Welcome to my page!

I don't know if anyone will ever read this, but this is my way of documenting my reasearch and the process of healing my dog. 

For starters, I am a stay at home mom, military wife, and animal lover.  In my life time, I have had dozens of cats, a handful of dogs, and a horse.  In my adult years, I have had two cats and three shelties.  Why shelties? Well, they just sort of chose us.  We adopted our first sheltie, Daisy, years ago.  She was part of a breeding stock and since she was not producing puppies, she was no longer wanted.  She was a wonderful addition to our family but it pained us to see that she was never properly socialized and never really acted like a "dog".  So, in response, we bought our first sheltie puppy and named her Katie.  Katie really helped Daisy become more comfortable in her settings.  When Daisy was eight years old, we had to put her down due to complications of over breeding (at her previous home).  Katie became an only dog and was introduced to a new family member in the same year (our son Will was born).  Katie was a good dog with our son, but we knew she was lonely.  A year later (last Christmas to be exact), my husband bought me another sable sheltie, Katie's half sister, named Ellie.  She was an adorable pup (aren't they all!) and was such a cuddle bug!  She was going to be my dog....but she had other plans.  Our son, then 12 months old, seemed like the perfect playmate for a new puppy.  Ellie picked him as her person.  Shelties have a tendency to favor one member of the family.  They are inseparable! I wouldn't have it any other way.  Any boy needs a dog!

Now, the reason for this blog.  Our beloved Ellie was diagnosed with Pemphigus Foliaceus.  Information is so limited regarding this disease, but here is what I have (summarized).  It is an autoimmune disease affecting the skin.  In Ellie's case, she has scabs all over her snout and her body.  She is visibly uncomfortable.  It has a 60% mortality rate; however, it is not the disease pets die from but secondary conditions that claim their lives.  We have an excellent vet in Hope Mills, NC who I highly recommend for conventional medicine, but we have decided to take a different approach, holistic medicine.  This blog is all about my journey and the process of healing my dog.