Today, the unimaginable happened….my dryer broke-actually, not so unimaginable since it is going on 27 years old, but the timing is very unfortunate to be sure with so many loads of puppy laundry to be done every day in addition to regular life laundry!

And then, something absolutely AMAZING happened!  I thought I would post an update in the life of a whelping home on my Facebook page, some type of “life happens” entry:

“Litter of 7 assistance dog puppies under a week old……doing up to 4 loads of puppy laundry a day……dryer just broke……home Service Plus says they are booked until next week…..#lifesneverboring“

Literally, in a flash, offers started coming in from people commenting on my post-Fellow Can Do Canines volunteers, friends, family, neighbors, high school friends and acquaintances!  I seriously could NOT believe what I was seeing! Out of the generosity of their hearts, people volunteered to come to my house, pick up my laundry, dry it, and BRING IT BACK TO ME! Initially I felt bad because I didn’t want people to think that’s why I put it on Facebook, but then I realized they would know that wasn’t my purpose and that they really are just THAT generous.  My heart literally melted as the comments starting pouring in throughout the night and into the early hours of the morning.  It dawned on me that Thanksgiving was another 3 days away, and that was just too far off to wait to be thankful-today was my day to take some time to appreciate all of the special people in my life that are willing to jump in and help someone whenever there is a need.  I am so very fortunate to know each and every one of them!  By 730am a family friend had seen my post, called me and stopped by my house to pick up a load so he could bring it back to his house and throw it in the dryer.  Then he said “get another load washed and when this one is done I will stop back and switch out bags”.  The broken dryer gave me a gift that is a priceless reminder of how to be there for others no matter how small the problem may seem.

As for Sugar, the breeding coordinator came out this morning to see how Sugar was doing and we went over some of the things that I had mentioned to her in the email update last night-mainly that her incision continued to have a smell about it and I wanted to make sure it was healing okay.  She looked carefully at it and thought that there was some signs that would indicate she would need to be put on antibiotics.  Another round of contacting the vet for a consult and sure enough she had to come to the house again later in the afternoon to bring me the antibiotics.  I can’t imagine doing her job! So, for now, Sugar has 2 more medications added to her regimen to get her back to 100%. We will continue the process of adjusting meds, food, and watching for signs of improvement or lack thereof.

However,  slowly but surely I am starting to see the twinkle in her eyes again and I am hopeful that this is her turning point! I want her back to her happy, energetic, and fun-loving self again and I will do everything in my power to make sure that happens as soon as possible. Being a whelping home is extremely rewarding for me personally; but it also has a level of worry about Sugar and her pups that is unsettling at times. In talking with other whelping homes, I know they struggle with the same thing.  We love what we do and we love animals, and that is what makes it stressful sometimes.   I do my very best to keep my concerns and worry under control, but thank goodness the breeding coordinator knows me so well. She can help me navigate through those difficult times without losing my perspective of why this role is important and why staying calm even when the chips are down is the best thing I can do for Sugar and her litter of precious pups!

Now it’s time to go back in the whelping box to enjoy these beautiful babies!