Jake

For those of you who haven't heard, our dog Jake has been diagnosed with the beginning stages of kidney failure. There are things we can do to make him feel better, but there's not really a cure. The only real cure would be for him to get a doggy kidney transplant which is very expensive. Jake's been part of our family since before we were a family. He first belonged to my friend Tab's parents almost since the time I originally met Olen. He became ours when Olen and I got married. So, he's been part of our family since the very beginning. As you can tell by the photo of him and Aiden, Aiden loves him. He'll see Jake and go running to him and sit down right beside him. If they're outside, he'll follow Jake all around the yard. He likes to lean over and kiss Jake.

We'd (or rather I) been thinking about getting another dog for the past few months. I knew that Jake was getting older. I wanted there to be another dog just in case something happened to Jake, so that it would soften the blow for Aiden (and maybe me). We haven't been in a position financially to add another mouth to the household though.

God actually worked to help us find out about it early. We thought that Jake needed to go in for his annual exam and took him in. We found out after we got there that he wasn't due in 'til April. We almost didn't have them do a blood exam, but decided to go ahead and do one now. It was that exam that found the problem. This way Jake got treatment earlier to help him feel better. God was watching out for our puppy dog.

In the midst of all of this, Olen and Aiden both got sick. Aiden was so sick that we ended up taking him to the doctor. They're both doing much better. Thank you to all of you who were praying for them.

It's amazing how much a pet can be a member of the family. So, as long as Jake continues to be a part of this family, we'll continue to give him hugs and kisses and follow him around!