Good days, bad days and everything in between...

So quite a lot has happened over the past month or so. All good, bad and neutral. During the middle of July and some into August, I had the opportunity to take care of a client/friend's dog, named Tango. He was a med sized Corgi, much more red than ones I have seen previously but very handsome and with quite a character/personality. He was a great dog, you could tell that he really got a lot out of everyday life as a dog, really lived each day to its' fullest. And I could take him with me, the next best thing for me as a pet sitter - any dog/animal that I can take with me in the car and go on errands, hiking, camping, to events, etc. So where I went, he went. He just loved being center of my world, he always paid attention to me. We went into this coffee shop and instead of him paying attention to the pets he was getting, he only looked up at me with a big grin on his face. When we went to the Pescadero Beach and I brought Blue with us, he and blue chased each other all over the place, and there was Tango chasing Blue down, acting like he was twice his size. I had so much fun with him and he loved to spoon and cuddle in bed. It was amusing sleeping next to a slightly overweight Corgi, who was cuddled up right alongside of you and also snored! He was in my care for almost a month, as his owner took about an extra 4 days over to be away. When she got back, I learned that something was wrong with him all of a sudden, he could barely walk the next day after she got home. I felt bad, like maybe I had walked him too much or he just got sore from all of the running around he had done at the dog park. Unfortunately when he was taken to the vet a few days later, it came back that this lymph nodes under his elbows were super swollen and then the biopsy came back and said that he had very advanced Lymphosarchoma. When I got that email, I cried for hours and then off and on throughout the day. I started emailing people who had gotten to meet him over the previous weekend. He got to meet my Gramma and neighbor and brother and family when he spent most of his time under my chair in the dining room while he took part in a dinner party for my Gramma and he was so good, inside my house of all places! It only took me half a day to bond with Tango and for me, that was very special. He was practically my dog when his owner finally returned. And it was hard to say goodbye that day but in my mind, I would see him soon. About two weeks later, right before I had planned to meet his mom and Tango in Woodside to visit with him and 'say goodbye' to him, I got a new email from his owner with a really wonderful note describing him and his life and she told me that they had put him down the day before, that he was in too much pain and there just wasn't anything worth doing. I cried all day and night and off and on for the next week or so. I'm still very sad and it took me almost a month to load the pictures from my camera onto my laptop to be able to look at pictures of him without loosing it. Here are my favorites that I took, the only pictures that I have of Tango: R.I.P. Tango




The next pet sitting job was for my friend M in San Jose. Crash is such a great dog and one of my new buddies. He is so great that halfway through our first long amount of time with each other, we bonded so well that I secretly wished he was my dog. I've never felt that strongly about that feeling with any other pet I have cared for, whether it was a friend's pet or not. The story about how we bonded is very cute: I had met him previously but it had been months so I doubt he remembered much since we didn't have a chance to play before. I came in the house to greet him and he was really shy and nervous, with his tail between his legs:( I got him to come to me with all the treats I found in the kitchen and I sat on the floor in the kitchen so he could get to know me on his terms. He walked around and sniffed me a bit, then when I saw his confidence, I started talking to him and finally he sat right down beside me and it was then that I just wrapped my arms around him and squeezed and he nearly exploded with excitement. It was so cute, I was laughing and expressing positive noises in his presence. He was suddenly so happy and just wanted to play with me and shower me with kisses, which is what I got. He snuggled together in bed, he would wake me in the morning by watching me and he has such a unique personality, it's like he was once human. He's got a big sturdy, long body with a vicious tail that likes to wag and knock things off tables as he walks by! He also reminds me of the guy in Zoolander, especially because he does the same 'pose' with his head as he whips it around to look you in the eyes. It's so incredibly funny to see! I tried to capture it below. There is also a picture that I caught of him in my front seat in the car. I had let him outside to walk around with me while I packed the car, getting ready to head home and after 5 minutes, I suddenly couldn't find him. I found him in the driver's seat, curled up, not wanting to get out and as if to say, 'where you go, I go'! He's my new fave and I can't wait to take care of him next. I will get to take him with me to the Bark in the Park Festival in San Jose on Sept 20th. Can't wait for that.





Here are a couple pics taken with Crash and Goldie. Goldie is the Collie/Aussie Shepard that I walk 3x week and she is one of my faves as well, obviously we have a special bond, as her mom calls me her 'best friend'. Crash really liked Goldie a lot and even affectionately let her play with his ball. She was running and chasing the ball and would carry it around in her mouth. And she's not even a 'ball dog' which is funny! Happy Dogs!!!:)




Two weeks ago I found out that my Aunt on my dad's side has breast cancer, and a scary type at that. It's one that is in the form of a large tumor, in her left breast, inside the milk duct! It was never a lump that she felt so when she went in for her yearly mammogram, they saw something on the films and requested she get a biopsy done. It now appears that it has been growing inside of her for 10 years. Fuck! :( So I've been in such shock and just haven't been sleeping well for a few nights on and off. I've known of several women who have gotten this disease but not actual close family members or close friends and no one that has gotten such an advanced case of it Originally when they discovered it on the film, it was thought that it had already spread to all of her lymph nodes, not just the ones in her left breast. It is just devastating! I didn't' get much done last week and was just thinking good thoughts. She had surgery last week on my brother's birthday, to remove the 22 swollen/infected lymph nodes under her left arm and to remove a good chunk of breast tissue under the left to get all the margins as well as the same amount on the right side just as backup. Don't want to have to go back in later. She stayed in the hospital for two nights and was back home on Friday. She was in a bed for a bit, with a very sore left armpit and places where the tissue was removed. At least she was on lots of nice drugs! Both cousins K and G went down to Newport Beach for that weekend when Ka got home from the hospital. Today she finally got the results back from her biopsy on the stuff that was removed and thank goddess, her excellent surgeon got all of the margins and the equal amounts on the right side so all of the tumor has been removed completely. Yay! She is in really good spirits as of right now and is thinking very positively I'm sure. :) We all feel much better about all of this now. I think G and K are still there and Gr is supposed to be up this coming weekend I believe. Now she just has to get through Chemo, having her hair fall out and radiation. Obviously this can be pretty rough too but she feels lucky to be past the part where you keep waiting on news.

Other news, include: Kineivel turned 5 on August 9th. I still remember today seeing him on that curb on the side of the road and watching C catch him and scooping him up in my arms, listening to his tiny purr. He is the purrmeister today, as his purr has different tones but I was woken yesterday by his loud, impressive purrs, as he exclaimed his excitement that it had finally cooled off weather wise and he could go back to taking naps that resemble hibernation under the fuzzy fleece horse blanket that is on my bed.


*It is now official!!! I am moving to Portland for sure, sometime around the end of January. I promised my loyal pet sitting clients that I would stay here through the holidays so that they could plan their holidays and I also have one last job beginning of Jan. I will for sure be having a great big 'Going Away' party/bash and you'll get invites in December sometime! I'm looking at housing now and I will be in Portland from October 7th until the morning of the 12th. I'm taking advantage of flying, since I can't drive that far alone and I just want to get there, instead of doing a drive that takes all day and night. I can't wait, as it is much needed and I need to look at some housing options and visit with friends/new friends. :)