disabled dogs

Meet Colby: Another Recipient of the Frankie Wheelchair Fund

Posted by Barbara Techel

IMG_0674Perhaps you might have “met” Colby already if you are fans of Lovey Loaves Sanctuary as that is where Colby happily resides as one of the top chief ambassadors for pets with special needs.

I’ve admired the passionate work of Cheri and Ward Wells who run the special needs dog rescue for quite some time.  Colby is a very happy and active pup who is so busy keeping things in order and playing that his wheelchair broke one day!  Well, we can’t have that when one’s job is so very important and vital to things running smoothly at the sanctuary.

I’m happy to report that Colby is up and running and full speed and capacity now with his shining new wheels from Eddie’s Wheels and courtesy of the Frankie Wheelchair Fund.

I’ll be sharing two more dogs the Frankie Wheelchair Fund has helped in the near future.  This makes 17 dogs, because of the generous contributions from others, that we have been able to help live a happy, quality life. Thank you!  Thank you!

I want to help more!  To learn more about the fund please visit our website www.nationalwalknrolldogday.com

You can also follow along on Facebook for inspirational dogs in wheels as well as find Lovey Loaves on Facebook too!

What My Paralyzed Dachshund Taught Me about Spiritual Surrender and Letting Go

Posted by Barbara Techel

Frankie book quote 1200The above quote I share from my book, Through Frankie’s Eyes. Each time I think about this, I can still feel emotion rise up in me and I feel this immense gratitude in my heart.

Tomorrow I’m very honored to be taking part in a telesummit as a guest on a panel discussing Spiritual Surrender and Letting Go. As a caretaker to Frankie, letting go and accepting her paralysis wasn’t an easy thing to do at the beginning. I really wanted her to walk on her own again. What came from surrendering and accepting what was, as many of you know, revealed many blessings I could have never predicted.

Each time I struggle now to surrender and let go, I remind myself what I learned from Frankie. We are here to enjoy life and to get back to a place of healing and joy. Frankie was instrumental in my journey for just that in just the way she never felt sorry for herself and adapted, continuing to be the happy little dog she always was, despite having to be in a wheelchair.

I’m excited to talk about this tomorrow during the Radiant Survivor Telesummit. I’ll be on a panel with the world-renowned surgeon Dr. Bernie Siegel.  I keep pinching myself I will be on a panel with him!  I adore him!  One of his earlier audio’s is one that I listened to when I began what I call my spiritual awakening.  This is quite the honor for me to be on this call with him.

I invite you to join us live for this call or if you can’t make the call, do sign up as it will be recorded. The call begins at 2:00pm cst. It is being hosted by author, Erica Tucci who is a stroke survivor.  Her book, Radiant Survivor, which comes out next week shares many stories of others who have learned to let go and surrender during tough challenges.  Frankie and my story is part of the book as my role as a caregiver, which I’m so happy to be a part of.

Hope to “see” you on the call!

My Wall of Love.

Posted by Barbara Techel

IMG_1888 eMost nights I sit and read in my over-sized red chair. When I look up, I see this wall. I call it my wall of love.

Cassie, my chocolate Lab on the right who has been gone 8 years.  A painting of Frankie on the left done by my friend, Cassy Tully commissioned by my husband as a gift for our 26th wedding anniversary. The family photo of John, me, Kylie and Frankie in the middle.  That photo was taken for Woman’s World when Frankie and my story was featured in it in July 2010.  The smaller photo on the left of Kylie and Frankie given to me by my mom.

When Joie passed away in August, having only had her ten months, the wall remained incomplete for a few weeks with no photo of her.  It struck me one day as I was thinking of her and looked to my wall of love realizing it was missing something.

We each have our own ways of grieving. Without Joie’s  photo of the wall, it felt odd, as if she was never even here, though I knew she was. It brought tears to my eyes one day when I realized this.  I immediately hopped on the computer and ordered this photo of her which is under glass done by Fracture.  This photo was taken of her on the movie set of The Surface.

When it arrived a few days later, I shed a few tears looking at her photo.  But then I lovingly placed her upon the shelf along with the other love dogs of my life. For me, this was a full circle moment. I felt like I honored her in my own special way and it helped me move forward.  I love looking to that wall now and feeling all the amazing energy of love that comes from it.