Jersey Girl moves to Virginia

Believe it or not, I am a Jersey Girl and my new Mom is a New York Girl. Who would have thought! Anyway, my Dad in New Jersey got very sick and I was left in our home while he was in the hospital. The next door neighbor came over to visit me and feed me, but I was along all the time. Since I don’t know how time works, I have heard that it was weeks. Well, my Dad died and no one knew what to do with me. His daughter and son in law planned on putting me in the shelter. I am not a young pup so you know where this was heading. Lucky for me, the next door neighbor heard about someone who was looking for a small dog to join the family and be a companion to their pup, Sophie. Sophie was about two years old. I was about 7 or 8 but everyone thought I was about 5. So, a picture was sent to this lady in Virginia and I was told she said yes right away. They made plans and we all met in Rockville, Maryland and I was on to my new home. My new Mom cried when she held me in her arms and I sure was scared, but felt very secure. She even sat in the back seat of the car and held me the whole way home. She did notice, after a short bit of time, that I was loaded with fleas and my skin was raw. So, she told her husband to head to PetSmart before we heading to the house so she could pick up medicine to give me a bath. Wow, a bath – what’s that? Well, we arrived in Forest, VA and she took me right up to what they call a bathtub and put me in warm water and it felt so goooood!. I was in heaven. No more scratching. Life is good. I then met Sophie and we hit it off right away. I was shown the doggy doors and the backyard that was fenced in and I was in love. I just love my new family. So, Mom then made an appointment for Monday for me to be checked by the Vet and make sure all was okay. Nice guy. He told my Mom and Dad that he wanted to know if he could xray my leg. He needed to see something and they said to please go ahead. We want to make sure she is in good shape and has all she needs. Well, he found that I had a major problem with my back leg. It was not in the socket and there was a lot of scar tissue that built up and that I must have been in a lot of pain. So, he talked it over with them and said he would put it back in and I should be great. They said they had no idea what happened to me, but maybe I jumped and hurt myself and the previous owners never knew. So, Dr. Lane fixed me up and he was so happy how the surgery turned out and said to make sure I didn’t do much till it started to heal. Well, I was up and running very soon. Nothing was going to stop me now. By the way, I like to fly when I jump so maybe that was the problem???

Well, here it is 5 years later and I love my home. I was doing fine for awhile, but then eye problems started to surface. Dr. Lane had me go to VA Tech for a checkup and then my Mom and Dad also found this great Doctor in Midlothian, VA – eye specialists and since I had a cataract, I eventually lost my vision in one eye. Unfortunately, the same thing happened to my other eye and they operated on me, but Glucoma set in and now I am blind. It is not easy, but my Mom and Dad have been there every day to make sure I am safe. I can’t go down stairs anymore, so they have me secured on the first floor and they carry me outside. Sophie is with me every day and I can make my way around. They have blankets all over so I can feel where I belong. They bought all these gates to secure me if they are not around and I feel safe. I do bark a lot now to let them know I am there, but I forget that I can’t see but they can. So, I guess I will just continue to let them know. Mom’s always yelling – I am coming Lady – I hear you. They give me eye drops every day to keep my pressures low and take me to both doctors for regular checkups. I know they are taking good care of me. I love when they put me in the car for a ride. Sophie hates traveling, but I love it, so when Mom and Dad take me to either Charlottesville or Midlothian for my special checkup I get to be with them by myself and I love it and feel special.

They make sure I get outside and have some freedom to walk around the yard and do a lot of smelling. I have figured out my path, but sometimes I stress Mom as I start running and she can’t keep up with my path back to the house. She is always afraid I am going to hit my head. They also take me on walks around the neighborhood so I can continue to enjoy that and get my fill of smells.

So, all in all, life has had some challenging turns for me, but I would never have had the years I am having if they had not taken me into their hearts and home. I am sure I would not have made it out of the shelter and no one would have fixed my leg. So, Mom and Dad and Sophie and I enjoy every day together and we cuddle at night. Mom makes sure I am in the middle so I don’t try and jump off the bed at night. She is always fussing and telling me she loves me. Did I tell you I like that even though I growl a bit when she keeps kissing me. And, then, there is Sophie – she is always right there near me as well. She is the solo watchdog now and I back her up with a bark now and then. Don’t want to forget Tom. He was the “cat” in the house and he was pretty cool. Tom was getting meds as well, but his stuff was more serious. He became diabetic and Mom and Dad had to give him shots every morning and night. Unfortunately, Tom died in July. He wasn’t eating much or drinking and just sleeping all the time. He was 17 years old and Mom and Dad are heartbroken. Mom talks about him all the time. Did I mention that Tom went blind as well. He was much better getting around than me – he could actually go up and down stairs without flying! Unfortunately, he no longer was allowed outside, so we spent a lot of time together.

So, that’s it for now. The holidays are coming and next week we get to visit with our other hairy cousins. They are coming to stay for the week while Mom and Dad petsit them. Clyde and Ella the two dogs and Abby the cat. It will be a full household, but we love it and they seem to understand that I have my limitations. So happy holidays to everyone. I can’t wait for my Christmas presents. By the way, my name was Lady when I was in Jersey, but Mom calls me Lady Bug all the time. So, I am going to sign off as Lady Bug. I really like that name.

Love, Lady Bug