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| Mon, 04-05-2010 - 5:38pm |
So I've been popping in & out but I've held off on posting my news.
First of all my good news:
!!!! I HAVE A DRYER !!!!!!
Yay! . I've never loved a machine so much in my life!
And it only cost DH $170 for all the conduit to run the cable outside the house (long story) to wire in my beautiful HE dryer .... way cheaper than buying a $500 new gas one that wouldn't be HE!
My bad news:
1. We owe $3700 in back property taxes by June 30th.
2. We owe ~ $3500 in income taxes due to the rental.
3. Very sad news.
Last summer an 11 yr old was walking a little puppy and let it stop outside my fence. It somehow managed to really agitate my normally docile, lovable, kind dog and then managed to stick it's teeny little head under my fence, and my dog bit it.
Unfortunately, the lil dog lost its eye.
We had court April 1st for it. We got charged with failure to control a dog (which we beat) and dog attack causing injury (which we were convicted of).
The fine is $500 which we have to pay within 60 days. We also have to pay their vet bill within 6 months ($1700).
We also have to pay an exorbitant fee to register him as a restricted dog, maintain a MILLION dollars liability just on him, and he can never be let off leash or taken out without a muzzle.
To me, to do that to our husky is just mean and I'm pretty upset. We have 5 kids and a dayhome and this has NEVER happened before.
So basically, we have to get rid of him. I think its inhumane to keep him in this city under those circumstances.
So I'm very sad about that. Thats really an understatement. I spent 2 days crying and DH dealt with it by going out that night and losing $500 on VLTs. Nice!
Financially, other than the fines and vet bill, this basically puts a noose around our necks. When the dad testified on the stand he'd obviously been coached by a lawyer, he kept repeating things like how his daughter was traumatized and they had to pay for so many therapy bills etc etc - basically setting the tone for the filing of a civil lawsuit.
So we're expecting that within the next couple months we'll be hit with a civil lawsuit and things will keep going downhill.
So basically, while I'm trying to be optimistic (which is much easier these days with the sunshine and a dryer), things really aren't looking too good.
~ Mom to 5 ~

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Well, first of all, HURRAY for the new dryer!
Kate
Oh my goodness. You are all going through so much right now. The situation with the dog alone would do me in!
Do you have a plan of action? This might sound corny, but it works for me. I sit down with the problems in writing in front of me and systematically figure out how to make it work. Prioritize what needs to be done to keep your home (and home business) secure and do what you can with the rest. What has to be done and by when? What's a more realistic time line? etc. Sometimes folks need to be patient. If you're making any effort at all, they typically are understanding.
Something similar happened to us (with the dog that is) many years ago. He was the sweetest dog and ended up biting the neighbor. It turned out he had porcupine quills in his muzzle and she was tapping them. We were fortunate they didn't press charges (we were all equally poor) but we did have to find another home for him. It actually ended up being for the best for both the dog and the woman who adopted him.
Good luck with all this and keep us informed of how you're making out.
Dee
Hooray for the dryer!!!
Robyn CL- Debt Support Group
Gosh Melissa
Heartbreaking news...
I am soooo sorry you have to give up your pet...
Take care of your hubby and self....
Duke
Congrats on the dryer.
Norma
"Patience is the best remedy for every trouble"- Plautus
Thanks for all the support.
Our dog is our 6th child. Well actually, we got him while I was pregnant with the last one, so we usually say he is our 5th and the baby was the 6th! It's not any easy situation to deal with at all...we still haven't told the kids anything because we really don't know what to say. And their pet bird died last fall and they took that pretty hard!
The other dog was on a leash. The entire situation is ridiculous. I doubt any adult would let their pet stick their head under a fence where there obviously is a dog...but that is what happens when you let your children walk your dog I suppose. What's done is done and can't be changed, and all we can do is move forward.
I've done 11 loads of laundry since 5 pm yesterday, it's so wonderful.
I'm either in serious coping mode or still in shock about everything...I'm worried but not overwhelmingly so, I'm not really panicking, I'm not freaking out like I was on Thursday & Friday...Hopefully we'll come out of this sane. Well, I doubt we'll ever be sane, but you all know what I mean! LOL
~ Mom to 5 ~
Melissa:
I've always seen doing the laundry as therapeutic, so there's always that :).
You'll be fine. Let us know how things go.
Dee
So sorry about this. I can't even imagine what you are going through at the moment. I am living in an apartment at the moment with my two dogs and there are a TON of little dogs around. It drives me insane because the little dogs pull and pull and bark and growl at my two, and its okay because "they're so small and cute". I just spent $1k breaking Toby of this habit (which is almost fully gone unless there is a squirrel and then its game on *sigh*), yet if they even go to sniff someone they are bad dogs.
In terms of the civil suit, I wouldn't worry too much about it just yet. Canada is no where near the US in terms of frivilous lawsuits (sorry US buddies, I love you!). My sister was attacked by a cat when she was 4. The cat was off leash, off property. My sister ended up with 50+ stitches in her face plus obvious trama. She only got $9k from the civil suit for plastic surgery when she gets older. Hmph.
Anywho, you have my ((HUGS)). Keep us updated!
Bex -
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift -thats why its called the present."
Bex -
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