Pets for Comfort & Hope

Pets for Comfort and Hope: If you have pets that help you keep hoping, tell us about them. If not, tell us about something else that helps you keep hoping.

Ah, pets! I've written about how pets have helped me cope with Migraine: My Shadow & My Honey Bee. Pets give you someone to take care of, while simultaneously helping take care of you. They're there during the ups and downs. They're a great source of love, comfort, hope, and joy.

We've now had Honey Bee for almost 3 years. She's been even more of a blessing than I ever could've imagined. She continues to grow more confident in herself and us, and it's great to see her personality blossom and shine.

Honey is home with me every day. Even if we're not actively interacting with each other, we know that the other is there. It's so comforting. We both value our own space, but also enjoy snuggle time together. She can be such a peaceful and calming presence.

Honey has had a difficult past. But, she reminds me that great things can come from difficult times. She has overcome obstacles, and she inspires me to keep going.

© 2015 Jamie V.

I love seeing Honey happy. Making sure she is taken care of and has what she needs is a top priority for me. We have a doggie door, which allows her to have more independence because she can go outside anytime it's open. She seems much happier to be able to come in and out, as she desires... rather than only when Mom feels up to getting her outside.

She has such a loving and silly personality. She loves snuggling with pillows, playing with toys, eating tasty treats, and just hanging out with us.

Pets have such power to change our moods, help keep life in perspective, and feel unconditionally loved. When I see Honey so excited over something little, it makes me smile. Her kisses are healing. And, I know that I can face the hardships in my life and come out on top.

The Migraine and Headache Awareness Month (MHAM) Blog Challenge is organized by the American Headache and Migraine Association.

Farewell, LayLee

Previously, I introduced Our Honey Bee and Our LayLee, our furbabies.

The details of what happened are really no longer important. Suffice it to say that the decision to split the girls up was difficult and heart-breaking, but involved a lot of talking, crying, praying, and trying our hardest to make it work out without the separation result.

This post was written 5/11/2014:

Jeremy and I have struggled with so many things, regarding the situation with the dogs. Here are some of the things I wrote on 5/11/14, the day the girls had a big fight (not their first, or last, unfortunately):

We're both struggling with "what ifs," and other guilt / regret issues... We both wonder and feel somewhat at fault... like we could've prevented this from happening.

I hate that getting LayLee was something we talked about, prayed about, waited for. It seemed like the right thing / what we were supposed to do - for us, and for both the dogs. And, now, here we are.

Jeremy and I are also both dealing with feelings of incompetence or something. Like we've let the dogs down... like we've failed them. Both of these girls are amazing and deserve amazing homes / lives. We truly thought we were doing the best thing for them by keeping them together. But, they both have rough backgrounds (some known, some unknown), and it's just not working.

Without knowing my health, if / when Jeremy might travel, etc, it's just not feasible for us to be able to tackle this in a way that even has a hope to be effective. It's escalating so very quickly.

... LayLee is a member of the family, and I don't know what we're going to do without her quirks and silliness. It's so hard because we're not losing her to death... we're having to make a choice / decision to separate from her (I hope that make sense).

This post was written 7/11/2014:

As we made the difficult decision to separate our dogs for good, I struggled a lot (really, we both did). 

Trying to keep the devil's voices at bay. He keeps trying to make me so concerned about what more we could have done, what others think of us / the situation, etc. Jesus, please protect me from him. You, alone, are my strength, Lord.

© 2014 Jamie V.

Today marks 1-month since we had to return LayLee to her foster mom. While time has helped ease the
pain, we still miss her so very much.

LayLee will always hold a special place in our hearts. She truly is a beautiful soul, who changes / touches the lives of everyone she interacts with (both human and canine). We wish her the best, as she truly deserves it.

Meanwhile, we're getting re-adjusted to being a family of three.

Our LayLee

I'm not really feeling today's topic / prompt, as I suspect may be the case as this blogging month progresses. But, that's okay because I'm really just wanting to get back into blogging / writing, so no requirement to follow the prompts. :-)

So, I'd like to take a moment to introduce the newest addition to our family, Miss LayLee!

© 2013 Jamie V.

I've previously written about the first dog we got, Our Honey Bee. Honey and LayLee were actually fostered together off and on for quite a while. In fact, we met (and fell in love with) them both at the same time. Unfortunately, we were living in an apartment at the time, so were restricted from having a pit (LayLee). We adopted Honey in July 2012, and were able to adopt LayLee in August 2013.

© 2013 Jamie V.

We now have two dogs, and it's been quite a change. Despite the challenges, it's been so awesome to see the dogs learn and grow. LayLee and Honey are best friends, and now sisters. Jeremy and I are enjoying the bonds we're building with the pups. And, we're now a happy family of four.

Pets As Therapy: December 2012 Headache & Migraine Carnival

Welcome to the December 2012 edition of the Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival.

Our theme for this edition is: "Pets as Therapy: How our pets help us cope with our migraine and headache disorders."

A sincere thank you to those that submitted posts for this edition of the Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival. I enjoyed reading everyone's submissions, and I hope you do too!

• Cyndi Jordan shares how therapeutic pets are and how her precious dogs help her cope in Why My Dogs Make all the Difference! at her blog, Grace for the Storm.

• Diana Lee shares how her sweet furbabies bring her so much joy in Furbabies as Therapy for Chronic Migraines & Depression at her blog, Somebody Heal Me.

• Emily shares about how her pets provide her comfort and laughter as members of her family in Ode to our Animals at her blog, Migrainista.

• Gretchen Rautman shares about how her sweet dog has been such a loving companion for her in Pets and Reality at her blog, There Be Migraines Here.

• Katharine Hope shares about the love and comfort she's found in her cats in Wolf, Rocky,Lotus: Loves of My Life at her blog, Healing My Migraines.

• Kelly Lynn Thomas shares how her precious corgi takes care of her in so many ways in CORGI! at her blog, Miss Migraine.

• Kelly Wahle shares how her precious furbabies have helped and continue to help her through so many difficult times in Therapeutic Companions at her blog, Fly With Hope.

• Jamie S shares a conversation between her two cats in We two cats are purrfect therapy (as transcribed by Jamie) at her blog, ncrainbowgrrl.

• Jamie Valendy shares how pets have brought her comfort through some of life's biggest challenges in My Shadow & My Honey Bee at her blog, Chronic Migraine Warrior.

• Rosemary shares how our dear pets bring us comfort, laughter, and love in Me and You and a Dog Named Boo at her blog, Seeking Equilibrium.

Here's what you need to know about the upcoming January 2013 Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival:

• Theme: New Year, New Chance to Adjust Your Migraine Treatment Strategies
• Host: Teri Robert at Headache Disorders Blog Network
• Submission Deadline: midnight, Friday, January 11, 2013
• Carnival Posted: Monday, January 14, 2013
• More Information: bit.ly/migrainecarnival 

My Shadow & My Honey Bee

I grew up having pets - primarily horses and dogs. They've always been a source of comfort, love, and laughter. Since my car accident, there have been two dogs that have really helped me a lot with living life with chronic pain.

Shadow
© 2012 Jamie V.

Shadow

When I had to move back in with my parents, following my car accident in October 2008, I found great comfort in their dogs. One of their dogs, Shadow, became my personal shadow. She followed me around the house to make sure I was okay; and if I was gone "too long," she would come looking for me. She cuddled with me. She protected me. She was perceptive to my needs. She listened to me and sat with me as I cried, trying to grieve the life that I had before the accident. She helped me through some of my darkest times, and I'm so very grateful for that.

When I moved to Tulsa to go to graduate school (about 8 months after my accident), I tried to explain to her that I'd be gone for a few weeks, but that I'd be back. But, she wasn't too happy with it. She shunned me for a few hours, whenever I would come home for the weekend or something.

Now, Shadow is getting older and has injured herself so much that it's hard for her to get up and move around too much. I always try to spend some time with her, when I visit my parents' house. There's no way that I can show her how much she's meant to me over the years, but I'll continue to love on her every time I see her loving face.

Honey Bee
© 2012 Jamie V.

Honey Bee

This summer (July 2012), my husband and I adopted a dog, Honey Bee. She has brought us so much joy and comfort over the past 5 months.

When we adopted her, I was actually in the midst of a horrendous status migraine that lead me to the ER just a few days after we got her, and then to an emergency visit the following week. I wasn't able to spend much time with her - I was at a point where I was so sensitive to anything even touching or being near me. But, she's such a sweetheart, and our relationship is only just beginning.

She's had a difficult past, but she's in such a loving home now. She's actually more responsive to Jeremy, which can be heartbreaking sometimes. She's home with me every day, but I don't feel that she's very perceptive of me. But, I find joy in seeing her and my husband play and spend time together... I find joy in their joy.

Honey  Bee
© 2012 Jamie V.

Honey is a very quiet dog by nature. She mostly minds her own business. She'll snuggle, play, and has been showing more and more of her silly self. She's such a beautiful girl, and her soft, sensitive eyes show such a lovely soul. Her fur is so very soft, and she loves being pet. She reminds me that great things can come from difficult times - she was hit by a car a year and a half ago, and had to have her back right leg amputated... but that hasn't slowed her down in the least!

I do my best to play with her, take her for walks, and train her. She may not always want to snuggle, but neither do I - we each like our space sometimes.

Honey has been such a peaceful and calming presence, and I know she shows her love in the ways that she knows.

Pets have such power to change our moods, help keep life in perspective, and feel unconditionally loved. When I see Honey so excited over something little (like when we get home from a short grocery visit, we give her a new toy, we feed her dinner, etc), it makes me smile. Her kisses are healing. And, I know that I can face the hardships in my life and come out on top.

Last Call: December 2012 Headache & Migraine Carnival

Tomorrow, Friday, December 7, 2012, at midnight, is the deadline for submissions to the December Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival.

The December theme is:

"Pets as Therapy: How our pets help us cope with our migraine and headache disorders." 

As always, posts on any topic related to migraine disease or other headache disorders are also welcome.

Please include the following information with your submission:

(1) Your name as you would like it to appear in the carnival.
(2) The title of the blog post you're submitting.
(3) The url of the blog post you're submitting.
(4) The title of your blog.
(5) The url of your blog.

The December Carnival will be published on Monday, December 10, 2012, here at Chronic Migraine Warrior.

Please email your submission to Diana at somebodyhealme@gmail.com (and she'll forward them to me).

For more information about the carnival visit the overview page here: http://bit.ly/migrainecarnival.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Call for Submissions: December 2012 Headache & Migraine Carnival

I'm honored to be hosting the December 2012 Headache & Migraine Carnival.

The December theme is:

"Pets as Therapy: How our pets help us cope with our migraine and headache disorders."

As always, posts on any topic related to migraine disease or other headache disorders are also welcome.

Submissions for the December Headache & Migraine Disease Blog Carnival are due by midnight (the end of the day) on Friday, December 7, 2012.

The December Carnival will be published on Monday, December 10, 2012, here at Chronic Migraine Warrior.

Please email your submission to Diana at somebodyhealme@gmail.com, and she'll forward them to me.

For more information about the carnival visit the overview page here: http://bit.ly/migrainecarnival.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Our Honey Bee

I've been wanting to get a dog for quite some time now. I grew up with pets, and it's been lonely not having any for so long. It just never felt like the right time to take action. But, everything suddenly fell into place over the past few months.

Once I decided that I wanted to get a dog and that the timing was right, I prayed about it and talked it over with my husband. Then, I started doing my research (of course!). Things really got rolling in May.

I found myself searching online for dogs, as well as information about various different dog topics. I even began "nesting" for a dog that we hadn't even found yet. I was busy, busy cleaning and "dog-proofing" our apartment.

In the car with Christy,
heading to her new home!

I even tried to start walking / exercising more, in preparation of having a dog. Unfortunately, that hasn't seemed to work very well. I've found that even after just a walk, I have to come back to the apartment and very consciously walk super-slowly to "cool down," or I'll be completely useless the rest of the day. If I do the cool down, I have a much better chance of keeping my head and body pain from worsening and getting out of control.

I first emailed about Honey Bee on May 29. We met her and her foster mom, Christy, on June 3... we instantly fell in love with her (and her friend LayLee - unfortunately, we can't have a pit in the apartment complex we live in)!

Jeremy, Jamie, Honey
saying goodbye to Christy.

We adopted our little Honey Bee on July 1st. She's such a blessing! She's a 2-3 years old Labrador / Vizsla mix, and she's a tripod. She's such a soft, sweet, curious, quiet, and beautiful dog.

When her foster mom brought her to our apartment, she immediately recognized me - it was such a great moment. She seems to be adjusting pretty well to being here with us. She's had some pretty bad / negative experiences in her past, so she's overly cautious and hyper-vigilant. As she grows to trust us, we're hoping her self-confidence will grow.

Honey & Jamie

We're so grateful to have found a such a wonderful dog. It'll take some time to work with her to help her feel more comfortable around certain stimuli (dogs, people, etc). But, I truly believe we've been paired up to inspire one another.

We're really looking forward to seeing her blossom. This is just the beginning of an amazing journey for Jeremy, me, and our Honey Bee!   (so, stay tuned)