My New Puppy

This is my new puppy, Dixie. She was born 10/10/10 and rescued from the Pampa Animal Shelter. She is a Parti colored Pomeranian, here she is, Miss Dixie Belle Lusk:

Puppy Hoodie

Oh my goodness, before I start with my latest craft project, I guess I should introduce the newest member of our family, Missy.

Missy's mother was adopted by some local friends of mine. She was supposed to be too young to become pregnant, much to their surprise, she had babies not long after. They kept one puppy, Missy, but with a house full of children, they didn't feel like she was being treated fairly. She is about 10 weeks old and is a mixed breed. The most obvious traits appear to be Shih Tzu.

They knew I liked her so they called and asked if I wanted her. The rest is history.

Okay, so yesterday she went and had her first haircut

Isn't she precious?? Anyway, the puppy clothes in there were EXPENSIVE! So I thought, "I can do that!" So I gave it a shot. I found an online pattern for a puppy hoodie. Wouldn't that be cute for Friday night football games?? So I fashioned it after the one I bought for myself Friday night, here it is

Leave comments, let me know what you think of my first try??

Dusty Update

Here is a picture, its a couple of months old, but I just love this picture of her and I still don't have a working camera with a flash. Isn't she just precious?

Dusty is better!! She even went to work today. I don't think she could have handled one more day cooped up in the house. We gave her the SQ fluids and some Fastrack Equine Gel. Yes, they make a canine gel, but I didn't have any and she needed that good bacteria in her belly quickly! I have no doubt that it was that gel that sped up her recovery so much. Last night she was eating and drinking as if she had never been sick.

When I called the vet to get the fluids, she said that she was sure it was an underlying condition and that fluids wouldn't do any good. The doc expected her to be gone by now, she sure showed them didn't she!?

Anyway, this isn't a commercial for Fastrack, I am just so grateful to all of you who prayed for our pup and all of the kind emails. She is back to her old self today, thanks to you!

Dusty

UPDATE: As of 5pm, Dusty is doing better! She is drinking and acting like her normal self. If she eats tonight we will be back in business. Thanks so much for your prayers!!

I thought I had a picture of Dusty to go here, but I don't so you're gonna have to trust me that she's a beautful, sweet girl. Dusty is my darling beloved's Blue heeler/Australian Shepherd Mix. The American Cattle Dog Association calls that mix a Texas Heeler. Anyway, Dusty is a sick girl. A few nights ago she got sick, and was getting worse daily.

We took her to the vet yesterday, the vet couldn't really tell us much, except that she was dehydrated. She told us to force feed fluids and pray. She said she could hospitalize her and run tests which would quickly add up to at least $600, which we don't have. So we tried the fluids...yeah, no fun. Dusty fought that all the way. Then a friend of mine suggested subcutaneous fluids. Hey, I can handle that, no big deal. So I got an IV kit from the vet and we gave her SQ fluid (that means under the skin) a little here and there throughout the night. We also gave her a dose of Conklin Fastrack Jumpstart Gel (a probiotic).

This morning she seems to be doing better. She is up and wanting to play, she was drinking some water, and she urinated a little bit. Anyway, I ask you this because she just MUST get better. My little mother-in-law and my hubby would be devastated if something happened to this little dog. So, please, would you pray that she gets better quickly?

If I can pray for you, please let me know?

The Best Dog a Boy Could Have

She came one day without a home
We welcomed her into ours
She loved that tiny little boy
She loved to ride in the car.

She slept under his crib at night
Protected him from the dark
She gave him peace and security
He gave her his heart.

He got taller, she stayed right there
Faithfully by his side
Loyally his companion she
Remained until the day she died

Ten years they walked together
A boy and his loving friend
She never once let him down
On her, he could depend

She held on, as long as she could
Waited for him to get home
Maybe she couldn’t go without him
Maybe she didn’t want to be alone

He came home and kissed her nose
He told her it was ok
With tears in his eyes my sweet boy
Lost his friend that day.

Thank you, Kamora, for teaching him love,
For being his faithful friend
For staying by his side, for keeping him safe
Until the very end.

K. Lusk 8/4/09

Kamora was the best dog a boy could ever have. She came to live with us one day when her previous owners no longer wanted her. The man she lived with was planning to poison her so that he wouldn't have to care for her any longer. Geoff brought her home and asked what I wanted to do. She walked over and laid under the crib of our sleeping infant son and it was all over. She became a little boy's dog that day.

I praise God every day for that dog and the way she taught him to love. There is a type of love that a little boy can only learn from the faithfulness of a good dog. She was truly his. She and Austin had a language all their own. He could tell her things that he couldn't tell anyone. They would play for hours in the backyard.

After ten years of faithful companionship, my son lost his friend Saturday night. The children had been with me for a month and went home to their father's house on Saturday. Kamora held on until her boy came home, then she allowed the end to come. She laid herself in the floor and no longer had the strength to get up.

My baby boy is hurting now, his heart is absolutely broken. Another lesson that sweet Kamora is teaching her boy: life does go on, love continues even in death, and he will love again. Thank you God, for bringing Kamora into our lives, into Austin's life, and for showing him that kind of unconditional love.

If I can pray for you today, please let me know.

Dusty

As promised, a picture of Vaughn's new baby, Dusty. A Texas Heeler.

Champ

I am still getting better, back at work today and feel the need to blog. My picture today is of Champ. This guys appears to have been dumped in Bunavista and really needs a loving home! He has a place temporarily with the Baker family, but these folks have 5 dogs already and this guy needs some One-on-One.

Here is a little more info on Champ:

Age: about 2 years old

Gender: un-neutered male

Temperament: We have seen him around a child and he was very gentle and just gave kisses. He does not appear shy or aggressive at all. He has barked at other dogs, but will ignore them if it means love from people or treats. We have been around him with food and have seen no food aggression, we have picked him up, crated him, as well as walked him, etc. He does not pull on the leash and has only been loving. We are not sure how he is around other dogs and cats.

Health: The Baker's took him to the vet on Friday and he was checked over. They did a fecal sample since there was blood in his stool. They found hook worm eggs and he was treated for that as well as having colitis, which I was informed was just due to stress and again he is being treated. The vet gave him his rabies shot as well as DHLPP. It does appear he may have been hit by a car and has lost about 4-5 inches on his tail and does have a few bumps and scratches on his back legs. There does not appear to be any severe damage or health concerns, but the vet does say that the new owner may want to have his tail docked a little shorter to keep him from hitting it when wagging.

We are happy to provide all documents we have on him and to answer any questions that we can. Please let us know if you need any other information. Home visit will be made before this dog is placed. Serious inquiries only please.

Project 365

Okay, so today I begin Project 365, a picture everyday of just whatever. Here is my picture for today:

My picture today is actually a picture of this blog. Today was a very difficult day for me. We lost our precious boy Solomon yesterday in a tragic accident. I want to say thank you to everyone who called and commented and emailed. It means the world to me that God has surrounded us with His love in the form of some great Kingdom people.

To my friends in Paws N' Claws, thank you, Sawyer, Cathy, Marvel, all of you, thank you! Words cannot express my gratitude through this hard time. Cathy, thank you for talking to me as I drove to the barn. Sawyer, I know who will cry with me, thank you for your love.

I even made some new friends through this, Shauna Russ and her service dog, a beautiful pit named Phoebe. Marie Vaughn, a proud pit momma in Hot Springs, AR. And Toni Phillips from Mariah's Promise Animal Sanctuary in CO. These sweet ladies spoke some wonderful words of God's promises to me. Thanks girls!

For now, we are sad. Our boy is gone. Today, I stayed busy, tried to keep my mind off of it all. Then tonight, as we sat watching movies, I fell apart, I just started crying. Vaughn looked at me and asked what was wrong and that opened the floodgate. I fell into tiny pieces, just crying so hard. He held me and we both cried. I know that the hurt will not last forever, God promises us in Psalm 30:5 "weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."

And I know that one day soon, my words will be that of Psalm 30: 11-12 "Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever."

If you're wondering what Project 365 is, check out Becky Higgins' site listed in my blog list.

In Memory

Solomon Lusk

Yesterday morning, we lost our boy Solomon. Thank you to everyone who has responded to me already. Thank you for your love and for your prayers and for your concern. Vaughn & I still hurt, but we know that God will heal our hurt in time. Enjoy the slide show of our beautiful boy.

My Mother's Day Present!

For those of you who haven't met our sweet boy, Solomon, or our newest addition, Naamah, here they are:

Solomon
שְׁלֹמֹה

Born: June 30, 2006

From the Hebrew name שְׁלֹמֹה (Shelomoh) which was derived from Hebrew שָׁלוֹם (shalom) "peace". Solomon was a king of Israel, the son of David, renowned for his wisdom. Supposedly, the Book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon in the Old Testament were written by him.

Naamah
נַעֲמָה

Born: March 31, 2008

Means "pleasant" נַעֲמָה in Hebrew, pronounced: NAY-a-ma. This name is borne in the Old Testament by both a daughter of Lamech (Gen. 4:22) and by the woman thought to be the most beloved wife of Solomon, the only one who appears to have borne him a son, Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:21, 31).


Naamah was a present to me from my sweet husband for Mother's day. We named her as Solomon's bride; his beloved whom he is believed to have written Song of Solomon for. Song of Solomon is a beautiful book of the Bible and is a picture of Christ's love for his beautiful bride, the church. We will call her Nay-nay for short.