she died in my arms last night
I don't really feel like writing right now. In fact, I don't really feel like doing anything. My eyes are practically swollen shut, and I'm suffering from a crying hangover. And I haven't slept hardly at all in the last twenty-four hours. Last night a client's dog died in my arms. I'd only known her for a day. Just a day. But she made an impression on me. She was little and sweet and cute and loved to cuddle and liked to lay in the sun. Her tags jingled so we'd know her four-pound body was approaching. And she had a heart condition. We just didn't know how bad.
She was walking along and she just keeled over. She let out two little yelps. I thought she just passed out, as her owners said she might, so I laid next to her and pet her and told her it would be okay. I didn't mean to lie. I stroked her head, and she laid there, breathing, and then she seemed to stop breathing. I didn't think it could be. I told her "no," but she did not obey. She just kept on not breathing. So I started CPR. And she just kept not breathing. And her heart stopped beating. I picked her up and she twitched. I held her and told her "no" again. She twitched a couple more times, giving me hope, and then she just went limp. And she didn't come back from that. I tried to breathe into her mouth again, but she didn't come back. I gave her a pat and a shake and told her "no" once more, but, still, she didn't listen.
We called the vet, the emergency vet, and my friend and client, who is a vet tech, but there wasn't an emergency to help with any more because she was gone.
Before I married my husband, I told him "we're going to have lots of pets, but I can't do the dying part, so you have to be the one to handle that." He still married me, thank goodness, and he has kept to his word. He tried CPR, but I told him to stop. So he wrapped her in a soft towel and held her for me while I cried and while the kids cried. And he took care of her body for me while I made the necessary phone calls to her owners, my unbelievably supportive vet tech client friend, and he held her body while I went for a short walk, just to clear my head.
My head is not clear. I still can't believe it. I want to rewind. I know I can't change it, but I want a rewind anyway. I always wanted to be a vet but opted out because of the sorrow. As a pet sitter, I didn't think I'd ever have to hold a client's dog in her last moments. What are the odds? I only knew her for a day.
All the pictures I took of her yesterday keep popping up. I keep thinking about yesterday, before it was like this.
I'll never forget Mona Chica and how she died in my arms last night.
the big, bad world: enter ThunderShirt part 4 (Remington)
Remington is a big part of my life. I met him when he was just a puppy, and he's been sweet and sour ever since. Part Winnie-the-Pooh, part devil, this guy has a big heart that has a tendency to grow anxious in certain situations. His anxiety comes out in the form of destruction. He has actually, truly eaten through a metal crate, and he has eaten most of a wall, and he has torn through a friend's couch, and some other stuff (we'll spare him the embarrassment of exposing the full extent of his deeds). His worst enemy: being alone or confined, or worst of all, alone and confined.
His family loves him dearly, so when they embarked on a new canine anxiety-producing adventure, I really wanted to help, both him and them, so I called up my friends at ThunderShirt. They were eager to help me help Remington.
I've been helping Remington's mom open Square Roots Preschool out of her home, so I'm intimately familiar with Remington's new position: being confined to the master bedroom during school hours. His family set him up for success, yet he still floundered. Here are a few examples of his work since the first day of school:
Before Remington's ThunderShirt arrived, his family tried music and a gentle lead,* which kept him busy, but didn't really seem to reduce his anxiety level:
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He eventually just laid down and stared at me, as if to say, "help."
I tried to spend time with him, but school duties called.
Since I'd experienced the success of the ThunderShirt with other dogs, I was very anxious for Remington's ThunderShirt to arrive. I introduced it slowly, at first, as the directions suggested. We offered up his favorite treats, using his new ThunderShirt as a plate:
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He took to it quite nicely, so we tried it on. That's where we hit a bit of a speed bump. Remington was unsure, so he tugged and pulled and twisted.
With a bit of calm encouragement and supervision over several days, he has become more comfortable with the idea of the ThunderShirt, and we're hoping he'll be able to wear it for all anxious occasions very soon.
It's looking promising. Isn't he handsome?
If you'd like to read more about my experiences with the ThunderShirt, please check out the following:
• the big, bad world: enter ThunderShirt part 1 (Rex)
• the big, bad world: enter ThunderShirt part 2 (Jack)
• the big, bad world: enter ThunderShirt part 3 (making it through the 4th)
Disclaimer: I was provided with a ThunderShirt in exchange for my honest opinion.
* I do not promote or recommend using a product for a purpose other than for what it was originally intended by it's manufacturer.
silly state law saturday: alabama
Our teen thing, B, is taking a law class this semester, and he is surprised by how much he's enjoying it. He likes it so much that he and his law class buddies have taken to spending some of their free time looking up and debating silly laws. Last week, he started reading some of them to me, and we were laughing so hard we were crying and gasping for air. Of course, many of them are silly today because they were only really applicable during the time they were instated. It's amazing some of this stuff is still on the books! What's even more entertaining to me is how many of these laws involve animals. I was inspired by our new family "game" and wanted to share this great new source of entertainment with my readers, but there are just too many to include in one post, so we'll be visiting this topic by state in alphabetical order, starting with good ol' Alabama.
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Alabama's silly state (and city) laws regarding animals:
• Bear wresting matches are prohibited. This law was designed to protect the bears from this inhumane form of entertainment. Is there no limit to the types of animals we will pit against each other? In addition, a person may not surgically alter a wrestling bear. I guess since it's unlawful for bears to wrestle, then we can only surgically alter non-wrestling bears. Which would be all bears. Sure.
• It is considered an offense to open an umbrella on a street, for fear of spooking horses (repealed). I wonder how many horses currently roam the streets of Alabama. We'll just get wet...it's worth it for the horses.
• Elephants may not be placed in electric ovens. Well, there go the Thanksgiving plans.
• It is illegal to marry an animal that is not already a relation. Um. Well. I guess marriage equality does have limits. Apparently animals are considered family members of their owners. And we can marry them.
And my personal favorite...
• If an animal control officer is in uniform, it signifies to the public that he is an animal control officer. So glad we cleared that up.
Law information source: stupidlaws.com and dumblaws.com.
free entertainment for you and your pet
When I was growing up, our little dog, Chipper, loved lights and reflections. I don't even think the pet laser pointer for pets had been thought up, yet. Instead, he had a collection of flashlights in a designated drawer, and he was so obsessed, he would bark in anticipation if we even approached the drawer. Eating dinner was an issue because we had track lighting that bounced light off the silverware. We'd have to take a bite and then quickly bury the silverware under the plate or napkin or food. Nevermind the large serving utensils. Pizza night, with that spatula, was an event.
I still haven't figured out why some animals "see the light" and some don't. Or maybe they do and don't care.
I've always been entertained by animals who do border on obsession with this entity that can't be caught, and this week, I accidentally found one in a client. We were enjoying the cooling weather outside, and my watch shot a beam of light into the grass. Piper pounced. The game was on. Her big sister, Ava, couldn't be bothered. What a great form of exercise for this pup! And what a great way for a little sister to pester her big sis–just part of the job.
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So grab that flashlight you have lying around, or just use the sun and something reflective. Free entertainment for the whole family!