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Callie's Chronicles

Ahhhh - FINALLY Home (well sort of)

I finally came home (well to Grammy’s) on Monday (6/15) after far too many days in the stinky place. I liked the stinky place though – they made me feel better and I was able to get lots of sleep without Crazy Daisy bothering me. Speaking of Ms Daisy, she’s not around – wonder if she’s at a stinky place too. Hope so, I wouldn’t want to be the only one that had to go to a stinky place.

So I’m at Grammy’s, and she’s treating me really good. She’s been cooking me chicken and rice for my meals because the nice doctor said I could only have bland food. I really like this people food – wonder if I can get it all the time. I think the worst thing I have to deal with now is those icky pills. Grammy stuffs 9 pills in me twice a day – can you imagine?? I think that should be some form of abuse! I keep spitting them out – I can tell she’s getting frustrated, she keeps giving me yogurt chasers.

Well, I am starting to feel a little better. I’ve been walking outside with Grammy & I even pooh’d for her – she kept saying “good boy” all excited. I had no idea that you could be praised for something as simple as pooh’ing. I’m gonna have to keep doing it. Although she has been yelling at me something about NO GRASS….Heck I love my grass – helllloooooo I’m a Grass-O-Holic. I figure I’ll still try to eat it – maybe she won’t keep her eagle eye on me at all times.

I can’t wait to see my mommy this weekend…..I know she hates being away from me, but knows I’m in good hands with Grammy & Grampy – tells me its better than living on the streets & I can totally agree. I get spoiled like crazy. Hmmmm – wonder if I’ll see Daisy too – ugh, there goes my sleep time & undivided attention – she always has to bully her way in for hugs & kisses.

I want to thank all my pals again for the get well wishes, prayers, emails & rosettes. You are all such great friends & I feel honored to know you. Also want to thank Dr Jeff at the Granville Vet Clinic for saving my life (so mom says). Without him I wouldn’t be here today….

Confessions of a Grass-O-Holic - BEWARE GRASS IS EVIL!!!

It started out as such a simple treat – nibbling grass (the lawn variety) because it tastes so good, but somewhere along the line it turned into an obsession with me. I just couldn’t get enough of it-I had to have it every time I went outside…And I couldn’t get enough of it. Who’d have thought that something that tastes so good could be so bad.

As some of you know, I have by staying with my grandparents while mom tries to find a house for all of us. They’re nice but they’re just not mom. Because I’ve been missing her so much, I’ve been turning to grass as a comfort food. It never seemed to be a problem before until last week. That is when my nightmare began.

Last Wednesday I was feeling particularly lonely so I decided to eat lots of grass. Bad idea! Well, that night I didn’t feel so good – I had a huge belly ache. I hurled a few times all over grammy’s house, and that made me feel a little better. Breakfast time came & I chowed down on my food (was hungry after getting rid of all my belly contents the night before). Hours later my belly was hurting again so I hurled my breakfast. By dinner time, I was really feeling icky. I didn’t want to put anything else in my belly because it hurt so much. I just wanted to sleep it off. The next morning I still felt icky and refused to eat my breakfast….Grammy told Mommy I was lethargic acting & Mommy told her to get me to the vet ASAP. Mommy is what the vet calls – an anal dog mom – always calling about every little thing – well, I’m certainly glad she did this time. I was hurting.

So Grammy takes me to her vet & leaves me there for him to do all kinds of tests on me. He did blood work and x-rays but couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. I still refused to eat so he kept me overnight. The next day I decided to eat a little bit so I could go home – it was the weekend & I was going tosee Mommy. So I ate a little bit in anticipation of getting out of there. So, they sent me home even though I still wasn’t feeling too hot….My belly still ached and I really didn’t want to eat anything (even grass). Mommy came over first thing in the morning to see me & was shocked. She told me I was going right back to the vet – I was a mess. I could barely get out of the chair to greet her but I did give her kisses. Mommy said I had to go back to the vet to get on an IV, she didn’t want me dehydrated so off I went – back to that smelly place. They hooked me up with some fluids & I napped the day & night away – my belly really, really hurt!

On Monday, the vet tried to stick this probe thingee down my throat – ugh I didn’t like that. He said something about not being able to see anything with it. Then he made drink think this icky liquid & kept looking at me on a monitor to see where the liquid was going – well, it didn’t go anywhere – I was clogged. The vet told mommy he’d have to open me up the next day & see what was wrong – I didn’t care what he did – I just wanted my belly pain to go away. Mommy told him to do what he had to because she knew I was getting sicker by the day.

Tuesday comes & its surgery day….I felt so bad I didn’t care what they did to me. The Doc shaved me & then opened up my belly (fortunately I was asleep for this). I later heard him telling mommy what he found inside my belly & it wasn’t good. He said he took fistfuls of grass out of my belly, and that the grass had woven together & made a plug that clogged my stomach to my intestines. He checked my intestines and took 3 clumps of grass out of there too. He said that my intestine had been perforated & part of it was gangrene, so he ended up removing 18 inches of it. Mommy was concerned about that but he said I should be fine – we can spare a few inches.

Mommy came to visit me – I liked that…She brought me my favorite yogurt since I wasn’t eating & I ate some of that – it felt good on my belly. She took me outside for a little walk & we sat basking in the warm sunshine. I did have a relapse & tried to eat some grass – I couldn’t help myself. Mom was not happy about that & she yelled at me (geez after all I’ve been through??). She had given me a lecture about the dangers of grass earlier but I was too doped up to hear her. Next thing you know, she’s leaving and I’m not going with her….I don’t understand but I was just too tired and in too much pain to get too upset – I just wanted to sleep.

I was hoping that I could go home & see Mommy today but the vet said I’m not out of the woods yet. I threw up this morning and he wants to do more x-rays to see if there is something more wrong with me. I hope I can get better so I can go home this weekend – I really miss my family. I want to thank all my pals for their emails, rosettes & get well gifts. They mean so much to me & are definitely an inspiration for me to get better.

Two Years is a Lifetime

WOW - hard to believe that two years ago, Memorial Day Weekend, I came to live in my forever home. Its hard for me to remember my earlier life - I just remember being loaded into a van & taken for a ride...Next thing you know this nice lady is on the side of the thruway looking at me - she seemed really sad, so I decided to give her kisses. Then I heard her say he's perfect, I'll take him! So off I go with her for a really, really long car ride. She's talking to me the entire time (I don't think she ever shuts up!) telling me what a handsome boy I am, how I'm going to have a new sister & about missing some Cracker dude & how I will NOT replace him. I didn't know what she was talking about she was yammering so much.

After a couple hours we pulled up to this house & this crazy black dog came out to greet me - she was growling at first but she mellowed quickly. The two of us played for awhile & the lady says OMG, you look like Cracker. I'm like Rut Ro - what'd I do. She was kinda smiling through her tears & I decided to give her some more kisses - she said that her special guy had passed the previous Memorial Day Weekend & I was like his spirit coming back to her. I was thinking what kind of crazy place am I?!?!?!

And that was the beginning of my life in paradise............................

Gosh so much has happened in the two years I've lived here - seems like I've always been here (and my mom says the same thing). She has since gotten over my looking like Cracker & says she doesn't see him in me at all - although I have his personality & am definitely a momma's boy. My life is GREAT!!! I wake every morning to hugs & kisses from my mommy - I follow her everywhere & she just adores me. I have a crazy sister, Daisy - who can be a real pain in the rear, but I love her to pieces. My daddy even adores me & is always trying to get me away from my momma. I've made all kinds of dogster pals who celebrate holidays, birthdays & milestones with me. They're all the best!!!

One of the greatest things is becoming TDI certified - my mom takes me on visits to nursing homes once or twice a week & I get showered with more attention than any pooch could ever want (plus it gives me extra bonding time with mom). I recently hit my 50 visit mark and am now TDIA certified! They just sent me my certificate & a pin for mom.

Who'd have thought that two years ago I would be making the journey to paradise.........My past life is just a distant memory - now all I can think of is just how happy I am to be loved & adored.