Life in the Gutter

                                     My Honey is a Street Walker, a Gutter Snipe!

     She loves to roam the streets, sniffing where every Romeo has been.  We follow the nose!
Our neighborhood has blocks that lack sidewalks, so we are reduced to roaming the streets.  The tragedy of being a "city dog"!

Remember when we were kids, how big everything looked?  Is that how it looks to a little dog?

Is the world bigger?

Hooray for Chiggers!

What?  Really?
 Yes - Really!  But, WHY?

     Three years ago I moved into this house near the park - a really lush green part of town.  It took weeks of cutting back privet hedges just to find the gas meter and make sure there were no holes along the fence line for Honey to escape.

These privets run the length of the back yard.  Sorry, the snowy scene is my only pic.

Makes a great privacy fence.

     Immediately, I started getting bites that formed huge red, itchy welts that lasted for a week or two.  Oh no!  It's allergy or bedbugs.  The Internet told me so.  A visit from the exterminator and several hundred dollars lighter in my bank account, I was still getting the bites.  For the last 3 years, this has happened every spring and fall.  So, of course, I thought I was allergic to the local vegetation.  I seriously was contemplating moving to a more sterile location.

But Then:

Musings on a Leash

     If I don't keep Honey on her leash, she will be gone in a heartbeat.  The one time I let her off to chase a squirrel, she was two blocks away before I caught up with her.  "Come" is not in her vocabulary.
   

Honey, Chewy, and Gadget

     Our walks in the park are a great time for reflection.  Honey's nose was especially busy this morning.  My leg hurt.  I wanted to get home quickly.  But, Honey was having fun doing her own thing.

     Then it hit me!  I was using the leash to gently guide her along when she dilly-dallied too long.  That is just  how Jesus guides us - gently with the nudges of His Word.  When we get off in our own "thing", He brings Scripture to our mind to lead us back onto the path we should stay on - just like the leash does with Honey.  

     It also keeps us from running away.  Sometimes, God has to yank hard to protect us.  Honey tries to cross the street when cars are coming and I have to pull her back - hard.

     So, leashes have a purpose - for protection and correction.  And, so does God's Word.  It has been likened to a Sword. And it IS.  But, I have come to see it as a Leash also.

So, I hope you take a little time today to relax, reflect, and enjoy your day,

Kareen

Weeping and Itching

     It started out quite simply this morning.  Honey and I left the house to begin our morning walk at early light to beat the impending heat.  It is 99 degrees in Tulsa right now.  We got as far as the middle of the driveway when she balked, turned around, and headed back.
     She was hungry.  Normally, we walk first.  But, since she had the cortisone shot two days ago for allergies, she has been ravenous.

This is Honey when we first moved to the neighborhood.  There are six pecan trees on our lot.  The whole neighborhood is in a two hundred year old pecan orchard.

And this is Honey (on a good day) with stains from allergy tearing.

     She's been pretty stable with Benadryl.  But, lately, she's had a rough time - hence the cortisone.

HELP!  Do any of you have this much problem with dog allergies?  Are there any good home remedies that work?  I wipe her down after our walks with a wet cloth - sometimes with a mix of apple cider vinegar thanks to the Good Flea.  It helps a little. 

     I hate her having to have steroids.  That can't be good long term.  The vet recommended Selenium, vitamin E, and Omega 3 & 6.  I started her on them.  But, I guess that is long term maintenance. Are any of you using these for your fur babies?  Any good results?

     Sorry to be whiny, but, I think you doggy mommies understand the angst when our fur babies are hurting.

Give your fuzzies an extra hug today,

Kareen