Blog + Dog

Stormy Days and Anxiety

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Beau has been dealing with storm induced anxiety. And yes my Christmas tree is still up. Don’t judge me. | Pajamas | Blanket | Chair | Ottoman |

We’re no strangers to anxiety in my house. We deal with it all the time. The past week has been a long one because of all the storms that have been passing through the area.

Houston can have some pretty epic storms. Hurricanes aside. The past few years, January and February have been particularly gloomy and rainy. This past week has been filled with storms, which is particularly stressful for Beau. I was having a gloomy, emotional week completely unrelated to the weather, so I wasn’t too upset that we stayed in and cuddled. I’ve rather enjoyed listening to the rain outside my window as I work or rest or read.

Beau is fine with the rain as long as she doesn’t have to go outside in it and it’s not accompanied by thunder and lightning. Unfortunately, not going potty isn’t an option, and there has been quite a bit of thunder and lightning. So the week has not been ideal. 

Mostly, Beau just wants to curl up and cry. Literally, cry. Sometimes she hides in the closet shaking when the winds pick up and thunder claps. She likes to crawl as far into my arms as possible or squeeze herself tightly between Dylan and I on the couch or in bed. When we cuddle in our chair, she nestles into the blankets and lays on top of me. Being touched, held, and loved on makes her feel safer. It doesn’t stop her shakes or whines, but it settles her as much as possible.   

Beau has a whole collection of sweaters. They help keep her anxiety in check. On the very worst days, we give her benadryl, which makes her sleepy. 

It’s heartbreaking that she has such a hard time with storms. I wish I could do more to help or make her feel better. It’s so much harder when she refuses to leave the house during a storm because she needs to go potty. Sometimes I drag her outside covered in a coat and an umbrella, but she hates when her feet get wet. I have even tried to make her go potty on our covered patio but no. She is a stubborn girl; I have no idea where she gets it from. 

I’m hoping the storms will pass soon. 

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

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Blog + Dog

Happy 4th Birthday, Beau!!!

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She wanted the cake like NOW.
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Beau could not wait to eat her birthday cake. | Beach Days Hat | Good Vibes Shirt | Jean Shorts

When you rescue a dog, you never really know how old they are or when their birthday is. Beau was about a year and a half when I adopted her, so we decided to choose a day for her birthday because everyone deserves a birthday. May is my birthday month as well as many other people I love dearly. She was most likely born in 2015. I have a thing for numbers with a pattern, so I picked the 15th as her birthday. 5.15.15 is her birthday!

Today is Beau’s fourth birthday! I love celebrating people’s birthdays and that extends to my very favorite breathing entity: my dog.

Yesterday, I snagged a cake from Three Dog Bakery in Rice Village. It’s even customized with her name on it. Beau loves yummies, and Three Dog Bakery makes healthy and dog friendly treats. Peanut butter is a favorite flavor, so that’s what she got in the shape of a bone. I also picked out other dog treats because it’s not a birthday without presents.

Beau and I laid in bed for a good bit this morning getting our cuddle on. She didn’t know what the afternoon would bring, but it was definitely a celebration of her life. She loves the ocean. I love the ocean. We love the ocean. Luckily, Galveston is an hour away. Beau was very nervous as I packed clothes and food and blankets. I even wrangled up birthday balloons in her favorite color. Yes, she has favorite colors: hot pink and teal.

We were at the beach by three. She got to spend the afternoon running after birds, leaping in the waves, and chasing her favorite peoples. I even managed to get a few pictures before she chowed down on her cake. I would lie to you and say she only had a piece, but nah. She ate the whole cake in a matter of moments. I don’t think it even lasted two minutes. By five, Beau was exhausted. We spent another hour and a half just laying in the sun drying off enjoying the last bits of sunlight on her fourth birthday. Honestly, it’s the perfect way to spend a day. She had a blast, and now, she’s laying on my feet snoring. She may not know it’s her birthday, but I hope she felt extra special love today.

I couldn’t be happier to be this girl’s mama. She makes my heart happy and probably makes me a better human being.

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Lickin’ her lips after scarfing down the whole cake. | Hat | Shirt | Shorts |
Blog + Dog

Blog + Dog

Hi I’m RaeAnna! I’m a freelancer and a blogger. This is Beauvoir, my dog; she goes by Beau. We’re almost inseparable. Why? Because!

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Honestly. This is our usual! (Don’t those pumpkin scones look delicious?)

Being a freelancer and blogger means, for me, I work from home. It’s a great gig. I have pretty much zero complaints. My constant companion and the being I spend 90% of my time with is Beau. I absolutely love being a stay at home dog mom. It’s the dream. (Actually, it’s been a huge blessing after rescuing Beau, which I’ll explain another time.)

My life is very dog centered. I have always been surrounded by dogs, but Beau is my first dog on my own as an adult. There’s a certain bond that comes with being the sole financial benefactor, health manager, food distributor, love giver, exercise provider, leisure planner, plaything procurer, and everything else she could possibly need. Yes. I am the crazy dog lady. No shame. I have a bunch of mugs to help with the announcements.

I blog about books and travel and food. I love these things very much. Something has been missing from the narrative. The mundane. I want to start writing about the things which make my heart sing on a daily basis. The things that are important to the essence of my being. I want to bring you into the beautiful ordinary of the things that wouldn’t necessarily be highlighted on Instagram. These things are no less spectacular and perfect. I don’t need an oceanfront mansion in Miami or a mountaintop waterfall behind me to have a great blog post. Those are awesome and fill my heart with joy, but it’s not my daily life.

My day consists of working, blogging (also work), and my dog. Those three things are constants. I also realized: Beau rarely shows up in my posts. What??? She’s always with me. How is she almost completely absent from my digital footprint? Time to make a change.

After discussing with my best friend, Wednesdays will be, henceforth, Blog + Dog days. I’m going to write about the ordinary things Beau and I do together. I’ll probably share some tidbits on our favorite toys, our heartworm adventure, being a rescue mom, traveling with a big dog, and everything in between. It’s a crazy dog life, but it’s my crazy dog life. I love it! Hopefully my photogenic boxer-mix will bring a smile to your face every Wednesday!  

Feel free to drop a comment with requests or suggestions! I’m always looking for new things to write about or fun adventures to go on with my white shadow.

xoxo!
Beau and RaeAnna

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I love her kisses more than people kisses. Also look at those pumpkin scones!