Nearly Christmas….we can’t believe it

We have had such a hectic time recently there just hasn’t been enough hours in the day to do everything and keep up to date here, apologies everyone, we will soon be blogging a lot more regularly again as life settles down.

Susie-Belle’s injured leg continues to heal slowly but surely, we’re nearly 5 weeks in and although she’s doing well, she is not a happy girl being left at home when I take Renae and Twinkle Berry out for their walks. Each day it’s getting clearer that Susie-Belle is feeling a bit stir-crazy and wants to come out and about. So, this week we are going to all head out together for a little walk somewhere peaceful. The problem we’ve also had is that Michel had a foot op 5 weeks ago, so he hasn’t been able to come out either, but he’s all healed and will help me with the three this week. That is, if the wind and rain stop, the weather is atrocious and not weather for Susie-Belle to be out in, whatever she thinks.

So that’s been one thing we’re coping with, then we had Susie-Belle’s regular eye check and it was mixed news. Very good on her tear production readings, she’s doing very well now and the KCS (dry-eye) is well under control. The not so good news was the Mr Yellowley suspects the cataract in her left eye is deteriorating, so we’ll go back in the New Year and have a proper assessment on that one. I don’t think we’ll operate on it, she has the perfect new lens in her right eye following the cataract surgery she had before she came home to us, so as long as that eye continues to be good, her sight will be fine for her.

And we have the count-down now to the book launch. This is all getting really exciting as there is quite a bit of behind the scenes interest in it which bodes well for it. My motivation for writing the book was to help in a small way to raise awareness of the hideous puppy farming business and if the book does that, I’ll have succeeded. It doesn’t matter what the sales are particularly, it matters that people sit up and take notice of the reality behind Susie-Belle’s now comfy, happy life. The awful journey she had to take to get here with us. Although we are of course so pleased it’s well and truly behind her, we never forget the suffering she had to endure for years and years. I was asked to find some early photos of her this week by my publishers and Janet, her foster mum sent me a handful of her earliest ones, taken after Susie-Belle had been with her a little while. I find them upsetting to see, this one for example shows her bald stump and nose and although it’s not clear from the angle, she was bald along her flanks. Horrible.

To see her now, her gorgeous, fluffy, happy face, it really is remarkable how well she has embraced a healthy life, how she has moved forwards. So, although she’s not herself at the moment and is having to stay indoors on restricted movements, at least she’s indoors in the cosy, comfortable, peaceful environment of her home. So, although she does know very well how to make me feel bad at leaving her here when I go out for a walk without her, I remind myself she is safe, secure and supremely loved these days.