Holding onto hope!

 “My handsome boy with his sweet, kind eyes”

Well another year has come & gone and Bandit is still doing well, granted there are good days and not so good days but overall he is still happy & enjoying his life and that is what really matters. I still can’t believe that this last October it had been 2 years since his amputation, I’m very grateful for the blessings we’ve been given. He recently was having some trouble with his back legs so we had to see our Vet, they ran some blood work and xrays. They found that he has developed some arthritis right above his pelvic area, he is on one Previcox daily to help with any discomfort and he’s still taking his 2 fish oil capsules and his daily Joint Max soft chews. He’s doing much better now and is much more active again, thankfully.

“All in his glory, loving Christmas morning”

Bandit’s favorite holiday has come & gone, he loved all the attention, gifts and treats. Of course he got his favorite present of all, gummy life savers he only gets a big bag of them on Christmas and he knows it so as soon as I set the presents around the tree he’s right there waiting for morning to roll around. Every year he’s always the first one up, whinning next to our bedroom in hopes that we’ll crawl otta bed and tell him it’s time, the only problem with this is….it’s always around 5AM. Every year he is so completely nutted up he can’t even breathe right, I swear. He was actually in the middle of all the presents searching for his big bag of toys and those beloved gummy life savers. He is worse than a little kid, snooping around and I love it! As much as he looks forward to Christmas we look forward to watching his excitement every year Christmas morning.

 “My sweet boys, Quintcy Bleu & Bandit enjoying the snow fall”

With the lastest snow fall Bandit & Quintcy have been spending time outside in search of those little meadow mice that run under the snow. Every now and then I’ll see them carrying one around and tossing it in the air, poor little critter didn’t have a chance with those 2 out there. Bandit still acts as if he don’t like Quintcy but yet if Quintcy whines or yelps about anything (usually it’s the electric fence for the beef cattle that gets him) Bandit is the first one runing to see what’s wrong with him, completely sniffs him over and stands there looking at him like “what the heck is wrong with you” and has a confused yet concerned expressive look. Bandit is getting older though, on Feb. 25th he’ll be 11 years old so at times when he’s a bit cranky with the younger dogs I understand, he’s just tired and wants to be left alone and they all respect him enough to do that, well other than Quintcy, who’s only 10 months old. It’s not that he’s trying to be bothersome although he is but he just wants to lick Bandit’s face off and lay on top of him. I keep trying to get a picture of Quintcy sitting on Bandit’s head, it is too funny. He literally sits on top of Bandit’s head as Bandit just lays there with his head peaking out between Quintcy’s back legs looking at me like “OMG I hate Quintcy and why must he mess with me constantly.” It’s so cute and funny that I can’t even yell at Quintcy to leave him alone, I just want a picture of it!  Every now and then I have to yell at Quintcy to stop it, he don’t listen but Bandit usually will growl at him loud enough to get his attention and then he listens. It’s still a love/hate relationship on Bandit’s part but it’s all love on Quintcy’s. Well I best get off here and get somethings done before I head to bed.

Goodnight everyone! ~Love, Misty & Bandit                                                                                                 

Good Morning Everyone! It’s probably safe to say that summer has been on it’s way out for a few weeks now, you can feel that crisp, clean, cold air in the mornings…..fall is on it’s way! Bandit of course is loving that, he doesn’t like all the heat and is truly enjoying laying on the front porch every morning while I sit there and have a cup of coffee next to him. Our newest addition, Quintcy Bleu has pretty much drove him to the break…ha ha! Bandit looks on as Wally & Quintcy Bleu run hot laps and then looks at me as if he’s thinking….man they wear me out just watching them. Quintcy is just like all the rest of the dogs around here, he goes to Bandit when he’s feeling out of sorts or when he got shocked by the electric fence….again! One of these times he’s going to figure out, oh that’s what’s making me cry and totally freakout, hopefully sooner rather than later. Because everytime Quintcy gets lit up by it and comes running as fast as his little legs can go, crying his head off Bandit goes into panic mode like….okay what’s wrong with you now, Band sniffs his entire body over and over again like….okay I can’t find where you’re hurt, so why are you crying. It’s funny & sweet how all the other dogs, see him as a security blanket, he brings this sense of calm to others I guess.

I’ve been working on training with Quintcy a few times a day and it never fails, everytime I say, “sit” I look across the yard or room and Bandit is sitting. I say, “stay” Bandit doesn’t move a muscle. I say, “come” and Bandit is at my feet. I say, “down” and you guessed it there’s Bandit laying down just hoping that I am going to give him those treats. The tricky one is…..”speak” of course Bandit always has to pipe up everytime, which only creates chaos because Quintcy thinks if Bandit barks he has to follow suit only he runs around frantically looking to see what is that he should be barking at, as Bandit sits there waiting for a treat. I’ve even tried working with Quintcy while leaving the other dogs inside and it still never fails, when I say “speak” coming from inside the house you can hear Bandit’s bark. All I can do is laugh because Band my be getting old but he still has it….gosh I love this dog!! I still can’t believe that in only a couple months it will the 2 year anniversary of his amputation. LUCKY DOG & LUCKY GIRL to still have her best friend!! Hope you all have a wonderful Fall, we’ll be back soon. Love~ Misty & Bandit

Hello Everyone! It’s been awhile since we’ve posted & I sure hope all of you & your furry friends are doing well. Wow it was a long Winter around here and we’re happy to see Spring’s arrival! It’s that time of year again, we are having calves, cleaning up the yard and potty training the newest addition to our family as well…. QUINTCY BLEU!! He’s 9 weeks old today and he has fit right in with our family and the other dogs….he’s a keeper!! Bandit sure likes him although at times he can be a handful of trouble and annoying but so dang cute he seems to get away with a lot. He and Wally (our almost 3 year old Golden) have become good buddies as well although their relationship is all about playing and his relationship with Bandit is totally different. Oh don’t get me wrong he chews, jumps and barks at Bandit but mostly he likes to just cuddle up next to him or follow him around the yard. Quintcy seems to look to Bandit as some sort of security blanket and he follows Bandit’s lead which I was hoping would happen. I was telling Matt the other day how I had forgotten how many “up to NO good” moments German Shepherd puppies can find in one day. He keeps very busy to say the least. Bandit seems to be doing well which I am so grateful for! He’s been such a blessing in my life and sometimes I wonder how empty my life & heart would feel without him in it, so I take in the moments that count! He’s still the leader of this pack and that’s why I decided to get another puppy now, there are so many things I want this little guy to learn from him before he hurts too much or is too old & grumpy. I guess I look at it like….the best teacher/leader for a young pup is an old one and theirs no better teacher/leader than Bandit!  Well it’s going to be a nice day and I have much to get done outside this morning so I best get going. I hope you all have a great Spring….Bandit & I will be checking in soon. Take care & God Bless Dogs!!

Love ~ Misty & Bandit

Thanksgiving and Christmas have pasted but how nice it was to enjoy some quality family time, many wonderful meals with all the fixings and some much needed down time because we sure had a very busy Spring, Summer & Fall. Christmas around our house was wonderful like always, much laughter and of course gummy lifesavers under the tree….yes Bandit’s favorite and every year he is so excited for Christmas moring so he can finally dig around through all the presents until he finds that wrapped bag of lifesavers. He’s worse than a little kid in fact this year I had put the presents out a bit earlier than usually and while I’m standing the kitchen I hear someone going through the gifts, I go in the living and there is Bandit and his side-kick Wally both have their large gift bags out from under the tree pulling out toys left & right and then “jackpot” Bandit whips out the wrapped bag of lifesavers, so funny! He usually waits until Christmas morning before digging but I think he couldn’t take it this year, I really watch his diet now because I don’t want any extra pounds sneaking up on him so he hardly ever get any treats like that but it’s Christmas and Christmas would not be Christmas to him if he didn’t get those darn gummy lifesavers! “How cute is this I thought to myself as those two are up to no good under that tree”….yes they got to have a few early!

A few weeks ago Bandit had his first visit back to the Vet in months for his rabbies shot and while there we asked about a very small lump on his hock it’s right where a callus is (same side as the amputated leg) I had just noticed the day earlier, the Vet said to just keep an eye on it. Over that week it was getting bigger and you could tell it hurt him so we made another appointment to go back in, she drew some blood from it and looked at it and said, “she didn’t see any abnormal cells” and put him on an antibiotic for 10 days and if it didn’t get better she will schedule surgery to remove it and keep her posted. Well mid-week last week I called and told her that it hadn’t changed and I could tell it bothered him so they scheduled him for tomorrow morning for surgery to either remove it or see what’s going on. Over the weekend it became very red and looked like it hurt and it kinda opened up a little and was draining a clear fluid (which I’m kinda happy it opened up it looked like it needed to) and late last night it looked better and this morning it is still draining a little clear fluid, is red and a bit more swollen than last night. I have a call into her this morning to ask her a few things because I’m hoping that the clear fluid draing out means that it’s white blood cells working to heal it up on it’s own….guess we’ll wait to hear back from her. As for Bandit, it does seem to bother him but he did go out this morning with me to do some chores like always and he was actually very playful last night and this morning so that’s a good thing!! I hoping it all goes good….holding onto hope that’s all we can do and have been doing for over a year and half!!

  Love~ Misty & Bandit

 2010 was good to us and for Bandit well he did so great and I can honestly say I feel very blessed as to just how well he did. You know from time to time someone will say, “why did you cut his leg off” and I can tell some people may not agree with the choice I’d made but I just think to myself, “well it wasn’t your decision to make, that was up to me, our family and what I felt in my heart what was right for my best friend.” You know at first I used to wonder what people thought and now I don’t care they haven’t lived a day in my life, walked in my shoes nor really looked into Bandit’s eyes to know what decision was the best for him. I have no regrets and I honestly believe that I did make the right decision. It’s taken sometime especially when there are ups & downs, bad days & good days along this very long emotional road but I can finally say without a shadow of a doubt that….”it was the right choice for Bandit and I am a very lucky girl to still be able to have him in our lives, to have him want to follow me around while outside doing chores and playing, to have him cock his head from side to side with a sparkle in his eye as I speak to him and to have him still want me to lay down on the floor next to him everynight for some playtime!” So for any of you out there who question yourself as to what to do the best advice I can give is….follow your heart, lead with your head, cry in a different room, be strong for your best friend, no that the decision you’re making will change everything you thought you knew, don’t take it for granted, be grateful for a friendship like that and pay attention to their eyes because like humans those eyes are the window to their soul!  Oh and pray!! Love~ Misty & Bandit

Well by now….our garden is almost done for the year, the calves are fiesty/goofy running around the pasture with tails pinned straight up, which Wally really enjoys, the leaves have all fallen and at night the air is nice and cool so we can sit out on the covered porch comfortably and relax. Bandit’s dropped a few pounds and is looking great he’s going for longer walks with me than before and the cooler weather helps as well. It’s taken some time but we’ve gotten there….YAY!! The hound dogs have too enjoyed the cooler weather, since I take them out in the 40 acre field everyday, rain or shine to enjoy some free time out running crazy and playing. I still load the dog’s up and take them swimming a couple times a week although I do take Bandit by himself sometimes because he swims a lot more without the other dogs there, mostly Wally. Oh yes little Wally, he likes to jump, splash and drive Bandit crazy. I’ve been preparing for winter by picking up firewood in the skidsteer that Matt has cut all throughout our land and stacking it up by the outdoor woodstove almost everyday for a few hours and of course Bandit being the “eye spy” he is, is always right there to watch my every move. I’m pretty sure Bandit, Wally and Rose aren’t the most helpful to me as I do this considering they are always right in the way as they hunt for mice under every piece of wood I pick up. Oh well makes for good company in the woods so it’s worth it even though it takes me twice as long between them hunting and wanting me to throw sticks. Another thing that’s taking forever is raking the leaves, oh my tons of them and at this point I kinda regret leaving so many trees in the yard and having such a large yard! And like everything around here the dogs join us for that as well and again it seems to take us twice as long since they spend more time running threw the piles than doing anything else.

My best friend’s little girl comes over a lot to play/visit and she too loves the leaf piles as much as the dogs. They get so excited when she’s here, it’s like having another playmate more their size. Bandit being the leader he is of course watches over her like a “mother hen” and Wally well he just wants to lick her, chase her or wait hopefully that she’ll drop a piece of food for him to nibble up. All in all it’s been a great Summer & Fall…..now we just need to get through the long, cold winter……hurry up Spring!! Love ~ Misty & Bandit

HoHoHo….Santa’s on his way and yesterday I swung into the store to pick up Bandit a storybook of lifesavers! Every year Bandit waits under that Christmas tree for that one present to be opened for him, he could care less about the stuffed toys and tennis balls, he’s all about those darn lifesavers! We also picked up one of those tiny toy fake pet mice things that zoom around the floor and make noise for his brother, Wally and of course Wally being the scaredy-cat that he is was totally freaked out by it…shocker right! What a wimp, Bandit finally got sick of watching Wally’s freakout session and walked over to it, picked it up and dropped right next to the scaredy-cat! As if he was trying to show him that there was nothing to be scared of. Somethings will never change….Bandit has to show Wally how to handle situations constantly! Things have been good here, busy but good! For the first time in like a year Bandit went back to the vet for his rabbies shot and like normal he hated being there but loved seeing all the girls. The Doc. said he looks great and is doing well and told me “good job” on taking such good care of him. They were also impressed that I’ve managed to control his weight. He was at 120 pounds and is still getting around very well, so that was good. I swear by those vitamins we give him everyday, they are what keeps him on the move. A couple weeks ago we were hit with a blizzard, dumping 2 feet of snow on us. So I’ve been very busy plowing paths with the skidsteer for Bandit. You know he’s always got to be in the “know” so I of course had to plow paths everywhere I might go throughout the day so he can tag-a-long….by the cows, by the hounds, upto the woodstove, upto the pole shed and poop paths because he refuses to take a #2 in the yeard in fear you might look that direction….yes he has manners people!! Wally on the other hand won’t hardly leave the yard as he’s a scaredy-cat and all about “look at me aren’t I cute” while taking a big #2 in the front yard…ugh I tell you sometimes I look at Wally and think “cute ain’t everything but it sure helps you.” Well I best get to wrapping up these Christmas presents since they haven’t wrapped themselves yet. Wishing you & your furry friends a Merry Christmas! 

Love~ Misty & Bandit

Tomorrow will be one year! Happy Ampu-versary to a girl’s best friend!

There’s been good days and not-so good days, long walks and shorter walks, milestones and set backs but they’ve all been worth it!

LEAN ON ME WHEN YOU’RE NOT STRONG, 

I’LL BE YOUR FRIEND ……

 

Sometimes in our lives we all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We always know that there’s tomorrow
Lean on me, when you’re not strong
And I’ll be your friend
I’ll help you carry on
For it won’t be long
‘Til I’m gonna need
Somebody to lean on
Please swallow your pride
If I have things you need to borrow
For no one can fill those of your needs
That you don’t let show
Lean on me, when you’re not strong
And I’ll be your friend
I’ll help you carry on
For it won’t be long
‘Til I’m gonna need
Somebody to lean on
If there is a load you have to bear
That you can’t carry
I’m right up the road
I’ll share your load
If you just call me
So just call on me brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to make it
I just might have a problem that you’d understand
We all need somebody to make it
Lean on me when you’re not strong
And I’ll be your friend
I’ll help you carry on
For it won’t be long
Till I’m gonna need
Somebody to lean on
Lean on me… 

It’s nearly that time of year…the leaves are beginning to change, homemade pies and canning fills our home with warmth, the chill of the air is crisp and clean, our Son is heading back to school and it’s Friday night football games for us as we watch Aust under the lights and you can hear the houndsmen out with their dogs in the early mornings. Bandit is loving the cooler weather and has been out running around a lot lately…so he’s feeling good much to my happiness and his…..life’s good : )

My husband is a houndsmen and although I love to watch the hounds we have enjoy their time spent in the woods, I guess you could say….this isn’t truly my cup of tea…lol! I’m fairly certain that I drive my man crazy always freaking out if he doesn’t get a beep on their tracking collar…yes I truly freakout but hey I love my dogs so he must deal with my issues….poor guy just trying to relax and enjoy running the hounds and there I am all nutted up! One of our hounds, Peepants has been in heat and OMG let me tell you…..Bandit and Wally have a well beaten path from the front porch to her kennel door. I’ve had to double the lock on it considering Bandit knows how to open the kennel doors….much to my aggravation! Poor Peepants she’s used to getting out of her kennel running around the yard and coming in the house to play but that hasn’t happened in a couple weeks now and she isn’t afraid to let me know how mad she is with that snotty little bark and her floppy ears pinned right tight to her head, all the while giving me that evil death stare!  It’s funny how dogs have their own way of letting you know they are mad at you.

Like last week I went for a walk and I knew it would be too long for Bandit so I went alone and of course when I came home “Mr. Personality” Bandit was all about giving me the cold shoulder for an hour. Gotta love finding yourself on your dog’s *$!@ list! Well I better get off here I have much to get done including cleaning dog kennels. Hope you all have a really great Labor Day Weekend if I don’t talk to you before then!

Love~ Misty & Bandit