Monday, October 3, 2011

This weekend... emotional ups and downs!

So, this weekend was crazy. Something horrible happened, followed by something disappointing, followed by something awesome and amazing and even another fantastic thing!

Am I being general enough?

First of all, this was the first weekend in forever, and the last weekend for forever, that I actually had to myself. No having to go anywhere, no work, no company, nothing. Don't get me wrong; I love having friends visit, and I love going to visit them/family. Sometimes, though, you just need to take time for yourself. Sleep in a little. Enjoy your pets. Clean the mess that has been accumulating for the last month in your house.

One of the reasons I enjoy having nothing to do on weekend mornings is that I love hanging out with my horse first thing in the morning. That doesn't necessarily mean riding; just going out and being with her for a few minutes, even if that means I'm just sitting on the ground, watching her graze, always gives my day a wonderful start. I can sit peacefully and pray or reflect on things, or I can just blank out my mind and enjoy the miracle that is having a deep bond with a creature so much bigger than myself. Really, it is quite amazing. We speak different languages, yet we are very good at reading each other. I can run at her, flapping my arms and screaming my head off, but she knows when I really want her to run and when I am "faking". She can switch and do the same thing; I know when she's going to stop, and when I should get out of her way (not that the latter happens often!). She trusts me to lead her through threatening situations; I trust her to find her footing when riding through treacherous areas. She knows that when I come out to her, swinging a fly mask and juggling a fly spray bottle, sunscreen, and a brush, that she needs to stand still until I'm finished with her. I know that when she's acting funny, something is wrong.

Like Saturday.

Chica was up at the fence, waiting on dinner (mind you, this was at 10:00 AM), so I headed out to put her fly mask on. She had been acting moody the last few days, and I guess I had been ignoring the signs because I didn't want anything to be wrong. Watching her walk up to me, though, I knew I couldn't ignore it anymore. I put her in the round pen and asked her to trot about 10 steps. Lame. Walking her out of the pen, every step seemed torturous to her. Even standing suddenly wasn't ok- she would either point her foot, or she would hold it off the ground. I was devastated. Chica has been battling the first stages of navicular disease, and she had been doing so well lately. I was really afraid that this degree of lameness signalled the beginning of the end. I took her out of the pasture and gave her a handful of feed with a Prevacox and told her she needed to get better because I wasn't ready for that. She then hobbled back into the pasture and stood there, looking miserable. What could I do? Lock her in a stall, so she could get stiff? She obviously wasn't going to be running anywhere. In the end, I left her where she was, and went back into the house. In my room, I stopped and prayed. I have been reading devotionals by Joseph Prince lately, and something he has been teaching is about the power that is in Jesus' name. In fact, the devotional that he posted the day before this lameness happened is titled: "Time to Use Your Authority" (see here: http://www.josephprinceonline.com/category/devotional/). Basically, he talks about how most of the time, when we pray, our prayers are desperate: "Please, God, do this!" and etc. I would have to agree, for myself! But he goes on to say, "There is a time for you to cry out to God and there is a time for you to use your authority". Basically, that authority is Jesus' name. "As you command in Jesus’ name, your “sea” will open and you will go on dry ground through the midst of your problem". How amazing is that? Having just read that the day before, I walked into my room, and prayed that, in Jesus' name, Chica would be healed. No pleading. Just a firm, steadfast belief that it would be so. And guess what? The next day, she was no longer lame. In fact, when I called her this (Monday) morning, she galloped across the pasture up to me. How amazing and awesome is that, to go from dead lame at the walk to bolting around without a hitch?

I have seen power of this magnitude before. When my sister's friend's little brother was in the hospital, dying from the swine flu, I messaged my friend Erika and asked her to pray for healing for him. She called me up, and together we prayed on the phone for him, and I have to say I have never heard or felt such powerful prayer in my life. She prayed using her authority, and I knew, knew, by the end of it that he would be healed. And shortly after that, everything got better for him. Now he is back to being a healthy boy, the only signs left from his weeks being in the hospital being a few missing toes.

God is amazing.

I mentioned also at the beginning of this post that something disappointing, and then fantastic, happened. Saturday morning, I took the last of my two strays to a "Blessing of the Animals" event at St Francis Episcopal Church, as a local group was doing rabies shots for $10. I figured they could use whatever edge they could get. After that, my roommate and I took them to Petco and sat for several hours with a local rescue group, trying to find them a home. We had so much interest, I was sure at least one of them would be taken. This was something else I had been praying for, after all. However, after several hours and a missed lunch, we decided it was time to leave. It was hard admitting defeat like that, especially since there were still people coming and going. But I was determined to still believe that God would find them the right person, even if it wasn't on my schedule.

Yesterday, I received two emails about them. The first one was a no-go, as the guy was looking for a lap dog for his mother- LOL. The second, however, sounded promising- the guy wanted to meet both of them. I called him up and he happened to be nearby, so he came by. And he's taking BOTH of them! They get to be together! It's pretty crazy because he actually lives in Florida; he is working in town this week, though. So Friday evening he's coming to load them up and take them to their new lives as hunting dogs in a whole different state. Who would have thought that these abandoned strays that someone gave up on would become national travellers? And their other brother, Merle? He has a new home about 10 minutes from where I live! I drive by the place all the time. It has all worked out so well that it's obvious Someone was guiding this from the get-go. I am going to miss them, but I am so happy for them and so glad that they showed up nearby so that "I" could give them these chances. Haha, I don't for a minute believe that it was due to myself or that it was a coincidence they ended up down the road for me. I'm just so ecstatic for them!!

Phew, that was a lot of writing that had built up over the weekend! I will try to get some new pictures of the two boys that are left, to show how much better they look after some more food. I'll also get some new pics of my clan: Fatty Romeo (who I renamed after meeting the Skinny Strays), Cat Poop Eating Fiona (self-explanatory), Plant Eating Ramses (also self-explanatory), and No Longer Lame Chica! Hooray!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Two posts in two days? HOLD ME BACK!

It's easier to write when you have exciting things happening in your life! Things like almost doubling your number of pets! Don't get me wrong, I would love to have more horses, cats, even dogs someday, but financially and... spatially... now is not the time for 5 dogs!

I didn't get to spend much time with the boys last night due to it suddenly getting dark earlier- when did that happen? - but I did manage to snap a few new pictures of Cash and Hank. I did also get bad news regarding Merle: Abby, his owners' other dog, does not seem to like him, so it looks like he will be coming back to me. I'm not too worried about it; his coloring and his personality will make him very adoptable. I just really want to find them all perfect homes.

Bad news aside, check out Cash's physique! He's looking much better, no? Even Hank looks like a brand new dog! Still a ways to go, though...

Cash:


Hank:




Both:


It is great to witness what a little love and care can do. And that's in just a week! Will try to get pictures of them out of their pens tonight.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Wow, I failed MISERABLY!!

You know how when you get a new toy, all you want to do is play with it? And after a while, you realize there are other things calling for your attention, and suddenly you haven't updated your blog in 6 months? Yes? Me too. Obviously setting a goal for myself didn't work out so well... but rather than harp on that, let's make my new goal 3 posts before my NEXT birthday. That shouldn't be too hard, right? *famous last words* As my blog is titled "Musings of an animal lover", it's not too hard to guess what this post will center around. Start me talking about animals, and prepare to be there for a while. In fact, my mom told my freshman homecoming date, if I was not doing my share of upholding the conversation, to ask me about horses (which I found out after the fact). And guess what? It worked.

So last Wednesday, I took in 3 stray dogs. That's right, in addition to the "cast of characters" already mentioned. Which brings me to 5 dogs. Fortunately for me, I live out in the country on 20 acres, so the INCESSANT BARKING doesn't bother too many people, myself excluded. That aside, these guys are super cute, and in spite of their shy dispositions, they are turning out to be very sweet. My guess is that they are Catahoula mixes, an unwanted litter that somebody decided to dump on my road ('cause it's the country, and all animals can make it out in the wild, right? Idiots.). They are obviously litter mates, and they are young. By the time I took them in, two of them were very skinny, and the third was just skin and bones. I wasn't sure he was going to come with me- he prefered barking from a distance. But since his brothers followed, he apparently did not want to be left behind. Not having a fenced in backyard myself (my dogs don't stay outside unsupervised and they come when they are called), they had to spend their first night together in an 8' x 8' pen, which they readily went into for some food. My roommate and I dubbed them Cash, Merle and Hank (country dogs, duh). The following pictures were all taken their first night.


They have come a long way since last Wednesday. From the beginning, Merle, the blue merle (haha), was the most outgoing. I have been putting them individually on a collar and leash to try to work with them, and he has always been very willing to walk with me, even with his siblings calling him. He also ate very politely out of my hand, and he has just been gentle in general. I am happy to say that he has a new home with kids and a doggy friend named Abby. I think he will do well with them once he has adjusted.



The tan and white male, Cash, is looking great. His coat is shiny, and his ribs, while still visible, don't protrude from his sides as much. He is the goof of the three. Talk to him in an excited voice, and he wiggles and bounces and gives you looks of adoration. He is, however, the most shy of the three. He has warmed up to me a lot, but he's not sure about strangers. He is more apt to observe them from a distance than to run up and lick them... if I start opening his run, though, any part of me he can reach is instantly slobbered. He's a goober on leash, too. I'm not sure he knows how to walk in a straight line. I'm constantly stepping on his feet, which earns me a look of dismay (and once a yelp), but nothing aggressive. If he sees something interesting in the distance, his tail goes up, his head goes up, and he adopts a gait reminiscent of the fox trot. It's rather adorable and happens not nearly enough. I think he's going to make a great dog, once he gets over his fear of people.


The last dog, the one that is most dear to my heart, is Hank. Hank had a hard time while they were loose, judging from his condition and the fact that he would not come near us when we first found them. However, once we gave him food and water, he opened up immensely. Now he joins Cash in greeting me exhuberantly when I go out to mess with them. We did have an incident, while they were all still in the 8x8 pen, where he attacked Cash over food (who can blame him; he was starving) and got himself some lacerations on his head. But they were separated after that into individual dog runs, and we have had no problems since. He has started to fill out, but his hip bones and ribs are still very visible. In spite of his skinny condition, he pulls majorly on the leash- and he's strong! I've been working on teaching him to heel, and once we get out onto the road and start walking, he's fine. He just forgets, I guess. He has stopped gulping his food, and he doesn't try to swim in his water bucket like Cash. He just needs a lot more TLC. I'm positive he has worms, so I'm going to attempt to deworm him (and Cash) tonight. I'd really like to find Cash a home so that I can focus more of my efforts on Hank.


Aside from the really sad fact that someone didn't give these guys a chance and left them to fend for themselves, I am very grateful for this experience. I someday want to run my own rescue operation, and I have learned a lot from these guys. I know that finding them new homes is going to be hard because of their size and lack of training, but I think it will be possible with some work. I really enjoy working with companion animals and learning what makes them tick, as well as deciphering their individual personalities. These guys could not be more grateful for their meals, which, along with watching them get better, makes the money I've spent on them worth it. I know the rescue world is hard and you cannot save them all, and I realize that these guys are still not out of the woods yet, but at least they will know what it is like to be loved and cared for.

As I do not like to hog rewarding experiences all to myself, I'd like to leave you by planting a small seed. You certainly do not have to take in three, but shelters and rescue groups could save so many more if they had limitless people able to foster even one dog, cat, horse, what have you. There are dogs and cats sitting in shelters that through training could become more adoptable, not to mention the room it would free up for more if they were living with a foster. If you don't think you would be able to give up a foster animal after keeping it for a while, I completely empathize with you. I have always said the same thing. However, the fact that I took these guys in knowing that I was just going to help them and then send them on their way has really helped me to distance myself from them emotionally. I am fond of them, and I will be sad to see them leave, but they actually have a chance at decent lives because of me. I now know that I will definitely foster in the future... when I am no longer a renter!

It feels good to be back! Look forward to more updates on the dogs, especially once I get updated pictures of them. Maybe afterwards I will find something else to write about!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Cast of characters.

Since I am probably going to be writing about them quite often, I thought I'd introduce the members of my family here. Be warned: once I start talking about my pets, I tend to not stop.

First of all, there's Chica. She is a grade Appaloosa, and we've been together 10 years as of this past Saturday! We've come a long way since then. During the first year that I had her, she took every opportunity she could find to buck me off. She dumped me while barrel racing, while riding bareback, while jumping, while riding up a hill... she would even jerk away from me while I was leading her and take off back to her pasture. I had nightmares about her running me down. I was terrified to do anything more than groom her, which completely frustrated my dad who was "not paying to board a large dog". And yet, I clung onto her simply because I felt bad selling her to someone that she didn't know. And you know what? Best decision I ever made. About a year into our time together, we met a lady at a boarding barn who introduced us to her trainer, who was probably in her 60s at the time. Having been in a car wreck earlier in her life, she could no longer ride, but she was excellent at coaching from the ground. She really helped turn Chica and I around. Chica went on to become a Hunter Under Saddle champion, which is a pretty big accomplishment for a 15 HH horse that is built like a tank. She is a gorgeous mover (when she doesn't have her heels over her head). In the years since working with Connie, the trainer, Chica has done a complete 180. I now ride her often saddleless and bridless at all gaits, and we pretty much work on whatever I can think up for the day- flying lead changes, riding sidesaddle, jumping, obstacles. She has become that special horse that is so hard to find. I don't think I can ever replace her. While we don't ride nearly as much as we used to, she still remembers everything from back in our show days- better than I! Maybe we'll get to start showing again some day soon.


Next, we have Romeo, who was a street dog before he came to live with me two years ago. I never actually wanted a Lab; I very grudgingly took him in. My family had Golden Retrievers when I was growing up, and I always wanted something a little more unusual. My mom picked up Romeo and his friend, a Schnauzer, from the streets of her neighborhood. She had seen them off and on for several weeks. My dad really liked the Schnauzer, but he was constantly attacking Romeo and their other dogs, so he went to the Schnauzer rescue. I came home from college on a Friday and discovered Romeo in the back yard. Being the Lab that he is, he came running up to me, all smiles, tail going 90 miles an hour, and all I saw was "Lab". I kind of patted him on the head and said, "Oh, hi..." and that was it. I walked into my parents' kitchen, and my dad proclaimed, "We found you a running partner!" I said, "Him? The Lab?" I had actually come home that weekend to go look at a Flat Coated Retriever at the shelter, which I was really excited about. "But I wanted to go see the other dog." This, of course, upset my dad, who didn't know why I'd want another dog when I had one right there. But off to the shelter we went, me burying the guilt at condemning the dog in my backyard to an unknown fate at the pound. 

When I got to the shelter, they took me back to see the Flat Coat. He was very excited to receive attention. They put a leash on him, and he dragged me to the fenced in yard where he proceeded to watch all of the activity going on in the yard, occasionally running up to me to be pet. But as I watched him, I just couldn't shake the Lab from my mind. Here was the Flat Coat in a no-kill shelter- if I didn't take him, he wouldn't be put down- and at home was a sweet dog that also just wanted to be loved but that faced a more dire fate if I didn't choose him. I looked at my parents and said resignedly, "If I keep the Lab, can you take me to Petsmart right now so I can go buy him a collar?" And that was that. I still think often about the Flat Coated Retriever; I hope he went to a great home. I don't know that I could have left him if the shelter had been a kill shelter. But thanks to my decision back then, I now have Romeo, who is probably the most amazing Lab in the world (not that I'm biased or anything). Sure, he had no manners when I got him, but I'm proud to say that he is now a Canine Good Citizen. Well, a CGC that still thinks it's ok for him to be a lap dog. Which, it is ok with me... who else matters?  

 

My newest addition is Fiona, a tri-colored Corgi. She is currently 17 weeks. She is a MESS. She talks back and still hasn't quite gotten the hang of house-breaking. However, she is incredibly smart. She knows "kennel", "go potty", "sit", "shake", "spin", "up", and we're working on "stay", which she's good at for short periods of time. She is just always buzzing with energy, and I'm pretty sure she has ADD, but when she looks at you, she has this expression of pure intellegience. It generally takes her only a few minutes to learn a new command.She's also very intense; when I tell her to stay, she does not look away from my eyes until I tell her, "Good girl!" Having grown up with Goldens, who are bred to be so submissive that they will not look you in the eyes even if you hold their head in front of your face, this is very new to me- and I like it, because it brings a new level of focus that typically wasn't there when I was working with the retrievers. Corgis are just incredible little (but don't tell them that) dogs... and the howls, grunts and other noises are an added bonus! Seriously, who wouldn't laugh at a puppy stretching so big that it howls? 


Ramses, my Ragdoll cat, is the love of my life. He is incredibly cuddly, and his fuzzy feet are just adorable beyond words. I got him in August of 2009 from the animal shelter- can you believe someone actually dumped this little (huge) beauty? Their loss was totally my gain. I had been wanting another cat after losing my female cat of... ten years? in May of '09. It had taken me a couple of months, but I literally found it hard to function without a cat in my life, having always had them since I was 5 years old. Ramses is practically the total opposite of Reeses, my former cat. Reeses was a tortie, and as such, she was very talkative and loved her one person- me. In spite of that, she was never very cuddly. I can count on one hand the number of times she ever jumped into my lap- and whenever she did, I would call for someone to come and take a picture. She liked to be near me, but only on her own terms. She was still very much my baby. Ramses, on the other hand, always has to be touching me. If I'm laying on my back, he'll come crawl onto my chest (all 17 pounds of him)- practically suffocating me. If I'm on my side, he'll curl up to where I'm spooning him. If I'm sitting on the couch, he's either in my lap or gazing at me from the end of the couch. He is quite talkative as well- especially if it's dinner time- but he definitely doesn't wake me up to be fed. Like Romeo, he'd much rather sleep in than get up and eat in the morning. And those eyes! He is simply a stunning cat.


I can't remember ever really having a fear of reptiles, even when I was younger. In high school I had an encounter with a cotton mouth- I would have accidently stepped on it if it hadn't warned me it was there by thumping its body- but I don't know that I ever even thought of reptiles much, unless I was out in the woods hiking. So if someone had told me back then that I would one day have 4 snakes and a lizard, I probably would have dismissed them as crazy. Well, that was me two years ago. In September of '09 I bought my first snake, a Ball Python named Roxy. That led to a Corn snake named Rowan (motley sunglow), another Corn snake named Rosalie (snow), and another snake that was probably a Corn/Rat hybrid named Ysmay. At the same time I got Rosalie, I also picked up a Bearded Dragon, which I had been wanting for a long time. And that leads me to the next member of my famly, a Beardie named Annabelle. The snakes are all long gone- Ysmay died of a disease that she had when I got her, and several friends took my other snakes when I had to move to a new house- but Annabelle still remains. Bearded Dragons are very neat pets. Their laid back temperment makes them great reptiles for a beginning herpetologist, but they do require quite a bit of care. They need special lights to simulate the Australian desert, and they require supplementation. However, spending time with them can make that care very rewarding. They acknowledge your presence, and they seem to enjoy spending time with their people. I've read that they can even learn their name and basic tricks, though reptile training eludes me. They definitely know who their person is- I've brought Annabelle with me to work, and of course everyone wants to hold her when they see her. She will reach for me when someone else has her, and though it may be hard to think of reptiles as "cute", seeing one ask for its "mom" comes pretty close.


Finally, there's Henry, my Betta fish. At one point I had 9 Bettas, which, when you consider the fact that they need to all be in separate tanks, is a lot. How did I get that many? By being a sucker and feeling bad for them in their little cups at the pet stores. Having that many is quite a chore, however, so as they began dying off, I decided I was not going to replace them. I'm quite happy just having one, and he's quite happy in his 5 gallon tank.


And that's it, for now. Someday, when I'm more stable, I'd love to have more dogs, cats, and horses, and to throw some goats in there. Basically, if I could have my own zoo, I'd be happy. Hmm... perhaps that's a career option I should look into?

Experiment.

What is this all about, you may wonder? There are tons of people creating blogs these days; how is yours any different?

That's probably a good question. Hopefully, while the content may be similar to other blogs out there, you will find the writing here more witty, more interesting, more enlightening. Or, at the very least, you will recognize in my thoughts a simple human being like yourself just trying to understand the world around her. For myself, this blog is an experiment. Do I have what it takes to keep it updated? It's always east to start a project, but the time between conception and completion can become mundane.

So, to start off, I think I will make a pledge of some sort. I learned recently in a "Goals Setting" class that many goals fail due to having improper time constraints. For example, a classic New Year's goal for many people is "I will lose weight this year." This goal often fails, however, because of the nonspecificity of it. How many pounds are you wanting to lose, and by when do you want to lose them? A more solid goal would be to say, "I will lose 10 pounds by April this year."

I say all of that merely to explain the thought-process behind my pledge, which is as follows: I pledge to update my blog 4 times by my birthday, which is March 15th. That gives me a little less than 4 weeks, and updating this once a week seems almost too easy. Obviously, if I hit the mark and want to keep going, I will- but for now, let's take it slow, shall we?

A disclaimer to this site: while I included "animal lover" in my title, not all posts will be zoological. I may post a lot about my pets, or other people's pets, or even articles I find, but also be prepared for book reviews (I absolutely love reading), reports on movies, links to funny stories or videos I find- and, of course, my probably outspoken opinions on everything. Additionally watch for photos and recommedations from places I've traveled to. You can only benefit from my experiences, I'm sure!

And a final note on this blog- I'd like to thank my friend Elizabeth for challenging me to start this. Without her planting the idea, I would never have even considered blogging. Thank you for your support!