well, hello there! i have been away a while. well, i haven't actually...our laptop's hard-drive went out. so we decided to get a new computer. oh, the joy of trying to remember all my favorite websites!
how has our household adjusted to being a dog-less household? very well. sadly, very very well. especially the hubby. i don't think i have seen him this happy in a long time. well, perhaps not exactly happy but definitely much less stressed out. he even sold a bunch of cars. all happening after getting rid of the dogs. the kids are happier too. i never thought that would be. they seem to respond well to not being yelled at to take care of the dogs. amazing, huh? i thought there may have been a delayed reaction of sadness or anger about the dogs leaving, but no, just happiness...for all but me. i was really really bummed out. i was ticked off at everyones' lack of sadness. i was extremely crabby. (more than usual, anyway)
my tale of dog woes:
we decided when our first child was 18 mos, we wanted to get a puppy. not just any puppy, but a black great dane puppy. noble was that puppy. he was great. he listened pretty good. he stayed by my side, he didn't jump, and he was protective of our family (ok, maybe just of me and the kids.). he was beautiful. unfortunately, we made the mistake of getting him before we were living in a house...we were living in a 2 bedroom condo. then we made the mistake of taking him to my sister in law's house until we were able to build our house. she allowed him to run. she allowed him and his brother (her dog) to run whenever they wanted, and where ever they wanted. right before we broke ground on our house, we found both dogs dead of an apparent poisoning. i was totally devastated. it broke my heart that he was gone.
my sister in law felt badly about what happened. she decided to get me another black great dane puppy as a surprise. thus, junior entered our lives. he was a nice enough dog. he loved me. he was ok with my kids. but he had to be penned up most of the time because he didn't want to stay in the invisible fence. he would just run right thru it. he then started to become really really protective and had a thing about pre-adolescent boys. (basically boys between the ages of 9 and 15) i don't know why, but he hated them. i couldn't trust him around them. he chased down the neighbor boy and knocked him to the ground, he growled and tried to chase my cousin, and then...the last straw...he bit the neighbor boy. i don't know if he meant to or not. i think he was just trying to grab the towel around the kid's arm...but that was it. i couldn't have a dog that i couldn't trust around kids. we decided junior couldn't live with us anymore.
after dealing with all this, i had decided that was it. no more dogs. i couldn't deal with it anymore. i hated losing them. it hurt too much. i couldn't spend the time with them that was needed to make them good dogs. i was too busy with teaching my own babies, and of course having more babies. what happens next? well the same sister in law decided that our oldest needed a dog, that he was responsible enough for a dog. now enters sami. we tried to make it work, but my kids are just not really into dogs. they want to play sports, hang out with their friends, and go places. they didn't have time in their busy lives for a dog. poor sami had to deal with it for 3 years. she is a great dog. she was a great mom. she deserves a family that wants her and loves her. i believe god has a plan for her. otherwise, why would she have a new home so quickly?
i don't want any more dogs.
atleast not until my kids are out of my house...then maybe i'll be ready.
Showing posts with label sami. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sami. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
dogs
today is the first day since the dogs all left. we decided that our home was not the best home for them...any of them. before i get into it, let me just say, there was not any abuse going on, nor were the dogs showing any dangerous behavior.
the day i brought cocoa home, my husband was not happy. i think i said that before, but believe me, i need to stress how unhappy he was. you see, my husband was not and still isn't an animal lover. don't get me wrong, he doesn't hate animals, and never ever was he unkind to them. he just was raised on a farm, and therefore, he had to witness and help with some pretty nasty farm type activities. that kind of ruined him towards animals. except gimpy the cat. he loved that cat. but that's a story for another day. anyway, i just don't want it to seem like he's the "bad guy" here. he's not.
anyway, after bringing cocoa home, jeff wasn't too happy. then zack, my helper, decided that the dogs needed to go potty. he's helpful like that. well, the bad thing is, when the door opens, sami (the mom) bolts out, followed by the puppies. oh and my mother -in-law's puppy was out too at the time. so all 3 puppies and sami started to run off. jeff yelled for them to come back, and cocoa came back, sami and the others looked at him, and then ran faster away. nice huh? jeff tells me this (i was just getting in the shower), with adding the comment, "we should keep this one, she atleast listens." i'm drying off in the shower. i get dressed, dry my hair, get ready, and come out to a really really really PO'd hubby. i guess our dog food and cocoa aren't mixing too well. she had diarrhea. in like 3 or 4 separate puddles on the kitchen floor. he had cleaned it all up before i got out there. (remember how i said she's housebroken? well, not since she had gotten to my house.) this time we had "the" discussion. the same discussion we've been having for a couple of months. the "sami doesn't listen. she's going to get hurt, or picked up by animal control. the kids don't even pay any attention to any of the dogs. we need to find them somewhere else to go" discussion. not my favorite type. i had been thinking about it. sami has a taste for deer now. thanks to my brother in law leaving all the extras from his hunting, she likes them. she is going out to find more. where is there the best chances to get a dead rotting deer leg? next to busy roads and highways. we have lots of those all around us. who hates deer-eating dogs? hunters, which we have lots of around us. what do they do when a dog comes around and chases the deer, or even worse, gets to the deer before the hunter? they shoot it.
it's not fun getting rid of a dog. i cried for a half an hour in the shower after they came to get them. and i have my good minutes and bad. i had jeff take all the stuff that was left over to his mom and dad. i couldn't look at it. my eyes still hurt and i'm still tearing up writing this.
i emailed the lady that took cocoa. her friend took sami and sally. she told me she would keep me updated on them all. cocoa was fine, she laid in her bed and watched the other dogs. sami and sally napped in the living room most of the evening at her friend's house. i don't know if it makes me feel better or worse that they did so well away from us. i guess i need to give it some time.
the day i brought cocoa home, my husband was not happy. i think i said that before, but believe me, i need to stress how unhappy he was. you see, my husband was not and still isn't an animal lover. don't get me wrong, he doesn't hate animals, and never ever was he unkind to them. he just was raised on a farm, and therefore, he had to witness and help with some pretty nasty farm type activities. that kind of ruined him towards animals. except gimpy the cat. he loved that cat. but that's a story for another day. anyway, i just don't want it to seem like he's the "bad guy" here. he's not.
anyway, after bringing cocoa home, jeff wasn't too happy. then zack, my helper, decided that the dogs needed to go potty. he's helpful like that. well, the bad thing is, when the door opens, sami (the mom) bolts out, followed by the puppies. oh and my mother -in-law's puppy was out too at the time. so all 3 puppies and sami started to run off. jeff yelled for them to come back, and cocoa came back, sami and the others looked at him, and then ran faster away. nice huh? jeff tells me this (i was just getting in the shower), with adding the comment, "we should keep this one, she atleast listens." i'm drying off in the shower. i get dressed, dry my hair, get ready, and come out to a really really really PO'd hubby. i guess our dog food and cocoa aren't mixing too well. she had diarrhea. in like 3 or 4 separate puddles on the kitchen floor. he had cleaned it all up before i got out there. (remember how i said she's housebroken? well, not since she had gotten to my house.) this time we had "the" discussion. the same discussion we've been having for a couple of months. the "sami doesn't listen. she's going to get hurt, or picked up by animal control. the kids don't even pay any attention to any of the dogs. we need to find them somewhere else to go" discussion. not my favorite type. i had been thinking about it. sami has a taste for deer now. thanks to my brother in law leaving all the extras from his hunting, she likes them. she is going out to find more. where is there the best chances to get a dead rotting deer leg? next to busy roads and highways. we have lots of those all around us. who hates deer-eating dogs? hunters, which we have lots of around us. what do they do when a dog comes around and chases the deer, or even worse, gets to the deer before the hunter? they shoot it.
it's not fun getting rid of a dog. i cried for a half an hour in the shower after they came to get them. and i have my good minutes and bad. i had jeff take all the stuff that was left over to his mom and dad. i couldn't look at it. my eyes still hurt and i'm still tearing up writing this.
i emailed the lady that took cocoa. her friend took sami and sally. she told me she would keep me updated on them all. cocoa was fine, she laid in her bed and watched the other dogs. sami and sally napped in the living room most of the evening at her friend's house. i don't know if it makes me feel better or worse that they did so well away from us. i guess i need to give it some time.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
vet
haley recently told me that she wants to be a vet when she grows up. after taking the dogs to the vet yesterday, i think i am going to hold her to it. that way, instead of having to spend $360 for sami to get her shots, her heartworm preventative, and frontline, and the puppy to get her first round of shots, she would do it cheaper (for her favorite mom in the whole world), and she would have lots of money to take care of her dear parents in their old age. $360 seems like alot to me. am i crazy? this is with her only getting 6 months worth of frontline. and to have her spayed...another $180. jeff actually made the appt. why did i send him? oh wait, i remember, he didn't want to stay home with all the kids. so now i have to cancel the appt and find a place that does it cheaper. seriously, it would be cheaper to let her just keep having puppies. i also think i would rather do all the shots we can at home. it would be much cheaper, and easier on me. have you ever tried to get just one dog and 5 kids in a vet's office, and then again in the little exam room? not an easy feat. we would still have to bring them in for their rabies shots, but that's nothing. by the way, black sally weighs 15lbs. this is how much the rest of the puppies weighted 2 weeks ago. i am hoping this means that she won't get any bigger than sami. she ended up weighing 75lbs. considering how she looks right now, she is at the perfect weight.
i guess i just need to foster haley's love of animals. so for christmas, she will be getting any animal loving present i can come up with.
i guess i just need to foster haley's love of animals. so for christmas, she will be getting any animal loving present i can come up with.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
puppy-watch 2007
that's right, we are definitely expecting puppies. in fact any day now. poor sami is panting constantly now. her belly is getting pretty big and you can actually feel the pups moving around in there. it is pretty cool. she seems pretty miserable though. we have 2 possible leads on homes for atleast 2 pups. we shall see. i am pretty sure they will be golden retriever and mastiff mix, but since she was out a couple of times without anyone watching her (thanks kids) i can't say for sure he is the only possible father. i am trying to decide if i use this as an example for the kids to discourage sex before marriage. usually i just watch the paternity shows on maury for that, but this is a little closer to home.
anyway, it is testing week at school for haley and alex. it is similar to the mmat tests we did in school, but the arch diocese uses a different test. the kids love this week because there is no homework, and they only test half the day, so the rest of the time is fun stuff. i don't know how i feel about these tests. they give the kids 2 different tests. one measures what the kids know, the other is similar to an IQ test, but it tests their ability to learn. now (not to brag or anything but) my kids always test very high in the "what they know" test. alex has done horrible on the IQ part though, and haley didn't do that great either. according to that test, my kids should be testing in the lower half of their grade level. not to brag, but they actually test in the 90% in most things. (basically they tested higher than 90% of their peers) so my question is, how accurate is this test? can't wait to get the results back this year.
jeff has started his new job. the hours are sooo much better. he works shorter shifts during the week, and saturday is longer. so he is either leaving for work at 9 and getting home at 3:30, or leaving at 2pm and getting home around 9. we actually see him way more. he can help me more with different errands. it is really great. and they get more walk in business there too.
so he has been much happier lately.
anyway, it is testing week at school for haley and alex. it is similar to the mmat tests we did in school, but the arch diocese uses a different test. the kids love this week because there is no homework, and they only test half the day, so the rest of the time is fun stuff. i don't know how i feel about these tests. they give the kids 2 different tests. one measures what the kids know, the other is similar to an IQ test, but it tests their ability to learn. now (not to brag or anything but) my kids always test very high in the "what they know" test. alex has done horrible on the IQ part though, and haley didn't do that great either. according to that test, my kids should be testing in the lower half of their grade level. not to brag, but they actually test in the 90% in most things. (basically they tested higher than 90% of their peers) so my question is, how accurate is this test? can't wait to get the results back this year.
jeff has started his new job. the hours are sooo much better. he works shorter shifts during the week, and saturday is longer. so he is either leaving for work at 9 and getting home at 3:30, or leaving at 2pm and getting home around 9. we actually see him way more. he can help me more with different errands. it is really great. and they get more walk in business there too.
so he has been much happier lately.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
say WHAT!!!
lots of things going on now.
jeff decided to change jobs...well not exactly. more like decided to change employers. he was working for a ford dealership. dan (jeff's brother jim's brother-in-law) gave jeff a shot at selling cars 4 years ago. he was pretty helpful as far as showing jeff the ropes, etc. now jeff is going to work for behlmann carnection in st. peters. jeff's new boss is a great guy. he has been coaching alex's soccer team since he was in kindergarten. they sell used cars only, and jeff was pretty impressed by the quality of cars they sell. plus it's in st. peters. the only down-side is that he's going to have later hours than before. they open at 9am (a plus) but they close at 8 or 9 at night (not a plus). anyway, i hope things work out well.
our puppy, sami, is looking like she's expecting pups. i think the dad is probably my brother in law's mastiff, brock. (cane corso mastiff...not near as big as english) brock is a beautiful dog, gray on gray brindle with blue gray eyes.
unfortunately i don't think brock is handling his upcoming fatherhood the way he should. he has tried to commit suicide 2 times now. (running in front of jeff's truck while jeff is going down the driveway)
brock, if you are reading this, (and i doubt you are...rachel is the only one reading this most likely) it's not worth it buddy. it's ok. we are preparing to financially take care of the little guys until they are old enough to leave the nest. we aren't expecting anything from you. sami isn't expecting anything from you either. i'm sorry she hasn't been over to hang with you lately, she just hasn't been feeling up for it.
anyway, i don't know for sure she is. honestly she has had a false pregnancy in the past. so i am hoping it's just another one. her belly is pretty big, but i haven't felt anything moving in there. so in case there are any pups, let me know if you are looking for one. golden retriever and cain corso mastiff. or if you can come up with a cute name for the mix. you know like pug+beagle=puggle, or lab+poodle=labradoodle. hopefully these guys will be cuter than those. or i guess i could go back to the old standard "mutt". but honestly, it feels like calling a baby of unwed parents a bastard. kind of scummy. but, if i would have gotten her spayed, i wouldn't have to be worrying about this. i feel like i should have a tattoo on my forehead saying "irresponsible pet owner".
last, alex and haley are wanting to join 4-H, and do livestock. haley wants to do sheep. that's fine, i know who to talk to about it. but alex wants to do pigs. (thanks to jeff's dad, he suggested pigs and cows) i have no problem with them doing this. as long as they are the ones doing it. i don't want it to fall on me because they lost interest. especially the pigs. the sheep will be at a friend's farm. he knows all about them, and has been involved with kids and sheep in 4-H for like 20+ years. so i will let you know what we end up doing with them.
jeff decided to change jobs...well not exactly. more like decided to change employers. he was working for a ford dealership. dan (jeff's brother jim's brother-in-law) gave jeff a shot at selling cars 4 years ago. he was pretty helpful as far as showing jeff the ropes, etc. now jeff is going to work for behlmann carnection in st. peters. jeff's new boss is a great guy. he has been coaching alex's soccer team since he was in kindergarten. they sell used cars only, and jeff was pretty impressed by the quality of cars they sell. plus it's in st. peters. the only down-side is that he's going to have later hours than before. they open at 9am (a plus) but they close at 8 or 9 at night (not a plus). anyway, i hope things work out well.
our puppy, sami, is looking like she's expecting pups. i think the dad is probably my brother in law's mastiff, brock. (cane corso mastiff...not near as big as english) brock is a beautiful dog, gray on gray brindle with blue gray eyes.
unfortunately i don't think brock is handling his upcoming fatherhood the way he should. he has tried to commit suicide 2 times now. (running in front of jeff's truck while jeff is going down the driveway)
brock, if you are reading this, (and i doubt you are...rachel is the only one reading this most likely) it's not worth it buddy. it's ok. we are preparing to financially take care of the little guys until they are old enough to leave the nest. we aren't expecting anything from you. sami isn't expecting anything from you either. i'm sorry she hasn't been over to hang with you lately, she just hasn't been feeling up for it.
anyway, i don't know for sure she is. honestly she has had a false pregnancy in the past. so i am hoping it's just another one. her belly is pretty big, but i haven't felt anything moving in there. so in case there are any pups, let me know if you are looking for one. golden retriever and cain corso mastiff. or if you can come up with a cute name for the mix. you know like pug+beagle=puggle, or lab+poodle=labradoodle. hopefully these guys will be cuter than those. or i guess i could go back to the old standard "mutt". but honestly, it feels like calling a baby of unwed parents a bastard. kind of scummy. but, if i would have gotten her spayed, i wouldn't have to be worrying about this. i feel like i should have a tattoo on my forehead saying "irresponsible pet owner".
last, alex and haley are wanting to join 4-H, and do livestock. haley wants to do sheep. that's fine, i know who to talk to about it. but alex wants to do pigs. (thanks to jeff's dad, he suggested pigs and cows) i have no problem with them doing this. as long as they are the ones doing it. i don't want it to fall on me because they lost interest. especially the pigs. the sheep will be at a friend's farm. he knows all about them, and has been involved with kids and sheep in 4-H for like 20+ years. so i will let you know what we end up doing with them.
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