One year later... What a difference one year makes

On Oct 22 it will have been 3 years since my beloved fawn pug Shad died. He was my first pug & a one of a kind pug. He was so special. I miss him like crazy. After all I had had him 17 ½ years. He was like one of my kids. After he died I never thought of replacing him. We just planned on being a 2 dog family & eventually a one dog family.

Then that day came almost 2 years later. It was October 16, 2012. A year ago today I got a phone call asking if I wanted a black pug. A black pug had been dumped off out in the middle of nowhere. He had been living for about 2 weeks out in a cotton field. Our friends who lived in a farmhouse nearby had been keeping an eye on him. They were worried he’d starve to death, a wild animal would get him or a tractor/car’d hit him. That day they had convinced the dog to come to their house to eat & stay. Before he would go to their house for food & go back to the field at night. At first I wasn’t sure. I had always wanted a black pug & I had wanted to name it Harry Pugger. But I still wasn’t sure if I wanted another dog right now. We had just spent a ton of money on Buddy (Our 4 year old Sheltie) who had just had surgery a week before. I was still trying to keep Buddy from eating his bandages off. Anyway so we decided we would drive down there & see this dog. When we got there we saw this skin & bones little black dog running around barking. He was an odd looking thing. Very skinny, but his legs & feet were huge. He had obviously not eaten much. He looked like a full pug but we weren’t sure. We decided to take him home. He wasn’t sure he liked us & wanted to go with us. So we got this dog home. He smelled horrible. He went to the bath right away. After several washings he was clean. This poor dog had tick wounds/scabs all over him. He also had singed fur down his back. That night we went & bought him a collar, flee & tick stuff, a nametag & a flashing name tag. It was a good thing we got the flashing nametag. He was extremely hard to see in the dark. Not to mention he escaped a few times. If he hadn’t had that flashing nametag on we’d never have found him in the dark.

He was real skittish. He was afraid of the boys, the other dogs, & any noise. He’d hide under our little church bench so no one could see him. He’d sit there shivering the whole time. The next day I took him to the vet. He did not have a microchip on him. He was very malnourished. He was dehydrated & anemic. He also had heartworms & tick fever. So right away we had to start him on medicine. It was a long road & not a cheap one either. The vet also guessed he was about 6 or 7 years old. We decided to call him Pugsley. He answered to it right away. I decided he needed a cleaver middle name. So I started calling him Pugsley Mugsley because it rhymed. Pugsley & I bonded over cans of dog food & Peanut butter sandwiches. At first he was so hungry he’d eat the canned dog food with the pills hidden in it. He had to take these pills 3 times a day. We did this for 6 weeks. After a while it became more & more of a challenge of getting him to take his medicine. We went to the vet weekly to see his process. The vet told me since I was having problems getting him to take his medicine to try it with peanut butter. So he ate PB Sandwiches. A few days into this whole rescue process I wondered what I had gotten myself into. Here was a dog that was scared of everything. He didn’t want to be loved on & in fact he acted like he’d be abused. I wondered if he’d make a good dog or not. But I was willing to try. On the 3rd day I decided to take his picture. He’s been hanging out in the dinning room catching some warm sun. So I said to him, can I take your picture? It was as if he understood me. All of a sudden he stands up right on his back legs & poses. After I took my picture he sat back down & went back to sunning. It was that moment when I fell in love with this dog. I could see it in his eyes that he was going to be a good dog. He just needed time.

He hid from everyone. Came out only for food, water & to go outside. At night he had bad dreams & cried in his sleep. He refused to sleep in a bed. I even made him his very own blanket. But he wouldn’t sleep on that either. Instead he insisted on sleeping under my bed or right beside it. He also loved to sleep in my sorted laundry. He often got stepped on because he blended in so well. I had to be careful at night getting up because if I stepped on him, touched him with the slightest touch or ever dropped something on him, he’d go Ninja as I call it. He’d bite who ever it was that touched him the wrong way. He doesn’t bite hard. It’s more of like when a puppy bites. When he’d do this it was like a Jekyll & Hyde thing. One minute he was nice & loveable the next he was a totally different dog. Once he realized what he was doing he immediately felt bad. His eyes would go from that glassy eyed stare to a sweet loving pup. He can’t stand toys with squeakers. Those would set him off. I was really concerned with him being around people. Every chance he got he tried to run away. He hated Sassy our 12-year-old fawn pug. He would try to attack her when she got too close. There was something about Buddy that he liked. They became instant friends. But he did not want to be in the same room with Sassy. He started responded well to being loved on. However it hurt him if you petted him on the back legs. (Another reason I thought he might have been abused.) He’d try to bite you if you pet him in the wrong spot. He also did not want the other dogs around him when he was getting petted. He’d snap at them. He didn’t like two people trying to pet him at once. He’d snap at the other one letting them know to back off. By the end of November he had almost finished his pills. He had put on 8 pounds since we got him. The heartworms, tick fever & anemia had all gone away. He was now able to get his shots. He was starting to get used to us by then. He still didn’t like Sassy. When he’d eat he sat down on his butt & ate like he was sitting at a table. (He still does this.) He hated Sassy standing behind him barking at him. Often he’d turn & give her apiece of his mind. He loves treats!! I admit I spoiled him on treats. I did a bunch of research on adopting stray dogs & getting them to trust you. One of the things it said was to give them special treatment. So I got tons of treats for him. I’d give him one often. He’d set up on his hind legs (just like he did the day I took his picture) & beg for one when he decided he needed one. Every time someone came over we’d show them his cool trick. This also helped him bond with guest in our home.

By December he was settling down. Noises & storms still bothered him. He still got scared easy over anything. But the normal 6-year-old kid noise the boys make he adjusted too. He bonded closer to me than anyone. His favorite place to hide was under the Christmas tree. Between January & February I talked him into sleeping on the blanket I made him. He’d push it under my bed where he slept & would lay on it. In March I had major surgery & since then Pugsley has been my shadow. He doesn’t let me out of his sight when I’m home. He went back to the Vet the first of May. They pronounced him a happy & healthy pug. They said he defiantly did not look like the same pug I brought in back in October. However they did say he didn’t need to gain any more weight. If he does we might need to put him on a diet. By summer he acted like a normal dog who had lived with us all his life. He loves hanging out in the back yard, or sleeping in front of the front door or dinning room windows. He no longer would hide from people. He was however still terrified of Thunderstorms. He’d sit in my lap & shiver the whole time. If we had one during the night he’d make sure to wake me up so I could comfort him. I started him a Facebook fan page this summer. His friend’s on Facebook recommended trying a thunder shirt on him. So we bought him one. It worked well. He has relaxed quite a bit over the storms. He still gets antsy & acts like he knows when one is about to hit, but he’s much better. By August I got him to start sleeping in a dog bed. Before he wouldn’t have anything to do with it. I’d put him on it & he’d get off 2 seconds later. I had to put his blanket on it to get him to try. At first he’d stay a few minutes then get off when I wasn’t looking. Gradually he’d stay longer. Now he sleeps on it most of the night. But every chance he gets to lay in the dirty clothes, there he is… In the last few months he & Sassy have become friends. He’s even protective over her. She’s mostly blind & deaf now. He waits for her to go outside with him. He keeps an eye on her & stays with her. He even willingly shares his treats with her & Buddy too. It doesn’t seem like we’ve had him a year. But then again it does. I’m so glad we decided to take that big step & take him in. He needed us & we needed him. He has learned to love & be loved. When he’s outside I often yell out “Pugsley Mugsley!! Where you is?” And he comes running as fast as he can, so happy to see me.

When I hear other stories of other dogs like him abandoned & abused it breaks my heart. How can people do that to an animal? Especially a pug! There’s just something special about a pug. I’m so thankful that God led us to this little guy. I still miss Shad. No other dog will ever take his place. Pugsley has that same spirit Shad had & I love him just as much. If I had this to do over again I would in a heart beat.

If your interested in Pugsley’s fan page. You can follow him at https://www.facebook.com/PugsleyMugsley

Out to Dry

You never fully appreciate an appliance luxury until it goes out. Yesterday my dryer went out. It's only 4 years old. I was in the middle of Laundry when I heard this beep, beep, beep noise. I went to check & it said Error 64, call 1800#######. So guess what I'm without a dryer until Feb 20th when the repair man can come fix it. What a pain. Yesterday I hung my wet clothes on hangers & let them air dry. I hate the feel of air dried clothes. So scratchy & stiff. Today I finished washing then took them over to my sisters to dry them. I contemplated taking them to the Wash & Dry. I actually checked into it. For years when I've had to use a laundry mat, the custom has always been to take your quarters & there you go. Now days you have to buy a $5 laundry card. Then put money on it. Swipe the card in the machine just to use it. Modern technology can be such a pain. I like the old days of just dropping the quarter in. It's not like I'm going to do this all the time, my dryer will be fixed.

Me Day

Today I'm having a "Me Day"! I love my Me Days. These are the days when I go spend the day at the Spa being pampered. I love it!Today I'm having the Rest & Renewal Ritual! Here's the description. (Feel your body sigh in relief in this deeply unwinding ritual that includes an exfoliating body scrub followed by a relaxing bath and full body massage. Choose between the Asian journey featuring exotic botanicals such as Lemongrass, Jasmine and Mimosa or the Moroccan journey using traditional herbs, Sarsaparilla, Honey and Atlas Cedar.)Doesn't this sound amazing?? I could use this everyday.

Sign on Drs Door

Recently I went to a Dr appointment & on their door they had a sign. The sign said "If you have the flu or any of the flu symptoms Go Home & call to reschedule your appointment. Do Not Enter this building!"
No this wasn't a regular Dr it was a specialty. I have never seen such a sign posted on a Dr's door. I just found it interesting.

Game Night

Every night when Kevin's home the two of us have a nightly game or two. It's fun & refreshing. Helps us both wind down our day, just the two of us bonding & talking about our day.

Often times couples loose that ability to stop & have fun together. Life gets too involved with work, kids, technology, etc... Often times those couples loose the ability to communicate with each other. Now days families don't eat together at the table. Our family is often guilty of that. We need to get back into more family time.

I can remember growing up having family game night. That is one of my most favorite memories as a child. Dad would get the Monopoly or Dominos out & we would play. Most of the time we played Monopoly. That was Dads favorite game. It would go on for hours & some times days until we would give up. Dad would win most of the time. I also remember going to his parents house & playing Wahoo. That's a marble game known by most as aggravation. Only here in our part if Texas we called it Wahoo. The boards were made of heavy wood. The rules of the game were the same. I never knew it by another name until i married. That was another of my favorite games. Grandma always made games fun. She was a game nut. We would go see her sisters & everyone would sit around for hours playing 31. Quarters would be all over the table. Those ladies were serious players. It was always so fun. In the late 80s or early 90s grandma picked up a new game. She discovered the Nintendo. Lol. She was so funny sitting there for hours playing that game just like a kid. She would write down the codes so she could pick up the game at every level. She had a whole book full of game codes. When the kids would come over , everyone had to take turns playing against grandma. Somewhere I have a picture of her in deep concentration playing Nintendo.
Now my other grandparents (moms side) didn't play games. Very seldom did you see them play a game. When I was young I can remember seeing them maybe 3 or 4 times playing skip I with my parents. But that didn't lady long. Mamaw always accused dad of cheating. Lol. I think they just didn't understand the game.
Anyway I hope that as my kids grow they learn to have an appreciation of family game time just as I do.

Watching the world go by

It must be nice to have nothing to do but chew on a bone & watch the world go by. Have you ever wondered what dogs think about?
This is Pugsley. We rescued him in October. He had been abandoned out in the country. He was found living in a field. Then a friend of ours convinced him to come to their farm house. They fed him & then he'd go back to the field at night. Poor little guy. I can't believe some one would abandon him. This little guy could have frozen to death,been hit by a car or even killed by other animals. After two weeks our friends called us to see if we wanted him. We took him in right away. The next day I took him to the vet. He was diagnosed with tick fever & heart worms. $600 & 45 days later he was healthy.
We have fallen in love with him. He can't tell us how he came to that field or about his life before. But we believe he had been abused. He has places on him that it hurts him to be touched. He would hid from strange noises or the kids at play. He really is a good dog. He's smart too. He will stand on his hind legs & beg when he wants something. He's potty trained & very easy going.
But I still wonder what he thinks about. I'm so glad we found this little guy. He is a blessing. I have enjoyed having him in our home. He reminds me a lot of my little Shad. Shad would sit in front of the door & watch the world go by, just like Pugsley.

Isn't he just adorable?

Sleep

I have a horrible time sleeping at night. Looks like tonight might be another. Even though I'm completely exhausted I have a hard time sleeping. Once I do fall a sleep its a deep sleep. Can't wait till I feel better. Maybe I can sleep normal again.

Planning Disney 2013

We have been going to Disney World every year since 2000. (We went in 2000 for our 10th anniversary.) The other day I made our reservations for the next trip. I'm so excited!! This year we will go in the Middle of June. Since schools not out until the end of May we have to postpone our trip till June. VBS is always the first week of June & my boys can't miss VBS! It's awesome!! So we decided to leave the Saturday after VBS. We will once again drive to Florida. That will take 3 to 4 days. So the plan is to not arrive at Disney until June 11th. We will stay for 8 nights at the Ft Wilderness Cabins. We love that place it is awesome!! Home away from home.

We have stayed here every year since 2000. I can't wait until we get there this year. Stay tuned for more Disney 2013 adventures...............

January 2013

Happy New Years! It's been a while since I've Blogged. So I'm a little rusty. Let me back up to before Christmas. The boys started Kindergarden in September. They love it & are doing so well. I can't believe they are already in public school. We have them both in separate classes. They turned 6 in December. It doesn't seem possible. WOW!!

In October we adopted a little black pug. He was found wondering the country near Wilson. My grandparents friends found him living in a field behind their house. It is believed that someone dumped him off out in the middle of no where & he found his way to the field behind their farm. He would come up to their house for food then go back to the field. They finally got him to stay at their house. They knew we had lost Shad 2 years ago & loved pugs so they asked if we wanted him. We of course said yes. The next day I took him to the vet. They did a complete physical & did blood work. Turns out that he had both Tick Fever & Heart Worms. He also had an eye injury. So for the first 45 days I shoved pills down his throat & after about $600 he is completely healthy. His name is Pugsley. He is the smartest little dog. He will beg for a treat by standing on his back legs. He's so cute. At first he was a little skittish of us. We believe he had been abused. He would hide from the lease little noise. He would hide from things for the first month. He finally got used to us & knew we loved him. He is a great little dog. The vet thinks he's about 6 or 7.

Back in October & November I started getting colds a lot. Seemed like I was in the dr a lot. The end of November I got a head ache that wouldn't go away. I've also been having more problems with my back & I have no energy & sleep most of the time. In fact I had been taking the boys to school at 7:40 & then coming home to napping until time to get them. This is odd for me. So back to the dr I went. "Hey your behind on your CBC, lets get that done on you today. Then we will send you to get a MRI" they say. Ok, so off I go to get poked for blood. The next day they call back with the blood report. Turns out I'm highly anemic. Very low on white blood cells, my iron & red blood cells are also low. They want to send to see a hematologist. My appointment for the MRI was the next week. The test came back on that saying that I have several degenerative disks, I have scoliosis, as well as I have arthritis all up & down my spine. I went to see the hematologist the week before Christmas & I have an appointment for the pain specialist on January 31st. The hematologist confirmed my anemia. I'm getting sick a lot because my white blood cells are low. I'm so tired & have no energy because I'm iron deficient. The reason I am this way has to do with my cycles being so heavy with lots of blood clots, & frequent. The hematologist recommended that I either have a hysterectomy or have something done to prevent my cycle. The next step was to get in to see my OB/GYN. In the mean time take 3 iron pills a day. So I made an appointment with my OB/GYN. However I can't see her till the 4th of February. I'm anxious to see what she has to say. The iron pills are starting to help, however they bother me. I burp constantly. Its horrible. I also have constipation. It all drives me nuts.

Anyway, back to the new year. The year started off with a bunch of Sicklies. We all had the crud that was graciously given to us at Christmas by our loving relatives. Kevin had to leave on the 2nd to go to Orlando FL for a meeting. He came home that Saturday & left again on Sunday. That Sunday he had to go to Dallas for more meetings. He got home that Friday. We all got over our colds & stuff. The boys went back to school on the 9th. They have been doing so well in school. Austin is the Student of the Month this month. Last week both boys got to be Star of the week for their classes. I can't believe January is almost over. My birthday is a week from tomorrow. I will be 39. YIKES!! My last year as a 30 something. To celebrate my birthday I'm having a massage. I couldn't get one on my birthday so I'm having it on the 7th. I'm looking forward to it. On the 11th Landon is having tubes put in his ears. I take him to pre-opp on the 6th. Then in April our ear dr is retiring. Just when I get a good dr, he retires. So I will be looking for a new one soon.