Before there was Fern, There was Stuart….

I should probably fair warn you that I’m probably going to be writing a lot about my beloved pug Fern. She’s my current soul dog, earth angel, and BFF. However, if you’ve been around long enough you’ve had the pleasure of knowing the small but mighty Stuart. I have to begin by telling his tale.

I know it’s cliche to say things like “who rescued who”, but it’s very much like that.

I was sad. The kind of sad you get when you’re just floating around in the world trying to figure out what the F#*% you’re doing with your life. I needed unconditional love And that’s exactly what I got.

Stuart was first named Spike 😂😂😂 This still makes me giggle. He was about as far from a “Spike” as he could get. But the lady I rescued him from was calling him this. Since he was just a tiny little thing, I called him Stuart …. Stuart Little ✔️

Once my little buddy understood he was to be my protector, he took this job VERY seriously. He never left my side. We went everywhere together. I carried him in a designer dog tote or sometimes in a baby sling across my body. We were inseparable.

We were also kicked out of a few places that didn’t allow dogs…. But we made some of the best memories …TOGETHER 🫶🏻

Stuart was a great sport He’d let me dress him up like Elvis every Halloween, he’d sleep in a pile of Tu tu’s at the salon, and he’d chase off the UPS lady (because for some reason he just couldn’t tolerate the way she’d come in, toss a box down and run) Too dangerous! Might hurt my mom Better just to chase her off 🫣

He stayed up late with me, helped me recover from MANY hangovers in those days, and was my rock. The only one I had at that time

He was the one thing that was constant in my life as I navigated a rough divorce. He moved into a shitty little apartment with me and lived there (with NO furniture) with me for weeks He was there through EVERYTHING. He sat on my lap as tears fell from my eyes night after night. I felt like I was failing at every damn thing, but he was there … promising me I wasn’t Witnessing me growing stronger, gaining confidence, and figuring life out to the best of my ability.

Time passed, as time does… and Stuart got old. Then he got sick. This hurt my heart so much. We found out it was diabetes and he had to be on insulin shots for the rest of his precious life. He took them like a champ and was always patient with me as I fumbled around this process But I’ll be honest … the expense of the vet bills and all the meds was stressful. I was in a very dark time financially. Every penny counted. There was a time when I dropped a brand new bottle of insulin and it shattered on the floor. I had the 2nd true panic attack of my life. (The first was at a crowded water park when Peyt and Max were little) I remember crying, and panicking, and trying to breathe. My heart pounded, I gasped for air… I knew I had NO money to replace this. You see Stuart’s insulin was a special kind that cost about triple what normal insulin cost.

What the fuck was I going to do????

Somehow I figured it out I was getting all too good at going about life just figuring it out as I went. It was sketchy at times…. Very scary too. But I can look back now and realize I was building resilience. I was learning to pivot. I was growing stronger. I was truly “adulting”.

Through the darkness and the struggles, Stuart empowered me to become a better version of myself. I loved him so much, that I decided to take a chance and jump into a new kind of business I knew I needed to make enough extra income to no longer live this way I didn’t want to struggle like this another day

It was Stuart that drove me to begin my journey with LimeLife by Alcone It changed my life He was my original “WHY” And HE was my OG of all dogs The reason I love them so hard and they mean so much to me

A good friend of mine once said “they are silent witnesses to the inner most part of our worlds.” Isn’t this the absolute truth? I can still feel him all around me. I Still walk to our favorite spots. Still wait for the first red leaf to fall each Autumn (he sends me one). Still look up at the moon each night and tell him goodnight, and I miss him, and he’ll be in my dreams until we meet again someday.

I love you to the moon sweet Stuart ❤️

love and kisses always and forever