Our Dog Crossed the Rainbow Bridge Last Monday - So Sad!

Dear Abby Dabs,

We are so sorry you dislocated your shoulder January of 2017 and that you were in pain for a couple years. You were so tough and stubborn and we just wanted to have as much time with you as possible. It was so hard to watch you not be able to enjoy so many of the things you used to be able to do. Yet, you were a trooper and still wanted to please us! When you finally reached the place where you could not longer get up or walk through the house even, we knew it was time to say goodbye. Tell Mr. Moe and Manny Boy we miss them too and say "hello" to them for us. We know they would be ready to greet you as you cross the Rainbow Bridge.

I came home from work early Monday and we spent the day remembering all the joy you brought us during the ten years we had you.  You were the best dog we could have ever had and are so grateful to God for bringing you into our lives.  We rode through State Rd. park on the way home from saying goodbye to you, then did the Snow Rd. walk even playing the crossing game in your honor and then we went to Fernhill park strolling down memory lane with happy thoughts of you.   We looked at all the pictures of you we had on the computer and our videos as well.  It was fun looking back over you life with us.


Dear Mom and Dad,

I love you both very much.  Dad, I love you most because of all the time you spent with me and always encouraging me to walk with you and giving me lots of treats--even when mom thought it was too much.  I especially loved our walk to Bartells every day for lots of years where I got treats from Beth and Linelle.  It was really fun doing double high five with Beth and then going on through the park and around Parma High School on the way home.  Thanks for all the porch time with you, too.  I especially liked seeing all my loose fur flying away when you brushed me out there!

When I was hurt, you always carried me around whenever necessary without one complaint.  You both gave me a happy life and a wonderful home!  I even liked Spunky Doodle and Manny Boy even though they were cats.   You even laid with me on the floor when I could not longer get up on the couch or my chair even when it was so uncomfortable for you.  You are a great dad--best I could ever have hoped for!

Mom, thank you for your great belly rubs and hip massages and for giving me the Metacam with breakfast every morning to help me cope with my arthritis.  Also, thanks for the radiation treatments you took me to for a while there when I was still going for walks.  It did help a lot.  I loved all the time you took with me teaching me those neat tricks too.  It was fun!   I know it was your idea to let me visit the nursing homes and I really liked that!  It was fun making friends with the residents and brightening their day.  I especially remember Marlene, Ginney, Apple and Olga because they always had treats for me!

Sorry I barked during the night in my last days, waking you up.  Thank you for bringing the water to me so I did not have to get up and walk over to the bowl.  I am so grateful you rescued me and I was able to live with you for so many years!  I will remember you always and watch over you.  I thought I was a goner when I was attacked by two dogs on our evening walk in Jan. of 2012, but your prayers and faith pulled me through.  I knew I just couldn't give up because there were more good times to have.  After all, I made a full recovery and count the 7 years I lived after that as bonus!  I lived to be 105 in dog years, not too bad!  Don't be heartbroken for too long--enjoy life as long as you can and make the most of every day!  Arf!  Arf!

Thanks to all our friends who sent us condolences and sympathy.  It is comforting and appreciated!

Check out Abby's videos on YouTube at:  Abby's Video Playlist

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Happy Gotcha Day, Abby!

We are celebrating our dog's 14th birthday!  She's been through so much and has been the best dog we could ever have had!  We got her 9 years ago when she was 5 years old.

She always got along with our cats. 

Shortly after we adopted her, we enrolled in in classes at PetSmart and she passed her Canine Good Citizen test easily.

 

We loved taking her to the park and she loved the car ride too. 

She loves people and made lots of friends wherever she went.

She used to visit two nursing homes twice a month before she had trouble walking on the slippery tile floors.

She survived being attacked by two Rottweilers while on her evening walk one winter.  She was bitten all over her body and the vet didn't think she'd live, but God healed her and she pulled through!

She used to walk for miles every day (now she can't since she dislocated her shoulder).  She is on pain medication and still likes walking, just not near as far.

WE LOVE YOU, ABBY!  YOU HAVE ENRICHED OUR LIVES!

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The Bandage is Off--Now to Walk! (by Abby)

Buddy Bear Watching Over Me my First Day Without the Bandage! 

I got my big bandage off and my left front leg is free again.  It's still bent up though from being bandaged up for 2 weeks and I can't really put any weight on it.  Gerard and Karen spent pretty much the whole day Saturday massaging it though and Karen is going to make some appointments for me to get some massage therapy and maybe even some laser therapy that the Dr. Walker highly recommended.  Any one out there ever have this?  It sounds like it will be a good thing to me.  Woof!  Karen and Gerard want to do all they can to help me recover as quickly as possible in case it does pop out, they will know they did all they could.

By the next day, I was able to straighten out my left front paw like normal and even walk using my front left leg for a bit!  Karen was very excited to see my progress when she gave me breakfast this morning.  Dr. Walker said everything is still in place and now it's up to me how fast I can strengthen my leg enough to walk normal again, but long walks are a thing of my past.  I will have to settle for short walks from now on.

I have great determination and can be very stubborn so that is really good news because I know I can do it!  I am very strong willed and love to walk so I plan to improve a little every day.  I still need the sling on so my mom and dad can give me support for four more weeks, but at least no more wrapping up the bandage in Suran wrap is needed.  Dad thought it was funny when Dr. Walker said my sling was better than the ones they had at the vet's!

Of course, we must take it slow.  Dr. Walker was sure to remind us that my shoulder could still pop out at any time.  Continued prayers for my full recovery would be greatly appreciated.  Woof!  Woof!

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Great News From the Vet by Abby

At least I can still get belly rubs in spite of this big bandage!

This morning I went to the vet to make sure my shoulder didn't pop out again and it was still in place!  Plus, just to make sure it stays that way, I need to have the bandage on holding my front leg up for just one more week.  Karen was very happy to hear that because she thought I'd have to have it on six weeks!  I guess it will take that long to fully heal and I still have to be very careful.  No more long walks for me, but I'll be happy when I can at least do short walks again.  The vet said we will have to go very gradually.  I also pooped and peed on both my walks which made Karen and Gerard very happy and resulted in double treats for me!  Karen finally figured out that I would rather sleep in a little longer and go out a bit later, like two hours after breakfast instead of just one and she plans on taking a later bus to work that should get her there just in time.

Oh, and I had a new adventure today too!  I got to ride in the way back part of our Ford Escape for the first time!  It was so much easier for my daddy to get me in and out of the car from the back instead of the seat part.  My mom even put down her sleeping bag for me so I could be comfortable on a nice soft cushion even in the back.   Please keep asking God to make me all better, I know he can because he's healed me from much worse five years ago.  Woof!  Woof!

See also for background about being attacked Jan. 2012: 
Our Sweet Dog is Fighting For Her Life;
On the Road to Recovery
Abby's All Better, Praise the Lord!

 

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Poor Abby, Oh God, Help Us!

Glad to be home but . . .

Somehow Abby dislocated her shoulder but we do not know when or how this happened.  We took her to the vet yesterday (not the way we hoped to spend our afternoon).  They did x-rays and fortunately, there are no broken bones and no fractures at least.  That was good news!  Also, although Dr. Walker never popped a dislocated shoulder in before, she gave it a try and was successful.  God answered that prayer--if she wasn't able to do it, we would have had to take her to an emergency clinic much farther from our home.  It is very fragile though and if it doesn't stay in, Abby will need surgery.  She stayed over night at the vet and we picked her up after church today.  We really missed her and are glad she is home.

As of now, it will take her at least 6 weeks to heal and she's all wrapped up and only has use of three legs.  We feel so bad for her and pretty helpless. She tries standing now and then but not for very long.  So far she has drank and eaten, but has not gone potty yet.  My husband will have to carry her outside down and up the steps for her to just go in our yard and then back in.  There will not be any walks at all for a while.  She had breakfast at 9:00 a.m. today instead of at 5:00 as usual with the pain pill that should be given every 12 hours.  This is not conducive to our normal eating schedule so it will disrupt our routine.  It looks like she'll be eating breakfast much later than usual and Gerard will have to feed her because I'll already be off to work. 

We were told not to let the bandage get wet or dirty so will have to wrap it up in suran wrap before we take her out.  I haven't even tried to do that yet.  Well, I'm off to PetSmart to see if I can get a sling to help her stand long enough to go potty.

It's going to be a long six weeks but she's made it through worse than this before so hopefully she will do it again.  January is not a good month for our pets!

Meanwhile, Manny is not eating today and I am a basket case.  Prayers would be appreciated for all of us. I am so stressed out, have a hard time thinking straight.  I am seriously considering taking off work!

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Me and Tile Floors Do Not Get Along--A Solution! (by our dog Abby)

I have a very hard time walking on tile floors now that I am older and my arthritis is worse.  I often slip like people do on an ice rink and sometimes I even fall!  Because of this, I stopped making nursing home visits and even at home in our kitchen and dining room it got to be hard for me.  But, this morning when I went through, there were three rugs along my path to the living room so I didn't have to walk on the tile all that much.  My mom gathered some throw rugs from other rooms and placed them like stepping stones.  Thanks, mom!  Woof!  Woof!

Mom says:  This is yet another example of how our pets rule.  It just tore at my heart watching her struggle so on the tile floor and even falling at times.  I thought I'd give this a try before she broke a bone falling down.  How do your pets rule your house?

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Abby's 12 today--A Look Back at Her Gotcha Day

Our First Day Together

Seven years ago we met a shepherd, Norwegian Elkhound mix dog named Gabby. This is the dog I discovered through Pet Finder and emailed Barb after Gerard said he thought he'd like this one. She was 5 years old. Here is the link where we found her: www.petfinder.com. It turns out Gabby only had that name about a week so we can rename her. We just dropped the "G" and named her Abby.

Abby looks happy to be with Karen

In preparation for Gabby's visit, I moved the cat food up to a table and a desk. Spunky Doodle and Manny aren't thrilled about this, but I noticed food was eaten during the day while we were at work. In the evening when I saw them looking where it used to be, I moved it down for them temporarily. I also applied Frontline to them to protect them from the fleas, ticks and whatever else it protects from that may come in on the dog. Spunky was pretty easy, but Manny took awhile because he kept moving away from me and rolling over on his back. I finally got it applied while he was eating.

Abby feels very comfortable with Gerard.

Gerard was so excited he waited outside for the dog to arrive and almost immediately took it for a walk to the corner and back. We are all smiles as you can see, except for Spunky and Manny. Spunky Doodle was pretty brave and stood her ground when I brought the dog into the dining room on the leash and then went to hide behind the gold chair and later under the bed. Manny; however, didn't waste any time going into hiding but after awhile, both cats came out and acted normal, just not around the dog yet.







The cats discuss the new member a few days later in this video:

Abby has had lots of experiences since she's been with us.  We took for for training at PetSmart shortly after we got her (as soon as I could convince Gerard it was a good idea).  She easily passed and became a Canine Good Citizen.  During her training, she was attacked by two Rottweilers while on her evening walk and was in critical condition.  With lots of prayer, God's mercy, our love and Abby's determination, she pulled through, making a full recovery and brought cheer to lots of people during her four years of nursing home visiting. 

Abby is a great dog and we are so happy to have her!  Even the cats have accepted her well and she never bothers them except if she barks loud, then they run.



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Happy Birthday to Our Sweet Dog, Abby

Our dog Abby is now 11 years old and we are so happy to have her in our lives.  She is a happy, well-behaved, friendly, likeable, adorable dog who makes friends wherever she goes.  In fact, she not only got a brand new harness free of wet dog smell today from us, but also a bag of treats from a neighbor, from a resident at the nursing home she visits, and from one of the workers at Bartels--her vet.  Unfortunately, poor Abby didn't get any of these today because she had already had enough and we didn't want to give her too much.  She'll get some tomorrow though!

C'mon, I want this cookie NOW!

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A Beautiful Day for a Walk With Abby

I was on jury duty this week and even got picked for the jury in a felonious assault case.  The day of opening arguments, the defendant changed his plea to guilty so we got to leave at 11:30 a.m. and I had a beautiful free afternoon.  I enjoyed joining my husband and our dog, Abby, for their afternoon walk.  Here is a video I took along the way of some of the highlights:



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Limping Along for Christmas but Happy Just the Same

Christmas morning (cats upstairs)

Christmas Eve morning, I noticed Abby (our dog) came limping to breakfast and walking much slower than usual.  Then when it was time for her walk, she just sniffed around by our bushes, then walked as far as the sidewalk and sat down.  We knew for sure something was wrong so called our vet and they said they had an opening at 9:00 and of course recommended that we bring her in to have her checked out.

We lifted her in and out of the car and the vet turned her leg and neck in all directions and proclaimed, nothing seemed broken.  We increased her daily Metacam dosage to the max allowed for her weight and put pillows by the furniture that she jumps off of to soften her landing.  All we can do is just take her out to do her business to rest her leg and see what happens.

Cookie from Moochie's

I am pleased to report that it seems to be getting better.  She still limps along, but much quicker than the first day and acts normal in all other ways.  For Christmas she gobbled up her special cookie before Gerard even could see it.  We put her new dog tag on along with her Canine Good Citizen tag with her new Links-It holder.  But the present she liked best and that the cats were

Blue Senior Turkey & Chicken Grill

interested in too was the Blue Mountain Senior wet canned dog food.  Oh, she was so excited for that and the cats both came over too trying to get some.  We gave her half on Christmas and she'll get the other half of the can today.

Here's just a short video to show how she is limping along this morning.

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Abby Dabby Doo Earns Her Salad Break

I am a very good dog . . . usually.  Of course, there is one exception and that is when I find a nice salad bar, I like to take my time and enjoy it.

Being a bit stubborn at West Creek Park

 See how my mom is trying to pull me along with my blue leash?  I held my ground though and finished my salad, ignoring her commands of heel and come.  If she had brought treats along for me, that may have made a difference.  Hint, hint.  Hope you all enjoy the journey as much as I do! 

But look at Bloggers, My Mail (Sorry I couldn't link to the post so linked to the blog), I am on Ellen Cooney's blog, author of The Mountain Top School For Dogs and Other Second Chances because she liked Gerard's review of her book and my picture with it!  See, I really earned that salad break!  Woof!  Woof!

Joining in with Monday Mischief and Aww Monday (thanks, Sandy, wasn't sure this would qualify) blog hops today.

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A Visit to a Neighborhood Lemonade Stand

Today we spotted a father putting up a sign with his little boy advertising his lemonade stand which was just a street away--I haven't seen too many of these.  First I drove by to just see where it was, then my husband walked by to check on the price and after the Buckeye football game, we all took a little walk over there for some lemonade.  They accepted any amount and the money was going to help kids who had Cancer.  Abby was a hit, of course, and enjoyed sitting in the shade of their little canopy they had up.  She chose to sit right under the tap so she even had some lemonade drip on her head!  The lemonade tasted good on a hot day.  By the time we got there, the kids were on break and the adults were running things. 

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How We Spent Our Holiday

Before breakfast while Gerard and Abby went for a walk, I found a great website for a resource for teaching my Sunday School class:  www.churchhousecollection.com.  It had cute clipart for the 10 plagues (my lesson this week) and pointed me to another site where I found The Plague Song that I am going to use this week. 

This morning we went to the Parma 4th of July parade.  It was a bit cool this year so we wore our red, white and blue Indians jackets.

Abby sitting nice watching the parade go by.

Abby finished off the biscuit she got quickly--it was practically gone before I could take the picture! 

The Dairy Queen float gave out free Dilly Bars!  Gerard got one for me but didn't get a picture.  I ate it pretty fast . . . didn't want it to melt.

Other people brought their dogs too.  Abby liked meeting them and they all liked her!

 

One church even brought along some puppets!

I thought I could finish my book, but the parade was too distracting.

I had a taste for a burger so stopped for lunch at Wendy's.  Gerard got a fish sandwich.

We played tennis--was a beautiful day for that.  Wasn't so hot and I didn't even have to bring any water along.  I also found out that from directv.com I can actually set up movies to be recorded on our DVR!  It's much easier to browse on the website for them than it is on the TV. 


Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday and had a safe and happy 4th! 


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Abby Turned 10 Today!

In honor of Abby's birthday, we both wore our Abby shirts today. 

Present No. 1:  After our morning walk, we gave her the present for Ginny and Apple, two of her friends from the nursing home she visits regularly (sausages in a blanket treats).

Present No. 2 from us:  a cookie bone which she ran over Spunky Doodle to get!

Present No. 3 was a bone from our friend Beth at Bartel's (the vet):

Abby gave her a good double high five to say thank you!

Then off through State Rd. Park we went--It's a very good day when I get two walks with dad AND mom and they both spend the day with me!

This is the best birthday I've had so far!  Woof!  Woof!

Here is my birthday video--it took my mom a long time to do it, but she figured it out:

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Friday Fragments (pets, books, teaching, news)

Friday Fragments is hosted by Half Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post.

Spunky Doodle

Spunky Doodle lived up to her name again this week. She cracked me up when I was getting Abby's dog food ready for the next day. She always jumps up on the kitchen counter where I'm working and tries to get some. Last night I tried putting her off and she jumped right back up over and over again about 12 times! She is one persistent cat and I finally gave up and let her stay. I emptied one bag into the other and she stuck her head all the way in trying to get crumbs. I really should have gotten Gerard to video this. Maybe we can do it again. She also got into some mischief this week but you'll have to wait for our Monday Mischief post for that.

Abby

Abby went to get groomed this week and didn't make a fuss, just walked right in but then couldn't get out of there fast enough! Boy, did the fur fly! She came home smelling real nice with a brand new pink bandana and all soft (softer than usual). Karen and Gerard found a car fence online for dogs to keep them safe in the car. I'm not quite sure if I'd like this contraption or not. Do any of you have this? Do you like it?

Good News

Got a call from my hubby at work yesterday saying that he can have off to help in our church sports camp too! He will be a blue shirt worker which is basically a "go-for" job. The blue shirt people assist the coaches, escort children to/from the restrooms and first-aid, set out the snacks, take care of attendance and giving out the free gifts each day. I'm glad he will be involved too. He also is going to help set up the Wednesday before camp starts.

Good Book

We both just finished reading Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline and liked it. Gerard didn't care for the ending but I liked it even though it wasn't very believable. I like happy endings! It's about a modern-day family of three, who are struggling in their marriage and have a teenage son, Ryan, who is a good student and a good basketball player hoping for a scholarship. When the father and son decide to keep quiet about the hit-and-run accident they were in, things go from bad to worse. Click the link to read our reviews.

New Class

Last Sunday, the new 6th grade girls were added to my class of new 6th grade boys for the summer. We still only had six so that's one reason it makes sense to combine classes. It went well and I think I'm going to like it. It certainly changes the dynamic of the class!

Opinions on the News

I am so sick of hearing about the "Gay Games" coming to Cleveland. I want nothing to do with this.

The President making deals with the Taliban is UNBELIEVABLE! How does he get away with this? Can anyone explain this to me?

In Cleveland, I like the talk about the "sin" tax which goes to help pay for the sports facilities. The talk is to have the teams "compete" for it. It may be based on the team's performance. I like that!

What say you?

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I Got To Sunday School by Abby Dabby Doo

The boys (and girls too) enjoyed my visit to their Sunday School class last week.  The lesson was about trusting God in hopeless situations and my mom shared about how when I was attacked a couple years ago and was near death, mom prayed for God to make me better.  The vet did not think I was going to survive, but God came through for us and I did get better.   The kids got to see pictures of how bad my injuries were and watch this video that my vet made.



The kids were interested and very impressed with my story.  They were especially happy to meet me and see that I made a full recovery.   Of course I performed for them and I got some treats.  Several of them were excited to give them to me.  The one boy made me feel good when he said he wished he could give me an award for being the most beautiful dog!  It was fun going to Sunday School!  Woof!  Woof!

For the whole story, see:  Our Sweet Dog, Abby, Is Fighting For Her Life and On The Road To Recovery by Abby

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AWW Monday and Monday Mischief

Abby visited the Pleasant Lake Villa nursing home Saturday and made this lady's day.  She loves dogs and was so happy we stopped by to let her pet Abby.  Abby was very friendly with her and even looked at the camera for the picture.  She was thrilled when we asked if she'd like us to take a picture of her with Abby and will give her a copy next time we go.

Abby actually got to stop in at Pleasantview Care Center too so we could pick up Confessions--Private School Murders that I got for Olga.  She loves James Patterson books so I got her two of his books and an audio book by him.  She was so happy for them and loved the extra visit time with Abby.  I was glad she liked them.

See more Aww Mondays.  Now for some Monday Mischief from Spunky Doodle:

Any ideas as to how I can keep Spunky Doodle from walking around behind my computer monitor?


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Wordless Wednesday: Wrestling a Bear is NOT a Good Idea

You can get off me now.

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I'll Never Tell by Abby Dabby Doo (Monday Mischief)

 When it's is very cold out, my mom puts this pretty jacket on me.

To make sure it stays on, she puts my harness on top of it so not only is the velcro fastened, but the harness helps hold it in place too!

That's why my mom couldn't believe it when my dad came in from our walk carrying my jacket in his hand!  Ha, ha, I managed to take it off.  It just wasn't that cold to me.  I good magician never tells how he does his tricks.  Mom must have asked me at least six times how I got out of it but I wouldn't tell.  Then she tried tricking me by asking if I would do a video showing other dogs how to do it, but I did not fall for that.

Face it mom, sometimes I am smarter than you.  Most days my fur keeps me warm enough.  Woo Hoo!

Joining Monday Mischief and Aww Mondays.

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