Holiday time is here

Sunday, December 6, 2009

It seems that life has been terribly busy and posting has been lacking. Last night snow finally came to our house - I forgot how fun a first snow can be. The pups loved to eat the snow, play in the snow, throw the snow on their heads and just be happy with the snow. I can't wait for a bigger snow to play again with them. I hope that each of you are enjoying the excitement, rush, laughter and craziness of the approaching Christmas time. The dogs and I are happily waiting for our chance to get back home to see family and friends.

Halloween Party

Monday, November 2, 2009

This weekend we had a Halloween party. It was VERY fun! Honestly, we worked on the decorations for weeks - not to mention the costumes. All in all it was a real success. Here are a couple of pictures to show the highlights.

My pal Dean from Canada had his 50th birthday, so we also had a cake for him...it was a yellow lab ghost. It took a long time to make, but was really worth all the effort. Only 363 more days til we can do it all again!!!

Findlay is improving slowly

Monday, August 24, 2009

It has been a pretty intense, stressful and joyous 6 days. Tomorrow will be one week from the surgery on Findlay's knee. He is putting weight on the leg, sometimes too much ramming...but also has times of three leg limp. We have finally worked out the eating, meds and hopefully close to working out the nighttime sleep issues. I have not had much sleep in five days - probably less than 20 hours. So, I am running on empty so to speak!! He finally slept a 4 hour stint all at once last night, but then was up at 3am, 4am, 5am, and 6am. It is sort of like having a baby I guess!! Not really sure on that part.

Anyhow, I am putting on some kinda not nice looking pictures. He was UNHAPPY on Saturday, as he would not eat and we were really working to get the pain meds working well. We do our daily range of motion, you can see that from the pictures, icing, walking, and massage.Those tasks alone take a goodly portion of the day!! He loves the attention, but is not really happy with any of the above except for the walks. Don't you just love his 'naked' leg - poor baby has not a drop of fur on his leg.... The constant treats he loves though. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers - keep them coming. I will keep you posted.

Findlay's HOME

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

I wanted to be sure and post a quick update. Findlay came home tonight around 6:30pm. He is doing pretty well walking on three legs and touches his toe down on the right hind leg. His shave job is pretty cute (pictures in the next few days). I finally massaged him to sleep after 45 minutes of him not letting go. I sure hope he rests a bit easier the next few days. More posted tomorrow. Thanks for all the good thoughts and prayers.

Successful Surgery

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Just a quick update. Findlay's surgery went well today. He is resting at the animal hospital with a morphine drip for pain. He will be there for the night and through tomorrow. I will pick him up late in the day - assuming all goes well. Now the tough part begins...12 weeks of doggie rehab. WHEW!!! Mommy will be the one under stress once we get to week TWO and Findlay decides to rock-n-roll!!

Findlay's new adventure

Friday, August 14, 2009

We have had about 5 weeks of craziness with little Findlay. He had Canine Anaplasmosis - which is like Lyme disease. It is often called deer tick fever and results in a fever, pain, lameness, etc in the dog. The disease is treated with high and long doses of antibiotics and some sort of anti-inflammatory for the joint issues. He seemed to do well on the antibiotics, but never stopped limping. Somehow in the middle of all of the tick fever, he tore his back right leg ACL ligament.

FANTASTIC!!! That is the leg and ligament that I had surgery on last summer...so he gets to now have surgery next week Tuesday on his knee. The surgery is pretty intense and the recovery is VERY intense - about 12 weeks in length. SO, keep my little guy in your thoughts and prayers. He will need to only walk on a lease for the first few weeks, otherwise he will be cage-bound. No jumping, etc for the whole 12...yup...mommy will need a valium by the end of this 3 month period!!

LYME DISEASE for Findlay

Monday, July 13, 2009

My little one decided to wake me up yelping in agony at 3am. He was totally lame on his right back leg and was in such pain. I immediately knew what was happening...LYME DISEASE. Yes, the tick virus made famous here in good ole' CT. My baby got to get some serious meds, shots and a blood draw. The vet said his temp was in the right range (103+, with his at 103.6), the swollen knee and ankle, lethargy and joint pain all point to Lyme. He has had some ticks lately, mommy has missed getting them off within the special 48 hour window.

When we finally got out of the car (yes, mommy lifted her 90 pound baby), he walked outside straight to his place to 'hide'. He is a hide in the bushes kind of dog. I think it is a safe place or something. So, have attached a few pictures of him in the hydrangea bushes. He spent from noon until 7pm in there, even ate dinner in there. Finally, I used Peanut Butter to get him to attempt coming inside the house. Hopefully, (as the vet said) he will be close to as good as new tomorrow by midday. Poor baby!!

4th of July 2009

Monday, July 6, 2009

The weather finally has turned toward summer! We had a fun day painting the garage and playing with the dogs. It was a nice day for a cook-out and doing some work that the rain has kept moving 'to next week'. Here are some before and after pictures, plus some shots of my swimming sonshine!! Happy 4th to all of you.

Birthday Boy!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

My baby boy is enjoying his birthday toys and his birthday weekend. It finally got warm and sunny for a few hours this afternoon. He wanted to swim in the pool...so he did!!He is praying that Grandpa gets better REALLY SOON. Doggie kisses to all.

ONE YEAR OLD

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Can you imagine that Findlay is ONE YEAR OLD today?? What a special guy in my life. He was a very cute little puppy...but is now a very handsome young man.

Clearly, he is a water dog. I am trying to download my video of him doing one of his trillion daily swims. The dog is in training for the doggie Olympics or something...what a cutie to watch.

He just decides that it is time to take a dip and he jumps into the pool. He gets in and out at the steps, avoiding scratching the liner or other bad things.
I am very blessed to have him in my life. He is a good companion and I love him very much. I can't wait to see what 'tricks' he decides to pull next.

Rainbow Bridge

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Today was filled with many emotions - happiness, sadness, wonder and joy. I spent most of it with Findlay, Koda and Cheyenne. It has been a year since I had to put Carli down due to her cancer...and it seems like yesterday or it seems like a life-time ago. Jayme sent me a wonderful poem that day about how dogs go up to the Rainbow Bridge when they die and wait for us to join them in heaven...all the while playing, running, sleeping and being good dogs. The thoughts were such a comfort and have continued to be throughout this year.

While walking Findlay in the woods along the river, the sun shone on the water making little rainbows all over the surface of the water. I guess Jayme was right...the Rainbow Bridge is a special place!! Hope that each of you has a great week filled with love, special times with those you hold dear and many, many sloppy doggie kisses!!

Incredible Weekend

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Two days of 80+ weather, with bright sunny skies and a slight breeze. All of that means spring is finally here bringing all the new chores of the summer. We worked on the fence again!! The original fence was built without using concrete for the posts, so many are rotted at 5 inches below the ground level. We took off the old ones, dug, tubed and concreted the new ones and reattached the fence....to SIX POSTS. Oh yeah...and I opened the swimming pool.

The pool opening was pretty easy this year. THANK GOODNESS!! But the best part is my sweetie pie yellow lab puppy is now swimming like the true water baby he was bred to be. I will need to take some video to add to the blog. He is a smart boy, coming in and out at the steps (which are fiberglass and will be fine). Tonight he got too hot playing catch, so he decided to take a swim to cool down. Oh boy! The summer will be very fun!!

26 days

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

TWENTY-SIX days until graduation!!! Then on and off office time until Memorial Day....THEN SUMMER-TIME!!! WHOOHOO! You can't imagine how much I want those days to rush past. I am waiting eagerly to spend time with my babies. Sum, summ, SUMMER TIME!!

GO GREEN... GO WHITE...

Saturday, April 4, 2009

What more can I say!!?? GO STATE!!

Great Aunt Brag time

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Just to let people know...Lydia Hope Bouwens was born late last night. She, her mom, her dad and her big brother are doing well. Thank God for another chance to be a GREAT AUNT.

Watching the Water Boy

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Yesterday was a pretty but chilly spring day. I took Findlay to the woods to walk, while the older dogs slept in late. The weather has continued to warm up with evening temps above freezing for the past week. These changes have allowed the daily sun to warm the pool and melt the ice sheets frozen beneath the cover. The water exposed on the pool cover has grown - especially since we have had some rain lately too.

After the walk, Cheyenne and I were sitting on the steps watching Findlay play in the yard. He decided to run across the pool (again), but this time he was startled. You see, he has been able to run across the cover with only his ankles in the water. This time, the ice cracked with a loud thud and he was suddenly in up to his shoulders. My lab baby began to doggie paddle!!! He was too funny, when he finally relaxed and stood up!!! As you can see, he is still above water!! Cheyenne just gave me a look, as if to say, "mommy, my brother acts like a cool dude but he is really just a big ole chicken!!"

We all can't wait to get the cover off the pool, the water treated and the sunshine warming up the temps. We will be doing some swimming this summer. My water boy will enjoy it and his old sister will just sun herself and laugh.

Exams...puppies...and older dogs.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

We have had a fun weekend, despite the chilly to cold weather. The sun has been out and it has helped with some crabby attitudes. I walked three days straight, so that is a good thing for starting the spring. The walks in the woods have been great after we found a nice place by a running river to walk Findlay. He seems to like that as well. My goal was to tire him out, so I could do some work both outside and inside.

Having a 9 month old puppy who is over 80 pounds makes life interesting. You see, he looks like a big dog, take up space like a big dog...but still acts like a puppy at times. This weekend was one of those times. CB and I gave him a chew toy (along with the other two bugs - Annie and Koda and out the door to do a bit of yard work). You see, the chew toys distract him from missing us...translated... it keep him from mischief. SO, we thought all would be well upon our return inside the house. BUT NOOOOOO!!! He decided to chew his toy for sure, right after he took some things from the table. One of which was the camera, thanks goodness he left that alone. But the other things.... well... remember the story "my dog ate my homework". Yes, he took the midterm exams that I WAS GRADING. He decided to partially destroy four of them, leaving the others looking pretty good. I was NOT happy about this at ALL. CB spent about 3 hours pretending that I just bought her a new puzzle and taped most of them back together. At least she thinks they look good.

As you can see from the older two, they were totally unaffected by his actions. They were sleeping when we came back into the house. No warning, no barking, no telling us 'he did it' - nothing...just sleeping and being cute old dogs. Hmmm... life in doggie daycare. Guess the students will like the 'extra points' on all of their exams due to the teacher's puppy eating the exams. Oh yeah, he was tired and decided to 'rest' after he ate the exams...bad puppy!!!

9 months with Handsome

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Yesterday was Findlay Sol Maris' 9 month birthday. Yes, he is a growing baby boy. You can see from the pictures that he is a far cry from the day he came to me last August. His personality continues to change, as he finds his place in my family 'pack'. He still wants to be the leader, but he is learning that trying to lead is not the happiest and best place for him.

He continues to become more and more handsome. As we go together on walks, people stop me to ask where I got him. Always saying he is so handsome. Mommy loves those times and he seems to act like he does too. He is also playing ball all the time and is happy to have the pool cover free from snow. It is fun to see him try and figure out the noise as he runs over it -- considering the ice is beginning to melt below the cover. I can't wait to have him swimming this summer. I think he and I will spend many hours in the water. We will work on walking out the steps again, as this was a 'trick' he learned well last fall.
Findlay and his two adopted siblings are not perfect. The pictures below show how he learned to open the frig when Mommy left him home out of his crate. Yes, my little sonshine is a smartie pants too. We will need to wean him to being home without mommy outside of the crate. That is one summer task for us both to accomplish. (Yes, that is SALAD and 1/2 n 1/2 on the floor!!!). He loved this week when I was on spring break. Being home more and able to take extra time for walks, snuggles and ball throwing in the yard. I think it is what summer will be like. And that is just fine by me.

Happy BIRTHDAY "Uncle Daniel" and little Jacob

Monday, March 2, 2009

I have dug myself out and finally got time to write a note to two of the most wonderful men in my life. Daniel - I hope that your day was special and that you have many, many, many more birthdays. As for little Jake, your "mail Jaci" wishes you a very special birthday. I hope that both of you have a happy, healthy and joyful year this year.

LOVE YOU BOTH VERY MUCH. God bless. Giving you both doggie kisses and high fives from the puppies at my house.

Catching up

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

It has been an eventful few weeks. Things seemed like they we were in a movie or something most of the time. Here are a few pictures to catch-up!

Today Findlay came home from the vet hospital after having his "surgery". He was SOOO happy last weekend, having no clue what was in store this week. You can see he played Frisbee in the snowy yard and just chilled out inside.

He did really well with the surgery and is now home - a bit tired, but seeming pretty happy to be here!! Findlay is to 'rest' and be kept on leash when outside. That will be a treat for mommy, as he does not like to do his business on the leash. Long roams in the yard have already provided ample evidence that the next 7-10 days will be LONG!!

Now for me. My surgery went pretty well on the 29th. It was much more painful than they said, but I figure that they did not want to worry me at all. There was an eventful post-op time with an ambulance ride to the ER and a night in the ER. Yes, I became very short of breath and has shoulder pressure - resulting in a 911 call. The story ends with the potential of a small clot having been in the chest but dissipating OR I just am a WOOSEEE. You can be the judge of it all! Overall, it was interesting and made for a slower recovery time than expected. Thanks for the cards, calls, wonderful edible creations (from family) and prayers. I am feeling much better and the tiredness is slowly going away.

Well, that is about all the news from here. Have a great Valentines' Day! Love to each of you. Hugs!

Happy BIRTHDAY "Uncle Jason"

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

We have been strangely busy and have not posted much lately. I will write a few more posts tomorrow - especially an update on my baby boy Findlay and the loss of his "FAMILY JEWELS"!!

BUT... we wanted to give a big shout out to "UNCLE JASON" and wish him a very happy birthday. High 5 paws!! Big sloppery doggie kisses!! And a hug from Aunt Jaci!!

We are sad cuz we missed the "AUNT JAYME" birthday SHOUT OUT... Mommy was not feeling great... SO DOUBLE sloppers to Aunt Jayme!!

Screw Loose...

Friday, January 30, 2009

Just a quick update on the post op situation. The surgery went well. I have the screw and washer in a bag!! It has been a bit painful, so I am taking the meds. Thanks to all for prayers and thoughts and support. It is felt. I will write more soon - my brain is a bit 'cloudy' with the meds. Hugs and thanks to all

Another Chance at Surgery

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Tomorrow is another big day. For those of you who have not heard, I am getting the hardware taken out of my leg from my ACL surgery this summer. My surgery is at 2:45pm tomorrow - late for my taste. But...it should be relatively simple and things should be just fine. I will keep you posted on the outcomes. Thanks for all the prayers and positive thoughts. Love you all.

My week at Doggie DayCare

Thursday, January 15, 2009

What a week this has been!!! Saturday morning I woke to a mess, as Cheyenne's 'butt' problem resurfaced. I took her to the vet and they cleaned and added antibiotics. Yes, that sounds great huh??!!! So, she was unhappy and uncomfortable.

Sunday night, my baby boy began to itch his left eye. Carrie said that it looked swollen some - that was 7:30pm. By 9pm I was calling the vet's emergency number to get advice...his muzzle was swollen and he was looking like Rocky Balboa after a fight with Apollo Creed!!! You can see his eye in the pictures. We gave him 50mg benadryl and waited. By 11:30pm we were rushing him to the vet hospital where they decided it was an allergic reaction to a bite. He weighed in at a whooping 70 pounds, so they gave him more benadryl and steroids. He was TERRIBLY uncomfortable and needy. Mommy slept on the floor on the doggie bed with him for most of the night.

That cleared just in time for Findlay to begin throwing up. Yes, that was Monday about midnight through Tuesday about 4pm. After another call to the vet, we decided the best course was to take away food and water for 12 hours. He was still interested in food, but would throw it up. He seemed to get worse...so I called again about 9pm...worry wart Mommy. You see, the memories of a throwing up yellow lab are still pretty fresh in my mind. They said to 'hang in there' and watch him. If he gets too lethargic, then bring him in. SOOO.... Mommy slept on the doggie bed with Findlay again. He was terribly restless, so we really did little sleeping.

Yesterday, he ate rice & boiled chicken plus dry food. Keeping things down and beginning to be himself, we progressed to all doggie food. He has his old self back today, but we are feeding smaller amounts more frequently. I think that his throw-up of a bit of plastic something might have been the trouble. Doggie DayCare has been rugged this week, but the good part is all pups are recovering. Now...Mommy needs a serious NAP!!!

Knee Update...Here we go again!! ;-)

Friday, January 9, 2009

The ACL knee sage continues. I have been feeling MUCH better after my ACL reconstruction surgery and partial menisciotomy. But, it is not 100% or probably even 90% honestly. There have been some issues like bone pain, severe cold sensitivity, and continued inflammation/swelling. I had what I had hoped to be my final appointment with the surgeon this past week, thinking that I was going to get the green light. Things did not work exactly like that!!

I will be having surgery again on the 29th of January. Now, this time it is "not bad at all" according to the doctor. Clearly, he is sitting at a difference angle than I am considering that he is holding the scalpel and the drill!!! BUT, it is again an outpatient surgery and he will remove the metal screw and washer in my lower leg. The screw is 'backing out' of the leg which can be painful and can cause some issues down the road. He said about 15% of people who have ACL reconstruction need to have the screw removed.

As you can imagine, I am a bit frustrated by this news. It will all be OK, I am sure. But, it is disappointing as I have been pretty faithful to my workout routine and this will set me back at least two weeks, potentially more. I guess the little Wii Fit guy will bug me why I am not doing it daily!!! :-)

It should all be better after this happens and I spend another 3 months healing this new bone insult. The overall surgery is much less invasive than before and it is much shorter - only 3/4 of an hour or so. I will take the Thurs and Friday off from work and get back at it on Monday to teach my 3 hour grad class. Although I am happy about the quick recovery projected, a part of me would like a few more days OFF!!! (I am terrible, I know!!)

So, for those of you who always thought I had a screw loose - you are correct for sure NOW! I ask for your prayers and good wishes as I again prepare to work through this next surgery. I love each of you and know that this is God's plan. It is truly a mystery as to what His purpose is in this one, but I am confident that will reveal itself as we move along. Hugs to all!!

Learning to Retrieve

Sunday, January 4, 2009

We have been working with Findlay on many activities. He passed his 'Initial Doggie Obedience' class right before Christmas. He was awarded the class's 'Most Improved at Controlling Himself' Award. I am not sure that is a great one to get...but you can decide that part!!

I went to Cabella's for clearance things and found a wonderful set of bright orange (GO HOPE) retrieval toys. He had one that was cammie, but in the snow it got a touch lost...don't ask!! Anyhow, these bright orange ones work great. So, we play daily after our walk and a few more times after the temps warm up (our little paws get tender otherwise). We are working to find, retrieve and return the 'ducks' to Mommy. He does most of that well and LOVES the games. I will admit, he often does not want to 'give' after coming back to Mommy. We are working on that part. When the snow was higher and fresh, Carrie was working on voice and arm commands to get him to find the 'duck' when it was hidden in the snow. HE LOVED THAT TRICK!! Findlay was terribly proud of himself that day for sure. We are all enjoying a bit of time to play in the snow, learn new things and bond a bit more. He will be 7 months in a week and he continues to grow in size, smarts and love. I am beginning to let him win my heart over - a task that is not that easy after Carli. He is doing pretty well so far - at least when he is a good boy!!

We thought a picture with Mommy would prove that I was outside in the cold too. It was fun for us both. I will keep you posted as we will schedule Findlay's 'surgery' soon. I am confident that he will just love Mommy for doing that deed!!