Journey

Where To Begin

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Finn and Journey

It’s hard to talk about the last two months. Things were scary. All I could do was watch and worry while Mom did everything she knew to help Journey. I can tell you now that Journey is still with us and recovering, but it didn’t look so good for Journey back January.

About 2AM on Christmas night Journey woke us up with her emergency bark. She only makes that sound when she’s sick or really needs to use the bathroom.

Mom and I jumped up and raced to the back door with Journey. She ran outside and gagged up her Christmas dinner. Thinking that was the end of the problem we went back to bed.

Twenty minutes later Journey barked again and hurried to the back door. From then on Journey was sick every half hour. She kept pacing and whimpering and couldn’t lie down or get comfortable.

At 5AM the day after Christmas Mom started calling around to see where we could take Journey for treatment. The vet clinics were either closed or so busy they wouldn’t accept new patients. Mom finally found an urgent care clinic where we took Journey. She stayed there all day while the vets tried to figure out what was wrong with her. Poor little Journey looked so miserable. She wouldn’t touch food. All she wanted to do was drink water and barf it up.

The vet decided Journey had pancreatitis and started treating her with IV fluids and drugs. Three days went by and Journey wasn’t getting any better. She would spend the day at the clinic then come home for the night. We hardly got any sleep. Journey was up all night pacing and eating grass like a cow. Finally the urgent care clinic said Journey had to go to the emergency hospital and get 24 hour care.

It was awful not having Journey at home with us, but it was also a relief. Me and Mom got some sleep. Mom took me on long walks and kept reassuring me that Journey would be all right.  At the emergency hospital Journey got an ultrasound of her belly. That’s when we learned she didn’t have pancreatitis after all. She had a bad infection in her small intestine. It was causing her a lot of pain and making her not want to eat. Once she started taking the right antibiotics Journey began to improve. She came home after three days in the hospital. She was super happy to be home but you could tell she was exhausted.

It took a week or two until Journey was back to her old self. Mom watched her like a hawk and made sure Journey got special food to help her innards heal. Everything was looking up until one morning me and Journey spotted a deer on the other side of the fence. We tore down the hill as fast as we could go despite Mom calling for us to stop. I was crazy with the thrill of the chase and Journey was right there with me. We were walking on our hind legs like circus dogs and barking our fool heads off.

Journey suddenly gave a short yelp and hobbled off on three legs. That’s when Mom cornered us and leashed us up. Mom tied me to her waist and picked Journey up and carried her back to the house. I knew something was bad wrong and so did Journey.

Mom kept saying “Oh no, not his Journey.” I didn’t know what she meant until we got into the house. When Mom put Journey down poor Journey could only stand on three legs.

Journey looked sad and defeated. I was scared and Mom looked like she was going to cry.

“What’s wrong?” I stuttered. “What happened to Journey?”

Mom looked first at Journey and then at me. With a sad voice she said, “Journey tore her ACL, Finn.”

“But what does that mean?” I managed to choke out. “Is she in pain? Can we fix her?”

Mom wrapped her arms around both me and Journey. She told us how much she loved us and that we would get through this together, but our lives were going to be very different for the next year.

I’ll tell you more about that in another Bark. Right now I gotta go check on Journey. I feel so bad that she got hurt running with me. I don’t know how I can ever make it up to her.

 

 

Asherpark

The Dogs of Christmas Past

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Journey and Finn

T’was the night before Christmas and all through the house two little Aussies were restless. We wandered and whined and barked at the owls. We chased each other around the yard and into dark corners. Journey barked with abandon seeming to satisfy some primal urge to be heard. I grew tired of the chaos and retreated to my happy place – my corner of the big bed.

Journey seemed focused on something she couldn’t explain. Her eyes were wild with urgency. She was clearly distracted by a vision or sounds only she could perceive.

Mom pleaded with Journey to settle down. It was late and we were tired. I just wanted to sleep and mom kept drifting off only to be jolted awake by Journey’s frantic barking.

Scolding made no difference. Journey was obsessed with something real to her but invisible to the rest of us.

Journey began pacing and looking into corners behind furniture, under the bed, in the closet. All of this was extremely strange behavior that neither Mom nor I had ever seen.

As Journey became more and more distraught, Mom and I suddenly realized what was happening. How dumb could we be? How could we not recognize what Journey was a trying to tell us? It was the dog souls of Asherpark. The departed ones. The souls from the great beyond. Journey has the sixth sense, the gift. She can see beyond the veil and they were calling to her. No wonder she was wild with excitement.

“Journey, who do you see?” I begged. Journey was talking so fast we could barely understand what she was saying.

“It’s Ash and Tess. Nellie and Jack. Shiloh and Mama. I see Codie and Jess. Even Darcy is there!” she shouted.

“Do you see them?” I asked. “Or smell them? How do you know they are here?”

“I see them AND sense them,” Journey said.

I saw Mom reach over and stroke Journey’s ears. She spoke very quietly to Journey but I could hear the intensity in her voice.

“Journey do you see any human souls?”

Journey paused and looked at mom with her big blue eyes. She seemed to take forever before she answered.

“Yes, I see the outline of human souls behind the dog souls. I can’t see their faces but I can tell they are kind and they are there to make sure the dogs come back safely to the big beyond.” Journey said.

“Do the human souls have anything to tell us?” Mom asked.

Journey clearly heard the question but she didn’t answer right away. Her demeanor had changed. She looked tired. I sensed she had lost contact with the dog souls.

Slowly but with conviction Journey stated, “The human souls said we should love one another.”

And so we should. As the old year fades into memory and the new year is not yet upon us, let us all try harder to love and care for one another.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Asherpark, Jack

The Magic of Friendship

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Friends

We had the best time ever this week when Liz came to see us. She started coming to Asherpark long before I was born and she knew all the dogs that I’ve only heard about:  Ash, Tess, Jack, Nellie, Mama and Shiloh.

I love the story of how she and Mom got to know each other. Sometimes when I’m bored and don’t feel like doing much, I ask Mom to tell me how she and Liz got to be friends. The story goes something like this.

After Mom retired she wanted to foster older dogs through her favorite organization Old Dog Haven. Jack was the first foster dog to come to Asherpark. Mom picked him because he was kinda sorry looking and she was afraid nobody else would want him. Turns out Liz knew about Old Dog Haven and she sponsored some of the final refuge dogs including Jack.

Sponsor a Final Refuge Dog

Jack

Liz wrote to Mom about Jack and they started talking on the phone. One thing led to another and pretty soon they were phone buddies. Turns out Mom and Liz had a lot in common and they really liked each other. Next thing you know Liz came to visit Jack and the other dogs at Asherpark and she’s been coming back ever since.

Me and Journey love Liz. She lets us get on the bed and play with her. She doesn’t mind if we’re silly or crazy. She likes us just the way we are. You can see our friend Dex in the picture too. He’s been hanging out with us while his boss is on vacation. Dex took to Liz right away and slept in her room the whole time she stayed with us.

Mom said being friends with Liz is magic. An old worn out mutt named Jack brought two strangers together and Voila! A friendship that has endured long after Jack crossed over the bridge.

Here’s a big shout out to Liz from all of us at Asherpark. Thanks Liz for coming to see us!

Journey, Dex & Finn