Turning Grief into a Fundraiser- Animal Donation Drive

When my youngest son Ian was in 5th grade, he lost both of his pets. our cat Tony and our dog Harley. He was heart-broken. Shortly after Tony's death, Ian and I were watching tv and a commercial came on soliciting donations for neglected and abused pets. I remember him crying. He asked me if instead of Christmas gifts that year, could he ask Santa for money so he could give it to the animals in need.

We decided to help Ian with an animal donation drive. He asked his principal if he could do a contest at school. The homeroom with the most donated items would win a pizza party- compliments of my husband and me. The principal agreed, and before long, the donations came pouring in. The entire school district got involved.

We filled the two family cars with all of the donations and drove them to the local animal shelter. Ian was given a tour of the facility and was even able to pet some of the animals. He wanted to bring all of them home with us. 

Fast forward to today, 5 years later. Our cat Flip died on this past Saturday. We have all been missing Flip, but Ian has turned his grief into compassion once more. He drafted a donation letter to be sent to local businesses, his school, friends and family members. He intends to collect as many items as possible to be donated to our local shelter in honor of Flip.

I am so proud of my son. His compassion is one of his greatest gifts. I am blessed to be his mom.

sad...

My sweet boy Flip crossed over the Rainbow bridge at 5 AM Saturday morning. I am devastated. He was only 7 years old. The Vet said we did everything we could, but that doesn't make it hurt any less.

Ripley misses his best friend.

Rest easy, Flip. We love you.

Flip Update

Flip has to spend another night at the vet. hospital. :( He is unable to breathe well once he is out of the oxygen tent. Poor guy. I feel awful!

My sweet cat has asthma

My poor Flip. :( He hasn't been feeling well for a couple of weeks. Shortly after Christmas, he was sick. We thought it was just hairballs, but looking back, he exhibited some of the same symptoms as he is now- hacking, loss of appetite, listlessness.

I came home from work yesterday, and my son Jake was siting on the floor with Flip. Jake was crying. He told me Flip was very sick. He was having trouble breathing and peed on the carpet. I called the Vet's office. They told me to bring him right in. My heart hurt for my son. He loves Flip so much.

When we got there, the tech took him straight to the back and put him on oxygen. I was instructed to sit and wait in the exam room while they got Flip stable. I wanted to hold Flip, but I wasn't permitted to go in the back. I wondered if Flip was scared. Every time a tech walked past the window, I hoped for news.

I waited 25 minutes before the Vet came in the room to talk to me. She said Flip was in an oxygen tent and was doing better. She did an x-ray and bloodwork. From what she could tell immediately, Flip has asthma. She also suspects pneumonia because his white blood cell count and his temperature are elevated. They kept him overnight so they could keep him in the oxygen tent. She also said more test results would come in today. Now, I wait.

I never realized that a cat could have asthma. I need to find a mask that is made for cats. I only hope he will tolerate the mask as he is a bit stubborn.

I feel like an awful mommy. I should have taken Flip in to the Vet before now. I don't like knowing that he suffered, and I could have prevented it. :(

Wordless Wednesday

Love my Ripley and Flip!

We have results.

I tried to wait patiently for the vet to call me today. I knew they didn't open until nine AM, and I wanted to give them time to actually get the report. Even so, by 11:30, I just couldn't wait any longer.

I called and was told that only a partial report was back and was informed that I had to wait for the vet to call with the results. Of course, that made me worry even more. If there news was good, they would just tell me, right?

So, I {very impatiently} waited to hear from our vet. Finally, she called and explained that Ripley tested positive for Lyme disease. She went on to explain that the Lyme was causing the lameness, pain, and inability to eat and drink. His kidney function is a concern, so we need to have that checked. What couldn't be explained are the sores. Her best guess is a skin allergy that caused the infection. Can't be sure though. So, for now, we will continue the antibiotics, which Ripley will have to take for a full month, and we will have his kidney function assessed.

It's important that we find a way to get Ripley to eat and drink. So far, we have been mostly unsuccessful. JC stayed home with him today. He told me that he just can't coax Ripley to drink. He will eat the baby food, but that's it.

The vet asked me to bring him back today for more fluids and medication. Since he isn't eating, she explained the injections were the best route for now.

My mother-in-law offered to take Ripley to her house for the rest of the week since she could be with him all day and night. JC and I can't be with him, though I wish I could stay home to take care of my baby. Agreeing to let him go was not easy. I feel like I should be the one caring for him. He has been my shadow through all of this, and I worry he will miss me so much that he'll get worse.

Even so, Grammy will pick Ripley up tomorrow morning and take him to her house two hours away. I know he is in good hands. Grammy loves Ripley as much as I do, and she will do everything to make sure he is healing. I'm just going to miss him. :(

Ripley Update

My sweet dog Ripley is a very sick guy. He has stopped eating and drinking. He has open sores on his back and front paws. He has difficulty walking as his back end keeps giving out. He is in pain. He cries and whines constantly. It is breaking my heart. He is only 3 years, 11 months old.

We went to see the vet. She assessed him and explained that she didn't know what was going on, but Ripley is indeed quite sick. She recommended a full blood work-up, subcutaneous fluids, and injections of antibiotics, Pepcid, and Zofran. Additionally, she shaved the areas on his back where the sores are so we could put a powder on them once a day. She explained that many things can be causing these symptoms in Ripley, and we won't know for sure what's going on until the blood tests come back on Monday. She assured me she'd call as soon as she had the results.

I took Ripley home and asked Ian to stay with him while I went to the grocery store to pick some things up for him. The vet suggested we try to feed him boiled chicken and rice, and if he won't eat that, then baby food. Once I returned home, I tried to coax him to eat, but he wouldn't. I am so worried.

Please keep my sweet boy in your thoughts. Waiting for the results is going to be so hard.

sick Ripley :(

These past couple of days, Ripley just hasn't been himself.  At first, he seemed to be just a little more clingy than usual.  Then, we noticed him licking, scratching, and biting his front left paw and an area just behind his right shoulder.  That same night, he didn't sleep at all.  He cried, moaned, tossed and turned, and licked all night.  All night.

Since he still had a good appetite and was playful the next morning, I assumed he was feeling better.  Not so.  By evening, he was miserable again.  

This morning, he was having difficulty walking.  His back-end kept giving out. He didn't want me to leave either. Ian didn't have school today, so I was relieved that Ripley wouldn't be alone.

We have a vet appointment this afternoon.  Please keep my sweet boy in your thoughts. I am so worried.

My favorite time of day...

Love to snuggle with my Ripley! He's such a lover. :)

Spring has {finally} sprung!

Mother Nature has been playing some cruel tricks on us this year. Every time we think that the wet white stuff is gone for good, she sends us more. Seriously. Not cool. I do love living in Pennsylvania, but I am definitely no fan of winter.

Ripley shares my distaste for winter too. Typically I can not let Ripley outside without a leash. Even with two acres of yard to play in, he runs off to explore. If he catches sight of a squirrel, deer, bear, or his arch- nemesis Nala, he bolts out of the yard. So, no freedom for Ripley. Even so, in the winter, Ripley doesn't want to be outside. He does his thing and runs right back to the door. As much as Ripley likes to take walks, they are few and far between in the winter.

It has been a beautiful few days, so I am pretty sure spring is here to stay. To celebrate, Ripley and I went for a nice, long walk. We saw green grass poking up through dead, brown earth. We heard birds singing to one another. Heck, Ripley was so excited to be out that he didn't even bark at the neighbors we passed along the way. {Progress}

Today, Mother Nature is kind.

beautiful day for a walk

Mother Nature has been quite indecisive lately. Typically, snow is finished by early March. Not this year. We had snow just this week!

Today was beautiful- sun shining and capri sweats kind of warm. When I caught Ripley sitting on the top of the couch staring out the window, I knew he was asking me to take him out for a walk. How could I resist that face?

Could one of these pups be the one for us?

I truly scour Petfinder daily. Several times a day, in fact. Just today I found these two beauties. JC likes both. Putting in our application and waiting. :)

the search continues

I have been spending way too much time searching for a sister dog for Ripley. I'm overwhelmed by all of the sweet dogs who, for whatever reason, are in need of a home. I truly wish I could adopt all of them.

Ripley is a fussy dog. He loves his people and tolerates the cat. He does not get along with dogs that are bigger than him {He really thinks he can kill Nala, our neighbor's friendly black lab.}. On walks, he becomes a little mean when we pass other, bigger dogs. Even so, his best friend is Little One, my mother-in-law's senior black lab. Maybe he likes her because she is female.

At any rate, we decided to play it safe and look for a female. She needs to be smaller than Ripley and younger too. Petfinder is am amazing site. I can input the qualities we are hoping for, and their search engine creates a list of dogs that meet that criteria.

The type of dog we are looking for narrows our options quite a bit, but I am certain we will find the right dog to add to our family.

Posted with Blogsy

Wordless Wednesday

I {love} my Flip and Ripley!

Time for a friend for Ripley

We rescued Ripley three years ago. At the time, we spent hours online looking for the perfect pup to add to our family. We knew we wanted a small dog. It had to be a low-shedding breed due to Ian's asthma. We preferred a young dog. We narrowed our search to a handful of breeds (miniature schnauzer, Yorkie, havanese, Maltese, and bichon) and continued our search.

As luck would have it, happened upon the Save a Yorkie website. There, I saw a photo of the miniature schnauzer/Yorkie mix who would later become ours. I was instantly in love with Ripley's furry brown face and chocolate brown eyes. He looked sweet yet shy. I knew he was destined to join our family. We completed the online application and waited.

I didn't realize how much went into adopting a dog from a rescue. After the initial application, there were phone calls, reference checks, and a home visit. Then, we got the call that Ripley was ours! What a wonderful day that was!

Every day is a blessing with our Ripley.

Fast forward to now... Ripley spends his days alone while the boys, JC and I are at school. He's such a good boy while we are gone, and I think that maybe, just maybe it is time to bring Ripley a little sister. :)

JC did not agree at first, but he has agreed to allow me to once again, begin the search for a dog to add to our family. I am so excited! I hope Ripley will be excited too. :)

Posted with Blogsy

Flip's favorite time of year

Our cat, Flip, loves when we put up the Christmas tree. Oh, he doesn't seem to bother it when it is undecorated. He waits until all the ornaments, lights, and ribbons adorn the tree before he makes it his own personal playground. He lays on the tree skirt, mostly belly up, swiping at the ornaments. I can't tell you how many I have to pick up off the floor everyday. I am waiting for the day we hear the whole tree crash!

He looks innocent in the picture, doesn't he? Oh, looks can be SO deceiving!

Nootie Dog Shampoo and Daily Spritz Combo~ Feature Review

Adopting our dog Ripley, a miniature schnauzer/yorkie mix, has brought our family many smiles and lots of laughter. Before we brought him home, we researched what his temperament might be like, what supplies we needed, and how to best take care of his grooming needs.

After some trial and error, we settled into a grooming routine and now take Ripley to the doggie spa about every six weeks. Even so, Ripley is a curious little dog and tends to get into things he shouldn't- like mud and deer doo, so there are times we have to bathe Ripley at home.

Fortunately, for times like those, I have a bottle of Nootie Shampoo and Daily Spritz Combo that I like to use.

{About Nootie}The inspiration for nootie began while searching for shampoo for our dog. We discovered most pet shampoo fragrances were not very appealing and thought, "Why not... indulge our dog with the same fragrances we so often enjoy ourselves?"
Hence, nootie was born. Many pet shampoo fragrances last a meager period of time as well as offer insignificant, if any, clinical benefit for your dog. We championed to find a solution. Our formulators, equipped with more than 20 years experience providing products to the veterinarian industry, developed a line of shampoo and spritz that offer long lasting, tantalizing scents as well as numerous benefits for your dog's coat and skin. With a plethora of naturally derived ingredients such as Aloe and Oatmeal, Essential Fatty Acids, Sweet Almond Oil, Rosemary and Jojoba oil, you will notice a distinct difference in your dogs coat and skin. Coats will be soft and shiny, while a multitude of skin problems will be alleviated.

Nootie sent us a bottle of their Shampoo and Daily Spritz Combo in their Cucumber Melon Scent. The fresh scent of cucumber melon combined with aloe and oatmeal helps relieve dry, itchy skin while leaving Ripley smelling fresh and clean. Not a huge fan of sweet smells, I worried at first that the smell would be too overpowering, but it isn't. The scent is subtle, light and only slightly sweet. It reminds me of the cucumber melon products at Bath and Body Works.
The top portion of the bottle contains 12 ozs of Soothing Cucumber Melon shampoo. The bottom bottle contains 4 oz's of Nootie's daily spritz in the same long lasting fragrance which conditions and freshens Ripley's coat.

{About the Shampoo and Daily Spritz Combo}
- Long lasting fragrance
- Made with natural ingredients
- Soap & paraben free
- No sulfates or harsh chemicals
- Safe to use along with topical flea & tick products
Ingredients Shampoo - Purified Water, Decyl Glucoside, Coco Betaine, Glycerin, Polyquat 7 (Conditioner), Oatmeal Extract, Aloe Concentrate, infused with essence of Cucumber Melon, Preservative Daily

Spritz - Purified Water, SDA 40 Alcohol, Nonoxynol 9, Polyquat 7, Glycerin, infused with essence of Cucumber Melon, Preservative
I have been using the Nootie Shampoo and Daily Spritz Combo on Ripley for about a couple of months now. I have noticed his coat seems healthier. There's a shine to it that wasn't there before. In between trips to the groomer, I use the daily spritz on Ripley. (I LOVE the spritz!) It is a terrific detangler! Ripley’s coat is shiny and soft, and he smells great too! Two things I like best about this product is that it is safe to use- no harsh chemicals, and the soft, great smelling fur lasts a long time.

{Buy It}
I highly recommend Nootie products for any dog owner. You can purchase the smampoo and spritz combo for only $19.99 on Nootie's website. It's worth every penny!

Disclosure:
The product(s) provided for the review were sent to me free of charge from the company or the PR agency. The product(s) offered for the giveaway are free of charge, no purchase necessary. My opinions are my own and not by any means influenced by any other part.

Around the Collar: Feature Review

Life with Ripley gets more interesting by the day. One moment I have this adorable, fluffy dog, and the next, a dog with a lot less hair.

You see, I took Ripley for a spa day, assuming he'd enjoy (ha ha) a shampoo, nail trim, and after a soothing brushing, a little trim of his beautiful, curly coat. I didn't expect that when I went to pick him up after his four hour (Yes, it did take that long! Perhaps that should have been a hint to me.) stay at the groomer's, he'd have a whole lot less hair than he had when I took him in!! The groomer told me that she misunderstood me and thought I asked for Ripley to be shaved.

Regardless, my now short-haired pooch is able to properly review the simply stunning All-in-One Harness that we were sent by Sharon from Around the Collar.

About Around the Collar (from their website):
In 2001, with over 20 years in the leather accessories business, we entered the wonderful world of pets. We take pride in producing fashion savvy collars, leashes, harnesses and carriers with the same craftsmanship and attention we use to produce fine designer handbags and belts.

We truly believe that you and your pet should always be "well accessorized" and never compromise. At Around the Collar, detail is never forgotten. We use top-grade leather (even for our linings!), genuine Swarovski stones and create everything in our New York Studio to ensure your pet is stylish and comfortable. Every item is treated with love and care and dedicated to the ones we all adore … our pets.

I first stumbled upon the Around the Collar website when I was searching the internet for items with which to pamper the female miniature schnauzer we hoped to rescue, Bella. I was immediately drawn to the unique and stunning items offered by Around the Collar. Just glancing at the images, I could picture our new pup sporting a bubble-gum pink leather collar with white leather flowers and Swarovski crystals. I knew I HAD to have some bling for Bella, but without knowing her measurements, I had to put an order on hold.

Fast forward several weeks, and we found that Bella was not meant to be; rather, we were chosen by Ripley to be his forever family. Once again, I contacted Sharon, and after a wonderful chat on the phone where we discussed Ripley, blogging, her business, and San Francisco and NYC (I absolutely love her NY accent!), Sharon told me she and her husband (the creative geniuses behind the one-of-a kind Around the Collar designs) would custom-make Ripley an All-in-One Harness based on the measurements I provided her.

When the harness arrived in the mail, I was first impressed by the beautiful design and excellent craftsmanship. It is a soft brown leather with contrast stitching and an oval slider. On the slider is an image of a dog. Quite unique. After playing around a little with it on Ripley, I figured out how it worked (Poor Rip had to endure a bit of patience with me on this one!) If only I would have realized right away that the leather oval slider on the harness is what made the harness adjustable and secure. Silly me didn't even try that until after Ripley wore the harness several times!

I must say, now that we have had many walks with the harness, I love how easy it is to slip on Ripley. He looks handsome, and no matter where we go, we are stopped by at least one person comments on the harness. Everyone who has seen it agrees that it is truly unique. You simply will not find anything like it in your typical pet store.

If you are in need of a new collar, leash, or harness (or if you are like me and love to spoil your pet), then I highly recommend Around the Collar for your pet! Whether you are looking for some sweet bling, fancy flowers, tough studs, or some other design, you will find a vast selection of materials and decorative touches at Around the Collar. You won't find anything quite like their designs, and most definitely not with the excellent craftsmanship you'll get with Around the Collar.

After all, doesn't your pet deserve the very best?

Disclosure:
The product(s) provided for the review were sent to me free of charge from the company or the PR agency. The product(s) offered for the giveaway are free of charge, no purchase necessary. My opinions are my own and not by any means influenced by any other part.

Kyjen Hide-a-Squirrel Junior: Feature Review

Our little dog Ripley loves to play. All. The. Time. For the first few weeks after we rescued him, Ripley wore us out with his constant need to play tug-of-war or fetch. Then, I found out about Kyjen. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that Kyjen was a life-saver for all of us.

{About Kyjen}

We design and make toys, games, puzzles, travel products and other quality dog products at fair prices. We have a passion for dogs, and thus feel that they deserve fun, functional products… products that last longer and challenge their minds and instincts so they can be happy and healthy, which in turn enriches all of our lives!

Kyjen offers many products for your pet, and the one that changed our lives is the Hide-a-Squirrel. This toy is an interactive puzzle toy. It comes with a plush hollow base/tree trunk with holes cut into it and three plush squirrels. I hide the squirrels in the trunk, and Ripley works at getting them out. I can make it simple for him, like I did when we fist got the toy, by only placing a small section of the squirrels into the holes. As Ripley learned how to use the toy, I made it more difficult for him by burying the squirrels completely into the trunk. Ripley will literally play with this toy for hours at a time!

If you live with an active dog, you can't go wrong with the Kyjen Hide-a-Squirrel toy! For a mere $12.49, you can make your pooch happy and buy yourself a little sanity as well. :)

Disclosure:
The product(s) provided for the review were sent to me free of charge from the company or the PR agency. The product(s) offered for the giveaway are free of charge, no purchase necessary. My opinions are my own and not by any means influenced by any other part.

Ripley: the first two weeks

Adjusting to life with Ripley has been so easy for us. He really is such a good dog. He is completely housetrained, loves to snuggle, and with two exceptions, hasn't chewed anything except for his toys (more on this later). :)

Ripley loves going for a walk- unless it's raining. The down side to this is that he will only go potty on a walk. Hubby thinks this is a good thing because it's keeping our yard clean. I can see his point, but he's not the one walking Ripley. We go for many treks a day, and if it's raining (which it's done more of these past two weeks than not), Ripley gets stubborn. If I weren't in such a hurry sometimes, it would be cute- his parking his little but down on the street and looking at me as if to say, "Who are you kidding? I am so done with this walk." I give the leash a gentle tug, twice, and then I end up carrying him a few paces, put him back down, and attempt to convince him to walk again. I swear my neighbors must get quick a kick out of this scenario sometimes!

Since Ripley was never crate trained, while we are away from the house, we set up and exercise pen in our kitchen for him to stay in. It keeps him safe and out of trouble- for the most part. Once when we went out for a few hours, hubby set up the pen a little too close to my bookbag. When we returned home, I found pieces of purple material all throughout the pen. Upon further inspection, I found that the bottom was missing from my bookbag. I couldn't figure out how in the heck Ripley managed that until I realized that the bookbag was butted up next to the pen, and Ripley just worked at it through the opening in the pen. So, now we make sure that nothing is close to the sides of the pen when we leave.

When we picked up Ripley from his foster home, we were told that Ripley slept in bed with them. Hubby wasn't so sure if he'd like that, but I have to say, little Rip is such a great sleeper! He snuggles up on our pillows, falls asleep, and stays in bed until I get up in the morning.

Having Ripley in my life has made me so very happy. He is such a great little dog, and I am looking forward to all the years we will spend together. :)