The Good Stuff!

I've really only ever shared the bad stuff on my blog, I thought I'd start to share some of the good stuff in my life and stuff about me, the things that make me tick and keep me going!

My dogs! I have 2 labs and I love them to death! They're more like my kids than anything. I spoil them rotten with toys and treats, they sleep with me every night and get more of the bed than I do!





I got Spazz first, he's a black lab mix and is now about six years old. I got him from the animal shelter when I lived in Alaska for a few years back in 2000. I've always had a dog my entire life and moving to Alaska and being isolated by my ex-husband, I had to get a dog!

I walked up to the chain link fence at the shelter and a couple of dogs growled and one tried to bite my hand. This medium sized black dog with a white patch on his chest came up and looked at me and started licking my hand. He had the most beautiful brown eyes and looked like he was wearing a tuxedo with the way white patch ran down his chest and how it crested under his chin. I fell in love instantly!

I talked to the lady who ran the shelter and she said there was important information I needed to know about Rusty (they named him Rusty at the shelter) before she could consider adopting him out. We sat down in her office and she told me his story.

They found him tied to a tree near death. His front legs were broken and his mouth was full of blood. His belly also had stitches in it that was NOT done by a Vet, and half of the wound was ripped open.

They took him to one of the Vets in town and they discovered through XRAYS that someone had neutered him, basically slaughtered his insides. The Vet fixed him up, put his front legs in casts and removed the remaining pieces of his molars that appeared to have been kicked out of his mouth. The Vet estimated his age at around 9 months.

This broke my heart. I was almost in tears listening to her and decided at that very second that he was mine. I was going to take care of him, love him like he deserved to be loved and give him one heck of a good doggie life! I told her that and we filled out the papers and later that day I got to take Rusty home.

I went to Walmart and got him a kennel, a doggie bed, a TON of toys, dishes, food and a leash.

When I picked up Rusty that afternoon I hooked on his leash and I almost got my arm yanked off! He took off running and I was being dragged behind him, this is where the name Spazz came in! (He didn't look like a Rusty anyway)

I loaded him up into my ex-husbands truck and we went home. I tied him up outside while I set up a running line for him, he didn't take his eyes off me the entire time.

It was a very trying first few weeks. Spazz was scared of everything, you couldn't pet him on his head, he would cower and pee. Every time the furnace turned on, he'd cry and pee. He was terrified of flashlights and rubber boots. He also hated my ex-husband (smart dog!!) and chewed on everything he owned. I would end up getting smacked around for Spazz's actions but I didn't care, I wasn't giving up on this dog.

I saw myself in Spazz, here was this little innocent puppy who had been abused and beaten to near death, and just like me he was abandoned. I had felt abandoned my entire life, I had no one to protect me, rescue me or love me as a child, I had been hurt ineffable ways. As far as I was concerned Spazz and I were in this together, we'd help each other. I took care of him and he took care of me.

It took a very long time to establish trust with Spazz, to let him know I wasn't going to hurt him or let anyone else hurt him either. My ex-husband kicked him a couple of times and I stood up for Spazz, in turn I got my fair share of black eyes and bruised ribs.

It was completely worth it!

Today Spazz is nothing like he was when I got him. He wouldn't cuddle, rarely gave kisses and wouldn't listen to me AT ALL! Now he thinks he's a lap dog, and at 110 pounds it's a struggle to have him sit in my lap, but I wrap my arms around him and struggle to breathe regardless.



Sandy is a purebred yellow lab, she turned five in January! She's my baby, my little girl! I got her 5 months after I got Spazz because I was working a lot and didn't want Spazz to be alone.

When I brought her home she was seven weeks old and tiny as could be! Spazz looked at her, looked at me, let out a big WOOF! which sent Sandy running under a chair scared to death! That night I had separated them in kennels (the ex wouldn't let them share our bed) and Sandy cried and whined for 2 hours straight. I finally got up, took her out of her kennel and put her in Spazz's kennel. Spazz looked at me with this "what the hell is THAT thing doing in my bed?" look and sat there. Sandy curled up between his paws and promptly went to sleep. I thanked Spazz and went back to bed. When I got up the next morning Spazz and Sandy were snuggled up together. They were friends!

Sandy is strictly my dog. She always has been and always will be. She has protected me numerous times from my ex-husband and once got seriously injured in the process. He had me pinned on the floor with his knees on my chest and was choking me, Sandy was growling at him and for the first time ever she lunged and bit him. He jumped off of me and kicked her so hard in the stomach she hit the wall. It was like this switch was flicked on in me, I lost it! I grabbed him and punched him repeatedly as hard as I could, I flipped him on the floor and started choking him screaming "how the fuck do you like it" I told him if he EVER touched my dogs again I'd kill him. I think he knew I would too because that was the last time he mistreated them and a very long time passed before he laid a hand on me.

Today, Sandy is still very protective of me. I'm very protective of Spazz.