All My Bags Are Packed!

 Well...technically they aren't. I'm such a procrastinator. But they will be very soon, because we are leaving for Tulum,Mexico late tomorrow night!

 

I'm sorry that I haven't been a good blogger friend lately. I haven't been keeping up with everyone like I usually do. It's been a rough winter. This vacation will be good for "mind and body" I'm hoping! My joints could really use the warmth, and my mind could really use the sunshine!

 

 It'll be my Mom, Aunt Judy, my sister Angie, and Me!

A full week of laying on the beach, drinking fruity drinks, and reading good books!

Plus some massages, snorkeling, and shopping thrown in!

*I still have to run to Barnes and Noble tomorrow. So if anyone has any book recommendations, I'd really appreciate it! 

 

 And then there are these "cenotes" to swim in. Has anyone done this? I guess they're like underground lakes or caves. I want to do it! I don't think the rest of the crew wants to join me though.

 

 I guess it does look kind of creepy. So I'll let you know how that works out! lol

 

We're staying at an all inclusive resort. But I found this restaurant on Pinterest called "Hartwood", and it's supposed to be amazing! So we will be going there too.

 

OK Friends, I also wanted to thank you for your comments and support about Max. Sometimes it can be so sad and frustrating, seeing dogs that have been mistreated. It helps to be able to talk about it on my blog, and to get a "thumbs up" from people I know feel the same way.

 

See You When I Get Back From Tulum!

Erica :)



The Case Of The Free Dog: Max

 A few weeks ago, I came across an ad on Craig's List for a "Free Dog". This is sad, but it's also very dangerous for the dog. Of course, if someone is offering their dog for free, they don't care about the dog, and where he could end up. There are some very bad people that search Craig's List looking for "Free" dogs. At the top of the list are dog fighters, looking for free bait dogs.

 

 So Angie and I drove a couple hours south to get him. He was such a good boy, considering that he didn't know what the heck was happening. And truthfully, I didn't know what the heck was happening either. I didn't have a plan. Whenever we rescue a dog, I do a lot of praying that God will help me get the dog to where he's meant to be. HE has always come through. :)

 

 The ad said he was 9 years old, and he'd been with the same owners his whole life. It also said that he had an old injury to his paw, but that it wasn't a problem now. The woman wouldn't answer any of my questions when we met her in a restaurant parking lot to pick him up. I said "Why are you getting rid of him?" and "Do you have any other dogs"?

She just said she's been feeling bad because he's been having to live in the garage. That was it!

Living in the garage during a Minnesota winter would be torture!

 

 Isn't he sweet? He's holding his left paw up in this pic, the paw that is supposed to be "just fine". 

On the way home I Googled "English Springer Rescue", thinking it was a long shot.

But there were a few to choose from! So I randomly chose one, and left a message.

By the time we got home, the rescue called me back...and this part was truly God helping me out, I believe. I told the woman that I just picked up a free Springer Spaniel, and I'm looking for some help.

She immediately said "Oh, is it Max with the bad leg?"

 

(This pic shows how bad his leg really is)

 Here this rescue group had been trying to rescue him for weeks! The owner didn't want him to go to a rescue though. I said well, I've got him, so the joke's on her!

Can you believe that the owner told the rescue group that they bought a brand new Rottweiler puppy, and Max didn't like him....so Max had to go!

 

Here's the other thing, Max has been living is extreme pain all his life. The kids broke is leg when he was just a couple months old, and the owners never took him to the vet! His leg healed at a very weird angle, and he developed severe arthritis because of it. It's no wonder he didn't like the Rottweiler puppy. Max has become defensive because of his injury. I saw this when he stayed with me. But overall, he was so sweet, and he just wanted love!

He stayed with me for a week, while a long term foster could be found. I brought him to get neutered, and then he was transferred to his new foster home in Ohio.

 

 

Now, this AMAZING rescue group, English Springer Rescue America, is on a mission to help him!

Max is their newest "Special Needs Springer", and they have a fundraiser set up to raise money for his surgery!

I couldn't believe it when I saw that there were people from all over the country sending money to help him out. And NO, this post is not meant to ask you to contribute! I hope you know that! I just wanted you to see what happened. He was a free dog, who's owners didn't love him, and now he's got a whole list of people trying to help him. It confirmed for me that sometimes having faith is enough.

 

 

Click HERE to read about his injury, and to see his fundraiser page.

Go HERE to scroll through many available Springer Spaniels. Max,in Cincinnati, is towards the end.

 

Thank you for reading my long post!

Hugs- Erica :)