the Vacation from hell

Nothing like a vacation that is tainted from the beginning.

Saturday morning, Kari showed up with her cargo van and 6 crates. We promptly loaded the van with the four dogs I had with me(Focus, Gossip, Gibbs & Wizard), with her boy AM & her puppy Brandy, made for a full load.

Bonnie'd been able to pick up this great Dane sized crate, and we could've easily fit 3 dogs into it (it's as big as the backseat of my neon, which I fit FOUR dogs into LOL) and Focus & her brother got that, the punky teenage boy Gibbbs got his own crate, and Gossip in her own as she was at the tail end of her season.

We finished packing the rest of the items I had, and headed off. .

As I stated, not far into our trip, I get a call that Panda isn't doing well, and that seriously sets the mood for the rest of the week. It is hell trying to make decisions for one of your 'kids' when you're not home to look in their eyes, to see if they're ready to let go, or if they still want to fight. I had to take the Vet's almost daily checkups(for which I am seriously thankful for, I know from previous experience, not all vets do this, she went above and beyond the call of duty, including sending me a heart rendering, hand written condolence note) and make decisions that way, and hope they weren't the wrong ones.

This depression was interspersed by silliness with Kari. I am so thankful she went with me, as I very well would've turned around and came home as soon as I received that call if I'd been alone. Quite a bit of the week was done on sleep depravation, as I couldn't sleep, tossed and turned. . .it was so bad, my bed buddy Gossip wouldn't sleep with me, probably from my tossing and turning, and she ALWAYS is in bed with me at hotels. In her opinion, the best part of traveling is bed rights.

Get up Sunday morning, Wizard starts the day off by trying to mount her. So she got pulled from LGRA, unlike others who'd be willing to run her, I refused to chance the issue of ruining someone else's dog. Wizard did us proud tho, by placing 3rd, he may've been able to beat Bartleby if he'd been in much better shape. Hopefully John'll listen and get this handsome boy in shape. .

The next day was AKC, and Kari took care of the dogs while I became "Field Nazi". . I got sick of how slow the trial was running, so started hollering for dogs to be to the field or to get ready, it made the day go much faster. To my shock, Wizard won his stake, and then went on to win BOB. I was/am still so tickled for his owner.

Gossip continued to frustrate me by telling me bluntly to stick it when we went in to do Rally, it was warm in that ballroom and she refuses to work in those conditions, and well, she's PMSing LOL . . .brat child. . .love her, but ooooh I so wanted to strangle her. Kari spent the time bathing the other 5 dogs, she found a self serve dog bathing place and was able to get them all done and ready for the rest of the weekend. She was not happy with the bathing situations we had at the hotel as it was cooler out the beginning of the week.

While we were in KY, Kari & I started an only in KY running joke, as in only in KY will you find a man exiting Walmart with a t-shirt that says "Redneck & goodlooking"(he wasn't the latter that's for sure), only in KY will you find someone double parking a camry LOl It kept us entertained and kept my mind off of back home. Tho the one that was funny but also a bit terrifying for someone who hates tornados was the sign "TOrnado Storm Shelter" in the local grocery store! EEEK!!

We hit Cracker barrel, found some of the neatest dog toys, a whoopie cushion skunk and a possum LOL We also laughed our butts off at some of the joke shirts/T's, we found (Tho I do know someone who could wear the cap that said "my IQ test came back negative!" LOL)

Wed was puppy sweeps, and Kyra's lil great granddaughter Brandy placed in her 6-9 month class as the youngest and smallest puppy in the ring. She's such a cute little bugger (Father is Carrot(TalynXBrightness) Mother is First (MirXFlyte)) who knows the world is there for her to explore. .

That evening was the Eye seminar, which was very educational. And just brought to light that if the people who have the microopthalmia bugaboo fever need to start stepping to the plate and providing proof of this disease. When CERF says only .1 of dogs examined have it, it's not going to be high on the list of disease research donation. They need to stop euthanising these puppies immediately, get them properly examined and thus recorded

Thursday was the dog classes. . .This was Wizard's first time in the ring, but tho he was unsure of what was expected of him, he handled it like a pro and placed 2nd out of three. I love this dog, his owner truly doesn't realise how hard it is to get a dog who can do all four running events and is as lovely as this boy is. It's goign to be hard letting John have him back, but I hope he'll listen to Kari & I on what this boy needs so he can be back out and running and in the ring this fall.

Gibbs was the comic relief, he has two brain cells, they were having a PARTAY with booze & weed, and the entire world was invited. Everything he'd learned in handling class, left his little empty skull as soon as we entered the ballroom. . he's lucky I love him. I got lots of compliments on him, and most especially his temperament. Not afraid of anything, everyone was his friend.

Then I got to watch the two Hawaiian boys compete against each other in a HUGE Ambred class. . .Maui was handled by Kari. He's a hairy furball, can't believe how much hair Kari wacked out of both of them to find a dog underneath LOL, Payton was shown by one of the Mistraka breeders and he looked GORGEOUS!!! Chris thought the same thing and gave him 4th in the huge Ambred class. I was very pleased. Maui didn't place, but considering it was the first time he'd probably been taken away from his mom's side, I was very pleased with him.

Friday was girls. . .by the time Brandy got back in the ring, she'd had enough and you could tell it. .she still looked good, but didn't have the sparkle she had had earlier that week. Focus's turn was next, and even tho she was very confused at what was wanted(also her first show LOL) and she placed in her HUGE class too.

Although he kept lookign at Gossip, she got nothing in the ring, but lots of compliments outside the ring. .. I was very happy with how she handled it, especially with the fact that storm hit in the middle of ring time, and she's been leary of storms since the one that fried the driveway alarm(and scared ME to death).

The weather stayed pretty mild most of the week, except for those storms on Friday and very warm only the last Saturday, so it made for a less stressful week in that manner. . .you just never know what weather's going to be like, and I was afraid it was going to be horrid and we'd have 6 dogs in the hotel room. Thankfully no tornado worries, tho watching the news, I'd be a bit worried about Kansas for next year

Will say, don't think I couldv'e made it thru the week without Kari. . .I had so much fun with her as my traveling buddy. It made dealing with this many dogs so much easier(I took 5 of them last year). Motel 6 made it very cost feasible. Nope, the 2nd hotel wasn't wonderful, but other than sleeping in it, we didnt' spent all too much time in it til Saturday for under half the cost of the host hotel. . .and boy did we make use of the laundry room(Focus got stress poops. . oh joy).

I have no desire to do any roadtrip for awhile. . I am so beat it's not funny

another angel gone

Pandora 4/6/94-5/22/10

More on the national when life slows down. . . it was a stressful week, as soon as I left, Pandora crashed at the vet. . .a week later, she slipped away, less than 36 hrs before I got home. .She was 16 yrs old, but even that wasn't long enough

She was only special to me, a little mongrel blue torbie kitty with an attitude bigger than her body. . .I got her 15+ yrs ago when a co worker had to get rid of cats, and I knew she was the one, as she was born on my birthday, and so she came to live with me and the dogs
She was the prissy princess, loving to snuggle, barely put up with her little brothers who towards the end would harass her to no end, and since she weighed in at 5 lbs to their 15+ lbs, I had to step in on that.
She moved from TX to NY to MD with me, a constant mouthy companion, she didn't put up with much from anyone. She had an attitude, but I loved it.

20 months ago, she was diganosed with thyroid disease, which we maintained with meds, and even tho she dropped down to 5-5.5 lbs, she maintained that weight for over a year. . .visiting the Vets when I went out of town to make sure she got her meds, which she enjoyed, I called it the spa away from the brats . She got all the canned food she could eat, scritches from the nurses, spoiled rotten

I almost cancelled my trip when she started acting sick two fridays ago, but thought it was the cold that had started going thru the dogs. Knowing she'd be better off at the vets, which is something between an ER & a normal vet, with hrs 7am -11pm, 7 days a week, I reluctantly left her, and headed off. . five hours into the trip I get a call that she'd crashed, they did a chemscreen and SubQ fluids, and by the time we got to the hotel, she'd perked up slightly. The next day, they called to tell me she was eating like a piggy.

THe week was a whirlwind of activities along with worry as she would get better, only to get worse. . .the chemscreen came back almost perfect, which confused the vet . .by Thursday, if I hadn't driven out with my handler, I'd've raced home, as I had a feeling this was it. . .

Friday night, she was in my thoughts all night long, and I sent out a thought to her not to hold on for me, if she was ready to go, go. .. that mommy still loved her even if I couldn't hold her one last time. Yeah, cheesy, but it comforts me. . .

Saturday morning, I got awaken by a call, the call I didn't want, my sweet little princess had slipped away from her failing body. . .the vacation I'd been looking forward to for months, became the vacation from hell . .and I feel so bad for not being there to hold her. . .

These are my kids, so it kills me to lose them. .people tell me it gets easier, but after 15 yrs, gotta say, it doesn't get easier, it hurts like hell each time I lose one of them. She was a sweet loving soul, not important to anyone but me, but she was my baby girl

Find Obie & Kyra up there sweetie. . and wait for mommy

vacationitis

Boy do I hate weeks like this.

I have "Vacationitis" A rarely DX'd disease, it's related to the 'Senioritis' disease so many suffer during senior year in school. .

I don't care, when's my vacation start. .hurry up and get here.

Not that I don't have a ton to do.

Now that I think of it, I shouldn't've entered dogs this weekend in the specialties. I have so much to do before next weekend it's not funny. . .and on top of that, my allergies are kicking my butt. Unfortunately, it kicked Jenny's butt to, and I ended up pulling her for the day.

Stinks, as she was doing so well at class, but don't want her to feel off for her first show. And sounds like it's a miserable day, an hour behind. .. geez. .. glad I stayed home, hopefully Sunday'll be much better!

Tomorrow is a club meeting, which I have no desire to go to, i'm getting really frustrated with the lack of support for any performance event that I've gotten, including the QC event they wanted to put on. . Then Sunday it's Ziva's turn in the ring. . .

And Gossip shows all weekend. She is looking BEAUTIFUL

But I have less than 10 days before we leave for KY. .thank HEAVENS I don't have to do anything but be waiting with 4 dogs for Kari and her van and whatever I need to take with me. But still, a lot of crap to do, get the cats ready for a friend to watch over them, get Pandora ready for her trip to the spa, and pack. I got my blankets washed and packed, that's it lOL Oh, did start packing LOL

Am so looking forward to it, especially since I'll miss the next two. . oh well, more money for me :)