My Doggies (A post for all you dog-lovers)

If you are not a dog-lover, just a little warning that if you continue to read this post, you will be convinced that I am totally whacked. If you are a dog-lover, read on...you'll understand.

One of my biggest concerns before heading to Ukraine was our dogs. We have two dogs. Tifa, a schitzu, and Anson, a chihuahua. (That's right. His name is Anson Carter....for all you hockey fans!) Our dilemma was trying to think of who would want to dog sit our babies for an unknown amount of time....possibly up to two months, which it turned out to be.

Thankfully, our wonderfull sister, brother-in-law and niece fell in love with our dogs while they dog sat during our Hawaiian vacation earlier in the year. They were up for the challenge.

This was a huge answered prayer because the thought of leaving them in a kennel that long made me sick to my stomach. My only problem once finding the dogsitters was wondering how I would live without them for so long. What if they forgot about us? What if they're so mad they never want to come home with us? On top of it all, we will be bringing home a new little person! Tifa is a real people person, loving anyone within sniffing range. Anson is way more reserved. Very picky about who he licks and doesn't lick. And kids were definitely not on his "lickable" list. In fact, kids are prone to end up on the "I like to try and bite you" list. I was really praying that we would not have to find him a new home once we arrived home with a little one.

We dropped the dogs off with the family the day before our flight left. They live about twenty minutes away from us. I cried all the way there, but managed to maintain my composure when we dropped them off.

Once we arrived in Ukraine, I tried not to think of them too much. Thank goodness we had bigger things to distract us at that time. One night, shortly after a bad appointment at the adoption center and really missing home, we were able to Skype Terry's sister and brother in law. I cried as soon as I saw their faces on the screen, and when they held up the dogs for us to see, I completely lost it! How I could have used one of them contentedly resting on my lap to comfort me.

I'm now having second thoughts about publishing this post...sharing my craziness with the whole world is a little unnerving. Oh well. I already typed it....on we go!

Well, as it turns out, all of my worrying was for nothing. When we arrived home with Emma, one of the greatest moments is when the dogs came home. Despite the awful flights home and the stress on us trying to adjust to our new lives, it brought such joy to my heart to see the dogs and to see Emma's excitement when she met them. We had shown her pictures of the dogs while we were in Ukraine, but when she realized that they were really hers and she got to live with them, she was jumping up and down screaming. It was so cute, every time we left the house and came back, it would be like she had just met the dogs all over again....jumping up and down screaming, "Dva Sabocca! Dva Sabocca!" (Two dogs! Two dogs!)

Surprisingly, the dogs took to Emma right away. Especially Anson, which was very strange. He seems to be Emma's biggest fan. She was never on his "bite" list. Even though he had no problems with her, he still doesn't like other kids. Weird. Oh well...as long as he loves the one who lives with us it doesn't matter! :) It makes playdates interesting, though!

Before we had Emma, her room was a spare room that was rarely entered by human or dog. Since she's been home, the dogs practically live in that room. Everyday when Emma goes to school, they mope around her room, waiting for her to come home.

Here's a picture. That's Anson smiling in the front. And see that white, grey and red thing sticking out from under the bed? Thats' Tifa! She is especially fond of being under the bed lately because she just got shaved and there's a heat register under there.




Aren't they the cutest? :)

Just a small update concerning last week's post: It has actually been a much better week this week. It's almost as if the "honeymoon" is back on. Emma has not stolen anything from school this week. Poor kid. Teacher and mom and dad are constantly "patting" her down like a criminal! But, so far no issues this week. I don't think the problem is totally over. I think Emma figured out that it's too hard to get away with at school. Who knows? We're workin' on it!