General is in "Dog Heaven"

General and Frankie

There is the sweetest book called "Dog Heaven" by Cynthia Rylant . It is a book about what Heaven is like for "angel dogs". It begins with how angel dogs don't have angel wings because "God knows they like to run best." It talks about all the things they do in Dog Heaven: God makes funny shaped dog biscuits. He makes squirrel biscuits, kitty cat biscuits, and ham sandwich biscuits. When it is time to sleep, they turn the clouds upside down and walk around and around until they find the perfect place to curl up to sleep. All dogs are good dogs in Dog Heaven and sit when angels say 'sit'. All dogs have a home in Dog Heaven, even if they didn't have a home on Earth.

The book ends with how every once in a while, an angel will take them for a walk invisibly around their own home and back yard. Checking everything out to make sure all is well, even checking on the cat next door. It finishes by saying how they will be waiting for their old friends to get to Heaven.

A dear friend bought us this precious book when our dog Ruby Leigh passed away in 2016. It was a great way to help our son, James, process the loss since he was only two.

Unfortunately, about a month ago we had to bring out our "Dog Heaven" book because our sweet old General died of cancer. Watching him deteriorate as he lost the battle with cancer, was one of the hardest things I have ever witnessed. Every day he lost more weight and slowed down a little more. He had the strongest will to live that I could have imagined.

By the end of his life he looked like a skeleton. I'm sure he was suffering but he was so brave. I don't know if he was holding out for me because I wasn't ready. Or if he was worried about Frankie, our Vizsla puppy we got a few months ago, who is still learning the ropes. . But he was such a fighter. He got so skinny, I actually put his pumpkin costume on him because it broke my heart seeing him like that...

James had such a sweet reaction as we read the book after General passed away.  He said, “This is a magical book because now General is in it.”  Then he wanted to “find General” as one of the dogs pictured in the book.  We did find a dog that looked like General and it gave us both some comfort. I love seeing things from his point of view.

It gives us all a little bit of comfort knowing he is no longer in pain. He is now in Dog Heaven swimming in the lakes and barking at the fish and birds. He was the best dog and will always be missed and remembered. We love you General!!

Please say "hi" to my mom too. I miss her every day...

Cancer Free and Our New Puppy, Frankie

Our Vizsla, General, has been cancer free now for the last 3 months!! We are believing he has been healed and beaten cancer unless he shows signs to us otherwise. We are walking in Faith and continuing to trust our Good, Good, Father and Lord in Heaven. Every day I keep filling up his dog bowl and every day he keeps eating...

Our other really exciting news: We welcomed a new Vizsla puppy to our family! His name is Frankie. He was 12 weeks old when we got him last Saturday. Frankie was the last puppy to be sold out of a litter of 8 puppies. He seems a little small, so I think he may have been the runt of the littler. He is very docile, friendly, and sweet. He is not timid but certainly not an alpha dog. And his eyes... Frankie has the most enchanting green/grey eyes. Green eyes are very rare with Vizslas, maybe only one, if that, in a litter.

It was completely love at first sight when we pulled up and first laid eyes on Frankie!! He was outside with the previous owner waiting on us as we arrived. After the 2 hour drive to the countryside, North East of Atlanta, we were eager to jump out and meet our “Little Man”, as they had nicknamed him. It was all smiles, laughs, and snuggles as we scooped him up and each took turns with little Frankie in our arms. We rode home together with me in the back seat with James, and Frankie in my lap. James has never had his own puppy before so he is so excited! James is already doing a great job helping out and playing with him!! He even made a card board box “crate” for Frankie that we decorated.

General and Frankie have totally hit it off! General already loves his new little brother from another mother. General is like a cool big brother to Frankie too. Frankie follows James and General around everywhere. General is so sweet to Frankie. They are quick friends and play so well together. Even when General wants Frankie’s raw hide. Luckily, we have multiple raw hides and Frankie doesn’t mind getting a different raw hide after General takes his. I think it is a sign of R.E.S.P.E.C.T. to General.

We started talking about getting a puppy last Fall when we tried to breed General with a female Vizsla. We thought we could keep one of the puppies from the litter, as the stud fee. We were so excited that, “General was going to be a Daddy!” General would even wag his tail when we told him that. We fenced in our back yard and first started dreaming about our puppy.

God had different plans, as you know... General was diagnosed with cancer and then the female had a false pregnancy. That means her body thought and acted like she was pregnant, but in fact there was not a litter. Which, both together, was heartbreaking. We were saddened and yet, still trusted in God’s Faithfulness! 

But we didn’t stop dreaming about getting a Vizsla puppy...

and Saturday we made another dream come true by getting a sweet little Vizsla puppy, named Frankie!!

**In my humble opinion, Vizslas are an awesome breed of dogs.There are not a lot of things cuter than a Vizsla puppy. I have a soft spot for Vizslas, though. Frankie marks the fourth Vizsla I have helped raise. Nicknamed the “Velcro Vizsla”, they are loyal and always want to be right by your side. Their fur is very short and soft. They do not shed a lot, and are considered hypo-allergenic dogs. They are very eager to please and quick to train. They don’t typically bark a lot, but they do want a lot of attention and interaction with people. They are great with kids. They are Hungarian bird dogs and can be trained for hunting, as well. They have a ton of energy and need a LOT of exercise!

How buying dog food can be an act of Faith

Courtesy of Bazemore Photography

When a dog has cancer, even buying the economy size 55 lb. bag of dog food, is an act of Faith.

Our sweet Vizsla, General, was diagnosed with cancer 2 months ago. The journey to discovering the cancer started when he kept losing weight. General has always been kind of skinny. We noticed he was getting much thinner than normal. So I took him to our vet, Dr. Haden, at Animal Medical Center of Holly Springs.

The first thing he recommended was doing three different panels of tests. The results were inconclusive but Dr. Haden thought he could have a problem with his kidneys.  He recommended a more in-depth panel of one of the tests. He consulted a veterinarian endocrinologist and they concluded it was probably not the kidneys, and he recommended an ultrasound. The ultra sound revealed he had a large tumor originating from his spleen; however his heart was healthy and he would be a good candidate for surgery to remove the spleen and the tumor. The tumor was pushing against his stomach and was so big it would explain why he kept losing weight. We decided to have surgery on General to remove the spleen and tumor.

By this time General had been continuing to lose more and more weight. He was skin and bones. You could feel every rib and even his hip bones were very pronounced. His once silky fur was dried out and almost brittle. A male Vizsla is typically between 55-60 lbs. The day of surgery General weighed 48 lbs. After surgery, Dr. Haden said the surgery was more complicated because the tumor had attached to the stomach, the intestines, and the wall of the body. The tumor was the size of an orange! The day after surgery we weighed him. After removing the spleen and the tumor, General weighed 43 lbs.

Dr. Haden sent the tumor off for a histopathology tissue biopsy. When the results came back, it was the bad news we were praying it was not. The orange size tumor was actually a cancer sarcoma. Not only that, but, it was a really aggressive type of cancer. Dr. Haden said he may only have a month or two to live if it had spread.

I cried. Then I prayed. Then I asked my family to pray. Then I asked my small group members to pray. Then I asked my other friends to pray.

We had already prayed to find answers. God answered that prayer, but it wasn't what we wanted to hear. Now we had to pray that the cancer had not spread and that removing the sarcoma would be enough to save General's life.

Only God could answer that prayer. Only God could heal General. Only God could decide if the cancer would or had spread.

Only God.

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24 NIV

This is what we did: we asked God to heal General and we are believing He will.

Courtesy of Bazemore Photography

Now, back to buying dog food as an act of Faith...

Right after General had surgery, exactly two months ago today, General was getting really low on dog food. I was standing in Costco wondering if I should buy the dog food there or at the grocery store. Should I buy the 55 lb. bag or the 23 lb. bag? I had a moment. Would I buy the big bag and believe our prayers would be answered? Or the small bag in case he didn't make it?

I took a step in Faith and bought the big 55 lb. bag of dog food, believing God would answer our prayers. I believed we would have our miracle.

Here we are, 2 months later, and General is doing so well!! He has gained 17 lbs., has filled out, his fur is silky smooth, he has energy, and shows no signs of slowing down or terminal cancer.

And today, I bought another 55 lb. bag of dog food...



A special thank you to Dr. Haden for being part of saving General's life!

Ruby Leigh has lymphoma

I really don't know how to start this post, except by saying God is still good... 

In the good circumstances, blessings and in the trials. 

Last week, I took my sweet dog, Ruby Leigh, to the vet to be seen because I noticed the lymph nodes in her neck were swollen. After the examination, the vet said all of her lymph nodes were swollen- the ones under her legs and behind her legs too. She was honest and said it was possible that it was Lymphoma. Lymphoma is a type of cancer that effects the lymph nodes. She told me she was worried. I started to cry thinking about losing my sweet Ruby especially after just over a year of losing my mom. I had a really bad feeling that it was Lymphoma and a few days later it was confirmed by a pathologist that it was. 

Ruby Leigh 

My dog, Ruby, means so much to me. She has been with me since Senior year at the University of Mississippi, known as Ole Miss. She had 10 puppies back in 2009. She loves to run, swim in the lake and give kisses. She protected me when I didn't live in a great neighborhood when I graduated from college. She got a daddy when I married Kyle in 2010. Then she knew when I was pregnant and stayed close to my side the whole time. She is so sweet and gentle to James and he loves giving her treats and petting her.  But most of all, she is loyal and has been my best friend for 9.5+ years. She is my girl... 

Ruby Leigh's 10 puppies

Ruby Leigh and General Lee

But through it all, I am trying not to be too sad and continue to trust God. I know God uses all things for His good. I don't know how this will be used for good but I know He keeps His promises. Maybe this trial will help me with compassion? Maybe it will be used to help complete the work he started in me with growing my faith? Maybe to teach me how valuable life is? 

Ruby Leigh and General Lee ready for college football

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

James 1:2-4, 12 NIV

Left to Right: Amberley (her daughter), Topaz, General Lee (her son), & Ruby Leigh

I am not sure how this will be used for good but I know God is faithful even in trials, even when I don't understand His plan. I feel His love and comfort of the Holy Spirit. God is still good. He doesn't cause pain, suffering, or evil but since we live in a fallen world, He allows it to happen. God will be with me through it all, he is by my side. 

Ruby and James on Mother's Day 2016

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 NIV 

I know Ruby will go to Heaven when she passes to be with my mom and Jesus. I know I'll see Ruby in Heaven one day.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV

All Dogs go to Heaven

There is nothing better than coming home to a dog.  No matter how long you are gone they always seem so happy to see you.  They give you a big sniff down probably wondering where you have been.  They wake up and want to play, happy it’s morning.  They are loyal and love you.  It seems the times they tear stuff up is because they are frustrated that you are gone or ignoring them.  They usually just want your attention, they need love back.

I have always grown up with dogs.  They have become part of our family and we would do whatever we could to keep them healthy, and get whatever they need if they get sick.   Taking care of a dog definitely forms an attachment and creates a very special bond.

Recently my Aunt Nancy lost her beloved Jack and listening to her story broke my heart to hear the pain she is going through.  I love her and to hear about how Jack died so suddenly of cancer at only 10 years old just makes me sad.  It always seems harder to grieve the loss because we are the ones who have to go on living.  The one who has passed away is in paradise but we will miss them and no matter how long they were with us, it just never seems like enough time.

I imagine Jack is in Heaven getting a big belly rub from Jesus and is no longer in pain.  I pray for Aunt Nancy and Eddy that they remember Jack and the pain of the loss doesn’t hurt as much.  It also is so encouraging to hear Aunt Nancy and her strong faith in God and how she simply says, “God is still good.”  She reminded me that God saves every tear and when we are hurting he is hurting with us.  He mourns when we mourn.  He cries with us and his heart breaks with ours.  We love you Jack, R.I.P.