From Mom

I had to get permission from Rascal, of course, but I had to say how much I appreciate all the comments about my little girl. The Rosettes and mail touch my heart. Rascal is a brave little warrior. Her life has been full of pain, yet she stays happy and loving. I wish that I could have half her courage. She's only five years old and I look forward to having her sweet little self in my life for many more years.

Thank you all.
Carrol

WOW - This is great!

I got so many requests from new friends that I don't think I can answer them all one by one, so I'll just say THANKS!

I'm so excited to have "Dairy of the Day' I've been running Shiba 500's all over the house. I love having all the new pals and everybody saying nice things to me.

This is a wonderful day to be me.

Jazzpurr

Ok, so Mom finally took a picture of me and Jazz together. Can you believe it, I actually fell asleep on the same bed with that cat. Course, it helped that I was already sound asleep when he jumped on the bed. Mom was scrunched up between us and, when she found out I hadn't awakened to run Jazz off she made a desperate run for the camera. This was the only shot she got. I woke up, smelled the cat and, well, end of that story.

I'm doing just fine. Not hurting hardly ever now. I get a people pain killer, Ultram, when my eye does hurt. I let Mom know by rubbing it and she makes the pain go away. Good Mom, I think I'll keep her.

Blind

A couple of months ago, my world went dark - forever. My mom rushed me to the doctor and then to a specialist who did surgery on my right eye in a big effort to help me, but it was too late. I have acute angle glaucoma and I wasn't able to tell Mom that my sight was going away. She only knew when I bumped into something.

It's hard to get used to not seeing, but I'm adjusting very quickly. Mom helps me by being my guide human and teaching me new words to tell me when I need to step up or down, or be careful, or when there's something in my way. I was really depressed for a couple of weeks, but now it's not so bad. I have my park and I run full out in circles around Mom. I have a really long lunge line that I can play on, so that's good. Mom is inventing new games for me every day and we play a lot. She tells me I'm good and that she will love me forever so I don't worry about being taken away from her. I still sleep on her bed. I'm still afraid to jump that high, so mom tells me it's time to snuggle, then lifts me up. I can get down by myself if I want to, but usually I sleep beside her all night.

And, pbbt to all small fuzzies. I can still hunt. I caught a mouse in the ground cover just yesterday. Nice snack. I was really proud of myself. I still chase the cat, too. Mom hasn't added Jazz to our family photos yet, but says she will. Mom did a bad thing to me though. She took the bell off his collar and now I don't always know where he is. Jazz is happy about that, I guess.

If anyone else out there is blind, Mom found a really good website and support group to help her and me adjust. If you want to know it, you can send us some email and we'll tell you how to find it. It's great!

Uh Oh. Mom just asked if I wanted a greenie. Gotta go! Loooooove greenies!

I'm back with my Mom!

It took a lot longer than my Nannie told me and I was getting really depressed, but, finally, I got to go home. My mom had been really sick. She told me that things went wrong with her surgery and she had to spend a lot more time getting well and being in the hospital. I understand that. I've had surgery that went wrong, too.

I felt really happy to be home. Still won't let Mom out of my sight when she's home and I let her know that I don't like it when she leaves me at home. I bark at her when she leaves. I don't tear up anything, though. That's baby stuff. I haven't done that in over three years.

The cats are gone. I guess I'm glad, but Mom cries a lot about them. She says she's not going to get another one, at least for a long, long time. I sorta miss Baxter....he was okay. The other one, I didn't know Rags as well.

Abandoned

My Mom has left me!

I'm living with my grandparents for, they tell me, about six weeks while mom recovers from surgery to replace her right knee. I understand about surgery, I've had two bad ones on my left leg,

BUT, I DIDN'T ABANDON MY MOM WHILE I RECOVERED.

Nannie, my human grandmother told on me to Mom when she called to check on me. She told Mom that I sat in the front window by the door and cried for five days because I miss Mom. I'm not crying now. It's really sort of fun to play with Max, my 70 lb black lab cousin. He's pretty cool and there's a big back yard with lots of squirrels to chase, so it's pretty good here.

But I miss my Mom. I wanna go home soon, but Nannie says it will be at least another two weeks. Mom must be really hurt, and I don't understand why she doesn't want me to be there to help her get well. I'd even cuddle and kiss the ouchy. Nanny says it's because Mom can't take me on walks yet and I might accidentally scratch or bump her wound.

MOM'S HURT AND I CAN'T PROTECT HER!.

No Fair. I wanna go home. I want my Mommy!.

CAT!

What am I supposed to be, a saint?

I can't believe that now my mom actually expects me, a proud Samurai hunting dog, a killer of small, and not so small game, to accept, without question, ANOTHER cat into our home.

I can't. I won't. She can't make me.

I make certain to let her and that new cat be aware of how I feel every time I cross paths with it, which isn't often, since, Mom, so wisely locked it away from me until it's gained weight.

Now, having said that I'm a proud Samurai warrior, I hate to admit two early withdrawals from battle with this cat. You see, he came better armed than the first one. I'm not used to cats who have ALL their claws and who seem not in the least shy about using them on my nose. Mom did warn me, but, of course, I have to protect the house and ward off all unwanted (by me) other animals.

Mom tells me I don't have a choice. I must accept Rags and she doesn't care how long it takes to get that message through my thick skull. I'm here to tell her it will be a long, long time.

Besides, what's wrong with me? Aren't I enough for my Mom? I do silly things for her all the time. I make her laugh every day. I cuddle, well, okay, I don't exactly cuddle, but I will lay still on the same couch and let her touch me. I protect the house ferociously.

Hmmm... maybe my first mistake was letting that other cat sleep in my bed now and then. But he was here when I got here and a lot bigger than I was then. He's the same size as me now. He beat me up a lot when I was little, so I sorta figure Baxter is some sort of God.

Mom loves on me a lot, so maybe, someday, I might give in just a little bity bit and let her keep Rags... Humph! What kind of dignified name is Rags. Those are what Mom keeps in the laundry for the maid to use. There's an idea. Maybe the maid would stuff the new cat in the laundry and carry him away.

Or then again, maybe Mom's right and I'll learn to get along with him and then we'll all have a new friend... Humph!

Bored! Bored! Bored! Bored! Bored!

I'm sitting here in the house. I don't like sitting in the house. I wanna go to the park, but they've closed my favorite dog park. Mom said it's something about making it better. Why? It was fine the way it was. Lot's of interesting pals to play with and plenty of good mud after it rains.

Mom's tried to keep me entertained. She takes me to another park, but none of my friends are there and I have to stay on my leash cause there's no fence and Mom says that Shiba's (that's what I am) can't be trusted off of their leash cause we run away a lot. I don't ever run away. I play a game I call "catch me if you can" but I never get out of Mom's sight and, when I'm tired of the game, I always come back.

Oh Wait! Gotta go. Baxter is trying to get Mom's attention. I have to chase the cat and do a few laps of the Shiba 500.