What I Did Instead

It's taken me quite a while to make myself sit and write this post.  Mostly because it's still just raw and difficult.  Back in November I talked about the difficulties of my first  year in Italy.  But Jack was doing well and I was looking forward to another trip with him to the mountains to celebrate his 6-month cancer survival and my birthday.  He didn't make it.  And my heart, which was already in a million pieces over the loss of Cheyenne, was suddenly in a million more.

Oh how I miss that sweet face!!!

Our last walk.  It was cold but clear and beautiful and perfect.

I don't want to relive the whole thing but we had several wonderful days where he got to do all his favorite things including going for long walks, going for car rides and eating pizza.  I was incredibly lucky to have him for the time that I did.

For the first time in over 13 years, there were no dogs in my house.  I didn't know what to do with myself.  But I had time off work already scheduled and it was use-or-lose.  I couldn't just sit at home and I'm lucky enough to live in a place where I get travel easily.

I went to Innsbruck, Austria.  The weather was highly uncooperative as far as the spectacular mountain views were concerned.  At least, I hear there are spectacular mountain views.

There are mountains there somewhere...so I'm told.

So I tried going up the mountain and this is what I could see looking down.  It was so thick that the cable car going further up was closed and all the skiers and snowboarders were just stuck waiting around in hopes that it lifted and they could go.  

I did have an amazing apple, beet, lemon tofu salad for dinner one night.  I'd go back just to have that again!  And maybe to get a better view next time.

I went to Modena, Italy.  It's a quaint little town with almost no tourist presence which was just fine by me.  If you've seen Master of None, it's where the Italy episodes are based.  I learned the difference between tortelloni (cheese inside) and tortellini (meat inside) and that you can easily pay over $100 for a small bottle of balsamic vinegar.

I went to Garmisch, Germany.  I know it's very popular with Americans due to the Edelweiss resort but I honestly don't see what all the fuss is about. I also got food poisoning so that might have clouded my impression.

I dog sat for people wanting to take trips and I've fostered a few dogs needing temporary, emergency housing.  It's getting more and more difficult to fly with pets and as much as I want to get another dog RIGHT NOW, I know I'm not ready.  Traveling helps ease the pain of being in an empty house.

I hope to get back to blogging again.  I knew that I had to write this post and I kept putting it off because I knew how difficult it would be. I promise that my next post will not contain sadness.  I'm hoping that 2018 is little kinder to my heart. 

I've been to the US twice (it was supposed to be one trip but a one-day government shutdown recalled me back to Italy and I had to go again) and I'm going next week.  I've been able to see a lot of friends (one whom I haven't seen since 2008) and family and that's been great.  Mom and Gran are coming to Portugal in June.  I have tickets to see Hamilton in London in October (I WILL conquer my dislike of that city!). I'm already working on memorizing the soundtrack :D  I'll be in Amsterdam again in 2 weeks (my return flight from the US happens to go through Amsterdam so, of course, I can't pass up the opportunity to spend a few days there). More adventures to be planned...stay tuned!

Not the Year I Expected

This past week marked the one-year anniversary of my boarding a plane with 2 dogs and starting a new chapter in Italy.  I had the worst cough and cold that I'd had in many years which made the flight miserable.  A doctor prescribed me cough medicine with codine but I suspect the pharmacist forgot to add both the codine and the cough medicine because it did absolutely nothing to help.  We arrived in Milan and I struggled to find anyone to assist a very tiny woman with 2 dogs and 7 pieces of luggage (you needed a 2 euro coin to get a cart and I had none).  Eventually we made it out (two very nice American women did help and I'm eternally grateful to them!) and a few hours later arrived at our hotel...exactly 40 minutes before my boss arrived to take me to lunch. The dogs and I spent 29 days in the hotel before moving to a house on my birthday (coincidentally, we moved into a house on my birthday in the Netherlands as well). 

The dogs and I settled in.

Some Peace Corps friends visited in April and we went to Bologna and Padova.

Having fun at the Padova Botanical Gardens

My parents came for the month of May.  It was great having them here!

I made them pose with all the statues.

They spent lots of time with the dogs.

We went to Trieste (Italy), Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Villach (Austria) on one trip.

A beautiful day in Venice

My Gran was supposed to be here in June but she canceled her trip.  I was able to cancel most of our plans and reservations but one ticket was non-refundable so in I took a ride on the Bernina Express and spent the night in Chur.

Glacial lake...still frozen in June!

Then...well, then things got a little rough.  Jack's spleen ruptured and luckily I realized something was very wrong and got him to the vet in time to have them remove it - along with 750 ml (3 cups) of blood - and he survived.  However, the mass tested malignant and we went for a CT scan to see if they had managed to remove everything cancerous or if the rupture had deposited cancerous cells elsewhere in his abdomen.

While waiting for those results I took a quick trip to Greece in early July.

When I returned from Greece we learned that Jack had 3 kinds of cancer and he began taking a lot of medications.  We have a great vet here and she's been wonderful managing it all.

At the end of August, Cheyenne had what I believe was a stroke and died on the first of September.  It was, and still is incredibly painful.  I am somewhat comforted by the fact that she lived an amazingly  long life - 21 years!! - and that she didn't suffer a long illness or decline.  But she was with me for over 13 years; she moved with me a total of 6 times and approximately 15,000 miles. Not having her is like not having a part of my body.

Jack, if you remember, came to live with us after Tex died and Cheyenne was extremely lonely.  He was there for her then and he was there for both of us at the end, providing comfort at a very difficult time. 

Jack has had ups and downs in his cancer battle.  When he made it to 2 months after surgery the vet was impressed.  When he made it to 4 months she was amazed.  Some say that caring for a sick pet is no different that caring for a sick person.  It can be physically and emotionally draining. So in October I took a little trip to my favorite place to recharge.

Last week we hit 5 months and Jack is doing well.  So to celebrate that and our one year anniversary in Italy, and just to get away, we went to the mountains for a few days.  Early in his treatment he would get tired very quickly.  Now he's feeling well and we were able to take long walks UP and down some very steep mountain roads.  When we weren't out walking, we sat by the fire - him in my lap and me with a book.

He hates having his picture taken and refuses to look at the camera.

We did try to see what this was but it turned out to be too far to walk and when we tried to drive there was a log truck in the road and the road was too narrow to go around it.

It's been a difficult year with many highs and lows.  I have no idea what the next year will bring - how much travel I'll get to do or how much more time I'll have with Jack.  Obviously, caring for him is my first priority.  I'm not planning any big trips right now although I do have two training classes scheduled back in the US in 2018.

Next month, for my birthday, I'm hoping Jack hits the 6-month mark!  I couldn't ask for any better gift.

Where Have I Been?

Home...mostly. 

This blog started as a way to share my travels with friends and family back home.  It evolved a little when I made a bigger move overseas and grew to incorporate posts about the dogs, exercise, books, food, etc.  That wasn't my original intent but it's what happened.

Last year I didn't really go anywhere.  I had plans but then Tex got sick and shortly thereafter we lost him.  It was a huge emotional blow and I'm still not over it.  On the same day my car engine blew up.  Seriously!  I lived a bad country song for a little while.  In addition to the emotional trauma of it there was also a big hit to my bank account.  So my travel plans were put on hold. 

I wasn't the only one to be hit very hard by Tex's parting.  My other (much older) dog also lost her best friend and she was clearly very depressed. I felt like I had to do something or I was going to lose her, too. So after a month I brought home two foster dogs from the rescue where I volunteer.  They came to the rescue together from the same house and I didn't want to separate them.

Bella (I nicknamed her the Little Monster)- a miniature poodle who was in terrible shape when we got her. After getting her healthy and recovered from her recent abandonment and neglect she was adopted by a wonderful woman and is thriving in her new home.

Jack - a black lab/pit mix who is about the sweetest dog you'll ever meet.

I wish I could say that these dogs were the balm my old dog needed to get over her sadness but they weren't.  However, she does seem less depressed although I doubt she'll ever fully get over the loss of Tex.  She really didn't like Bella (Bella had some aggression issues even though she was a tiny little thing and at her age, Chey is just not as understanding and adaptable as she used to be).  No dog will ever replace Tex but Jack has a great sense of when something is wrong and he checks on her (and me) often (sometimes knocking her over in his haste to see if she is okay).  It's not perfect but it's better than what it was. I no longer worry that Chey is going to commit suicide while I'm at work (I'm not making light of suicide...I cried every morning when I left just because of the look on her face).

Chey and Jack the day he came to live with us. I think this might be the only picture I have where Chey is smiling.

So we've just been here, doing out thing...recovering emotionally and figuring out a new normal. 

However, I do have travel plans for this year!  And I have travels about which I have not yet posted.  So I hope to get back to this blog and tell you about some trips I've taken in the past and what my plans are for this year.  I'm excited!

Do you have travel plans for this year?  What are they?

So. Much. Cuteness!!

There's a PUPPY at the rescue where I volunteer (I've been walking dogs on Sundays for almost a year now. I've said it before and I'll say it until I die...If you want a dog PLEASE adopt!!). 

I'm seriously on cuteness overload right now!!!  I give you Blake.

How can you not love this?!?

Fighting sleep

Asleep on my lap

You're welcome :D

There's sure to be more cuteness and other fun things to see at Unknown Mami's link-up Sundays In My City.  Check it out.

A Happy Rescue Story

I've mentioned before that I volunteer to walk dogs at a local (local to me) rescue.  I love spending time with these dogs and it's so great when we get to see one of them get adopted (it's also a little bittersweet because we get so used to spending time with them and we miss them when they go).  One of the ones that has been there since I started volunteering was adopted over the weekend.  I had no idea that he has never been in a house before. He's spent almost his whole life in a cage.  Hard to imagine that such a happy dog had such a rough start to life.

Brolin (along with another dog that was with us, Zephyr) came into the Floyd Animal Control in Georgia, as a neglect case over 18 months  ago. They were driven in a transport to a rescue western Pa, where that rescuer had them brought to the facility where we board rescue dogs around June of 2013. However, the PA rescue group never made a payment for them at the facility, and so their future looked bleak. Rather than allowed the two dogs to be taken to Baltimore County Animal Control, AAHA (Adopt a Homeless Animal rescue) took them in, and paid to board them, as well as paid all of the costs of Brolin's Lyme disease and heart worm treatment.   Below is a  photo of Brolin  when he was taken into the Floyd Animal Control.

Poor neglected little fella

Zephyr was adopted a couple months ago.  Brolin, who absolutely loves people, loves to cuddle and give kisses, LOVES going for walks and is great on a leash...for some reason we just couldn't find a home for him.  I sent out word to people I know and asked my brother (who works for a vet and knows lots of dog lovers) to do the same. One of his colleagues picked up Brolin the other day and is already in love with him (no surprise there as he's a fantastic dog)!  He's now living large on a 8-acre farm and adjusting to the new experience of being in a house.  No more cage-life for this awesome dog!!

Brolin with his adopters when they picked him up.

I can't wait to go visit this sweet boy at his new HOME!

Meet Iggy

Last week I introduced you to a few dogs at one of the animal rescues near here.  This weekend I walked Dancer again (actually, we did some jogging together) and a new fellow who just arrived the other day...Iggy.  Someone stabbed this poor little guy and he's recovering from surgery (please forgive the poor-quality photos, they were taken with my phone).

He's only about 6 months old and extremely friendly.  He isn't showing any signs of trauma despite being stabbed.  He doesn't even seem to have any sensitivity around that back hip where it happened.  He's recovering remarkably well!  I enjoyed my time with him yesterday.

I was looking forward to spending some time with Vixen (the sweetie pie I walked last weekend) but she was with one of the rescuers.  She has a bit of an infection on her forehead where she rubbed a wound against the cage so she's getting a chance to heal.  Hopefully she'll be better next week (well, hopefully she'll find a good home and not need to live at the shelter!).

Rescue Dogs - Sundays in My City

I've posted about my dogs plenty of times.  They're rescue mutts and I couldn't love them more!! They've been with my parents being thoroughly spoiled while I've been getting settled down here.

My buddy had to have a cancerous lump removed from his leg; thus the bandage.

They both had their teeth cleaned and my sweet baby found the patch they shaved on her leg for the IV to be very irritating.  Therefore they both had to wear the cone of shame.

While they've been living it up at my parents' I've been volunteering to walk some rescue dogs. These poor things only get out a few times a week when volunteers go to walk them so they have lots of energy!  Each dog goes 2 miles and I have to take a nice, long nap when I get home :)  Regardless of your feelings on breeds like pit bulls, I think Dante has a special ring of hell for people who abuse animals!

Dancer is a sweet girl who was left with a cleft in her lip from fighting.

Vixin is an absolute sweetheart who had been used as a "bait dog" in a fighting operation. I can only imagine the horrors she's been through. She has scars all over her face but she's very friendly and playful.

 

Zora was rescued from a breeder who was going to put her down because she was the runt of the litter.

I'm a firm believer in rescuing animals as opposed to buying them from breeders or pet stores.  If I had a place with tons of room I'd probably have more dogs...and cats. Please, if you want a pet, rescue!

Linking up with Unknown Mami for the always-interesting SIMC.  Check it out!