Furry Friday

This edition of Furry Friday will show off Ollie and Stella. To read their actual story, click here. For this post, here's some images of their cuteness:

 

 

With a house full of kids, there is no shortage of cuddles:

 

These guys definitely know how to sleep. They just crash down and pass out pretty much anywhere.

\

 

Getting Ollie all cleaned up:

 

They had SO many fleas all over them, and ticks in their ears.

Stella is more people-loving than Ollie. While they are both super sweet and friendly, Stella wants to be near you all the time. She cries if she thinks you've left her.

Hanging out with Giant, who's learning to be patient with them.
He definitely doesn't like sharing though.



It's Raining Dogs!

Not only have we been blessed with the addition of Giant to our family, but we now have two more four-legged critters we call our own. Here's their story:

 

I woke up around 1am this morning to the sound of Giant crying- telling me he needs to go out and go potty. So I put his leash on and took him outside. Immediately we heard a young puppy's cries coming from down the road. I assumed that the nearest neighbors had perhaps got a puppy and left it outside, and I really didn't think much more of it. But to be safe, I called Handy Husband, who has been working nights, and let him know to be on the lookout for a puppy on the road on his way home.

 

Giant wanted us to go look for the puppy... he nearly pulled me down the road. But I resisted, as it WAS 1 o'clock in the morning. I forced him to come back inside where I closed the windows in the hopes that he wouldn't be able to hear the puppy cry. I tried to go back to sleep, but presently began to hear the puppy crying ever louder and louder- even with all the windows closed!

 

Once again, I got out of bed, put my shoes on and grabbed the flash-light. The puppy's cries were definitely louder and closer. I know realized that this was a dumped puppy... not a neighbors' dog. You could hear the sad, desperate pleas in his little voice. I took off down the road in the direction of his cries, and it didn't take long to reach the dark shadowy lump in the middle of the road. When I got close enough that I thought he'd be able to hear me, I started talking to him, and without hesitating, he ran right up to me. Wet from the dew, and wimpering the entire walk home, he seemed happy to be in my arms.

 

Thinking that this was the only puppy that had been dumped, since he was, afterall, alone, I never even considered that there were more out there. But this afternoon, on our way into town, we came upon another little ball of fluff in the middle of the road... this time an almost-white girl. These two puppies are obviously siblings... same age, same body type, same sort of fur. I just HOPE there are no more out there. It breaks my heart to think about how scared these little creatures were when they were dumped.

 

 

 



Wordless Wednesday

The View

Our New Three-Legged Friend

Giant underwent his amputation Saturday morning, and we were able to pick him up from the vet's office today. They told us that he did remarkably well, and is the sweetest dog.

 

He was SO happy to be HOME.

 

 

 

He's doing very well, adjusting to life on three legs. He wasn't too sure at first about being inside the house, but he is soaking up the attention and is getting along just fine. We have to give him an antibiotic twice daily, and he does really well taking them in a lump of cheese.

 

We have quite a job ahead of us in cutting out all his mats and getting him cleaned up. He's been quite neglected for a long time.



The Gentlest of Giants

 

Our neighborhood watchdog has now become OUR dog. Here's the long, heart-wrenching, yet infuriating story.

 

I had last seen Giant (or Bear, as his previous owner called him) over a month ago, limping up to our farm through the back pasture. It took him all afternoon to reach our house, as he would have to stop and rest every couple of steps. We knew he was injured, but didn't know how. When he left our house later that day, I assumed he'd go back home and his owner would see his crippled condition and would take care of him.

 

Two days ago, Giant showed up at our house just in time for morning chores. He was just as cheerful and sweet as ever, but physically, there was a much different story going on. It was apparent his left hind leg was broken, when we saw a bone protruding from his skin at least an inch to an inch-and-a-half. The leg itself was just dangling. He had no control over it at all, and could no longer use it.

 

We drove down to the owner's house (two farms behind us) and spoke with his owner. At this point we didn't know if he even KNEW about Giant's condition, as he is a farm-dog and lives with the sheep (or at least, is supposed to). The owner informed us that, yes, he "knew that 'Bear' was injured... had been hit by a car... about a month or more ago... but at this point, there was NOTHING that could be done for him." This owner had basically decided to let his dog die. He even said that he couldn't bring himself to shoot him... he couldn't live with the guilt. So, his solution was to let the neighbor kid know that if he sees Bear to go ahead and shoot him (but in the meantime, he was perfectly fine letting him wander around with his leg dangling- no doubt in tremendous pain).

 

To make matters worse, he then says that he just can't spend that kind of money on vet bills to fix a dog that "won't stay home." And just so you know, this conversation took place in front of his brand new shop building... a nice metal building with roll-up doors on a concrete slab, with his custom-built, 6 year old home to the right of us... complete with a Mercedes in the driveway. Yes, we could easily see they were hurting for money (that was sarcasm, by the way).

 

Handy Husband and I were FURIOUS.  

 

So we left the owner there, along with his two brand-new Great Pyranees puppies (Giant's replacements) and returned home to promptly lock Giant up in the haybarn. There was no way we could turn our backs on this wonderful dog. He may not be the best sheep-dog, but he is one of the gentlest dogs with the sweetest souls you could ever know. He didn't deserve to be treated that way. NO animal deserves that.

 

This morning, we loaded Giant up into the car and took him in to the vet's office. We explained the situation to them, and their response was, "So, it looks like you got yourself a new dog!"

It only a took a moment for the vet to see that Giant's leg was, indeed, irrepairable. He said that if he had been brought in after it first happened, there is no doubt that the leg could've been fixed and fully functional. But at this point, amputation is the only option we have to save Giant's life. If left untreated, gangrene will eventually set in and likely lead to his death.

 

We left Giant there at the vets, where he will undergo the procedure tomorrow. He has already been put on painkillers and antibiotics. Hopefully by Monday or Tuesday, he'll be able to come home... where he will be loved and cared for as he should be.

 

I had originally intended to get long-winded and opinionated at the end of this post, but decided to leave you with a couple of appropriate quotes that sum up my feelings pretty well:

 

 

"The purity of a person's heart can be quickly measured by how they regard animals." ~ Anonymous

 

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." 

~ Mahatma Gandhi

 

 The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.  ~ Martin Luther King Jr

Furry Friday

The Three Musketeers- Charm, Faith and Hope.

These little stinkers can still fit under the fence, so have the run of the property. 

Wordless Wednesday

The View

Baby's Room Decor

We worked on the baby's "corner" of our bedroom today. It was hard coming up with some cute things without going out and buying anything. I had a couple of picture frames from the older kids, some cute little ducky figurines from MY childhood, and I just threw together some other random cuteness. Take a look:

 



The "pictures" on either side of the old drawer/shelf are actually pieces of wrapping paper saved from the baby shower, attached to foam-board. All in all I think it's kinda cute, but I still plan to add some original artwork from the older kids to decorate the other wall in Baby W's corner.

 

Now I just need to pick up the dresser my mom is going to loan me, and I'll be able to get his little area all set up and ready for his arrival! 

30 Weeks!

I can't believe that today marks my 30th week of pregnancy already! It seems like I was JUST 20 weeks. I've got nearly everything I need for Baby W, with the exception of just a few items. We better get moving! Ten weeks will fly by!

 

My daughters were my photographers today, and they couldn't agree on which picture I should post, so here's a couple showing my ever-growing girth:

 

 

And here I am with my current "baby," who will be 5 1/2 when this new little one makes his appearance. He's excited about getting to be a big brother!

 

An Evening with the Horses

 

Having some mild back pains late yesterday afternoon, I decided a stroll around the pasture would be nice. It was a beautiful evening and my companions made it even better. They followed me around the pasture, and everytime I'd stop they'd come up for a scratch and to thoroughly sniff out any treats I may have hidden on me. It wasn't long before they spotted the girls come out of the house and head to the barn to prepare the horses' evening meal. They immediately abandoned me and ran off to eat.

Here are just a few of the pictures I took during my walk.

 

 

 





The View

The view across the road of the neighbors' cattle pasture.

Wordless Wednesday

Gutters: the Finishing Touch

The guttering company came out first thing this morning and installed our guttering system. It looks great and I can't wait for our next rain so I can see them in action!

 



It's Hard to Say Goodbye...

Being an animal lover and owner, we get to experience parts of life that some people never see. The lessons our children learn through animals are unequaled anywhere else.

 

The consistent, daily care teaches them responsibility, discipline, and nurturing skills.

 

They learn to detect the subtle (and sometimes the not-so-subtle) ways animals may communicate with us. They observe their natural behavior and learn to tell when something isn't "quite right."

 

Animals and pets help teach confidence to our children. They are always happy to see us, and never judge us.

 

I believe most importantly, in this day and age, where it seems as though our younger generations have such a selfish, "me" attitude, animals teach our children empathy and compassion. To truly FEEL for something (or someone) other than ourselves-  is a very precious thing- and that compassion can come from caring for a sick, disabled, or even a dying animal.

 

And it is that lesson that brings us to the hardest part of owning an animal.... letting go.

 

We had to say goodbye to our dear, sweet Lucky today. Watching her struggle with something that we knew she could not recover from was so difficult. It never gets easy to see something or someone you love die. But knowing that they are in a better place and are no longer suffering in pain is really the only way to get through it. This was the lesson the kids learned over the last couple of days... determining when "enough is enough"... when the medications you keep pumping into an animal are only prolonging her suffering, and ultimately, her death. We have to ask ourselves: are we doing it for us? Or for her?

 

Lucky showed us that she had had enough medications. Her body just couldn't go on. When it became obvious that our efforts at saving her were fruitless, that there was nothing more we could do... then the hard decision had to be made. It wasn't easy for any of us, but we've all seen her suffering for far too long, and knowing that we could help her in this one final way, we knew what we had to do.

 

 

 

We will love you forever Lucky girl.

To us you will always be "the goat who thought she was human."

RIP sweet girl.

 

 

 

First Day of School

Despite their sleepy appearances, the kids did very well at the first day of school. After having been public schooled for the last two years, I could easily see where they were excelling and/or lacking. I love homeschooling because we can cater our curriculum to the children's needs, and address issues that may otherwise be glossed over in "regular" school.

 

Oldest son is in second grade, and gets distracted easily. I can see now why he was always getting in trouble at public school.

Oldest daughter is in eighth grade and is a self-learner. She needs very little direction and is very disciplined to do what needs to be done.

Youngest daughter is very creative- however, she has difficulties in certain areas of math. But her writing skills are excellent!

 

 Youngest son is in kindergarten and loves school!

 

 It was SO fun to watch the PE class! The kids were all good sports and did their best at performing a variety of workouts.