Even MORE Disaster!!!

Feeling sorry for Miss Jessie Belle and to stop the whining, I took the cone off while she ate.  There was a knock at the door ... I'll tell you about that later ... and I got distracted.   When I returned Jessie had ripped out all the bandages and stitches.  Needless to say, I freaked out BIG TIME!!!!

I tried to bandage it back up and of course the cone went back on.  Knowing I was leaving early in the morning for another camp further North, I called the Thousand Trails office and asked if I could stay one more day to take her to the vet.  The answer was that I'd been there 21 days and had to go.  NO exceptions.  

Frantically, I called the campground I was going TO and asked if I could camp in overflow, that way I could get her to the vet and park later.  That gal was nice ... she said to come on up, she would fit me in last night ..... and she did.  I found the only remaining 50 amp site.  Of course they took one day off my reservation, which means I have to make even more arrangements SOMEWHERE, but I'll deal with that later.

Many many thanks to LeRoy Willis who saw my post on Facebook and sent a video about how to make butterfly stitches.  Thankfully, the hospital had given me an end roll of tape that worked perfectly.  I re-taped Jessie's leg and wrapped it up.  I'll be parked at the Vet's door in Long Beach at 8:00.  Nothing like a little stress to take a few years off your life!!!

About Miss Belle, she's a snuggle bunny.   Although she never was like this before, more and more she doesn't want to leave my side.  She came from back East ... Kentucky I think it was.  A friend's daughter took a job in Italy and couldn't take her animals.  Everyone found a home except Jezebel, so they called me to see if I could keep her "for awhile" ... yeah right!!  She arrived via motorhome, scared to death.  

Her name was originally Jezebel .. but that didn't set well with me, so I renamed her Jessie Belle, better known as Miss Belle or Jess.

About a week later, she jumped up at my horses and got stepped on ... broken foot.  She learned her lesson though and left the horses alone after that.  It took her quite a while to warm up to me.  They tend to be one person dogs.

After about a year ... literally one whole year ... she finally came and sat beside me.  We had our ups and downs, since she was such a growly girl.  A couple of times I pushed her to see if she would really bite.  Nothing happened.  I decided she was all bluff and bluster.  Turns out that was her way of "playing".  She just didn't really know how to play nice.

She wasn't really thrilled when Cooper came along (from a friend at work) and it took some time for the three of us to get acquainted.  Luckily Cooper had a good temperament.  She just doesn't like dogs (or cats or birds or squirrels) and can be pretty RASTY ... to say the least.

Although they said she was three, turns out she was at least five years old.  At eleven, she's had her share of ups and down, like running so fast after that cat in the back yard that she ripped her skin open on the rose bush.  Yup ... another trip for stitches.  

Unfortunately now, the results of the biopsy have come back and they are not good.   Although she seems to be healthy, jumping up and down like a jackrabbit, her eleven years is catching up with her.  I'm glad I got the chance to give her a good home, otherwise she wouldn't have made it this far.  

So maybe a year, maybe three, no one really knows.  I'll just give her lots of love and doggy treats.  Every time I go through this, like with my horses, I SWEAR I won't get another animal, but they are SUCH good company.   

I'll let you know how it turns out ... hopefully they can stitch it back up.  In the meantime, I hate to be so mean to her, but it's THE CONE for Miss Jessie.