This past week my favorite Tears For Fears album turned 30 years old. 30 years old! Wow! How could that be possible when I only look 25 according to one of those crazy quizzes I took on Facebook?! This also was a week of sowing the seeds of love a bit unexpectadly but just as the title says. I always told my wiener girls that mama has enough love for everybody and that included four legged love.
I’ve had a lot of “signs” the past few months and I realize not all people believe in that kind of thing but I do. The Seeds of Love album is one of my all time favorites from my all time favorite group Tears For Fears because it has my theme song if you will, Woman In Chains performed with Oleta Adams. This song has been a part of my life since 1989 and it will always have significant meaning to me for many different reasons. If you’ve never listened to the song you are missing out on something very powerful. When Roland plays the guitar and goes into, “So free her”, which I might add, is the best when listening with the window open, singing at the top of your lungs while driving down the highway at exponential speeds. This song has gotten me through many challenges in my life. Believe me when I say I’ve had many. I have shed many tears while listening to this song but I also get strength listening to it and I cannot tell you how grateful I am for that.
I received a tag on Facebook from a friend about something I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to do again after the loss of my beloved BoBo in June. It’s been a difficult few months for not only me but for our entire family. BoBo was a special family member. I have had her near my heart in a heart shaped locket since the day after she went to heaven. I can tell you the ONLY time I took it off was because I had to for an MRI. She meant the world to me and always will. I sent the information I received almost a bit jokingly to my husband before I left the office to head home. I just couldn’t stop thinking about it and on my drive home I listened to my song and shed some more tears. By the time I got home I decided to do a little more research and by the time my husband came home I knew that I needed to do something about the information that was sent to me. It weighed on me so much that I couldn’t let it go.
We took the leap of faith and filled out the required paperwork. This was an entirely new experience for us but I reached out to three people who I trust with all of my heart, my sister Starla, my best friend KiKi and my vet for a little reassurance and my fears subsided. Now we just had to wait. Patience is not always my greatest gift in times like these but if it was meant to be it would be. I felt as if BoBo was trying to tell me everything will be ok as she did the day after her death in the General Store.
I received news on Friday that our application was accepted! Now we would move on to the next step in the process which would entail EVERYONE in the family to participate. When I say everyone that included Ms. Madison Noelle LaBelle. Maddie has been extremely lonely since her big sister BoBo Ray went to heaven. Sometimes she is able to go to her grandparents to hang out by day while we are at work but on those days that she is home by herself she can be a little hellion. It would be up to her on whether or not she wouldn’t be lonely anymore depending on the next steps in the process.
Saturday was going to be a Big Day for all of us. I had converesations with Madison about what was going to happen and how I hoped she would behave. She wagged her tail when I mentioned the possibilities. I’d like to think she knew exactly what I was saying and as far as I’m concerned she knows. My girls got their smarts from their mama ha!
I was absolutely horrified and deeply saddened when I learned of the conditions and life that many animals live in. I knew these kind of places existed but I truly did not know the magnitude and it makes my heart hurt to know that this is allowed in numerous states. I felt like maybe this was my calling of some sort to spread the word of such horrible humanity in the world and try to bring awareness as well as help in anyway that I could. The questions that I keep asking myself are, “What in the hell is wrong with people? How could anyone do this or allow this to continue?” I’d really like to know. It’s awful, painful, heartbreaking. My heart hurts. I have no other way to describe it but that. My heart hurts.
Little Seymour was in one of the worst puppy mills that a Non-Profit organization by the name of Underdog Rescue has ever seen. There were 181 dogs all in cages sitting in their own filth on top of chicken wire. They had to pull over 150 ticks off of Seymour the first night they had him and gave him a special tick pill to kill anything that was too small for them to find. The next morning there were about 60 more dead ones on his little bed. He was one of the lucky ones. Some of the dogs they found were missing eyes or feet. Some had things hanging off of them or so covered in hair that you could not see them. Not all were saved because they could only get as many as the number of volunteers/fosters they have. The “breeder” told them to buy as many as they could because he was shutting down his operations and the rest would be killed. Again, What the hell is wrong with people?!
Missouri is one state that has NO Regulations regarding conditions for these kind of breeding grounds or “Commercial Breeders”. They pay a fee to be licensed and wala they are good to go. After doing a little more research on this matter I also found Iowa and other parts of the Midwest are known areas for this kind of thing. It’s sickening! If you have a heart, please reach out to your legislature to get the laws changed. Or you may donate to rescue organizations like Underdog Resue to help. https://underdogrescuemn.com/
We arrived early to the event where we would have our meet and greet with little Seymour. I honestly didn’t know what to expect as I had no idea how Madison would take to her potential new little brother. We sat in our Jeep and waited for his foster mom to arrive with him. Madison was a bit anxious not knowing what was going on. Then they finally arrived and Oh My Goodness! Seymour was the sweetest, cutest, most quiet wiener dog I have ever met before. Not one bark! Madison and Seymour sniffed each others butts. Madison got preoccupied by other dogs coming in and out of the pet store. Another couple showed up because they also had an interest in Seymour which felt a bit awkward. They were told that he had another family already interested in him and they go in order of application. Thank God I filled the application out when I did because I was feeling a bit territorial. There were other animals up for adoption inside, however the only one I was there for was my little Seymour. He reminded me a bit like Barney Google with the googleberry eyes but with a little longer hair around his ears and tail. When I held Madison and my husband held Seymour, it felt like BoBo Ray was telling Madison that Seymour was there for her and she was there for him. They held paws and he put his head on hers like how BoBo and Madison used to snuggle on the sofa. Any feelings of doubt went away and I knew that he was meant for us. I wanted to take him home then and there.
The next step in the process would be the home visit and reference checks. Anyone who knows me knows that Seymour would win the jackpot coming into our home. He would have all of the love in the world. No one would ever harm him or make him live in those nasty conditions again. Madison would have a little brother and he would have a loving home. I knew I needed to send off an email that we most definitely wanted him to be in his furever home with us. Plus I had already started looking at boy dog collars, leashes, bow ties, jackets, jerseys, etc online. I never had a male dog before so this was all new to me.
We took a trip to Petco and Petsmart Sunday afternoon but didn’t have much luck finding what we were searching for, so Amazon to the rescue! My excitement took over just a wee bit with a few online shopping sprees for a baby gate, dog bed, collar, leash, harness, Packers jersey, Twins jersey, a plaid coat, and a few others things. Some say you can create your own destiny and I was bound and determined to get everything in place just in case.
It was getting real now folks! Holy caboodles! All of our references came back with flying colors so you know what that meant?! It meant Monday was going to be a great day!!!!! Well after work that is.
I honestly didn’t think I would ever be at this place where I’m at right at this moment. I still grieve over the loss of my BoBo Ray of Sunshine every day. I still say good morning, good bye as I’m walking out the door and good night to her before I go to sleep. But, I feel like she was there with us when we went to meet little Seymour and I know she will always be with me, especially in my heart. I’ve always said that we’ve got enough love for everybody. Now we will be “sowing the seeds of love” with the newest member of our family; the one and only Seymour Wiener of Golden Valley. I couldn’t help but keep the name 🙂
A special thank you to Kelly who tagged me on Facebook for Underdog Rescue’s post about Seymour. Also thank you to Cindy, Seymour’s foster mom for taking such good care of him before coming to his furever home. Thank God for places like Underdog Rescue of MN for the work that they do to save pets like my Little Seymour Wiener. The process was super quick and super easy. Thank you to our vet Dr. Kristin Harris, my sister Starla and my best friend KiKi for the references and support the past few months, my TFF Fan Family and also thank you to Tears For Fears for Sowing the Seeds of Love. This all started on the 30th anniversary of their album. Thank you to everyone in this process! We are truly grateful and Madison can’t wait to be a big sister! For anyone wondering if Seymour has a Tears For Fears reference in his name, you don’t have to wonder anymore. I happened to look up the name Seymour and found the Seymour family was from Somerset England, the county where Bath resides and Tears For Fears started. So in a round about way there is your Tears For Fears reference. His official name is Lord Seymour Wiener of Golden Valley because he will be treated like royalty in our home.
Tales of TFF, Taylor, Dolly and Happenstance 