Sammy Diva in Big Bear, CA

Sammy Diva loves vacations. Why? She gets to be with her family 24/7. What joy, her Mama didn’t leave her side for 4 straight days. Can you just see the smiles? I have food, I have toys. I have with me the people I love and for some reason they don’t have to work. I love Big Bear!!  My Mama is always around petting me, playing with me and talking to me. I wish we could go on more vacations!

There is one thing I have learned, if we bring Sammy’s bed, it doesn’t matter where we are. She knows that is her bed and she is safe.

One thing that wasn’t so fun though, is that I was so afraid of the fleas and ticks because of the previous week, I was very careful to not let them outside too long or too much. They were already out more than I had planned. But after all, we’re in the wilderness, they have to get out some. The morning the boys were out fishing I took the girls out and about. Sammy came home chewing on her paw frantically. I grabbed her paw and found thorns stuck in it along with some sap! It was difficult but Sammy was good in letting me help her pull the thorns out of her paw.  Back in the cabin!!

Big Bear, here we come!

Lucy’s first family vacation! Sammy had gone with us on a houseboat last year but this year was Lucy’s turn. She had never left home before.  She always been good in the car. Candy and I had taken her to Arizona before, and not a peep out of her for 5 hours.  Our drive up to Big Bear was fine until we got closer into the windy roads. Lucy was not happy and was saying, are we there yet?!

But once we got to our cabin, there was lots of time for exploring. Lucy was unsure of why were here. Did we move? Why did we bring so much stuff? I see that Sammy’s bed is here, our bowls are here. Even some of my toys are here! I’m not so sure of this!

The first night was pretty easy, unpack, grill some burgers for dinner and relax. Lucy was still on her antibiotics from last week, but all was good.  Lucy stayed close to Daddy. Unsure of why Daddy brought her here but if Daddy left the cabin, Lucy was not happy if she could not go too. Just in unloading the car, Lucy stood at the door and cried! I was shocked. She had not cried like that since she was under one years old and it was being separated from Candy.  Mark was sure to bring Lucy almost everywhere he could (except when they left for the day to go fishing)

But all in all, it was a great trip. Daddy was only gone one long morning and was at the cabin the rest of the time. Lots of running back and forth from the cabin to the dock, the dock to the cabin.  Chasing flashlights at night, trying to lick the fish that were caught to see what the hubbub was about… Standing guard at the door.. and hanging with Sammy and Mommy.  Was just starting to adjust by the 4th day, but then all of a sudden, Mama said, Lucy, want to go home?! Forgetting about Daddy, Lucy SHOT like a bullet up the hill and to the car!! We are CITY GIRLS!!!!

Adjusting to life as we know it

So as you all know Lucy is at my house now. Star is at Candy's. The last several weeks when walking down to Candy's house with Lucy she would refuse to walk. She'll walk across the street , down the street but not up the street. I got her once with a treat but last week even with a treat she refused. What was this about? I couldn't understand. Was she upset? Was she jealous? Was she sad? She seemed okay, ate and played. In fact over the last week or soon, after her bath and her allergies taken care of, the brightness in her eyes have come back. She runs around the house at lightning speed making us laugh. I asked Candy to come and spend some time with Lucy to see if she was okay. My main concern is that Lucy is ok. Candy came down several times without her dogs and spent time with Lucy. She said Lucy was not anxious. She even gave reiki to Lucy several times and said, there was no anger, no anxiety.. just that she was content. Content at the Brown house? wow. How cool is that. I was happy to hear it. If Candy said Lucy wasn't anxious I believe it.

So the last few weeks Sammy and Lucy have been home while we have been at work. And no digging, the house isn’t destroyed. I’m just amazed. My niece Rayne comes to visit them on occasion, thank you Rayne! She comes and just hangs out with them.  One day in particular that Rayne came to hang, Sammy and Lucy were the happiest dogs! When we got home they were full of energy and I could tell they were extra happy!! (Rayne is going to watch Mochi next weekend while we are away, Mochi will be thrilled) Sammy Diva and Lucy  are doing well. Sammy is 8, so I imagine her sleeping alot.. Lucy is 3 and she gets her laser beam play every night with Daddy. (http://blog.reikifurbabies.com/2008/06/16/our-corgi-part-dog-part-cat/)

So all in all, things are good.

Tomorrow I take Sammy back to the Vet to get her urine checked to make sure her bladder infection is totally gone. Lucy is barking at me this moment, she wants me off the computer!!

Come One Come All

 

The Puppy Shower pictures and to read how we got Star http://blog.reikifurbabies.com/2008/07/03/with-age-comes-wisdom/

         

         

     

A Full Moon

I find out a few nights ago that it was a full moon out. That totally makes sense. I mean, It had to be something, at 3am, Sammy Diva wakes up and walks around the room. Part of me awakes listening to see if she has to go out. She walks to the water bowl and takes a drink. I hear her then just pace around the room a bit. She doesn’t come to my side of the bed or Daddy’s. If she needs to go out, she’ll wake us up. But nope, not a sound. I say to myself, please, go back to sleep, go back to sleep. Few minutes later, I hear her snoring again.  Almost around the exact time, Mochi decides to throw a furball. How lovely is that. I’m too groggy to

care.  However, Lucy then wakes up and starts to bite her paws as if being attacked by the Allergy monster. I flip her over put my arms around giving her reiki and we both fall back to sleep…….

This is an odd week, just balance seems to be knocked off a bit. My closest friends having surgery.. lots of reiki being sent out to family and friends. My very dear friend said to me that I was her “energy” hub and because of that she felt strength going into her surgery. That really made me smile.  I liked that. Very sweet. I think we’ll all be back in balance in no time.

Knowing When To Let Go

This is to all my faithful readers. I’m sure you have followed my many puppy sagas. The death, the loss, the arrivals and the moving of puppies. Whenever anyone meets Star, the new puppy, they say, oh you have replaced Lucy with Star. Alright, back up, back up. Now, I am setting the record straight once and for all. 

I love Lucy, I have always loved Lucy. I have always put my dogs needs- financially and emotionally above my own. 

Lucy was rescued by me as you know.

But she also spent time such as weekends, sleep overs with my BFF Ming, her husband Mark, Sammy Diva and Mochi. Lucy was part of their extended family. But not for Mark. For Mark, this was his little girl. Because he spent a lot of time during the rescue process with her. He took care of her when she was a puppy. He became very attached to her. Ming had Sammy Diva before they were married and they had a very close bond. Mochi seemed to love everyone, you know cats, they do what they need to survive. The one thing Ming and I both noticed was this amazing thing that Lucy did. She had two routines in two different houses which included her eating habits, her walking habits even sleeping habits. The moment she walked in the Brown house, she knew what routine she would be in. At my house, she lived another. What a smart dog, we had never seen this. This must be because she is a rescue dog. 

After Ry’s passing I noticed a decline in Lucy’s behavior. She played a little with KC but didn’t come out of her shell much. Again, down the street (which is only a few doors down) she goes. She seems to find peace there. Its a calming house. Sammy is an older Lab, spends evening time w/ Mom and Dad on the couch watching movies and drinking wine. (not the dog) Also, at night, they pull Lucy into bed since she was so small. Sammy always sleeps on her bed. Mochi also slept at the foot of the bed as well. At this time, I developed my lung condition.  Lucy sleeping in my bed exacerbated my condition. My pulmonologist said no dogs on my bed at all. Another bummer for Lucy. Now, this is a dog that I carried around, held in my arms. Lucy is not a dog-dog . Lucy is a dog-person. So her personality starts to change. Also KC is slowly coming out of his coma and looking for someone to play with. Guess who, Lucy. Lucy enjoys it somewhat. Though Lucy is a Corgi and KC is a Boxer. Imagine what that is like from Lucy’s point of view. KC would sit on Lucy, use her as a ball, drag her around by the collar to play with her. Lucy is a small Corgi. It began to take its toll on her. More nights at the Brown’s. Lucy began to snap a lot more at KC. I began to see her feeling more miserable. During reiki with Lucy, both Ming and I felt what was going on. But we had no solution at the time. Ming was pretty happy with her life, but Lucy wormed her way into Ming’s heart. Ming didn’t know she had room in her heart for one more dog. She was surprised at how attached she was becoming to Lucy. It became harder for her to just pick up Sammy Diva after work and leave Lucy behind. 

I searched my heart. I needed to do the right thing for Lucy. Not for KC or anyone else. I walked down to talk to Ming and Mark. Lucy’s well being was the most important. That was when the decision was made for Lucy to become a member of the Brown household.Well, I think her puppy prayers were answered. She is very happy. We had a great puppy shower to celebrate her move. It was a wonderful time. I don’t think anyone will ever comprehend the sacrifice of giving up someone you love because it’s better for them. 

I am lucky because I see Lucy almost every day and she spends the afternoons with me. So its not a HUGE sacrifice, so please, I never replaced Lucy. I gave Lucy the best most loving home she could have. Because I put a furbaby first. Win, win!

Cat, Queen for the day

I don’t write much about Mochi because she is always fine. Low key, no drama, doesn’t get sick, gets along with the dogs.In fact the cutest thing is that when Lucy first met Mochi  (they’re the same size, they see eye to eye) Lucy licked Mochi’s face,  and all Mochi did was blink her eyes quickly. They sleep on the bed together. Mochi is a Mainecoonknown for its high intelligence and playfulness. You would never guess she was 13 years old! An old lady. But still runs around the house with glee. Joins us every night for dinner. She is also very vocal, she talks a lot. We used to call her “Ry” in fur because she like Ry (Candy’s boxer) would yell and scream a lot for things. We’ll never forget to feed her, she lets us know if she needs more food and will pretty much hound us until its done. Patience is not one of her virtues.

One thing though is fur balls. I know, yucky thing to talk about. But the malt we have been giving her seems to help. We’ve switched her to less dry food as she wasn’t keeping it down. Must be her getting older. My doc told me that she’ll probably live to her 20s since she’s never been outside. Been keeping her healthy. Only time she was in the hospital was when she was little. ( That’s an earlier article if you’re interested-(The Story of Mochi)

) So, this past weekend I was working in my office when Mochi started meowing in a tone that I had not heard before which concerned me. She was on her top floor of her condo and out came a furball. Poor thing. Poor me having to clean it all up. When I took a chair to (I’m not tall enough to even see her top floor) to look, I almost tossed my cookies. What mess.  I cleaned what I could and told my husband her condo needed to go. 

Perhaps you have a hubby like mine, one who loves his furbabies as much as I do. Mark spent all afternoon shampooing and cleaning the carpet on Mochi’s condo from top to bottom. When I got home from visiting a sick friend, I was completely SHOCKED. Mochi’s condo looked as clean as it did the day I bought it 3 years ago. Brand spanking new! WOW, was I happy. Mochi was happy. She felt like the Queen.  SO much time is spent with our dogs because they are so much more needy. But Mochi was thrilled. Up to the top floor she went. Daddy is the best.  Then the next day to Mochi’s and my surprise, Daddy took the cat box and scrubbed that out too. WOW. And then when I went to take the dishes out of the dishwasher, they were gone already. Awesome hubby or what?! My friends at work were like, wow, you got the best hubby!!

What is it about puppies and parties?

We start with puppy pound cake.  Then we move onto the games, pin the tail on the “kitty” and bobbing for bones. I don’t know about your fur babies, but mine love them. That is why we have so many of them. These photos are from Sammy Diva’s birthday party. Her Mom and Dad were at work. So Sammy spends most of their work days hanging out with us. I take photos all the fur babies and email them throughout the day so Ming isn’t so lonely. Can you tell they like having their hats on and their pictures taken? Probably because I’m laughing my pants off the whole event. I’m usually busy in my office working, in comes one, then another, now the number is up to 4 and they want to just hang out. They’re like kids that way, they sit for awhile and then they want to play. I thought I’d share fun party pictures. I hope everyone has as much fun as we do. Celebrate every chance you can. They bring out the joy and laughter in all of us every day.

Suffering Sammy Diva

Well, got another call from the Vet today. More bad news. Sammy Diva now also has a bladder infection. How in the heck did she get that. She’s never had one. She has had too many ear infections when I first got her. But bladder? No wonder she’s miserable on top of her hips hurting. Before I even knew she had a bladder infection, I was so sad last night, in tears reiki’ng her. I will NOT do well as she gets old.  My husband carried her up the stairs again last night. This morning, she woke up at 520am needing to pee. (now I realize its from the bladder infection, not just the side effect of the steroid injection.) Mark was so kind to get up for Sammy.  I did hands on reiki on her when I woke up.  Then when I went upstairs to get ready for my day (with no Sammy by my side sadly) I sent her reiki hoping that she may appear like yesterday. But no.  But a few minutes later as I was blow drying my hair, Mark said, look behind you. There was Sammy, about to give me kisses. Well, if its 3 reiki sessions a day for her, that is what it is going to be.

After the Vet called, I went to get her antibiotics for her bladder infection, baytril which cost a whopping $111.00 and her non steroidals for her hip, rimadyl which was another $65.50. I got the pill pockets, have you ever tried those? They are great. Dogs think they are getting treats (instead of nasty tasting pills). I also picked up some laxatone for Mochi hoping it will help with furballs. (I know, not fun to pick up). Ka-CHING as my friend Candy would say as she only knows too well about spending $$ on our furbabies. Well,  its all worth it if I can get Sammy Diva back to her fun loving , laying on her back with legs stretched in the air, saying AH, ah, ah!!!!

Canine hip dysplasia, not words I like to hear

Yesterday was one sad day.  The last few days Sammy was having trouble with her hip.  As you may have read earlier, reiki has helped her tremendously to the point where she was able to jump in Candy’s SUV! But we noticed only after the weekend, she was having trouble getting in my car. And in a matter of just 2 days, she was unable to go up the stairs to the bedroom.  My husband had to carry her 2 flights of stairs for bed. When I processed that information in the morning I became quite concerned. I had already made an appointment with the Vet for Friday but being Wednesday could I wait? While I was getting ready for work, I sent Sammy reiki while she was downstairs. While still sending reiki,  I could hear Sammy coming up the stairs! Next thing I knew, she was sitting right beside me receiving her reiki.  That of course made me happy. So off to work I went.  I had emailed my friend Heather up in Seattle mentioning Sammy’s hip. She sent me several emails urging me to call my Vet to see if it would be okay to wait till Friday morning. After feeling more guilty, I called the Vet. They said they really couldn’t answer until she was evaluated. They mentioned that they could take Sammy in that day and keep her while running x-rays etc. So since I could not leave work, I called my best pal Candy if she wouldn’t mind doing me a huge favor and drop Sammy off at the Vet.  Candy was unable to get Sammy in her SUV this time. So her hubby, Gordon took her in his Porsche. (Later that evening when I was thanking Gordon for taking such good care of Sammy, he told me she had no problems getting in his Porsche at all!) She was stylin!   Candy followed behind in her car.  Now, Sammy loves her Auntie Candy, she always feels safe and loved by her. If she had her choice, she’d probably live with her! She gets all kinds of good treats and rubs by both Candy and Gordon. So I knew she was in good hands. Candy saw that there were 2 big dogs waiting to be seen at the Vet, but she snuck Sammy right behind the counter so she would be not be bothered by those big dogs!

Waiting is always the hardest. Waiting and waiting.. worrying… waiting… I called the Vet several times. Finally after lunch, I got the call. Sammy had several x-rays. She said that the disease had spread to her other hip and that it was rather extensive. She said part of it was dysplasia telling me she had been born with it. Part of it could be some arthritis. Regardless, she was in pain. Part of hip socket was slightly out. She had tweaked it some how. As I was hearing this I felt such sadness for my Sammy Diva. I know, she must really be in pain.  The Vet was wonderful however, she spent enough time giving me details and what her plan was going to be. The fastest relief would be a steroid shot. I said yes, of course.  They would have to draw blood on her before I could get her medications for pain. I agreed to that as well. The Vet said, Sammy was giving her kisses and I thought, this is not my dog. She HATES the Vet. When I used to take her to VCA, she wouldln’t even get out of the car. I hated taking her.  But I was relieved and happy to hear that Sammy liked her new Vet.  Then I didn’t feel so bad leaving her there while I was at work.

This canine hip dysplasia got me researching… I know reiki can heal it. And that is why I learned reiki, for my pets.  The Vet was shocked at how well Sammy was doing. So in reading about hip dysplasia, I came across a well written article from a Vet. This has lead me back to breeders… and that this is genetic, it’s passed down. Is this part of the puppy mill thing? All I know, is that I rescued Sammy. She was the mother of the seeing eye puppies.   She was two years old and they were done with her. Thank God, I found her.

When I went to pick up Sammy, I was bracing myself for the bill. I figured it would be $1000, I mean, x-rays, blood work, that has got to cost.  The steroid shot itself was almost $40. But to my great surprise, the bill was $400. I was so happy. We love our new Vet!

The assistant was surprised I was so happy as she thought that was a lot of money.  They brought Sammy out. She seemed tired. I walked her to the car and she couldn’t get in. I tried to lift her myself but could not. I finally with great effort got in the front seat but I didnt feel she was comfortable and felt bad for her hip. The steroid shot had not kicked in yet.  Luckily the Vet isn’t far from home.  Brought her home, gave her a big carrot and on the couch she went for a nap. When I brought Lucy home from Candy’s, she ran to Sammy and gave her about 15 kisses. So sweet, Lucy was worried about her big sister. ( I think she remembered the day Ry was taken away and never came home)

I’ll be giving Sammy Diva reiki every day for the rest of her life. The reason I learned it anyways.

This weekend I’ll be looking into ramps so I can get Sammy in and out of the car easier. Much cheaper than buying a Porsche!