The Barefoot Shutterbug

We have a dog,(OK OK we have MANY dogs!) named Tornado. We call her Nado for short. She is the best dog in the world. Now don't bother arguing with me about this because she really IS the best dog in the world. I am sorry to tell you that your dog, as sweet as it may be, just dosen't measure up to good ol'Nado. We had just moved back to California from Florida and were in San Bernardino looking for a crib for baby number 3. As we approached a store, I saw a dog laying in the gutter. I went up to see if it was OK thinking it may have been hit by a car. I asked her if she was allright in my nicest doggy voice (You know you have one too!) and she got up and started licking my hand. After that, she follwed me into the store, After being kicked out, she waited patiently for me to come out. Of course I took her home.She has been with us since that day way back in 1998. This dog is loyal, kind, gentle and loving. She is not happy unless you are touching her. She has protected us when a pit bull charged us on the way to school, racing in front of us to get between it and us, and charged the pit bull scaring it away. I mistakenly thought she was fixed. She gave birth prematurely on the 4th of July. I think the fireworks scared her so bad, her labor came prematurely. When we got home, she jumped onto me and gave me her lifeless puppy. I did what I could but it was already gone. She kept picking it up and giving it back to me as if she wanted me to make it all better. I could not. She has been a part of this family for over 10 years now, and she is slowing down. Her eyes have cataracs, and she can barely see, but she manages to get around just fine. Recently she has started barking at nothing. This usually starts around 1 in the morning and continues until about 3. I took her to the Dr who says she is in excellent health for her age. The reason for the barking? Senile Dementia. My dog is crazy. So now we have to give her a tranquilizer so she will sleep through the night. I know this may sound odd to some people who are not animal lovers, but love her we do. So every month we order our pet meds through the mail (It's much cheaper this way) and everynight we drug our dog to keep her from barking at Pookas. What extreems have you gone to for your dear animals? I would love to hear from you. It would make me feel as though I am not as crazy as I sometimes feel. . I look forward to hearing your animal story! Till the next post! Jodi