The foster mom

My mother has become a foster mom to a new dog, her name is Ashley. Ashley has had a rough life and adjusting to life in a normal home has not been easy. Ashely bites first and asks questions later.

Shortly after Ashley moved in my mother let her in the house and my brother was there, she bit him. She did not break the skin but left a rather nasty bruise. This was my mothers fault she knows it and has told that to my brother. He won't have anything to do with the dog now.

I met Ashley on Christmas morning. There was a rather large note for me to go to the front door on the back gate. I figured there was a good reason for the note and approached the gate with caution. I talked to the dog and put my hand so she could smell me without being able to bite me. She did try :-) Dad told her no and she calmed down. I talked to her some more then went in the house through the front door.

I went to the back door and talked to her through the back door. I did this several times. It was funny at first her reaction was fierce barking and jumping at the door. Each time I went to the door her reaction was a little more mellow. After breakfast my mom and I went outside. Ashley was muzzled and on a harness.

She was able to come close to me and sniff me she licked my hands. Mom asked if she could take her muzzle off. I said sure Mom asked it I was really sure. I said what's the worse that can happen she bites me. If she intended to do real harm she would have when she bit my brother. She is protective, not vicious.

Unmuzzled but still on the leash she was allowed to come up to me. She licked my hands again and allowed me to pet her. We let her free and took the ball into the back yard. We played out there for a good half hour. Ashley had a great time. While we played Mom told me what it has been like having her in the house.

Ashley is maybe 4 years old and she didn't know how to play. They had to teach her. At first she barked at the dog next door now she runs up and down the fence with her. They are playing together. Ashley did not like my Dad it took her about a week to trust him. Now she loves him climbs on him plays with him. She trusted my Mom pretty quickly but there was a question of whether or not she could stay with them if she did not learn to trust my Dad. My parents gave her more time then most people would have and it was worth it. She is doing very well.

My brother went to take a nap so we brought Ashley inside. She came to me and asked to be petted. Then she was climbing in my lap kissing me. She went belly up so I could rub her belly. She learned to trust me in a matter of a few minutes. If I had come in through that gate and demanded that she trust me she would have bit me.

An abused dog is not all that different then an abuse person. We bite first and ask questions later all the time. We learn from our past much like Ashley learned that people will hurt you because she had been hurt. We are trying to help Ashley learn to trust and show her that all people are not going to hurt her. It's funny because I think about my own past. I learned that people will hurt you and I learned that people can't be trusted. I blamed God for a lot of what happened to me.

What did God do? He waited for me. He held out his hand waiting for me to sniff it and to take it. When I did take that hand I saw God was good and wanted to help me. He healed me with patients and love. Much the way my parents are trying to help Ashley. I hope that Ashley learns to trust people as much as I have learned to trust God. Then Ashley can move in with a new family that would be her permanent loving home. Much like the permanent loving home I have found with God.

The holidays

The holidays are over and to sum it up they where nice. My brother helped to make it a low stress Christmas for me. He did all the shopping from the both of us. He told me not to worry about it and I didn't. I had already picked up a few things for people that I still need to give.

I didn't see many people just my immediate family on Christmas day. The days that followed I did see a few other family members.

Christmas day we had pancakes just the four of us and it was nice. No fighting just talking. It was nice. My Dad always makes good pancakes and he makes mine in the shape of a bear head. I didn't get my bear head this year. My parents remodeled their kitchen which means new stove top. New stove top and my father cooking on it for the first time equals lousy pancakes. :-) They where made with love that is all that matters.

Later that day I made about 25 Gallons of mussel chowder it was great. I was given 25 pounds of mussels and I had to do something with them. Chowder seemed easy enough. I was WRONG. I never thought about how many mussels 25 pounds of mussels is. Trust me it is A LOT of stinking mussels. I never want to see a mussel again!

New years I spent with friends from my former church. My friend Kyrs was home with her new husband. We even managed to find a few minutes to go off alone. We rushed back to meet up with another friend from church the three of us went shopping and caught up on the latest and greatest. On New Years eve we saw some great Irish music and had a really good time.

We watched movies and relaxed. I was also treated to a rare viewing of a little known but great musical call the 4th wise man. The music and script was written by two women from my previous church and it was taped. One of the writers, the director and many of the actors where at the party so the tape was popped in. One of the children was a little surprised to see his Grandpa on TV.