Sometimes it's just not meant to be

I'm going to be honest with you.  I have had a tough week.  Actually, it's been a tough couple of weeks.  Weeks with lots of emotions-both good and bad.  But today, today was the hardest day I've had recently.  I had a plan for the blog this week, but the events of today changed that plan.  The events of today have inspired me to share something a little different than I normally would.

As you know, we've been fostering Carol for a few weeks now.  I love fostering.   Fostering is one of the most rewarding things I've done with my life and most of the time fostering is an amazing experience.  But it's not all glamour and happy endings.  Sometimes it's tough, really tough.  Sometimes it rips your heart out and stomps all over it.  Sometimes, no matter how much you want to help, no matter how hard you try, well...sometimes it just doesn't work.  

Unfortunately, this is one of those times for us.  

Carol is a sweet girl, one of the sweetest girls I've met.  Outside of the shelter around people she trusts, she has an amazing personality and a silly nature.  She just wants to be loved so badly.  And I do love her.  I mean, spend any amount of time with her one on one and I don't know how you wouldn't fall in love. 

But Carol is also a bossy little cattle dog.  Had you told me that a couple of weeks ago, I wouldn't have understood what that meant.  After nearly three weeks with her in my home, I now know.  When I brought her home, we knew that her bio said she would prefer to be an only dog, but she was showing signs of wanting to play with other dogs, and when Peaches and I went to the shelter to meet her, they basically ignored each other.  And so I thought everything was going to be just fine.  But it wasn't...it isn't.  

Most of the time Carol does fine around other dogs.  She even seems to like the companionship.  However, other times, when her bossy side comes out, well, my poor girls take the brunt of that bossiness.  

I thought we could work through it and I thought if they could just peacefully coexist most of the time, then we could get through this and find sweet, sweet Carol a home.  Honestly, a little snarling every couple of days seemed like it could be manageable as long as no one got hurt.  However, over the last week, Peaches has been less her normal crazy self and it seems as though she is walking around on pins and needles.  Maddie has been a little leary too, not knowing when Carol may suddenly decide she doesn't like whatever it is that Maddie might be doing at that moment.  While I didn't like to see them that way, I also didn't want to give up on Carol.

Tonight, however, things changed.  Carol lunged at Maddie and poor Maddie ended up with a small gash above her eye.  Looking at it, I thought it would need stitches, and I spent a large part of my evening at the emergency vet with Maddie.  Fortunately, they decided she didn't need stitches, but they did flush out the wound, clip the fur around it, and put her on a 10-day dose of antibiotics.  

With this incident, I knew that Carol couldn't stay here any more.  I have shed so many tears over this tonight.  Tears for poor Maddie who trusts me to watch out for her and tears for poor Carol who has put her trust in me, but who has to go back to the shelter.  I don't want to take her back.  I want to help her.  But having her stay here any longer, well it isn't good for anyone. 

While it's nobody's fault this happened, I feel like a complete failure. I know she had a nice break from the shelter, felt comfort and love, and had fun adventures, plus I learned so much about her personality, but I didn't find her a family.  I volunteer and foster to help dogs just like Carol, and this doesn't feel like helping right now, even when I know I did all that I could.  But you just can't fight nature, no matter how hard you try.  Just like I could never get Peaches to stop chasing bunnies or Maddie to like cats, Carol just needs to be in a home where she can be the queen.   

The shelter is a noisy place and it can be scary and frustrating for a girl like Carol who is looking for a calm and quiet place to rest her head.  I am hopeful that she will do okay when she gets back there.  I'm hoping that she will find a family of her very own soon.  I hope she'll forgive me for taking her back.   I'm hoping she knows that she is loved and that she is special.  I hope she knows I did my best, I tried my hardest, and that I'll still be out there looking for a place where she can be safe.   

For tonight, I'm going to give her some extra love and try not to think about tomorrow, I've already shed enough tears. 

This morning after a nice walk and sharing a Taco Bell breakfast taco, I returned Carol to the shelter...she looked so confused and I cried.   

Heatwave and a fun Lake Adventure

Happy Sunday, friends! Can you believe that it is already July 21 and we are 1/3 of the way through our Summer months?  The last week here in mid-Michigan we experienced a major heat wave with actually temperatures in the 90s and humidity levels as high as 87% causing the heat index to rise to the 105-120 range.  While I love Summer, that weather makes it hard to get out and enjoy it!  But we did our best to stay cool while still getting out for some short walks around the neighborhood at dusk. The girls are antsy and ready for some adventures, and with cooler temperatures moving in for the next few days, I'm hoping to give them just that.

Earlier this week, while spending some time outside with the girls, I noticed a beautiful male cardinal hanging around the yard.  We occasionally have a cardinal sighting, but this guy has been here every night and, after I saw him fly low enough that Peaches could have caught him, I figured out that there must be a nest somewhere close by that he is trying to keep safe.  My assumption all week has been that the nest was in the yard at the side of the house in our smoke tree because I know something is nesting there and Peaches has spent many hours at that end of the yard watching all of the action.  Imagine my surprise yesterday when he flew out of one of the arborvitae in my backyard, so low that Peaches leapt and almost caught him.  And then all #$@% broke loose as a baby bird fell from the nest attempting to fly...and was quickly caught by Peaches.  She is now obsessed with that tree and has been too distracted to go out to go potty because she knows there are more birds in there.  Sadly, early yesterday evening, a second baby flew out at the wrong time and was killed by Peaches as well.  This has happened for years in my yard with the silly robins and sparrows that have made their homes here, but I was very saddened to see these cardinal babies die.  I guess that's just life with a bird dog.  

We were busy this week with a vet appointment for Maddie, a visit to the News for Carol to be featured as Pet of the Day, and a little car repair for me.  Because of the timing of her appointment, Maddie got to spend a whole day at the office with me.  We were happy to find out that her full thyroid panel, which we sent to MSU a couple of weeks ago, came back completely normal and that she does not have hypothyroidism.  We now believe that all of her issues have been caused by arthritis pain and we will be treating her arthritis and monitoring her to see if she continues to feel better.  So far she seems to be improving and I am relieved to know that nothing more serious is wrong with her at this time.  Maddie and I still have some adventures to complete together!

Carol was also lucky to spend a morning at my office getting love, attention, and treats from Bonnie and Sharon before heading to the TV station for her 15 minutes of fame as the WLNS Pet of the Day.  She did a great job with all of the new people coming to meet her at the station and I'm hoping the extra exposure will help her find her new home.  

Yesterday Carol and I spent the afternoon at a mobile adoption event, hoping for her to find a family of her own.  While yesterday wasn't her day, I know that the right family is out there for her!  We've had some growing pains and learning experiences this week with Carol here, and I now feel like I really understand what she needs in a new home.  She is such a sweet girl, but she is so shy at first it's going to take the right person to come along, but they are out there!  I'm happy to be her advocate, cheerleader, and biggest fan until that happens.

Before the heatwave moved through the area, we were lucky to be able to get out for a few adventures to hold us over through the bad days.  Last Saturday, we headed North to finally meet Dove Day who I had met through a North Country Trail group on Facebook.  Dove and her husband, John, live along the trail in Petoskey and are very active with the North Country Trail association, Jordan Valley 45 chapter.  They also love to travel and last week reached a goal that they had been working on for 10 years; to visit all of the State Parks in the State of Michigan.  They visited their final park last Saturday, and they invited several friends to join them for a hike through the park and a celebration afterward.  I was excited to be invited and for the girls and I to be able join the fun.  So Saturday morning, I loaded the girls into the Jeep for an adventure.   

We made the drive North along Michigan's East Coast through small towns right on Lake Huron until we reached Negwegon State Park, a rustic park with a few hiking trails and 4 walk-in only campsites sitting right on the shores of Lake Huron.  While Peaches and Maddie slept or sat quietly for most of the trip, Carol had a great time chasing cars from the front to the back of the Jeep.  I've learned that it is one of her favorite things to do in the car.  She did relax occasionally and was a quiet traveler, sometimes just sitting in the back of the Jeep watching the cars go by, but the game of chase was much too fun to stop for very long.  Silly little cattle dog!  

Because Carol can be nervous around new people, I wasn't sure how she'd do, but she was happy and excited to be outside, although walking sticks and men in hats were a bit intimidating.  Peaches and Maddie were equally excited to meet new friends and get into the woods for a good hike.   The planned hike for the group was a 3.6 mile loop that ran parallel to the Lake.  The first half of the hike had lake views and was only about 100 yards from the water.  With Maddie's inability to take longer hikes/walks lately, I wasn't sure if we'd be able to make the whole hike, but at least the beach and lake were close by if we needed to stop for a cooling wade in the water or to get a drink, and if she couldn't make the entire hike, we planned to just spend some time at the beach before turning to head back to the trailhead.

The weather was perfect for a hike and, while the bugs were out, a little dog-friendly bug spray helped and we were off for a nice relaxing hike through the woods.  We met several other people that day, all of whom are fans of hiking and met through hiking the North Country Trail, so I thought it was funny that we met them hiking a non-North Country Trail site.  Everyone was nice and very welcoming of the girls and I, and even willing to help out with walking one occasionally.  

A little over a mile into the hike, we stopped for a little time at the beach, and after a quick drink and some splashing around, we rejoined the hiking group.  The girls were loving this hike, no one more than Peaches, though.  She was having the best time weaving back and forth and searching through the grass at the edge of the trail for any interesting scents she could find.  At the half-way point, the group stopped for a break and to get a group picture.  Maddie laid down for a little rest, but was still going strong.   

We continued on knowing there was no turning back now, we were going to finish this hike and I was so glad to see how well Maddie was doing.  She just kept plugging along right beside Carol, while Peaches continued her normal weaving, leaping, crazy hiking style.  Soon the end of the trail was in sight and I couldn't believe that Maddie had made it the entire way!  With the walking we did before the hike started, our added trip to the water's edge, and the entire trail loop, we had hiked just about 4 miles.   The last time she came anywhere near that was when we completed the Woofer Walker 5K in May!

After all of that hiking, we seperated from the group for a bit and headed out to the beach for a swim.  I hooked Peaches and Carol up to my long leads to give them each a little more room to roam and to check out the water.  I had no idea what to expect from Carol, but wanted to see how she'd do.  She absolutely loved the the lake!  There were waves to chase and water to splash around and she even did a little swimming.   I think she had the best day of her life there at the lake that day!

Peaches enjoyed the water as well, but she was more interested in exploring the marshy little pools of water behind us.  I'm sure she was hunting for frogs and any other little critters she could find. 

After a cooling wade in the water and a big drink, Maddie laid in the sun and took a nap!

We had so much fun that day and we were so thankful we finally got to meet Dove.   She and John have even inspired me to see if I too can visit all of Michigan's State Parks.  After I finish my 50 State goal, I'll need another goal to reach, so what would be better than getting to see new areas of Michigan?!?  Negwegon State Park was a beautiful place and if it hadn't been for them, I would never have visited it.  Boy would I have missed out on a beautiful adventure!

After a fantastic afternoon at the Park, it was time for us to head South toward home, but we added a few adventures along the way.  Peaches is working on her Michigan Awesome Summer bucket list and I knew we could check a few things off the list along our travels.  

We added a quick stop at a lighthouse and a visit to Ocqueoc Falls, the only waterfall in the Lower Peninsula, to our stops for the day before we headed South toward home.  All of the girls were pooped and traveled quietly all the way home, Carol happily chasing cars in the back seat all the way home!  It had been a great day adventuring in Northern Michigan!

It's cooler and rainy today, but I'm still hoping we can get out for a little time on the North Country Trail.  We haven't been on the trail in a couple of weeks, and we need to make sure we're staying on track to reach our 100 miles.  I hope you all have a great week and get out to enjoy some of our amazing Michigan Summer!

*Thanks to Dove for the awesome pictures of the girls at the beach and the pictures that included me...sometimes its okay to actually see that I was on an adventure too!

Carol Danvers

Hello and Happy Tuesday!  Sorry I'm late writing this week, but Sunday we took a much needed rest day.  However, I thought I'd spend a little time tonight sharing one of the highlights of our week.

Last Tuesday I brought home a new foster from the shelter.  Her name is Carol Danvers, and she's a  2 year old cattle dog mix. 

She is a very sweet girl who has been at the shelter for far too long.  With all of the stress shelter life can cause, Carol really needed a break, so we decided to bring her home with us so we can help her find a family of her own.

Because we weren't sure how she and Peaches would get along, I took Peaches on a field trip to the shelter for a meet and greet.  Thankfully,  it went very well and we headed home to meet Maddie. Of course Maddie is always happy to have a new friend!

I don't know her backstory,  but Carol came to me nervous, unsure, and even a little scared, but she also seemed to love people, even of she wasn't sure if she could fully trust them.  She really just wants to be loved.

We spent a lot of time outside that first night and she loved just lying in the grass and soaking up the sunshine.  I think she was relieved to be here with us.

Of course we've been on several walks and, not only does she walk great, she thoroughly enjoys them too.

As with any new dog, there have been a few growing pains while we learn more about her and as she settles into our routine, but overall things have gone very well.

Although no one in my house really understands the mind of a Cattle Dog, we are beginning to learn more every day and are adjusting.  Peaches has enjoyed having a new friend around, but isn't quiet sure why her friend nips at her heels as she runs by...or why the "fun police" show up when she just wants to play.   And poor Peaches easily gets her feelings hurt.  But as I am better understanding what triggers Carol to nip, I've been able to begin working to control the behavior so that everyone is able to happily and peacefully coexist.

We even got out for some weekend adventures, which I will share more about another day. 

I've learned a lot about Carol in the last week and she really has settled in nicely.  She is gaining confidence, becoming more relaxed, and feeling much more at home with us.  While I will continue to work with her to make sure she continues to improve for as long as she's here, I am excited to help her get into a new home and begin her life with her very own family.  Until then, I'm going to enjoy a few extra snuggles and a little more love! 

Celebrating our Independence

Happy Sunday morning.  I hope that everyone enjoyed a safe and Happy Independence Day and a nice weekend.    I know the girls I really enjoyed it.  The extra time off has given me time to relax and refresh and also to think.  So today's piece may contain some random thoughts...I apologize in advance if it's all over the place, but some days are just like that!

Thursday we celebrated the birth of our Nation; a day that always makes me feel a little more patriotic.  This year was no different.  And while our country is suffering through some issues now, I believe that these issues are nothing we can't get through.  America is a great country and its people are amazing.  We may not always see things the same, but when it comes down to it, I believe Americans will always step up to do what's right.  I believe the American people can come together in difficult times and find solutions to any problem.  We've got a 243 year history of doing just that and I believe in my fellow Americans!  

Last year on July 4th, we were packed up in the Jeep and beginning our journey to Alaska so we missed out on all of the things that are typical 4th of July celebrations.  This year I wanted to make sure that Peaches got the whole Independence Day experience.  

On holidays like the 4th, I love that I live in the Capitol City.  Our July 4th parade circles the Capitol Building and there is nothing like watching the parade from the Capitol lawn.

It also means that there is a great sampling of the diverse group of people who call America home.  This year's parade seemed more well-attended than some I've been to in the past and the variety of groups represented along the parade route was amazing.  It was truly an American experience.  There were the typical police cars, fire trucks, the mayor, politicians running for office, and all of the candy a kid could want.  But I was excited to see a group of Sikh Americans who were handing out bananas to the crowd, the Libertarian party handing out copies of the Declaration of Independence, Veterans of all kind who received applause as they walked through the route.  There were kids and adults, groups from the LGBTQ community, people from so many different religious beliefs.  There was dancing, singing, and all sorts of fun.  It was a true representation of all of the people in our nation.  And the best part was that we all came together peacefully to celebrate the day.

Peaches and Maddie loved the parade too.  They were so excited to be out, although I think they were confused about the number of people at our normally very quiet Capitol.  They received so much love and attention and were even lucky enough to get one of the bananas that the Sikh's were handing out.  They had a great time and so did I. 

After the parade, we spent some time visiting our friend Chastity at work.  Peaches and Maddie love to visit Chastity because every visit includes love and snacks!  This visit was no different.  But they were lucky to spend some extra time helping too. It was a great way to get them some extra exercise and mental stimulation while not dealing with the heat!

After helping Chastity we headed home for a picnic lunch, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, and some rest.  The rain moved in and slowed down our ability to get out but we did get out for a walk and some more fun before settling in at home for the night. 

We ended our July 4th celebrations by continuing a tradition that I began many years ago with Jake and Imke.  For several years, we would take Jake and Imke with us to my parents every year on the 4th.  They would stay at my parents house while we attended our family reunion.  After the reunion, every year we would head to Corunna for the fireworks display there.  Jake loved fireworks and would go crazy with excitement.  In order to calm him down and to make fireworks a positive experience for Imke, I would buy a faygo pop and cheesy popcorn and we would sit out on our blanket sharing the cheesy popcorn through the whole fireworks display.  It worked wonders and they loved it!  When Maddie joined the family, she was so afraid of the fireworks, that not even cheesy popcorn could distract her, so we were no longer able to go to see fireworks, but the cheesy popcorn tradition continued.   Even last year, when we were on the road, in a hotel in Superior, Wisconsin, we had cheesy popcorn on the 4th of July.  I will admit that I got a little emotional this year when I realized that this would be the first 4th of July in many years without Imke, but despite the emotions...we carried on the cheesy popcorn tradition in her memory.  

On Friday, Maddie had a follow-up appointment with the vet to do additional blood work.  As I mentioned last week, Maddie had to have bloodwork done in order to figure out what is causing her some health issues.  Her exercise intolerance has had me worried and her symptoms were leading me to believe that she may be suffering from Cushing's Disease.  Her initial blood work results came back and thankfully, most of her numbers are looking great.  However, her thyroid levels are extremely low, leading Dr. Jason to believe that she is suffering from hypothyroidism.  This is truly the best case scenario for all of her symptom and I am so relieved to know it is not Cushing's Disease.  There are still a couple of other things that could be causing her issues, so Dr. Jason wanted to send in blood for a full thyroid panel at MSU to confirm what we suspect.  While we won't know for certain for a couple of weeks, it is a relief to know that she will most likely be able to be treated pretty easily and will be back to her normal self soon!

With all of the heat and humidity we've been dealing with the last couple of weeks, it has been hard to make sure that Peaches is getting enough exercise.  I can tell some days that she is extra restless and really just wants to run.   But when Maddie jumps up to run to the door every time I move, then I know we aren't getting out enough and need to find a way to keep them happy through the heat. 

So Friday night we headed out to the gardens at MSU to get in a walk and do a little geocaching.   We went later in the evening when it had cooled down some, but boy was it humid still!

We walked a little over a mile and did find a geocache or two and the girls got to practice their listening skills too.  I think that they enjoyed checking out somewhere new!

We've also continued to work on our goal of 100 miles on the North Country trail.  Last Sunday, we hit the road with Vanessa to visit the trail in Battle Creek and do a little geocaching along the way.  We found a new section of the trail along the river and we had a great time.  

The girls are always happy when Vanessa joins us and she puts up with their craziness, so it's a win-win.  Plus she's helping me learn how to be a better geocacher.  I've got a way to go still, but it's been fun adding another reason to get out with the girls.

This week our trail adventure took us to the Albion Riverwalk.  Maddie loves this part of the trail because she can actually get into the river and she took full advantage of it yesterday.  Even with the heat and humidity and Maddie's issues which slow us down, between the two walks, we were able to add a total of 4.1 miles toward our 100 which keeps us on track for the year.  Best of all we had a nice time enjoying some time together.

On our way home from Albion, we made a stop for ice cream in Springport.  The girls got to share a vanilla and cheesecake swirl ice cream in a cone.  They loved it!

I was excited to help out ISR with a transport in the late afternoon on Saturday.  Roseanne came in to rescue from Central Illinois and I helped get her from Kalamazoo to her foster home in the Lansing area.  She was an excellent passenger.  She was a sweet girl and she love Maddie's bed!  

It has been a great week.  We just finished watching the US Women's Soccer team win the World Cup, which seems like the perfect end to our Independence day weekend celebrations.  We'll be spending a quiet day at home, doing a little work in the garden and getting some stuff checked off my to-do list.  I am really enjoying the Summer, despite the humidity, and we are making the most of the warmer and longer days.  I am hoping to get out for some bigger adventures in the next few weeks to really take advantage of our beautiful State-we need some time at the lake!  There isn't any place quite like Michigan in the Summer, in my opinion, and we plan to take full advantage of it.