Savings Lives

As most of you know my dog of over 13 years passed away last month. It was really weird not having a dog in the house given I have had one for over 20 years. I really wasn't ready for another big commitment, but on the other side I really missed having one around the house.

Yes, I admit, I am a big time dog lover. I did a bit of research on the internet I came across the idea of fostering dogs. This is the taking in of dogs that have no homes and have no one yet to adopt them. You take care of them until they are able to find forever homes. I thought this was a great way to help out animals that needed help, all while being able to have a dog back in the house.

I checked out a few groups that foster, and signed up to the LAB-RESCUE group. It took about a week after submitting an application that I was contacted and interviewed. Yes, they said, I was a good candidate to foster, but they were going to look for a dog that was easy for my first time.

Well, about a week later I got a call that they had a dog for me to foster. I was so excited and made arrangements to meet with them and pick up the dog a few days later. Little did I know what would be there to meet me.

Timbit, as he is called is a 130lb Yellow Lab. I don't think I have ever seen a dog that big. He was huge. His story was that someone found him collapsed on their lawn and called animal control. They picked him up and kept him in the shelter. Given his size, if the rescue didn't step in to help he probably would have been euthanised. I don't know how he got that way but he was just huge. It was difficult for him to walk but he was just so happy to have some attention. He had bed sores on his legs, and the muscles would shake when he stood and eventually he would have to sit again.

I got Tim in the car, and the two of us made are way home. The first time I took him for a walk we were able to get about 20 paces and then he needed to lie down and rest. This is how it went with 4 rests to get to the end of my property line, which is about 70 ft. And then of course 4 more rests to get back. Although he was filled with a ton of love, Tim is in bad shape. Who would let him get like this and then toss him away.

In the first few days I saw that Tim loved to get into the garbage to see what he could find. Of course now it is under lock and key and I am teaching him to start to leave it alone. Not an easy job for a food minded dog.

The first week of fostering has now passed. I have learned so much about patience and understanding. I hope Tim can find a great home, but until then I will love and care for him. Together we will slowly try to get some of the weight off so again Tim can run and play like other dogs.

Moving Forward

The one thing about life is we have a choice whether to keep moving forward or to stop and just keep looking back. I have always been a big believer in the forward choice. I have been really busy these days but thought I should write a bit anyways.

I am still working diligently on my Shetland Shawl and Sock Sampler Blankets. I don't think I have ever had a period of knitting where I worked for so long without coming to the end. That being said I am getting there. I am over half way through the edging on the shawl. Finally I can start to see how it is going to look. It has certainly taken alot more yarn then I though but hope that this last skein will do it. I figure that the edge had 800 stitches and that it required me to knit about 1600 rows to complete. Since on average each row has about 20 stitches in it the edging involves about 32,000 stitches or more. I also figure it takes about 30 minutes to complete the 24 rows in each edging repeat meaining the edge should take in all about 30 hours. Who would have thought. I just have to keep going forward and at some point I am going to get there. God, I hope that I like it when I am finished given the time.

The sampler is coming along. My daughter laughs a bit at the colours but I am using up all my leftover sock yarn which is nice. Of course, it also means buying some more before it will be finished.

My kid finished her first sock and was thrilled. Me too. Of course now she has the dreaded second sock syndrome.

Finally, I have decided that I am going to become a dog foster parent. I really miss having a dog around the house and it's been about 20 years since I have been without. In the morning when I come out of my bedroom it is just so strange to not head down the stairs and a second later feel a dog, whooshing past me, racing to the bottom. And it really is weird to walk into the house and not have that friendly greeting. I think with fostering I can help out other dogs that need a home and yet not jump into a long commitment of owning a dog. I do think that will come but I think I need a bit of time. I am excited about this and am waiting for them to find me a foster dog. Feel like a kid I am so excited about that.

It's almost exam time for my son, so I am sure he is going to be stressed this week and then starts the summer officially. At least for a parent, summer really begins when school ends.

I'll keep you posted to what happens with my shawls and fostering. And of course whether my kid casts on her second sock. Yep, just keep moving forward and everything will be alright.