talk to my mom on the phone again! I normally talk to her everyday so it was tough while she was on the cruise :)

I'm thankful that Youri had a good check up at the vet and is completely healthy!

I'm thankful that fruit has a zero points value for Weight Watchers. I don't know what I'd do if they didn't!

I'm thankful for my sweet husband who always loves me no matter what.

What are you thankful for this week?

Tail Wagging Tuesday

Happy Tuesday y'all!

I'm absolutely loving Tail Wagging Tuesday's with CMae! I love blogging about my pup! If you want to play along, link up HERE!

This week's topic is....

Share your pet via video!

Sorry these videos are portrait instead of landscape! Lesson learned :)

This is Youri playing with a bug that he found inside!

Youri at bathtime!

Youri getting blow dried!

Youri being silly :)



I hope everyone has a terrific Tuesday!

Tail Wagging Tuesday

Happy Tuesday y'all!

I'm linking up again with CMae for Tail Wagging Tuesday! I just can't miss a chance to talk about my furbabies :)

 Today's topic is.... Share your pet's favorite treats!  

 Youri's favorite thing in the whole world is eating! The shelter I got him from said that he was very malnourished when they got him so I just like to think that he's making up for lost time :) Youri gets treats a lot, but there is one time of the day that he really expects them and that's bedtime! He's such a good little boy and gets right in his crate when it's time for bed because he knows when he does he's going to get treats! Youri is really small (just over 8 pounds!) so he has to have small treats for his little mouth. Due to all the abuse he went through, a lot of his teeth are chipped, broken, and ground down so they also have to be really soft. Here are his favorites! These little Cesar treats are perfect for his little mouth and tummy! Plus, I normally get some really good coupons on these in the paper so I normally only pay 98 cents for them :)

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The Canine Combos are really good because they give him some variety. And this BIG tub lasts this LITTLE boy a long time!

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 And he also likes the little version of Beggin' Strips!

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Youri is very protective when it comes to his treats so he normally runs off with his treat and hides under the dining room table or behind the couch to eat it! And if you get to close, he growls and lets you know :)

Every now and then he'll get a special treat like a real bone from ribs or steak :)

What's your pet's favorite treats?

Don't forget to link up!

I hope everyone has a terrific Tuesday!