Saturday, November 21, 2009

Heaven Is Just A Heartbeat Away

Because of recent events I have been reminded AGAIN of how quickly everything can change..One minute I am waiting for a vet to give my dog Bella her Kennel Cough vaccine. Two hours later I am at an Emergency Animal Hospital listening to another vet ask me that if Bella should go into cardiac arrest did I want her resuscitated.It is confusing.....
When I was nineteen my Grandfather died out of the blue. He went to bed alive (After a bowl of ice cream) and woke up dead.Talk about confusing!!I have often wondered if when he woke up it was like that scene from the Wizard of Oz where after the house drops on the Wicked Witch of the West,Dorthy walks out into Munchkin Land and says to Toto that she didn't think they were in Kansas anymore.I wonder if Pop said to himself I don't think I am in Ohio anymore.I hope so.And I hope he danced the yellow brick road all of the way to the Emerald City where the Wizard gave him the prettiest silver boat to sail the bluest waters with.And that He and Nanny are happy together in the ever after.Because for my Pop Heaven was just a heart beat away as it is for all of us.

A Good Dog Is Hard To Find


A Good Dog is Hard to Find
Everyone who knows my dog Bella knows she is crazy, For those of you who have not been introduced(and that is just about everybody because she is so shy) I will attempt to explain her to you and make excuses for why I love her so much.
Bell is a Lab/Pit mix ,who we adopted from a rescue group about 6 years ago.When we first met her she was standing in front of Petco with her handler,tail between her legs and very thin.I thought she was a Whippet mix and said so.Her handler said nothing to discourage my "I think she's part Whippet" thought process. Only a vague "Oh Bella is a little bit of this and a little bit of that." comment.
Word to the wise...."a little bit of this and a little bit of that...." means Pit Bull mix.
What can I say, it was love at first sight.She was timid yes, but oh so sweet and accommodating. We were all over her,petting and hugging and just generally in her face.I realize now that Bella must have been in a drug induced state.To let perfect strangers into her personal space is just not in her character!!! Ask any groomer who has had the misfortune of having Bella cross their thresh hold and they will tell you,"That dog is NUTS!"She bucks like a wild bronco when she is put in a restraint and trimming her toe nails is a nightmare.So....the only conclusion that I can come to about that day is that Bella was doggy downed out.
Now you may think I am a dog novice, but I am not.I have had dogs in my life since before I can remember.(None of them were like Bella though)so I knew what to expect when bringing a new dog into the family. I expected that when Bella met Rosie's dog Mabry she would be a bit shy and wary but that they would do a good bit of sniffing each other and then go into a doggy dance,eventually ending with them chasing each other around the room.I did not expect her to scream like a baby and hunker down(and neither did Mabry).I expected her to loose her appetite and not eat because she missed her old"pack "I did not expect her to eat like her stomach was a bottomless pit hence loosing the mixed Whippet look and turning into a Pit bull.That was the biggest shocker.I had adopted a Pit Bull with issues.Knowing what I know now I WOULD adopt her again, in a heartbeat, but back then I was scared.Bella had been abused that was quite apparent and I can only assume it was by a man given her great hatred for men.Someone must have beat her with a broom because she is still terrified of brooms and will make a wide birth to avoid walking by one.
There only a handful of people who are given the privilege of petting Bella,Myself, My daughters and My husband (although she has allowed several other people to pet her if they are sitting but not if they are standing) My daughters and myself can do anything to her except trim her nails and roll her on to her back. MY husband can pet her and in the last couple of years she will allow him to put her leash on.
So Why you ask would you be so attached to such a pain in the butt dog? It is plain and simple, She loves me with all of her heart,she is protective and loyal and would bite anyone who tried to hurt me or the people who live in my house.And I love the fact that she is particular about who she gives her heart to. Because of that she has my heart.
We took Bella to the vet to get her kennel cough vaccine and have them look at her skin as she had been itching and chewing at herself(We found blood on a chair where she had been laying) . While there the vet noticed some strange bruising and ran some blood test. To make a long story short the vet didn't find any platelets in her blood and she is now in the hospital in critical condition for fear that she could bleed out.They are trying to figure out what caused this to happen.I have a bad feeling. She did not act sick at all,which makes this all the more shocking. She went in for a routine check up and we were told she may not make it through the night.She is not suffering(except for the fact that she is away from her home and with strangers).But I am. Please remember us in your prayers today .Nothing is for certain.