Smiles even in the darkest of times

I'm sorry for my blog hiatus. I had several difficult situations going on in my life recently. Even through my dark times, while I did not outwardly smile, many people still made my heart a little lighter during it all.

In May of 2014, I rescued an abused dog, Axle, that was unable to be adopted. Over this past year, I have worked extensively to rehab this dog to free him from his anxiety. I spent thousands of dollars on behavior modification training, ran him on a treadmill every day, gave him mentally stimulating toys and feeders, and eventually put him on anti anxiety medication. After a recent bite to the neighbor's ankle and an attack on one of the other dogs in my home, I had to concede that my efforts were simply not enough to rid him of his demons. Struggling with such intense anxiety was affecting his quality of life. He was constantly panting, incessantly licking, and unable to sit still for more than two minutes at a time. I had to make the very difficult decision to humanely euthanize him. While this was one of the worst experiences of my life, there were so many supportive people to help me get through this. Here are some smile-worthy kindness that shined through the darkness in my life:

-My older sister called everyday to give me support and encouragement
-A friend allowed me to take Axle in her fenced in yard the morning of the appointment to allow him to run free
-My twin sister helped me make paw prints. After my dog was gone, she gave me a very nice card and a gift from Axle. She and my mom were also there to hug me when I was crying inconsolably following the appointment
-The veterinarian made the experience as easy as possible for me. She gave me many hugs and words of comfort. The vet also made a collage of pictures of him for me to take home
-Many of my friends and family sent me messages and texts of support
-My mom came over to drive me to the vet. She also went into the room with me. It meant a lot to not have to go through it alone.
-Many of you know that I work in home care for a little girl with several medical needs. The day after putting Axle down, the family took me on a surprise trip to the zoo during my shift.

While the situation was still a very painful experience, knowing that so many people cared enough to help me get through it, made it a little more bearable.