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| Watching the snow fall in the yard. . . |
Cindy has a terminally ill
friend in Anchorage that she always spends Christmas with. She decided to take
Mabel to TBTB since it was a familiar place for her, and leave the other two
girls with a friend. Boarding three dogs can get expensive, so only Ms. Mabel
was dropped off at TBTB for a few days. Kristen/Chris (dogsitters) were aware
of our special needs girl as both Cindy and I had filled them in, and forwarded
the blog for reference.
Well the first night was
horrible. Mabel howled every few hours, not in pain but sadness. Although
the house is familiar she couldn’t find any of the dog buddies she remembered.
The people greeting her smelled different, in fact the place did not smell like
home at all to Mabel. She was distraught; the fear of abandonment was rearing
its ugly head all over again. Visions of being stuck in the ravine probably
filled her mind. Kristin was up every hour to console Mabel, but nothing seemed
to help. Her heart was broken and when Kristin called me the next day to talk
about the situation, my heart ached for her. Poor Mabel.
The second night was a
little better, but she was still seeking anything familiar causing her to roam
around much of the night. Where was Cindy? Where was Suzi? Where was Bette, she
wondered? What about the spaniels and DoDog? She continued to meander in search of them in this unfamiliar space.
Finally after much discussion a solution was found that made the rest of her
stay at TBTB much better.
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| Can I help? |
Zip Tally, an adorable Corgi client was placed near
Mabel at night for comfort. That did it, she obviously missed the warm bodies
of her two sisters beside her and having Zip close to her saved the day. She
was finally able to relax and get some much needed sleep. After that she was
fine but boy was she glad to see Cindy, Suzi & Bette when they came to take her home. Cindy said she walked in the house to find Mabel cuddled in a
pile of blankets napping in her pup tent and had to wake her up. But she was
more than ready to see her little family and they were happy to see her too!
Chris referred to Cindy as a ‘saint’ for fostering this needy little munchkin.
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| Mabel's sleeping with Zip and he likes it! |
And now for the good news,
here is the email with the subject line: Mabel's New Year!
Dear Mom #2: I want
to write and tell you about my wonderful new year. I hope you and the pups are
having a good one too! Ever since I came back from TBTB without you there, I
have been toasty warm in the cute little sweater you sent me. Pink is
definitely my color and the bustle makes my butt look very adorable, especially
with my plume tail that Lisa Ann gave me the last time I went to the Spa. And
the good news? Well I have been sleeping through the entire night without
any anxiety meds! Can you believe it? I no longer whine when I lay down. Cindy
and the girls are thrilled because this means we all get good sleep every
night!
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| Luv, luv, luv my pink sweater! |
I think the change
has to do with Cindy upping my Glucosamine – beats the hell out of that Rimadyl
that makes me a little goofy and is hard on my kidneys. I am starting off the
new year right in spite of the cold weather and snow! Maybe you can send me
some boots to keep my feet warm when I go out to pee on cold mornings and have
to traipse through 6” of new snow! Cute little booties would be a blessing! Of
course they have to be stylish so they match my sweater and pink/black coat
that you also sent. I will send pictures in my new coat real soon. I am now
eating Canine Caviar lamb & millet, along with my liver pate! Nom! Nom! I
love the taste of it! Miss you and the dogs so much, but I will see you in the
spring and you will be amazed at how well I am doing for an ole gal! Hugs &
Licks, Ms. Mabel xoxo
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| Pretty in Pink, Peein' or Not! |
Recently Homer town woke
up to 6” of new snow, and Mabel likes to stay on the covered porch when that
happens. However, she meandered out onto the deck toward the edge and Cindy
thought she might be inclined to jump in the powder. Instead she gazed out at
all the white stuff and squatted to make some yellow snow. After finishing up,
Mabel missed the step and accidentally fell forward head first into the fresh powder! Realizing just how cold it was, sweater or not – she scurried back onto
the deck and into the house in record time, quickly finding her spot in front
of the warm heater. Silly Girl.
Dogs are routine oriented,
they prefer things to stay the same. Some dogs are more flexible than others,
but when you are 15 years young any slight change causes confusion, disorientation and
often panic. This is the main reason Mabel is not adoptable, it would stress her
out too much to leave the routine she has grown accustomed to. After this brief
episode I know my instincts are right. Ms. Mabel will live out her life being secure
and loved with Cindy, Suzi, Bette, Luce, Woody, DoDog, BunBun, Anne Banane,
RockDog and Moi. Mabel, we love you!
Woof! Woof!
