How my ailing dog has inspired me

Please follow the link for a complete update and personal accounting of Thistle as published in the Bangor Daily News by Julie:

How my ailing dog has inspired me: You may remember the story of my Brittany girl dog Thistle. She became part of my family as an 8-week-old pup just months after my husband Jim died from pancreatic cancer. She brought me so much lo...

Monday Morning Rambling

Screenshot of Landing Page

THISTLE UPDATE: Thistle's biopsy was a week ago.  Early results focused on two particular types of bacteria which can be responsible for infections. These tests were found to be negative and many more test results will follow in the coming week(s). She has been recovering nicely at home with Julie with curtailed activity. Julie is so appreciative of the generosity extended to her regarding help with the medical expenses associated with exploration of Thistle's liver issues. 

Last week I took another look at our website and decided it was time for a little refreshing.  I tweaked some of the language on various pages and condensed information.  The intent of our website is NOT to sell puppies.  Instead it is used to highlight our beautiful Brittanys.  It also offers another outlet for me to write and design, even using my own amateur photography.  A long way from being professional, having a website presence is purely for the enjoyment of it.

Now our blog and website both have similar headers.  There were 15 more candid hunting photos added to the Gundog Slideshow.  Many of the photos were taken back at the truck, after the hunt with the actual bounty. There are few if any staged field photos although they are pleasant to look at.  It's enough to carry a shotgun and handle a dog while out bird hunting  but there are still a few actual 'in the moment' photos.  (Believe it or not there have been times it was suggested certain photos of ours were set up and not authentic at all!)

I tweaked our Shining Moments Slideshow a little bit too.  There are more photos to add and at some point I'd like to make each photo of the featured Brittanys interactive like I did with Hemi and Pippin.  Quincy and Ammo, two of Thistle and Bullet's sons are both closing in on their AKC Championship titles so we'll be looking forward to sharing those photos at some point.

Although we're not "All Things Puppies" we do receive many, many inquiries and maintain an ongoing waiting list, forever screening for future homes or for those who we may pass along to other like-minded breeders. There were some changes to the information shared on the Breeding 101 page. I can always tell when someone has taken the time to read this or not prior to contacting us.  Tire kickers randomly use the Internet to search out breeders doing nothing more than asking for a specific gender and price.  They say they don't care about pedigrees or health clearances and often don't even mention the breed!  Their messages are copied, cut, and pasted into various forms and emails and are a complete waste of time.

I didn't make any changes to  Our Story.  There were a few other edits made to some of the pages but nothing really significant.  Although I'm not a web designer and far from being professional Wix does make it easy for someone like me to have some fun creating a website.  There are always new features and aps to try out.

If you made it this far to this boring post then congratulations!  I'm really just trying to fill the time as I recover from a lung infection, or so the doctor says. It's been about 6 weeks. I've had pneumonia before and it left me feeling as exhausted as I am right now.  I battle chronic fatigue as a result of Lyme Disease and Hypothyroidism anyway and some days it is like walking through sludge just to push myself through normal daily activities.

The thing is I do have so much more I'd like to write about as we wait in anticipation of something. But, I promised to keep things on the downlow so I'm doing the best I can to honor that because there may or may not actually be something to share.

I will say I'm sick of winter and being housebound. I'm tired of snow and ice. Usually by now we've been to the field and running dogs. Instead, they must be content for a daily run here. Which they are. That's not such a bad thing but it's not the same as getting out where there's birds where they have a chance to do what they love.  And guess what?  The forecast for tomorrow is a possible blizzard on the entire East coast with snowfall potential to be 8" - 24" in this area.  Kind of sad to be hoping for "just" 8" of snow.

Nothing inspirational to see here.  And having said that, it's time for another cup of coffee. Take care and God bless, All Things Brittany