My husband John and I realized for the first time today that Frankie has a spot to sleep no matter where she goes.  A comfortable, cushioned array of choices to choose from.  How did she acquire so many beds?  When did this happen??

She has three beds in our bedroom.  A circular plaid pillow bed, complete with mint green blanket which rests by the bedroom door.  Then there is her “overnight” crate which she sleeps in every evening.  This is equipped with a pillow case as her bottom sheet and a large dachshund blanket for her to snuggle into.  Before she heads off to her official rest bed, she hangs out in our king size bed each night as we read or watch TV.

As we catch up on the days events and make dinner each night her crate is in the heart of our kitchen.  This bed rest area is equipped with a lamb’s wool blanket, her “cheese curd” (more about that in a moment) blanket, her toy bear and toy giraffe.  Frankie has a soft fleece blanket a friend made for her.  One end is open, so Frankie burrows her way into it just about every night of the week.  It is the color of cheese so we often say she looks like a cheese curd when she is nestled inside.

Last, but not least she has a bed out in MySpace.calm so she can nap during the day while I work.  And yes, of course, that is complete with a pink flowered blanket.  When I work in our JT Construction office you will find Frankie comfortable on her large pink dancing kitty pillow. Wherever Frankie goes in our home she has a spot to cuddle in.  My favorite place for her to snuggle, is of course, my lap and I think she considers that her favorite place too.

How many beds does your dog have?

When Frankie ruptured a disk in her spine 2 years ago, I thought she would have to be put to sleep.  I had no idea she could go on and live a quality life.

A story on MSNBC website, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23792467/ has me reflecting on life with Frankie since she has had her own set of custom wheels made by Eddie’s wheels, http://eddieswheels.com.  Some of the comments back were upsetting to me.  Some people believe animals with a disability should be put to sleep and not given a chance.

I was ignorant about IVDD (Intevertebral Disc Disease), which is common in dachshunds and smaller dogs.  The little I knew, I assumed if Frankie ever developed the disease, I would have to put her to sleep.  When I got the call, while on vacation, that Frankie needed surgery immediately.  I was apprehensive about going through with the surgery.  I wondered how she would be if the surgery did not work and she didn’t walk again.  I was assured she could live a quality life in a dog cart if surgery didn’t help her walk.  That was the first time I ever heard of a cart for dogs.

After three months of physical therapy Frankie did not gain use of her hind legs so we bought her a cart.  It changed our lives…. for the better and for the positive.  Frankie is the same sweet girl she was before she had a cart.  Her spunk is the same, if not better!  She squeals through the yard on warm summer days, letting the wind fly through her ears, chasing butterflies and smelling all the aromas that summer has to offer.  She learned to navigate corners and to also back up in her cart.  My husband relates her backing up in her cart to a large truck and says, “beep, beep, beep” when she first learned to go in reverse.

One of the most inspiring things about Frankie and her wheels is the compassion we receive from adults and children when I have her out in my little town of about 1,200.  People smile from ear to ear when they see the little dog with tires.  They are so amazed at how well she rolls along.  Often I am asked what happened to her.  I don’t mind sharing her story.  I believe by doing so it will help others realize that dogs too deserve a chance if they are born with a disability or one occurs sometime in their life.

Dog carts are a blessing for animals whose lives are still full of zest and vigor.  They don’t have the emotions we humans have.  All they know is this is their situation, they live in the moment, they don’t complain, and they go on loving as they always did. 

I am so glad for the blessing of Frankie in my life… as well as thankful for all the companies out there who are dedicated to physically challenged animals.

Resources for disc disease and those who help the handicapped dogs:

http://vmthpub.vetmed.wisc.edu/sa_services/surg/neurology/ivdd.htm

http://www.dodgerslist.com/

http://handicappedpets.com/

It has been a long week…  I chose to not first share with family or friends that Frankie had a tumor on her back leg.  This is a picture of her after her “bump” removal.

Last week Wednesday I took Frankie to the vet and was told the petite pea size tumor on her leg could be a benign histiocytomas tumor.  But that it could also be a mast cell tumor and could be malignant which is categorized into three different grades.  Click here for more information http://vetsurgerycentral.com/mct.htm.

Part of the reason I at first decided not to share this news with anyone is, because I thought if I didn’t give any negative energy or thought to it that the results would turn out in our favor.  Then I met a friend of mine a few days later for breakfast.  This friend is very spiritual and has taught me alot about surrendering to, and accepting whatever comes my way (actually I have a few friends like this and they are such incredible, wonderful guiding lights in my life). I shared with her the news about Frankie’s tumor and told her I was not telling anyone because I didn’t want any negative energy surrounding it.  She understood where I was coming from but she also said it was okay for me to feel scared.  It was such a relief for me to hear her say that.  I try very hard to be a positive person and put good energy out into the world and I felt by doing that it would result in a good outcome for Frankie.  I still believe that, but I also realized I was not owning the fear of being scared.  Once I did, I realized I could handle what the outcome would be.  I also realized it would be okay to share that fear with close friends and family and ask for their prayers… that puts positive energy out into the world and also gives us support when we most need it.

It also went back to my bigger purpose of why I have had certain challenges in my life and what they have taught me.  From the loss of Cassie to cancer, to Frankie’s paralysis, I found a deeper meaning and a reason why I am here in this space and time.  Through every challenge we must remain open to accepting whatever the outcome is going to be, knowing we will evolve and learn once again.

When I retrieved my message from my phone today and it was Dr. Bohn from the vet clinic, I felt I heard a positive note to his asking me to call him.  As I dialed the phone my heart was beating outside of my chest.  As the phone was ringing, I took a deep breath and asked for divine guidance.  The news was good and Frankie’s tumor was benign.  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!

As I think about our upcoming school visits next month, the challenge we just endured will give more power and inspiration to our message… and that is why I was presented with this little bump in the road.  The road is smooth once again for moving forward. But even during the long week of waiting for the news, I stayed focused on my purpose and surrendering to whatever the lesson was going to be.