sorry been absent

Sorry guys - time and things just slipped away from me.

Today I put together my final newsletter as Editor for the Valley Women's Network Evening Chapter.  Yes my term of 3 years has come to an end.  I love the VWN and have met some really amazing and wonderful ladies thru this group.  Sadly my schedule has changed and I am unable to devote as much time to the network as I have in the past.  I will miss many of the ladies but will keep in touch as our friendships and bonds are formed now and I am grateful to them all for the friendships.

If you are interested in learning more about the VWN visit their Facebook page  - click on this link

Matt & I just got back from our whirlwind trip to LA and brought 3 beautiful Boxer dogs home in tow with us.  No we are not getting another dog, we brought them back for approved adoptive homes for the rescue.

So many people are involved in a trip like this.  Our rescue "Rescue a Boxer" & our partnership with "So-Cal Boxer Rescue" helped make this happen.  But yet it takes more than just 1 or 2 people.  It takes a whole team.  We have volunteers that transport to and from the airport, volunteers who house the volunteers, volunteers who do the home visits, followups, introductions and training, vet visits, more transportation and more followups.  When you see 3 dogs it takes alot more behind the scenes than you can imagine.  For that we are grateful.  People truly do have kind hearts.  And many people volunteer just for the love of the Boxer breed.  Saving one dog won't change the world, but it will change for that one dog.

I can't tell you how much our dogs mean to us.  You all know you all follow me.  Each dog is a part of our family.  A member of our family.  They aren't "just a dog".  Anyone who says those words never really had a connection with their "dog" or any dog.  Each dog that comes into our family is different.  No I am not talking about color.  I am talking about the connection that we have to that dog.  We love all our dogs and they all hold a special place in our hearts, but once in a while you get that dog that is your heart.

We recently helped our old boy Han Solo cross to the bridge.  He was my husband's "heart dog".   I love Han too but Matt and Han had a very special type of connection.

 This dog came into our lives and taught us both so much about ourselves.  He came to us broken.  He was found abandoned, tied in a backyard without food or water.  The owner lost his home in a foreclosure and decided to leave his dog as well.   A kind neighbour found him and took him in.  Sadly that neighbour was also losing his home.  But he contacted Boxer Rescue LA and made arrangements for him to go to them.  He agreed to hold onto him till a suitable home could be found.  When I found out about his story and saw this cute adorable face.  We knew right away he was a Kaiser.  We agreed he would become a part of our pack.

As arrangements were being made the original owner surfaced after being absent for almost 3 months.  He claimed that he wanted the dog back because he had sold him to a place in Mexico.  Everything about the story screamed "Dog fighting ring" to us.  It just didn't jive.  Either way - Rescue stepped in and we got our boy.

 He came to our home broken and sad with eyes that were dark and full of fear and anger.  He would be very confused and sometimes coward when you went to pet him.  After a while he allowed us to pet him but he was very unsure and almost uncomfortable for gentle petting.  This boy was scarred.  He didn't like the rules or the boundaries we had in place.  He was great with Luke & Leia and even Matt but he certainly did not want anything to do with me.

After a couple of weeks we got Han, Matt had to go travel on business.  Han decided that he was the one in charge.  He refused to do anything I asked of him.  Even a simple sit to put on his collar he would jump up and bite me.  I was taken aback the first couple of times.  My heart was broken.  I loved this dog so much and yet he wanted to kill me every chance he could get.  I had to quickly change the rules in our home.  He needed more structure and more boundaries.

Two weeks had passed and Matt came home to a different dog.  He was more comfortable in the house and with us.  He was more loving and affectionate than before.  We weren't in the clear yet.  It was a good start he still needed work and it took 2 more years and alot of bandages on my part before he was fully integrated into our pack.

Han Solo was our boy for over 10 years.  He was Matt's shadow.  His constant friend.  He was almost 14 years old.  He is by far the oldest Boxer we have had.  Sadly Han developed Degenerative Myleopathy which is the shittiest disease ever.  Well face it they are all pretty shitty.  It's a disease that our first Boxer, Luke had.  And many other Boxers also get this.

 Degenerative myelopathy is a progressive disease of the spinal cord.  It begins with a loss of coordination in the hind limbs. The  dog will wobble when walking, knuckle over or drag the feet. This can first occur in one hind limb and then affect the other. As the disease progresses, the limbs become weak and the dog begins to buckle and has difficulty standing. The weakness gets progressively worse until the dog is unable to walk.

DM is not a painful disease.  Their mind is still very sound and functioning they just can't walk.  There is no cure for it.  No treatment.  They don't even know why dogs get it.  But it is known to be genetic.  It's horrible just watching your strong dog deteriorate before your eyes.  To learn more about DM there are many links online.  We found this one to be the most helpful http://mydoghasdm.com/what-is-degenerative-myelopathy/
The owner wrote a blog about his dog Wrangler who had DM.  Coincedentally enough we bought Wrangler's old wheelchair on Craigslist for our boy Luke when he had DM.

Han would never use the wheelchair tho.  He hated it.  We tried him in it a few times and the last time he fell backwards and rolled down the grassy hill in our backyard.  It was awful.  We did manage to get him a pet trailer/stroller so that he was still able to come on walks with us.  He loved it!  We called it the "Millenium Falcon".

This picture was taken a few years ago, when the original crew was still with us.  We have (Left to Right) Leia, Geordi, Luke, Chewie & Han.  I imagine that this is exactly what they are doing at the bridge.  Outside enjoying a nice sunny day with the whole gang there.  We miss you all and our hearts are broken but I would do it all over again just to be with you for the short time that we were.  Truly you rescued us!