Off The Leash

April was an incredibly busy month for me. Then again, most always are. But primarily, there were so many emotional ups and downs, which finally culminated in my first vacation in nearly seven years.

On April 15, I officially adopted Hemingway. I knew I was hooked the first day he arrived at the ranch. In fact, Tim made sure that was the last puppy handed to me out of the crate. It was like looking at a darker baby of DaVinci. We named all the other puppies after Harry Potter characters, and I reserved the right to name my new little husky bear. I swore I wasn't going to adopt him, but everyone around me knew better. I have been in love with DaVinci since I first saw his photo, and Hemingway was no different. As he's gotten older, his coat has changed color a bit, and people who don't know better think he belongs to Vinnie. However, if you watch, Hemingway really thinks he belongs to Hannah, following her everywhere and even snuggling with her in the crate. He's still a wild puppy, never wanting to come inside because playtime ends. But with those eyes and his spirit, he'll be an excellent addition to our pack.

So that was the fun puppy stuff this month. Since the last of Hemingway's litter was adopted by mid-month, I ventured to take a few more puppies from animal control. I went in to get two and left with eight - that seems to keep happening to me. Within just a few days, we realized we were contending with Parvo again. Knowing we couldn't make the entire litter through hospital stays, we got the first puppy to the ER and had her put on IVs through the night. Then I had the tending vet give us a prescription for the other seven to start on Tamiflu. I had read where other rescues were having great success at saving parvo puppies by using it. I was willing to try anything to save these puppies. It was 8 pm on Sunday and I worried about losing puppies while I slept through the night. By 9:30 (and after an excruciating wait at Walgreen's) I was home and medicating the other puppies. The next morning, the puppy at the ER was moved to our regular vet, and I arrived for two other appointments that morning. Sadly, halfway through our second appointment, we lost the puppy. I hadn't had her very long but it still hurt so much. A few days later, two more puppies died over night. I still haven't gotten over them. The other puppies are still pulling through, though we found out last week they also have coccidia and still had hookworms after their first deworming. Two puppies also have kennel cough, so we're really just having loads of fun at the ranch.

I don't think anyone can ever really fully understand the emotional roller coaster I live from one day to the next with these dogs. They never come to us in perfect health, and lots come with baggage. I honestly don't even know what attracts me to those special needs pups, but something always does. Which is how I ended up with Millie, Vienna, Maddie, Cisco, Summer and Candy as well within the last two weeksm not to mention eight kittens from animal control. (For those of you keeping count, that is 14 canines at once - the kittens, aka "snacks" according to the pups, are at two other foster homes.) Needless to say, my patience had been wearing thin, as had my appetite and sleep routine. So last weekend, I took my first vacation in a long, LONG, time.

It's hard to remember a time I didn't have a cell phone or email, but for four days, I shed my electronic leashes and just enjoyed life. I went to an aquarium and took a behind-the-scenes tour, enjoyed a beautiful dinner on the levee, and even spent an entire day at a roller coaster park. Granted, the weather was well below temperatures I like to endure, but being able to sleep in, go to bed early, or just rest on the couch for a few hours and read a book was amazing. But back to the grindstone I am again, prepping for a big morning tomorrow, a volunteer social on Saturday night, and a week-long animal welfare conference in just two weeks. I'm quite sure my next vacation won't come soon enough.