I'm not too proud to beg when it comes to the kiddo

[Jarlaxle]

So...should I bring a28lb cat to visit Bear?

[oldr_n_wsr]

eta: My broke ass loser Indian dog would sign up for that free shit!

Nothing is free.


Glad the pooch made it through.
Dogs are the best.

[BoSoxGal]

I know. I'm not too proud to use MassHealth because I've paid a ton of taxes up to this point in my life and as a single childless self-supporting individual, gotten very little in return before now.

[Lord Jim]

Hey BSG, just wondering how Little Bear's recovery is progressing. I hope everything's going well.

[BoSoxGal]

Hi Jim, thanks for asking! Bear's doing very well, she had surgery almost two weeks ago and a bandage change last Friday and the vet said her incision looked great and was healing nicely. She goes to see her surgeon again this Wednesday morning to see if she can get the splint off - it's giving added support while her bone starts knitting. It splintered into 5 pieces (her bones were formed while she was malnourished as a Rez pup) and is held together by a plate which will remain with her for the rest of her life. She's a very mellow dog so makes a good patient, although she has had to wear the cone of shame when I'm not home because she has separation anxiety and I don't want her nibbling on her bandage and/or stitches.

Here's Bear at work, pre-injury:









First night home from surgery:



Here she is the first morning after she came home from surgery, wondering why she doesn't get to go to work with me:




Here she is last Friday at the vet:




She did get to go to work the day of her bandage change after vet approval. She spent that morning hanging out with my boss in his office. All the guys on the crew at the country club love her dearly, as do all the members who have met her - we joke that I am the horticulturist and she is in member relations, helping frustrated golfers calm down.

Our shop mechanic is fabricating a plywood door for her side of the cart, so she'll never fall out again while we are in motion. She'll be coming back to work in the gardens as soon as that's done, later this week. She HATES being stuck indoors all day, she was a Rez dog and lived her first couple of years outside 24/7/365 - she loves fresh air and sunshine and being in both of those AND with me by her side is the happiest I've ever seen her.

I'm working on revising the first draft of a children's book I wrote about her. Have to find a good illustrator and then, with any luck, she'll repay me the very large investment I've made into her mobility and good health. But mostly I just want kids to know her story, I think it's inspirational. (She's already in a Montana friend's photography book about disabled dogs and in the accompanying photo collection that tours the country - was most recently at a children's hospital in the Midwest.)

Isn't she just dear?

[Gob]

Lovely looking mutt!

[Lord Jim]

Thanks for the update BSG. She certainly looks like a happy doggie

[Sue U]

Sweet doggie pix!

[BoSoxGal]

Thanks! Bear went back to work today, after seeing the veterinary surgeon last night and getting the okay. She'll be wearing her splint for another two weeks to give her leg more time to build some bone, then it will come off and she'll have a soft cast for another 4 weeks or so.

She was SO happy to be back in the (now spill-proof) cart, I had to share:



Thanks SO VERY MUCH to those who chipped in to get her treated AND to those who just had well-wishes to give, we are MUCH appreciative.

Loans will be repaid by end of August as promised, things are working out well for us - our life is very different now, we don't have a big fancy house or a 'prestigious' profession, but somehow we are 100% happier (and working on getting healthier, too).

[Lord Jim]

LittleBearGal looks like somebody with a big happy smile on her face...

[BoSoxGal]

'LittleBearGal' - love it!

[Lord Jim]

Checking out the K9s For Warriors site got me to thinking about your pooch BSG...

Just thought I'd ask how she's coming along...

[BoSoxGal]

Little Bear is doing really well, no more cast for a few weeks now, using the leg well bearing weight ok etc. My Facebook friends know that we just got our $4 used copy of Doggin' Massachustts in the mail, and will be starting to take longer walks and building up to late fall hikes in the many awesome preservations state forests and seashores around us. I've been a bit hectic with starting a new job (year-round gig to replace my seasonal one) and school starting next week. I'm going to be sending out repayments to everyone by the end of this month so please PM me address to mail it or email if you prefer PayPal.

I'll get some recent photos on photobucket soon to share here. Y'all helped me save her life, and I'm ever grateful for that, if I'd had to put her down over something totally fixable like a snapped tibia, I would have been beyond bereft and quite frankly likely would have joined her.

[Lord Jim]

Glad to hear she's progressing nicely BSG...

[wesw]

well..., I m glad that bear is doing well ....

....and speaking of bitches....

what a thread , huh?

see you guys don t need me, you have enough insanity without me!

bear sure does look like she has a lot of English spaniel in her....

....she must be a half breed!

like elvis!!!



...or Cher!!!!



hang in there bsg!

dammit woman!

hang in there....

I ve finally figured out that if I m not gonna die, I might as well live!

the good lord will probably take me tomoorow , now, but oh well.....

I love you, man.

[wesw]

and sheesh, TPK@W....

....not everyone is as strong as you are.

give a brother a break, will you?

...and could I have been anymore sexist in this post?

equality has it s ups , and it has it s downs....

[Bicycle Bill]

Get back on your meds stat, man.

-"BB"-

[MGMcAnick]

Did anyone else get flagged as a dog lover by the GoFundMe outfit? I did, got an email from them this PM. They've raised over $16,000 of $3500 sought for a Jack Russell terrier that I don't know. Yes you read that correctly, up $800 in the last hour or so.

[BoSoxGal]

I've spent almost all my wages this summer to pay Bear's followup care. I only borrowed enough from friends and family to cover the partial deposit they required to get her under the knife. We had a dozen follow up appts. Including many cast changes and X-rays. All ridiculously overpriced back here in MA compared to same excellent care in MT her first surgeries, when I found her hit by car.

Anyway my point being I didn't profit from my charity request, actually losing $ because GoFundMe charges 8% fees and I have to pay those back to lenders. My whole settlement check is going toward repayment and that's ok, it's worth every penny to me I'd just as soon be dead broke and have this awesome dog to love.

Did I mention before that I'm working on a children's book about Little Bear the Rez Dog? I was stuck on the illustrations but have decided to use photos with effects to fill in but still looking for a real illustrator to complete it with. I think it could be a very inspiring story for kids about looking beyond disability.

[Guinevere]

Glad she is improving. Walks and hikes are a great thing, and there are many lovely places to go indeed.