Our first puppy foster; Rosebud

It couldn't have been better timing when I received an email about a puppy that needed to be pulled from the shelter. We definitely needed some puppy love in our home. And this would be our first experience together with a puppy! It's great preparation for having children.

Rosebud was named by the shelter staff & to this day, I am not sure why, because it makes me think of Rosebud from the 'Buddies' movie series who was a fluffy, sweet golden retriever puppy. Our Rosebud was a pitbull rescued from a most certain frightful fate in the ghetto. We found out that her 17 year old handler thought that swinging her by her collar & leash like a yo-yo was appropriate. Thankfully a diligent, kind police officer rescued this little pup & arrested the savage that mistreated her.

After Rosebud's 2 weeks of jail time at the shelter, she came to live with us. She was a feisty puppy & obviously had begun learning bad manners & defense mechanisms in her previous less than loving home. She was definitely in her chewing phase & we were her preferred chew toy. Rosebud kept us on our toes, but was house & crate trained quickly & even bonded with the stubborn resident beagles. As all of the pitbulls we have had, she was eager to please & completely dedicated to her human caregivers. She especially loved wrestling with the kids that visited her!

Rosebud was adopted to a couple with a female pit mix named Daisy who needed a companion & playmate. Rosebud has been renamed Stella & is flourishing in her new home. Stella has grown quite big in the few months she has been gone & by the looks of this picture, is now a full grown, well adjusted gal.

Stella was the first of three puppies we fostered at the end of 2010. Puppies are very much like children with the exception of being able to leave them home in a cage for a few hours at a time ;-) The puppies have required us to work as a team & rely on one another to get the job done. We have been successful thus far! There is still nothing as comforting & sweet as the love of a tired & relaxed puppy.

On a more entertaining note, as we were driving yesterday, we saw an unleashed, golden retriever type dog walking over a bridge on a busy street. When we realized he didn't have an owner, my husband pulled the car over, handed me his belt (once again, I didn't have a spare leash in my car) & off I ran. For those of you that know me, I am NOT a runner. But saving a dog in need changes me. And this dog was ready to run! After 2 blocks, he started to walk into a busy street & as I tried to get his attention & get him to come to me, he looked & darted right into traffic. He was struck by a minivan; I heard the impact, a short cry & people began to get out of their cars gasping in horror. But when I got to the spot he was hit, he was gone! I caught him out of the corner of my eye running (uninjured) down an alley. I have to tell you that we were in an unfamiliar area. I was without a cell phone & running in an alley of a street I couldn't name. Lucky for us, my husband and I are a bit familiar with 'chasing' & in the car, he was able to parallel & locate me. The dog thankfully went into a gangway & we were able to close him in on both sides. We hooked him with the belt & found his owners walking around looking for him. We got back in our car & continued on our way. I coughed for awhile because of running in the cold, but I surprisingly wasn't tired & I am not sore. Adrenaline does crazy things & last night, it saved a family dog.

'A dog is for life, and not just for Christmas.'

Toby... aka 'Huge Dog'

Toby is one of the dogs that 'chose' us.

As we were deciding whether we would continue to foster, a high school friend on facebook was looking for a home for Toby, the young, red & white, pitbull boy. This friend had been dogsitting Toby for about a month & the original owner decided he didn't want him back. Toby was going to be taken to a shelter, so without a second thought, I said we would take him.

Having been in a home for a month with children, another pitbull & a small dog, Toby was well adjusted. He was a great addition in our home.

Much like Meaty, Toby was very eager to please his humans & dedicated to following us around anytime we were near. Toby loved to play fetch! He may have thought he was a retriever breed...

Not having children of our own yet, we end up 'testing' our foster dogs with our WILLING friends' kids! (a special thanks to our real & 'play' nieces & nephews!!!). The kids are our biggest critics. If THEY trust the dogs, then it's all good!
I realized that Toby was given the stamp of approval when the 3 year old girl came upstairs & said to me 'I let huge dog out of his cage. He didn't want to be in there anymore'. Toby & her became co-conspirators from this moment on.

We had our first strange adopter experience this time, too. A younger guy came with a car full of female passengers & expected to 'buy' Toby & take him home that day. We have since revised our protocol. Only approved applications can meet our pups :-)

Toby went to his forever home with a pair of wonderful young sisters. They have an older pit named Boody & are phenomenal with the training of their dogs. Toby is fashion forward in his spike collar & boots on the lakefront!

Lexi went to her forever home last night. She is now blessed with a mom & dad, 2 human brothers & 2 canine sisters; a huge american bulldog & a senior boxer. Delilah, the bulldog, loves to play with little spitfire Lexi & will surely expend that puppy energy. The beagle's moods when we came home without Lexi was kind of somber. I can never tell if they actually MISS the foster dogs... or if they are worried that THEY will be next to go :-)

On the fertility front... full steam ahead with whatever the insurance company will approve. That includes clomid, estrogren, progesterone, hcg, baby aspirin, specimen cups & turkey basters. I will spare the specifics, but I am prepared to be a walking science project!

'If your dog doesn't like someone, you probably shouldn't either'.

Georgia... not-so-much 'Peach'

We knew at some point there would be a foster that wouldn't work for us. Dog relationships are similar to those we have with people. Some people are your best friends, some are your acquaintances, and some you'd rather just not deal with. Never thought our 'bad' experience would come with our 2nd ever foster. Especially after the sweetie Meaty!

Georgia was a year old, orange & black brindle, female petite pittie mix. When I picked her up, I was surpised at how petite she was. The little girl wasn't much bigger than Bella. Maybe around 30 lbs & looked more like a whippet. On the car ride home, she seemed sweet. Boy was I wrong!

I had to do the introduction solo. Georgia was very high energy, played a little too aggressive & tried to dominate the beagles. There were a few brawls that day. Walking the 3 dogs together was the only reprieve where everyone co-existed peacefully.

And then she bit me...

Georgia had a dominance issue. And she easily dominated me, for some reason (I don't believe I am a pushover, but her behavior dictated differently). I would just be walking & she would run up & bite my calf. Or I was sitting on the couch & she would come up & bit my thigh. She wasn't trying to hurt me, she was only trying to get my attention. And she sure got it! She never ONCE even attempted to bite my husband. She was the devil spawn in her crate, thrashing, barking & crying. The rescue sent out a trainer to help us. Emily was amazing! She is just one of those people that is natural at what she does. Georgia was able to co-mingle with Emily's laid back, female, yellow lab without a problem. I learned how to redirect & deal with Geogia's obsession with biting me, but I just wasn't good at it. Instead of 'not' reacting when she bit me so that she would release & walk away... I would instead freak out, which caused her grip to tighten! I ended up putting a soft muzzle on her just to make it through the day. Georgia had one goal in life- to get that muzzle off & come bite me again!

I noticed the beagles at the farthest corner of the room, or on the highest stair, to avoid even making eye contact with this dominant intruder. I could take the biting (okay, for a little while anyway), but I couldn't have our beagles so terrified & uncomfortable in their own home.

The rescue came & picked up Georgia a week from the day I brought her home. I felt pretty bad, almost like a failure, but also exhausted by the stressful week it had been. I was worried she wouldn't get adopted or even euthanized. But I am happy to report that Georgia DID get into an intense training program & has found her forever home with a tolerant doggie sibling & human parents...with a mother than doesn't allow her to dominate.

I thought that may be our last fostering experience, we were not interested in ever remotely repeating that kind of week. But of course, there have been more fosters & each sweeter than the one before. Georgia may have broken some skin (in a few spots), but she didn't break my spirit!


Our little Lexi is being spayed today. I can't wait to pick her up at 5 o'clock. We are meeting a family interested in her on Thursday.

This weekend I read the book Oogy in about 2 hours flat. Recommended read for all dog lovers; bully breeds especially! I have it if anyone wants to borrow it :-)

'Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative'.

Can I get off this rollercoaster now please?

The past 24 hours have been quite the emotional rollercoaster. 

On a high point, we met a couple who were interested in LeRoy (a family member of the PetVet technician that cared for him after his oral surgery) last night.  We loved them & they loved LEROY!  They are proceeding with adopting the sweet boy & have changed his name to Santo as he starts his 3 weeks of training at Mixed Up Mutts today.

Due to an early start at work, Santo had to spend a few hours with me there.  He really is sweeter than I ever imagined.  He sat through a meeting & was content laying on the ground, while dutifully keeping watch of the door.  If only we could teach him to search for drugs & sniff money, he'd have a job!
Before I took him to the adoption coordinator that transported him to Mixed Up Mutts, someone said 'he has changed my opinions of pit bulls'.  That is what I live to hear in our fostering endeavors!

Dropping him off for his transport was bittersweet.  We signed him up for the training program assuming that he would need all the resources he could have under his belt to make him more marketable, being a 4 year old pit bull in search of a forever home.  Little did we know he doesn't need much training (he's near perfect already) & that someone would jump at the opportunity to adopt him!  In 3 weeks, I will pick him up when he returns & deliver him to his new family & complete the adoption.  Santo is another one that will get the perfect life he so deserves.

As my Friday was coming to an end, I received the unexpected call from my insurance case manager.  The review board responded to my appeal 4 days early.  They are still denying my IVF treatments.  Unbelievable.  I'm so emotionally exhausted today, that is all I can think.  On Monday, my last attempt will be to appeal through my employer's benefit office.  I am looking for an attorney that deals in insurance b.s. if anyone out there knows of one???

For now, I am relishing in the puppy love from Lexi at home, looking forward to our vacation to Vegas in May, and thinking about a ski trip in the next 2 months.  My life goes on!

Today, I also miss my grandpa, as today would have been his birthday.  He passed right before I landed my dream career 6 years ago & I know he's my angel above.  He is surely where I inherited my love of dogs from! 

3 day weekend, here I come!  Thank you Martin Luther King for your holiday on Monday.

'To err is human, to forgive, canine'.

  

The Meaty Monster!!!

Our first experience with fostering a pitbull (and our first experience with a pitbull period) was one that we will never forget.



 After my third & last miscarriage, I received a mass email about a dog needing a foster family in order to receive a necessary surgery. Meaty was found as a stray & sat in the shelter for 2 months with his leg/hip injury. Sight unseen (besides the picture shown above), I said 'we will take him'.  I wish I had a dollar for everytime my hubby has said 'I don't think this is a good idea...' (from the first foster up until our now 7th foster).  Around this time, I became engrossed with the shows Pit Boss & Pitbulls & Parolees.  We both now watch it pretty religiously.  

We went & picked up Meaty from Animal Arc. Possibly the most professional animal clinic we had ever seen. There seemed to be owners with pitbulls at every turn. Meaty was allowed to roam the office free with a few other well behaved patients. We found out his best friend had become a chihuahua in his weeklong stay. My husband sat on the floor to greet this 60lb compact boy of pure muscle when the technician brought him out to us. As I watched the 'I don't think this is a good idea' look in his eyes, this clumsy grey pitbull limped right up to my husband & gave him a big, wet smooch! It was love at first sight.

Meaty rehabilitated with us for almost 2 months. He went from completely carrying his hind leg to using it almost completely. Whatever this boy's history had been, he had forgotten & moved on. We often threatened to find new homes for the beagles, as Meaty was often showing them up by his perfect, gentlemanly behavior. Meaty went with us to family parties and was quite a hit at a couple of the local watering holes my husband is known to frequent. Everyone that met Meaty was shocked that a pitbull could be so sweet. He is a true ambassador of the breed.

Being our first foster, we were overly cautious in picking a family for this amazing boy. Jolie & Vince are the perfect family. As much as we miss him at times, I often say, 'I want to come back as Meaty in my next life'. It is people like them that make this process so complete & fulfilling. He is truly a part of their family. I look forward to keeping in touch with them & seeing the endless beautiful pictures of Meaty that his new family takes... he gets to go to dog parks, the beach, street festivals, family functions & ugly sweater parties, just to name a few. This dog has 'the life'. I can't think of another dog that deserves such royalty. He is treated like the prince he is!

Meaty will always have a place in our hearts. Part of the adoption agreement is that if the adoptive owners must relinquish their dog at any time, they are to contact us to take them. We will welcome with open arms ANY of our prior fosters to date, but especially this Meaty moose!







                                                              Famous Pitbulls in history:



*Petey-from the Little Rascals

*Dakota-Search & rescue for Space Shuttle Columbia

*Sir Thomas- Helen Keller's pitbull

*Popsicle- US Custom's #1 Canine



*Sgt. Stubby- World War I Hero

'Punish the DEED, not the BREED'.

I can't save them all....

Today I had planned on talking about our first foster, Meaty.
But a sequence of events in my day has caused my focus to shift & weighs heavy on my heart.

While proudly showing photos of Lexi & LeRoy, a co-worker told me about a dog they found in an abandoned house yesterday. They said she was about a year old pitbull & so emaciated, she couldn't even stand up. They fed her some rice & she was grateful. My heart sank. I said that I would bring my 'emergency' kit (I usually carry a leash, dog food/treats & a blanket in my car at all times) tomorrow & we would go get her. About 15 minutes later, my emotions got the best of me & I asked the guys to go there with me to rescue her immediately. I would just use my belt as a leash/collar. I knew I would do what it takes to get this poor soul to the shelter.

It's days like this I wish I would have had my camera with me (I should add it to my kit!). From the time the guys left yesterday to today, savages had stripped this place. The water heater, the furnace, the copper, the bathroom & kitchen fixtures were all gone. There was water flooding the floor & all 4 burners were blazing on the stove. Unfortunately, the pup was nowhere to be found. There was dog excrement everywhere, a couple of empty cans of Alpo & a leash, but no dog. I hope for the best for her, but expect the worst. At the very least, I would have liked to get her to the shelter for a warm kennel, some human & canine contact & a good meal before she would more than likely be humanely euthanized. No dog deserves a painful, slow death from starvation & the elements. Most dogs in this situation are likely to fall victim to torture, abuse & injury or death.

Most of my co-workers feel that taking a stray dog to 27th & Western is a last resort. I used to think the same. But now I beg to differ. Many of the dogs we bring in are friendly, well cared for & more than likely, being missed by someone. They deserve the chance to be checked for a micro-chip or to be reclaimed by their loving owner. I can appreciate the fact that we don't want to see them put in a kennel at the shelter. It is misconception that the shelter euthanizes every pit that walks in the door. In recent years, it was the court case dogs that were deemed unadoptable. Thanks to programs like Safe Humane Chicago, these dogs are tested, trainined & given another chance at life. A dog will only be euthanized if it's human aggressive (that's a given) & if it's chances to be adopted diminish- due to old age, medical problems, etc. and to make room for the many dogs coming through those doors on a daily basis.
Chicagoland rescues go to the shelter weekly & pull dogs into their programs. The pure breds & puppies have the highest chances. You will rarely see a beagle, a rottweiler, or a labrador, for example, sitting at the shelter. But the pit bulls are the majority breed sitting in kennels at Chicago Animal Care & Control & I am proud to say that we have dedicated our efforts to saving them. One (or two) at a time!

Tonight I will give extra love to our fosters & furevers as I think of the many dogs around the city that will be cold, hungry & await help that may never come.
LeRoy has gained 5 lbs in his week with us & has a potential adopter is coming to meet him Thursday night.

'The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man's.'

Canine Hierarchy

Not having dogs until my adult years, I didn't know much about pack mentality & canine hierarchy. It has become pretty fascinating to me.

The dog I've had the longest is Bella, the 7 year old beagle mix (that looks like an italian greyhound). She is a petite 19 lbs. on legs like stilts. She has been the alpha or 'top dog' in our home for the past 3 years, since Charlie (my senior beagle) passed away. Buddy, our 45+ lb. male beagle is 2nd in command. It's amusing to watch Bella put him in his place. Any foster that comes into our home learns quickly that Bella is in charge & that Buddy is her enforcer. All but 1 foster has succeeded in this realization.

Lexi is a typical puppy. She likes to antagonize & force the other dogs to give her attention, even if it's negative. LeRoy has bonded the most with Lexi, as I said before, it's as if he realizes they are the same breed. This weekend, Lexi was trying to get Bella to play with her. Bella gave her warning 'snap' & lucky for her I was sitting on the floor with LeRoy. This was the first time I'd seen him show his teeth (what is left of them anyway) & lunged towards Bella. LeRoy has become Lexi's protector. I can appreciate that. I would love for them to get adopted together.

Lexi is quite the pistol lately. On her twice daily walks, she had decided when we put her down (unleashed), she is going to walk 'home'. Even if we are nowhere near the house, she just turns & starts walking the other way. Our walks are now dictated by her. Whichever direction she walks, we follow, and continue until we make it home. I am getting quite the workout thanks to Lexi.

LeRoy experienced his first overnighter in the big, human bed. It took a little while for him to understand the concept, but settled in perfectly for the entire night & well into the morning. He is becoming less dependent on us & starting to explore on his own, as well as follow the other dogs. We will be sad to see him leave for his 4-6 week training camp on Friday, but also can't wait to see what he becomes!  I am ecstatic to report that I received a call from a vet tech where LeRoy had his oral surgery.  She has someone that may be interested in the big blue boy!!!  My heart melts at the thought.  The husband... well, I believe he got a bit choked up as he said  'you mean he might not come back to us after training'?  As hard as it can be, it's our ultimate goal; to find the perfect home & save another.

A big thank you to my Aunt Anne who gave us a ton of dog food & treats for our fosters! & a thank you to my mom & dad who delivered the goods & visited last night.
I ran to the garage to get bottled water for their ride home. I asked, 'are you guys okay with LeRoy?'. They said yes. I found out today that when I left, my dad said to my mom... 'don't make any sudden moves'!!! I see I have to work on my dad's pitbull perception a little more...

here is a pic of LeRoy attempting to fit in the 'small dog' snuggle bed.

'The more I see of man, the more I like dogs'.

Lexi & LeRoy

Lexi & LeRoy are our 2 current fosters. This is the first time we have had 2 at once. And there is a story behind that.

Last Tuesday, I went to the shelter to meet 2 sibling pups that Friends is trying to get into a foster home. One is deaf. They were older rambunctious pits mixed with pointer. I knew we could not handle both & I couldn't bear to pick one over the other. They are at least in a cage together, so they have each other. Walking through the pavilions, I saw the frightened blue pitbull (now named LeRoy). His cage card said he was brought in as a stray on December 21st, unclaimed & was to be euthanized. He had not come out of his shell & therefore, unlikely to be adopted or rescued. We planned to bring our beagles to meet this big boy on Wednesday. I had to know if he was dog friendly (more like stubborn beagle friendly), which would make him an acceptable candidate for us.

I was woken up at 3am Wednesday morning to sounds of an unfamiliar bark. My husband had just gotten home from work & I asked WHO is that barking? With a look of guilt in his eyes, he told me simply 'a puppy'. I thought, wait, we adopted Peyton out a week ago, what puppy!?!? I ran downstairs & found the tiniest pup I'd ever seen. Lexi was named after Lexington Street. She is part of the wiggles protection program, so her history is on a 'need to know' basis ;-)

In her first week in our home, she has flourished. Due to the fact that she was fed milk & bread in her previous existence & never taken to the vet (our vet visit found her ridden with worms!!!), she eats her puppy chow like she is never going to eat again. She is doing fantastic on house training, has become comfortable in her crate overnight & has bonded with our 2 stubborn beagles. She is going to be a great addition to whomever adopts her!

We decided to proceed with taking our dogs (now with Lexi in tow) to the shelter to meet the blue boy. He immediately kissed Lexi & was curious about the other 2 who were interested in nothing more but the scents of a foreign place! Blue boy hid when a beagle growled at him, so this was a good sign. It took my other half about 25 minutes to become comfortable enough to engage this monster sized dog (his phobia of big, unknown dogs still haunts him). And it took seconds for him to see the diamond in the rough that I had. Blue boy snuggled his head in his lap & without request, lifted his paw. At some point, someone loved this dog. It is unfortunate that we will never know his history prior to December 21st. Since our first foster was a blue pitbull, I was sure this boy was worth saving. It took a little more convincing of my husband. Blue boy was neutered, vaccinated, microchipped & I picked him up yesterday.

The stench of a shelter is indescribable. I had my windows down & my heat on for the ride home. First order of business was a bath. LeRoy Blue was not going to be making any friends smelling like that! We decided to try those self-bathing stations at a groomer/boarding/daycare. THAT was an experience! He was filthy! And not a real big fan of being bathed, but he was a good boy. Except for the one time that he managed to get the chain off the wall & lept out of the tub in an escape attempt. A HUGE thank you to Canine Corral on Milwaukee Avenue. We will be patronizing you often!

Introductions in our yard went well. We brought baby Lexi out first. I've always felt that my beagles can recognize other beagles. Maybe it's a scent? Maybe instinct? But LeRoy & Lexi seem to know that they are of the same descent. Their interaction was precious. Lots of kisses between the two. He even allows the puppy to bite him, crawl all over him & annoy him with puppy play antics. Without reaction. If you can picture a 56lb full size pitbull & a 6 lb. baby pit, it is truely priceless. I hope to capture a photo soon!

LeRoy knows how to sit, stay, lay down, give paw, give kiss & walks well on a leash with a pinch collar. Someone MUST be missing this dog!

LeRoy may have been Houdini in another life. He was able to get out of his cage in about 5 minutes. We have fixed that with a strong vice type clip that secures the bottom latch so it cannot be undone. Last night was a peaceful night of sleep. All 9 HOURS of it!

Today I took LeRoy to get a dental treatment. His teeth are pretty dirty & one of his canines is cracked in half with the root exposed, so it will be removed. The vet just called to report LeRoy is not only sweet as pie, but healthy with the exception of needing a little weight & about 4 years old.  Thank you Pet Vets of Oak Park!

On January 14th, LeRoy will go to the Westville, Indiana prison & enter the Mixed Up Mutts training program for 4 weeks. There he will earn his good canine citizen certification. I look forward to the next week we have with him in our home & for his return in mid-February. This also gives us time to place Lexi in her forever home & resume a 3 dog household. Our house is a bit chaotic, but I wouldn't have it any other way! Even though LeRoy is 4 years old, he has a long life ahead of him. Blue pitbulls are not a rare color, but they are most popular. And seeing such a well trained & behaved one up for adoption is a needle in a haystack.

'A dog is the only thing that loves you more than you love yourself'

When are you going to have kids???

2 years ago I thought this was a perfectly normal question to ask a married couple. I have since changed my mind.

I believe I followed the textbook 'right' steps in life. I didn't do drugs, finished college, lived on my own, had fun in my early 20's, established my career, married my soulmate, renovated a home inside & out, traveled & enjoyed our 'couple time' and THEN decided to start a family. We were always on the fence about having kids. If it happened, it happened. I was never that person whose sole purpose was to get married & have kids. And then I got pregnant. We were excited, nervous & surprised. I miscarried early. 'It's common', 'don't worry, it will happen', 'don't stress about it', and 'it's God's way of insuring a healthy baby' were some of the things that I remember hearing. We got through it together. 3 months later, we were pregnant for the 2nd time. At the time, we were in the process of seeing a genetic counselor. I miscarried early yet again. The genetic test results were normal; no abnormalities or gene mutations.

At this point, I needed a distraction, a new focus & purpose. I posted an ad on craigslist (little unknown fact- I am addicted to reading craigslist ads!) looking to foster a needy puppy. I was contacted & put in touch with Friends of Chicago Animal Care & Control. We applied, were interviewed & home checked, and anxiously waited for our foster license to come in the mail. 3 or so more months later... and you guessed it, pregnant for the 3rd time. We thought that the third time would be the charm & we were hopelessly disappointed yet again.

In the meantime, we received our license in the mail & were contacted by our wonderful foster coordinator about a young, blue, male pitbull in desperate need of a foster family. Meaty had been found as a stray with a hip/leg injury & had been sitting in the shelter cage for 2 months. He required a confirmed foster for Friends to rescue & send him for his surgery. This was our chance & we took it! I can't wait to dedicate an entire post to this amazing pitbull that changed our lives forever.

Since the last miscarriage, we have religiously been seeing Dr. Beltsos of FCI (Fertility Centers of Illinois). We have gone through probably about 75% of fertility testing & have had all normal results. I have underwent 3 surgeries within 6 months. Just in case those tiny fingernail size fibroids were inhibiting the pregnancy process.

And so my issue is now with the lovely insurance company. When we started with FCI, the insurance company advised they cover 4 in vitro fertilization (IVF) attempts, with a qualified & detailed medical history. When the first fibroid was removed, insurance said to try 3 months naturally & if no success, they would approve IVF. 3 months go by, we are about to start IVF, and a tiny fibroid has returned. It has since been removed & the insurance company again requests 3 months of natural attempts. This is obviously unnacceptable. I have actually just gotten off the phone (as I type this) with my case manager at the insurance company & she is going to start the appeal process for me. It should take about 2 weeks.

We have a decent insurance plan. We work hard, pay our bills, and follow the rules. My argument is this; if insurance pays for 4 IVF attempts, then isn't it our right to chose WHEN to proceed with the attempts. It is time for this roller coaster to end. I am not by any means naive enough to believe that IVF will guarantee a successful pregnancy. It is an aggressive, direct approach to achieving pregnancy. What happens after that is unpredicatable, but at least will be monitored closely by FCI. They will hopefully gain some insight to what else could be causing the miscarriages if it should happen again.

I have a new guilty pleasure I want to share with the ladies (men if you dare!)- http://www.secretsocietyofwomen.com/ . I LOVE to read. I especially LOVE to read blogs. It is comforting to hear other women's stories, some just like mine, and some that are far worse. There are some very entertaining topics on the site, as well!

If you know someone who experiences a miscarriage or fertility problems, give them a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen. With all the advice I was given, I was not able to fully accept it until I went through the emotional stages myself. It is an unfathomable feeling when your body fails at what is was designed to do. And words could not change that. Time, faith & hope within yourself does ease the pain.

I am grateful for the life that I have been given. I am eternally grateful for my better half. He has been my shoulder to cry on, my verbal punching bag at times, and the only person I want to spend the rest of my life with. I know our relationship will last with or without children. If children aren't in our future, we have big plans. We have talked about making our basement a foster haven. And traveling. We love our vacations.

This road to start a family has been an experience, to say the least. We believe God has a plan for us. I just wish he'd give me a copy of the itinerary...

'Life is a dance you learn as you go'

Breakthrough Moment in Puppy Training!

I apologize if my posts are a bit random. I have lots of things I want to write about, but also want to keep each post to a short, single subject. Okay, so today's might be about two :-)

Our newest foster pitbull puppy, Lexi, is an absolute sweetheart. At 6 weeks old & only 5 pounds, she brings so much joy & laughter into our lives. We are by no means professional dog trainers. I don't think we even qualify as amateurs! But in fostering, we can provide the basics; food, shelter, love, lots of human & canine contact & socialization & the beginnings of simple training like housebreaking, crate training, sit, etc. until we find the perfect permanent home for them!

Crate training Lexi has left us with several sleepless nights in the first week of having her. She has trained us (well more specifically, my husband)! Lexi knows if she cries long & loud enough, someone will rescue her from her crate. Yesterday I found on the internet a simple solution that worked WONDERS! A simple walk (with her short little 4 inch legs)of about 6 blocks tires her completely. All it took was 10 minutes out of my night last night & this morning & not a peep from the peanut gallery! And as an added bonus, she is learning to walk off leash superbly. What a great feeling of accomplishment! Cesar Milan, here we come!

Tomorrow I will be picking up another foster whom we have named LeRoy (in honor of my deceased grandfather). I feel as if he will be our first 'true' rescue. He was slated for euthanization after being found as a stray. He was terrified & shaking in his cage & did not approach, bark, or react as people walked by. This alone got him on the euth list to make room for more marketable pups, as the shelter is severely overcrowded. I noticed he was extremely skinny & when we coaxed him out of his cage with some wet food, he randomly gave me his 'paw' without being asked. It was then that I knew this boy was meant to come home with us. I have since spent a few hours walking & playing with LeRoy & he truly is a GREAT, possibly near perfect dog. He flourishes outside of the shelter setting & seems to be housebroken. He is highly treat motivated & is very attentive to commands such as sit, stay & paw.

Tomorrow will begin a new adventure. 4 dogs at once will be slightly chaotic, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I hope LeRoy complies in his crate and allows everyone to continue with the first of many good nights of sleep. If not, I will be walking a bit more than 6 blocks to tire this big boy out. He's full size (I'm guessing about 60 lbs with some weight to gain) & about 3-5 years old.

'Dogs are not our whole lives, but they make our lives whole'.

Happy New Year!

I created this blog about a month ago.  I've been wanting to start it for some time & have procrastinated long enough.  Tonight I was inspired when I saw the 6pm news.  7 people in Maywood arrested for dog fighting ( Maywood dog fighting ring ) and my stomach turned. 

A little history on my love affair with my canine companions... I didn't grow up with dogs.  Huge allergies in the household (not me! well, not until my later adult years anyway).  When talking to my grandmother the other day, she told me that even as young as toddler age, I was drawn to animals.  Including the German Shepherd that bit me in the head when I was 3 years old (I do NOT remember this, of course).  The second I moved out at 20 years old, I went out & got a cat.  The second I bought my first house, I went to a pet store & bought a yellow Labrador retriever.  If only I'd known then what I know now!  A few years later came my first rescue of a shelter dog and it basically hasn't stopped since. 

I'd like to share some of those stories in the hopes of raising awareness of ADOPTING a puppy, dog, kitten, cat or any other animal from a shelter or rescue group!!!  And that's just the tip of the iceberg.  If I can change ONE person's perception of pit bulls (and I think we have already changed a few to date), then I have accomplished what I set out to do!  In my posts, you will find that my husband & I weren't always the APBT's biggest fans.  But all it took was one.  And that special boy is my profile pic!  (thanks to Jolie images  for the infinitely gorgeous photos, each one better than the last!).

'My goal in life is to be as good of a person that my dogs already think I am'.