Hey everyone, just wanted to let everyone know how the eye doctor went. It's not ideal but it could be worse. I have along with my glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy. The doctor said it's not the worst he's seen and said a doctor in Pueblo will be able to help slow down any progression with some injections in the eyes. I did also get some updated meds for my glaucoma.

The dogs did well alone. I was unable to fit both kennels in the camper so Ellie and Ollie had to double up. Ellie was not okay with that lol. All and all not the worst. Some of the procedures weren't covered by the little insurance I have for whatever reason but I was able to make it work.

Thanks again for all of the support!

Journal entry 2

09/21/2026

Hey everyone, Griff and the girls here. I don’t say this as much as I should. I hope everyone is have a great day!

Tomorrow is my eye appointment. I am feeling a little more relaxed about it. Still anxious but doing better. Part of the worry is about the dogs, I hate leaving them but this time around they’ll have kennels. Riley doesn’t need one; she's a very good girl. Ollie and Ellie are good girls but they’re also pretty much velociraptors that are friendly. 

The tent and wood stove should be here on Wednesday . I have a couple more things coming on Thursday and Friday. I don’t want to say what they are yet, I want it to be a surprise and show everyone when it’s all set up! I’m so excited, especially for the girls. They will be able to get out of the camper easier and they’ll have more space to play when they’re not outside.

The ground is ready for the tent and everything is generally ready to go. Might make a little fire pit for us so we can have camp fires too. It’s hit or miss with fires out here. Sometimes it’s too dry and windy even in the winter it can get pretty dry. Nothing cozier than a fire under the stars.

It’s silly but I have been thinking about try to make a nicer meal than usual the first night we get in the tent. Maybe get something special for the girls. Riley loves her squeaky toys, especially the latex ones. 

Riley treats the toys like babies, she even tries to nurse them. She’s such a sweet girl. I’ll post a picture of what I'm talking about. 

Not a huge update today, I’ll post tomorrow after the Eye Doctor to let everyone know how it went.

Thanks again for everything!

-Griff and the Girls-

Made some shredded beef tacos.

Canned shredded beef.

Mozzarella cheese.

Tortillas

Couldn't find the hot sauce.

6.8/10 Not bad at all and pretty filling.

Journal entry 1

9/20/2026

Hope everyone is having a great Sunday. Monday for those in Oceania! I wanted to start posting my updates in a Journal format. It helps me keep track of things, hopefully it works well for the readers too.

The last couple of days have been very stormy and rainy making it difficult to get the land ready for the tent. It doesn’t seem like you would need to do much but it’s so much more comfortable having the ground as flat as possible. The tent is 10X10, it doesn’t sound like a lot of space but it’ll work so well for Us. 

I have also been working on a layout for how everything needs to be stored. I just want to make sure I keep everything as organized as possible. I am so excited to have more room for everything in a way that is easy for Us to get around in the tent. I used some of the tent fund to get a carbon monoxide detector to make sure we don’t have any issues with the wood stove.

I have also been thinking about the eye doctor a lot. I’m not usually too worried to go to the doctor, this time I am. I was diagnosed in 2023 with glaucoma. I was very lucky at the time, I went into Walmart to ask about getting contacts. They brought me in for an exam, at the beginning they do a eye pressure test. Something that you forget you even have done it’s such a quick process. This time around they had to keep restarting the test. It’s the test they blow a puff of air in your eyes. After the 8 time they found the optometrist to see what was going on with the machine. They kept getting an error code they hadn’t seen before. 

The optometrist brought be back to do the test manually. Normal pressure ranges from 10-20, the optometrist kept looking at the test and looking back at me like something didn’t make sense. Turns out my eye pressure was around 60. He told me, I can’t help you here, you need eye care now. He was such a big help he cleared his schedule and found a specialist in the area that would take me the next day. I was so impressed he took the time considering he was just an optometrist from Walmart. They don’t generally do referrals like this, usually they have the patient find someone. 

I got to the eye doctor the next afternoon. He was surprised he had a 33 year old with glaucoma coming in. Generally glaucoma starts showing up when you’re older. He was able to get my pressure down with drops pretty quickly. He told me it would be best if I had laser surgery to help open some ducts to release pressure. This took a couple of appointments, one eye at a time. Things were good for a while. I was able to keep up with my meds like clockwork. Then the fire happened and I lost my job and health insurance. I was able to get 2 months of drops as this happened. I kept up with them as long as I could but it got to the point I needed to see an eye doctor again to get my prescriptions refilled. That’s around the time the subaru stopped running. I was able to get a refill of 1 of my drops I don’t really understand why only one script was available for refill. I refilled the one drop and it did seem to help with my eye issues. It seems to have stopped working as well as it was. Now that I have kennels for the dogs for when I go into down and was able to locate a specialist about an hour away. I made an appointment as quickly as I could. I am so nervous for the appointment, I’m worried it worse than I think it is because I am having some issues. I know it’s not worth working myself up about it, I just can’t help it.  I am also looking forward to possible peace of mind. I’m hoping the eye drops won’t be too much. I have to get them no matter what. I’m just a little scared about the whole thing.

I hope to have some videos starting next week to go with some of these posts. I figured a tent setup video might be interesting. 

I just want to thank everyone again for all of the help. You really saved us.

I am including a picture of the planned layout as of now for the tent.

Sometimes they just pop out of nowhere. This one is rough, high winds and lots of lightning. It's just about over us right now. Poor Riley and Ellie hate thunder. Ollie doesn't seem to mind much which is good.

Edit: Storm has passed. Some stuff got wet but overall everything seems good. The girls are now starting to relax a bit.

I have been working on making sure I have a good place for us to set the tent up. I know these updates are more boring than anything I just don't want anyone to think I'm not going to keep posting or anything like that, Many great posts and videos to come. I'm just getting everything ready. Had to stop for a while it's storming now and Riley needs some comforting. I'll have a list of everything that's planned for tomorrow.

Thanks again everyone! We're going to have our own little safe place next week. We can't thank you enough!

Great news everyone! I have ordered the tent and the wood stove and was able to order some more stuff to go with it. I should have everything up by nest weekend! Thank you again so very much for helping us. I can't wait to show the tour!

-Griff and the Girls-

Hey everyone, Griff and the Girls here. I wanted to thank everyone again from the bottom of our hearts and paws for helping us. I have enough now to get the Tent and the wood stove. I am just looking through a few reviews of the tent I am looking at and another one that's the same price.

It means everything to Us that you did so much to help us. I am looking forward to getting everything ordered and making a whole series about it. I want to make some youtube videos to share with the community.

I was going to take the fundraiser down but was told by a couple of donors to keep it up. Any other donations will be used strictly for supplies of things we need. I will also let everyone know of what was ordered when I get the orders out.

Thank you all again so much. It means the world to us to have you in our corner. Ollie in the picture is enjoying one of the toys that was sent to the girls.

Tent/Supplies fundraiser.

Hey everyone, I just wanted to thank everyone for the moral support and the donations. I am in tears writing this because I had gotten so worried about the winter. I didn't want the girls to be cold and disappointed with me. Just today we're about 1/4 of the way from getting the Tent and wood stove. I can't thank everyone enough. We're so thankful for everyone.

With how the camper is and how cold the winter might be you could be saving out lives and I'll never be able to thank you enough.

Adding a picture of Ollie consoling her Mom during the big storm today. Riley is not a fan of thunder.

I tried to make it so you would be able to see the donations on the Tent fundraiser to be fully transparent so everyone know where the donations are going.

Edit: I think we're almost to the goal. I can't get the page to pull up right this second I think the app is having issues this morning. Thank you again everyone so much.

Tent Fundraiser

Update on the farmhouse. 

Hey everyone I am posting an update on the farmhouse that I posted about last month. With the concern from some neighbors and some users on here about staying in the camper for the winter. Last year wasn’t a problem but it’s supposed to be a rough winter because of super el nino. I have been told the winter out here can get down to -30. Last year it got down to -13, we did okay but it was cold. The canvas will get frosty but the heater kept up. I am a little more concerned now than I was. So I’ve been looking for alternatives as a possibility. 

Here are the options.

The Farmhouse

Pros:

Probably warmer than the camper.

A little closer to the river.

Feels like more of a safe structure.

Cons:

Door needs to be replaced, it was one one hinge last time I was there. Yesterday it was on the ground crushed. It’s one of those doors with wood on the outside but cardboard like stuff on the inside. A replacement could possibly be sourced

There is so much rodent and bird poop inside it’s hard to see the floor. This could be cleaned up I wore a mask going into it.

The floor is giving away in a couple spots. There is a water heater inside which is bizarre because it has a date of 2008 on it but there’s no electricity or running water there.The floor is rotted there all the way through. Decades ago they had a well for the farm but it’s not connected to the house. There is a random plug coming from the ground and a random plug coming from the back of the house. Possibly an old pump is under ground but I can’t find any evidence other than the cord for that. The cord from the back of the house is also random I can’t trace where it goes to inside the house. It’s not the water heater that’s in another area. I’ll post pics of these too.

The roof in the front and back left side have torn up “I’ll include pictures” The ceiling under those spots is caving in. A tarp would stop leaking but won’t hold in any heat I would think because heat rises. 

No windows, It has window holes that were boarded up at one point but no actual windows. The biggest thing is I don’t get almost any cell service there. I was going to post some pictures while I was there, no service. This is a common thing out here, It’s why the camper is where it is. 

Something that worries me is. The door had a padlock on it but the lock part was ripped off.

This may have been there last time and I missed it. I also found a picture that mentions a flag ceremony in 2005. That at least confirms someone has been there since 2008 when the water heater was dated.

I wanted to look into the property to see if it was owned by anyone or for sale or maybe up for auction. The GIS “Geographic Information System” for our country shows the owners of every property that’s been assessed. The system said that the property was purchased in 2023 by the county. I initially thought it was foreclosed on or something like that. I called the county assessor today and they said that parcel was purchased by the county but he didn’t have any information why or for what. It’s not for sale and someone is paying the property taxes. It could be a gamble, they might never do anything with the land it’s not in a very accessible area. They also already have an area by the river for public work. 

I had to go around and find something with service. I had starlink last year but had to get rid of it because it was more than I could afford. 

The Farmhouse is going to need this work done to be possible.

Door needs to be replaced.

Floor, wall and ceilings need to be cleaned. “Lots of mold on the walls” Pics included

Particle board or something similar would need to be used to cover holes.

Roof will need tarp and something to block the holes. Only 2 as far as I can see.

The next option is staying in the camper. This was the plan up until this last week when people started warning me about how bad the winter could be. 

What I will need to do to get the camper ready for the winter.

I need to fix the canvas, The zippers on 3 sides have fallen apart. One side I think I can get closed. Wood will need to be put alone the whole outside where the top area of th canvas is. I’ll post some pictures of what I’m talking about. 

I have some lumber that I can use to cover some of the sides my neighbor is going to look for some cheap lumber I might be able to use for the rest. I need to find a way to get a wood stove at some point so I don’t need to just depend on propane. Sometimes the roads are so bad we can’t get into town. It’s about 20 miles of dirt roads before we get to paved roads. The county will plow out here if they can get out here. Having wood as an option would be very helpful and it would be nice having the heater on all night. I usually have to turn the propane heater off at night so I don’t use too much. Fireawood is readily available out here for very cheap.

I need to fix the roof in the camper and use silicone sealant to water tight the roof. The roof itself is in 2 pieces connected by some sort of material access the seam the connects the 2 sides. That leaks a lot. The inside of the ceiling has some mold but I can’t see how much. As far as I can tell it’s just styrofoam in there.

One big issue with the camper is the door broke this last week. The bottom rotted out which helped keep the shape of the door. Not it will close but the bottom doesn’t seal. My neighbor and I tried putting wood back in but the metal sheeting is starting to peel off now. We’re keeping an eye out for a replacement.

The next option is a 4 season tent with a wood stove. With a wood stove the tent would stay very warm even when it’s very cold out. We could be cozy all the time. The problem now is we have times of the day I turn the heater off because it’s not too cold but it can be uncomfortable. The tent is nice because I can move if I had to quickly. Someone had made a post about crowdfunding me for a shed but I just don’t think I can put something like that out here. But a tent would be possible. I would also be nice to not have any mice in here constantly. I have to keep all food double bagged because they’ll get into everything. I had a lot of ramen that I had to toss because they got into it at night. It’s because the camper doesn’t fully seal. I have tried filling everything with expanding foam they still make their way in.

One other big issue is it’s not easy for me to talk about because it makes be sad. Riley has some trouble getting into the camper. She’s afraid to jump into the camper sometimes. I don’t know if it’s hard on her joints she doesn’t seem to have issues otherwise. I just think it’s hard she has to jump from the ground to inside the camper onto the table then onto the bed. I worry about them getting hurt. 

When we initially got out here we were in a tent, the mice weren't able to get into it. I have been trying to sell what I can on marketplace to come up with some tent money or repair money. I know they mentioned crowdfunding in the post I just want to try and make some money myself. I have a couple things I might be able to sell. I won’t turn away any help with it, I just want to try and do some too. I don’t know how crowdfunding would work I can’t sign up for any without a valid license. Maybe over venmo would work. I don’t know how I would do it on Amazon. 

If anyone has any interest or suggestions let me know. I’m going to need to start getting the ground ready before it freezes. 

I just wanted to apologize for venting last night. I was just so frustrated from the week and the laptop breaking was what pushed me over. I didn't mean to complain I was just frustrated. Thank you everyone for being an amazing community.

Hey, this won't be a long one I'm just so frustrated tonight. I was working on a post about the habitability of the farmhouse. My laptop died. It's been reliable for a while I can't be mad at it. I don't know if I'll be able to post as much. I have been using my phones hotspot to connect to the laptop because my phone screen has a big black dot on the screen. It's just everything this week. The truck broke down, the door for the camper started falling apart, now the laptop. It's hard to be mad because of all of the food things that everyone has done for us. I just don't understand what the universe can't give me a break. Sorry to vent I just am so frustrated with everything right now. It was my only source of entertainment. It's literally the only physical thing I had left from the fire. Why do things like this have to keep happening? If my phone screen goes on going to be without communication. I hate this. I think I have an old phone I can watch YouTube on at least. Cell service doesn't work but I can use my hotspot. Sorry again to vent I was just frustrated.

I'll post the best I can it just won't be as indepth.

Update: someone ordered a chromebook for me. Thank you so much for the help!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to post an update on yesterdays situation with my neighbor's truck. Looks like the CV axel didn't fully come out of the differential. He was able to get that back into place and replace the lower ball joint. The truck is movable now, He's taking it back to his property to replace the CV axel because the sleeve tore during the the breaking of the lower ball joint. It's looking good on the repair so far. 2 additional people had to come and help but we got her moving. I made it sound like I was a big help. I was not lol I did what I could.

I am going to be looking at a property near me today to see how viable it is for the winter. It's the old farmhouse I made a post about. With the concern of some people on the sub about beig out here in the winter. They said last year wasn't normal and with the super el nino coming it could be a bad winter. I worry about the camper because of the work it will need. I have lumber I just don't know if it's enough to surround the camper. I was confident about the camper for the winter but now I'm getting a little worried with people warning me. I have been looking at 4 season tents too after the post yesterday was made about possible crowdfunding. I just need to find somewhere I can use a wood stove. I don't think I could safely have one in the camper it's too close to the wall/canvas.

I'll go and check out the house later today. I also wanted to thank everyone again for the moral support. I know I keep saying that but you have no idea how much it means to me. there were some days I would wake up with the most crippling dread and anxiety. I had very little hope and would just wish I could get back to sleep so I wouldn't have to be awake. I couldn't do that because the Girls need their Dad, I need them. It was so hard getting the energy to play with them because I was constantly dreading everything. I just wanted every single person here in this sub to know what a difference you made in our lives. I wake up and I'm up and I look forward to the day and to talk with every single one of you. If at any point you look back on good things you did in life. Please remember this time because you changed 4 lives and gave us hope. I will never be able to thank you the amount you deserve. I also wanted to share a thank you from my Mom. I know is she was around she would be so grateful for what you've done for her boy and his girls.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and paw tos. You changed a life, We'll forever be thankful for

you.

I added some pictures of the girls playing with some toys we were sent. They're not great photos they were constantly moving lol. That's very thankful too.

Not too bad hopefully, my neighbor was bringing over some packages to me this morning. His ball joint broke on his truck pulling out his CV axle. Thankfully he was right here and driving slowly. He's going to see if someone can get him into town to get the parts. Going to have to dip into savings to help he does a lot for me. Hopefully it's not too bad I can't imagine what we would do without his help.

Was planning on going a post about the repair ideas for the camper today. Might have to push it to tomorrow. The girls and I would also like to thank everyone for donating and helping and just being so amazing to us. You've saved us and I'll never be able to thank you enough!

Griff and the Girls.

I'm thinking something like this? $1300, seems like a reasonably quality brand, comes with a floor, seems only moderately complicated to assemble if he can get somebody handy at that kind of thing to help. The neighbor seems a likely candidate, but he'll need to be paid for his time.

Withstands 60mph winds? He'd need to look into whether that was sufficient for a storm. The ground needs to be very flat, but out there it really seems to be already.

There's certainly better options out there, especially at Lowe's if we could put together a more sizeable chunk of cash, and even ones they'd assemble themselves. Though I suppose if that were possible the more practical option at that point would be looking into a well used car.

I'd like to hear from Griff though if he's still considering that surprisingly intact little house he found an option though. If a little pool of cash could be raised it does seem like it could be the most effective to pay someone to haul his camper out there, help clean it out and maybe even assess it for some quick repair possibilities?

I have been getting questions about what I’m doing to get ready for the winter. 

This is something that I have been thinking about for months.

The first thing I need to do is get the area around the camper ready. It’s important to make sure the ground is clear before winter so snakes and other critters don’t attempt to make a den here.

It’s almost like a spring cleaning but for the winter. 

I need to keep looking around on marketplace for another propane tank and a heater. The tank I have now is good I just need to find a backup. Getting into town in the winter isn’t as accessible as the warmer months due to the snow and road conditions. Last year we had a couple days without heat. We were more than safe, it just sucked. Keeping an eye out for those.

I’m going to need to make some space in the camper to hold the water jugs. I used 1 gallon jugs last year. This year I have bigger water jugs. If I keep them outside they’ll freeze and crack the plastic. 

I will need to move around the solar panels. They lay flat generally because of how flat it is here and it stops the wind from knocking them over. During the winter I have to keep them upright to get the sun. The winter sucks for solar because the batteries I have aren’t ideal for the cold. With the limited sunlight in the colder months I have to make sure I get as much sun as possible.

In the winter if I know snow is coming I usually lay a tarp over the panels at night if it’s going to snow so it’s easy to clean them off. It’s a pain going out there at 7am to wipe off the panels

With the zippers of the window flaps not working after unzipping them earlier this summer I need to get them to close. It makes sense these zippers have been zipped for over a decade. That and the camper is from the 70s so it’s expected to have some issues.I need to find a way to fix the canvas on the walls before it starts getting too cold. I am going to try and fix the parts that can no longer zip with fabric glue. The other issue is the canvas detaching from the ceiling. My neighbor friend and I are going to try and cover the canvas with wood to make it more of a solid structure. I do have some wood available to use that will help.

Supplies needed for the winter./ Things I need to do.

1. 2 hooded sweatshirts: 2 pairs of sweatpants 
2. Portable indoor heater. “Going to attempt to repair current heater first”.
3. Backup propane tank and new regulator hose. “Hose from last year leaks but is taped so it should be okay if I can’t buy a new hose. I do have a backup propane filter.
4. Might look for some boots. Last year I had flip flops most of the winter but was able to get some tennis shoes at some point which was much better lol.
5. Need to get a storage tub to store things outside. I have been running out of room. “Neighbor might have one I can use”
6. Stocking Non-perishable food
7. Get silicone sealant and repair roof.
8. Dig a firepit before ground freezes.
9. Need to test solar batteries, Not charging as much as they did. 
10. Find additional kennel for girls when I got into town. With it being snake season I need to find a way to keep the girls in the camper when I leave. My neighbor generally will pick up supplies for us but on th 22nd I have a glaucoma appointment I can’t miss. I need to figure out how to keep them in while i’m out. I normally would just push the appointment but this one is more urgent than a regular checkup. I have been without some of my eye medications for too long and I have noticed eye issues. Hopefully I’ll be able to work something out. I would ask my neighbor to watch them but he’s the one driving us into town.
11. Need to finish cleaning the camper. I want to be able to make better posts showing the sub the whole camper. I'm just embarrassed how cluttered it is. It’s hard to deal with trash out here. 

Hopefully I can get some of the worked out before winter. This month and next month are going to be crucial it starts getting cold out here pretty early. So far so good especially with all of the help we’ve gotten from so many of you. We just can’t thank you enough. It means the world to us. Just a couple of months ago I didn’t know how things were going to go. I still don’t but I am more at ease. Like I said before we never expect anyone to donate or anything like that we’re just so thankful to have you here with us in the sub. I’ll keep the Amazon wishlist up but we never expect anything from it. 

Thank you again so very much for all of the help and being do kind. 

Wishlist for Griff and the Girls.

The weather has been really doing it's thing the last few days. Today this huge cumulonimbus cloud over the mountains. Over the mountains last night were these intense lightning storms way off in the distance. I couldn't even hear the thunder but it was so bright.

I'll have a more interesting post tomorrow. I have gotten a request to make a post about what I'm doing to get ready for winter. Working on that as we speak!

Have a great rest of the day!

Interesting story from last year. 

Last year around the same time I was in the tent with Riley and Ellie. I was watching a youtube  video or something. Out of nowhere I heard what sounded like a rocket. When I was younger I built model rockets and the noise I heard sounded just like them, just way louder

At the time I was still excited to see all of the different airplanes that would fly around out here. I looked out the flap in the tent and I couldn’t really believe what I was seeing even though I knew exactly what I was seeing. It was an a single engine Cirrus SR-22 airplane. Except it was attached to a huge parachute. I have always been very interested in airplanes so I knew that this existed I’ve just never actually thought I would see it in action. Cirrus has an airframe parachute you can have installed, It’s a parachute for the whole plane. It’s wild to see. I ran out of the text to get a good picture but I tripped and didn’t get a good shot. 

I then thought to myself, I need to call someone about this i think. I figured the pilot radioed in what was going on but it occurred to me it could be a medical emergency maybe they didn’t get the call out. I called 911 and they didn’t understand what I was saying. I kept saying I know an airplane with a parachute sounds crazy but it happened. About 45 minutes later so many ambulances and fire trucks showed up. The pilot was okay, I’ll add the incident report to the bottom of the post. I do have an up close picture my neighbor friend took. Thought this would be an interesting story to tell!

FAA Report: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/535117

When Riley and I initially got out here I would drive around the prairie to just see what's out here. I kept driving past this shed in the middle of nowhere. Maybe a month went by and I saw it again and thought......I need to know what's in that building. So many ideas kept going through my mind about what someone would leave in a shed in the middle of nowhere without any other structures around.

I finally went and checked it out. Unfortunately it was a whole lot of nothing. Just a random shed in the middle of nowhere. I was really hoping for something neat and not dangerous lol.

I'll have some more interesting posts going forward I have just been a little under the weather. Just feel a bit off. I talked to the clinic and they said it could be the bites from the fire ants they really tore me up. The clinic was more concerned I didn't feel it while I was sleeping. I'll be making an appointment to get checked out next month.

One last thing, I know I sound like a broken record but We can't thank this community enough for all of the help and support. I was worried about the winter more than last year and was just very unsure about it. I feel a lot better with the help we've gotten and just the kindness. It's just been so nice getting to know everyone and sharing stories.

One more actual last thing. If there's anything anyone wants me to post about or has any post suggestions just let me know I'll make it happen!

I was really craving pancakes today. I had an idea to try and make pancakes ans strawberries. I took some freeze dried strawberries I had and some sugar packet from an MRE. I rehydrated the strawberries and added some water and sugar. I cooked it down to I think it's called a compote.

I was a little worried half way through because the pancake mix I got from the food pantry needed an egg and milk. I didn't have either but thought I'll just try with water. They were fine on their own. With the strawberries they were amazing for what they were. This was a really good one!

Hey everyone,

The girls and I wanted to wish everyone a safe and Happy Labor Day. And anyone outside of the US have a great Monday or Tuesday of whatever day you're on at this point lol.

Might have a meal post later today. The day before yesterday I had some fire ants, well I think that's what they were. Come into the camper and bite me up while I was sleeping. I can't really see how bad it is because it's on my back I feel them I just can't really see the bites. Anyways that was the lack of post yesterday and maybe today. I'm fine the bites just hurt and then start to itch it's just annoying.

Anyways more interesting things to be posted tomorrow. Have a great day!

I was out checking for snakes and cleaning the solar panels. I heard some rumbling from inside the camper.

Wanted to post a few pics of Riley's puppies. Ellie helped out a ton for Riley when she needed a break.

This is My Riley Girl, She's the sweetest most kindest soul I have ever known. I wanted to make a post about her because I'm just so proud and thankful for her.

I got Riley in 2019 when she was just 6 months old. I found her on a facebook group about dogs being rehomed. The ad said that she was too much energy and they needed to find someone to take her or they would possibly have to put her down. I ended up getting very very lucky because a lot of these facbook groups would post a dog and someone would message that they wanted it immediately.

This night was different, Even though I planned on waiting a few months to get a dog I still constantly checked out the facebook groups just to keep an eye out. This is where the luck comes into play. I was out and about that evening, I decided to go to Taco Bell for dinner. I stopped and got my food. For whatever reason I decided to eat at Taco Bell. Something I wouldn't normally do, I usually would just take my food home. It was also getting late the dining room was still open it was just dark out.

I was chitchatting with a lady who was mopping the dining room just about this and that I don't really recall what the conversation was about. I had found a booth after my food was finished and went and sat down. The lady mopping followed me over to the booth to continue chitchatting. We talked for about 20 minutes to the point I really wanted to start eating without being rude. I grabbed my phone and said I need to check something for work if she didn't mind. She said no problem and walked away. I was on call at the time so I was actually checking something while also getting a second to start eating.

When I told the lady that I needed to check something I saw a notification come through that a new post on one of the rehoming groups. I saw a little Red Aussie puppy. Before I could even think I replied I'll take her. I got a message right back because she had just been posted. The poster asked where I lived and said she'll bring her tomorrow, It'll be $100.00. That was fine I was so excited. I planned on waiting a few months before I got her. The day she was dropped off was 6 days after I moved into the apartment. That night I messaged my girlfriend that I found a puppy and would be getting her the next day. I had been with this girlfriend for maybe 6-7 months. She knew how much I wanted a dog I would talk about it all the time. She didn't love dogs but said she was excited for me. When I told her she said don't do anything yet I need to talk to you first.

She drove 45 minutes to the apartment to tell me she actually didn't really like dogs and said I would have to choose between her and the puppy. It's the easiest decision I have ever made, I told her she better get going the pet store closes in less than an house and I need to make sure the puppy has everything she needs before she arrives. I couldn't be with someone who would put another person in that position all while leading them on for months. She didn't understand what I was saying. I made it very clear and she left. I had to work the next day but that was fine I worked across the street from my apartment and had been joking with my boss about having an office dog. He would joke and say sure if you get a dog it can some into the office. At one point we had a department meeting with the CEO and she asked if anyone has anything to add to the meeting. I jokenly said I was told I can have an office dog what do you think. She said I think it's a fantastic way to boost morale. My department director my boss just stared at me. This was a month or so before I got Riley.

He said okay, I did say it was fine I just assumed the CEO would've said no. That morning I got a call saying they were close, I went on my lunch break and met the lady bringing Riley. It was a weird interaction, she made it seem like they didn't want her in the post but she was clearly upset. I believe the husband just didn't like her and made her rehome her. She brought a kennel with her so I ran Riley inside while I grabbed the kennel and paid the lady. When I got back inside I was worried she was going to be sad because Aussies imprint on their person. When I got back inside My girl was sitting on the couch like a lady with one of the toys I got her the evening before. She was just so happy. She never once cried or felt sad about the other people. It was like she had been with me the entire time.

I brought her over to the office where she was a massive star. Everyone was loving on her she was so excited. I left early that day because I didn't want her to be overwhelmed. I don't believe she was taken care of well. She was smoked around so much she had tar residue all over her and on her eyelids. I gave her a bath and the water literally was black. I made sure she had the life she deserved and I still do my best. Riley is now 7 years old. We have made a couple of moves during this time due to covid and new jobs. Unfortunately due to an apartment fire we lost out home and I lost my job because I missed work that day and they had a network issue while I was gone. I was the only IT guy they had. Because of this I needed to find a place we could move to together. Losing her was never an option. I didn't have a lot of savings at the time so I had to make something work. With what little savings we had I was able to move us to a plot of land in rural Colorado. We lived in a 4 season tent for a while until a neighbor was able to get us a small popup camper. It's small but we have hundreds of acres to play on and she loves to adventure.

When I got Riley I was told that she was spayed. That didn't end up being true. Riley ended up getting pregnant and having 9 puppies 1 didn't make it. This was probably one of the most stressful times of my life. Having a dog far too old to have puppies in a popup camper was a nightmare some days. We made it work the best we could. Money still running low I had to take her to the vet a couple times just because I worried so often something was wrong. We were able to rehome 7 of the puppies. 1 just never got anyone asking to adopt her. She's now part of the family. The one person that asked about her to fight off his coyotes. The puppies are half Australian Shepard and half Great Pyrenees. He didn't want a dog he wanted a tool. I just couldn't give her to him. I understood she's a working dog but this guy would get dogs and just not feed them until he had to. That just wasn't an option.

I don't have really any family left and I had already lost so much in the past losing Riley wasn't an option. I promise I always make sure they have everything they need. Before my needs are met. They never miss a meal always have toys and playtime. I wanted to make this post because I love this girl so much and just wanted to spread how many good things she's done for me. I owe her the world i'll never be able to repay her for being the best decision I have ever made. I'm also so very thankful for Taco Bell, without them I wouldn't had seen the notification about Rye Girl. I also owe the lady I was chitchatting with just as much for being so kind taking the time to talk with someone eating alone. I hope she gets everything she wants in life she deserves it.

I'm getting a little emotional over here typing this, It makes me realize how important someone you don't even know can be. Sorry if this was long winded I just love her so much and want everyone to know how good of a girl she is.

Just a disclaimer, I promise they have everything they need for food and enrichment and heath. we're hoping to be in a new location that's not stranded out on the prairie. We just need to wait until March when the place were going to be staying is ready for us.

Just wanted to post some of the beautiful areas we've been to out here.