Autism is not a tragedy Ignorance is!

What a dog she was!

Today is a sad day in our home. Bridget took a turn for the worse yesterday. She stopped eating and we barely could get her to drink. Her strength was minimal and after consulting a local vet we decided that there was nothing else we could do for her. Even with all the medical services the vet could provide he could not guarantee that she would live through the weekend. So to forgo the high cost of care we have chosen to end her misery.
It's not something we wanted to do but the previous owners whether by accident (she ran away?) or due to not having the resources did not take care of her, therefore making it very difficult to help her. When animal services came to get her the gentlemen were completely amazed at her condition. They too could not believe what they saw and they pick up strays all the time.
Had she been taken care of properly, she would have been a very loving and loyal dog. She showed us that in the time she was with us. The two days she had the strength she followed us every where, laying in our lap or at our feet. She could have been a happy, ball/soft toy fetching pup. She showed us that by carrying around a small beany baby basset hound. She was all of these things and could have lived a long happy dogs life had she had the proper care and love.
When you see a stray wondering your streets remember Bridget and don't close your door or turn a blinds eye. Reach out and do something! Even support your local animal shelter! There are hundreds of dogs, cats, and other animals searching for a home...have your dog or cat spayed or neutered!

We have a name!

What's in a name? A name gives a pet a place of belonging, character and a connection with their caregivers. For us it has created a new family member.
First thank you to all that responded to a private email asking for names!
It was a hard decision to make! We had over 25 names to chose from. It came down to two...Dixie and Bridget. It took us more than 5 times voting as a family. Each time it was tied. Finally we put each name in a bowl and everyone got to pick a folded piece of paper....democracy at its best...no recount due to "chads" here!
Drum roll please........

The winning name is...........BRIDGET!

Jaron picked this name and stuck to it all day! In the end it won by a lead of 2 votes. Remember though it was all done by chosing a paper out of the bowl! Both names were equally loved. Other runner ups were as follows;

Mia, Hope, Lucky, Rosie, Trixie, Chansu, Daisy, Holly

Personally I loved Dixie but since we did not chose this dog, God gave her to us we decided that a family vote is what was needed this time around.

Update:
Bridget is doing better every hour we see a change. She is wagging her tail even though it seems to be broken in one spot. She has gained enough strength to push a fan out of the way to get in the house. Tonight she started barking at the ferrets in a soft voice but its a good sign her hunting insticts are there. Also just a few moments ago we heard her scratching at the door to come in. All good signs.
Tonight in Adventure Kids at church we discussed how God cares for the sparrows...cats...dogs... and how much more He cares for us (Luke 12:6-7).
If God's word says he cares for His creation then He cares for Bridget. Please pray that Bridget's neck and back muscles will begin to loosen up and that she will be able to turn her neck on her own. We belive it is due to the starvation she has endured because after I massage her neck for 15 minutes she is able with my gentle help to turn her head. God can do a miracle for her just as He does even more for us.

Refugees...

Our refugee has brought another refugee to our

home. Monday, Baby (to give her a name)

showed up on our porch. She is a small beagle,

maybe 2/3 yrs old, who has definitely been

mistreated and not fed in a very long time.

She is nothing but skin and bones

and is so weak! It's sad to see her in this

shape or any dog for that matter!
All I could think about was what a great

dog she could be if someone would have

just taken care of her.

Just a moment to rant!!
In my honest opinion people
that treat dogs or any animals this way

should be treated the same! No animal

deserves to starve to death and be mistreated

this way! If you can't even feed your pet the

scraps off your table, that you will probably

throw in the garbage,

then DON'T get another pet!
It may not be the best diet for the animal
but at least it isn't starving to death!


Monday the temp outside was 99 degrees

w/a heat index of 108. The dog was so hot I

immediately tried to scoop her up but
she fell off the porch and just laid there.

It was so sad. I put her in the tub, cooled her

down and cleaned her up. She was covered

in briers, mud and a few ticks.

My good friend Michele, (thank you) has been

such a help with her. She gave us some great advice

on how to help her. She has been wormed, bathed,

tick & flea meds. given and we have been feeding

her every 4 times a day 1/2 cup of dry puppy

food mixed with a tablespoon of cottage cheese.
At first she was barely able to finish the 1/2 cup

but she isnow able to finish it and looks for more.

She is gaining her strength back. Her eyes

are no longer glassy and she has even barked at

our ferrets once or twice. She likes to follow us

around, specially the kids. Last night she started

wagging her tail when she saw me.

Which is a huge improvement!

For now we have a new pet. We are going to nurse

her back to health and see how she does. My intentions

were to nurse her to health and then find a home for her,

but Sean seems to have taken to her and has said

we may keep her. We'll see...

Update on the other refugees!

Oh our other refugees (Judah and Buddy-the brother)

are still camping out on our front lawn. We are not

feeding them hoping they'll go home. Personally

I would love to keep Judah. So far though

they just come and go. Judah pretty much stays

here. They are thieves! We keep finding articles of

clothing in our yard every morning that do

not belong to us. Not sure where these two are

getting them from. We an old baby blanket,

boxer shorts and this am we had

a torn up teddy bear.