Holding onto hope!

Opening weekend of deer season and since we live out in the sticks we had to put on some orange like we do every year to be safe!

Good Morning Everyone! We hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving, if you’re not someone celebrates it, well I hope you had a good day anywho! Sorry we haven’t wrote in awhile but Bandit is still doing pawsome! He’s such a trooper and still has he trademark…head turning when being spoken to…we feel lucky. His legs are doing much better and have been much stronger, don’t get us wrong there are still days when he has some muscle spasms but they aren’t like they were that 2nd and 3rd week after surgery. There are still certain days that he’ll come lay at my feet as if he’s asking me to rub those darn back legs to loosen them up, sometimes I wonder if he might milk it a bit….hahaha….well he is smart enough to out fox a fox…no joke. Ol’ Mr. Winter has arrived up here in Northern Wisconsin and this time I think it’s here to stay…burr. I hope it’s a short winter so I can take Bandit swimming sooner rather than later. I worry a bit about how he’ll do, not with the snow but the ice we seem to get, I’ll just have to keep a close eye on him. Early last week Bandit went to go outside and rather than run down his ramp he thought he’d try to fly down the stairs which at times he does use the stairs but on this day he wasn’t paying much attention other than hoping he’d catch that darn squirrel because he like hit the first step, missing the other two and fell, landing on the rock sidewalk…ughh! Thank God he jumped right up like he never missed a beat and chased that squirrel, I of course almost started crying and was chasing after him to make sure he really was okay. So now we’ve been back to everytime he goes outside I lead him down the ramp by his collar, which he does not like at all…Mr. Independent:) We’ve only been back to the Vet one since the last I had written and that was just for another check up, Bandit is digging that. Now when he gets to cruise along it’s usually to Grama’s house or to the market, he of course prefers his Grama’s because he really milks it over there, she really loves up on him….funny. Not much has happened lately, well at least not in our dog’s world, same ol’ routine for them. Bandit is the guardian full of determination and wisdom, Josie Rose is most always concerned about the squirrels, she’ll actually sit under the tree for hours if I’d let her and “Lil” Wally is still busy getting into things he shouldn’t and running hot laps plum full of crazy energy. Speaking of Wally, Bandit is still nervous at times when Wally’s running around nuts and he’ll give him looks like, “stop it kid” but they are back to snuggling up together for naps.  As for us 2 legged members of the family, we are all good and looking forward to the Holidays…time with family and friends! I told my Husband the other day that he don’t need to get me anything for Christmas that I am just greatful he let me empty our savings to save my dog, being very seriously grateful of course. He turned toward me with a smile and said, “yeah I think I’m good on the Christmas shopping for like the next 5 years” and chuckled. Sometimes that’s what a person needs though…some laughter! In a couple weeks I am heading home to visit my Dad, Sister, other family and friends and taking Bandit and Wally with. This otta be a trip, not so sure what I’m thinking here. I just hope Bandit does okay and can handle the 3 1/2 hour ride, he loves to go places he’s just not big on driving for very long and Wally on the other hand, well he’ll probably be bouncing off the dash. I may regret this and wish I’d had just left them home with their Father…guess I’ll find out:) As I sit here to write this I often think of Jake and his family, the other “amputee angels” and there families….I pray that everyone is doing well and hanging in there! I sometimes go back and read my very first post I had wrote for my blog and I still tear up, that feeling of panic and overwhelming fear was unreal. I was so lost, scared and confused….I pray for all the dogs who’ve been told they have cancer and other doggy parents who’ve had to experience this! It’s a tough road but one that can be humbling and healing for both dog and owner. I still feel very fortunate to have found this site and to have made the friends and connections with the people on here. After we got Bandit home from the hospital I thought I’d write on here something like day ??/week ?? and what’s been happening but it didn’t happen that way. Over the last month I have really learned to live in the moment and not for the day because that’s how dog’s especially cancer thriving and surviving dog’s live their life, we don’t know what the future holds but we do know that by living in the moment we take much more notice of the little things that really matter! I am grateful that Bandit is still here and for the life I have!

Until next time…I hope you all have a wonderful week. Love ~ Misty & Bandit

While everyone else is hunting deer…these dogs are only concerned with the squirrels we feed : )

~ by band09 on November 30, 2009 .