Reese, Kole and Angel Meika are our May 24, 2015 Pup of the Week

We think our parents would be used to it..  The vomiting, the unexplained sudden weight loss, the loss of appetite, and the inability to explain what is going on inside..  It happens to us dogs a lot.  But when it happens to one of our parents it is much scarier.  We are hindered by our inability to communicate.  Since humans have no such hindrances when no one knows what is wrong with them it is very troubling.

It has been a week since Reese, Kole, and Angel Meika’s Uncle Rob, one of their two Dads, has shown such symptoms.  He lies tonight in a hospital in St. Louis, seven hours away from his family, with no answers, and the cause of much worry.

Rob has been sick for some time but he has been managing his illness until last week.  In the past years he has spent many nights in the hospital and has had operations.  

There is nothing scarier for a dog then when one of their parents is missing.  Since Rob found him abandoned on the street a year ago Kole has rarely strayed from Rob’s side.  Now Kole lays on the bed waiting for Rob to join him, not understanding where his friend went, or when he will come home.

I often write about how lost humans are without their dogs but when it is the human who is missing it affects us dogs ten times more than it affects humans.  It is why we need to go first.  Our parents can, over time, deal with our loss, but pups aren’t equipped with dealing with the loss of a parent, even temporarily.

While not knowing where Rob is has been terribly stressful on Reese and Kole, Angel Meika does know where Rob is, and has spent nights, while Rob is sleeping, cuddled next to him, Meika is very scared too.  She is an angel, and watches over her family, but there are limits to what angels can do.  Meika brings comfort to Rob, her Dad, and her siblings, but she can’t cure what is wrong, and most of her days are spent nervously waiting.

Rob entered the hospital at the start of the week and then was transferred to St. Louis.   After two days of confusion the medical professionals decided to operate mid-week.  Reese and Kole’s father Jeff began the seven hour trek to St Louis..  Half way there he got a call that the surgery had been postponed until Friday.

On Friday Jeff made the seven hour trip to be with Rob during the operation. Minutes before surgery Jeff learned it had been canceled.  The hospital did not have enough of Rob’s blood in storage..  The surgery was postponed to Wednesday..

   

Jeff had to make a seven hour trip back home.  He expected Reese and Kole from nervousness and  lack of attention to have either destroyed the house,or at least soiled it.  But our friends knew their parents were scared and they were perfect gentlemen who spent the day calmly waiting for one of their Dads to return.

Money was tight with Reese and Kole’s family before this ordeal.  Their computer has gone to  the Computer Bridged and they don’t have money to replace it as this time so they can all communicate by Facebook and texts right now.  Despite not being connected to all of us they do need our prayers this week so both their Dads can be back home with them and the madness ends.

Currently Reese and Kole have been showing signs of stress with bad appetites and indigestion.  The situation, for this wonderful family, is getting worse.  

We are praying you come home safe and sound and snuggle with Kole again.  He needs you.

The Snow Dogs Are Our December 15, 2013 Pups of the week

Here at Rainbow Bridge it doesn’t snow   We do have mountains  where we can climb then play in the snow, go sledding, and partake in snowball fights, while Huskies and their ilk have wonderful fun romping and rolling.  But we don’t have any of those cold, windy, icy, snowy days that we hate.

This week, on the mortal side of the Bridge, all across the country, many friends got slammed with snow, ice, wind, and downed power lines.    When they went to do their business they got snow covered paws, icy and damp fur, and the dreaded toweling off.

Thankfully no one was lost in the big cold fluffy.  All our parents survived. As I sit up here on the green banks looking in the River of Life I must admit I don’t miss sticking my who who in the freezing snow to melt a little with my pee, and I was able to muffle a snicker when Pocket went to settle into a squat and ended up spread eagle on the ice.

When I was a youngster Mommy, Daddy, Blake and I would go walking in the early evening at the state mental institution, through the snow, and I would scoot my bottom on the cold.  This got both my parents very upset, and they took me to the vet, who found nothing wrong.  But there was something wrong:  I thought it was a bad idea to be walking at the state mental institution at night and my scooting got them to reconsider their fallacy.

Let’s see how some of our friends soldiered through the storm.

Snow can’t keep our friend Leo from looking regal and proud.

Meika has already formed her opinion and is done with the snow for the year.

Scooby and Odie pose for a picture despite cold paws.

Molly is done with the cold and wants in now!

Toby, Maggie and Pokey make the best of a cold situation.

It looks like this is going to be the start of a long winter with plenty of snowy pictures.  So here is to the snow dogs:  May they always have a safe and warm place to hide from the cold.

The Tornado Dogs are our June 2, 2013 Pups of the Week

Meika

Friday night I sat in front of the computer scared to death.  I wasn’t watching a frightening video or watching stories about how the humans are messing up the world, I was reading post after post from my beloved friends who were living in the path of killer tornadoes.  

Thankfully all have checked in and were spared from the storm’s wrath, but it made me realize just how fragile our hold on life, and our friendships, are.  One horrible storm can cause so much havoc and devastation it is unimaginable.  The names of towns become synonomous with destruction, Moore, Joplin, Oklahoma City, Rainsville, like the towns that became famous for Civil War battles:  Fredricksburgh, Antetiem, Shiloh, Gettysburgh.

Practically every day we bark with our good friends Reese and Mieka from Missouri.  Reese is very proud that he can howl just as loud as the tornado sirens.  But his talent scares us.  We never want him to use his howler because that means danger is coming.  On Friday night they were excitedly waiting on word of twin family members being born in Michigan.  But they couldn’t contact their family, and they couldn’t contact us, so there was a big circle of worry going on.  We were happy to hear from them yesterday, but their human twin cousin is in a hospital and in need of prayers.

Then there are our very good friend Koda, Josie, Wills and Emme.  They all had to pack up and leave their farm Friday night as tornadoes were headed right for it.  Thankfully the twisters spared their homestead and by the next morning they were back at the farm, but for one night there were lots of prayers said in their name.

Chey’s and Kaizer’s Mom had to ride out the storm in their basement.  They lost contact when the tornadoes grazed their neighborhood and all us friends held our breath. They came through the storms in one piece but the hotel where many friends stayed during last year’s Baronfest was hit.  Chey’s and Kaizer’s Mom made a wise choice pushing this year’s Baronfest until after tornado season.

On Wednesday Chelsea and Junior Johnson’s family got a warning about a major tornado and had to hunker down in their bedroom.  Two nights later they had to go through the same hell and then again on the 30th.  Their Mom’s Facebook page became tornado central, as did many other peep’s pages.

Shakira, Napa, and tiny Travis had to go into the storm cave to wait out the tornadoes that swirled around them.  It was Travis first storm but he came out fine  thanks to his Mom being so calm and Angel Apollo watching out from overhead.

There were lots of other pups in the path of these terrible storms like Summer Grace whose stories we have not told.  But we want them all to know we prayed very hard for them and are so happy they came through the darkness OK and pray it is a long time until they face another week like this.

For now we give you and your parents a big tip of the tail for being calmer and braver dogs then either us or our parents could ever be.

May you have nothing but sunny days for the rest of the summer.