Our Real Life "Marley and Me" named Karley...

Most of you know the story of Ellie... 

She is our chocolate lab we got two years ago. Ellie was special to us because she was the only part of life that worked out the way Tad and I had planned before his helicopter crash in Iraq. Unfortunately, when spring came around and she began to shed we found out that I was severely allergic to her, to the point of my throat closing and breaking out in hives when I am near her for more than five minutes. She is now residing with my father in law and loving her life of roaming 5 acres and endless amounts of treats! Her leaving was devastating to me. I spent months training her to sit, stay, lay down, say please, catch, shake, kennel, bed... and Tad even taught her to stay out of the kitchen. She would lay at the entrance of the kitchen but not cross that line. I felt like I lost my best friend. She went every where with me and with us as a family. I am very thankful she is in a happy home and we can see her almost anytime we want. But I still felt like I lost a part of my family... 
In December, I had my battle with depression from my hysterectomy and life in general. Tad and I decided that it was time to try to find a new friend for me and a baby for us. He wanted his boat/fourwheeling/camping companion and I wanted our family dog who we could play with and take on the boat and out to do things. Our chihuahua's are spoiled princesses who do not enjoy car rides or the boat! We found the perfect dog at the Humane Society named Polar Bear. That did not work out as he was sick and removed from the shelter. We found Hailey, who we LOVED! and the shelter would not let us take her. So they offered us Vanilla, now known as Karley. 

We fell in love with her and her smile right away and she was instantly spoiled by all of us! 

She fit right in with everyone with in days. 

And she even excepted that Kibby is the man in charge in the Stuart House! 

But what we didn't know is that she would become a huge challenge and an expensive one at that! She came from the shelter with kennel cough and gave the other two an upper respiratory infection that lasted for three weeks. 

She broke out of her $300.00 wire crate and bowed it at the bottom making it difficult to close. 

And she began destroying all her toys!

Let's not forget how she made her self comfortable on my kitchen table for nap time when I was upstairs on the treadmill... That was about the time when I realized we needed to put up a dog run outside where she could behave when I couldn't watch her.

We all know how that worked out for us! So I got creative and sunburnt! 

And solved the digging to get out under the fence problem... 

Tad and Mikayla helped out with the dog run project and build the dogs a dog house to hide from bad weather and the sun. Well, Little Miss Smarty pants, Karley, learned she could climb on top of the dog house and jump over the fence to the outside of our yard. 

So we put up a tarp over the dog house to keep her inside the run. Karley discovered she could get on top of the dog house and push the tarp out of the way and jump the fence. So our neighbor while taking care of her while we were on vacation moved the dog house to the middle of the run. That didn't stop her determination to get out. She jumped 6-8 feet from the top of the dog house over the fence and was found up the street by our other neighbors. So we told Ryan to leave her out of the pen so she couldn't get out of the yard. She loved that! She even threw herself a little party in our garage! Chewed up cardboard boxes, four wheeler helmets, plastic bins, the hose on pressure washer she drug out, soccer balls, wood, and salt for the water softener! Now I know how parents of teenagers feel when they come home and find their teenager has thrown a party!

And you will never guess what she did next! 

She got up on the boat and jumped into Ryan and Mellisa's yard!!! You would think that by now Tad and I realize that she can' be left alone outside until we can figure out how to stop her. Well, we didn't and the day we got back from vacation she escaped when we went in the house for lunch. Mikayla went to leave to go to a friends house and found her laying on our front doorstep bleeding and unable to move.  She had been hit by a car and was dumped on our doorstep or she limped home and collapsed at the door...

Thankfully, Tad was home to help bandage her up and clean her up because the sight of her made me sick to my stomach! 

The vet stitched her up and sent her home on pain meds. Mikayla, Kibby (That's right.. Kibby the cat!), and I rotated shifts with Karley on the couch. 

But after a few days I knew she was still in serious pain and something was not right. So we took her back to the vet for more Xrays and found that her pelvis is broke in a few places and separated from her spine. So the vet sent us home with stronger pain meds and 6-8 weeks crate rest.
It has been a very very expensive and busy month and half with Karley since we brought her home from the Humane Society. And in all honesty, I am not sure I would change any of it (expect her pain and suffering and the trouble she gave Ryan when we went on vacation!) She brings such sunshine to our life everyday... Even when she is naughty and I am so mad at her she smiles at me and makes me laugh at her goofy smile. 

Kaiah and Kylee love her. 

Kylee gets so excited to see her when we bring her outside to go potty since her injury. It's almost like she misses her outside playing with them. Even Tad, who doesn't get too emotionally expressive about pets or animals, feels like she is a part of our family, even though it's only been a few weeks. Today at the vet's office when the vet was showing us her Xrays Tad leaned down and rubbed her ears and said to her, "Aaawwww, Girl, your gonna miss the first half of boating season!" It was almost like Karley had been on the boat with us for years and this was the first time she was missing out. It was a very heart warming moment for me in the midst of sad news. 
There is no real point to this blog post other than to share the story of our Karley and to remind people who are thinking about taking in an animal or who have pets that they have feelings too. And the minute you take them in you are assuming the responsibility of taking care of them. Not every pet/owner combination works out or is a good fit. If that is the case then do the right thing and find them a good home. It is sad to see so many pets abused and neglected. I have had my share of bad fits for pets and then some. But I know I have always done what was best for my situation and in the best interest of the animal. And I don't regret making the decision with Tad to bring Karley in our lives. I know our adventure with her is just beginning and I have no doubts in my mind once she is up and running healthy she is going to give Tad and I a run for our money.... literally. But I am okay with that because I know at some point she will know that this is her home and we will take care of her and love her and eventually she will stop trying to jump the fence to see what is on the other side because she will know that what is on the other side is not as good as what she is getting on the inside...But until then I will have to keep reminding myself and my husband how lucky we are to live a movie in real life and just pray that one day Tad is not in the yard looking for my Tiffany Key necklace to clear Karley's digestive system ;)