Lula

Paul and I had to have Lula put to sleep this morning. It was really hard on both of us, and I really thought I had prepared myself for this since her diagnosis of bladder cancer 4 months ago.

This picture was from a few years ago, probably right before we found out about her diabetes. She looks so dang happy! She's been so sick for so long, I almost forgot she ever looked like this.

I kept putting the decision off because she still loved to eat so much. You could almost set your watch by her when it came to pokey time. Thats what we called it at 11am and 11pm when she would get fed and her insulin shot. She would start barking and hopping around. Even when she went totally blind and would run into things. Our lives have revolved around this schedule for the past 4 years. I really don't know what we're going to do now.

This picture was from when we lived in Nashville. The dogs had never seen snow before. Neither had I really. It looks like shes been eating it here. She wasn't afraid of anything.

This is when Paul took them all to the beach. When they went to the river, she was always the first one to go barreling into the water. She never looked, she just jumped.

The house feels so empty now. She was a loud, huge presence. Haven't been able to stop crying all day.

Paul stayed with her until the end. I had to leave the room because I was afraid my crying would upset her. So I kissed her and told her to be a good monkey and that mommy loved her very much. I went out to the car and cried and cried.

The wind started up and picked up a swirl of leaves in a little twister and then stopped. Somehow I felt that it was her leaving me.

I know she's in a better place now and no longer in any pain. Someplace where its the good part of pokey time all the time, sleeping on pillows, and running in apple orchards.

I've had her since she was 6 weeks old. She was my baby for the last 14 years, even in the end.

I miss her more than I thought I could.

Thought I would repost this Lula story from last summer in honor of her and what a total ass she could be.

http://mrsevils.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-i-spent-my-friday-night.html

Sleep well, Lula, mommy loves you forever.

Sad News

We found out on Monday after a hectic emergency vet visit that Lula has bladder cancer. It is terminal and she has weeks or months at most. Right now we're just doing our best to keep her comfortable. She still loves to eat. And bark. She's still peeing and drinking tons of water. The vet says when she stops doing any of these things to let them know right away.

I've been trying to prepare myself for this for awhile now. She is 14, diabetic, blind, and senile. She's always been a huge ass pain, for proof read this post from last year.

Our whole lives have revolved around her insulin injection schedule for the last 4 years (also known as "pokey time"). Things are going to be so different without her. So now we're just in the watching and waiting pattern and looking at all these old pictures is making me really sad. Going to give her a hug and please give your evil animals a hug from me too.

Sweet Photo on a Sunday

MMMM...tasty.

How I spent my Friday Night

It totally sucked ass. After a particularly grueling week at work, I was looking forward to a light Friday and an early night. Paul was going bowling with some friends from work, so I was thinking I would catch up on my So You Think You Can Dance episodes and maybe squeeze some crafting in. We are super short handed at work. 4 people in my department on Maternity leave, 2 scheduled off, 1 on family leave, and then someone calls in sick and somebody else goes home early and we're totally efffed. Theres only 20 or so of us to start with. Same amount of work, just less people to do it. So I drag my ass out of there at 10:30 and make it home by 11. My arms and hands are killing me and I'm pretty sure my tendinitis is coming back with a vengeance. I send Paul an email while still in my car (to avoid the pokey time chaos) letting him know that I got home safely. I let the dogs and the cat (she runs outside and pees with the dogs then runs back in. Its the weirdest thing I've ever seen) out to pee while I start getting their food ready. I feed Sammy and Oni and Lemon, but Lula hasn't come back in yet and I hear a weird thumping from outside. I go out looking for her and I can hear her, but not see her. She has gotten lost coming back into the house and took a wrong turn and is now stuck between the wall of our bedroom and the hot tub. I didn't take a picture, but I just now drew a diagram on my dear, dear friend paint so yall can get the direness of the situation.

Lula is blind/diabetic/senile/elderly/mildly retarded. Any other dog would back out the way they came in. Not her. She's no quitter. She kept barrelling forward until she was jammed in there like a cork.

After assessing the scene and trying to get her to follow the sound of my voice to back out, I figured I would just get the broom and sort of sweep her out. She wouldn't budge. The space is only 6 inches wide at the widest point so there was no way I could fit back in there. I tried laying on top of the hot tub and scooting her with the broom. No luck. And now shes starting to howl. Its about 11:30. Paul calls. He just got my email. I'm panicking at this point and tell him about the stuck dumb ass.

"did you try scooting her out with a broom?" I guess we think alike.

So he says he's on his way home, but he's two hours away. In the mean time, I'll need to drain the hot tub. By myself. In the dark and its freakin freezing. So I start doing that. In my mind I'm trying to invent some kind of dog lasso so I can at least drag her out by one leg. Maybe if I grease her up some, she'll just pop free? So I dump at least 2 cups of olive oil on her back as much of it as I can reach. I try the broom again. She's howling like crazy and Paul calls back.

"someone said try bacon grease"

I told him I had already tried that. He's laughing his ass off. I don't blame him. I would have too, if I wasn''t the one all wet and freezing.

He's still driving. An hour and forty minutes to go. I start bailing water out of the hot tub with a bucket to make the process go faster. I'm hoping that if I can get it empty, I can move it the 1 and 3/4 inches to get her out.

Its about midnight. The asshole neighbor opens his door and screams "what the hell is going on out here?!" I'm not sure if he meant the wailing dog or the crashing of buckets of water. I say all snotty "sorry, my dog is stuck!" He goes back in and slams the door.

I'm trying to keep her quiet. The water is almost gone and this thing must way at least 800 pounds and its not moving an inch. I'm lying on the corner with my hand jammed down the crack petting her head. I try calling my friend Shannon to see if her and her husband can come and help, but shes not picking up her phone. I'm whispering now, so as not to disturb the asshole..."call me back, I need help!"

Lula starts licking the olive oil off my hand and she's at least being quiet. I run inside and get the peanut butter. It's 12:30. Paul keeps calling me to let me know how much longer it will be before he gets home. So I huddle down on the wet cement on the outside edge and let her lick peanut butter off me for an hour until he gets there. By the time he shows up, I'm totally numb and have just been liberally applying peanut butter to the wall. We try moving it together with no luck. Then he comes up with some crazy plan involving leverage, a board and a furniture dolly.

We're standing on the dolly while he jumps on the board to try and wedge it up. It moves an inch. He tries again and the board snaps but the fat ass has managed to free herself and is just standing there looking at us like WE'RE retarded. God damn, I was so relieved. I put her in the shower and scrubbed all the crap off of both of us. I totally hate peanut butter.

But I did get to watch my show after Paul fell asleep at 3 am. Nice.

Hot Dogs

So I was too lazy last night to go out to my car in the freezing cold to get the dog food. Paul suggested that I give the dogs hot dogs for dinner. (he doesn't like the Nathans ones anyway.) Not sure if it was such a good idea. Sammy seemed to enjoy it. Oni ran and hid in the closet with hers as soon as she saw I had the camera out.(sigh)

Dogs

These are my dogs...Lula, Oni, and Chico/Sammy. Lula is 13, diabetic and generally very unpleasant to be around. Chico we got from someone who didn't want him anymore. He was already named Chico when we got him, but we started calling him Sammy Seizure when he started having random fits a few years later. He also answers to Mr. Awesome or Jackass. He's 12. Paul pretends to bite me and Sammy loses it...hes all barking and back hair. Paul thinks this is tremendously funny, but I can only take so much loud shrill noise. I'm always the bad cop in our house.

Oni we got from the shelter. Its right by my work and I HAD to stop that day and see this poor, sad, shaking sack leaning up against the fence. I can't believe I fell for that act. She's 4 and loves squeaking toys against your face. Shes also afraid of cameras so not to0 many pictures of her and her hi-jinks.