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This is the last day of August, 2009.  I've been pretty much stuck in bed since December, 2008.  No one has yet figured out exactly what changed, but I have no pulse in either foot, and no feeling at all in my toes.  There's still 60% circulation, according to my vascular surgeon.  I don't have diabetes, and I do have an increasingly "bad back."

Our cat is over 25 years old.  Our dog, Lady, is dying of cancer, but in no pain.  And then God decided to ACT and get us all back to life again.  He sent us Daisy.  When I'm able, I'll get a good picture of Daisy Dog, but she's so very active that every picture I try to take shows only part of her -- usually the middle or back end.  Daisy only weighed three pounds when she was sent to us.  She's the first miniture dog we've ever had -- though she certainly doesn't SOUND like a miniture when she "alerts."  The vet says she's definitely part Jack Russell and probably part miniature Dalmation or Whippet.  (She has a Dalmation's spots, and a Whippet tail, but her face and her hunting habits are pure Jack Russell -- I think.)

Without a doubt, she's the most intelligent dog we've ever had.  (And we've had a LOT of very intelligent dogs in our life together.)  Yet Daisy is "trained" in just one loud "NO!" accompanied by a hand clap -- at least when she is inside, and when it doesn't involve our cat.  (Our cat started their on-going feud by attacking Daisy when she first arrived.  Dasiy HAS learned not to actively hunt the cat, but if the cat starts something by hissing or slashing out with her claws...)

Anyhow, Daisy Dog has totally changed ALL of our lives.  I'm always up and dressed and outside whenever I'm able.  Lady, the dog with cancer, has started going outside again, without our having to command her to go outside.  Lady lies in the sunny spot behind our house, and, while Daisy and my husband may be way back in our woods (We live on 40 acres that we've turned into a sort of wildlife preserve.) Daisy will still leave my husband, and dash back to check on Lady, give Lady a little love in the form of grooming her, then dash back to the woods all in a matter of a minute or two.  After Ed has taken her for their "territorial" walk, letting her scent mark (yes, she's a she, and she scent markes -- makes no sense to me...) every tree, bush, or birdhouse Daisy decides it's time for ME to get up, dressed, and we head for an old storage shed where I can sit down if it's raining.  (Otherwise I'll walk along our bluebird path as far as I'm able, and THEN sit down.)  Daisy doesn't care which we do, as long as I am the one doing it with her...  And she really needs to be outside hunting -- you'd be surprized at how fast she rid our lawn of gophers and moles!  She's a dog that needs a LOT of territory...

The point is, she absolutely will not leave me alone, propped up in bed, using the computer as often as possible.  She's right there, in my face (literally as well as figurtively,) urging me to get up and have some fun, loving me, loving knowing that she makes me very happy -- and of course I get up, get dressed (Daisy has learned to assist with that -- I don't bend well, so she brings me my shoes, and jumps on the bed with them, one by one) and I get outside and walk.  I'm walking much better, every day, for love of this little mutt...

The stories I can already tell!!!  A delivery man came to the door, and, of course, Daisy "alerted."  With a real "alert" Daisy does not sound like a small dog.  We know this particular delivery man very well.  Ed went to the door to let him in, and he refused, saying, "NOT until I see your new dog!"  Ed pointed down, where Daisy was in her crouched, "I'm going to get this thing" position.  The delivery man looked down.  He didn't notice Daisy.  "WHERE?," he said, rather upset.  Ed picked up Daisy.  Immediately she went from hunter to lover...  The delivery man laughed and said, "That's a dog???"  Once they were properly introduced to each other all was well.  So we called up friends, and asked them to help us train Daisy to NOT alert when someone pulls into the driveway that leads to the house.  (We have a different driveway that leads to the garage/barn.)  It worked -- after the fourth or fifth visitor, Daisy simply ignored a new car in the driveway. 

BUT...

One night, several days later at 4 AM she sounded a serious alert.  We both got up, put on bathrobes, and dashed to the door.  Neither Ed nor I could see anything out of the ordinary.  Daisy kept alerting, she refused to calm down, so we simply let her out.  And worried.  And worried.  We couldn't even hear her.  She had run in the direction of the old woods (some of which is still virgin timber.)  About 15 minutes later, Ed's brother showed up, carrying Daisy very carefully.  He had scratch marks all over his face, but, fortunately was wearing his hunting gear -- one glove was slightly damaged.  He saw us on the back porch, and brought Daisy to us.  "Will you PLEASE introduce me to your new dog?" he asked, "at least I hope it's YOUR dog.  Otherwise I'm going to shoot it."  This particular brother doesn't see eye to eye with the way we accept the dogs God gives us, but knows our habits.

Daisy saw us, managed to bite Kenny on the nose and escaped, running right to me, and jumping, knowing I'd catch her.

"I see it IS your dog." Kenny stated.  "Now, please introduce me.  And tell me how to get back without getting attacked."  (Ed's brother, Kenny, is one of the few hunter/trappers/fisherman/gatherer left in this area.  His family eats everything Kenny gets.  And that's about all they eat, except for their garden and their hens.  At first I couldn't stand him, but then he showed me a "yard-up" of deer...  Then I decided responsible hunting had to be allowed!  Anyhow, getting back to the story...)

Kenny knows how to be properly "introduced."  When he came back last night to hunt coyotes and reset his "arial path" for hunting season (bow hunting opens in September sometime.)  Daisy "alerted" again, but as soon as she smelled Kenny's truck properly, she came back to the house, and calmly went back to bed with us.  Kenny was still back there, up in the trees of the old woods on his rope "paths" and "stands" when Ed took Daisy for her "territorial" walk.  Daisy actually climbed one of Kenny's rope "ladders"!!!  And THEN she used his arial paths to find Kenny!  Now Kenny wants to train Daisy to hunt with him...  Apparently someone taught her to do a silent alert for deer....  *sigh*  I don't know what will happen when hunting season opens...  Ed's working harder than ever to teach her the boundaries of our land, and as long as she doesn't leave our land, it will be ok...  Only Kenny and his oldest son hunts our land.

I'm hoping for the best.  Daisy is so very full of love, so very smart, so caring and affectionate, I thank God for her several times a day.  I'm afraid she'll get too excited during hunting season (the regular one, where people come up from Chicago and pretend to be hunters) and forget the boundaries Ed is working so hard to teach her.  It would be cruel to limit her by a leash, or (if we had one) a pen.  It's very clear that rodent hunting, squirrel hunting, and climbing all are part of her God given nature.  As is the love she gives in return for her freedom, food, and the love we all have for her...  (Well, all of us except the cat...)  I'll let you know how it all turns out.