T -12 and Counting

Wow, 12 days left. Then Sierra officially joins the family. I can't even begin to describe how excited I am. How much joy she brings to me. We went for a walk on Sunday even though it was raining. A light rain though. It was a little muggy, but there were still alot of people on the trail.

In the middle of the walk, one of my headaches hit me. I told Sierra I needed to slow down and find a place to sit. She automatically slowed down, and stopped at the first bench we came to. Yes, we're that connected.

It's really hard to take her back to the shelter after the walks. She looks at me like...is it now? are we going home now??. And I have to tell her how many more days it is.

Still haven't found a place to buy yet. I keep getting the feeling that the 1st of June is significant. Either I find a place, or buy one.

I'm also looking forward to the day I can take her to work with me, even if it's just for a few hours. That would be one of the most perfect work situations.

I would love to write more, but it's getting late and if I go to bed now, T - 11 comes quicker.

T -16 and Counting

So, it's only 16 more days until Sierra officially joins my family. Longest 16 days of my life.

I've become the quissentential pet guardian...bought the food dish, toys, & treats in the past couple of weeks. This past week, my parents gave me couple of gifts for her (a toy and a gourmet cookie). And tonight I went out and bought the water bowl (the type that looks like a water dispenser), and a bag of dog food. I'm still going to change her over the a RAW diet, but figured that with the move and so many new/strange things around her, I'd at least keep her food the same. That is, until I find a town house and we move in.

Still looking for a town house. Saw a couple that are certainly in the running, but more are coming up for sale every day, so I'll keep a look out.

I already know I'm going to end up being one of those annoying pet guardians that always talk about something cute the pup did today. And the snap shots...thank goodness for digital cameras. I can't wait to do a Christmas card with the 2 of us on it.

I was telling a friend the other day, that one of the things I am most looking forward to, is hearing Sierra breathing at night as she sleeps by my bed. To feel safe, to actually sleep properly for the first time in a very long time. Abuse survivors rarely sleep well, we're always listening...to be safe. So it will be a joy to go to sleep feeling safe. Of course, I'll probably worry about Sierra all the time...is she sleeping ok?, why did she get up?, is she having a bad dream? and not get any sleep anyways.

I've been picturing the house warming too. Sierra and I greeting people at the front door. That will be fantastic!!

I think my parents are as excited as I am about the adoption. I know my niece and nephew are. My Mom has been comparison shopping for beds, treats, etc. it's nice when the whole family accepts a new soul into it.

Let's see, if I go to bed now, T -15 will come sooner.

The Countdown Starts

The Sierra Chronicles.

I went out today looking at town houses for poochie and I and may have found one. It has 3 bedrooms and a small fenced yard, nice little kitchen, and one of the best bits...it backs onto a green belt. Forest everywhere, trails of all kinds. Just right for an adventurous pooch and her guardian. Now my parents tell me they've heard of a couple places near them going up for private sale. I'll find out sometime next week, I hope one of them is in my price range. So I'll wait a bit on making my decision.

In the meantime, May 10th is the official day I adopt Sierra. This is proving to be the longest month in my personal history. Waiting isn't always hard, but for this puppy it is. So to help me feel better, I bought her her walking harness this past week, it's called a Sensi-ble harness. It goes around her chest and front legs, and snaps on at her underbelly. It's the same as the shelter uses for her. Today I bought her a 42" circular sleeping pillow at Costco for only $20.99. I'm amazed that they could have something that size at such a low price, considering that if you went to a pet store for one like it, you'd be paying almost $60.00 if not more.

Today on the trail we were sitting on a bench having a rest when these 2 women (Mom & daughter?) walked by with a 1 1/2 yr old dog. Can't remember what mix, but border collie and something seems to stick. Anyways, the dog decided to come see Sierra for a visit, they started playing while I spoke with the Mom & daughter. It was really cute watching the two play; Sierra outweighs and out-sizes the other dog, but played only as rough as the other one. While all this was going on a guy with what looked like a shepherd, collie, wolf cross walks by. His dog isn't on a leash. It runs up and starts to go after the younger dog, Sierra jumps off the bench, stood in front of the younger one and was ready to attack. I've never seen her like that. She is so protective. The Mom & daughter commented on how amazed they were that Sierra just jumped up to protect their dog. Of course all the OOHH's and AAH's started. The other dog walked away with it's guardian, the guy never even appologised. Didn't put it on a leash either.

Wonder if they will be on the trail tomorrow.

In the meantime, Wish Us Luck!

Dogs: Our Heros, Our Lifesavers

I guess another name for this blog could be 'Ode to a Dog'.

Another blogger, All Things Repeat, was kind enough to comment on yesterday's blog about how dogs can be true motivators and lifesavers for us.
A.T.R., I'm so happy you have your miniature american eskimo to help you through the hard times. Your comments made me think of others I know who's love of a dog, not only helped to give them direction and focus to their lives, but in some cases helped them to keep going day after day.

One of these people is a collegue and good friend. She was at a very difficult point in her life and, I can't remember how, but she found this lovely little teddy-bear pommeranian. That dog is so much a part of who my friend is. My friend had dreamt or been told of an angel coming into her life, I'm not sure if she was skeptical or not, but after she found and adopted Chloe (the pom.), she found out the dogs' name had previously been Angel. This cute, cuddly little dog, is kind of stand-offish at first. It took almost a year of working in the same office for her to trust me enough to cuddle in my arms and fall asleep. I don't blame her, she was there for my friend (her Mom), I was just an aunt. My friend had another dog, Sully, her and her husband adopted. Sully was some kind of poodle mix with a wonderfully gentle nature. He used to come with them to work too. Sully and I got on so well, that my friend asked that if anything happened to her and her husband, sould I take care of Sully. Naturally, I was happy to agree. Thus I became Sully's God Mother...and he my Dog-son.

Oops, I'm getting off track. The point of all this is that Chloe helped my friend through her hard times, and even continues to monitor my friends' health by sniffing her breath.

Another friend of mine has a few dogs. One in particular helped her to keep going. This friend was (at one point in her adult life), suicidal. The care of the dog, the unconditional love this dog gave, the non-judgemental attitude of the dog, kept her going, even when the love of her family failed. Now, that's a strong influence, whether we realize it or not. I mean, if your family fails where a dog succeeds...
Maybe it's just that judgemental thing. Dogs don't comment on the conversation you are having with it, they never tell you what they think is best for you, they never degrade or abuse you. All they do is listen, and like A.T.R. said, lick your tears away, with love that comes from somewhere so deep within and without, it's impossible for me to fathom.

I know I may offend a few people by saying this, but I truely believe it's no coincidence that dog spelt backwards is God. I don't mean that dogs are the personification of God, just that God in the infinite wisdom it is, said "humans, as a species, need something that will teach them love, pure love. They need something they can see and interact with everyday, something that also protects them. I think I will create an animal with all these qualities, to remind humans there is a God".

Oh, the picture at the top is one I took when Sierra and I were out for a walk in a canyon. I wanted to get a picture of how high up we were. We were a few feet from the edge, there were no clouds nor mist when I took the picture, and yet when I opened the picture on my computer, there was this funky cloud. Hmmmm....makes you wonder.