The Missaroo

The Missaroo
Ready to Take on the World

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Gimpin' It

Ever since I fell on my ankle, the dogs have not been on a true walk. That was Sunday. In fact, for the first few days, I could barely take them out to go to the bathroom without crying from the pain. For Missy's birthday then spent the day at doggie daycare just so they could play and run. It was a life saving maneuver for all three of us.

Then yesterday, my ankle was feeling pretty good and I tried to take the dogs for a longer walk. Now, my ankle is killing me again. I forgot how hard it is to walk the two of them. There's a lot of changing directions, avoiding other dogs, weaving in and out of people and cars taking up the entire street. A lot of holding them back and redirecting them when they see a cat or squirrel. It takes a lot of work and a good ankle. I feel so bad for my doggies but a day at doggie daycare costs about what I make in a day so its a win-lose overall.

I'm hoping this ankle will heel before the dogs revolt and leave me since I can't really walk them anymore. It's tough gimpin' it around the block.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

All Grown Up

Today is Missy's 4th birthday, which means she is now older than me in people years. My little girl is all grown up. So just like I took the time to write a little bit about Mister Man I also wanted to put a few more thoughts down about Missy Mae. What a year it's been for her! She got a new brother. Her mom switched careers, left her for more than a day five times ((the most ever)), and she learned to live on a budget. No more regular doggie daycare trips, fewer times to the groomer, and no more random purchases at the pet store. She also learned to share her space, toys, and mom. She did a lot of growing up!

I also learned a lot about the Missaroo this year too. I learned she has no maternal instincts. I mean like none, zero, zlich, notta. You always hear stories about female dogs who take care of a lost litter of kittens or bonding with a sick duck. When Mister had to have knee surgery she barked non-stop at him to come out of her crate, and the moment he did she nailed him to the ground. Since she couldn't play with him she just looked at me as if to say, well he's pointless. I guess I should have figured as much but somehow I was still surprised.

I also learned just how resilient she is. Considering I have never left her for more than a week a year she handled my traveling pretty darn well. Yes she puked, got needy, and had her Missy moments, but overall she recovered better and faster than I ever imagined. I'm never going to be able to leave her without some sort of reaction, but overall she kept it together pretty well. She's also learning not to get overly attached to anyone other than me. I think that's something I taught her. It's a great defense mechanism.

Missy is also a great reminder just how far we have come over the last three years, and not just in distance. Fortunately, the two of us have so much further to go. Recently I was asked by my friend Molly the simple fill in the blanket question: Without my dog I would..... To which I answered: Hide. Missy is the reason I get up every morning and face another day. That is just as true today as it was three years ago. So happy birthday to my reason for never giving up, my best friend, my rock the amazing Missy Mae Baumann.

Three days after I brought her home. 


Missy's 2nd Birthday


Three years old and tired of the mommaritzi 


4 and fantastic! 

The Birthday Girl

I love you sooo much shmooie! Happy 4th birthday to my best bud Missy Mae.


Monday, January 23, 2012

Ouch!

Just call me gimpy. I was trying to take the dogs on a walk yesterday when I fell directly on my ankle. The parking lot is filled with icy patches and I tried to change directions to avoid another dog coming our way when I went from dry to ice and lost my footing. It hurt so bad I cried. The worst part is, now I can't walk the dogs at all. It takes all my effort and a lot of Ibuprofen just to get them outside to go to the bathroom. They are miserable, which makes me miserable. I might take them to doggie daycare in the morning just so they have a chance to run around since they can't get the exercise they need at home. It's the day before Missy's birthday too and we should be celebrating not commiserating.  Ouch! This really hurts.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

One More About Mister

So Mister turned the big oh-two on Thursday but the poor little dude didn't get to properly celebrate until Saturday. Lucky for him, he has no idea when his birthday is so it didn't really matter.

We started our Saturday like every other one, with a walk. Missy came too of course. Then it was just Mister and me for the rest of the morning. We headed to our fav Petsmart in the Valley. We walked up and down every aisle. He got lots of pets from workers and customers alike. He even got attacked by a hyper puppy named Bear. Let me tell you, Mister is not so tough without the Missaroo there to save him. I had to pick him up! I also got to pick him up to show him the cats and the birds and the gerbils. Usually it's just the Missaroo who is tall enough to take a peak at the other animals. This time Mister got to take a peak too. He actually wasn't as thrilled as I hoped he be. He kinda just put his head on my shoulder and looked around. I liked it though.

We also made some Mister purchases at the store. He has a new bag of dog food, a new rope (steak flavored) and some new bones to share with the Missaroo. I still need to make him a blanket to match Missy's present from last year.

Then we spent the rest of the day playing, chewing, and napping. It was a pretty good birthday celebration. Next up is the Missaroo! She turns four on Tuesday and they both have matching groom appointments for the day.

ps I think Mister is starting to lose some weight. What do you think? Skinny yet? 



Friday, January 20, 2012

Almost Good Samaritians

We are pretty much snowed in here in Spokane this weekend. In fact, the school district closed today which meant daycare closed too which means no work! At least not this morning anyway. So last night the doggies and I decided to go for a walk in our winter wonderland. We just made it outside the apartment complex when we noticed a car stuck in the snow. I called out to the girl "are you stuck?" When she said yes the doggies and I hiked it through the snow and across the street to see if we could be of any assistance. Turns out, not so much.

I tried to help her dig out and even tried to help her push but I'm not very strong, especially while attached to two dogs. We ended up just keeping her company until her family got there and pushed her out in no time. Her mom thanked me, but for what I'm not sure. The doggies and I didn't do anything. But I did tell her at least the dogs are good for a smile. I did let them run around a bit in the parking lot and Mister seemed to like that a lot. Missy got kinda mad at everyone because they were more interested in helping than petting. After we knew the girl was on her way home we wandered back to our side of the street and continued out snowy walk. At least we tried!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

I Win!

Since it is all about the birthday boy today, here's one of Mister's finer moments.


On a blogging note, I'll try to remember to mute the TV next time, you're listening to a scene from Parenthood in the background. Sorry. 



Happy Birthday Mister!

My little guy is all grown up! Happy Birthday Mister! Mommy loves you.


Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Just Take the Treat Miss

Because there's nothing better to do on a snow day than eat treats and take video of it.



Mister Man

It's hard to believe my little Mister Man is going to be two years old tomorrow. Which also means it is hard to believe he's been a part of my life for the last year. And what a year it has been! Mister was potty trained, had knee surgery, took on the Missaroo, and survived to be my morning cuddle bug. I am constantly impressed by his adorableness. Sometimes I think, "what am I doing with this little Chihuahua?" and then he falls asleep on me.


Gosh! What a cutie! In the past week I've also been thinking a lot about why I decided to adopt Mister in the first place. Yes Missy needed a buddy. Yes he just looked too much like the Missaroo to pass up. Yes their names must be fate. But more than that, he was adopted because I wanted him. When I turned 25 my biological clock went into overdrive. All I could think about was how much I wanted to have a baby. I convinced myself no one wanted to marry a stressed out news producer determined to climb the corporate ladder. Lots of other factors played into my decision to leave my career but I think that had a huge role. Six months into realizing I wasn't living the life I thought I would be at 25 I adopted Mister. His job was to silence the ticking clock. 

I'm 26 now, going on 27and the clock's ticking has now managed to sync up with my heartbeat. It's something I can't silence with another animal. But as they say, acceptance is the first step. I can't do anything about it and even without the stressed out job I'm no more appealing as a potential mother than I was a year ago. What I do have is two precious babies I wouldn't trade in for the world. 

I have come to terms with my role in life as dogmom. Mister reminds me of that every time he plays the part of my cuddle bug or falls asleep in my lap. With every adorable picture I take, the closer I come to being at peace. I've learned to live more like Mister: This is my life right now, I can't keep waiting for it to start. My babies are already in my lap. 

Monday, January 16, 2012

Failure and Triumph

I've come down with this awful cold and the only thing I can really do is take advantage of my iPhone and lay in bed all day. The good thing is that it's given me time to think.

I've failed at almost everything I've ever done. Most recently I failed at being an employee and a good friend all in the same day. The heartbreak that came with that literally made me sick from the worry. The fact that my manager and former friend won't talk to me just makes me feel about two inches small. The same as I felt when he belittled me. It's been the biggest fail I've had in a while and to tell you the truth I don't even know what I did except be me.

As I stay awake all night and ponder this, I always look down at my doggies snuggling with me. It is a constant reminder that they are the one place I am not a complete failure. Sure I have my moments (if I didn't I wouldn't have a very interesting blog) but I also seem to triumph in this department. Good thing too. I need to triumph somewhere in my life, glad it's as a dog mom.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Better Than a Picture

While I'm watching TV at night after work the dogs are trying to get my attention or each others:

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Upgrade


After spending 90 minutes at the AT&T store on Thursday morning, I walked away with a paid off cell phone bill and a new iPhone. Thank you upgrade, goodbye blackberry. So what does this mean for you? Better quality pictures and waaaay better videos! I mean, come on, could the Missaroo look any better? Love.  



Wednesday, January 4, 2012

The Dark Side of Doing the Right Thing

Over the last several weeks, I have truly engrossed myself in all things No Kill. I finished a fantastic and eye opening book by Nathan Winograd entitled "Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill revolution in America". The book is really the kick start to my final Master's paper focusing on No Kill. I've also been checking out even more websites and blogs on the topic. The majority of it has driven my passion to write this paper and ultimately advance the No Kill movement, but today it all just makes me sad.

As most of you know, I attended, and blogged about, Best Friends Humane Society's "No More Homeless Pets 2011" conference. I had such a blast there and it really helped ignite the spark in me to read more about No Kill. Today I came across a Facebook post, linked to a Twitter account, connected to a blog that blasted Best Friends. I understand that it is not easy to make and keep friends when you know in your heart No Kill is not just an answer it is the only answer. BUT it is also a hard pill to swallow to accept the very organization that showed me the light could also be helping others stay in the dark. My entire opinion about Best Friends hasn't changed by something I read on a blog, but I will take a second look at the controversy, tomorrow.

Today I'm saddened that No Kill is not a reality yet. I'm sad that everyone, everywhere, every single pet owner across the country is not up in arms about animal killing. I'm too sad to keep reading about it today. I'll pick up my torch tomorrow before heading to the Spokane Humane Society for my volunteer shift. Tonight I'm just going to love my dogs as much as I can and thank God no one killed them before I got the chance to look them in the eye.

Monday, January 2, 2012

My Dog, My Cat

Last night was a great night with the dogs. Correct that, a great night with Missy. The dogs and I went on a nice hour long walk yesterday morning, followed by a couple of 20 minute walks. By the end of the night both dogs, and I, were pooped. None of us could even think about moving.

For Miss and me, this meant curling up on the couch and watching TV together. Those moments are usually my fav with the Missaroo. She never leaves my side. She looks so peaceful. She looks like a perfect angel. Not only that but it always reaffirms for me she really is my best bud in the whole wide world. Mister is another story.

Where was Mister during our impromptu snuggle session? Sleeping, on my bed, with his back to the door. He wasn't even in the same room with us! Sometimes he is as useless as a cat.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Resolutions

It always feels good to have a new beginning. And it feels even better to set a new list of goals to accomplish! For me, it always helps to put it in writing, so here we go a list of this year's resolutions:

1) Blog more! We were really blog slackers in 2011. The dogs promise to have more hilarious adventures for me to write about.

2) Volunteer more. The dogs promise to share me more with other pups not as lucky as them.

3) Do more to advance the no kill movement. No Kill is possible, in fact it's already happening. If you don't believe me make it your new year's resolution to read "Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in America"

4) Read the Bible more. I've been through the good book twice, but third time is really the charm isn't it?

5) Take better care of myself. I recently read a book about giving until your heart is content without giving yourself away ((that might have even been the title)) by the woman who founded the rescue group Blessed Bonds in Naperville, Illinois. It talked about how taking care of yourself allows you to be happier and give more generously to those around you. I'm sold on the idea.

6) Last but not least, have more amazing adventures with the dogs. There are still soooo many things I want to do and see with them, like watch them swim in the ocean or climb a mountain with them. I hope this is the year we make it happen.

So what about you? What are YOU going to do differently this year? We'd love to know!

Catching Up

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope 2012 turns into an amazing year for everyone. I know it's been a while since our last blog, so I thought I'd get you up to speed as we enter the new year together. First, this was the first Christmas I've spent away from the Missaroo and on Mister's first Christmas as a Baumann to boot! It was so great to be in Illinois with my family for the week, but I did miss my puparoos terribly and I felt horrible I wasn't there to spend Christmas with them.

While I was vaca-ing it up, the dogs spent the week at home with their fav and only pet sitter, Bill. The three of them had such a good time together I'm not really sure the dogs even really noticed I was gone. Bill also introduced them to a new brand of dog food that is suppose to be just as good as what they already eat for nearly half the price! The verdict is still out on that one. We'll keep you posted.

Lucky for me, the dogs have no idea it was New Year's Eve last night, so for us it was just another day. I spent the morning walking them, then headed to the Spokane Humane Society to walk some more doggies. After working all day, we walked some more and then headed to bed. It was hard to sleep with the fireworks going off. It just freaked out the dogs.

Now that the holidays are all over it's time to get excited about the double dose of doggie birthdays headed our way! This month Mister turns two and Missy hits the big oh-four! That means he will officially be a teenager and Missy will be older than me! Time flies when you're having fun.