2021 Re-Cap
So yeah, I did a pretty horrible job this year of my blogging business. I fully intend on making that up in 2022. But first lets recap 2021 and what a rollercoaster ride it has been. COVID-19 of course destroyed my business, so a large chunk of my life in 2021 was spent, trying to avoid situations where I would avoid being in public. I continued my Wednesday IVIG Infusions for my Gastroparesis (yeah 8 hours long infusion). I’m so glad I get along with my home health nurse, I dont see how she puts up with me half the time lol. We sit and watch movies and talk and then order lunch. I also have continued to get my other much shorter infusion of Benlysta for my Lupus. And what was the most troubling health-wise for me in 2021? I would hands down say it was my Gastroparesis. I was in the hospital less but there for more severe problems, if that makes any sense. I had both Gastro and Lupus Flares that were very painful and nauseating. So of course after trying the medications I have at home ER trip would be needed. I was in the ER less this year so I guess thats a plus.. There was a period in 2021 where I couldn’t sleep in my own bed for about 6 months. My GI Doctor wanted to try a Temporary Gastric Stimulator, long story short it works like a pace maker works for a heart. It contracts your stomach muscles forcing food to move quicker than it has been moving. The temporary gastric stimulator worked a little-bit so I will be scheduled sometime in 2022 for the permanent gastric stimulator. Personally, I’ve lost my friends, mentor and dog training group over some pretty stupid things. I made a blog post about my frustrations with them and how it seemed to be changing. I did not name any names in the blog post but nonetheless feelings got hurt and they started treating me different. I didn’t understand at first. Instead of coming to me with said problems they decided to send me texts after we had just seen each other. To me that coward bullshit. If you have something to say to me, be a grown ass woman and say it to my face. Nonetheless, I marked as a black sheep and all but told I should go somewhere else to train. The straw that broke the camels back was when Tia was pregnant and I was on my way up to my mentor for her to whelp the puppies. She kept drunk calling my phone when I was already panicked about another issue and trying to figure it out. So she called my husband and he in turned called me. When I finally called her back I was not even half-way to her house, it was dark and I told her I was going to stay the night where I was and drive in the next day. She was screaming at me on the phone about Tia’s Temperature and I said I would be there at 7:30pm (which I never said). Tia’s temperature was normal and she wasn’t showing any signs of labor or being stressed out. But I was a total basket case. I didn’t sleep at all because every time Tia moved I would jump up and check on her make she was alright. Tia did not go into labor until Tuesday morning, I had to get back home because I had an Infusion scheduled. When I left she had 5 puppies. They were small and my mentor was worried about them. By the time I got home to Kentucky they all had died. My mentor said she believed it was because I did not feed Tia puppy food at the precise time she had told me to. I admit, I did totally forget to do the puppy food halfway through the pregnancy, when she made me realize my error I tried to feed her a little at a time. But then I got to thinking, wait dogs in the wild have healthy litters of puppies all the time with now prenatal care, that couldn’t be the sole reason they died. So I asked 3 separate Veterinarians and they all said “No, that couldn’t have been the sole reason” and all three of these vets are reproduction specialists. So we had to make the post that we had lost the litter. I did post that “I left and puppies seemed fine and I didn’t know what happened” to my Facebook, it was not a jab at my mentor it was me just being honest but she apparently took it as me putting the blame on her. So I got nasty message from her. I took the damn post down, it was not that serious and I apologized and it was not my intention. So a few weeks later I went to pick Tia up and it couldn’t have been more awkward between us. I asked if I could still send tracking vids to her and she refused saying I should send them only to another trainer. So I took that, as she didn’t want me training with them anymore. I don’t go to places I am not wanted, so I get it. We had one final Text message conversation and in it I got told to go eat a bon-bon because I was addicted to pain medicine and I in-turn called her an alcoholic, looking back on it I probably could’ve thrown in “well at least I dont get so shit faced drunk and get our whole group kicked out of restaurants on a consistent basis. But I did not go there. I have not spoken a word to her. She has blocked me on Facebook, even though I am in the group for the boxer club because I am still a member. So I can see her posts there but no one posts there anymore. I’m beginning to think that just came up with a new FB Chat and excluded me from it. No biggie. It is what it is. As you can tell, this really cut me deep.
I thought this group really were my friends in good times and in bad. Well they didnt give a damn about me in the bad. She is so self-absorbed and can never be wrong about anything. Instead of a being a mentor its like she just stabbed me in my back when I stood up for myself. I know how she operates and I’m sure she’s told everyone I’m a “horrible” person who is “lazy”, etc whatever. I care too much what people think of me and thats my problem. I have to change that. I don’t have my own successful business, my business wasn’t handed to me on a silver platter like hers. I’m building my business from the ground up, so I don’t have the means to take off whenever I want to, to attend a show or seminar and training. I have to plan things months in advance. But wait hen she needed someone to go to Nationals in Florida and in Washington state? oh was that me? Who drive 3 hours out of the way in a fucking monsoon of a storm to transport a damn poodle to her? wait that was me again. She gets drunk and she gets stupid. Oh wait sometimes she doesn’t even need to get drunk. She doesn’t understand that not everyone is like her. I wish I had her energy and health. I wish I could train my dogs every day all day. I can’t. And its a really hard blow and have to continuously apologize for being sick was getting on my nerves and I guess hers to in the end. I tried one final time to talk to her about it and her comment was “I don’t care to hear about any of your diseases, I have my own stuff to worry about” she has obviously shown she doesn’t care at all. Waaaay before this point. So why did I even think anything would be different? Cause I’m crazy. So shes blocked me on Facebook. She texted me saying something along the lines of “maybe we will able to talk again sometime in the future I dont know, but you can text or call me with anything that;s concerning Tia as per the contract” She obviously doesn’t know me. Once I’m done with you. I’m done. I told her “don’t hold your breath for that conversation, good luck in everything you do in life, this will be my last communication with you.” And I truly mean that. I still recommend her as a outstanding Boxer breeder, people ask me about, I have no sour word to say about her as a breeder. I don’t go any further in conversation than that with anyone. I will give credit where its due. But now she’s raised her prices to $4500 from $2500 for puppies. I think she’s lost her mind, but whatever to each their own. She also in getting in the oodle designer dog business which we have discussed at length about how stupid it is but all of a sudden someone has influenced her that its a great money maker. Oh well. Good luck in all that. When something like this happens I try to go back and see what I could’ve done to change the outcome. I allowed myself 3-4 months to grieve the relationship I had with her and that training group. I never meant to hurt anyone’s feelings with my Blog posts but wait…my feelings were hurt by their actions so I’m not allowed to voice when my feelings get hurt by them, but they can pick at me for having my feelings hurt by them. What the hell kind of sense does that make?? My Criticism post, where I felt they had no respect for me. So, ok Let’s be real. I don’t hide my feelings at all. If I have a problem or an issue, I will be a grown ass woman and talk to that person about it. Thats what adults do right? I guess not. So after a weekend of training together some rude comments were made towards me (making dessert cup cakes, asked for help for breaking down my IV pole, wasn’t quite strong enough to collapse it and someone looked me dead in the eye and said “no” he wasnt doing a damn thing and I was like “No?” and he said “No!” more a little more sternly. so i sat the damn poe down and finished my packing up.), so I was already feeling a little awkward, then my mentor got in her van and left right after her and 10 mins down the road I get this long ass text message telling me everything I had done wrong that weekend…from sitting in the house, not being ready to go on the field, disappearing, being late, etc. I’m like “ok that’s well and dandy but you couldn’t just say that when you were here 5 minutes ago. If I had an issue with her I would talk to her face to face, thats just how I am. I hide behind a phone or a computer or whatever. I have that much respect for someone as a person. Or could it be a game of “Oh, don’t make the black girl mad” , “Oh they get loud when they get pissed off” I’d hate to think of that being the case but it kind of is if you really thank about it. I am the token black girl (oh we aren’t racist, we have that one black friend syndrome) in the IGP/IPO crowd. I’m used to it by now. But maybe that’s what it is. The homeowner said that my mentor told her not to say anything about me giving myself fluids in the kitchen, because she didn’t want to cause a scene and I asked “Who would’ve caused a scene?”……long pause….”It’s his house….if he gets squeamish then I will happily take it in a more private setting, I don’t want anyone uncomfortable let alone in their own home.”. So that’s what I’m left to think with this group. My other training group is in TN and currently kind of on hiatus because it’s 3 hours away and its been kind of a bad season with my health. The leaders are currently in Hawaii should be back in the next couple of years (military). So in the meantime I am focused on my company, “Evolution Dog Training, LLC”, I have an awesome co-owner Angel and we are both going back to school to get our Dog Trainer Certificates. Meanwhile we’ve been working our In-Home Programs during the cold months, trying build online classes and handouts. I am also focusing on Capone and Tia’s AKC titles that have been on hold while I was training in IGP/IPO Schutzhund. 2022 I hope to get Tia’s CGC, CD, CGC,A, CGCU….I hope to get Capone’s RE, CD, CGCA, CGCU maybe towards the end of the year maybe a Tracking or Obedience Title in IGP for them. If my health will allow me to.
So that’s pretty much what has been going on in my little world. 2022 will be NO MORE DRAMA. That’s what I love about my new friends I have, we are honest, helpful, dog lovers, and very much understanding of each other. I’ve had enough drama to last a few lifetimes. LOL I’m going to share pics of Christmas gifts from the Hubby this year. This shows he really knows my heart. LOL Introducing Biggie Capone and TuPac Tia
