Monday, April 4, 2011

His Endless Gifts....

This week we sing the hard hallelujah.  I've been busy caring for Faith...no time for writing.  Faith is our farm dog...we brought her home when she was just a puppy - she was a rescue - and she was adorable!  It's been many years since Faith joined our family. The little one on the right just turned 13!
She lived inside until she was quite big.  Then we moved her outside to a large kennel.  She spent all of her nights there until she learned to stay on our farm.  Faith doesn't leave the farm now.  She's very well behaved - a big sweetie.  If a stray dog ventures onto our property, Faith will chase it back through the gate but not very far. She knows her boundaries.  There is no one living on the piece of land next to us. The owners are up the road - a very sweet family. Once Faith learned the boundaries of our farm, we did away with the kennel. She promptly left us to live at my mama's house.  None of us know why. We feed her, care for her, the boys play with her and she accompanies us anywhere we go on the farm. But, she always returns to mama's house. Faith is one of the sweetest dogs you will ever meet.



I opened the door on Monday to find a doormat soaked with blood and blood on the door.  I wondered if there had been a cat fight.  As we began to look around, Faith was found in a flower bed, laying under the dryer vent (I assume for warmth since Sunday night was cold and rainy).  She was covered in blood.
She couldn't stand.  She was in shock.

Josiah lifted her and brought her to the driveway.  She was so bloody I couldn't tell what was wrong.  My plan was to bathe her and try to find the wound.  We assumed she had tangled with a coyote or stray dog.  When Josiah put her down she began to drip...drip..drip..drip...blood.  Quickly and lots of it. I decided to put her straight in the car and take her to the vet.  It was obvious she'd lost a lot already and she was dripping fast.  We called and told them we were on the way.

Bless her heart, she wagged her tail all the way to the vet.  I think she was so happy we found her.  I felt awful that she had laid all night in the cold rain bleeding and in pain.

Three people, including the vet, met us at the car and the took her right in.  We were told that they would call us as soon as they knew more.  I gave them a limit on what I could spend.  Realistically, we all love Faith but I still needed to be able to feed my own children.

When the vet called, I was so shocked...and then I was so angry.  

Faith had not tangled with something.  Faith had been shot....while she was belly up....from about 15 feet away.....in the gut.....with a shotgun....and probably a second time as she was running away. Which means someone was probably on our property...at night...with a gun.


Her belly is filled with pellet holes which may eventually work their way out.  The vet said it does more damage to the nerves and muscles to dig them all out.  The dark coloration is the bruising - after about 2 days.  Faith stayed at the vets for two days so there was no opportunity for pictures. We wonder if she was kicked or if this much bruising is just from the blast.

We also wonder other things.... who would shoot an older dog who bellied up to them....in the gut. Who was on our property and why?  Was it a hunter?  Was it kids?  Was it someone just crossing our land? Was it...horrid thought...a neighbor?

Faith is going to live but this first week has required an enormous amount of care. Hydrotherapy twice a day on the leg that took most of the blast.  Meds twice a day. Treating the wounds 5 times a day. And lots of time and love.

Along with normal cooking, laundry and life there has not been time for anything extra - which is why I didn't post last week and am begging grace from y'all.

So this week we praise Him with the hard hallelujah and count His gifts......

#636 - #663

Faith...living and breathing

a vet who says come right away

internal organs spared

medicines that heal

Faith's leg bearing weight again

affordable care

a vet office where everybody cares

twice a week classes - finished!

a test that wasn't too hard

walking without "the boot"

canes

more plants popping up in the greenhouse

sunshine - at last!

the first blue jay

beautiful weather

falling asleep to birdsong at night

open windows and cool breezes

new recipes

garden planting started

pansies in Grandma's planter

purple martins moving in

a friend back from a long trip

music in my home

hilarious family movie together (remember Mr. Blandings?)

preparing for Passover

finches outside my kitchen window

new method for planting potatoes - so excited to try!

spring...finally!


We are learning to see His gifts as a continual love note to let us know that He is always here, always faithful and filled with a passionate love for us.  Will you worship Him with gratitude by counting His gifts with me? You will discover that He is your source,...He is your healer...He is your provider...He never fails...He never forsakes.... 

He leaves me breathless....



8 comments:

  1. I am so sorry to hear about your dog and so thankful that she survived and is doing much better.

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  2. So sorry about your dog. It does sound awful. I can't imagine who would do such a thing.

    Our collie was shot with a high powered rifle from across a field, and we found her bloody in our flowerbed on a Sunday morning. We think it was a neighbor and an accident, but we never knew for sure. She would have been on the edge of our property, and the shot would have had to cross a hayfield. Anyway, it shattered her back leg bone. It was amputated, and she lived as a 3-legged dog for several more years.

    Praying Faith heals fast and you find out who did it so you can feel at ease.

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  3. Thank you so much for posting this and letting us know she is going to be OK. My Little Ones have been so worried. Last night I found them at bed time crying over, "Is Faith going to d-d-d-i-i-i-e????"

    Now I can show them.

    Get well soon, Faith, Old Girl! Some little girls I know are praying for you!

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  4. P.S. Just added Mr. Blandings to our Netflix queue!

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  5. I am just stunned. Please give Faith extra ear-rubs for us. Can dogs take Arnica for bruising? :) Thanking God for a vet that understands the necessity of limits and resting that His revenge is so perfect where ours would only require sin.

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  6. So sorry to hear about your dog, I had another friend lose their's last week over the same thing a shooting, very sad. I also love all the birds being out and chirping and swooping every where. Have a blessed day.

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  7. Oh my goodness... that is terrible! That is a sad, sad person that could do that to a precious dog. I can not believe it. I am so happy she is going to be ok! A wonderful list of God's gifts... including this gift of Faith! :)

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  8. So so sorry to hear about your dog! That's awful!

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