Worse days are coming..

[LostInGrief]

Worse days are coming.. I was put in such a situation where I had to rehome my beloved dog.. Because of my finances I worried that something would happen to her and we wouldn't be able to afford it. That is enough to bring someone to tears alone.. Here's where it takes a turn for the worse.. My dad just lost his job. If he doesn't get a new one in 3 months we will lose the house. On top of this my worst fear is coming true.. My dog is now walking with a limp. She can't put any weight on it. It's her birthday today. This is literally bringing me to tears right now. If I give her to a rescue what if she needs a surgery and they don't have the resources for it and they have to put her down? I feel so guilty and hurt because the one year of my mom passed and it was rough but I was going to get through it. People reopened old wounds by apologizing to me when I was rehoming her. They were trying to be kind but all it did was remind me of what I had lost and what I went through. I was coping but it was still hard  Now by Christmas/New Year's I might be homeless and my dog might be dead or alone and scared thinking we abandoned her. The agony of it is ripping my heart to shreds. I haven't cried this hard in months. I hope a kind rescue will be sympathetic and help me but I just.  I just don't know. This stuff always happens at once and it's hard and magnifies my grief. It feels so hopeless and it's horrible knowing thst you can't take care of your pets. I just don't know what to do. I hope she finds a good home but it was hard enough when she was healthy. I attracted pretty much every nut and dog flipper that has made these past two weeks hell, of horrible meet and greets and suspicious behavior. People wasting my time about her. People asking nosy questions then disappearing. People on the DO NOT ADOPT list. It has been beyond stressful and each blow brings me back every bit of progess I have made over the year. Each day brings new challenges I'm not ready to deal with and each challenge, threatens the people and animals I care about most. It's just too difficult.. I don't know anymore. We were doing good and then suddenly we aren't anymore. The holidays were going to be stressful enough, but now this... It's a whole new low.

[LostInGrief]

Oh my gosh guys you aren't even going to believe all it fricking was. She needed a nail trim. My dog made me cry hysterical snotty tears because she needed a nail trim. I just saved myself with a whole lot of heartache with a dollar pair of doggy nail clippers from the dollar tree. Well I'm so thankful it wasn't something worse. I think when you're this stressed, things quickly snowball, and build up. I'm so relieved it wasn't something worse. When you get this much bad news it is hard not to jump to conclusions I think. I think I can live with the rest of all that stress knowing my dog isn't dying. I sure feel like a lunatic now.. But I'm so thankful that all she needed was some babying, a paw dip in water, and her nails done. I guess she got a pedicure for her birthday. This is probably the best news I've gotten in these dark times.

[kayc]

You'll have to watch for signs of infection, sterilize it before she goes to bed at night.  Too long nails can cause quite a problem when they become ingrown.  My dog's nails are kept down by walking, but if your dog is just in the yard or doesn't go for walks, they'll need regular trimming.

I'm so glad you were able to figure it out!

I'm sorry your dad lost his job and that's causing you worry.  Hopefully he can get unemployment and you won't lose your house.  Most banks will work with you when you're in these circumstances.  Let's pray he gets another job.  Unemployment is 2/3 of your regular paycheck but it can mean you save money on Obamacare and may qualify for food stamps which can offset the drop in pay.  Is he someplace he can cut firewood to help supplement his income?  I've sold on eBay, anything I could to help make ends meet when I was out of work...I did not lose my home.

[LostInGrief]

She normally gets them done at petco but we got so wrapped up in everything. I don't think they were ingrown, just too long and maybe touching her paw pad in a way she didn't like. Once they were trimmed, she felt much better and was immediately super happy and ready to run again and no limping. She does unfortunately still need a new home. But I feel a lot better knowing she will be going to someone more stable and that she will ultimately be happier. Unfortunately we only have enough money for not even a month of our mortgage squirreled away. And unemployment is not enough for the mortage either.. None of us have obamacare anymore, when mom died they decided there was enough money for us. And unfortunately as well if we take money for food stamps it takes out the amount we can get for unemployment. (I think if I'm remembering that correctly. It takes out of something where it wouldn't be worth it). If we can't pay one month of the mortage we have 3 months before they will come take our house away. And SSI, and unemployment, plus the money we have stashed away is not enough for a month of the mortgage. But 3 months is a long time to look for a job, and with enough cutbacks here and there, it could be ok.. The hardest bit I think is that we live in a small town where they aren't looking for his skills. Even the local career centre tells him he is "over-qualified". We have some other towns about 45 minutes away, but our car is unreliable at best. We do have a back up plan, but it is out of state and hopefully it will not come to that. My dad finally has roots here now with a new girlfriend and they are doing wonderful. It would be a shame if he got ripped away from his second chance at love. But I think we have a strong enough support system that it will be ok. I think everything was just extra stressful with rehoming the dog, and the scare with her limping, the 1 year of my mom's death, holiday's, and all that.

[kayc]

I hope you'll try for obamacare again.  Sometimes one person puts it through differently than another, I've experienced that.  It shouldn't make a difference, but it can.
  I've never heard of food stamps being deducted from unemployment, maybe your state laws are different.  https://careertrend.com/can-you-get-food-stamps-when-collecting-unemployment-12401397.html  This article states it can help you get other benefits.  I know Amazon offers Prime for $5.99/mo to those on food stamps.  Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) also offers help with utilities, the amount varies by location.  You can also get help with your telephone bill if on it.

I will pray your dad gets a job right away.  He can adjust his resume according to the place he's applying for so he doesn't appear overqualified, sometimes just leaving off some things he did or somewhere he worked.  I had that problem before too.  Good luck to both of you.  It's hard enough having to rehome the dog.

[LostInGrief]

Thank you! Very informative I relayed all those to him. He was going to try for food stamps anyways but I'm not entirely sure either. It kinda went over my head when he explained it. I know our state has ridiculous insultingly low unemployment.. Less than min wage and he was making about double min wage and a half. I tend to not be very good with money unless it is cash. I am much better at saving bills than I am with a piece of plastic. I can set a limit with myself before I go out, I can't hand the cashier an IOU. However I have been much better with that lately, and to my fiancee's relief I tend to shop at the dollar tree so even if I grab a lot of items, it doesn't cost us very much. Once I find the dog a good home, because it has been taking all of my available energy I will be applying for jobs again to help out how I can. I had slacked off with that too because of mental health and I got distracted keeping everything together. Chores and keeping an eye on everyone else, and all the pets was a job of it's own. Not to mention my own health, especially mental has been very fragile. The dog I'm currently finding a home for was constantly hopping the fence, heading for cars, and constantly becoming a huge mental burden as well.. I love her but crying my eyes out at 4 am because it's dark, and my back door is open and she's just gone is not healthy.. Wondering where she is, we live by a main road, running desperately around screaming her name.. Horror movies should be based off that feeling because it is a horrible awful feeling. It has been a draining year. But we have had some wins and that's what is important and we will get through it. We have backup plans atleast. We will not be out alone in the cold during the holidays, we are blessed with great family who would help us out and give us a place to crash. 

[kayc]

Wow, we get 2/3 here, and if you're still under the income guidelines you get food stamps.  I didn't qualify when I was on unemployment years ago but I wasn't double minimum wage...still our min, wage may be higher than yours (I'm in OR), it's more than Fed.  I guess it doesn't hurt to try.  I did qualify for $10 off my landline every month and $250 off elec. bill annually.  That varies state to state.  A friend in IL only has to pay $35/mo for her elec. bill because of her low income and all her medical expenses are covered free of charge.  She's even getting dentures for free!  I think the elec. supplement will be ending though, a lot of grants are getting cut this year.

I really hope all works out for you, I know how hard hitting all of these worries can be, sometimes they can overwhelm you and it helps to have someone to talk to, a form of release. 

I understand about your dog, I know you'll miss her but you'll likely feel relieved when she's placed because you won't have to worry about her safety anymore.  I hope you find a wonderful home for her!

I'm also glad to hear you do have family to fall back on.  It's not a good feeling to think about being homeless.