Week # 1 for Shelby Angel

Doggy Life:  Week #1 with Shelby Angel has been good.  She is putting on a pound or two, and some cuts and infections on her are starting to heal.  We are starting to really focus on getting her feet healthy so she can walk without severe pain and one day play!  

Here is my sister, Bekah, meeting Shelby Angel for the first time.  Shelby came out of her kennel wagging her tail and gave Bekah some big kisses.  It is amazing how big her heart is, despite everything she has been through.  Bekah agreed that she is cute beyond belief- the pictures do not do her justice!

She got her first bath (probably ever) this week.  She was so calm- I wish she could teach my dogs how to act!

Here she is!  So fresh and so clean, clean!  

Shelby Angel patiently allowed us to soak her front paws for 15 minutes, and then her back paws for 15 minutes!  We are really trying to get them clean and healthy- they are infected all the way to the bone.  But, they really are starting to look better.  I would love to see her be able to walk without pain.  

I hope to give you some more good updates later this week.  She has really appreciated your prayers and caregiving.  I even put a teddy bear in her kennel on Saturday (a gift in the mail from a kind donor) so she would have her very own toy and snuggle buddy.  

Training Life:  I continue to battle my knee injury and compounding frustrations as the summer moves on.  Today I planned a run in Hot Springs.  Here are all of the reasons why the run was going to be perfect:

1.  I hadn't run since Thursday (3 miles) and before that, only one other time this week (which was 2 miles).  Rested legs.  (I mean honestly, they have really been rested since March, huh?)

2.  I did Bikram on Friday- legs are nice and loose.  

3.  The weather was gorgeous, and the scenery was even more beautiful in Hot Springs on the lake.  

It was so far from perfect- so far from that run I am craving.  I want to run WITHOUT PAIN.  I want to run without having to stop after 1, 2, or 3 miles.  I want to have a healthy knee.  I don't want to walk home, dejected and crying like I did (AGAIN) today.  I cannot understand why this injury is lingering.  It doesn't seem to matter how much time I take off from running, how much I stay off of the bike, how much I cross train/strengthen/stretch.  Everyone keeps reminding me to hold on, be patient, and don't give up.  So, I will try to start the week with patience and hope.  This has to pass- I don't know how or why, but I have to believe it will eventually get better at some point so I can get part of my life back.     

Congratulations to my Ironman Kentucky friends.  I wish I could have been there with you.  I am always so proud of your grit, determination, and accomplishment.  

Super thanks to everyone!  All of the comments have been so kind and supportive- just what I needed!  I don't really think what I have done is anything great, but I do think what you guys have done for the puppy is more than great.  From messages, to phone calls, to gifts for Shelby Angel, it is amazing how nice, good spirited people can really come together.  The other day I had a box on my porch from North Carolina- the next day, a letter from Minnesota.  Dave asked me how I knew the senders...I had to explain that I don't technically know them, but I read their blogs!  Ha!  It just sounds so crazy, but there is definitely a connection of like-minded people around here and I think it is awesome.  

I will post pictures and updates for Shelby Angel this weekend.  I just wanted to quickly say thank you to the donations and gifts.  I really underestimated what her cost of treatment would be, especially now that she is gnawing at her infected, damaged feet and bones.  It is as though she is trying to chew them off (half of them are missing anyways) because the infection is hurting her so much.  Anyways, just when I think I am in over my head, a donation appears and things are covered!  Amazing how every little bit has helped.  Thank you guys for seeing the need before I even realized it would be there.  (BTW-She is now wearing an e-collar and on some other serious meds, so we are working to save her little feet.)  

Just FYI- I got my first Shelby Angel kisses Thursday.  Yep! Kisses. I was so excited!  Her tail is out from between her legs...and she wags it now!

And in the other world, I have made my big grand entrance back to the dreaded 5:30 am swim- but at a new pool.  It has been hard to motivate myself to get there, especially since my next race is...oh....8 months away?  Does anyone else swim to avoid sucking- as opposed to getting better?

The running and cycling are not even worth mentioning right now.  Does anyone have a November race near them?  Something to motivate me- yet far enough away I can actually attempt to train for once this year?  

If It Is To Be- It Is Up To Me

The last few weeks have been pretty crazy for me- tumultuous, busy, worrisome, you name it.  Somewhere in the past week I managed to work way too much overtime as a new PT, dog sit, host a baby shower, attend book club without reading the book, rescue a dog, and get no sleep.  Notice I did not say anything about training- that just did not happen...2 miles of running and 2 swims?  Yikes- unhealthy and rotten...so if you are looking for a training post to read, this will not be it.  

So, my greatest accomplishment this week has also been accompanied by internal and external struggle.  Many of you have already read about new dog rescue adventure on face book, and I will explain it a little more on here.  I definitely look forward to your comments, feedback, and support- I feel like I have been to a really dark place with humanity the past two weeks, and I definitely need some hope and happiness.  

Three weekends ago, our group was riding through Shelby Forest when we spotted a dog up ahead on the road.  We see TONS of dogs here in the south while riding- both stray dogs and dogs with owners....they like to chase our bikes quite a bit.  As we prepared to avoid being chased, we happened to see that the dog was starved, abused, ....and pitiful.  There was no way she was chasing us- she could barely walk.  She was basically walking into the woods to die.  We threw her food and went to the store to get more but could never find her again.  

I spent the next 2 weeks crying, not sleeping, and eventually driving/riding to that area to feed her.  I never saw her again, never knew if she got the food.   With the help of some friends on lookout, she was spotted and alive at a later time.  I could only hope that she was getting the food I had been leaving out- not the raccoons.  

What do I do?  I kept asking God to provide an answer- and a means.  Why did he put this dog in my path, and why did it hurt me so much?  I have really, really struggled.  I received some support from friends and rescuers, but I also received a lot of backlash from family and others.  There is a predominant attitude that "you can't save everything" and "it is not my problem."  At a time when I really needed help and solutions, I got a lot of reasons why I could and should not help.   

The only conclusion I can come to with all of this is that if those people had seen this dog on that day, they may have changed their minds.  While we can't save the world- we are not saviors, martyrs, or anything other than simple people, we can help out individuals.  

Well, after a gazillion phone calls, I finally realized that IF IT IS TO BE, IT IS UP TO ME (my mother-in-law's favorite 2 letter, 10 word phrase).  No one else was going to help this dog.  I borrowed a live trap, and with some help I was able to catch the dog.  (I was not able to catch her by hand...and when you see the pictures you will know why she was so scared).  

So...here is Shelby Angel.  I don't know much about her yet, but here is what may be true.  She has bad, bad scars around her neck.  Someone has chained her and tethered her.  She is only a year old, but she has probably had multiple litters of puppies. Put this all together and....you get a sweet angel that was probably used to breed puppies for fighting (even though she was not old enough for breeding).  When she couldn't produce any more or did not produce good puppies she may have been used for a bait dog or just completely discarded.  The scars from the chains really tell the horror of it.  The short of it is, this dog has been through hell.  She has been abused in the worst way.  Since she has shown no aggression, we guess that she would not fight and therefore got the worst of it from the people that had her.  Of course, we will never have the real or whole story- and maybe I don't want to know it because it may truly send me off of the edge.    

  
Right now Shelby Angel is staying at the vet.  I have paid for an examination, meds, boarding, shots, etc.   Right now her job is to just eat, rest, and try to heal.  She has so many infections and injuries- the vet said it is one of the worst cases she has seen.  People in the lobby just started to cry when I brought her in.  (And this is after 2 weeks of food- imagine her 2 weeks ago).  
I am exhausted just writing this post.  The ethical and moral battles I have had in the past week have really eaten me alive.  There is only one thing of which I am certain, though, and it is that I did to the right thing by getting her out of the forest and starving to death.  From here forward, I am just taking it day by day.  She is going to stay at the vet this week, and then we will figure out what her needs are and what kind of home will be best to meet them.  

Many of you have asked me how you can help.  Here is what I think may be helpful to her (Please do not feel obligated in any way to send anything- there has just been such a big response to this and lot of people have wanted ideas to help):

1.  A cute, girl dog collar and leash (hmmmm at least a medium...maybe large? I am guessing she will get at least up to 55 or more pounds depending on how her body responds to the abuse).  

2.  Treats/rawhide...and toys! (she is a puppy and has probably never had a toy!)

3.  Doggie blanket (Kathy bought a doggie bed for Shelby Angel- thanks Kathy!!!!)

4.  Other?  if you think of anything let me know

5.  A future foster or forever home (she is not ready to go home now, but sometime in the near future)- this will be the most important thing someone can do for her

6.  Prayers

7.  Teach your children kindness to all creation

8.  Just being a good friend and listening to all of my craziness as I figure out how to help her! ;)

Several people have asked about sending money.  I will let everyone know if she may need more care than I can provide financially, but right now we are doing okay with paying for her treatment.  If you are just determined to send money, she is at Northgate Animal Hospital and you could put it towards her account.  If you would like to send anything else for her, leave me your email and I will send you my address.  

She is going to be a great dog- someone's very best friend.  She will be the more grateful than you can imagine- indebted to anyone that gives her kindness and love.  We can already tell she has a kind soul- Dave was immediately won over by her and how cute she is.  Thank you everyone for reading.  I appreciate your friendship and support.  Hopefully next week will be more normal and more sleep inviting!

Good Stuff

No one solved the riddle from the previous post.  It reads:  I PASSED OUT (-) OUT...which = I PASSED!!!!!!!!  

I passed my PT Boards, so I can officially practice as a physical therapist now.  I am beyond excited as the weight of the past 5 years has been lifted off of my shoulders.  The nights and weekends are now mine...all mine!  I have a job all lined up (more on that in future post), and I am thrilled to earn a real paycheck after all of these years.  The bonus?  No more guilt associated with training.  I can spend my free time as I please!  

Dave and I are back from Adult Camp at Camp Marymount.  

It was absolutely insane.  If you zoom in on the rules, you will see there was an original rule for no drinking during lake time, archery, riflery, or horsemanship.  The rule is crossed out and it says, "the rule is crossed out, so it is now cool do do that stuff."  

Hilarious!  It was the most insane chaos I have ever seen with everyone having a great time yet somehow everyone was safe and responsible.  

When Dave and I got to camp, I immediately went to ride the horses, and he jumped in the lake for "lake activities."  There were about 60 people in the lake just floating around...and the activity was really minimal I must say.  I did convince Dave to go canoeing with me and we also did the zip line across the lake.    

These are the same cabins and bunk beds I slept in as a kid at camp!  ( I stand corrected- not the same bunks, but the same set up...you get the idea...)

Here are my cabin mates in Cabin 6!  We all had such a great time.  It was just like being back at camp, but with boys and a lot more freedom.  :)  

Now I need to try to rest up for my first big day at work tomorrow as an official PT, as well as catch up with all of my emails and other errands.  Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Riddle For The Weekend

I

(-) Out.

Can anyone figure this riddle out?

The Blues

I have not been able to find that abused and starved pit bull that we saw this past weekend on our bike ride.  I have made two trips to Shelby Forest (with food and fresh water) and I have enlisted the help of Hearts of Gold Pit Rescue who has tried to find her too.  

We are going back out there tomorrow to attempt to find and rescue her one more time.  I am so scared she is dead, and so mad at myself for not thinking out a better plan to save her when we first encountered her.  It really has been burning a hole in my heart this whole week- I haven't been able to sleep thinking about it.  

If you happen to ride out by Shelby Forest and see a brown/tan female pit that is so starved you can see every bone and she can barely walk- as well as a mangled face from abuse- please, please message me.  Better yet, call me immediately.  (last seen corner of Ramsey/Island Forty).  We want to try to rescue to poor girl.  

On that note:

Spay and neuter your pets, please. 

Write a letter to the NFL Commissioner if you agree that Mike Vick should not have another chance- just like the dogs he tortured, fought, and killed.  Be the voice of change, and be a protector for those that need our protection.

Comm. Roger Goodell
c/o National Football League
280 Park AvenueNew York, NY 10017

And give your dogs, kitties, and other pets a hug, kiss, and treat.  

Little Bits and Pieces for the Week

-  This past weekend in Bikram, the teacher encouraged us to let go of judgement with our poses and class, which meant not judging days, classes, or poses as either good or bad.  I put a lot of thought into this over the weekend.  I let go of the negative more easily- I leave it on the field, per se.  However, I started to recognize how much value I put on labeling things as good or positive.  This weekend, I tried to just let things be what they were, without judgement.  

- On a similar note, I ran 5 miles on Sunday without pain.  I decided to not label the run as good- just that I did it and let it go.  The carryover from yoga made me realize that when my runs are "good" or "bad", so is the way I view my life.  I felt better by not putting a lot of value on one run.     

-  I am appreciating my good friends more and more with every day that passes.  Thank you to my friends that know me as a person as well as value and support me.  

-  Laura and I have some good ideas about raising money for lost/hurt/abused/neglected animals.  I think I have a broken heart from something I saw this weekend.  I wake up every single morning thinking about it, and I have cried every single day.  Time to take more action, because I don't think my heart can ever heal just sitting here.  Will keep you updated when we get our plan in action.

-I often find myself wishing that girls would be more direct.  The female culture is so weird to me sometimes.  If you have something to say, just say it!  I have been thinking about the sociology of females a ton lately, mainly because I want to be surrounded by good, strong women.  When I encounter female weirdness (fakeness, pretending to like someone when you really don't, being nice when you don't mean it, etc...), it throws me for a loop.  Really what it amounts to is for me to continue to work to be a more honest person and good friend, and then I think the same will come around to me.     

-And I am nervous about my test this weekend.  I also recognize that no matter how big I think it is right now, it is will small.  It will be a speck in time pretty soon.  

-  Last thing on my mind.  This is my last week of lunch time swim at the Quince Y.  I had to do 200 push-ups out of the water (20 at the end of 10 50s- where you go straight down under water and come straight back up on the side of the pool).  I didn't mind it at all, and thought it was good strength work.  I could tell some people in the pool thought it was a waste of swim time, as we weren't getting in as many yards as we could.  I used to feel that way too, but I have noticed that even on fewer yards most of the time, I am improving because I have given up some control to the coach and just trusting that he knows swimming better than I do.  I think sometimes we get to be the "more is always better" sport.  But if you have been swimming the same times on tons of yardage, maybe you could consider changing something up and seeing if it makes a difference?    

- Oh, one more thing.  My papa came over today and I showed him how I could do a pull-up.  We started talking about his marine days, and he told me for his test he only did 3 pull-ups (you at least pass the test on 3, so it was okay).  So, I think I will try to beat his 3 pull-up best.  He also told me he ran 3 miles in under 18 minutes in full marine gear/boots for max points, and I don't think I can beat that one.  I felt better thinking there may be a running gene in my family after all, though.  

I have had some requests for knee updates.  Thanks for asking ;)

We are doing okay around here.  I remain hopeful that I will be running by the fall.  I am still able to attempt some small runs, and I have had a more pain free ones lately.  I ran my first 4 miles (holy crud it was so slow and hard) early this week since March 15.  Yea!  Seriously, though, it is amazing how out of shape the body can get after close to 5 months.  It is like it has just stopped working!  Everything is still low key- about 2 runs per week at 2-3 miles if everything is pain free.  I am hoping in a couple of weeks I may be able to do a little more.  

Since mid-June, I have backed off of the bike.  I just ride about 2 times per week now, easy pace and fun.  I am making sure I am not adding any hidden stress to my knee while it is really trying to recover.  I opted to not do any road racing with the M&B girls this year until I make a full recovery.  I have, however, been a good spectator.

  

So that leaves swimming- yesterday was a day from hell.  I would like to personally thank everyone that did not show up to lunch time master's, as I had Sam's attention all to myself.  Lucky me. Following a big warm-up, I had to do a 500 for time.  He was not satisfied that it was my absolute fastest (hello....I am out of shape...cut me some slack!!!!), so I got to follow up the 500 with 10x 50 at a faster pace than the 500 with 5 seconds rest, followed by 10 x 50 with an even faster pace with ten seconds rest.  (I swear he said 5 seconds rest, but every time I got to the wall, all I heard him say was 3...2...1...-  what happened to the 5?)  

I lost count of all laps.  I quit triathlon somewhere in the middle of a 50.  And, I decided I hated Michael Phelps by the time it was over for making it seem so easy.  Lucky for me, I had to go to work and he couldn't make me do anymore.  And I couldn't raise my arms above my head to wash my hair in the shower I was that tired.  And pros do twice that as a main set and eat it for breakfast.  I don't get it.  I told Dave, and he said it was good- that I needed my butt kicked like that since I can't run.  Thanks, I guess.  Despite all of this torture, I am still a slow swimmer.  But I can agree that I am not as slow as I was in 2006 or 2007.  So....I have made progress.  

With my free time (not much of it with studying and working) I am still doing Bikram, working on my pull-ups (did 3 on my very own Tues night) and living vicariously through my athletic friends.  The boards are right around the corner- I have the date locked in...

Doggies

Heike and I were talking the other day about dogs and such- specifically our own dogs.  She asked me if Rooney and Cayenne still slept together.  We are both in agreement that that is not only really cute, but a special bond.  If you remember, Cayenne was a stray pit bull (mix) that was wondering our neighborhood.  People had called the pound on her and no one would feed her.  When I found her she was underweight and scared- by the time I got her into my house, she wouldn't even leave to go to the bathroom because she was scared she wouldn't get back in.  Rooney really took her under his wing.  

This is a flashback picture- the second day Cayenne stayed at our home.  Rooney and Cayenne were already playing tug-o-war!  Cayenne is just a big as Rooney now- and more muscular.  I can't believe how fast they grow up!

Cayenne is now a bossy, bratty, cute little girl.  She is still hyper and annoys Rooney to no end sometimes, but they are still BFF.  

So, I snuck into the living room Sunday night to see if they were snuggled together, and snapped a picture for Heike.  

On this note- check out my sister's new blog.  It has nothing to do with triathlon or daily life, and everything to do with promoting kindness to animals and educating and inspiring others to help the fight against animal cruelty.  

www.k9company.blogspot.com

My sister rocks.  We both love animals and talk frequently about our frustrations with society and the things we wish we could do to help.  The difference is- my sister is taking action.  She walks dogs at the Humane Society every single Sunday with her husband, and she is really trying to help make this world a  better place for animals.  Check out her blog- and consider adoption the next time you think about owning a pet.  (adoption- not just for dogs- for kitties too!)

I have not lost interest in blogging- I just can't seem to get in a good, condensed post lately. I don't even know where to start! It is amazing how much my life is changing right now, and I feel like I just spend most of my days trying to keep up!  

Things really are good around here. I am still focusing on the final hurdle (PT boards), and that seems to make everything else seem really small stuff in comparison.  Work is going great.  Roo, Caya, Presley, and Dave are great.  I am busy, busy, busy- but what else is new?  I know things will just keep evolving for me over the next few months, and it will be neat to see where I am as a person as these changes take place.  

Dave and I have just been taking care of business and getting things moving around here.  This picture speaks volumes.  He changes my brakes, and I stand on the porch and check on him.  What a team.