Full Life
Things are still going well here. I still have pain and fatigue, but it has been better the last few days. The head and neck pain is finally quite a bit better--the doctor said it was just a really persistent muscle spasm.
Our friend and home helper is still coming, and is still being a huge help.
Over the last few days we've gotten a little Christmas shopping done and stocked up on groceries for the predicted wintery weather the next week or more.
Tomorrow, if the weather permits, Mira and I have our first interview/evaluation with the owner-trained service dog program we're applying to. I really hope that goes well, and that we get accepted.
Today will be, I'm sure, a momentous day in family history for years to come.
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You see, the kids have been rather heartbroken that, instead of a family pet, we ended up with a service dog in training. She likes the kids, but she knows that she is not really their dog. She is pretty close to 100% focused on me almost all the time. This is as it should be, and as it needs to be, but it's been a little hard on the kids.
It was breaking my heart seeing the look of hurt on their faces (especially AJ's) every time they tried to pet her and she tolerated it nicely, but then quickly excused herself to be with me. Every time they called her and she ignored them to go with me as I walked out of the room.
The girls have told me several times, with tears in their eyes, that they didn't feel it was fair that instead of a pet for the whole family, we got a dog that was really just mine.
So, DH and I talked about it, and after a family conference we decided that the kids needed a pet. We knew we couldn't handle another dog at this time, and I'm allergic to cats. So that left various small animals to consider.
After some research and discussion, and some visits to pet stores and the Humane Society, we decided that rabbits were the best fit for us. I had rabbits growing up, and enjoyed them a lot, and the kids quickly fell in love with rabbits when they got a chance to hold them.
Today, our search came to fruition and we added three new members to our family. They are 9-week-old rabbits, two girls and a boy. We're going to try to have all three of them "belong" to all three kids, but I'm not sure whether the kids and the rabbits will cooperate with that. :)
AJ named the little buck rabbit Gingersnap. He is a broken (two-toned) New Zealand rabbit, who will soon be neutered to prevent myriads of little bunnies overrunning the house. :) His fur is white with tan spots.
M&M has always liked solid white rabbits best, so she was thrilled when we found a sweet little New Zealand white doe that she named Snowflake.
Ebee keeps changing her mind about what she wants to call the doe she chose, but so far it has been called Bun-Bun, Sugar, Snowball, Ginger and I think a few more named. I hope she doesn't get too confused.
Mira and the bunnies are doing amazingly well with each other so far. The bunnies seem cautious, but not terrified. Mira is interested, but calm. She doesn't seem to see the rabbits as prey or food at all, and she hasn't tried to bark at or play with them. She just looks at them, gently wagging her tail, and sniffs them.
At the moment we have all three bunnies in one small cage. It's big enough for them now, but as they grow to 10-pound rabbits it won't be sufficient for long. I'm hoping to find or make a larger cage, possibly with more than one level, that will be a more appropriate home for them as they grow.
Our friend and home helper is still coming, and is still being a huge help.
Over the last few days we've gotten a little Christmas shopping done and stocked up on groceries for the predicted wintery weather the next week or more.
Tomorrow, if the weather permits, Mira and I have our first interview/evaluation with the owner-trained service dog program we're applying to. I really hope that goes well, and that we get accepted.
Today will be, I'm sure, a momentous day in family history for years to come.
###############################
You see, the kids have been rather heartbroken that, instead of a family pet, we ended up with a service dog in training. She likes the kids, but she knows that she is not really their dog. She is pretty close to 100% focused on me almost all the time. This is as it should be, and as it needs to be, but it's been a little hard on the kids.
It was breaking my heart seeing the look of hurt on their faces (especially AJ's) every time they tried to pet her and she tolerated it nicely, but then quickly excused herself to be with me. Every time they called her and she ignored them to go with me as I walked out of the room.
The girls have told me several times, with tears in their eyes, that they didn't feel it was fair that instead of a pet for the whole family, we got a dog that was really just mine.
So, DH and I talked about it, and after a family conference we decided that the kids needed a pet. We knew we couldn't handle another dog at this time, and I'm allergic to cats. So that left various small animals to consider.
After some research and discussion, and some visits to pet stores and the Humane Society, we decided that rabbits were the best fit for us. I had rabbits growing up, and enjoyed them a lot, and the kids quickly fell in love with rabbits when they got a chance to hold them.
Today, our search came to fruition and we added three new members to our family. They are 9-week-old rabbits, two girls and a boy. We're going to try to have all three of them "belong" to all three kids, but I'm not sure whether the kids and the rabbits will cooperate with that. :)
AJ named the little buck rabbit Gingersnap. He is a broken (two-toned) New Zealand rabbit, who will soon be neutered to prevent myriads of little bunnies overrunning the house. :) His fur is white with tan spots.
M&M has always liked solid white rabbits best, so she was thrilled when we found a sweet little New Zealand white doe that she named Snowflake.
Ebee keeps changing her mind about what she wants to call the doe she chose, but so far it has been called Bun-Bun, Sugar, Snowball, Ginger and I think a few more named. I hope she doesn't get too confused.
Mira and the bunnies are doing amazingly well with each other so far. The bunnies seem cautious, but not terrified. Mira is interested, but calm. She doesn't seem to see the rabbits as prey or food at all, and she hasn't tried to bark at or play with them. She just looks at them, gently wagging her tail, and sniffs them.
At the moment we have all three bunnies in one small cage. It's big enough for them now, but as they grow to 10-pound rabbits it won't be sufficient for long. I'm hoping to find or make a larger cage, possibly with more than one level, that will be a more appropriate home for them as they grow.
Labels: health issues, kid stuff, pets, Service dog
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Posted by purple_kangaroo at 9:16 PM[Permanent link]
2 Comments:
What a wise solution!
A~ you have been on my mind for the past week and I wanted to drop you a note to let you know I have been thinking about you. Hope y'all are doing well and that you had a nice pain free Christmas. You sure deserve it. Happy New Year (((A)))
Wendy
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