Mood:  don't ask

Well Potter

Well Potter is

Well Potter is at the vet’s office having his surgery today. Lennie took him over this morning because I was early ranger. It was probably a good thing because I more than likely would have cried. I felt so bad for him this morning. We have our routine down pat and this morning it was all messed up and poor Potter just didn’t know what to think. I got up at 4:30 instead of 5:30. I took him for a quick walk and then had to lock him in the spare room while I fed Merlin and cleaned out his cage. Normally I do this while Potter is in his crate eating but seeing as he wasn’t allowed to have any food this morning I had to mix things up. He didn’t like it one bit. When I started getting ready for work Lennie was still sleeping. Potter kept running in and looking at him because normally Lennie is up before me and takes him on a long walk. Around 6 or so Lennie finally gets up and walks Potter. Most mornings after the walk Potter comes in and his food is waiting in his crate…well not this morning. He runs into his crate…no food. He runs into the kitchen…no mom. He runs back into his crate…still no food. He finally runs into the bedroom where I am putting on my work boots and looks at me with this sad face like, “Mom I think you forgot to feed me.” I knelt down and hugged him and rubbed his belly but quickly got up when I felt the tears well up in my eyes. Lennie usually leaves before me and Potter says goodbye to him from the window but this morning it was me who was waving to him.  Potter just knew something was terribly wrong. I know that this surgery will be good for him and that after today this will be the last of all the poking and prodding. Well except for getting his stitches out. But I just keep seeing that sweet face behind the bars at the vet’s office and him thinking he was abandoned yet again. How alone and scared he must be. My poor little baby. That is why I hate that they are keeping him over night.  I want to run over there after work, scoop him up and take him home where he can recover and gets lots of hugs and snuggles. Everyone keeps telling me that he will be so doped up that he won’t even know that I am not there. But that hasn’t done anything to make me feel better. Potter just has a way of infecting your heart.

Well Potter is

Mood:  mischievious

Last night Lennie was to have dinner with our friend Annie. He told me I probably wouldn’t see him as he was going to go home straight from dinner. About 8PM last night I was walking Potter when this man approached us. Potter ran up and jumped on the man, before I could catch him. I then realized it was Lennie. He seemed agitated by something so I pressed him to tell me what was wrong.

Sunday he had gone down to the pub to catch up with some of his friends who had been complaining that he was whooped and that I was monopolizing his time. Which wasn’t true but he didn’t correct them which is a whole other issue. Anyway…as they were talking it was asked when he and I would be getting married. He told them that we had talked about it but that nothing was set in stone and that it would happen when both of us were ready. Well some how that translated into “Lennie and Rebecca are engaged!!!!”

While at dinner with Annie she asked why we didn’t tell her and that our friend Andy was thinking about throwing us an engagement party. WHAT!?! Lennie quickly set the record straight but the whole thing just really pissed him off.

When he told me the story I kind of laughed about it but later wondered why Lennie had been so upset. Is he that opposed to getting married to me? Was he upset that it might get back to me? Was he upset that his friends only hear what they want to hear? I told him we should just let Andy throw us the party and then tell everyone later that we are not engaged. Maybe that way we could get a few gifts and some free food. Lennie said that Andy wanted to throw a going away party for him as well and he said that parties weren’t his thing. I am the opposite. I am all about having an excuse to be the center of attention.

Speaking of Andy…Lennie found out last night that she is on her way down to FL this weekend to audition for the TV show Hell’s Kitchen. I hope she gets on because I would love to be able to say, “Hey I know her!”. If she gets on the show I will have to get her to give me Gordon Ramsey’s autograph. *giggle*

Mood:  hungry

It is no secret to those close to me that I am addicted to Craig’s List. It is how I found Potter. I took out an ad stating I was looking for a Golden and I got tons of responses from people trying to help. When I decided on a dog I was able to find a woman through the list who was willing to go pick him up for me. The Pet section is like a little community all its own. It has been a great resource for training, vets, food, and dog friendly places to visit. But every once in awhile major drama strikes the list and I have become amused by it. Well that was until it started to effect me and those I know.

Drama #1

A couple of weeks ago a man was trying to sell his real point cat for $200. Now right off the bat the man has made some critical errors. First of all you are not allowed to sell an animal on Craig’s List. You may adopt it out and ask for a small re-homing fee. $200 is not considered such a fee. Secondly…why would anyone pay $200 for a cat when the list is inundated with free kittens? The man’s ad was quickly flagged and removed. He posted again. Once again it was flagged and removed. This went on all apparently all day until he finally posted an ad wondering why he had been flagged. It was quickly explained to him the rules he must follow He became upset and decided to try to start a petition on The List. That was quickly removed and explained that the pet section wasn’t the place for such a thing and to take his ad to the local paper. Well the man became bitter and started flagging the posts from area shelters. Every time one of the volunteers from a shelter would post about a dog needing to be adopted, this guy would flag the post and have it removed. People were so enraged that they started posting very nasty letters to the Flagging Bandit. Someone actually got a hold of the email address for the guy responsible for the flagging and posted it on the list so that people could send nasty emails directly to the guy. It was kind of funny. In the end I guess the guy had a change of heart or just got bored or maybe someone threaten his life because he finally stopped flagging. I guess I should explain to those of you who have never used Craig’s List what this “flagging” thing is all about. If you see an inappropriate ad…like someone selling a cat…you click on “please flag with care”. The ad then gets removed. You would think that it gets sent to someone to review but it doesn’t, the ad is just deleted.  

Drama #2

This one was hard to take because it affected Potter and me. I guess I should start by setting up the story. As I stated above, when I decided to adopt Potter I contacted a lady on Craig’s List who was making a trip to the shelter in Columbus County. The woman’s name is Shannon and she actually heads up a rescue organization called Furry Friends Rescue NC. She was very nice and professional and I had a good feeling about her from the start. I didn’t really suspect anything was wrong even during the whole parvo incident. The suspicions didn’t start until about a week later when I got a call from Susan, a volunteer at the shelter in Columbus County. Susan had put up the $13 to pull Potter for me so they wouldn’t put him down. Shannon was supposed to reimburse Susan with the money I had given her the day I picked up Potter. I had actually given her $25. $13 was to go to Susan and $12 was to go to Gloria (Volunteers with Furry Friends who actually did the driving) to cover the cost of gas. Susan informed me that she hadn’t gotten the money from Shannon and hadn’t heard from Shannon since they day the puppies were picked up. I tried calling Shannon and left several messages but didn’t’ get a response.

Well one day while searching Craig’s List (I have been helping a woman find a golden to adopt) I noticed all these ads slamming Shannon and Furry Friends. There were a few ads from people stating they had used Shannon and were happy but most of them said horrible things basically accusing Shannon of running a puppy mill. Later that afternoon I received an email from Shannon asking if I could write a letter of recommendation for Furry Friends. That she was going to have to sue the women posting the negative ads because the woman had adopted a dog from her and refused to pay for the dog. This woman had stopped payment on the check she had given Shannon. I stated that I would be happy to write a letter but that I was concerned that Susan and Gloria hadn’t been reimbursed for Potter. She stated that she had mailed the money to them and they should have it soon. I told her I would wait to hear from Susan and if she had in fact gotten the money then I would send Shannon the letter.

This morning I got an email from Susan stating that it has been over a week and still no money from Shannon. All emails and phone calls have gone unanswered. I have decided to send Susan the money since I am pretty sure that Shannon isn’t going to. I have gotten several messages from a couple of people from Craig’s List who are starting a campaign to shut Furry Friend’s down. I haven’t responded to them. I know that we all have things that come up in our lives and that sometimes we fall a little short of our goals. I hope that Shannon had good intentions about reimbursing everyone but that something came up and she used the money and now doesn’t have it to send. Okay that was wrong but be honest and except the blame. It would have upset but I wouldn’t have felt lied to. It is all a shame. I now know that there is another woman who is planning on taking over Furry Friends. Maybe she will be able to restore their good name.

The whole thing has just brought too much drama to my life. But I am sure tomorrow I will be back to surfing the list. LOL it is a hard habit to break.

It was a fairly relaxing weekend. I got most everything done that I wanted to except for a few piles of laundry still on the floor. I hope to get to those tonight.

Friday night I headed over to Maria’s for the Girls Hot Tub Party. There were supposed to be 5 girls but it only ended up being Maria and me. This was fine because that meant more Champaign and chocolate covered strawberries for us. We spent a great deal of time talking about men and our quest to understand the strange things that they do. I don’t think we ever came up with answers…just more questions.  Then we started discussing a mutual friend’s recent strange behavior and the awful bachlorette party we were forced to go to. We had such a great time and it was nice just to have someone to talk to.

Saturday was spent cleaning up the house and playing with Potter who seemed to be clued to me all day. I had taken him to the vet on Friday to finish up his vaccines and to schedule his neuter surgery. Shhhh don’t tell him but it is planned for this Friday. He has to spend the night and we pick him up Saturday morning. I know I am such an over protective mom but I hate the fact that I can’t bring him home Friday night. He has just been through so much I was hoping to spare him another stay at the vet’s. But they all love him there and he is so soft that the ladies just want to snuggle him. So I know he will get plenty of attention. I am just being a mom.

*** SPOILER ALERT*** If you are planning to watch the movie Stardust then skip this section and go to Sunday’s events

Saturday night Lennie pick me up and we headed over to see the movie Stardust. Since we got the dog we haven’t really been out on a date. The movie was fantastic. I know some people might find it a little too quaint for their liking but I loved the story line and the actors were top notice. Michelle Pfieffer did a fantastic job as the evil witch Lamia. I am amazed that such a beautiful actress would allow herself to be turned into such a horrible looking creature. Mark Williams, who you might remember as Mr. Weasley from Harry Potter, also makes an appearance as Billy the goat turned into a man. I almost didn’t recognize him.  I knew that Rupert Everett was in the movie but didn’t realize that he was Secundus until the very end. But my favorite character was Captain Shakespeare playing by Robert De Niro. The scene where he dressed in drag and danced around had me laughing so hard I almost peed myself.

Sunday I got up and finished some cleaning then got Potter and ran over to Petco to give him a bath. For those of you who are not aware…Petco offers a self dog wash station. It basically consists of a large metal tub with a ramp for large dogs. They provide shampoos, towels, and a dryer. You don’t have a grooming table but since Potter doesn’t need to be clipped and had already had his toenails clipped, the tub was sufficient. The cost was only $10 and I had a $2 off coupon. Let me just tell you that it is well worth the money not having to lean over the edge of my bath tub and have Potter constantly jumping out. By the time I had finished, Potter smelled and looked great. He was fluffy and soft and even though he didn’t care for the bath at the time, he started prancing when he saw the attention he got when we went out into the store. The girls at the counter just fond all over him, giving him lots of snuggles and treats. I don’t think he wanted to leave. The whole thing must have exhausted him because as soon as we walked into the house he laid down on the floor and went to sleep.

Lennie showed up at 7:40 and I was a little pissy. I had hoped he would arrive early (like 6PM) and we could eat, and then take Potter for a long walk. I think he was a little upset that I was eating without him but I had told him Friday that I was going to stop eating so late at night. It isn’t good to go to bed with all that food on your stomach and I have noticed that I had gained weight and wanted to change my lifestyle a bit. If I had waited, I wouldn’t have started dinner till 7:30 and we wouldn’t have eaten till after 8. That is just too late for me.

I forgot that today some of the schools were back in session. It took me twice as long to get to work. I guess I will have to find a new route. I don’t have much planned this week. I am hoping to just be able to relax.

Mood:  hungry

The weekend was actually fairly relaxing. I didn’t get much accomplished which I am okay with.

Saturday Maria showed up at my place around noon and we headed into Wake Forest for afternoon tea. I love the tea room and I don’t know why I don’t go more often. The have the best chicken salad. After tea we walked around a few shops so Maria could find a card for the wedding she was attending that evening. I love Wake Forest. It is such a cute little town. The used to have a little Irish Store there but it has recently closed and is now a hair solon.

When we were finished shopping I drove Maria back to her house and she took me in to see the new hot tub. I think we are planning on having a girl’s hot tub party this Friday with Champaign and I am to bring the chocolate covered fruit. YUMMM. She and I are also talking about going to see this play called, “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress.” Sounds like fun. Maria mentioned something about if you wear a bride’s maid dress you get in for free but I haven’t seen anything on the website about it.

Mood:  happy

Potter got to come to work with me today. That is why I LOVE my office. Almost everyone here owns a dog and they have all been in the office at one point or another. So today was Potter’s Day. Everyone has been impressed with how sweet and how quiet he can be. He loves everyone in the office and after making his rounds came back and laid in my cubicle and went to sleep. Dana is supposed to stop by today with her bulldog Eli so that she and Potter can play.  I don’t think Potter has ever met a dog or a person for that matter that he didn’t like. LOL I guess he wont be a good watch dog.

Lennie called last night from the road and said that he was on his way towards Nags Head. Well actually to a little town outside of Nags Head. A hospital there lost their AC and they needed his help to fix it. Lately with the heat and humidity combined, it has been almost 110 degrees. So you defiantly need AC. He said he would be working till midnight and he would try to find a place to crash. Hoping he makes it home tonight. He has a test tomorrow for a military promotion and he hasn’t had much time to study.

My friend Maria and I are going to head into Wake Forest tomorrow afternoon for tea at the Ole English Tea Room. I am so excited about it. I haven’t been there since mom came down. They have the best chicken salad and their scones are amazing. It will be nice for us to hang out without the guys around. Lennie and I apparently have some kind of party to go to Saturday night but as with most guys he neglected to get all the details. Time, place, what is the dress code, will there be food….

Other than that it should be a fairly quiet weekend. Potter is due for his shots next week and then we can spend our weekends at the dog park. Can’t wait!

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Mood:  hungry

I was supposed to be in court this morning, but alas I sit here still…staring at my computer screen.

The very first ticket I wrote when I got my badge (I could only write warnings up to that point) showed up on the court docket a week ago and I was told that I would need to appear in court to testify against the guy I wrote the ticket to.

We have what is called an emergency spillway here at the dam. It works as sort of an overflow release for extra water so the water doesn’t go over the dam. Well it seems to attract a lot of people. It is a dangerous area so we have posted no trespassing signs. Most people ignore them. We have a no tolerance policy when it comes to that area so anyone caught gets a ticket. The fine is $100 plus a $25 processing fee.

On day as I was locking up I had a van on top of the dam and I couldn’t locate the owners. I was about to lock the vehicle in for the night when I noticed two gentleman walking down from the spillway. I stopped them and asked for ID and started writing them a ticket. They were very apologetic and confessed that yes they had seen the sign but a friend told them that there was great fishing there so they decided to chance it. They wanted me to write a warning but I told them they already had 2 warnings in the way of the signs they chose to ignore. But I decided to be nice and only issue one ticket so they could split the fine. I told them that if it wasn’t paid then they would have to appear in Federal court. If they didn’t show up for court, a bench warrant would be issued for their arrest.

Well apparently they decided I was bluffing and decided not to pay it. So true to my word they were sent a notice to appear in federal court. I spent all day getting my documents and pictures ready and was excited about going into court for my first case. I got a call this morning telling me that the guy paid his fine and I did not need to come downtown. I am rather disappointed. Damn responsible people paying their fines. It has totally screwed up my day. L

It is suppose to be 102 degrees outside today. So it looks like I was be staying inside and enjoying the AC .The heat has just bee so oppressive. I get home and I don’t’ have much of an appetite. I would love to take Potter for long walks but it is just too hot for him. I did bring him out to the lake last night to meet up with Jeff and his dog Toby. Jeff is a kayaker who is a regular at the lake and he stopped by the VC yesterday afternoon because he heard that I had adopted a puppy and wanted to set up a play date with him and Toby. I wasn’t going to go because it was just too hot but when I got home Potter was wound up. I also think I was a little disappointed that Lennie had come to take Potter out but left before I got home. So I decided I needed something to put a smile on my face. Jeff took Potter out on his kayak which I don’t think Potter enjoyed too much. LOL But Toby and Potter had a great time splashing in the water and playing and afterwards we all went for ice cream

Mood:  sad

90% of the time Lennie is the perfect boyfriend. He is caring, sweet, funny, and such an absolute joy to be around. But there is that 1%, usually when he drinks, that will cause a great deal of turmoil between us. See when he drinks he gets this “who the hell are you to tell me” attitude and it shuts down all forms of communication. It is like that little annoying kids who sticks his tongue out at you and says, “I don’t have to listen to you. You are not the boss of me.” Such an incident happened Saturday and I think both of us are having a hard time getting over it.

Saturday we met up with some friends for dinner at this little Bistro that Lennie and I discovered. We ended up ordering a couple bottles of wine of which I hardly drank because I was driving. I could tell that Lennie was feeling the effects because when he gets drunk he gets very chatty. When dinner was over I invited Maria and Todd over to meet the new puppy. When we got to the house Todd and Lennie grabbed a beer and went out onto the patio. I poured Maria and me a glass of wine and we played with the puppy. After awhile the boys came back inside and Lennie sat down on the floor to play with Potter. He set his beer down on the hardwood floor in front of the door. Potter immediately went over and knocked it over. Lennie picks up the bottle and then points out the spilled beer to Potter so that he can lick it up. I told Lennie not to let Potter drink it and to please clean it up. He said he would but he just stood there while Potter continued to lick the floor. I told him again to stop Potter but he just stood there and laughed. At that moment it hit me…he didn’t’ care about me or Potter. All he cared about was looking cool and funny in front of his friends.  I walked over and grabbed the dog and Lennie said something about me cleaning it up and started to walk away. I shouted, “No you spilled the beer. YOU clean it up.” With Marie and Todd looking on he had no option but to comply but in his eyes the damage was done. I had humiliated him in front of his friends. And maybe I did but he didn’t really leave me any other option.

When Maria and Todd left, Lennie took Potter for a walk and came back and told me he was leaving. I tried to talk to him about what happened but he wasn’t interested. He said I had humiliated him. I told him that it wasn’t my intent but that when I asked him to not let Potter drink the beer he just stood there and laughed at me. His response was that when I told him to stop he thought, “Who the hell are you to tell me…” Ahhh there it is…the little annoying boy comes out. I should have shut my mouth at that point because I knew there would be no communicating with him but I wanted to try to work this out and try to get him to understand the dangers of giving a dog alcohol. But it was pointless. He was like that little kid who has been scolded and all he wants to do it pout. He said that he would try to make sure the dog didn’t drink anymore beer and he walked out the door. We had made a deal early on in the relationship to not go to bed angry. Well that night he left and I went to bed alone and angry.

Sunday morning I woke up to the sound of Lennie cutting my grass. I got up and took Potter out and Lennie came in to greet us and to have some coffee. You could still feel the strain between us. He asked me how Potter did throughout the night and I said fine and then he said that Maria seemed to like Potter and I said she did and that we were planning a play date for him and Dempsey. Then he got up and went out to cut the grass. When he was done he packed up his stuff and headed back to his house. I didn’t hear from him until about 6PM when he called to see what time I was going to take Potter to the lake. I told him after 7. He came over and we headed out. We barely spoke during the drive or the walk.  I thought he would take the opportunity to talk, but he didn’t. We came home, he took the leash off Potter and gave me a kiss and left. So that was the second night I went to bed alone and angry.

I know that I should have brought it up and forced him to talk to me about it but I guess I just hoped he would realize that he had acted like a complete ass Saturday night. Yes I may have humiliated him but he completely disrespected me. I feel myself shutting down and I don’t know how to sop it. My disappointment is just overwhelming at the moment. Am I overreacting to this whole thing? Am I turning this into more than it actually is?

On the Potter front….

He has finally taken to the crate. I worked with him Friday night and then again on Saturday. I was cleaning at one point Saturday afternoon and Potter walked into his crate and laid down without being forced or tricked. Thanks to Molly at the SPCA for the advice. It worked like a charm and I was finally able to get a good night’s sleep.  I have ordered a DVD that is suppose to help me prepare him for the K-9 Good Citizen’s class. He is a smart puppy I am sure it wont take him long to learn the skills. I have already managed to teach him sit and down and he is even catching on to “Leave it”.

Mood:  caffeinated

I thought I would give you all an update on how Potter is doing since the emails have been non-stop since Friday.

Potter is doing GREAT! Although to be honest I miss the sick puppy a little just because now he just seems to be on the go ALL THE TIME. He will lie down for a second then he is back up and running around. I would love to know where he gets all of his energy. I finally had him calmed down last night until Lennie showed up and worked him up again. But it is great to see him so happy. Fenwick tolerates Lennie but Potter loves him.

I need to get him some more toys because he has declared my socks as his new chew toy. He doesn’t tear them up. He just carries them in his mouth and then runs around the house while I try to chase him to get it back. Lennie was laughing so hard last night as he watched me try to catch Potter to reclaim my sock  Thanks for the help Len!

He got his first bath the other night and did not like it at all. I walked in at one point and he had his tail between his legs and this pitiful look on his face. But he smells much better and doesn’t seem to be shedding as much. I am still brushing him every night though. Seems to be the one thing I can do to calm him down.

He still doesn’t like the crate although last night wasn’t as bad. He barked for about 20 minutes until he found the bone I stuffed with peanut butter and dog treats hiding under his blanket.

Fenwick also seem to be doing a bit better. We went from full on attack mode to sitting in the corner growling and last night he just sat on the ottoman and just watched the dog. There was one point of tension when Potter grabbed Fenwick’s Cat Puppet and Fenwick let out this horrible growl and Potter dropped the puppet and backed away. Fenwick knows that the dog is terrified and take every advantage to torment him. This morning he blocked Potters access to water. I had to act as a shield between the two so that Potter could get by. So funny.

Potter has a couple more days of antibiotics left and I gave him his wormer last night which actually went well (Thanks Tanya for the tip). Hopefully I can get him neutered soon and we can start going to the dog park so he can work out all his puppy energy playing with the other dogs. I found a mobile vet that is willing to do the surgery and vaccinated him for $90. I told her my story and she was so eager to help. She has even offered to give me a discount on the microchip.

I am hoping soon that Lennie and I can get back to our relationship. It has been put on hold a bit what with the dog and then Lennie’s dental work. I am hoping we can go grab a quick bit to eat tonight and have some quiet time away from the pets. I do need to run to Petco and get some puppy food.

Mood:  caffeinated

 I got a call Friday from the volunteer who was bringing Potter to Raleigh. One of her new volunteers had driven down to Columbus County to rescue 11 puppies. Two of the puppies were sick but the volunteer didn’t think much of it. When they got to Raleigh, Shannon opened the back of the truck and said she could smell it immediately…Parvo. She separated the other dogs and called me to come and pick up Potter ASAP! Of course nothing went smoothly. There was a 7 car accident on 40 that had everything backed up. Two hours after leaving the office, I finally got the dog and ran him to the vet’s where we had met up with Lennie. The did some blood work and a fecal then the Vet came in with the news…he tested positive for Parvo. *sigh* The vet told us that treatment would consist of IV fluids and lots of medication to the tune of $1400. Lennie and I were given a minute to discuss what we should do. $1400 is a lot of money and there was no guarantee that he would pull through. Potter got up off the floor and walked over and placed his head on Lennie’s leg and looked at him with those big brown eyes and that is when we decided we had to save him. We were able to take out a loan with this company called Care Credit, so that we can make payments for the treatment. They put Potter in isolation and we were given some time to spend with him. He was such a trooper. The staff there was so nice and believed that the best way for him to get better was to have something to fight for. I hated leaving him there. Saturday we went for another visit. Potter was up and about…tail wagging and trying to give Lennie and I as many puppy kisses as we would allow. He vomited some and had some diarrhea but the vet said he was happy about his progress. Sunday morning we got a call that Potter kept down his food and that they thought we could take him home that night. I don’t think the vet staff wanted to part with him. He is such a sweet dog. Just wants to be with you all the time and loves to be petted and doesn’t have an aggressive bone in his body. He came in to the house and ignored Fenwick but Fenwick was determined that this puppy would know his place. I thought the cat would run and hide but all he wanted to do was fight the dog. He got Potter a couple of times on the nose and got Lennie and me on the leg. This morning was a little better. Fenwick stayed in my room and growled as he watched the dog. I think it is just going to take time. Sorry the picture isn’t great.  I hope to get more soon. He just won’t stand still long enough. LOL  Hope you all had a good weekend.

Mood:  happy

I have a crap load of work to do today but they only thing I think about is that it’s PUPPY DAY!!!!  I haven’t heard yet from the volunteers so I am hoping they were able to get him out on time. If all went well they should be back in Raleigh at 1PM and I can go pick him up after work.

I went last night to pick up the crate and I got to talking to the woman at the register. When she found out I was adopting a dog she gave me a booklet with $160 worth of coupons. Most of them were for free 5lb bags of dog food. SWEET! Oh and for those of you who have a PETCO near you…I am not sure if all of them have it but ours does…it is a self dog wash. It is set up like a regular grooming area but you do it yourself. For a fee they provide you with all the supplies. You make the mess and they clean it up and no more bending over your tub at home they have a big wash bin with steps so it is easy to get your dog in there. What an awesome idea.

I talked to Lennie last night and kind of got upset/nervous by the time I hung up. I thought he was as excited about getting a dog as I was but when I asked him last night if he was looking forward to it he just said in a non-enthusiastic way, “Yeah I am…as long as you’re happy then I am okay with it.” What kind of answer is that? The main reason I was getting this dog was because of him. I was happy with life the way it was. I mean I am excited about getting Potter don’t get me wrong but I could have waited a few years until I was a little more stable. He had agreed to help with expenses and when asked last night if he would cover the vet costs since I am paying for all the doggy stuff he said yes but then started to list off all the bills he has to pay and hoped this wouldn’t be too expensive. I have bills too but WE agreed to this. I asked him before I got Potter if this is what he wanted. Maybe he had a commitment phobic moment. I have certainly had those. Maybe he realized how life would be different. It won’t be as easy to travel. It was easier with the cat and bird. They were fine with 2 visits a day but the dog will need to go out several times a day. I am hoping that once Lennie meets Potter he will fall in love with him. I really hoped that he would be honest with me instead of thinking, “well if it will make her happy I will say yes.” If he had said to me, “You know I just don’t think we are ready for this. Let’s wait awhile.” I would have said okay and been fine with it. Now I am just worried that I am getting in over my head and that I won’t have the support that I need from him. I am just hoping now that everything will work out. Both with the dog and with Lennie.

I think everything is set up for tonight. I figured since I am meeting Shannon at PETCO I will run in and get him bathed and deflea’ed then head home. I am hoping that Fenwick will take the new addition in stride. I made sure I played extra long with both he and Merlin. I don’t have too many toys yet. I got him a Budda Bone, a Kong, and a stuffed Hedgehog. I also got him from doggy treats. I figured today after his bath I will let him pick out his own toy at the store.

I probably won’t post this weekend seeing as I will be busy with the dog. I hope on Monday I will have some pictures to post. Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

Update!!!

Just got word from the volunteer at the shelter in Columbus County….

Mood:  happy

Well if all goes well I will be the proud new owner of a Golden Retriever. I am just not sure which one.

What a morning it has been. But to set up the story I really need to start from the beginning. Last week I took out an ad on Craig’s List asking if anyone had or knew of a Golden that needed to be adopted. I wrote about myself and what kind of life the dog would have if he came to live with me. Any animal that lives in my house is very spoiled.

Well all the sudden I got emails from these 4 really sweet women and they sort of adopted me and were determined that they were going to find me the perfect dog. They are apparently part of a network called Furry Friends Rescue and started searching kennels, pounds, Rescue Orgs, and Craig’s List.

First there was Max. He was a beautiful 15 mo Golden Retriever. The owner just didn’t have the time to spend with him. I wrote the guy a huge email about why I would be the perfect owner. Well he wrote me back and said sorry he had a new home already.

There was then the little puppy I mentioned in Monday’s blog. After several attempts to get the dog from the NRGRR I gave up. They are not putting him up for adoption yet but said that the puppy already had an interested owner.

Then another ad from Craig’s List was sent to me. Another Golden named Max…15 months old…could this be the same dog? So I email the woman about me and the type of owner I would be and I wait and I get no response. That was on Monday.

Okay so today I get into work this morning and have emails from two of my 4 new friends. There are two puppies at a shelter in Columbus County. Gufus (soon to be Potter if he comes to live with me) who the volunteer thinks is a pure bread (I think he is a mix but who cares) the other is Brewster who is a Golden Mix. They both appear to be about a year old and just as cute as they could be. They are in a high kill shelter so I called them to see if they could hold the puppies till this weekend (Gufus is due to be put down on Friday). The woman stated that they aren’t open on Saturdays and they can not hold dogs. F**K! What the hell am I suppose to do now. I can’t take off this week? So I emailed Amanda (one of my new doggy friends) who put me in touch with Shannon. Shannon heads up Furry Friends and is making a run to the shelter tomorrow. She would be glad to pick him up for me all I had to do was fill out the application. I sort of cringed because I haven’t had luck with rescue orgs and their “applications.” This one called for 8 references. I filled it out and sent it back and within the hour I had my response. I had been approved. She called one reference…my petsitter who gave me a glowing review. So now I have to meet her at Petco and give her the money for the adoption fee. I have asked for Gufus but if he is gone then the woman will get me Brewster. She said she called the pound and they have held both dogs for me. I am so excited. Here are some pictures. They aren’t too good. I had the volunteer run over to the shelter and take some pictures.

This is Gufus:

This is Brewster:

In the meantime the woman emails me about Max. It is the same dog. They got him Friday and decided he was too much for them so she needed to find him a home. She was hoping to get rid of him by Sunday. I was angry when I heard this. Animals are not disposable. I almost took him but figured that I would better off getting the shelter dog. Yeah I am sure Potter (aka Gufus) will have some health issues and will probably have to be neutered and will cost a fortune but he deserves this chance to be a great dog. Max I am sure will have no problem finding a home. So I told the woman no thanks. Broke my heart but I think I made the right decision.

So I guess tonight I will be shopping for the dog. That part I am not looking forward to. I am looking at having to spend around $200. I am hoping Lennie agrees to cover the vet bills. Keep your fingers crossed.

A little nervous now....

Mood:  hungry

I watched out my window Saturday as the little girl across the street ran to check her mailbox every 15 minutes until the mailman finally arrived with the parcel she had been so anxiously waiting for. I too felt anxious but I wouldn’t allow myself to even touch the mailbox until I had completed my chores. For I knew if I ran out there and grabbed the package I would end up getting nothing accomplished. I will admit that knowing that it was just sitting out there waiting for me definitely helped to speed the cleaning process along

At 2 o’clock I looked around the house and when satisfied with the cleaning, I ran out to the mailbox. There it was…my box from Amazon.com. There was some bright red taped that sealed the box that read Muggles, Do not deliver or open till July 21^st. Well today was Jul 21^st so it was free to open and I ran into the house and grabbed a knife. After pushing away all the advertisements, I finally saw the object I have been waiting for since February. My very own copy of the last book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollow. I grabbed my glasses, some lemonade and headed to my patio to start reading. I got about 1/4^th way through when Lennie arrived to take me to dinner. I am sure he was annoyed that all I wanted to talk about at dinner was what Harry had been up to since book 6. But he sat patiently and listened while I rattled off what happened so far and which characters had already died. Don’t worry, I didn’t spoil the book for him because he doesn’t and probably will never read it. Well unless we have kids and he agreed that we should read to our children and that these stories had great moral values. He even said that he could see this becoming the next bible. LMAO Only if the world is destroyed and someone comes from another plant and finds that most households contain the Potter series, they may think it was some sort of religious following.

Sunday morning I grabbed some coffee and the book and headed back to the patio. This time I reach the middle of the book and forced myself to set it down. I know some of you were shocked. The day was so beautiful that I didn’t want to spend all day reading. I also through that since this is the last book that I will savor it a little since another will not be coming out next year. So of my friends stayed up all night to read it. I enjoy the journey. I like to read a few chapters and then mull over the contents. Trying to figure out in my own mind what Harry might do next. I read a couple more chapters last night before finally putting it down to go to bed.

I may have it finished by Wednesday if the homeowner’s meeting doesn’t run long tomorrow.

As for puppy news….There still is no puppy. There ate a couple of puppies that just arrived at the SPCA so hopefully I will have time this week to go out and take a look. I just feel like I am on puppy overload. I contacted a pound in Columbus County. They had a Golden Retriever puppy there that would have been perfect. I asked the shelter if they could hold it for me. I was so excited because the adoption fee was only $15 and it was already neutered. Well I got an email back saying that the dog was on its way to Raleigh to the Neuse River Golden Rescue. My heart sunk. I am happy the dog is out of the pound but to adopt a dog from the NRGRR cost $350. WAY out of my price range. So I will just keep my eye out for something else.

Mood:  hungry

I really should play hooky from work more often. We had such a great day yesterday that I hated for it to end.

Lennie and I slept in a bit and then got up to have a couple cups of coffee together before pushing him out the door to go get some work done. He had a job a Duke to finish up and then he needed to pick up some equipment he left at NC State. I told him to hurry and get his stuff done because we needed to leave the house at 12:30 to go see Harry Potter.  I don’t think he quite understood how this IMAX thing works. I tried to explain that even though the movie didn’t start to 1:45 we needed to be there early to get in line so that we could get Center/Center in the theater. This is the best spot to be for 3D movies. He sort of blew me off and came strolling in at 1:10. I was PISSED!!! It takes a good 20 minutes to get downtown. Then we have to find a place to park and then stand inline to pick up our tickets. We got there at 1:35 and had to settle for seats on the side. I was not amused but decided I wasn’t going to let it spoil the movie for me. The movie was AWESOME!!!!  I love to watch movies on IMAX because you feel like you are in the film. There is a 20 minute portion of the film that is in 3D whish was amazing. It starts at the point where the kids get on the flying horse like things (can’t remember their names at the moment) and went through the big fight scene with Dumbledore and Voldemort. Of course I cried when Sirius died and the part when Dumbledore tells Harry that it isn’t how they are unlike but how they are different. Such a good film. I want to see it again.

After the movie we headed down to the SPCA to look at some puppies. We went into the meeting room and they brought in Anderson, the black border collie I had seen Saturday. Just as before he walked in and immediately worked on our hearts. Lennie fell in love with him and wanted to take him on the spot. I suggested we look at a few more dogs. Reluctantly he agreed. After playing with several more dogs Lennie told me that he still liked Anderson so we went up to fill out the paperwork. The counselor came over and proceeded to run through Andersons papers and we learned more details about him. One of which is that he tends to be aggressive. Then came the one thing I dreaded to hear…he doesn’t do well with cats. After talking more with the counselor we agreed it wouldn’t be a perfect match. I looked over at Lennie and I could see the disappointment on his face. He walked back and said goodbye to Anderson and my heart just broke for him. The good thing about this shelter is that it is a no-kill facility and Anderson will stay there until he finds a home. He is a great dog and I am sure he will be a fit for someone. They put me on a wish list for a Golden Retriever who the counselor and I agreed would be a perfect match for me. But I could still tell Lennie was devastated.

After the disappointment of not bringing a dog home we decided to treat ourselves to Café Luna which is a great little Italian place downtown. I had this great seafood pasta dish and Lennie had veal. We sat there and talked a great deal about our relationship and getting a dog. As much as I would love to have a dog I know I can not afford it on my own. Lennie has offered to take on a lot of the finances because he REALLY wants a dog but knows his lifestyle isn’t a good fit. My worry is that we will get this dog and then he will decide he is done with me and I will be stuck with a dog I can’t afford. I know he keeps telling me that he isn’t going anywhere but I still worry. I think in the end I was convinced that getting a dog would be okay. It is too bad we don’t have a dog right now because this weekend is going to be perfect hiking weather.

Well I will end it here. Except for a hike, this weekend will be quiet. Lennie has drill so I will only see him in the evenings. I hope everyone has a great weekend planned. It is going to be a nice one weather wise.

Mood:  hungry

What a long weird weekend.

My friend Tanya emailed the foster woman  to tell her that we was appalled by the way the woman was running her organization and that according to the online description of Andy, I would have been a perfect match. The woman’s response was slightly more irritating than her original message.

I appreciate your concerns regarding this matter, but truly, this does not reflect Best Buddies practices.  I am Andy's foster mom, and there's nothing I'd like more than to place him in a wonderful home.  I'd also like very much to help your friend, Rebecca, find just the right dog for her, but to be honest, I don't have any foster dogs, nor do I  know of any, that could be left home alone for 9 hours a day without getting bored and developing destructive behaviors.  Because I didn't know of any foster dogs that could be left alone for so many hours, I did not have any alternates to suggest to Rebecca. 

The facts of the matter are that Andy's description for the website was written only a few days after he came to live here when none of us knew very much about him.  It wasn't until last week when he was adopted to a very kind and loving family that we learned that his separation anxiety was as serious as his thunderstorm anxiety.  When he was left at home for just 30 minutes, he destroyed wooden blinds and a window facing in their new home.  Of course, he was returned to me.   We learned  through that experience that he's going to need a home where he's not often left alone.  My husband is retired and I work part time, so someone is here with Andy nearly all the time.  In a situation like ours with the other dogs and us here, he doesn't exhibit separation anxiety.   Because we are home nearly all the time, we can be on the lookout for approaching thunderstorms, and can get him inside in an interior room, and can sit with him until the storm is over.  I can't imagine what he would do at home alone all day if it was storming.  I'm sure he'd be terrified.  Andy's description on the website should be changed, and I will submit those changes to the webmaster as soon as I have time, but with a house full of foster dogs and hospice dogs to care for, I have to prioritize what I do. 

Rebecca, I sincerely apologize for not going into more detail in my response to you.  I wish I had a foster dog that would be a good match for you, but I honestly don't.   Most of the adult foster dogs I have are dogs with "issues" and dogs who have special needs, medical or otherwise.  Then, I have puppies who are still much too young to be left alone for many hours.  If I can be of any help at all to you in your search, please let me know.  Again, I do sincerely apologize for not elaborating further in my email to you.  It's been an extremely long day, and I'm just very very tired.   I should have waited til tomorrow to reply to your email, but I thought you were probably anxious for a response.  I really try to do the best I can at accomodating people and helping them find what they're looking for.  I'm sorry I disappointed you.  I've been doing this for seven years, and this is the first time anyone has complained, believe it or not.  Please don't give up on adopting a foster dog or shelter dog because of this unfortunate incident.

I admire this woman for what she is attempting to do but it is obvious she hasn’t the first clue on dog training and behavior. Andy is a PUPPY and will display puppy behaviors. Every puppy I have met has some separation anxiety and it takes time to train the puppy to know that it will be okay if it is left alone. My question is…why isn’t this dog crated? It can’t tear up the house if it is in a crate. The dog doesn’t need to be crated forever. Just till it learns the rules of the house. As for the fear of storms…her part about taking him into a room and sitting with the dog until the storm passes is only strengthening his fear. Dogs look to the pack leader (YOU) for guidance in scary situations. If you act scared or nervous the dog picks up on that and will act the same as you. In this case the dog should be provided at safe place to go (a crate with a blanket over it) and you act as normal as possible. Hasn’t this woman ever watched the Dog Whisperer? I was going to write her back but decided to leave it alone. It breaks my heart to see Andy living this way because he could be a great dog.

Saturday afternoon I drove down to the local ASPCA... I sat in the parking lot for about 20 minutes just getting up enough nerve to go inside. All sort of thought ran through my head. What if I am rejected again? Can I really afford a dog? I know Lennie said he would help but what happens when he goes to Iraq? Am I really ready for the commitment? One of the animal control officers was going to his car and came over to see if something was wrong. I told him that I was thinking of going in and that I was just wondering if this whole adoption thing is something I should do. He said that it wouldn’t hurt to check the place out. So I got out of my car and went on in. I sat with a counselor for about 30 minutes. We discussed my wants, needs, and concerns in owning a dog and she was very patient and understood my apprehension and even stated that it was good I was being cautious. She stated that I had done a lot more research in owning a dog than half the people that come in. She then took me back to see the dogs. If you live and Raleigh and have never been to the center it is actually some place you should check out. It is one of the best shelters I have seen. The dogs are color coded for age and personality type. This is an attempt to steer people away from just selecting a pretty dog instead and go for a dog that will suits their lifestyle. My color dogs are the Purple – Teacher’s Pet and the Orange- Busy Bee and Goofball. I went through the dogs with the counselor and selected a few I thought might be a match.

Meet Buck!

Buck is a golden retriever chow mix and is a beautiful dog but was too interested in chasing his tail and was easy distracted by other things. This is not a good thing when you are out hiking. You need a dog that can focus. These are traits that he can be taught but just didn’t get the feeling he was for me. This is good because another couple had fallen in love with him and planned on putting in an application.

Then came Sampson.

Sampson is a Shepherd Akita mix and was a great dog. I was talking to the counselor at one point and Sampson got in my lap and rolled around. He definitely needed to be the center of attention. Might not bode well for a cat who also needs to be the center of attention.

Next in was Linus...

Lastly…Anderson

Anderson is a 5 month old Border Collie Mix and probably my favorite dog of the day. The volunteer brought him in and he immediately started worming his way into my heart. He went over and pick up a rope toy and brought it to me so we could play tug of war. When he was done with that he went and got a ball for me to throw. He would bring it right back and curl up in my lap for a belly rub and then wanted me to throw the ball again. When he got tired of playing he came over and got in my lap and just wanted me to snuggle him. Anne it was sort of like Bilbo lying in your arms like a baby.

I told Lennie we would go over when he got back into town. I know he is excited but I am still a little unsure about owning a dog. We will see. There might be a dog out there that we just can’t do without.

Hope everyone had a good weekend.

Mood:  sad

Well I just got the following email back from Andy's Foster Mom....

 Hi Rebecca.  Thanks so much for your interest in Andy.  I've been fostering him for a couple of months now, and have learned a lot about him.  He is a sweet boy, but has thunderstorm anxiety as well as a little separation anxiety.  He's not the happy-go-lucky guy that Goldens usually are.  I think he's going to need a home with someone who's going to be around a lot.   I'm sure sorry he's not the one for you.

Mood:  bright

Well I talked to Lennie last night about Andy the Golden Retriever puppy I wrote about yesterday. He of course was all for it seeing as he has been after me for months to get a dog. I told him I just wasn’t sure if I could handle a dog right now and he informed that that he would help with the finances and care. So this morning I put in an application for Andy. It was 3 pages and very detailed. I am nervous they won’t find me a good match. It is sort of like adopting a child. Now I just have to wait for a phone call.

The one thing that worries me is that my yard isn’t fenced in. That is a huge plus to these adoption people. I wasn’t planning on doing it till next year. My boss suggested an invisible fence but I just don’t know if I could shock my dog. I am sure if I was going with a normal pound I would pass just for having a pulse, but this dog is being fostered and I have dealt with a lot of foster moms and they can be very strict on the types of homes they send these dogs to. I figure if I don’t get selected then it is just not meant to be. But I know in my heart of hearts that I could give this dog a great home. I mean just look at Fenwick and Merlin. Have you ever seen two more spoiled animals?

I also worry about Fenwick. He has never been around dogs before and doesn’t do well with change. He also doesn’t like sharing his toys and I can just image the fight that would ensue if the dog went to pick up Fenwick’s cat puppet. (shudder at the thought).

I was also thinking that if I did get Andy I would have to change his name. What do you think of Potter? Goes with the whole wizard theme I got  going at the moment. I just realized I am getting ahead of myself.

We will just have to wait and see.

Mood:  happy

A friend of mine knows how much I love Golden Retrievers and how much I long to get a dog. In searching for a dog for himself he came across Andy.

 http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?&petid=8517251&mtf=1

I only wish my yard was fenced in and I was a little more financially secure. God I would love to have this boy. Doesn’t he have the sweetest face? 

I hope he can find a good home. 

Mood:  caffeinated

What a week it has been. Thank God tomorrow is Friday.

Monday we had the General’s visit. Tuesday we had a field trip to Clayton which took all day. Then Wednesday morning I came in to a notice that I have been “randomly” selected for a drug test (2^nd time this year). Today I have 3 conference calls and a credit card to reconcile. The only thing I have to look forward to is the fact that Supernatural comes on tonight and my plan is to grab a glass of wine and drool over Jensen Ackles for an hour.

Lennie called me last night and said he wasn’t sure if he was going to be coming home this weekend. There is an office they are supposed to be working on and they can only get into it on the weekend. He said he will find out today if he will have to stay to help. I miss him like crazy but I am trying to use this experience to prepare me for his departure to Iraq in January. I am keeping my fingers crossed that Congress gets their act together and override Bush’s veto to bring our troops home. Shhh don’t tell the General I said that. I will be accused of being un-American.

I still haven’t seen Harry Potter. I told Lennie I would wait and see it with him. I guess it must be love if I am willing to torture myself with not seeing the film so that he and I can see it together. The plan is to take off a weekday and go and see it on IMAX.

This weekend should be fairly quiet. Tanya is in town visiting her brother and getting the rest of her things out of storage. We will have dinner together tonight and that will probably be the last I see of her for awhile. I am in the process of planning a Girl’s Night Out for later in the month. I am hoping I can get a good turn out.

Well I better get going. I have to grab some lunch before my next conference call. Take care everyone and have a great weekend.

Mood:  a-ok

I totally forgot to set my alarm clock last night before going to bed. Today WASN’T a day for sleeping in. Our Brigadier General is visiting today and there was still a lot to get done.

Thank God Fenwick can tell time. I woke up this morning to him frantically meowing outside my bedroom door. I yelled at him to be quiet that the alarm hadn’t gone off yet. I rolled over to see how much time I had left to sleep when I noticed that the clock read 5:45 AM. I normally wake up at 5:30. I got up and gave Fenwick lots of hugs and kisses and promised that I would buy him a present on the way home tonight. He proceeded to prance around the house like he knew he had done a good job. Now if I could only get him to realize that I don’t have to get up on the weekend.

Normally Lennie spends the night on Sunday and there is some discussion on the wake up time so I usually remember to set the alarm. Well he left yesterday afternoon for a two week trip to Charleston, SC for work so it just totally slipped my mind to turn the damn thing on.

We had a small argument Saturday night. Well it was more of a misunderstanding really. Even through we had worked through the issue before we went to bed. I was still a little pissy with him Saturday and part of Sunday. At brunch I realized how stupid I was being. I mean we had worked through it so I should be mad…right. So I decided to cheer up a bit. I didn’t want him leaving town thinking I was still angry. He commented later on how cold the goodbye was on both our parts. I told him I missed him and he told me he thought about me the whole drive down to SC. So I guess things are good. We still haven’t had a knock down drag out fight but I am sure it will happen before too long.

The General’s visit today went well. He was only here about 2 hours. He seems like an okay sort of guy. He believes that if you don’t pull your weight you should go which is good because there are a lot of people in our district that are just place holders. Another thing I noticed is that the man LOVES to tell stories. I thought he would go around the table and talk to each one of us about our jobs and some issues we have but instead he asked the group what their concerns were. A few people would answer and then he was interrupt and say, “That reminds me of a story.” And if he could find some way to tie it into a war story he would. The only thing I didn’t like was at one point he said if we were against the war or if we tried to encourage others not to serve in the war that we were un-American and should get the hell out of the country. One thing that makes this country great is that we can disagree. I may not like the war and I may not want Lennie to go off and fight. But I support our troops. And I think that most Americans feel the same way. Granted those who stand in front of a soldier’s funeral with picket signs with Anti-war slogans are tacky and retarded. But I should be able to say to whoever will listen that I hate the war and think we should bring our soldier home now without fear that I am going to be called un-American.

Okay enough ranting for one day. I have a ton of work to do. Till next time….