The Joys of Fostering an Animal.

The other day Bobby and I were offered the opportunity of a lifetime.
A bulldog rescue in Erin Ontario had a bulldog who would benefit from
a family environment.
I can't tell you how excited I was to hear from the rescue.
Bobby and I drove an hour and a half in traffic to Erin, to meet the
animal.
The rescue had roughly 13 bulldogs in it's care and couldn't give each
of them the individual care they needed.
Bulldogs require a lot of attention and an owner who will train them
consistently. Bulldogs can be quite stubborn, so the owner needs to be
just as stubborn. :)
We entered the home/rescue and were greeted by a slew of bullies. All
shapes sizes and colours. As we entered further into the home there
were 4 kennels/crates and there he was.
He seemed larger than the others, and quiet.
I had asked the rescue owner operator if I could take him for a walk.
She agreed and off Bobby and I went.
At first the bullie tugged a touch but I wasn't gonna let him walk me.
I started correcting, he started responding favorably. I knew at that
point that I would be able to take care of this big boy.
We signed a Foster agreement and got him in the back of the truck.
He loves drives & was a joy in the vehicle.
His first night was touch and go he didn't sleep well, and he paced. I
kept him company. I tried to make him feel comfortable.
We've been doing great since! He still needs some work but I'm happy
to do it and happier with his progress. Eventually I hope to deal with the slight touch of dog
aggression he has.
I've been so happy to have him. He sometimes tries to push boundaries but I don't let him get away with it.
I think we're bonding, and learning together! I think I love him. He's kinda fat but so am I lol we're walking together everyday 2-3 times a day (I'm in so much pain lol)

I think the two of us are going to get really healthy together :)

Giving him back when our foster is over is going to be hard. He's just so sweet and funny. He acts like a grumpy old man. Right now he's snoring on the floor beside me. I think I love him.

I suggest fostering or adopting for anyone who wants to make a
difference in a poor animals life.
Be strong and help improve their quality of life. Train them
consistently and use discipline. All animals need it. (and humans do
too :) )

In Sickness & In Health...

Saturday night the Bob and I had planned to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. I think we were going to do the quiet at home dinner just the 2 of us.
Instead we got to spend it in Toronto East Generals Emergency Department with a ton of strangers. Sigh.

Things have been a little tight around here, so I figured I won't put any pressure on Bobby to buy gifts or take me out for an expensive dinner (even if I'm STILL craving steak). It was going to be a perfect evening and maybe we'd get a drive in.

Unfortunately someone up there had some other divine design... Bob became so totally ill I had to rush him to the hospital.

I felt so bad for him. He was so incredibly sad and grumpy and a great big sick child.

Bobby has gout.
He had an attack that began a week ago.
He didn't have any meds for his attack until half way through the week.
The emergency anti-inflammatory gout meds started to make bobby feel more ill almost immediately.
It began with one bout of diarrhea, then it slowly began to affect him every time he took the emergency anti-inflammatory (every two hours). It was horrible. I took a trip to the pharmacy to see if there's something I could get for him and what I should be doing to help relieve his pain. When I explained the situation to the pharmasist and he told me straight out "take him to the hospital right away!"

So... Off to the emerg we go.
I felt so bad for him.
He hates needles.
They had to put in an iv and he looked at me like I was the most evil person on the face of the planet. he was looking up at me with these big puppy dog eyes, and he was so cute, I felt so bad for him.
It's always the big burly guys that are afraid of needles. :D
We were at the Hospital until 3am.
Got home at 3:30, and I couldn't fall asleep until 5am...
I was so worried about him.

Any how. He's better now, and I'm glad that the ordeal is over.

No... we didn't get to celebrate our anniversary in the traditional sense but, we spent time together as a couple...
Like we would in the future as we grow older, through sickness and health.

Happy Anniversary Bobby. I love you & I'm sorry you were ill.