Happy 2-Year Gotcha Day to Bear!

 

The picture above is Bear on the first day I got him.  I am so glad I took him in and made him part of our family.  He is a great companion, pretty much following me everywhere and laying on my lap when I read or watch TV.  I never once regretted getting him!  I am pleased to report that he and I have adjusted to our new routine to handle his Diabetes.  He is now eating all his new food within 1/2 an hour (or even less) and he lays nice for me to give him his Insulin.  He doesn't try to hide or run away when I pull out the needle and the bottle.  I am amazed at how cooperative he is.  I will go play pickleball this morning, but then will spend the rest of the day with Bear to celebrate his second gotcha day.  Unfortunately, he can't have treats extra food and is not big on toys so just being together is the best gift I can give him.  He is now 6 years old.

Now sooner had I finished writing this about how good a cat he is, I went upstairs and found a big hole in his window screen.  Must have tried to get at a bird or squirrel.  UGH!  Got it patched up right away with old reliable duck tape.  Never fear, I still love you, Bear!

Bear is Eating but . . .

 

Well, I've got Bear on a schedule for eating and his Insulin but it requires me changing my normal routines.  In order to still feed him after my shower and my early pill, I need to get up 15 minutes earlier at 4:45 now.  Furthermore, to keep him on schedule so I can give him Insulin at 6:05 - 6:10, I need to watch him eat and cheer him on.  If I leave him to eat alone, he loses focus.  If I leave him to eat while I get dressed, pretty soon he's downstairs with me! 

 So, this morning I decided to just wait until he's all done eating to get dressed and pray and read my Bible as I hold up his dish for him and cheer him on.  The Insulin should be given every 12 hours so if I want to go anywhere in the evening, I need to be done giving him the Insulin early enough for me to leave to get there on time.  If left on his own, it takes him about an hour or more to eat but if I stay with him and cheer him on, he gets done in less time.  The good thing is he even ate most of his dinner yesterday without the appetite stimulant pill and finished all his breakfast this morning!  With the appetite stimulant pill, there were days he finished in just 30-43 minutes, but the vet says as long as he's eating (regardless of how long it takes), I shouldn't give him the pill.  If he should stop eating or starts just picking at his food, then I need to give it to him.    

I miss the evening walk with my dog though because I need to make sure Bear eats within the timeframe for the insulin.  I guess the nights I don't go anywhere, we could walk the dog later after the insulin is given.  Otherwise, my husband will be walking the dog without me until I can get Bear to eat on his own.  Don't know if that is going to happen.  I sure hope it does!  He has come a long way eating only the right food and only two flavors.  It sure would make things easier if he'd eat without me watching!

Unfortunately, the insulin was not effective and we only had Bear two years.  I am so glad him though because he was such a nice boy, a wonderful companion, a great cat!  His last day was August 20, 2024.  R.I.P.

Where Are You, Bear?

It was very strange that my cat, Bear, did not come on our bed during the night, nor early in the morning.  He usually does.  He didn't even come in the bathroom with me during my shower!  I looked all over for him, worried he was sick or something and hiding.  Last night, the last I saw him, he was lying by my feet while I watched TV.  After checking all his usual places, I opened the den door and out he ran straight for his litter box.  It took me a while, but then I realized I came up last night right before bed to close the little window in the bathroom off the den.  He must have came up and followed me in there without my noticing.  (I always close off the den so our dog doesn't go potty in there which happened a few times.)  I was so relieved and happy to see Bear was okay, but felt really bad that he was stuck in the den all night away from us.  I pet him up and played with him to make up for it and all is forgiven.  He even joined me again in the den this morning!  

Nap Time

 After playing pickleball for two hours in the morning and drills one hour in the afternoon in 80 degrees, chose to have a little break.  Pets love afternoon nap time with me.

Welcome Bear, Our Newest Family Addition--Happy 1st Gotcha Day!

This post is really late because we got our new cat a year ago--June 6, 2022.  I was not in blogging mode at the time and considering stopping blogging altogether but now have decided to continue doing it.

I really missed having a cat after our Spunky Doodle died September of 2021 and couldn't stand it any longer so went to the Parma Animal Shelter to see what was available.  Lo and behold, a tabby that looked just like our Manny Boy named Bear because he's a big boy!  He was so friendly and even came on my lap at the shelter.  They let us have him for a trial period, but after two days, I was all in.  

He is so affectionate and likes to play pounce games and chase the string on a stick.  He comes on my lap to watch TV and read with me.  He generally prefers to sleep on his cat tree or a chair but comes on the bed in the early morning hours to lay with me until it's time to get up.  Bear is an awesome, affectionate cat that I love very much.  I'm so glad I got him!

If you have a hole in your heart from losing a pet, I suggest getting another.  It's the only thing that helped me.  We know our pets don't live forever, but it's extremely hard to say goodbye to them and not miss them terribly.  There are plenty of animals in need of a loving home.  Just go check at a shelter near you and see what's available.  One might actually adopt you!  

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A New Place to Walk and Run by Roxy

Today I got to go to Parma Heights Baptist Church for a walk around the grounds and some great play time off leash at the fenced in playground!  It is the perfect place for me to do my zoomies and not get yelled at.  The video shows me in action and is very short because the Flip batteries died before I was through with my running.  It only shows the very beginning, but I ran lots more after that.

It was fun exploring the obstacles on the playground too.  I went inside one that looked like a big frog or alligator, not sure what it was and even found a big "bowl" of water because of the early rain that came last night and early this morning.

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Bible Study With Pets

I love it when my pets join me during my Bible study time.  I admit, I had to put Spunky Doodle on the table, but at least she stayed and settled in.  She was near the window but then moved right on my book!  Roxy came up on her own and sat next to me nice.

I am currently doing the Armor of God study by Priscilla Shirer along with some ladies from church.  The author was in the movie, War Room which I enjoyed very much.  Are you currently involved in a Bible study? 

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Scary Trails at West Creek with Roxy (Part 2)

 

 

Boy, this was a bit scary!  We went to explore a new trail--the Grassroots Gorge Overlook Loop.  At first, I thought we were already on it but that was just the trail leading up to it.  There were signs at the beginning of the trail and a upper and a lower one.  I saw "Enter" with a big green arrow on the top trail and a big red "Wrong Way" sign on the bottom trail, so we went on the top trail.  As we were moving along nicely, we passed another walker coming in our direction so I told her she was going the wrong way, that there were signs at the beginning of the trail.  A bit later, two more ladies were coming toward us and when I told them they were going the wrong way, they said I was going the wrong way!  Oops.  They told us that the top trail was for the bikes and the bottom one was for the hikers.  I was really all one trail that made a loop.  The path was pretty narrow so it was already hard to keep the 6 ft. distance when passing someone.  I thought, wow, bikes come on this path!  That thought really scared me because some places were very narrow and there wasn't much space to move off the path, the hill was right there!  When we finished the loop, I checked those signs again and sure enough, there was a bike at the bottom of them.  The bike on the red wrong way sign had a line through it and a bit farther down, a sign read "Hiking only in this direction."

The next day, I wanted to go back and go the right way, so we did.  We went early on a Saturday morning and it was more crowded.  We saw a biker with a dog running along with him enter the loop so we waited for him to come out before going in.  I hate to think of what would happen if we were walking that loop with Roxy and the guy on the bike and his dog came at us from the other direction--very scary!  I can't even believe he would do that with his dog on such a narrow trail!  Anyhow, after they came out, we went in and did pass one biker coming at us.  There wasn't much space to go off the trail to let him through, but we managed.  It was a nice loop but we won't be doing that one again, at least not with Roxy.  

Then we continued on a path across from the Grassroots Gorge entrance and found the Little Loop (picture above).  At least there was no bike on that sign, just a one way directional sign so that's the way we went.  The trail went through the woods and was very narrow--not enough room to pass anyone so I was glad it was only one way and no one else came when we were on it.  There were quite steep drops on the sides and I was glad Roxy didn't pull me too much.  We saw a couple raccoons chasing each other about midway down the hill and fortunately, Roxy did not go after them!  In the picture it doesn't look too bad, but at some places, the hill was steep on both sides of the trail.

I was relieved when we went back down to the flat circle area.  We did take a little detour to do a little loop on flat ground through the tall flowers/grass.  Some of the grass was taller than Gerard!  Roxy liked it a lot though. 

We still have more trails to explore, but those are for another day!  

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My Pets Gave me a Present!

Thanks to my wonderful husband, my pets were able to do a bit of shopping for me on the animal rescue site and give me this pretty purple flannel shirt for Christmas.  I would have held Spunky but she doesn't like to be held so we just gathered around her to get her in the picture too.  It's hard to see in the picture, but there are paw prints on the shirt.

Roxy got this shirt for my husband:

Spunky is old (15) so past the age of playing with toys and on a special diet that doesn't allow her to eat anything else so treats are out too.  I just pet her more and she likes that I am nearby more through the day now that I'm retired.


For Roxy, she got some fun toys from the lady I used to take the bus to work with:  a squeaky ball and a soft fabric toy.  Roxy also is getting some training with Don Sullivan's The Perfect dog kit.  It has two DVDs that Roxy watched with us and a special command collar for correction when needed.  So far, we worked on not pulling on the leash with good success.  I'm sure I'll be posting more about this in the future.

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I Think I'm Wearing Mom Down by Roxy

After my morning walk, I came in looking for mom and found her still in bed.  Up I came and gave her a doggy kiss.  She couldn't help but pet me up!  She actually let me stay for a while before telling me to get off (as you can see, long enough for dad to capture the evidence) .

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My New Home Is Official! by Roxy

Howl!  My two-week adjustment period is officially over today, and Karen bought me an ID tag with my name, phone and address.  I am so happy to have found a good home.



To get your own bed, just keep on lying on your owners' bed every night. Karen bought a nice soft dog bed for me from Walmart.  I tested it right away and it seems quite nice like it will work.  It is a fancy Sertapedic Enhanced Memory Foam couch Pet Bed.  It says the "memory foam blend provides therapeutic support for all dogs and eases discomfort of older dogs with hip dysplasia and arthritis."  Karen thought that since I like lying on the couch and the chair so much, that I would appreciate a soft bed.  

Oh, one more thing:  I surprised Karen yesterday.  Before she and Gerard went outside together for just a short time, only 5-10 minutes, she put me in my den with the popsicle Wolf Wilderness popsicle treat.  I had it all gone by the time she came back inside and she was shocked that I had it finished so quickly.  Now she'll realize give me that does not keep me occupied for long at all when she leaves me alone in my den while they leave.

Karen just added a new playlist to her YouTube channel for me:  Roxy Rocks. 

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My First Trip to See Pickleball by Roxy

Today, Karen was off work and her and Gerard took me along with them to Elmwood Park in Independence where they play Pickleball.  I was not interested in the game at all, but I sure enjoyed meeting their friends who said I was a gorgeous dog.  One guy (Bob) said I reminded him of his first dog, a Husky/Shepherd mix.  Gerard and Karen took turns playing while one stayed with me.  Bob volunteered to walk me around too so Karen and Gerard could both play at the same time!  I loved walking around such a pretty wide open place.

While walking with Karen, we found a nice big bowl right by a drinking fountain near the ball fields that I got a drink from.  We also found a poop bag box so Karen pulled out a couple just in case, but I didn't have to make poopers while I was there.  It was a very nice day, sunny with a gentle breeze and only around 70 degrees the whole time I was there.  Part of the time I just sat near the bench getting pet up by different people and some of the time I laid in the shade near the picnic bench.

I saw a big field with a fence all around it and some dogs were running around inside.  I sure hope one day I'll be able to do that!  It's a very pretty park as you can see from these pics Karen took as we were leaving.

Gerard and Roxy heading back to the car

Fence is around the ballfield and some let their dogs run loose inside.

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Have to Let the Dog Know I'm Boss by Spunky Doodle

Last Saturday, a black and white dog named Roxy came into my house and stayed!  I was up on my cat tree and in she walks, checking me out.  She was actually nice, didn't bark or growl or threaten me in any way, but when she stuck her big nose right in my face, I gave a big hiss and swatted her on her big nose.  She just walked away and now knows not to mess with me.

My mom moved my food upstairs for me so I could eat in peace and not worry about Roxy making me nervous.  I really don't mind, because not that I'm 15, I don't enjoy jumping on high things like I used to so upstairs she lets me have my food on the floor.  She has to keep reminding Roxy not to come up the steps because she's very curious.  Upstairs is the Cat Only Zone, no dogs allowed!

Roxy got a really big special "safety zone box" of her very own, but I sneak into it sometimes just so she knows I can go wherever I wish because I rule around here.  After all, mom put MY comfy white lounge inside her box so I have every right to go inside if I want.  Sometimes I just stop by for a drink from the water bowl and other times, I make myself at home.

Last night, I noticed after I left, Roxy went in even though mom and dad were home.  Maybe she's a bit afraid of losing it to me if she doesn't use it more?

What's that bossy cat think she's doing?  This is my den.

 Did you notice how much bigger she is than me?  I am very brave though as you can see me standing my ground blocking her from coming into the hall.  Mom came and made me move out of her way to let her through, but I think I made my point.

You can't go through yet, not until I say you can.

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Had A Little Accident on My Walk to the Park by Roxy

Karen took me on the park walk this morning and Gerard came along with some doggie water bottle that he wanted me to use.  I finally gave in near the end of the walk and took a little sip.  That seemed to make both my new parents happy.  The sad thing was that on the way there on State Road in front of Bartel's, I made a quick juke (or cutback) like a running back and cut right in front of Karen.  I think I would make a great running back if I could hold the ball.  I have the cut back down.

Karen tried to stop without falling on me and manged to fall sideways on the grass for the most part and made sure she fell on my leash so I wouldn't get loose (not like I would have anyway).  I felt bad, but she seemed to pop up quickly and just rubbed her knee a bit.  It was just scraped a little, must have caught some of the sidewalk when she fell.

She was very nice about it though and didn't yell at me.  She just explained that I can't be doing that.  I need to walk in a straight line next to her on one side or the other and not switch all the time.  I did better and only cut her off maybe two or three times through the park and all the way back home.  I kissed her boo boo after she bandaged it up and it's all better now. 

Sorry no picture of the fall even though she had the camera with her.  Guess she was a bit shaken up by it and didn't ask Gerard to take her picture lying on the ground when it happened. I am just so excited to get to go on so many great walks all in one day!  I love it here in my new home even though they sometimes forget and call my Abby by mistake. 

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Get A Pet Saturday - Bargain Day at the Shelters!

Saturday, August 17, is Clear the Shelters Day!  Pets are up for adoption at reduced rates and over 3 year-old pets are free to good homes!  Just know, pets are not cheap to take care of.  Smaller pets are cheaper than bigger ones and can give you much love and companionship.

Pets are lots of fun and certainly bring new life into a home but consider the expenses involved.  For cats, litter box and cat litter is absolutely necessary.  Monthly flea and heartworm prevention, of course food and treats.  Maybe a nice cat tree and some toys although most cats are very happy playing with simple things around the house such as milk bottle caps, crunched up small paper balls, ping pong balls and shoelaces.  If you have a spinning chair, you can give your cat a slow ride on that and they love boxes and paper bags--just make sure any handle is removed for safety.  Then there are vet bills for vaccines and stuff that comes up.

For dogs, must haves are leash, collar, dog license, food, treats and perhaps a crate depending on age and behavior of dog when left alone, vet costs for vaccines and other stuff that comes up.  Monthy heartworm and flea & tick prevention.  Then there are the fun extras, a retractable leash, dog bed, boots for winter, bones to chew on, possibly steps to assist in getting in and out of car.  Also, I would recommend training classes the PetSmart conducts for dogs.  It was a great experience and is a good way to build a strong bond with your dog as well as get it socialized with other dogs.

There is pet insurance available to help with the vet bills.  In the past, we never had pet insurance; however, after our experience with our dog Abby getting attacked while walking and her dislocating her shoulder, I have decided to get it for our new dog Roxy.  You just never know what will happen and when disease or accidents happen, costs are very expensive.  The best I found is at ASPCA pet insurance .com. 

Pet ownership is a big responsibility, but also lots of enjoyment and fun!  Go find one!

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I'm Out of the Shelter! (by Roxy, a Husky Mix)

Picture of me at the shelter

Karen asked me if I would like to do this thing called a blog post and share with the world about my feelings about becoming a member of this family so, I agreed.  I really want Karen to love me and keep me, so I guess I can give this a try.  First though, I must say I am grateful for those at the shelter who rescued me and gave me food, shelter and loving care while I was there.  They are a good group there!  The first thing I noticed when I came to their house was how quiet it is.  I'm not used to that!

Saturday:  I was so excited to possibly go home with Gerard and Karen!  I made sure I did very well on the little test walk they gave me at the shelter and then I saw Gerard filling out the adoption papers!  I came from Georgia and was in heat when I arrived at the shelter so they had me spayed.  I was surrounded by lots of cats and other dogs, some that seemed to bark constantly!  It was very loud! 

Karen though came back with a leash for me, but told Gerard she had second thoughts and didn't think I was the right dog for them because of my size--she kept saying I was so BIG!  Gerard really stood up for me and told her off so she gave in I went to my new home Saturday.  It was a pretty small house, and the first thing I did as I was checking it out was knock over a big stuffed bear.  I guess their other dog never did that.

I was very happy to be in a new home and gave them lots of kisses to let them know.  I also wagged my tail a lot!  Karen went on Facebook to share about my arrival and ask her friends if they liked Vixen or Roxy better for my name.  I was Vixen at the shelter, but Karen didn't like that name and neither did her friends, so now my name is officially Roxy.  She got my dog license and bought the same kind of food I had at the shelter, but I wasn't hungry, too much excitement to eat.  I actually have lots of windows to look out now which I love!  I didn't have any at the shelter.

Gerard took me for some nice walks and introduced me around the neighborhood.  I met some of Abby's (that's was their previous dog that is a very tough act to follow, but I will do my best to win them over). 

I made myself right at home by getting on the couch and lying against the soft pillows.  They actually let me stay, but when I jumped on the bed with them, they both freaked and kept telling me NO, NO, NO!  Off!  Off!  So, I slept on the couch.

Sunday:  It started of great!  I had a early morning walk and then,

Karen put some really yummy Wolf Wilderness wet treats on top of the food and I gobbled it all up.  But then, they both left, leaving me with just a little black & white cat named Spunky Doodle who pretty much just laid around.  She didn't pay much attention to me at all!  I didn't know what was up or what to do and I missed them.  They were gone about 3 hours and I heard them come back.  I ran to the windows and got maybe a bit too excited and shoved my nose through the screen.  Karen was very mad, Gerard seemed to be in shock. 

After that though, they both took me on a half hour walk to a place called Bartell's.  It was air-conditioned and I got weighed in at 58 lbs.  That night, Karen through a nice soft Indians bedspread on the floor at the end of the bed where I slept. 

Monday:  I went to Bartel's again, but this time I saw a vet who did a comprehensive exam, gave me a
couple shots and sold Gerard some Bravecto and Interceptor to protect me from heartworm and fleas and ticks (those are nasty things that can cause problems for doggies).  They also tested me for different bad things that ticks may have caused, but I passed and was declared healthy!  I think they'll be keeping me since they paid $400 for vet care.  Even Karen must care, I know Gerard does!

Tuesday:  I had a very fun day with Gerard.  We walked through a park and did more walks too.  I met
even more nice people.  Then after Karen got home from work, they took me to a store called PetSmart that was really fun!  I behaved very well and walked around with Gerard while Karen bought stuff for me:  steps to make it easier for me to get in and out of the car, my very own big crate with a nice mat and more of those yummy Wolf Wilderness wet treats with gravy.  Karen and Gerard put up my crate but didn't let me in it.  They said I could go in tomorrow.  I slept on the floor in their bedroom again on the nice soft bedspread.

Wednesday:  Karen was in a good mood this morning.  She even took me in the backyard and tried playing with me with a tennis ball, but I wasn't much interested.  She ran around the yard with me a bit and then she left.  Gerard took me to the park again and this time we even did both sides and then around by Parma High School.  It was a good long walk!  Karen came back home and put a Kong with kibble in it and a Purina Busy Bone filled with good stuff, and water inside my crate.  Then I finally got to go in; but then, they both left for almost 5 hours!  They said something about going to an Indians game.  I was very happy when they finally came back! 

They both took me on walks.  My walk with Karen was very exciting!  I met a huge black dog that was lying on it's front porch and his daddy was sitting on the steps.  I watched it very closely, and Argo, that's it's name, watched me.  Both our owners held us so we couldn't really sniff each other.  Karen kept telling to to come'on.  Let's go Roxy.  I did.  Then, we turned the corner and I saw two little creatures that Karen called Ferrets.  They were in a big cage and the lady was very nice.  She said I could come and check them out, but Karen was holding back and kept telling me to come'on, let's go.  She always seems to want to keep going instead of letting me explore and make new friends.  I hope she let's me show how friendly and nice I can be soon!

I am looking forward to what will happen tomorrow!  Howl!  Please let me know if you think I should continue this blogging thing in the comments.

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