Well, we love Donald and he is funny, but he doesn't fit into the whole milking scheme of things. He always is in the wrong place. I actually just placed an ad for him. I won't sell him for meat, but I would like to find a different home. We have been so mad at him lately, I think he needs a new environment. He is always getting into the wrong place or butting the wrong goat. He would be better with a group of other wethers. We'll see what kind of esponse we get.
The Story of Rossi
Rossi's story is really about the goodness of certain people. I'll begin by saying that Rossi's story is sad, but showed me how God in his wisdom makes choices that break the heart but strengthen the soul.
While we were fostering with the all-breed dog rescue, we mostly took animals chosen from the humane society. A very nice lady I'll call A would choose many of them, with different foster folk such as ourselves in mind.
She started telling us about an older rottie/aussie mix that was at the humane, where her name was "Sugar". She was very sad and had been there quite a while. At our new humane society nice dogs have longer to find homes than they used to. In any event, Rossi was a favorite, all the staff loved her. But they were so worried about her sadness. She had come in to the HS with another dog, due to "family hardship" and when the other dog was adopted, Rossi became unconsoleable. She whined and even howled daily in her kennel. Being without the other dog was very hard for her.
So A went to go pick her up....but she was adopted! A few days passed, and A was letting us know that Rossi had been returned. We were sorry her adoption did not work out but took her at that point. She had a bladder infection and was probably returned because she temporarily leaked urine, which was an easy issue to deal with for us.
Rossi was an easy one to "settle in". Very calm and loving girl, she just wanted to be with people and other dogs and immediately brightened up when she was at our house. We took some nice photos of her and began calling her Rossi. I do have tons of photos of her but my dealie-bobber on here is full so I can't really post more.
After she was listed on the internet for awhile, we noticed a little limp. She had a bad tooth, so we took her in to have it pulled and checked the limp at the same time. Since Rossi was large, five and a rescue dog, we did not x-ray and the doctor proclaimed it was most likely just a touch of arthritis. She recovered from the extraction nicely and still had just a tiny limp. We put her on a little pain medication and she seemed better.
Fast forward a month or so, and we recieve a letter from a family. They had fallen in love with a dog at the humane society who was very lonely when her friend left and whose name was Sugar. They had gone back to adopt her and she was gone. When they returned to the HS again to search for the right dog, they heard that Sugar had gone to my group, so they were still looking for her and wondered if "Rossi" was her? They had recently lost their life long dog friend who was her same mix and she touched their heart.
Well I immediately worked on their application and approved them to adopt....they were wonderful and even went to a vet clinic where I had worked in the past so I knew their dog doctor. They checked out wonderfully and they soon took Rossi home.
She fit in beautifully and this family was wonderful about sharing weekly progress notes with me. I really bonded with her new owners and enjoyed their correspondence. They even tried to find her "friend" dog that had been adopted elsewhere, but she was very happy with that family and did not need the other dog anymore. They did note her starting to whine about the limp.
They related one month later, however, that the vet discovered that the "limp" was osteosarcoma, a devastating cancer in dogs. They immediately plunged into cancer treatment and things that would alleviate her pain and extend her life, but she went quickly.
I was distraught. How could I have sent this limping dog to a home? Why had I insisted on the tooth being dealt with but not the x-ray for the limp? So much pain for this family could have been avoided if I had been more observant. I was quite unhappy with myself and did not take a new foster for awhile. I wondered if going deaf was making me unfit anymore for doing this kind of stuff. Did I miss her whining? I felt I should have put Rossi down myself and spared the family all that pain. I was already sad whether she was at my house or not.
But after she was put down the family who adopted Rossi did not feel upset about that shortness of time. Through my correspondence with the family, I came to learn something. They were just so happy to have known her. They would not have traded that time with her for anything. While they did not want her to die so quickly (two months after adoption), they were pleased they were able to offer her the latest advances in medical care for cancer for her last days. They wanted to ease her passing from this world into the next. They wanted to make sure the howling dog from the humane society never howled again. Helping her made them feel complete.
A few months later they let me know they had adopted a new dog.....again an older one, again with health problems. It was their "mission"....just like I have mine. They came to donate Rossi's things to me so that I could use them for other foster dogs as their new dog was much smaller. The owner gave me a giant hug as she was leaving and I again apologized for not knowing Rossi had cancer and thanked her for taking such good care of her anyhow.
She told me no.....she thanked ME for giving her the opportunity to know Rossi.
I knew then that I had done exactly what God had wanted me to do. That lady needed a purpose and mission as much as I do.....and He did not let me choose what I thought was "right" because in the long run, it would not have been what He intended her purpose to be.
Rossi had one final job to do in her last two months of life and she ended her time exactly when the job was done.
It is hard to see the plan, but sometimes I feel a.........twinkle......and I know I'm choosing the right home or making a correct decision with the dogs. I firmly believe God created me as a rescuer for animals....and sometimes these families who are involved, and He guides me in what I should do and helps me learn to be better at this. Sometimes that means learning to be a tougher person.
For those of you who have read more of my journal, Rossi died very shortly after me hearing the news about Lillianne ....who was my heart....so I was working through the issue of what should I do with the imperfect ones?
I wish in other areas of my life I'd feel so connected to what our creator has in mind for me.
I have an offer for Donald already. Some people have a llama whose brother just died and is desperately lonely. He has never been around a llama, but he is very friendly with everyone.
He just doesn't fit around here lately anymore and I don't really have another stall just for him. I think if I can make this deal, selling him will be a good choice.
We will still have three goats still, but three does and Emilee will be considerably smaller than Donald. And then I don't need to constantly worry about Donald getting too much grain. That has been a royal pain in the tush I'd just as soon do without. These people have a place by the river and he could forage all day. I think he might like that.
ok i'm gonna go hug my Kai after reading Rossi's story. and yes sometimes there is a bigger picture that we cant see. Rossi really did her last job very well.
and
i'm glad you found someone interested in the Donald!
So the deal fell through for Donald....she didn't have goat proof fencing. I still have his ad running. And he is still being an annoying goat. But it is hysterical watching our latest foster and he "wrastle." The dog is a big puppy and is just playing....Donald seeks him out. It cracks me up because Donald tries to sniff his butt just like dogs do. It looks odd to look out and see a goat romping with the dogs. I'm not sure Donald knows what he is.
Molly is a dream to milk but impossible to get into the milking room, even though she cooperates for the whole rest of the process now. Today the back yard was full of snow so I was slipping and falling all over the place trying to get her to go in there. My neck is all kinked now. I think next summer I want to build some more level paths, this was crazy. Ginger is hard to milk but is a dream to interact with, she lets me catch her happily and lead her into the milking room all calm and happy. Tonight I was wishing I could throw a lasso like a cowboy and nab that dang Molly.
It is so cute watching Molly nurse her kid....she lifts her back leg politely to make it more convenient for him. So sweet! I remind her daily that I had to keep her from killing him those first hours. She has her moments when I can tell she really likes me now, but she is contrary and always seems to do the opposite of what I want. Maybe she is remembering I helped her baby start breathing.
We are getting duck eggs! Yay! My customers will be happy. They are fighting over the first four.
Barred Buff happened to mention that it is time to breed the rabbits for easter babies so I'm going to breed them tomorrow. I was going to wait till March 1st but I'm ready now and I think it is time. I want mine timed with BB as well, it will be fun that way. I'd really like to make some money on selling a few. I have never seen rabbits mate so this should be interesting. I hear the male faints...after. That sounds so funny to me. I'm prepared to be entertained. Strange things interest me these days! :bun