IZZIE

On August 16, 2011, our sweet, 14 year old Jack Russell, Little Ann passed away.  When she left us, Rod and I were devastated. Our daughter Caitlin had recently married and with the loss of Little Ann, we became "complete" empty-nesters. I vowed at that time I would NEVER have another dog. I felt that we were at the age that we didn't need to be tied down to a dog and frankly, the last year of Little Ann's life with Cushings Disease left us (especially me) weary.
Never say Never-

Izzie Belle, 6 weeks old and barely 3 pounds, came into our family on January 21, 2012 despite my reservations and protests. She is the half-sister of Caitlin and Bradley's dog Ellie (same dad, different mother). Izzie's dad's name is Taz..short for Tasmanian Devil. I think you get the picture. Her energy level is 10x that of what our sweet, calm, Little Ann's was. One morning, Izzie had all the toilet paper off the roll, the toilet scrub brush out of its holder and a container of Clorox wipes out of the bathroom is 5 seconds flat. She cried all night the first week and I was one exhausted new mother. January 21 will forever be etched in my mind. Before Izzie, life was free and easy! My thoughts after Izzie were - "I'm too old for this! I don't want to stand in the yard in my housecoat and rain boots at 5:30 in the morning coaxing a puppy on a leash to pee and poo. What have I done??" (On the positive side, I can tell you exactly what time the newspaper carrier comes by and I bought myself the most adorable new rain boots!) Before Izzie, all of our socks were intact. Now we are lucky to find our socks. Before Izzie, the floors were neat, now there are more toys on the floor than a house with a 2 year old. None of our toilet paper holders have a roll on them. Any paper product, shoe, and piece of clothing is fair game. Instead of the exotic trip Rod and I talked about for our 25th anniversary, our present to each other was a fence around the backyard. (Hey the 25th is "Silver"!) But during those exasperating first 6 months, a funny thing happened. Izzie stole my heart. I think every woman has the need to nurture and I am no exception. With Caitlin grown and married, Izzie filled that need. She became our baby. Rod and I were smitten. At this point I can't imagine life without Izzie. I love that warm little body next to me! I love that sweet face with eyes full of expression. I love those kisses! Her energy level is high, her desire to love and please is higher. I miss her when I am not with her. When she deserves scolding, all she has to do is look at me with those eyes and I melt. (No wonder our excellent vet, Dr. Sabrina Grinstead, at Eno Animal Hospital, tells us we are more like grandparents than parents.) I think after having an older dog, we forgot how fun a puppy can be. It can be a lot of work, but love is work and isn't it always worth it?

I have the tendency for selfishness. It is a fault I must continuously surrender to the Holy Spirit. I believe God knows my tendency and sent Izzie to help me out. It is almost impossible to be selfish when you have a little dog so sweet and dependent on you. In the beginning God created animals. He doesn't waste any of His creation, it's all for a purpose. I am quite certain, Izzie's creation was for me.