Life as a Leach

When I wake up in the morning, I automatically look over to see if you are in your bed. But you're not there. I get myself ready, then go downstairs to make coffee. I call for you to go out, not even remembering that You are gone. The house is so quiet. When I get home from work, Reality smacks me in the face When you aren't there to greet me with your whippy tail. I subconsciously glance out onto the deck To see if you are ready to come back inside. But no one is waiting at the door. The house is so quiet. There's a chill in the air, So I turn on the fire and look to see If you are in your favorite seat in the house. But it's empty. You loved that fire. I sit in your spot and cry. The house is so quiet. Daddy cleans up some toys in the playroom And the squeak of the wheels of a car Sends him sobbing. Why? Because it was the last thing you reacted to Before you were gone. The house is so quiet. Night time is the hardest for the kids, Whe...

Our sweet Chloe girl has had some health issues recently.  She had 3 suspicious spots removed and 2 of them were cancerous.  One of the cancerous spots did not get clean margins, so we are watching it closely and will take her back if anything else shows up. I took her to get her staples out and that incision was so inflamed that he wasn't able to see them all.  It was very painful for her, so I of course had to reward her with some doggie ice cream!   Unfortunately, that incision was infected, which earned her the cone of shame and twice daily wound care.  (I totally felt like Oprah here...You get wound care!  You get wound care!  Everybody gets wound care!!) You can imagine how much she loved that cone, and I spent one very sleepless night on the floor in the living room with her needing to constantly be touching me and shaking uncontrollably.  Fun fact:  I absolutely CANNOT be touching anyone while I am sleepin...

 

Abby and Chloe are best buds!  If Abby is around, chances are that Chloe is near her.  She is the best dog!! If you like boxers and are interested in adopting (please adopt!!), Adopt a Boxer Rescue is awesome!  They really try to match families with a dog that is right for them, which is why their success rate is so high.  They certainly matched us with a great dog!  We love our Chloe!

This dog is SO loved by our family!  And I think the feeling is mutual...

Today marks one year since we adopted our sweet Chloe.  When we got her, she had been rescued from a life of being an outside dog tied to a tree, fighting four other dogs to eat out of a single bowl of food.  She was understandably aggressive with other dogs in the beginning, but she has come so far in the last year!  From the very beginning, Chloe was wonderful with the kids.  We often have to peel them off of her, tell them to let go of her collar, or keep them from piling toys on her.  Through it all, she wags her tail!  Her love for "her" kids is obvious. I'm so thankful for this sweet girl!  We plan to celebrate with a walk on the boardwalk and some extra treats!  We love you, Chloe!

Dear Chloe, We've had you for two weeks now, and you have quickly stolen all of our hearts!  You're so much more than a dog to us, Chloe.  You see, you probably don't realize it Chloe, but you are a huge symbol of normalcy for our family.  You symbolize health, less-frequent hospitalizations, and no more nursing!!  When our sweet Becky girl died right after Abby was born, Caleb was devastated.  He wanted another dog right away, but we just couldn't handle it at the time.  I promised him that we would get another dog when Abby was doing better.  So he was the one who commented on how having you now means that Abby is officially better!   Since we first met you two weeks ago, we have enjoyed getting to know you.  We see how much you love being petted and giggle when we hear that thump-thump-thump against the floor.  We're still getting used to a boxer with a tail!  It makes us smile to see how much you enjoy chewing on your antler...

"And thank you, Jesus, for Chloe, and for her foster mom who took such good care of her before we got her."   ~Caleb's prayer last night

A doggie girl, that is!   Meet Chloe! Chloe is a 4 year old Boxer who we adopted from Adopt a Boxer Rescue.  (There are lots of dogs who need love, if you are interested!)  She was an owner surrender, supposedly because of allergies, but they had 4 other dogs of various breeds....so, we're not really sure what that was about.  We do know she was tied to a tree all day and crated at night.  She doesn't know how to play with toys and seems to be craving love!  Her given name was Cleo, but the foster mom didn't think she looked like a Cleo and called her Chloe.  We agreed that Chloe was a good name for her! I got an email from the rescue coordinator on Friday saying she thought she had a great dog for us.  We traveled a few hours to Western Maryland to meet this little girl that was described as a "laid back Boxer."  If you know anything about Boxers, you know that "laid back" is not usually a term used to describe them! ...