8.4.14 UPDATE FROM KYM ANN & RON: Many thanks to our wonderful volunteers who held the fort down this past weekend at the adoption event. What a blessing you all are! We have received one application for adoption on one of our beloved Sweeney shelter pups, Button (home visit pending). It appears that this is the slowest time of year for adoptions, not just for us but for our rescue partners and even our friends in Austin who usually have great success. They have postponed scheduling any appointments for us for at least two months due to slow adoptions and higher-than-usual intake. Ron and I are still knee-deep in our move, going between our current home to pack, taking loads of stuff to the new place, meeting with contractors to get work done at both houses, and caring for our furry friends all the while. Its a mixed blessing of chaos, exhaustion and joy. We will be so very happy when were finally home for good. Were making progress though! Country living has been quite a change of pace for me. Im more accepting of all the bugs than I thought Id be. So far, Ive not met any snakes or alligators. Im VERY happy about that. I picked up Rons laundry today to bring it to the old house to wash while I was here and out dropped one of those little geckos. I had to laugh. Theyre everywhere out there - tiny little things. Despite the hectic schedule were keeping, I have managed to find laughter every day -- thanks to my fur-kids. I have a little story to share (not a short one... just a little one... there IS a difference... I think). One of the first, and most important, projects on our list once we closed on the new home was to get contractors in place to build a safe area for our dogs to run in without our presence. We elected to go with commercial-grade chain link fencing along the back and sides of two play areas, combined with ornamental fencing in front. The fence is six feet tall and sturdy. It was erected in record time. Each play area encompasses about 1/2 acre. Plenty of room for the dogs to run and play. They would have such a blast out there, right? At least, we thought so. During this move, all seven of our dogs have reinforced their love for one thing in this world: Their love of human companionship. I was so excited last week when we were finally able to load all of the dogs up and take them to the new house. Run free, my children! Run free! I figured all of them would take off like banshees, running to their hearts content. Nope. Not happening. I cannot move without a pack of dogs at my feet, following my every move. They do not go off on their own adventures, and never let us out of their sight. Dont get me wrong. The dogs LOVE to go on adventure walks -- but NOT without Ron or I. Otherwise, they sit at the gates of their huge play yards waiting for us... or at our front door waiting for us to let them in. I am deeply moved. It reminded me of a lesson I wanted to share with current dog owners who feel that their dog needs more room to run than they can currently offer them. Trust me. Your dogs dont need that. They just need more time with YOU. More than a decade ago, when I owned my first Bullmastiff (Pi Dog), we lived in a 640 sf apartment together for a year. My co-workers felt it was inhumane for me to confine him in that way. I knew that all Pi Dog really wanted was to be where ever I was -- no matter how cramped the quarters (I had a small bathroom... and, yes, he always felt compelled to join me there, too). A year or so later, Pi Dog and I moved into a home with an acre of land - fully fenced. What did Pi Dog do? Sat at the back door waiting to come in to be with me again. Gene, Tessie, Caroline, Sam, Lord Bentley, Solitaire and Delta feel the same way. They love to be at our sides or laying at our feet. They dont want to do anything that doesnt involve us, even with all that acreage to explore. Needless to say, my chores still entail several walks a day -- not around the neighborhood any longer, but all over the fields at the ranch. Off has become my new perfume. Its the only way the dogs get to enjoy the land that we purchased solely with them in mind. Silly puppies :). I will have lots of great photos (and hopefully videos) to share when time allows. In the meantime, we are still seldom near our computers and dont expect that to change for another 1-2 weeks. The movers will be here a week from today to move the last of our things, and then well be busy working at our old house to get it ready for sale. Taking it one day at a time... in the company of the dogs we love so very much. Much love to all of you, as always!
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 22:39:08 +0000
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