Astra the Cone-head

December 6, 2021

I know it’s been some time since I’ve written about Astra. 

To quote a random stranger (fellow dog-owner), “Puppies are a nightmare.”

Yes they are.  I highly recommend goldfish. They’re no trouble at all, and whoever heard of someone going to pieces when their goldfish went to goldfish heaven. No one.  That’s who.

The last month and a half have been busy. With end of year work, training a puppy, and let’s just say it, the stress of Covid and another new bloody variant, I am pretty worn out from it all. 

So, last week Astra began vomiting and had some serious diarrhea. (Apologies to those with weak stomachs.)  In hindsight, I should have called the vet sooner. I had to take her to emergency on Sunday morning.  

Then yesterday, as soon as she ate, she tossed it back out again like that moment when the pinata breaks open. Except pinatas are filled with candy. Astra was filled with kibble, a piece of her pee pad and another piece of paper she had swallowed.  (I clearly missed that last one!)

I had a good cry yesterday and thanks to the support of some fellow dog owners, friends and my mom, I muddled through.

Also said a prayer that the obstruction in her intestine would dissolve.  And guess what. It did!  The vet confirmed at five a.m. this morning that the material that looked like hard plastic, was now granular.  Praise God!

(I know there’s some people who don’t believe in God, and that’s fine. I just have to give Him thanks and praise for answering my prayers because I believe He answered them.  Otherwise, I would be a hypocrite.  With so many human weaknesses and failings, I don’t want to add that one to the list today, so I happily, gratefully, and publicly give glory to God!)

Also, a big thanks to the staff at the Lola Emergency Hospital.  They took good care of my girl, so “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

I still have to monitor her closely, give her some meds, and am still waiting for some test results to come back.  But, I am feeling much more peaceful today.

I think Astra is too. At least I hope she is. When leaving the clinic, she was pretty tentative to follow the staff member. I had to go stand at the bottom of the steps, take off my mask, and say, “Astra. It’s me.” She didn’t seem all that amused to be quite honest, but I was her safest bet, so down she came.

We’ll start to grow on each other. Eventually. :)

Thanks for reading,

Ellie

P.S. For those of you with pets at emergency clinics, I feel your pain.  Take good care of yourself too!

It's a girl ...

Hello there,

It’s been a while since I have written anything and I need to get to it. I did what feels like a crazy thing, and got myself a puppy. A Husky/Malamute mix. Maybe a Bulldog is more stubborn. It feels like a toss up. Anyway, I have put together some of my memorable moments with Astra. It’s been almost two weeks, so I am clearly late, but here is Day 1.

Thanks for reading,

Ellie

Day 1

Sunday, October 17, 2021

I’ve been wanting a dog for a while now, and today it finally happened. I picked her up today, so she is officially mine. Or, more likely, I am officially hers.

First of all, the drive out to Rockland was made more complicated by Google Maps.  It told me the highway was closed in sections, but I have my doubts. I still panicked, took an exit I thought was a good option, changed my mind, got back on the highway, and let the lady (who, by the way, has worse pronunciation of French makes mine sound like a symphony in comparison), to the right exit. 

Can I just say, I hate roundabouts. I think it was the Europeans who invented them to make traffic flow better, but I think they’re ridiculous. I’ll let you decide whether I am talking about roundabouts or Europeans.

Miraculously, the highway reopened for the drive back. This was much less stressful for me, and consequently for the pup.

She stopped crying within 5 minutes (thank heavens) and settled in nicely on the drive home. She’d stick her head up to see what was going on, and lie back down in the Rubbermaid tub I scrounged up at the last minute to bring her home in, after realizing the box I had was not going to cut it for a husky/malamute pup. 

Kinda wonder why I have to be so enamored with large dogs.  Can’t I just be a satisfied with a full-grown dog I could tuck in my purse? 

But, as you can see from her picture, how can anyone resist such cuteness?

Ellie