Good, Bad, Fact
Good – Eliot and Pascale are getting along really well lately. Eliot’s new medication makes him more playful, and I’ve witnessed them wrestling together in the yard on more than one occasion.
Bad – Eliot went after BT again last night very aggressively. He injured her remaining eye, although not very badly and she should be 100% fine (hopefully). This attack came out of the blue with all the current medication and training we’ve been doing in place.
Fact – My husband first reaction was that if it were up to him, he would have Eliot put down. These two dogs have lived together completely incident free for six years, and now Eliot hates BT. They will be separated from now on, but I don’t have any answers past that.
Good – I am physically healthy and employed. Things could be worse for me.
Bad – Emotionally I am exhausted. I only publicly talk about some things on this blog, so you’ll just have to imagine the rest. I feel like I can’t take any more.
Fact – I am not in a very good mental state while I am writing this post.
Good – Before the dog drama, I had a great lesson on Saturday with Simon. I was able to give him a spa day, and spent about two hours pulling mane, clipping, etc.
Bad – I am showing this weekend, and I feel completely unprepared for it. Dog drama 2.0 has also taken any most excitement and joy out of horses for the moment. The barn was just a place I could use to escape my house yesterday.
Fact – When I clip Simon’s ears, somehow they appear even larger. “The better to hear you with, Mom” so he says.
I know it’s not much, but it’s all I’ve got right now guys.
42 thoughts on “Good, Bad, Fact”
Hey Lauren,
I am so sorry to hear that your troubles continue with Eliot. So frustrating! I wish I had a magic wand I could wave to fix it for you! I just want to send you strength and patience (and good show luck) from an internet stranger.
Thank you! I really appreciate the sentiment 🙂
Big, big, BIG hugs for you! I can’t imagine what it’s like to deal with the dog drama, and I hope the horse show is at least a nice mental break for you. You have a big support group out here on the interwebz! We love ya!
Hugs!! So sorry to hear this! I love reading your blog. We have a mutual friend from NC and she occasionally shares your blog on her facebook page so I started reading it and was hooked! Hoping for future and happier posts to come!
Thank you! I am currently drinking Diet Cheerwine that I found after four years living in Texas – channeling the NC good vibes 🙂
Very sorry to hear this. I would be very stressed too if my house was a dog war zone. Hopefully it all works out.
LOL dog war zone is a good way to put it!
So sorry for the puppy drama. That must make things so stressful in the house.
However, Simon looks adorable in that last pic! Big ears make good jumpers! 😉
So sorry to hear about the setback. People do successfully crate-and-rotate dogs in a way that works for everyone. Which isn’t to say that this is necessarily the answer for you guys; it’s such a personal thing. Just — know that the info and support are out there should you decide to go that route. I wish you strength and peace.
Simon has fantastic ears. 🙂
That’s good to hear. I guess I always thought it would never have to come to that, but since he’s made so much progress with Pascale and can live happily alone I don’t think euth is a fair option (plus I would be forever heartbroken). We have to keep BT safe, so I need to teach myself that having him crated some is still a happy life for him.
Big hugs to you!
Sorry its hard when the dog children fight, you can’t sit them down and explain the situation. My aunt’s dogs have to remain separate, they just can’t be friends, even though they were for a time, its weird and hard, but it happens. Hang in there and try to set that aside and enjoy your show. Internet hug is all I can offer 🙂
It’s nice to hear I’m not the only one with this issue! Thanks
I’m sorry, friend. I’ve been through similar dog drama and it’s hard. Add me on Facebook or something if you want to talk about dogs more. We can at least commiserate.
Also, I love big ears on a horse. I couldn’t tell you why, and neither of my horses has big ears, but I do.
I will add you if I can find you for sure! Would love to hear someone else’s experience with the issue.
I just added you. 🙂
🙁 Sorry to hear that. I feel like I’m in the same place. None of the issues are all that big on their own, but add them together and toss them on top of everything else, and I just want to shut down.
Sigh. Better times ahead.
Simon’s ears look huge and adorable in that picture! I love it.
So sorry about how rough things are going for you, and for your dogs. Sending lots of positive vibes your way!
So sorry to hear about the doggie issues 🙁 Sending lots of good thoughts your way! I hope the show provides a healthy distraction for a little bit.
Hang in there Lauren! I’m sorry shit isn’t going well right now, but I’m here for you if you need anything! *hugs*
I am so sorry Lauren. My family had dogs since before I was born, and I grew up alongside our dogs. We had a large 4 bedroom house on 2 acres in an area where strays were often dumped. We swore our dogs would tell the strays that there was good food and lots of love at our house, because those strays would always inevitably show up at *our* door, not any of the neighbors’. Most of the time we couldn’t say no to them and they’d stay. It was common for us to have up to 6 dogs at a time of varying sizes and breed mixes. This also meant that it was common to have one or more dogs that didn’t get along. The good thing is that we had a house large enough to be able to accommodate dog politics. We’d try to slowly re-introduce the dogs that were fighting with one another and sometimes it would work, but sometimes, like in your case, it wouldn’t matter what we tried. We’d just have to keep them permanently separated. It was a pain for us having to rotate dogs around the different areas of the house/yard, but as long as the dogs were all happy, we didn’t mind. This kind of problem is a lot more common than you think. I had this problem with two of our previous cats, too. There wasn’t enough Feliway, meds, treats or behavior modification techniques in the world to get those two to get along. Just want you to know that you are not alone and that this does not mean failure. *Big hug* Sometimes we just can’t control their personalities. Like Kat said, it would be nice if we could just sit them down like children and explain things to them!
Simon’s ears made me smile. I have the same problem with Lily’s!
Oh Lauren!
I’m so sorry to hear that things aren’t going well with the pups. But, know that you aren’t alone, my college roommate has had to develop a “turnout schedule” for her crew of dogs. Her mastiff decided that the only dog she could tolerate was the male german shepherd mix and no amount of training/meds could fix it. So, they developed a schedule to make sure everyone gets equal time outdoors and inside the house. It works amazingly and they haven’t had an issue since. Don’t feel alone in this.
Sending you good luck vibes for the show this weekend too! Some of my best shows have some after some of my most craptacular weeks. It’s almost like the universe said, “Hey, I put you through enough this week/month. Go ahead an have a glorious horse show.”
I’ve been struggling with work lately. I’m in a serious funk and unfortunately I have a project due this week that I am completely and utterly frustrated with. No extensions allowed so I am trying to muddle through. Then this morning the bank calls and someone stole my debit card # and is racking up charges 🙁 So once again, I’m stuck waiting on a new card and looking at transferring that new numbers onto all my accounts. ARGH!
If you wanna chat just shoot me an email, but in the mean time this is me sending you a virtual hug.
Hugs. 🙂
So sorry about the dogs 🙁 It is very frustrating when your dogs can’t get along, I have a similar issue with one of mine and other dogs. Send good thoughts your way!
Hugs! We are having troubles with our two female dogs right now too and it seems that no matter what we try- it’s not getting better.
Glad you have the barn to escape to though and try to have fun this weekend at the show! I bet Simon wants to make you happy 🙂
So sorry to hear this. We went through a similar thing with two older dogs we ‘inherited’ (long story). As the older, more dominant female started to show her age, the younger male started to knock her down and push her around. It was really hard on an emotional level to see that – they’d got along well for their entire lives and it was hard not to take it personally and see him as a big bully taking advantage rather than just the doggie dynamics changing and our rules for him needing to be adjusted. Hope things settle down soon and you can get a break from worrying 🙂
*sending hugs and peace*
It will pass. Not as soon as you want it to, but it will. I can’t imagine how the doggy drama must feel, considering I’ve only ever owned one dog at a time – I can only wish you the best, must be terribly hard.
Love Simon’s ears. So cute 😀
Simon looks adorable 🙂
I am sorry you are feeling down right now. I know how emotionally hard it is to deal with an aggressive dog. If you need to chat just shoot me a message. *hugs*
Sending hugs, for the dog fighting and all the other stuff too.
UGH! I’m sorry to hear about the dog drama (and glad BT is ok from the last go around)! You’ll figure out a way to make it work!
I hope you feel better soon. It really sucks when there are so many stressors and no end in sight yet. I have spent the better part on the last year not having enough time. I am always rushing and doing things as fast as I can, which has gotten very old. Sometimes I wait all week for one hour at the barn and then I drive up to find that horse is being fed early. This isenough to push me over the edge, but that is not an option either. And then I feel guilty for being away from baby when I am trying to be with my horse. We used to have hours and hours together. I haven’t forgotten it and I miss it.
I get it.
So sorry to hear about the dog problems. 🙁
Simon looks very elegant in that last picture.
Sending hugs. I have a stressful dog situation on my hands as well. My dog Toby is only about 22lbs but he can be very aggressive, with a tendency to resource guard….everything. I can’t bring him to the barn anymore and it makes me very sad. 🙁
Im sorry about your dog troubles. I know how hard that can be. I wish i had some easy fix for you but i dont. What i do have is good thoughts being sent your way. Its not much but its all i have. Chin up.
There isn’t much to say that hasn’t been said or won’t sound cheesy. I’ve been going through a lot of personal stuff so I feel like I’ve got nothing much to say except keep trying to find a way to make things better and do what you need to find happiness.
One other positive – you can clip Simon! Might seem basic but this is a training issue I am having a hard time with, so I’m envious. Armani is just convinced they are full-on terror worthy. *sigh*
Hope you have a fantastic show and get some relief from the stress 🙂
Aww so sorry to hear all of that. I hope this show is so incredibly awesome that you forget about all of that, if even just for a second. Good luck, and hang in there. *hugs*
sorry you’re going through all of this stress. I think you’ll do well at the show though, just try to enjoy it whatever happens. It’ll be good. At least the barn is an escape 🙂
I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this. Issues at home, especially with beloved dogs, make it hard to find a safe, happy space.
We’ve had dogs in our extended family that haven’t gotten along and have to be managed in group situations, but those are only temporary. I can’t imagine how stressed I would be if it were every day. My sympathies are definitely with you.
* hugs * Its going to be okay. Its just going to take a little time and some new habits, but I feel confident everyone will be able to live happily under the same roof – albeit separated. I have no doubt you’ll be able to conquer this hurdle. You’re a phenomenal pet-owner and trainer!
I know that this is a little late coming, but I’m sorry to hear about all your troubles. I know its redundant to say so, but things always work out in the end. I hope that life starts to look up for you, your puppies, and your pony