A lot has happened since I was here last

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
A lot has happened since I was here last
5
Tue, 05-19-2009 - 10:40pm

...pets, kids, the house, the weather, a vacation, the Ice Age ended...okay, maybe it hasn't been quite that long but it seems like it.


 


First and foremost for me, one by one I have lost all my dogs this last year. Rosie was the first to go. She was 16, my black lab/dachsund mix and such a sweetie. They found a large and fast-growing tumor wrapped around her digestive organs. Hadie, the neighbor's German Shepard who's been living with me since Rosie died (and who lived here at least half the time for the year before that) was 15 had a sudden onset of vestibular degeneration which kept her from even being able to get to her feet for a while. Then she started doing really well but, all of a sudden, she went downhill fast. And lastly, just a couple of weeks ago, my little white mutt, Freddie, died. He was 18 and had a respiratory problem that made it hard for him to breathe. We just couldn't find the right thing to make things easier for him. The house is cleaner now and the cats are loving it, but I miss them all so much.


Then, I went with a friend of mine and my daughter to a place in southern Utah called Best Friends. It's the largest no-kill animal sanctuary in the country. We were there for a week volunteering. I worked with dogs, a little bit with cats, a morning with horses and a couple of days with birds. Zana worked with dogs, cats and bunnies. She wanted to spend some time with the pot-bellied pigs but the afternoon she could have done that, we took off and went to Bryce Canyon. It was such a great experience. The stories behind most of those animals there are horrible but they're in the best place they can be right now. They have a lot of the Michael Vicks dogs that they are trying to rehabilitate, about 200 dogs from Hurricane Katrina, hundreds of cats from a breeder/hoarder in California (They rescued 800 cats from that place. Many died and they've adopted a bunch out but they still have a lot of them there.) At this time they have about 600 dogs there, 900 cats, horses, mules, burros, goats, pigs, bunnies and hampsters, ducks and geese and some wild birds that can't survive in the wild now. They've grown from the original 3000 acres that they bought to 33,000 acres plus another 270,000 acres that they lease from the BLM that they use as a buffer to keep "civilization" from getting too close. It was like another world down there and very therapeutic.


My son's wife finally got her visa approved so they should be here in August. It will be good to see them. I hope they like it here. It will be fairly crowded as long as they stay with me. I know that they don't plan to stay here long but I'm not sure that Joe realizes how bad the job and housing markets are here right now. We'll just have to see what happens. Maybe Shirley will cook and Joe will clean the house while I'm at work. Dare I to dream???


I need to do some reading...like about 6 month's worth...to catch up on how everyone's been. I hope you're all doing well. I kept meaning to get on here but it's been a hard time with the problems with the dogs and then after they'd gone...I just felt like burying my head in the sand for a while. Anyway, I don't plan on it being another 6 months! :)


Kat

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-09-1999
Wed, 05-20-2009 - 9:04am

Hi Kat!


 


iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Wed, 05-20-2009 - 9:32am

HI Kat


I am so sorry to hear about the loss of you dogs. They all had lived long lifes in your home.

                          &n
Avatar for sassysooze
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Wed, 05-20-2009 - 10:40am

Hi Kat.

Susan siggie
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-12-1998
Wed, 05-20-2009 - 12:39pm

Hi Kat!!! It's funny, I was just thinking about you yesterday. I have been wanting to make a short getaway to the coast, and wondered about you since I was thinking that direction. Knew it had been a while and hoping you were okay.


So glad to hear from you, but so sorry about all the losses of your friends. Wow, they all had such long lives, and I know how much they gave you. I know they were happy animals while under your care. You can take comfort in that! But of course you miss them.


What a neat experience down at that sanctuary! It sounds almost overwhelming, though, by the sheer numbers of animals. It must be very well organized! I'll have to see if I can look that up. Sounds like you had a volunteer vacation....that's kind of the in thing now, I've heard. Very nice!


Thanks for popping in and letting us know how you are!


Photobucket
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2009
Wed, 05-20-2009 - 4:57pm

So sorry to hear about your dogs. I lost a dog a couple years ago and even though I've adopted a couple others his pictures on my wall and I think of him everyday. Had him a long time and after my children moved out he really filled that gap.


That animal sanctuary sounds like a wonderful place. I'd love to visit it someday but I live in upstate NY and don't get away much. I do volunteer at our local no kill shelter and my dil is the manager there. It isn't anywhere near as large as the place you talked about but it keeps us busy so I can just imagine what it must be like for those folks out there.


I certainly hope the children help you out when they get there. I'm sure they will. Just seeing your love of animals tells me you must have been a loving mother and I'm sure your son will return that love anyway he can.