Fish Sticks and Green Jello

So there I am today getting ready for work, minding my own business when the lady on KCBS (740AM, yes I listen to AM radio, I've turned into my father) says there is breaking news that the Eiffel Tower is on fire. Oh great I think. My first time ever going to Paris in August and the Eiffel Tower is going to burn down (or at least be damaged and closed, heh). Luckily the fire was on the top floor and was most likely caused by some sort of faulty wiring or something like that. Which to me means yes, I'll still be able to go up to the tourist portions of the Eiffel Tower in t-minus three weeks and counting!

I'm started to get psyched for my trip although it still hasn't set in yet that I'm finally heading to Europe again after years and years of not being there. First stop London for four days then Paris for six. I wish we could have gone for longer but this is how it was orginally planned and due to the great deal we got we were unable to change it. 10 days is great though. 10 1/2 technically but who's counting. I also think we probably should have gone to paris for all 10 but live and learn. I love London though and am anxious to go back and see what it's like now that I'm not a teenager on a trip with my dad anymore. Should be a blast. This is probably the biggest vacation I've taken without my dad being around for it. Which really makes me excited. I feel all grown up and stuff! Anyway I'm taking off at the beginning of August, week after next! Whee!

In other news, Toby got sick AGAIN today. Yet another $100 plus vet visit. I gave him a greenie treat yesterday. Made out of chlorophyll and supposedly great for dogs. Well I gave him two big ones. Today he once again had an "accident", barfed and had the yucky runs. I rushed him to the vet because he was way worse than when he ate the cat food. They gave him subcutaneous fluids, so he had this big camel hump all day while he absorbed the fluids. I got more tummy meds for him and he didn't get to eat today, poor guy. Made me feel like I was abusing him even though the doc said no food. I have to feed him rice and cottage cheese or cooked chicken for the rest of the week starting tomorrow. The doc said I could give him small bits of greenies in the future but FORGET IT! I'm not EVEN risking it. Runny Dog is NO FUN.

I got my carpets steam cleaned last friday but I'm going to have the cleaning guy come back tomorrow to treat Toby's two accident spots because even using Nature's Miracle and using spot cleaner that I bought won't make the carpet stain come out. I don't get it!! Nature's Miracle used to always work and sometimes it still does but on one cat barf spot and these two spots ZIP ZILTCH! I'm confused. Probably the crappy carpet I have. Bleh.

Thanks to Edna Million for sending me this link to an Animal Abuse Petition site. There are currently 22,937 signatures to date.

Here's the text of the petition letter:

Make Penalties for Animal Abuse More Severe!
Dear President Bush,

Animal Abuse must stop! Animal neglect cannot be allowed. Across the United States, thousands of animals are severely mistreated. Often this violence against animals goes unpunished. Animals have rights just like humans. They don't deserve to be tortured and abused. The people who commit these crimes are not getting enough time behind bars. Animal abuse crimes are often overlooked, despite the fact that statistics show that there is a strong correlation between violence against animals and violence against humans. These violent people must be severely punished for their crimes. An animal deserves the protection of the state. Are they not as important as a person. Are people somehow more valuable? No, we're not. The law must be more strict against animal abusers. Please take action to increase the penalties for animal abusers. You will be helping get criminals off the streets... perhaps before they take violent action against people as well!

Thank You,
The Undersigned.

If this is something you believe in please take the time to go and sign this petition and hopefully make a difference in an issue like this. Also for more info/reading, here's a link to an article entitled "Animal Abuse as an Indicator of Violence".

Good stuff to be aware of. Thanks Edna!

So Tuesday AM I got a call from the foster mom. She said she had gotten my email that morning and was suprised to hear from me. She told me that it must be "Serendipitous" that I wanted him back because she called everyone on her list after me and no one wanted him! The family in Tahoe's mother got ill and went into the hospital so they couldn't do it. One family went to Spokane for a month. A third family didn't want to pay the adoption fee for him (can you believe that?? With all that humane societies do for animals??) and supposedly were acting like they were doing the society a FAVOR by taking him for free! Hrmph! So the woman said she called her mom and friends at the society and decided that yes I could have him back. To top it all off my old first grade best buddy from Flint, MI wrote me an email. She had come across my website after years of us being out of touch and saw my post about Toby. She wanted me to know how much her dog meant to her and how important he was in her life and that even though he was ill she would never give up the years she had with him.

Well that pretty much solidified what I already knew. It was fate. Tuesday evening my friend Dave and I drove all the way back to Murphys to pick him up. Yet another 2 1/2 plus hour drive (one way!) out past Stockton. When we got there the woman told me that the daughter of the elderly lady that had owned Toby stopped by with a big bag of his toys. She washed them all and gave them to me to take back with him which was great! Good timing! Anyway, I got Toby home and it was like he never left, except without all the previous anxiety. I had a little bit still, but with each day it gets easier and easier. Of course he ran in and for some odd reason ate a mouthful of cat food. He'd stayed away from it before but the drive musta pooped him out. Wednesday on the way to work he decided to hurl in the car and then spent the whole rest of the day having the runs... eww. He had an "accident" in my office and one late at night at home. I was trying to crate him at night when I first got him but I decided he was definitely trustworthy so I didn't crate. Which is probably just as well anyways so he didn't have the accident in his bed. Suffice to say it's been a tough couple of days.

I took him to the vet today and he weighed in at 18lbs, 1oz. and yes he's definitely a purebred Lhasa Apso. He's in good health and got some pills for his runs, which I have to say helped right away thank god. Got some advantage flea meds for the kitty and for the pup and a free visit for having adopted him. Even with the free ($50 value) visit the vaccine he got for kennel cough, the cat and dog flea meds and the pills still cost me $120 something! Yikes. Good thing I don't have to go to the vet that often! Advantage lasts the next 6 months anwyays. I am definitely getting vet insurance for him though. Dogs have a greater tendency to hurt themselves than cats do. I could insure my cat but even with her sensitive stomach its been cheaper to pay for the visits over the last 10 years.

My boyfriend doesn't seem to be too stoked by the dog. He hasn't warmed up to him at all really. But Toby's my dog so that's fine. I'm still happy with my choice cause I know it was the best one. Toby is wonderful and I'm really lucky to have such a perfect, wonderful, well behaved dog. I'm also very lucky to have the cat that I do. I have two wonderful animals and may be becoming an old maid before my time (spinster = owning lots of cats/dogs) but I'd rather be that and have the two pets that I do than go through life without them at this point. At least their love is unconditional. Life is funny. I never though at 32 I'd be getting a dog as an unmarried, no kid having woman. One day I'd like to be a married, kid having, pet having woman. Here's to hoping. Lastly I'd like to say thanks to Edna and Jenn who both posted comments about how I should get the dog back. Thanks for the support! And before I forget the last bit of my story, folks at work and friends all offered their help with Toby if I ever need it. Awww! Thanks guys! Warms the ole heart. I've even got my own list of dog sitters at work when I have to go to meetings and don't feel like leaving him alone. Toby's well loved now. :)

This last week has been pretty emotional for me. Last Tuesday I went out to Murhpys which is way out in the middle of nowhere east of Stockton about 150 miles from Mountain View. My friend Dave drove and we got a lot of views of open country, two lane roads and cows with no civlization in sight for miles. It was actually a very nice drive. Anyway, I went out there to adopt a dog named Toby. Toby is the perfect dog. I mean the PERFECT dog. Totally trained, smart and cute as can be. I picked him up and took him home. Then Doggy ownership shock set in.

Boy was I a mess from Tuesday til Sunday. A mess! Basically I got Toby, started taking him to work. Freaked out at every little thing he did, not sure if I could deal. Generally speaking owning a dog is a HUGE lifestyle change and I was in shock at the fact that I was now responsible for this little guy for the next 15 years of his life. My cat wasn't super pleased either but she was adjusting. To top it all off my boyfriend who I spend weekends with at his home in Santa Cruz won't let me bring the dog with me to his home. I got overwhelmed, I freaked, I called the woman back, (she was holding my check for a week) and told her due to the cat and dog relations I had to give him up. I drove out and met her in Tracy on Sunday and relinquished the dog. Now ever since I did that I totally regret it. I didn't give it enough of a chance and I completely regret the decision I made. Basically I gave him up thinking that I could one day be a bad dog owner that maybe one day I might not care of his needs when he needed it. Call it a fear of commitment if you will.

The stupid part of this whole thing is that I CAN do it. I just freaked. I mean I've had Olivia, my cat, for 10 years and she's great. Anyway, to make this long story short I wrote a very heartfelt email back to the foster mom (who's out of town for two days) begging for a second chance. I told her the cat and dog relations situation could be worked out (add embelished story here) and that I'd do just about anything to have that little guy back. The truth of the matter is that I became utterly attached to him. I fell in love with him in 5 days and I feel like I just had a horrible breakup and I'm never going to see the other person again. It's just awful. I'm ashamed of myself for freaking like I did and I'm hoping I'll get that second chance. If I don't its my own darn fault and I'm sure he'll go to a great home anyways. I'm an idiot though. I just have to get that all out.

So wish me luck and let's hope this all works out for the best and I don't wind up regretting my stupid stupid freak out mistake.

Perry's been adopted! Hats off to the kind person who had the time to take Perry in and care for his eye condition. Kudos to you! Oh and if you go check out the link in my previous entry you'll see one of Perry's sponsors is yours truly. :)