Trials, Tribulations, and Triumphs

It’s been a while since I’ve written here. I apologize for the gaps in my posts. Writing all day at work doesn’t make it easy to come home and write anything…at all. But, here I am, catching up.(Grammar be damned).

The past few months have been really transitional; my wife got a promotion, and I switched jobs. Then, a snake ate the baby eggs from the bird’s nest in our breeze way; we brought two additional dogs into our home: Jax and Blanco. It’s been an emotional tug-of-war, but I shouldn’t complain. (I’m probably going to anyway).

I want my eggs back, demon. 

We took in Jax first, and we had him for over a year. When we got him, we expected him to be terrified, aggressive, and out of control. But, he was totally the opposite. He came into our yard to meet the other dogs, and within five minutes they were playing together like they were born from the same womb. He was so freaking cute and hopelessly affectionate. It was impossible not to fall in love with this dog…well…except for when I would come home from work everyday to find the house littered with scarves and hats.

Jax in the Convertible 

Blanco and Eddie

Maybe they were re-decorating. I imagine dogs have preferences too. But, it didn’t match our décor. So, I had to put the scarves in a different place, where they couldn’t reach them. Then Blanco learned how to open the drawers. We have to tape them shut now. I would come home to find crazy shit sprawled all over the house—stuff like remotes, chargers, cords, DVD’s—you name it. Those two took to redecorating our house on a daily basis. That sucked. But, otherwise, he was amazing.

Jax, as cute as ever…

Then, we fell in love with our friend’s foster dog, Blanco, and adopted him. He’s amazing, too. He is a double-merle, and as a result of that, he is also deaf. I think he may have impaired vision in one eye, too. But, it doesn’t matter because God blessed him with a big dog brain, opening drawers and redecorating rooms and all. Plus, HE IS INSANELY CUTE.

Ummm…what. How is anything this adorable? 

I’ve never met a more affectionate dog than Blanco. He lives in my arms, like a new born baby. Some nights, I even rock him to sleep. I know, I know. But, meet this guy once, and you will understand. We were pretty set on adopting both dogs, which would have brought our total number of adopted dogs to FIVE. That doesn’t count fosters. But, one day, it all changed.

Jax has a long history of abuse. He was beaten as a puppy, thrown into a shelter and left there to rot for years. An incredible lady snuck him out of that shit hole and brought him to us. He was so happy; it seemed like the best fit. But, his history caught up with him, and I was not able to help him through those difficult times. After some time, he began biting the other dogs. Then, he began biting LB. He never bit me, or even tried. But, the bite to LB’s face was scary. Still, he remained with us for many more months. We would have kept him if we believed we were helping him to recover. But, this experience taught me that some dogs are just beyond my ability to help. That doesn’t mean we will ever give up on Jax! In fact, I truly believe he will be the most amazing dog for any family, especially now that ASF was able to get him into a rehab/training center. Saying good bye to Jax was devastating. It was the first time we failed to help a dog that’s been abused. It was the first time we weren’t able to earn his trust, build his confidence, and identify his triggers. It fucking sucked, to be perfectly frank. I still cry just thinking about his scrunchy face, the way he would lay on the kitchen and deck table (naughty boy), his affectionate personality, and of course, even those months of redecorating the house. We love him. That’s what makes it all so hard.

Yep, that’s Jax

Saying Goodbye to Jax

Luckily, the dogs have been a distraction from the world, which often leaves me feeling crippled, sad, and hopeless. This insane election, the crazy people who are voting for a certain someone (just going to leave it there), the wars, the devastation in the Middle East, the hateful ideology of tons of world leaders, the hateful ideologies of half the American people…it keeps me awake at night. It leaves me feeling broken down and terribly depressed. SO, the dogs are a healthy distraction. Unfortunately, my work schedule is long, so I can’t do as much with them during the week as I would like. But, they consume my mornings and evenings, along with all of my weekends. They consume everything! My stuff, their food, my food (if I’m not looking), my heart, my soul…I would like that back eventually, Blanco. Please. It’s a good consumption though, because it filters out the stuff that really does consume…no, devours…me alive.

This is happy!

Either way, I wanted to post some photos of these two little Prince Charming’s. It’s been a while since I’ve updated our dog portfolio. In fact, I haven’t even written about one of the most amazing fosters we’ve had to date, Asher Bear. Talk about heartbreak! That dog changed my life. Then, he was adopted to a wonderfully kind, patient, loving man, and he’s happier than ever. But, I cried myself to sleep for a month after we said goodbye to him. I will post a video of the day we came back to visit Asher. I wasn’t sure if he would remember us, and he can be very territorial. So, at first we were cautious. As, you can see from the video, he did remember us, which brought me to real full out embarrassing tears. But, whatever. If you haven’t learned that I’m a crier by now, you will soon enough. Thanks for reading, as always. Love and peace to you all…no matter who the fuck you’re voting for (unless you neglect, beat, or mistreat your pet—than I might stab you)

Scroll down (or not) for more dog photos and a link to Asher’s video!

P.S. I was texting my wife earlier, and this is how amazing she is: 

Me: Babe this bill collector called my phone, and I don’t know why…we pay our bills, so…
LB: Ok, send me the number I will call since it gives you anxiety
Me: (Giving her number)…

…Time passes

LB: Hey babe, all taken care of.
Me: Thanks! How did it go…
LB: I left a message; but, I will take care of it when he calls back
Me: How?
LB: I’m going to say what I always say when a debt collector calls
Me: Which is…?
LB: I already bought my house, so I don’t really give a fuck about credit.
Me: How does that work?
LB: They always settle!
Me: I like it!!
LB: Plus they should be thankful! If we didn’t have any debt we wouldn’t need debt collectors. So I prefer to look at it as stimulating the economy. YOU. ARE. WELCOME.

Click to Watch: Seeing Asher for the first time since he was adopted….