I wanted to introduce you to a very important person in my life...Alexandra the Greatest. She was born on 9/11/2003. I wanted a special name for her. because she was born on a very significant day I chose Alexandra. She was named after, obviously, Alexandra the Great but also the name means "defender of man". Her parents lived across the street from me and their names were Reba and Cujo. I got pick of the litter. When I picked her up she fit in the palm of my hand and she cried the loudest. She was the one for me. She was one of 10 puppies. 10 days after she was born Hurricane Isabel hit. These were very trying times. In order to protect her puppies Reba gathered them all up and shielded them. In her efforts to save them she smothered 5. Already my little princess was a survivor.
She arrived at my house on Halloween night. there was a big upset. I already had three dogs. I had just lost my Abby (more on her later) the year before in August and my sweet, sweet Sabbath was on her way out. The other two were already working out who would take what position in the pack and in walks this bouncing bundle of joy. At the time I worked at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg. I ran the animal research department so she came to work with me until she got to big and too bouncy.
Three weeks after her arrival we had to put my Sabbath down the day after Thanksgiving. Alex helped heal my loss. Now Alex has more names than anyone I know. Most of the time she goes by "Big Girl"...that started when she learned to do her big girl potty outside. We also call her Xandra, Goofy Gus, Shimmer Shine, and Princess Girl. She knows them all. When we moved across country to Planet Utah she rode in the van with me and Baby(more on her later) and then David drove the mustang with Bo and Catty (more on them later). We made it in 5 days hitting every motel 6 we could find. As we were driving through Tennessee a tornado hit. I have never been so terrified in my life. The siren was screaming and people were pulling off the highway and diving into ditches. I couldn't see anything except the tail lights of my husbands mustang. I blindly followed him (sobbing of course) and we pulled into a Motel 6. We all survived and I truly believe it was because I had one of God's little angels in my car.
I soon realized not long after we settled into Blanding that there was something wrong with my little angel. Her knees were bad and she was in pain. She was only 2 years old and the joy of my life. I was terrified to take her to the vet but off I went. He confirmed the worst. She had torn the cruciate ligaments in both her knees. We could do a surgical repair that would buy us time, we could put her down or we could do a very expensive surgery that would work if I played by all the rules. it required cutting the leg bone above her knee, rotating it to sit correctly and bolt it together with titanium. Now by the time I was faced with this horrible decision another person had fallen in love with her and Alex had fallen in love with this person. That's her Annie (my mother). Big Girl could not get enough of my mother. So my mother decided we'd do the surgery and she's help. it was a ridiculous amount that I don't dare mention but if you could know this dog you'd understand.
Rottweilers have a bad reputation because many people get them and then work to make them aggressive and mean. They already have that in them. They were originally used by the Romans on their campaigns to conquer the world. They first guarded the live cattle they brought with them to feed the troops and then were often used in battle (armour and all) to help defeat the enemies. Alex is a mama's girl. I walk on water and she would die to protect me. What I taught her was love. She was a very good student and is one of the kindest, most gentle souls I know. She is so gentle with my mother who is unstable on her feet and she loves her little kitties. I would trust her with my life. One of the people who helped teach her that was Jessie who calls her "mamasita". You mention that word and she just starts getting so excited. It can mean only one thing....her Jessie is coming for a visit. When I no longer could take her to work I paid Jess to babysit so they have this unbreakable bond. And Dad is the coolest. He plays the best games and knows all about Rottweiler Rules (for another post).
When we did her surgeries a specialist came in and all the doctors that got to know her said I had made the best decision because she was the sweetest, most patient dog they knew. We did one leg at a time and she had a long row of metal staples down her leg to hold everything in place. When it came time to remove them she would just lay down and we wouldn't even have to hold her. She is the bravest little soul I know and did I mention she is a survivor?
Well now she's unstoppable and so she is now also known as "the bionic puppy". She is my best friend. I cannot begin to tell you how much I love her. When I am down she comforts me. When I'm happy she celebrates with me. We spend all our days together including taking great naps together. You will hear lots and lots of stories about her but as I've mentioned before I am laying the groundwork down for all the characters in my life. She's one of the biggest and most important in my family. Yes...my husband, mother and Jess are everything to me but she's right up there with them. I feel like she has saved my life so many times. She speaks English so we have to spell things but now even that's not working...she can spell. As you can see from the pictures she has good self esteem and doesn't mind just letting it all hang out. Everyday is something to be celebrated. She walks around happy and joyful everyday. She truly is a gift from God and I am so blessed she is in my life.
Now...about yesterday...sorry I missed a post. I went to the doctor with my mother and I had some x-rays taken for a pain condition I am working through. My mother dislocated her shoulder 2 months ago falling and its not healing well so we are off to Cortez, CO to have an MRI done. I then had to go to a funeral for Eric Johnson. I believe the whole town showed up and it was heart wrenching. The I went to the chiropractor and finally I met my farrier down by my horses so Elliot could get a trim and new shoes. it took 2 and a half hours. He's not real crazy about all that but peppermints help (he's the other love of my life that I will talk about soon.)
I'll leave you with this:
My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness, a good mind, a good heart, warm feelings- these are the most important things.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Have a super day
Love Lisa
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1 comment:
Ok, I'm going to have to start my own blog to fill you in about all of my babies. I, too, had a baby (mine was a cat named Pooh) who found me a month after my divorce and was like a person. She greeted me at the door when I came home and talked to me. One Friday I came home from work and she couldn't even get up and walk across the room. I picked her up, through the tears, and the kids and I took her off to the vet fearing the worst - feline leukemia. As it turned out, she was diabetic and had gotten an infection. Ten days between the regular vet and the emergency vet and a ridiculous amount of money later, she came home. For the next six years, we faithfully gave her insulin shots twice a day and rushed her to the vet no less than twice a year when she had a crisis. When we brought another cat and two dogs into the house she quickly became the dominant animal and would scare two large dogs out of anywhere that she wanted! Four days before we moved my parents to Virginia, she had a seizure. My daughter took care of her and we sat down to evaluate our options. Pooh really seemed to make the decision for us - she was tired of fighting. Over the next two days she stopped eating and just seemed to want to be out of her misery. The day before my parents got here, I took her to the vet. I'm not sure who was more upset - me, my then 17 year old son, or the vet who had faithfully treated her for so long! She had truly touched many lives! It took me a little over a year before I could let another cat into my life (I'll tell you about her another time) and Pooh's picture sits right by my computer so she's with me all the time.
We love you and miss you!
Carolynn
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