Tag: Rescue Dogs

Blog + Dog, Style

Brindle Market; Blend of Fashion, Compassion, and Animal Rescue

RaeAnna

I love dogs. I have six rescue babies to prove it. It’s a lot; I’m aware. Cathy, the founder and CEO of Brindle Market, and I connected over Instagram a little while back, and I quickly became obsessed with her shop and story. I’m actually living in the Do No Harm tshirt as I write this. I asked her a whole bunch of questions, and she answered them so thoroughly, which makes writer-me very, very happy. So let’s talk about Cathy!

I had to get my own street dog a sparkly cape! | Sweatshirt

With years of volunteering in animal rescues and focusing on at-risk animals, Cathy began dreaming of creating a business that would bring awareness to and benefit the community. Based in California’s Bay Area, Brindle Market came into existence in 2016. Named for the blending colored fur pattern, she has created her own blend of fashion, small business, and animal rescue by donating 10% of proceeds to animal rescues to be a part of the solution. She’s creating beautiful, wearable pieces that advocate for animal rights. I can personally attest, they are very comfy! 

An animal mama, Cathy shares her home with Meeka, Sadie, and Tucky. Meeka, the kitty, joined her family after getting lost in a neighbor’s attic during repairs. After two weeks of mysterious meowing, Cathy rushed to the vet before keeping her furever. Sadie, a small terrier mix, darted in front of Cathy’s car begging to be caught. When her original owners failed to respond to messages and a short stay at the local animal shelter, Sadie joined the family. Tucky, a tuxedo cat, was a neonatal orphan kitten foster fail. Some things are just meant to be, and our hearts know it. 

Animals have been a huge part of Cathy’s life. Her first rescue dog, Katie, came into her life at thirteen. A year out of college, Bella, a pit mix, became a part of her family. The relationship came with reactivity challenges and training classes, but—like every good dog parent knows—with love, time, and lots of training most things can be turned around. It was also a lesson in breed discrimination in culture and legislation; as well as, a learning curve of how every dog has different needs. Bella was the catalyst for Cathy’s path as a pitbull advocate and her life with rescues.   

You know what would be cute for Christmas? This t-shirt.

Between the pandemic, chronic illness, and disability, Brindle Market transitioned into an online-only business in 2020. The transition was not always simple. Cathy took control of a difficult personal and global situation to continue creating and bringing good into the world. Expanding her team to include a social media manager, blog writer, photographer, and affiliate program, she has been able to expand, reaching new partners to sustain her family and business in the face of illness and global economic upheaval. 

In 2022, she will be integrating owner and pet wellness elements to Brindle Market. Continuing the theme of blending life with passion, she is leaning into lessons she has learned on her health journey. This inclusion also allows for positivity in the face of adversity and embracing all the moments we cherish with our pets. She is determined to continue Brindle Market and give back to the animal rescue community, having donated more than $11,500 and counting.  

I’m so honored Cathy felt comfortable enough opening up about her personal struggles with illness and disability along with the steps she’s taken to keep her amazing business going. As a chronically ill, freelancing, dog mom trying to make it in a mid-pandemic world, I can empathize with the struggle. She’s doing amazing things for the community and the world! So please go check out the website, support a small business, be a part of changing a rescue baby’s life, and also Christmas is coming up so go nuts! 

Visit and Shop Brindle Market
https://brindlemarket.com/

Blog + Dog, Books, Reading Lists

Literary Puppies; Big Names For Little Paws

RaeAnna

We’re doing a massive throwback to when the puppies were still babies and I was the proud mama of fifteen dogs. Keeping in the vein of: I’m so far behind in writing content for the blog, I’m showing up with these pictures taken in the middle of May 2020 when the babies were tiny and I had yet to realize I had lost all motivation. So content I meant to publish well over a year ago is finally seeing the light of day.  

This was as haywire as it looks.

As of right now, the puppies have been in their forever homes for a year and three months. I ended up keeping four and the mama along with my first rescue dog. The house is chaos, and I love it. 

When it comes to names, I believe a name is important. It is an identity. The utterance of a name evokes an entire being. I’m the owner of a unique name with meaning. My dogs are my children, and I wanted to bestow them with unique and meaningful names; even if those names would only be with them for a short time. 

Beau is the first baby I named. Her full name being Beauvoir for Simone de Beauvoir, the French writer, feminist, and existentialist. I wanted her to be strong and smart and full of character. All things that she very much is. When Tess came along, she was a pregnant teenager alone in the world, so I named her for the titular character in Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Let’s just say, her story has a much happier ending than the novel. 

Tess brought the puppies into the world on March 3 and 4, 2020. Dylan and I went back and forth naming them. To say the least, the names were not necessarily equal in creativity. No paws pointed in any direction… Just to inform, the names I chose were largely literary or historical and sometimes both. The exception being Noski, meaning socks in Russian because he had four white paws, creatively uncreative. 

My favorite thing was sitting down and letting them climb all over me.

March—Everyone thought I named her March because she was born in March. That would be coincidental. I named her for the March sisters in Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Now named Vienna, for Vienna sausage because she looked like a tiny sausage puppy.

Hardy—Named for one of my favorite authors, Thomas Hardy, who wrote Tess of the D’Urbervilles. He was a Victorian novelist, who wasn’t afraid to tackle difficult subjects and women’s struggles. Now named Marcus, for Marcus Aurelius, so yay for a creative furever dad.

Hera—[Dylan Named] He wanted to name a few girls after ancient Greek goddesses, who are strong. Yay for mythological stories. So I’m not mad about it. Still named Hera.

Boudica—A warrior Queen of the Iceni tribe, who met and conquered the Roman forces in 60 AD. Maybe not literary, but there are some great books about her! Now named Lucy!

Makeda—Named for a highly disputed woman who may or may have not existed in Ethiopia and/or the Middle East, depending on tradition. She is better known as Queen of Sheba and first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. 

Lily-May—A combination of Lily Bart from House of Mirth and May Welland from The Age of Innocence both by Edith Wharton. Now named by Sadie.

Athena—[Dylan Named] Another girl named for an ancient Greek goddess. She’s still named Athena, but she goes by Teena.  

Oryol—The hometown of Ivan Turgenev, a Russian writer, known for exploring nihilistic themes in much of his work. Fathers and Sons is a particular favorite. He now goes by Murphy. 

They were chaos, but they were cuddly chaos.

My house has three girls and three boys. The girls were all named by me: Beau, Tess, and Makeda. Dylan named the three boys: Knight, Duke, and Bear. None are literary names. I did make Knight’s name fun by pronouncing it K-Nig-Hit. It is pronounced phonetically and not with a silent k, g, or h. People look at me weird, and I love it. I like to tell people Duke was named for Duke Orsino in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, and Bear was named for Professor Behr in Little Women. Neither is true, but I can pretend. 

bisous un обьятий,
RaeAnna

Shop the Post
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”4572895″]

11..., Lifestyle

11… Ways Life Is Being Nice to Me Right Now

RaeAnna
Enjoying a quiet moment in a peony garden in Iowa. | Dress | Earrings

Life is a cluster fuck right now; there’s no better way of putting it. COVID has done a number on people, economies, jobs, politics, society, the world. You name it, it’s been touched by COVID. This year has felt like the longest, gloomiest day ever. COVID is the single most pervasive thing I have encountered in my entire life. Sex, money, and power might be more pervasive, but it’s a close race. 

Last week, I wrote about eleven shit things going on in my life right now. Optimism and positivity do not come naturally to me. I’m an upbeat person with a morose soul. I’m trying to keep things happy inside my head because I have six fuzz balls depending on mommy to not spiral into a well of sadness. They need and deserve a happy mommy who can talk in a high pitched puppy voice coming from her heart and not faked.

Here are eleven ways life is nice to me.  

  1. I have six amazing dogs that make me feel more loved than I’ve ever felt in my entire life. Love just pours out of every possible opening of my soul for these dogs. I wish I had six bodies and all the money I could possibly need so every inch of my body and second of my time could be spent loving them. Alas, I have work to do so I can pay for their extravagant eating habits. Taking in a rescue and four puppies was borderline bonkers, but it is the best decision I have made. It’s been the best thing I have ever done for my soul. I love them. 
  2. I own a house. Yay for housing. That one was touch and go for a while, which was rough. We’ve been in the house for three full months, almost four. It’s still a mess, but it’s ours. Eventually things will get done, but I’m enjoying watching the puppies grow into dogs in their home. No more moving! For a while at least.
  3. Not traveling. I hate writing this one, but in its own way, not traveling has been a good thing. I’ve been able to concentrate on my family and dogs. I miss being on the road and the trips I was supposed to take, but I will never get the puppy months back. Scotland and all the other places will still be there. The money I would have spent on trips has gone to the dogs or kept safe for travels at a later date. I’ve been able to put some roots down in the new area of Houston I live, which I was never able to do because I was always off on another adventure. 
  4. Dancing has always been a part of my life. I love it. I trained to do it professionally for a long time. Obviously, that didn’t pan out. I haven’t danced in years and years and years. Partially because of money. Partially because of time. Partially because I was never anywhere long enough to find a dance studio. Well, I’ve been able to start dancing again, and I’ve found some really lovely new friends!
  5. I have always loved big picture windows. I never thought about or wanted to buy a house, so I always admired other people’s beautiful windows. Our house has these awful original windows from the 70s. They’re not pretty, and they’re really not energy efficient. Replacing windows is expensive. We can’t do the whole house at once, but we decided to put new windows in the living room and a new sliding glass door in the dining room. Wow! I love it. They’re big and beautiful, and they make being stuck at home so much better aesthetically. Oh and it took a HUGE chunk out of our electric bill!
  6. Work is slow. I miss having oodles of work to do. It seems like a bummer, but it’s a blessing. Having less work to occupy my time has allowed me the ability to raise my dogs and provide them with a stable and healthy environment. I have the time to make sure their needs are met. I’ve been able to get to know them and pay attention to their individual personalities and nuances, which has enabled me to catch health concerns long before I would have if I would’ve had my usual work load. Slowing down has been a gift to me and my dogs. 
  7. I’ve done a lottle retail therapy. There have been some seriously good sales because of COVID, and I took advantage. I didn’t need to, but I did. And someday, I’ll get to wear these super cute clothes I just bought again. Also I finally found a computer bag I like, so I don’t have to put my computer in my purse anymore. Woo!
  8. Having a ginormous couch is the best thing ever. Fuckers it was expensive. I hate spending money, but buying a giant, comfy couch was a really, really excellent use of money. I’ve been dealing with health issues, so I’ve been clocking in some serious couch hours. It’s big enough for the entire family to sit on, and it’s blue. Wins all around. 
  9. I have learned so much about pop culture. I really hate being unproductive, but I also really love it. I miss getting shit tons of things done and going everywhere and doing all the things. But I also love not getting to. Being at home and binging Netflix/Hulu/Disney+/Amazon. I’m super unproductive in a tangible way. The blog is floundering. My work is slow. Boy am I catching up on pop culture! I’ve learned so much useless crap about the world and generation I live in. Who knew about Memes? Apparently everyone, and now I do too!
  10. Cooking and baking is something I love to do. But I’ve done exactly almost none of that during the pandemic. Instead, I have been embracing the exhausted mom-life and supporting local places through delivery. And now that I live somewhere more conducive to ordering in, I have loads of options! Just last night, I had amazing pot roast that did not require me spending hours in the kitchen cooking. 
  11. I have spent more consecutive time with my boyfriend than ever before. I think I still like him. We’ve definitely had more tête-à-têtes than usual, but that’s because we’ve had more concentrated time together, even though we’ve lived together for four years. Gotta love COVID!

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

Shop the Post
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”4187565″]

Blog + Dog

Visiting Vienna; Life After The Puppies Left Me

RaeAnna
Vienna watching the horses in the pasture.
Vienna exploring the woods.
Being cautiously curious about the really big dogs!

When I brought Tess home, I would have never, in a trillion years, imagined my tiny dog would be filled with thirteen puppies. THIRTEEN! I just about had a heart attack when the vet came in with the news and the x-ray proof. It is still one of the wildest facts I’ve had to digest. I didn’t know what we were going to do with thirteen puppies. That’s thirteen births, thirteen mouths to feed, thirteen vaccinations, thirteen lives to watch over. Thirteen homes to find. I was mostly worried about the thirteen homes. 

I am a tiger mama. I would do anything for my babies. I knew I was not going to let the puppies go to just anyone. I vetted everyone who was interested in a puppy. I did home checks, interviewed, and made them sign contracts. I wanted to make sure every single puppy would be in a home that would love them and take care of them forever. I even made my very best friend and my parents sign a contract. There were zero exceptions made. Tiger mama. Even though nine of the puppies are no longer mine, there is nothing I would not do for them and their parents. Need a babysitter? I got you. Have a question at three in the morning? Call away. Want a hand to hold at the vet? Give me ten minutes. We’ve got this!

I found eight homes. Five found homes in Houston: two with my close friends, three with (now) new friends. One went to a wonderful home in Nebraska. Two stayed with my parents. One went to my best friend. Each and every person/family is lovely. They’re crazy dog parents like me. I couldn’t have asked for better families for them. Honestly, I’d let them all adopt me. Everyone has been beyond wonderful and keeps me updated with pictures and videos and anecdotes. It is just the best outcome I could have asked for. I have even gotten to dog sit for a few of them.  

Giving them up was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. If I could have kept them all, I would have. But that’s not fair to the puppies. They deserve to have all the attention. In a home full of dogs, I wouldn’t have been able to give them the attention they deserve. I found joy in pairing each puppy with the right family. Active puppies went with active people. Shy puppies went to families with patient hearts. The puppies attached at the hip stayed together. They all ended up exactly where they were meant to. And they are so incredibly happy and loved and safe. 

I never pressured anyone into a puppy because it’s a huge decision. A life changing decision. A financially, socially, emotionally, life altering entity coming into a home and peeing on things. A dog will be a part of your life for fifteen years (fingers crossed). They are family. My best friend, Alex, had been talking about adopting a dog someday. As in, not now. He wanted to get settled into his post-military life. I never even mentioned him taking a puppy because he’d been clear about a dog is for future Alex. Two weeks after the puppies were born, he said he wanted one. I thought he was joking. He wasn’t. I suggested March for him. She was the right combination of playful, active, funny, cuddly, and smart he needed. Each of the puppies is special, but she was specially suited for Alex. He met her at eight weeks old and fell in love. I delivered her to him on my birthday when she was twelve weeks. It was hard saying goodbye, but I knew I would get to see her again and watch her grow up. 

Vienna is an active girly, who loves to run and explore.

Before March was even four weeks old, Alex was sold. We video called often so he could see the puppies and “get to know” March. I told him to start thinking of a name so she could get used to her new name. They were all asleep in their various squishy shades of tan, brown, and black. He said, “They look like sausages; I’m going to name her Sausage.” I responded with, “No puppy for you. You can’t name her Sausage.” In his ever quippy manner, “Fine. I’ll name her Vienna. Vienna Sausage.” I tried to talk him into taking two so he could have a Vienna and a Genoa, but he is the very proud doggy daddy to Vienna. 

I was able to visit them in August when I went to Iowa. I was nervous she wouldn’t remember me, but she did. She is growing up into the sweetest and most playful dog. Her personality is really shining through now that she doesn’t have to compete with twelve other puppies for attention.

Raising puppies is hard work. Really hard work. Emotionally and physically exhausting work. Twelve weeks is not a long period of time, but it’s long enough to fall completely in love with thirteen individual puppies. For their personalities to be engraved on my heart. Being with them 24/7 is grueling but amazing. I watched them grow, see their eyes open, teach them how to eat solid food, clean up poop, and more. I got to know their unique personalities. Everyone asked which was the best puppy or who was my favorite. The truth is, I didn’t have a favorite. I couldn’t choose. They’re all perfect and special and wonderful. They’re so different. I love them all.  

The puppies have been with their furever families for three and a half months, and it is an absolute joy to watch all the puppies grow into themselves and their families. I know I did the right thing taking Tess in and caring for them until their furever families took over. I knew from the beginning it would break my heart, but it’s the good break. A happy break, knowing they’re in the best place for them. I miss them every day, and sometimes, I look through the thousands of pictures I have. The fact each family takes the time to keep me updated on their growth, development, health, and happiness means more to me than they could ever know. 

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

11..., Lifestyle

11… Ways Life is Being Difficult Right Now

RaeAnna
Gotta love the help I have at all times.

Life is always difficult. I would like to meet the person who says it isn’t and learn their secret. Until that person makes themselves known, I’m going to continue operating under the premise: life is hard, and there is always that obstacle, that health issue, that person, that work project, that special something that makes life a little less pleasant than I’d like it to be. Sometimes all of those somethings at once, which is a total bugger of a situation. 

In so many ways my life is really lovely right now. Next week’s 11… will be a post about the lovely things in my life, but right now. Nope. I’m going to complain. 

  1. I pooped my pants today. That is correct. You read that correctly. No typo. I would love to tell you this is an isolated incident. It’s not. Since I was 24 and went through quite a major health incident, my body does not always work properly—rarely ever. I go through particularly bad periods where I can’t stray too far away from the bathroom, which is a real problem for any kind of social life, plan making, trip taking, or work doing. It could be a lot worse, but it was just an incentive to do some laundry.  
  2. My Anxiety Demon is stalking me. Anxiety is no joke. It’s been making my life difficult for as long as I can remember, but over the last few months, it’s been making itself known excessively. Currently contemplating life without sleep or responsibility as a solution. So far not working. 
  3. Sedated Tess. Tessa is my angel baby. She came to me and brought responsibilities of enormous proportion at a time when the distraction and love was everything I needed with the bills, everything I did not. She permanently brought me Knight, Makeda, Duke, and Bear and let me take care of nine other babies until their furever families could take them home. Tess is on the tail end of her heartworm journey. YAY! But she still has six months until we get the all clear. And another month of restricted activity, which means sedation. She’s a nightmare on sedation. Grumpy, ass bitch (in the most literal of terms). I get it, she’s frustrated, but it is hard when we have a houseful of dogs wanting to play, and Tess wants to eat them because they get to play and she doesn’t. 
  4. One of our air conditioning units and the furnace needs to be replaced. Living in Houston, air conditioning is as necessary as food. I need it to function. Ours is on its last leg. So fun. 
  5. Depression. My Depression Demon and Anxiety Sadist are currently skipping hand in hand around my brain. It’s great. Quite the houseparty they’ve got going on. I’m just waiting on them to invite Insecurity Fiend and Nervous Nelly over for some real fun. 
  6. Duke has a SEVERE overbite. We’ve been monitoring it since we first noticed a hint of overbite. He had a check up with the vet last month, and we were told he would be fine until his next check in at eight months old to see how it’s doing. Well, we noticed some holes in the upper palate of his mouth from his teeth being misaligned from the overbite. We took him in immediately. Well, he (and all the other puppies) are growing so fast, their little bodies are changing like crazy. He needs to be seen like yesterday by a dental specialist/orthodontist to correct the damage that’s already been done and make adjustments to his mouth to prevent further damage. Yikes. 
  7. Money seems to be flowing out of my pocket like it’s air. Between buying a house, all the issues that come with that, and my dogs’ issues, I am broke. I mean, I have enough money to eat, but the savings are depleted, and credit cards are tired. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade them for the world, and I am so glad they found a home with me because I know they will be taken care of and their needs will be met. But it does take a toll on the emotions and the wallet. No regrets. They are worth it, and I’m truly grateful I have a partner as committed to giving up and cutting back where we can so that we can put that money towards the needs of our babies’ health. 
  8. I rolled my ankle today. There’s a running joke in my family that I can dance beautifully, but that walking really trips me up. Literally. I now have the added obstacle of a step down into my living room and hardwood floors that need to be replaced because they buckle, popping up randomly in the middle of rooms.
  9. I have hardwood floors that buckle, popping up randomly in the middle of rooms. This is a problem. It’s because when the floors were installed by the previous owners, they were done super wrong. It’s going to be expensive to redo the whole first floor, and right now the money is going to make sure the doggos are healthy. 
  10. Motivation. What is that? I have lost pretty much all motivation to hunt down writing gigs or even write the bare minimum for the blog. Most days, I feel a great sense of accomplishment that all six dogs and the man-friend are fed and alive. Part of it is a mental thing. I’m out of the habit and out of the mindset of working eight to fourteen hours a day. The other part is the lack of time. I have time, but I don’t have unencumbered time. It is really, really, really, really hard to read more than two pages without having to get up and referee a disagreement or figure out why the house is so quiet or let the dogs out so no one pees in the house or feed them or any number of things that come up. Imagine trying to sit down and actually write a book review or blog post or anything! It’s hard. I’ve had to start going to Starbucks to write for an hour before/after yoga. Which is really saying something, since I’m notorious for hating to work anywhere except my [home] office. 
  11. I don’t get to travel! Traveling is the way I decompress. It is my way of getting to breathe. I’m lucky that I can take my job with me wherever I go, and that my boyfriend is a live-in doggy daddy who can and does take care of the dogs when I leave. With the pandemic, there is no leaving. There’s staying. Nothing but staying. I love my home. I love my life. But I’m ready to get back on the road again. 

Like everyone on the planet, I’m actually dealing with even more things than this right now, some more serious, some less, but this is a really good highlight reel of life being life. I’m complaining because I can, but I genuinely love my life and appreciate it. And, truly, it could be a gazillion times worse.

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

Shop the Post
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”4179490″]

Blog + Dog, In My Own Words, Lifestyle

Isolation Creation

RaeAnna
I love being surrounded by my new rescue babies.

One of my favorite people to follow on instagram is Jamick Beck. She’s a brilliant photographer and a lovely human to watch live her life through my phone screen. She lives in the South of France. During quarantine she worked on an Isolation Creation project, where she created a beautiful photograph every day and documented it on social media with the hashtag #isolationcreation. It was so inspiring, and I loved following along. 

Social media has been flooded with all these amazing people creating amazing things with their newfound freetime. They are really living out #isolationcreation. I love it. My quarantine feels like the opposite: A vacuum where creativity and productivity have ceased to exist. I have been in quarantine (to the best of my ability) since the middle of March. 

Now is not the time to be trapped inside my house with me, myself, and my multiple internal narratives of doom for company. My anxiety is having anxiety over how much anxiety I have over being anxious about everything. On top of it, my depression has been a raging ball of sadness and defeat. It’s an excellent combination for sustaining minimal productivity and an endless drowning sensation. 

My sweet Duke wasn’t supposed to stay, but here he is furever.

On the surface, my everyday life has not drastically changed. I work from home and don’t have tons of reasons to leave the house. I used to travel a few times a month, and I was always bopping out to have lunch with friends or grab a coffee with someone or something in the world. None of that has happened, which is good for health reasons. 

My quarantine has not included any of the things I would have liked it to include. Considering I can’t travel or leave the house and work has substantially slowed down, I should have time to do so many things. But not true. I have not written my book or even a short story. I’ve not even tended to my blog, which is my job. I don’t read the way I should be. Nothing that needs to be done is getting done. Nothing I want done is getting done. I’m existing in this space of doing the bare minimum. Here’s what the bare minimum has consisted of for me over the last few months:

  • Finding a dog, helping her have thirteen puppies, bottle feeding them, making sure they go to the vet every few weeks, emergency vet trips, finding them REALLY good furever homes, keeping them safe, and sending them to their furever homes. (I’m exhausted just thinking about it all again.)
  • Finding and buying a house. (The literal worst.)
  • Moving cross-country with all the dogs because the house situation took longer because of COVID and we were trying to… 
  • Not be homeless.
  • Working on the few projects that came my way. (So slow… who needs a writer?)
  • Sleeping whenever I could, which was hardly never.
  • Moving back across the country with the dogs to…
  • Finally move into the house.
  • Unpacking the house… Unpacking the necessary things; still working on the unnecessary bits. 
  • Battling my anxiety and depression. 
  • Fixing the house because it was NOT in the shape it was supposed to be in.  
Makeda front and center where she likes to be. They loved laying in the laundry basket. Don’t ask me why.

Productivity and efficiency are my main modes of existing. I hate doing nothing. I hate inefficiency. I hate wasting time. In my mind, nothing has been productive or efficient during quarantine. It’s wrong. I know I have been productive and as efficient as one can be with puppies considering the circumstances of COVID-19, fifteen dogs, moving, and not living in my own house for two and a half months. There’s this anxiety/depression monster that lives in my stomach (head but I feel it in my stomach) telling me I’m the fucking worst and I could do more and be better and why is nothing done the way it could be??? The last four months have not been my ideal version of productivity. When I see time where I’m just sitting, that’s time I could have been working, unpacking, or doing something with my life to achieve my dreams in any and all the ways. I could have done more during quarantine, but I also couldn’t have. I’m dealing with life, puppies, work being slow, COVID, anxiety, depression, and that’s my version of #isolationcreation. 

This was my cue they were done playing and wanted to go in for a nap.

Instead of creating art or finding my love of needle point (I’m actually already not bad at that) or getting in shape or learning how to speak Urdu, I’ve been creating fourteen healthy lives. My #isolationcreation is the puppies and their mama. I took her and the thirteen puppies in during a really difficult time. I made sure she had everything she needed before, during, and after the birth. We almost lost her, but we didn’t. I’m working on getting her healthy – she has already come such a long way. We were told to only expect eight puppies to live, but all thirteen are alive, happy, and healthy. There were several puppies who needed extra attention because they were small, weak, and/or sick. They made it through and are living their best lives. Nine found their perfect homes. Four are stuck with me, two of which have special needs (I call them my miracle boys), but I know they’ll be taken care of. They are almost potty trained. They know how to sit and stay. They’re well behaved and wonderful to be around. They’re the image of health, and they’re growing like crazy. They bring me joy and keep me busy. Life is never dull.

I’m hard on myself, but I always have been. Struggling is my main form of existing right now [always], but I’ve created good where there was sadness during quarantine. I didn’t create beautiful artwork for the world to enjoy like Jamie Beck, but I created something intangibly beautiful for the puppies and their furever families. I did what I could, and I hope it was enough.  

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

I did my very best for them, and I loved watching them grow and change.
#isolationcreation