Pets are Family; Love You Bunches Honey

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Paw Prints on Your Heart

Believe it or not but many pet owners consider their fur babes as part of the family. Yes! Pets are family!

Over the years I found this to be more so true than ever before. Beings though I am a pet lover and I consider my pets family I want to share with you not just my cooking life but my family life as well. So, I thought I would start with my story of being a dog mom. I hope you enjoy!

Every single pet I have ever owned has a special place in my heart. Whether they have passed on to the Rainbow Bridge or are still in my life. These fur babes are more than a pet to me, they are a part of my family. They all have left paw prints on my heart!

I have owned dogs, cats, and chickens. Every single one of them have proved to be a great companion. This story is about my fur babes. You can read about our chickens here.

Pets can surely make your mood happy when you’re sad and you’re almost always guaranteed they will be ecstatic to see you every single day you walk through that door when you get home from where ever you have been. No matter if you have been gone for a few hours to a few days. Their excitement of you coming home is their world! Yes, you are their world!

I know every time I come home I get the warmest welcome. My babes talk to me, and even before I walk through that door they are singing with excitement.

When I leave the house I can’t wait to get back home. I just love them to pieces. I can’t imagine life without my babes.

Little Lost Puppy

I will never forget one evening in 1995 as I was driving home from work I saw this cute little black puppy wandering around the stone cold pillars underneath the overpass as I was passing by. The weather forecast for that night was calling for freezing temperature and snow.

I thought to myself, “oh, that poor little thing”. I could tell the puppy was either lost or had sadly been abandoned to fend for itself.

Knowing that the weather was going to change for the worse as evening approached I reluctantly turned my car around to try and coax the puppy to come with me.

At the time I had a car with cloth seats. As my mind wondered I kept thinking that if I was to let the little puppy into my car he would probably throw up or have an accident and besides that I was not about to have to clean up any messes in these cold temperatures. Then I thought I could put the pup in the trunk.

Gaining Trust

As I turned around and got out of the car, I slowly approached the puppy. He had a rope around his neck. It appeared he may have escaped an unpleasant situation. The rope around his neck had cut into his skin leaving a blood raw rash around his neck. This poor puppy also had very thinning hair from his neck back. As I slowly approached you could tell he wanted to come to me but was afraid.

Oh, this poor puppy. I knew this little guy would not survive the night so I opened the trunk and coaxed the puppy to me. He finally let me pick him up and I started to put him in the trunk. Just then I thought, “this poor thing doesn’t need to be in the trunk”. I’m sure he was already terrified so, I put him in the car with me. He sat right down on the center console armrest and stayed there the whole time. I was relieved the puppy just sat there. There were no accidents, no nothing. He was such a good puppy.

Getting Help

Knowing this puppy needed some medical attention I went directly to my neighborhood animal hospital.

I asked the veterinarian what would happen to this little puppy and he said they would check him out and if no one claimed the puppy they would send it to animal control and the outcome would probably not be favorable.

The veterinarian asked if I wanted the puppy. I didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t like he was asking me if I wanted a piece of gum, he wanted to know if I wanted the dog! I could very easily see myself getting attached to this cute little pup but what if someone claimed him? Was I ready for this commitment. Was I ready for a puppy? Oh I had so many questions. I think the veterinarian could tell I was taken by surprise so he just told me that I could check on the puppy the next day.

Should I Adopt This Puppy?

Since I couldn’t phantom what would happen to such a cute puppy that still had a long life of ahead I decided to adopt.

When I followed-up with the veterinarian on the phone the next day he informed me he did a thorough exam and the puppy had mange and scabies. The veterinarian told me he treated the puppy with a tar bath and would still require another treatment or two over next few weeks. I was silent.

Again, the veterinarian asked if I wanted the puppy and if I did he would waive the charges. That was an excellent move on his part. Not only did his love for pets show but he was also gaining another customer. I immediately said, “I will come by and pick up the puppy tonight”. We hung up and I felt really good about my decision. I was going to be a new mom!

What’s The Babes New Name?

Much to my surprise “he” ended up being a “she”. She overcame her illness with proper treatment and had the most beautiful black shiny coat ever. Guess what? I named her Bridgette! After all, I did find her under a bridge (wink wink).

The Best Companion

Bridgette grew to be the best and smartest dog. She was a border collie which by nature I believe they are very smart dogs.

Bridgette was my side kick and best friend. She went everywhere with me, from car rides to outdoor church functions. When I was working in the nursing home she would even go to work with me at times and visit with the patients. She was very well behaved and had the best disposition.

Bridgette stayed with me for right at about 10 years until her health failed in 2006. She had an inoperable tumor in her eye that kept growing.

When I came home from work one evening Bridgette was not acting herself. She didn’t greet me as she normally did many times before. She just laid down in front of the sofa moving her head from right to left and then up and down as though she was making the sign of the cross.

The End Is Near

I knew I was going to need some help with her that evening. I asked my mom to come stay with me for awhile because I knew in the morning I would need to take Bridgette to the veterinarian to have her put down.

My mother ended up staying the night with us. We all slept in the living room.

Bridgette was by my side the entire night. We fell asleep and around 5 am Bridgette woke me with a nudged to my hand with her nose as though she was trying to tell me something. I could tell this was it. She was waking me up to say goodbye.

As any mother would do, I immediately got up grabbed my little girl and held her in my arms. I rocked her back and forth telling her it was okay and that she could go.

As I kept talking with her and telling her it would be okay, Bridgette took her last breath and passed away in my arms. It was such a peaceful event.

Did I Do The Right Thing?

I am so much happier that Bridgette died at home, in my arms. She did not appear to have any pain nor did she suffer. I am quite sure Bridgette would have wanted it this way too.

When I look back, I am so glad that I stopped that cold day and picked up that girl ! She brought me so much joy and I truly feel I gave her the best life. She definitely put paw prints on my heart. Yes, pets are family!

Saying Good-Bye

The worse part about having four legged companions be it a dog, cat, horse, cow, gerbil, rabbit or whatever, it’s never ever easy saying good-bye! Love you bunches honey!

Libby Lu

About six months after Bridgette passed away a girl I worked with was needing to re-home a puppy she had. She said the puppy was not a good fit for her family as they had two big dogs that were not accepting the little pup too kindly.

I gladly brought the puppy into my home and named her Libby. She fit in just well and became a good companion. She was a little breed and had the same markings as Bridgette, all black with a white spot on her chest. My lil B.

The Stray

Around three months later, August of 2007, some kids in the neighborhood were walking around with a little Yorkie dog. They approached me and asked if I knew whose dog it was.

Clearly the little Yorkie was in distress. He had very little hair and was covered in scabs all over his back. The poor little thing. The kids said they gave him a bath because he had fleas but to me he still looked filthy.

I truly thought the dog belonged to a neighbor down the street as they had a Yorkie so I told the kids that I thought I knew the owners. They handed the dog over to me and I took him inside.

As we went into the house I could see that he still had fleas. Since I didn’t want Libby to get fleas I took this little guy straight to the bathroom for a flea bath.

I checked with the people that I thought were his owners but I was wrong. They did not lose their dog. I asked around and no one claimed the Yorkie. So, the animal lover in me adopted this dog and named him Riley.

Now I had Libby Lu and Riley too!

I took Riley to see the veterinarian and was told the reason Riley had so many scabs on his back was because he had allergies.

Come to find out Riley did not have any allergies at all. Over the next month his hair grew back and he was a healthy little guy.

I was sure Riley must have escaped his home sometime around July 4th that year, as I learned he hated fireworks. I figured due to all the stress of living outside in the elements and fending for himself for an entire month caused him to lose his hair.

Yorkie’s are not outside dogs to begin with. Can you imagine being so little and away from your home out to fend for yourself in this crazy world. He was probably on the edge of death when he came into my life.

Doggie Love

Adding Riley to our family was a joy. Riley immediately took kindly to Libby. You could tell they both loved each other. They were both the same size and they played so well. It was entertaining just watching them interact with each other. It was like a dream come true for them both.

Our Devastating Moment

About three months later I was getting ready to go out on a date with my boyfriend. He was taking Libby and me for a ride in his plane.

How cool was that!? My date was going to take me and my dog for an airplane ride. Unfortunately for Riley, he had to stay home but I made arrangements for him to spend the day with my mom.

Riley loved my mom aka grandma. Everytime when you would say “grandma” Riley knew exactly who you were talking about. Smart little guy!

Anyway, it was a nice day and on the way over to my moms I had the windows partially down and Libby was sticking her nose outside the window. Not her body but her nose. All of a sudden she jumped out of the car while I was driving. OMG! WTF! I was only going about 25 miles per hour in my moms neighborhood.

OH NO!

I quickly pulled the car over and ran to pick her up. She was lying on the ground in distress. As I scooped up her tiny little body she bit my thumb. I know she didn’t mean to do it. She was obviously out of it. I immediately got her in the car with me and Riley and I took her to the vets. The girls at the desk put us is a room and the doctor came in almost immediately. As he was listening to Libby’s heart and shining the flashlight into her eyes, he looked up at me with those sad eyes and proceeded to shake his head no. Libby passed away in my arms at that moment. It was such a sad sad day. I was totally devastated!

I kept my plans for flying even though I was crying pretty much the whole time. I’m glad my date was understanding. While we were flying there was not a cloud in the sky but I did see a rainbow and I immediately knew that was Libby’s rainbow. That was a sign! Yes, Libby left paw prints on my heart.

Mourning

Not only was I going through the grieving process for the loss of Libby but I noticed Riley was too. I had never experienced or thought a pet would mourn nor had I ever heard of it. But it’s true. Dogs have feelings too, believe it or not. During this time, Riley and I bonded and became even closer. Yes, pets are family!

A New Addition or Two

My relationship grew stronger with my boyfriend and we became engaged. But first, Riley had to approve. My motto was, “if my dog doesn’t like you, I’m sorry but we can’t date”. Dogs have excellent instincts! It was like getting Riley’s permission. After all, pets are family. Riley approved! So, we brought Nial into our family.

Nial had a dog named Stringbean and sometimes we just called him String. String was a geriatric dachshund and got along very well with Riley.

On January 1, 2008 Nial told me he had been secretly looking for a dog to add to our family. He thought having another little dog would be good for both Riley and me.

The Jail Bird

We headed to our local animal shelter that early New Years Day. The shelter was not open but there were helpers inside tending to all the dogs. We asked if we could come in to look around. Luckily they allowed us in. As we were looking around we were not getting a feeling of attraction to any the the pups. You know, when looking at new puppies or dogs there is some sort of attraction that is felt and we just were not feeling it.

As we continued looking we made it to the last row of dogs. That is when we came across this cute little black and white dog. She saw us and it was like she melted against the cage. Yes, we all fell in love. We took her out of her cage and played around with her for a short time. On the outside of the cages were little cards containing information about the dogs. This little girls card said she was an Lhasas Aspo, about 3-5 months old and was spayed December 25, 2007. There really wasn’t much information about this little girl but I thought she was a keeper. Since the shelter was not open we had to leave empty handed.

The next morning I asked Nial, “Well, are you going to get Suzie Q?”. He said, “Who?”. I said, “You know, Suzie Q. The cute little doggie in the window”. You could kinda say I named her even before we got her.

That afternoon Nial made arrangements for us to adopt Suzie but first we had to introduce Riley and Suzie to make sure they were a good fit. After all, Riley would be the BIG brother.

The Visit

That evening Riley and I went to see if Suzie would be a good match for our family. The guards brought Suzie out and she looked so cute. She had been to the beauty shop. It was like she knew we were coming for her as she was all dolled up. She had received a haircut and bath and was wearing a pretty purple bow in her hair. Purple is her color!

Both Suzie and Riley were checking each other out. I was in fear that the guards would determine Suzie was not a good fit for us since they both kept growling at each other. Next thing I knew we were approved and Suzie was coming to her new home. Her new family! Yes, pets are family!

The Big Stretch

Now we had three dogs, Stringbean, Riley and Suzie. Since String was getting older Nial thought it would be a good idea to get a little doxen so Stringbean could show the puppy the ropes. You know, let the older dog train the puppy and give it some guidance.

Nial knew this lady at his work that bred dachshund and she had a little boy that was 10 months old and ready for adoption. We went to meet this little boy on Christmas Eve 2008. He was so adorable how could we say no.

We brought this little red-headed doxen home with us that night and introduced him to the rest of the gang. He fit in very well. This little guy’s name is Stretch. Merry Christmas Stretch. Welcome to our family! Yes, pets are family!

Our Family! Yes, Pets Are Family

This here is one of my favorite pictures of Nial with all the babes!

I AM EXCITED YOU VISITED JETT’S “PETS ARE FAMILY; LOVE YOU BUNCHES HONEY” STORY!

#JETTSKITCHEN

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Recipes for dogs? Yes, pets are family! They deserve recipes too.

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