Audrey Critters & Pets, Life

Things On My Mind

Hello! If you’re reading this you’ve made it to Tuesday. Way to go!

I like how Kristen did a coffee date-brain dump recently. I’ve had a lot going on so I figured I’d do the same and we could all just catch up today. I will be having some hot coffee with a splash of this creamer. So good ❤

Dogs

If you follow me on Instagram then you’ve met our little Bristol Baby. I’m going to share her adoption story here soon, but today I’m just introducing our newest addition. We’re the crazy people who added an 8 month old dog with less than 8 weeks until our baby due date. Ha.

We miss our Lylee Bear but rescuing Bristol was the right choice for us. She’s a completely different personality & just the right amount of spunk our home needed. (And I’m even saying that after she busted out of her crate and subjected our house to a puppy hurricane yesterday. SIGH.)

We love our new little handful. We were told she’s a Pomeranian-Husky mix and she’ll likely stay about the size she is now (35 lbs). It doesn’t matter what she is or how big she gets- we’re just so glad she’s ours 😊

Baby

Still pregnant and slowly starting to freak out about labor & delivery. Ha. My mother-in-law and mom threw me a baby shower on Sunday and HOLY COW. It was a beautiful party. I’m still blown away by their planning and the generosity of those who helped and the love of everyone who came. I’m going to post about that, too, but I’m still collecting pictures.

I have 6 weeks and 5 days to go. Yikes. Baby is typically an active little thing in there. I feel rounder and tired- but I’ve been tired since the test said “positive” and I’m sure I’ll be tired until I die. Hahaha.

We have a birthing class on Saturday and maternity pics on Monday… after that it’s just a waiting game. K has a business trip mid-November so we’re begging Baby daily to avoid those 4 days. Haha. (He can race home if need be.)

Organization

There is so much I want to do before baby gets here. Books I want to read. Moments I want to scrapbook. Corners I want to clean out. Photos I want to organize. Dogs I want to train (lol). I know I won’t get everything done and I’m determined not to stress about it, but these things are definitely on my mind.

I know nesting has kicked in. We still have a bunch of kid-related stuff to do: nursery needs painted, things need assembled, even more things need bought… I’d like to get some freezer meals done. I’d like to clean out the garage. Etc.

PLUS the holidays are here. We finally did the ledge for Halloween. We’re having a party this month, too. (I’m not giving that up- even if I am 35 weeks pregnant by then, ha.) Then we have Christmas decorations that I want to get up and gifts that need purchased or wrapped…

I dunno. It’s all trivial and if it doesn’t get done it’s completely ok, but these are the things on my mind right now.

So now it’s your turn. What’s going on in your world? What’s on your mind? What’s your beverage of choice on this blustery fall morning?

Audrey Critters & Pets

I don’t want to write this.

I don’t want to write this but I use my blog to record moments in my life and this past week was definitely a moment. Albeit a real sh*tty one.

If you follow me on IG or we’re friends on Facebook, you know that our sweet sassy soft lovable Lylee Bear passed away on Saturday morning. I’ve had family & friends die and I’ve had pets die. I can truly say I’ve had nothing hurt like this. You can argue that she was “just a dog” but I’d suggest you make the argument elsewhere.

Our dogs are our babies. And even with a baby on the way, our dogs are our babies. We’re torn up and lost and sad. We took Ly in just 4 months before our wedding. She has been a part of every major life & marital decision we’ve ever made. She’s lived in all our houses. I’m not kidding when I say every single thing in our house reminds me of her and has some Lylee story connected to it. Living without her sucks.

We can’t stop saying, “I just want my damn dog back.” And it’s true.

Losing Lylee was the pinnacle of crap this week. We were on vacation when she took a turn for the worst. The last vacation before baby; one that was supposed to be relaxing. We cut it short (and would obviously choose that over and over again- I don’t regret it one bit) and spent a lot of money to get home.

I’ve also been in the hospital twice this week. I am absolutely fine. I’m just clumsy and I fell two times. I know- I need to be more careful. Trust me, I know.

As you can imagine, our bank accounts took a hit this week with all this drama. But I still wish we were worrying about how to pay for Lylee’s recovery care right now.

None of this matters. I’d go through it all again to get Lylee back but that’s not an option so right now we’re just drowning in misery and waiting to feel better.

I know that we will feel better. I know our energy and excitement will come back. Honestly- all you bloggers who have lost fur babies- I knew it hurt. I didn’t know it hurt like this.

I’ve been absent from Blogland for the last week. I’ll probably be absent most of this week (although I have a scheduled post for Thursday). I’ll get back into the swing of it some day, but right now I’m just sad.

To those that reached out on other platforms- thank you. Your words have meant so much to me and I appreciate all the love more than you know.

Audrey Critters & Pets

My Series of Unfortunate Events

Remember that time I said my writing mojo was back… and then I missed ANOTHER morning of blogging?

Yeah. Me, too.

But here I am! I fully intended to write about my skin care favorites today but instead I’m going to make excuses and show you a sad & pathetic picture of my sweet baby Enzo.

Yesterday suuuucked. Every single thing I did had some kind of snag. I was anxious about the dogs’ vet appointment (which was a standard yearly checkup- nothing bad) and that made me super irritable about literally everything.

I made phone calls and was put on hold for over 20 minutes. I made phone calls and was denied information (that they’d freely shared with me in the past). I didn’t get a real lunch. One of my bffs had to book her spin bike across the room because all the spots near me were filled. (Absolute first world problems- I know.) And in the evening I had to wait an additional 45 minutes for our take-out food.

And in between all that, my dogs had that vet appointment. And Enzo walked away looking like this:

I know. It freakin kills me, too. My poor sweet boy had a bad reaction to the Lyme vaccine and he got hives all over his poor little face. And back. And paws.

Fortunately his bad reaction (swelling, vomiting) began in the vet’s parking lot and they gave him the anti-vac right in the lobby. He also got some pills for the next few days to keep him well. (Ly had no reaction whatsoever.)

Honestly, though, I cried. He was so miserable. We gave him dog ice cream and kept his face cool with washrags and let him rub all over the furniture (because I wouldn’t let him scratch).

So no, today’s planned post didn’t make it up here.

Enzo’s meds/vaccine made him more thirsty (and more likely to have an accident) so I woke up to TWO puddles today. Oh yay. I can’t be mad at him, though.

I’m crossing my fingers that those puddles were residual from yesterday’s dark cloud and today we’re in for a better day…

I got free Starbucks this morning with my reward points so that’s something…….

How was your Monday?

Audrey Critters & Pets

Best Christmas Gift EVER

We spend a lot of money on dogs throughout the year… between vet visits, food, new beds, medicine, noms, and toys these dogs want for nothing. As a special treat for ourselves this Christmas, we bought Lylee and Enzo dog DNA tests. NO REGRET, guys. We found Wisdom Panel 3.0 kits on Amazon (on sale!) and they’re 100% not sponsoring this. The results were both amazing and surprising.

The hardest part is swabbing your dogs cheek for 15 seconds twice. OOF. Enzo just laid there but Ly wasn’t a huge fan. We got the job done, though.

So we submitted our kits between Christmas and New Years and the results were emailed to us this past week. Not bad.

Ok… On to the results. Any guesses first??

Lylee

K and I pinpointed Ly as a husky-boxer mix and that’s usually what we tell people. Turns out she’s got quite a bit of dog in her… (but also we weren’t wrong).

The test goes back to her great-grandparents. There’s a potential for 8 different purebreds. Turns out Ly had seven purebred grandparents and one mutt.

She’s an equal part staffie, shepherd, boxer, husky, (American) bulldog, chow, & lab. And then a misc. mutt mixture.

Wisdom Panel

Lylee’s results weren’t too surprising. I think I was most surprised that there isn’t MORE husky and boxer in her. I assumed she had some pit (American Staffordshire Terrier & American Bulldog). I wasn’t expecting Chow Chow, but I totally see it now.

Appearance: In my opinion, Ly is built like a husky/shepherd. She has a square head and slight under-bite like a boxer/pit, though. Her fur is thick and she’s got endurance and strength for days. I imagine the yellow coloring come from the Labrador Retriever.

Personality: I could go on for weeks about canine personality. I think it’s fascinating. Lylee is probably one of the smartest dogs I’ve ever met (holla’, German Shepherd) but she’s also incredibly headstrong (boxer, chow, husky). She’s not necessarily territorial, but she’s extremely bonded to us and Enzo, and she definitely only chooses to listen when she admires the human talking to her (chow). She’s energetic, hyper, talkative, an escape artist (husky), and a digger. She also loves to play fetch (lab) and she can sniff out any toy. Many of these breed descriptions said she might not be good with other dogs- especially those of the same sex. BINGO. They also said she is potentially great with children. Not so much… lol.

Overall, it’s kind of reassuring to know why Lylee is so bonded/protective of us and why she tends to dislike other dogs. I knew there was some boxer and husky in her, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that she’s got purebred pit, too. Obviously we love her regardless of the results, though.

Enzo

We thought Enzo was some kind of whippet/border collie/weimaraner mix. Or even a Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever mix.

So. Wrong. I’m almost upset over Enzo’s results. I feel bamboozled.

I love all dog breeds the same- I’m just confused about E’s results. I mean, he’s more of a husky than Lylee is! I 100% see the beagle. The other two purebreds perplex me.

My best guess is that those mixed-breed ancestors have some small terrier in them (like a Russell) and some sighthound (like a whippet). Honestly… I just don’t know. Haha.

Appearance: After getting E’s results we googled beagle-husky mixes and beagle-shepherd mixes. I guess he looks similar to some of those dogs. I’d say his small size and floppy ears and face structure is pretty beagle-like. We think the husky ancestors had to be brown/tan huskies, not black/grey ones. Enzo has NO black fur or skin and we known black is a dominant color in dogs, so we’re fairly confident in our assumption. Enzo is muscular but I don’t know where that comes from. I guess the mixed-breed plays a large part in E’s appearance.

Personality: Enzo is the sweetest soul in the world. He has a laid back personality and he’s ridiculously good with other dogs and children and almost everyone. He’s the least aggressive dog in the world BUT he does love to give chase (husky?). Also, if we’re on a walk and a scary-looking unfamiliar stranger (hood up/baggy clothes/has a quick or aggressive walk) gets too close to us Enzo will keep his eyes glued to the person (typically male) and growl  at him. It’s super out of character for him but he’s done it multiple times so it’s not a fluke. E is extremely bonded to us (esp me). He was a dream to train and he still lives to please us. Whatever he is, I feel like he got all the best qualities of those dogs.

Kyle is obviously pumped. He’s been walking around the house calling the dogs “my two pretty huskies”, lol. I’m happy to know what the dogs are but it doesn’t matter one bit. Haha. Our dogs will always be mixed rescue dogs 🙂

If you’ve ever thought about doing a DNA kit for you pup, I say DO IT. Especially if you can get a kit while it’s on sale!

But also- did you guess right??

* It completely got past me that Wisdom Panel is a Mars Inc. company. Mars is not a cruelty-free company. If you decide to DNA test your dogs, do more research than I did and spend your money in a way that keeps your soul happy.

Audrey Critters & Pets

A Dog Rescue Kit

I wasn’t going to mention this story here, but it fuels my motivation and drives home the importance of a “rescue kit.” It’s not a happy story… Scroll past the image of Lylee and Enzo if you want to skip it.

. . .

Last Tuesday I saw a small tan dog get hit by a car and die. The entire scene has played through my head numerous times. When it happened I was so frozen in shock- I just stood in my driveway stupidly. The driver of the car immediately pulled over (bless his soul) and raced back to check on the dog, but he knew it was too late. Another car also pulled over to stand next to the body while the man went door to door to find the owner. I was 50 yards from this entire scene and just too shocked to move or help. The driver found the owner, who carried the dog out of the street, and the two cars went on their way. And I just stood there and tried not to cry.

I hate that I couldn’t move. I hate that I wasn’t closer to the scene so I could’ve warned the car (who wasn’t speeding or anything) or grabbed the dog. I HATE that the dog was loose outside without a leash or a tether or supervision. I hate everything about what I saw.

…I can’t imagine losing my dogs that way. I can’t imagine anyone losing their dogs that way. And that’s the reason I pull over or stop what I’m doing when I see a stray dog. (I also share “lost dog” posts on FB.)

Ly and Enzo got out of the backyard once and I am forever grateful to the girl who stopped what she was doing and brought them home.

I can’t tell you how many dogs I’ve stopped for, but it’s a lot. K pulls over, too- both when I’m with him and when I’m not. It’s an easy thing to do and you’re saving a life.

Rescuing a dog is as simple as stopping the car, opening your car door, and whistling. That said, sometimes it goes better if you’re prepared. To help you out, I put together this little kit as an example.

Box includes: Sterlite box (94 cents), large or medium collar ($4), leash ($5), wet wipes ($3), dog treats that won’t expire or spoil in the heat (training treats or Milk Bones $3), an old towel (TOTAL COST: $15.94)

Excuse the dirt… I own dogs + I went flower shopping.

Please note- you absolutely don’t need these things to rescue a dog; I’ve only just put this kit in my car.

Also, here are a few tips:

  • If the dog seems friendly but won’t come to you for a milk bone, try something more tasty to coax them over. K once used a blueberry muffin from his lunchbox.
  • Do not immediately reach for the dog’s collar. Let the dog smell you and warm up to you first.
  • If the dog has dog tags you can call into the county/use their website and get the owners information. In Ohio it’s on the county auditor’s page.
  • Get a picture and description of the dog to local veterinary clinics, radio stations, and shelters. Also, take the dog to a vet to see if there is an embedded chip with the owner’s information.

Sometimes you’ll pull over to help a dog and the owner will pop out the front door of a house 25ft away and yell at you. Shake it off- it’s their fault for letting the dog wander away. And honestly, sometimes people are just shitty and you come across a dog that’s been dumped. (That happened to us and we ended up keeping Melody for her remaining years. She was a lover.)

Sweet girl was roughly 11 years old when she wander into our lives…

If you’ve never stopped for lost pets I hope you’ll reconsider. And if you’re the kind of owner that lets your dog run all over the town PLEASE stop doing that. I firmly believe we make it through life because we look out for one another, and that includes animals.

Keep an eye out for lost fur-babies during these warm summer months.