Tracker, back on track
Apr. 4th, 2005 10:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
trystinnWe had a scary moment this morning that I've sort of put off writing about all day.
A bit of background:
I'm a zookeeper on a small scale. We have three dogs (basset hound, border collie & collie), on cat, two rabbits (turns out they are both females, so no babies) and until this weekend, we had a fish. *See beforementioned cat for explanation*
My menagerie, as its become to be known, is very important to me. I grew up a sick kid with allergies and had various surgeries, etc. as I got older. Life in our household was tough...there were problems none of us really wanted to deal with. And my folks, despite all the medical tests to the contrary, kept insisting I must somehow be allergic to animals. We had cats, rabbits, but a dog would be too much. But as a family, we kept going downhill, even as my health started getting better. So in the midst of all this, we ended up getting a golden retriever puppy. A puppy that was supposed to help my brother adjust through his troubles. She helped us all, in the long run.
That puppy, Duchess, changed our family forever. For the better. When Shawn died, it was a comfort to have his dog with us for a few more years, it was like having a piece of Shawn still with us, still living. And again, this miraculous dog helped us heal. And when she turned thirteen, it was all I could do to be the merciful woman I like to think I am and accept when it was time to send her on. The Summerlands, the Rainbow Bridge, whatever you choose to call it - sending her there broke my heart like very little else on this planet can do.
So now that I'm an adult (somewhat), I chose specifically to marry a man who loves animals. He already had a VERY large bassset hound and I had my 4-year old cat when we first met and recently adopted a border collie. It wasn't love at first sight for the pets, though. Tracker was annoyed by my young Gracie bouncing around and chasing balls. Fudge (the cat) hated Josh and peed on his side of the bed every chance he got. And to be honest, I was afraid of Tracker. Since he took every possible opportunity to intimidate and ignore me when I tried to get him to obey me. And by Gods, this dog was huge! Four feet long (not counting that tail), 90 pounds...this wasn't a dog, it was a water buffalo on rabbit legs with flatulence that can empty a house!
And Tracker felt the same way about me. His former owner's wife had threatened to leave him by the side of the road after replacing him with a yappy little fluffball. Which is how Josh eneded up with him. Tracker didn't trust women and he didn't like his dad spending time with me, especially for the sleepovers when he ended up on the sofa instead of the bed.
But somehow, Tracker & Gracie became friends and somehow, Josh and I made it work on a grand scale. And months later, Tracker and I decided to trust each other and he's now my beautiful big boy who follows me around the house with those big, droopy eyes of his, his ears rotating to their full flushed position to let me know, its either treat time or rubbing time, my choice, preferably both in his book.
An as for Josh, for our engagement, he brought home the mini-lops bunnies. After we purchased our home this month, a house specifically chosen for its beautiful 1/2 acre of wooded backyard, I reluctantly agreed to adding another dog to our already perfect mix. Gracie had finally settled into a nice yong dog with decent manners. Fudge and Gracie were playing nicely, as were the rabbits and those two and Tracker had finally resigned himself to life behind toddler gates when the rabbits were running loose.
So Friday, we went to adopt a dog Josh had his eyes on since December. Only the dog hated Gracie, as did evey other dog we tried with her from the shelter until we tried a 11 year old big female collie. So Tracker adored her, as he does most ladies, another good sign. Unfortunately, Glory, as we've decided to call her (as in Queen Glory), immediately came home to pitch a fight with both Tracker & Gracie. Then tried going after me as I tried to brush out the matts in her coat.
Not an auspicious beginning. But Josh's heart was won and we're all trying to adjust. There hasn't been any more fights, so we're beginning to breathe easy.
Then, this morning comes. Tracker's teeth cleaning appt and the bunnies physical exams. Only there's no teeth cleaning, there's a heart murmur. So $600 + in vet bills and we found out he has an enlarged heart, no fluid on his lungs, we need to wait days for the cardiologist review, which the vet admits she's found fault with before...and now we wait for news. And the teeth cleaning is re-scheduled for Friday.
Tracker is exhausted, the girls are sleeping, the rabbits glad to be back in their cages, Josh is at work, I'm a nervous wreck and Fudge is asleep on my lap.
Situation Normal For Now
A bit of background:
I'm a zookeeper on a small scale. We have three dogs (basset hound, border collie & collie), on cat, two rabbits (turns out they are both females, so no babies) and until this weekend, we had a fish. *See beforementioned cat for explanation*
My menagerie, as its become to be known, is very important to me. I grew up a sick kid with allergies and had various surgeries, etc. as I got older. Life in our household was tough...there were problems none of us really wanted to deal with. And my folks, despite all the medical tests to the contrary, kept insisting I must somehow be allergic to animals. We had cats, rabbits, but a dog would be too much. But as a family, we kept going downhill, even as my health started getting better. So in the midst of all this, we ended up getting a golden retriever puppy. A puppy that was supposed to help my brother adjust through his troubles. She helped us all, in the long run.
That puppy, Duchess, changed our family forever. For the better. When Shawn died, it was a comfort to have his dog with us for a few more years, it was like having a piece of Shawn still with us, still living. And again, this miraculous dog helped us heal. And when she turned thirteen, it was all I could do to be the merciful woman I like to think I am and accept when it was time to send her on. The Summerlands, the Rainbow Bridge, whatever you choose to call it - sending her there broke my heart like very little else on this planet can do.
So now that I'm an adult (somewhat), I chose specifically to marry a man who loves animals. He already had a VERY large bassset hound and I had my 4-year old cat when we first met and recently adopted a border collie. It wasn't love at first sight for the pets, though. Tracker was annoyed by my young Gracie bouncing around and chasing balls. Fudge (the cat) hated Josh and peed on his side of the bed every chance he got. And to be honest, I was afraid of Tracker. Since he took every possible opportunity to intimidate and ignore me when I tried to get him to obey me. And by Gods, this dog was huge! Four feet long (not counting that tail), 90 pounds...this wasn't a dog, it was a water buffalo on rabbit legs with flatulence that can empty a house!
And Tracker felt the same way about me. His former owner's wife had threatened to leave him by the side of the road after replacing him with a yappy little fluffball. Which is how Josh eneded up with him. Tracker didn't trust women and he didn't like his dad spending time with me, especially for the sleepovers when he ended up on the sofa instead of the bed.
But somehow, Tracker & Gracie became friends and somehow, Josh and I made it work on a grand scale. And months later, Tracker and I decided to trust each other and he's now my beautiful big boy who follows me around the house with those big, droopy eyes of his, his ears rotating to their full flushed position to let me know, its either treat time or rubbing time, my choice, preferably both in his book.
An as for Josh, for our engagement, he brought home the mini-lops bunnies. After we purchased our home this month, a house specifically chosen for its beautiful 1/2 acre of wooded backyard, I reluctantly agreed to adding another dog to our already perfect mix. Gracie had finally settled into a nice yong dog with decent manners. Fudge and Gracie were playing nicely, as were the rabbits and those two and Tracker had finally resigned himself to life behind toddler gates when the rabbits were running loose.
So Friday, we went to adopt a dog Josh had his eyes on since December. Only the dog hated Gracie, as did evey other dog we tried with her from the shelter until we tried a 11 year old big female collie. So Tracker adored her, as he does most ladies, another good sign. Unfortunately, Glory, as we've decided to call her (as in Queen Glory), immediately came home to pitch a fight with both Tracker & Gracie. Then tried going after me as I tried to brush out the matts in her coat.
Not an auspicious beginning. But Josh's heart was won and we're all trying to adjust. There hasn't been any more fights, so we're beginning to breathe easy.
Then, this morning comes. Tracker's teeth cleaning appt and the bunnies physical exams. Only there's no teeth cleaning, there's a heart murmur. So $600 + in vet bills and we found out he has an enlarged heart, no fluid on his lungs, we need to wait days for the cardiologist review, which the vet admits she's found fault with before...and now we wait for news. And the teeth cleaning is re-scheduled for Friday.
Tracker is exhausted, the girls are sleeping, the rabbits glad to be back in their cages, Josh is at work, I'm a nervous wreck and Fudge is asleep on my lap.
Situation Normal For Now
