A Trooper & a Pooper

5/1/2019

One of Judy's Bday Gifts

Let me tell you somethin' bout my best friend. She's about 8 lbs. She's white & floofy like a cloud in a dream of heaven. She's got more rows of teeth than anything should have except for a shark maybe. She hates long car rides. She loves things that crinkle.
Today is her second birthday & lastly, for the past eight months, she's been my reason to wake up in the morning & my reason to come home at night.
Judy Books came into my life in September of last year, 2018, after her previous well-intentioned owner came to the conclusion that her regular grooming & high energy would be too much responsibility & she needed a new home.
She was very skiddish at first & I was convinced for the first month that she hated me. My nephew would call her "Cutie" over & over & each time it would come out more like "Judy". The name Judy stuck & since she has had countless middle names but her last name, Books, isn't going anywhere. "Books" came about after I wished I could take her with me to the library while I worked & thought, maybe if I just name her books, I could get away with it, "Nothing to see here! This is just Books!"
I was not brave enough to bring her to the library but I did bring her to the Bull Hole, Dan Nicholas Park, Pilot Mountain, Hanging Rock, the Mayo River State Park, & as of yesterday, all the way to Illinois.
I was highly concerned about the cross-country road trip & bought a box of CBD dog treats in preparation as CBD has recently been assisting me with me own anxiety. I begin giving Judy a treat a night last week to prepare her & monitor her reaction.
I left Concord, NC on Monday, April 29th & before reaching a friend's house in Salisbury, NC, Judy had already gotten sick & thrown up in the backseat. I took her out of the car, cleaned the mess, & the two of us walked around outside for a bit to give her some fresh air & exercise before trying again. She seemed to be in a fabulous mood, hopping around in the tall grass, rubbing her head & body on the ground happily. When we were finished, I noticed that half of Judy's head & parts of her body were covered in a thick, bright, red, substance. The smell was horrendous & I quickly deduced that her joyous obsession with that certain spot in the yard was due to the fact that there was a freshly dead animal among the foliage & she wanted to wear it's blood like lotion. I love this sick bitch.
I used a wet rag to rub the mess away but she was then stained pink & still hinted of decaying flesh. Fortunately, my friend was quick with the rag & also researched ways to assist animals with motion sickness.
Judy & I stopped at a pharmacy next & she got a very fancy wet dog food (chicken livers, yum!) & some Dramamine. I sat in the grass outside of the pharmacy, bit the tiny pill in half, & put it in her fancy food, only allowing her to eat half of the gourmet meal, in case it didn't work & she was sick again.
I took some time to let the medicine set in & the two of us road from Salisbury, NC to Washington Court House (that name though), OH.
We checked into the hotel & first things first, Judy got a full bath. She loved her first stay at a hotel (or maybe just loved being out of the car for a while). She only escaped into the hallway once & of course it was when I was wearing no pants...I'll save that part for the book, I guess.
At 5:45 am the next morning, Judy got another dose of dramamine & her breakfast. I ate my breakfast while I let her medicine do the trick & we hit the road again.
Judy experienced some diarrhea in the car as we neared our destination & had some juicy squirts for the remainder of the day yesterday but I'm so proud of her because she did no whining the entire 16+ hours of driving. She is such a trooper & her ability to keep wagging her tail even when she's not feeling well is an inspiration.
In 2018, two family dogs passed away & the experience of helping bury both my father's dog of 19 years (Shadow, black lab mix) & my mother's dog of 15 years (Eddie Sunshine, Cocker Spaniel) reminds me how important it is to enjoy each day you are gifted with when it comes to these beautiful creatures who have evolved to love & listen to humans in ways we don't always deserve or believe we deserve.
I look forward to falling asleep with her laying next to or on top of me each night & look forward to her waking me up by gently pressing her head into my chest (her hug) each day. Loving her & being loved by her has taught me so much this year about patience, acceptance, enabling vs. assisting, & more.

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR PETS IN THE COMMENTS! I absolutely love animals of all shapes & sizes & would be happy to read about anything you'd like to share about your own furbabies.

April, my last month in NC for a while, was a whirlwind & I want to say how thankful I am for those who took the time to give me a last hurrah! Also a big shout out to those who bought Red March T-shirts &/or tank tops this month:
Jack, The Dude, Brittany, Chase, Taryn, Sheli, Brandy, & Becky!

Classes at the 2nd City begin this Saturday, May 4th! I look forward to writing, resting, & getting settled in the meantime & I wish all readers the very best May! I have a feeling it will be a beautiful month full of growth & positivity!