There is this ah-mazing person out there who, on her last birthday, decided that she would do fifty acts of random kind things before her next birthday. To be fair, she is already crazy kind. For her to be even nicer, whoa!
The Facebook page is here. A week or two ago, one of the post was that a package was going out to someone. A gift, for no reason. I thought, how exciting for that person! Well it got even better (for me) cause that package arrived at my house! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!
Ok, at this point in the opening of the gift, I seriously was just so touched to be thought of. That of course didn’t stop me from digging in and pulling out the awesome prize inside!
I full on squealed! It’s awesome for so many reasons but most of all because I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS! You see, Jake has a sweet side (that snuggles, and loves and kisses his brother) and, like most of us, he has a bit of a dark side (that never pees on his own bed but always on brothers, that shoots meatballs out while grinning, that leap-falls off the couch onto an un-expeccting Melvin). Some time ago I found the white version of this and was looking all over for this one to remind me that both of his sides make him complete!
I’m so thankful! You should follow the Fifty Shades of Kindness page! It’s fun to see what things she comes up with but better yet, it’s a great reminder that we should all follow that lead!
Long gone are the days of accidents and stress. Jake and I have the diaper thing down to a science. First I wrap a giant pad around him, then I put one of his new awesome Sirius Republic diapers over it, and then I send him on his way. (Side-note: has anyone else reading this ever gone to Home Goods to buy a stylish trashcan for your dogs incontinence pads? No? How odd.)
But sometimes, before step one and step two, his legs konk out and remind me why we are in this new chapter. (I have figured out that putting the pad around him tickles his parts and that is the reason for the konk-out) The other day, this is the position they quit on him. He just hung out there until they bounced back. He is awesome that way!
My dearest friends have lost three dogs in less than three years. Two of the dogs, in less than one year of each other. The first was a shock, they found out that young Sosa was full of cancer the day they had to say goodbye (story here). Shock prevailed and the pain was raw. The second, MollieAnne (story here), she outlived her cancer diagnosis by four years and in the end, it was a full, lovely life that took her.
Beauty crossed the rainbow bridge last week. They rescued Beauty as a senior, they knew their time with her would be short. Beauty’s first family adopted her as a rescue when she was just a pup. One day, that same family showed up at a PetSmart adoption event for Lost Dog Rescue (where they got Beauty) and said they were moving out of the country the next day and couldn’t take Beauty with them. They didn’t call ahead, they just brought Beauty over and dumped her, at age 11. She was in fairly rough shape, it was obvious that she had severe joint issues, her hips were not working right, it took a tremendous amount of effort for her to just lay down, let alone get back up. The reason I know this is that Virginia and I were at PetSmart that very day, doing what we normally do, stalking visiting with dogs who need some love. It was love at first sight for Virginia (you can read more here) and it was immediately clear that as quickly as Beauty lost her first home, she found her forever.
Virginia and her family didn’t have to change who they were to accommodate Beauty. They are a home of animal loving fools and all the dogs that come into that house get what they need to have the best life they can. Beauty (we are assuming she got her name from Black Beauty) was taken straight to the vet. She was put on medications to help with her mobility. She went to therapy — laser, water, you name it, she got it. She was put on a diet. When she showed up at Petsmart that day, she was 11 going on 20 (from a physical perspective). Within six months with her forever family, she was running and swimming like a 7-year-old.
Beauty was a herder, she shuffled the kids around like Mary Poppins. She didn’t react well to loud noises, especially loud male voices. If things got too active around the kids, she would start nipping bootys to keep the moment in check. Eventually we just started calling her Booty. She chased away nighttime monsters in the kids dreams by going room-to-room throughout every night to watch over them. She did school drop offs, she stepped-up after her elder canine sister MollieAnne left us last year. She loved food more than any dog I have ever encountered. She would jam herself into the pantry to lay down, willing boxes of food to fall down so she could snack.
As suddenly as she arrived in our lives, it was time for her to go. Cancer crept into her bones. It was quick. The vet equated bone cancer to agony. The decision to let her go was clear, but the sadness was intense. The kids said goodbye and during her last minutes on earth, Virginia and her husband, Shane, gave her all the love in their hearts to take with her to heaven.
Taking in an elder dog and then losing that dog is similar to losing any other living creature except for one small thing. When you wish you had you more time with them, it’s not time at the end you crave, it’s that you had gotten them earlier, had more time at the beginning.
I have said this time and time again and Beauty reinforced it, old dogs, are the best dogs. Their capacity to love is unlike anything you will experience. Their soulfulness is piercing. Their gentle existence, well it’s like seeing peace. Sitting with an elder dog instantly makes you a better person, through some sort of magical osmosis.
Farewell thee lovely Beauty. You were loved more in your last years of life than most dogs are loved in a lifetime. Your home feels empty but somehow still full from the memory of you. Your kids carry you in their thoughts and ask about you daily. You leave the world with a lesson taught: you are never too old to find your forever.
Jake needed a car seat (for safety) that was also a booster seat (so he could look out the window). He is giant weighs too much for all the single boosters so I had to buy a double one (you know, the type someone would buy if they had two dogs sitting in it — even though there will only be one dog in it). I found the perfect one, white furry/fleecy where he sits (hides his hair) and black on the outside to match the car’s interior. Great safety rating.
It took forever to come, seriously, like over three weeks. When it finally arrived…
it took up 3/4 of the back seat. Melvin was not amused, at all.
it was pink. Pink. Light pink with somewhat of a glitter sheen. Like it was probably called Mariah Carey Pink. This is not my favorite of all the pinks. I doubt it’s Jake’s either.
We were leaving on a road trip the next day so, yeah, Jake has a pink car seat now.
I know you all love the boys but I get a lot of request to see more of the house. Since I have been spending more time in the home office, I recently gave it a little extra love as it needed some finishing touches. A little tidbit about me… no matter where I am (a friend’s house, a hotel, a bar, a store), I’m constantly space planning. I cannot turn it off. I have to stop myself from rearranging other people’s things.
Space planning is lost on the dogs. They will 100% occupy the exact spot they should not. Jake will even drag his bed to where he’d prefer it to be, like the middle of the hallway. Oh well! Here are some photos of the office, we’ll call it Tracey Tuesday.
(Notice the film on the front windows. It keeps Melvin from sitting at the window and barking at every single thing that goes by. The side windows are available to him to look out all he wants, not much happens in the driveway).
The weekend was fairly uneventful. I had a migraine so there was some lying around. The boys usually lay around so they just stepped it up an extra notch.
I know your head hurts but you ARE going to feed us, RIGHT?
Jake made it impossible helped me to build a table.
Cue more sleeping.
Hope you had a great, relaxing, fun-filled weekend!
If you haven’t read part one of this, you can read it here.
After Jen from Sirius Republic typed in the magic words that she could help us, our world brightened up! She and I went back and forth on what I had tried and what the pros and cons of each were. She listened to all my crazy babbling feedback.
Can’t be too heavy, don’t want to weight down his legs
Needs to work with tiny waist and thicker torso
Need solution for leakage
Want it to be comfortable
Has to be long/wide enough to keep Big Jake inside
Needs to stay in place (in general and when he makes love to the rug)
It was like a letter to Santa. I sent her a few photos of the belly bands we’d been using along with links to the products so she could see them in more detail. That was Monday of last week. Just days later, the prototype photo was emailed to me. I squealed and danced and raised my hands up while I shouted hallelujah! The gift was on its way to us. I camped at the mailbox.
So here’s the thing. Jen listened to every single thing I said. I hoped to have some of the issue solved but she designed something that addressed everything and then some! This woman, this superhero that we have never met, took time from her life to help out a well-hung, wonky-legged dog and his mom. I had told her that comfort mattered most. She made it soft on the inside, it’s like sweatshirt material. I asked that it be light so that it was easy on his back, she made it light as a flippen feather. I said the closure should have some give so he could move, she made it cylindrical so there is no need for velcro or clips.
Sigh.
She sensed my deepest frustrations about the leakage. So this warrior seamstress went out and bought ROBOT PATTERNED WATERPROOF FABRIC for my boy. I mean have you ever??!! I had told her months ago that our robot collars were our most favorite of them all. Jen is not just wildly talented, she’s thoughtful. She’s giving. She reaches out and helps others. She’s that person we all meet and think, I need to be more like that. Please, please, I beg of you, if you do anything else today, ‘Pull-a-Jen’ and help someone out. The world will be so much better for it. Siriusly!
So without further delay, I give you my boy in his new booty band (ding-dong-diaper?). The moment I put it on he was back to being Jake. He could move, he relaxed, I swear I saw a smile! He could run in his unique Jake way, roll around, get up, get down. He’s like a canine James Brown! Big Jake was also happy AND constrained so I proclaimed yiippppppeeeeeeee!
I mean, come on, she made a ‘yo Jake’ heart sticker for the package! Tears welled up in my eyes.
The one-of-a-kind, the ORIGINAL!
And now, Jake. I am shocked I could even see him to take the photo, I cried so many happy tears! He jazz lunged for Jen in the first photo!
He showed rug that he’s still got it.
He struck a saucy pose.
I let him back up on the couch!
He snuggled up to brother.
Then we added his robot collar in!
From the very center of our hearts we thank Jen and all things Sirius Republic. There is something so delightful about someone who sprinkles so much love into everything she touches. It’s magical and we feel very blessed to a part of her world!
Remember our post last week about long-dong-Jake and our struggle for a diaper solution? Let me just say, we leave no diaper stone unturned.
I bought 9 pairs of boys training underpants from 3 different sites. All too small. I bought pull-up diapers (human) size 2T (too small) and 5T (long enough but too roomy and they don’t have velcro so they fell off when he started walking).
I bought rubber pants (that people use when they use cloth diapers) — we are the proud owners of 4 of these. I bought disposal belly bands, they didn’t stay on. I bought full on dog diapers that cover his bum but he was so uncomfortable and there is no need for his butt to not feel air. As much as I want to live in a pee free world, Jake’s comfort is paramount.
As you will recall, we got super cute belly bands that couldn’t contain ‘the beast’ and thus couldn’t contain the pee. We easily tried five other belly bands before this one.
We got him a better version, that had potential however the Medium went to 20 inches (circumference) and Jake is 21-22 inches around in that area so it dug into him. The large jumped up to 25 inches so that option was out. The medium is the one we’ve been trying to make work (I cut one of the sides to make it more comfy but of course that one cut is a personal invitation for pee to flow on over to the other side. This version also has the most abusive strip of velcro I have ever encountered. The weight of the velcro weighs him down a little. Dude can’t even stand up most moments so adding pressure to his back is not optimal.
With almost all the belly bands, we use maxi pads inside to keep him dry and help with leakage. You have heard of crazy cat ladies? Well I’m crazy maxi-pad lady. There are packages all over the house. If you need a really good laugh, you should see the look you get from a guy when he sees an open package of maxi-pads in the kitchen. Anyway, if need be, I could have made that belly band work with some doubling-up of products (and some duck tape). And if you are wondering at this point, why the struggle? Jake is only six. He has 20 good years left in him (I aim high). This is the reality and solutions will make it easy, normal, struggle free. Also, Jake is a really big small dog. He is between a med and a large in almost everything.
In the same sense that we leave no rock unturned, we don’t opt for half-ass. So as I sat at my computer looking for even more solutions, a chat window popped up on Facebook. It was Jen from Sirius Republic and she typed in six words that made me squeal, tear up and will ultimately change Jake’s life forever:
“I may be able to help.”
Check back tomorrow to hear how our superhero changed our outlook and made our hearts happy. People, our world has been rocked!!
Most of my career has been spent in corporate America. The majority of corporate America workplaces like for their employees to work from said workplace. Even when I was working for Verizon, and they were advertising how their services help people be connected from anywhere, they preferred for us to be connected to them via our desk inside their building. I get it, a lot of people who claim to work from home might not work as much as they do when in the office, under supervision. I happen to be someone who gets more work done at home than I do in the office. I don’t know why. It might be that I overcompensate to be sure work knows I’m plugging away but honestly, I think it’s just due to fewer distractions.
This past week I worked from home some. On day one, the boys didn’t really know what to make of it so they spent a lot of time staring at me and following me every time I moved a nano-inch. That drove me nuts didn’t bother me at all. But by day two, they got tired of staring at my piercing beauty and went about their way. For Melvin, this was no different from any other day. He has the house to himself when I’m at work so he just pretended to have the house to himself with me home. Jake on the other hand tried to make good use of every single spot except his usual daytime hangout, the mudroom. That room was dead to him.
For the most part it went great. There are a few things that need some tweaking should this continue.
Melvin barked at every noise, even fake noises and noises that occurred in Europe that he sorta think he could have perhaps heard. When Melvin barks, Jake barks double and scurries around on his wonky legs pretending he can see out the window and that something is most definitely out there so he keeps honking. When I’m not home I leave the noise machine on for them but white noise during the day DRIVES ME FLIPPEN BONKERS and I refuse to have the TV on while I work because daytime TV lowers IQ (true story). Anywhoo, I put music on but even rifts in the music made Melvin bark.
I need to leave the house at some point each day (aside from dog walks). My guess is the unibomber worked from home and never took breaks away from his cabin.
And now, I give you my assistants. They are the worst, most cutest workers ever. There is also a shot of my outdoor office where the assistants did even less work than they did inside.
For the weekend I will leave you with proof that miracles happen. Melvin used to flinch if Jake came too close to him. Seriously, he needed a cooty (sp?) shot just to be near Jake. Now, Melvin makes room for Jake, even let’s him LEAN IN!
If you read this blog often enough, you know that I choose to see humor in things. I choose to laugh instead of cry (when appropriate). My personal Facebook profile photo says: choose happy. I have that to remind myself that at the core, that is who I am.
Some of our realities bite. I’m guessing that is true for every living creature on this great planet. I joke about meatballs and pee issues because, well because if I don’t laugh, I’ll cry hysterically. I wish Jake’s reality was different. I wish that he was not losing control of his body so early on in his life. I’m constantly asking the vet to confirm the process is not painful for him. When his legs give out, despite how often it happens now, he still turns to me with a terrified look on his face. Me crying won’t ease his fear. So I say ‘you’re ok bud’, and I believe that he is with all that I am. I set him upright and send him back on his way. There is no other choice, this is how life goes for him, and thus for me.
You know that saying, that you don’t get what you want, you get what you need. That has always rung true when it comes to Melvin. He is nothing that I expected yet everything about him makes me and my life better and brighter. He has shown me the ‘way’. From him I have learned that not every itch can or should be scratched. Recently, I realized the same is true about Jake. Every struggle, every challenge, he makes me a better person. My little comedian helps to maintain the humor. From him I now know that into every life, some pee must fall.
In full disclosure, I get frustrated. I don’t enjoy pee, it’s one reason I have no interest in the puppy years. I am a bit of clean freak and pee tends to haunt me. During the belly band struggle, there have been a lot of accidents. Sometimes I have to go outside and scream (at the universe, not at Jake). Carrying him is not always the easiest task either. I’m still nervous when I carry him down every morning. I get sad when he struggles.
But when frustration or sadness creep in, I’m reminded that he’s mine for a reason. It’s not just me getting him through, he is part of my path too. You commit to unconditional love and the universe is bound to test it. Reality may bite sometimes, but life is sweet and it’s too short to not seek out the joy every chance you get.
This past weekend was stressful. I tried so many different belly bands for Jake, I went out and bought toddler underwear for him (he’s not human so that was a huge waste of $$) and there were a lot of accidents/drippage. I walked outside to scream – a lot. But then, an angel read about my porn star’s issue, reached out, and said she might be able to help. More about that in a future post, but let’s just say this savior of ours brightened our day, lifted our spirit and is SIRIUS-ly awesome!
This post is 100% what you think it is about. Jake’s dong is huge.
Listen, I have embraced the fact that his hind legs are entering into early retirement. I fully understand that as that happens, a meatball will pop out here and there. I accept that he cannot always hold his pee. What I did not anticipate was trying to find a belly band that would hoist/hold in/control his humongous…buddy.
Melvin is 50 lbs bigger than Jake. Jake’s man part is twice the size of Melvin’s. I bought Jake belly bands that fit his TINY, IS-HE-WEARING-A-CORSET, SIZE WAIST but they are no match for the man part. I put the band on and Big Jake pops out. I hoist up, tuck in, clip tight and one minute later, there he is. Both of him. I can’t go up in size because then it won’t fit his lady waist. The struggle is so, so real.
Jake was apparently born for porn. I feel bad denying him his destiny. In the meantime, google is likely laughing their asses off at my recent search terms.
(sorry if this offended anyone! all details are truth). I am not going to include photographic proof, instead I’ll just include saucy photos that he could use for his online profile.
Vacation is awesome so far! Days spent around the backyard pool, beach, naps, delicious dinners. Adult beverages (this one requires its own sentence). Do I miss the boys? I miss them SO much that I won’t even attempt to use words to describe it. Funny story: the vet called to check in, probably because we have not been to see them in five straight days.
I have a camera that I can check-in on the boys. One is the Melvin cam. On this camera, one thing is for certain, you will never see Melvin on it. No matter where I put it, he will not go there. Apparently he is in witness protection and knows when he’s being watched.
The Jake cam is somewhat more successful, but only because Jake spends the daytime (or whatever time humans are not home) in the mudroom. So we are hard pressed to not catch Jake on the camera. I wish I could say the video was funny or adorable but all it is BORING. He sleeps all day.
These are captures from two different days. Dude doesn’t even switch up his position.
In case you didn’t see it on Facebook, can you please click HERE and vote for Jake (from Ashburn) for a cutest dog contest??!!! Thank you!!!
It’s that time again, family vacation week! This year, it’s actually ten full days of family, fun, relaxation and yes, unfortunately, missing the boys.
As always, they were VERY sad to see the suitcases come out. I actually had to put my suitcase up on a chair because I was afraid Jake might try to pee on it.
Their food is stockpiled, instructions are out, dog sitter gift wrapped! They will be in AWESOME hands, V, the live-in dog person, always spoils them and loves on them!
So while I will miss my chicken and chicken nugget, I’ll be spending some quality time with these little monkeys!
While on vacation, I might post, I might not post but I do promise to get caught up on my blog reading!!! Can’t wait for that part.
Six years ago, Melvin got me. He sent his powerful mindwaves across several states and jedi-mind-tricked me into looking at the rescue-site one last time before making my adoption choice. (The rescue group I got Melvin from requires you to meet at least three dogs before you decide. Melvin ended up being #4.) I logged on to the interwebs, I saw him and that was it. HIs rescue of me was official.
He may have been a hot mess but I was no prize. Max was nearing the end, I’d had a year of health challenges. I was desperate to move forward. I think that’s why Melvin picked me. He thought, ‘hey, I have a lot of energy, I can and will pull her kicking and screaming (literally) into the next chapter of life. She’ll be my living rickshaw.”
In six years we have dealt with more health issues than a small village could have. I have laid on the vet’s floor with him more times than I care to count. We have romped, and wagged and cried and one of us lost a tail. We have growled at each other, leaned on each other and glanced at each other 40 billion times. There was a lot of drool. I have watched him transform from spazzy to soulful. From fearful to a love-craving fool. I watched as he searched for Max, long after Max died and I was there as he made room for Jake. My heart has become full from just knowing him.
I will never love another dog the way I love Melvin. That is how it should be. Unique, unconditional love. He is perseverance, he reminds me that happiness is a choice. He is the perfect balance of kind, goofy, love and joy. He is the dog that makes someone be a dog person. I promise him understanding as he continues to age, I know he will give me the same.
If he could write his own post I think he’d sum it up like this… She feeds me and she smells like love. I choose her, forever.
Happy 6th my boy!
This photo is Melvin’s first 5 min in our house. He fooled us into thinking he was low-key!
The dogs I have had so far are a Schnauzer and Collie (during childhood), a Saint Bernard, two Labrador Retrievers and now a French Bulldog. Prior to Jake, none of the dogs I owned cared to hunt. Max and Melvin chased squirrels but to be honest, I don’t think either of them would have known what to do if they caught one. They’d probably have been terrified.
Jake on the other hand, well he’s like a little caveman. “Must hunt to eat”, which is totally not true since I am the one who buys all the dog food. Dude is 33 solid pounds, going hungry is not something that happens to him.
You know about the frogs, and about stalking the birds. If there is any rustling of leaves (Jake does not understand the concept of wind) he will attack said pile of leaves until he is sure nothing living is hiding there. Well now we can add bunnies to the list.
A family of bunnies lives in our front yard bushes. I’m fine with that, hopefully they won’t feed on the new flowers planted but whatever. Jake walked outside one day (he goes buggy-free on good legs days) and we were 40 feet from the front yard and yet he knew they were there. Bunny scent wafted straight up his flat face. The walk was over, he had to hunt. I of course had no clue why he was puling me towards the front yard, let alone the bushes until Bugs Bunny IV. leapt out from under some flowers and all hell broke loose in our yard. When Jake is hunting, the world around him disappears. There is just him and the prey. It’s like his own version of the Matrix. It’s so severe that I have to pick him up (he kicks and honks) and take him back inside. (In the meantime, Melvin has this look on face like: “OMG, why can’t we just take normal walks like other families. Why does Jake ruin this for everyone?”)
Once inside, he will “run” to the front of the house and try to hunt the bunnies through the walls. He may not be super smart or very fast, but he is very persistent. I have never understood prey drive until he came to live here. The fact that he knows the bunnies are there means that he will 100% always think they are there, long after they have left. We saw a cat once in a field where there are now houses and every time we walk by there, he moans with desire from inside the buggy.
You know how sometimes you will hear ‘I never win anything’? You will never hear me say that, I win stuff all the time – I don’t know how but I aints complaining! Most recently I won a giveaway fromAdventures of a Dog Mom!
The giveaway was from Maddie Lab Studioand I immediately knew which piece I’d pick if I won, in fact If I didn’t win, I was totally going to order it.
Dealing with Maddie Lab Studio was AWESOME and the print arrived quickly and wrapped lovingly! It’s being framed but I’ll be sure to post photos of it once it’s up in the house.
I love art like this, I have a canvas print of a deer in tubes socks, no clue why but it makes me so, so happy. This print will fit right in!
Thanks to Adventures of a Dog Mom and Maddie Lab Studio!!!!
