Kinda sad story. Must say goodbye to Zeke.
I'll try to make the beginning brief. I'm from Syracuse, NY. I worked as an engineer ou there. I took a job transfer with my company out here to St. Louis in Sept. 2007. My g/f and Brick came with me. We lived in a crappy aprartment for a while until we found a house we both wanted. After we found the right house, my g/f adopted Zeke from the SE OES rescue (March 2008). We had talked about getting a sheepie before, but just didn't have enough room at my old house for 2 dogs. This house is bigger and has a huge backyard. It seemed like the right time. So my g/f did the searches, found Zeke, and adopted him. She paid for him and the adoption papers were in her name. I remember when we first got him. Brick was so jealous. I felt so bad for Brick. He had been the only child. I didn't want to like Zeke because I felt like I would be betraying Brick. I did my darndest not to like him. Plus Zeke was not housebroken and that was PITA for a dog that was just over a year old. Fast forward to Sept. 2008. My g/f and I broke up. Zeke stayed with me. I guess my g/f (now my ex) was in a state of flux because she couldn't take Zeke at that time. It was about then that I really bonded with him. I noticed all his good traits and forgotten all his bad habits. I really came to love him and his sweet, timid, shyness. I was fine with having both dogs at that point and quite happy about it. My ex didn't seem to want him (or maybe felt she couldn't take care of him, IDK). So I was happy. When I went back to Syracuse for Christmas 2008, I was going to take both dogs, especially to show Zeke off. My mom didn't want 2 dogds in her house. My ex volunteered to take Zeke for the 2 weeks I would be gone. So I handed him over to her. Well sometime during the 2 weeks I was gone, she decided she wanted Zeke back. What could I say? Technically, he was hers. And I didn't want to be one of those selfish, jerky ex'es that say no to everything and just try to hurt the other person. I also figured I had Brick, so that if she took Zeke, that would be fair. And I was OK with that. We worked out an agreement that if I wanted Zeke for a while, I could have him and if she wanted Brick, she could have him. If I went on vacation, she would watch Brick and if she went away, I would take Zeke. And that worked out great. Fast forward to May 2009. The plant I worked at was closed and I was released from the company. They gave me an excellent severance package so that helped mute the loss, but I'd still rather have my job. I had put a plan together as soon as I was released. I began looking for work in the St. Louis area AND put my house up for sale at the same time (end of May). I figured if I got a job here, I would take the house off the market. If I sold the house, I would move back to Syracuse and continue my job search there, looking up & down the east coast for a job. At the end of July, I finally received an offer for my house. It wasn't a great offer, but what other option did I have. I got the price up a bit, but I have to pay part of the buyer's closing costs and my realtor. So when everything is said & done, I'll be losing some money. About 8 percent. I'm totally upset about that, but everyone has been telling me that I should feel lucky that I moved the house in this market and that I didn't take a bigger hit. There's a lot of inventory in my town with some houses on the market for 2 years! And I had no response to my resume out here in St. Louis. So closing is set for this Friday at 8:30 AM. I've got most of my stuff packed up and ready for the movers that come on Thursday. The car shipper picked up my Solstice & Challenger this past Sunday. As soon as closing is over, I'll be hitting the highway heading east for a 14 hour ride. Not looking forward to that. Truth is, I'm not looking forward to going back home at all. I'm kinda bummed about the whole thing. I really like the St. Louis area. Syracuse is a dump. The worst part is, is that I will have to say goodbye to Zeke. Obviously, with me moving, I'm not sure I'll ever see Zeke again, which is really bummin' me out. He is the sweetest dog around and I am gonna miss the hell out of him. I didn't think it would be this hard to say goodbye to him. 
I've had him since last Thursday so I could spend some quality time with him before I leave. I've been taking tons of pictures and short videos of him. I've been hugging on him alot as well. I've asked my ex to send me pics and videos of him. Hopefully she will keep me updated about his life.I feel so bad for having to leave him. I feel like I'm abandoning him. I hope he can forgive me. Even though he didn't live with me, he was just a few minute drive away. I'm going to ask my ex if it would be alright if I came back on Memorial Day weekend, if I could take Zeke for that weekend for Sheepiepalooza '10 (fingers crossed there will be another one). And fingers crossed she will still live out here. I'm also going to tell her that if there ever comes a day that she can no longer take care of him, or if she doesn't want to take care of him, or if something happens to her (God forbid), that I need to be the first person called regarding him. I will come from where ever I am in this country to where ever Zeke is in this country, and I will take him. This is really hard just typing this.
I just can't believe that I may never see him again. It doesn't even seem possible that I wouldn't. Anyways, I have to have the rest of my stuff packed up by Wednesday night, including the computer, so I will be incommunicado from Wednesday night until Saturday afternoon. I will still be on this board as I've really come to love sheepies. I hope to adopt one in the near future when I get my life back on track and get into another house. And if my ex sends me pics or vids of Zeke, I will be sure to post them up. I should be thankful that I still have Brick. And I am. We raised him since he was 6.5 weeks old (he's now 5.5 years old). He's been my best friend since the ex and I split. If it wasn't for Brick, I probably would have gone insane by now. I just wanted to let everyone know what was going on. Thanks for listening. |
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| Mark, I am really sorry you are going through this. These guys really do become like one of the family. Perhaps someday there will be another wonderful sheepie in your life.
And by the way...... Syracuse isn't THAT bad!! |
I feel bad for you. 
My son and his GF just broke up a few months ago and they have their house on the market as well. My son had his older minpin Dino - his dog he got at age 12, when Dino was just a little pup. That dog is his best bud.This spring they got another minpin - little Wayla, a minpin too. Just a pup, now a year old. They also have a kitten TeeJay, from about the same time. They split the pets - Travis kept Dino and Wayla, GF kept TeeJay. It worked out, but still....
I'm assuming you have a job (or at least family) in Syracuse? That is a long haul. I'm sorry you are in such a position, not horrid(life threatening or the like), but still pretty crappy. Lucky for your 2, they both have someone to stay with who loves them. it may not be the whole family, but it's still being with their family. I just got a rescue basset to foster this weekend. He was given up by his lifelong family AT AGE 11 into rescue. They lost their home d/t foreclosure. I can't begin to tell you how stressed and lost this old guy is. It's breaks your heart. |
This is sad for you and Zeke . Hopefully your ex will be as stand up as you have been and keep you current with Zeke updates  |
| Mark you made me cry with you I feel for you AND Zeke and things always happen for a reason I believe that with all my heart! You fell in love with Zeke and he you and he got you attatched to the breed so maybe someday in your travels you will come arcoss a wigglebutt that will need you as much as Zeke did and you can thank him!
I wish you all the best in NY I am in PA origanally from Cape Cod so I am an East Coast girl that loves sheepies as well. I hope you find the job and dog of your dreams and Brick is very LUCKY to have such a sweet Dad! Please keep in touch Denise .. Holly's mom  |
| Oh Mark I am so sorry.
I cannot imagine losing a dog in a breakup. |
Tasker's Mom wrote: And by the way...... Syracuse isn't THAT bad!!
Yeah, it really IS that bad.  I go back and visit my folks on and off and there's no way around it: the city is a dump.
BUT the surrounding area is gorgeous - Finger Lakes, Wine Country, Adirondacks, 1000 Islands, all kinds of lovely within your reach. Every fall I want to go back - the colors are nowhere near as intense here in WI. There's a nice, new dog park down by Onondaga Lake where you can take Brick. AND, (NYS) OES rescue right down the road from you: Madeline Erickson in Rochester whom I'm sure would be delighted with any help you could give her - I used to do transport - Syracuse being situated so conveniently where I-81 and the thruway intersect. There's a good OES entry at the dogs shows in November and March right down at the state fairgrounds. Oh, and the OESCA national specialty is in Rochester next September. No, none of this will make up for moving away from Zeke, but you have ties to St Louis so hopefully will be back. And, who knows? You may end up with him again. Weirder things have happened. I believe in the impossible. It's what made me move 800 some miles in the opposite direction to be with the OES of my dreams and then it only took me another couple of years give or take to steal her from her breeder 
You never know. Make the best of the Nows and believe in the possibilities of the Future. Good luck with everything. Chances are I'll run into you in upstate NY at some point and so will Kerry and....? Lots of OES people around you. Take care. Kristine |
ravenbrook wrote: Mark you made me cry with you
I feel for you AND Zeke and things always happen for a reason I believe that with all my heart! You fell in love with Zeke and he you and he got you attatched to the breed so maybe someday in your travels you will come arcoss a wigglebutt that will need you as much as Zeke did and you can thank him!I wish you all the best in NY I am in PA origanally from Cape Cod so I am an East Coast girl that loves sheepies as well. I hope you find the job and dog of your dreams and Brick is very LUCKY to have such a sweet Dad! Please keep in touch Denise .. Holly's mom You brought tears to my eyes too!!! I am so sorry!!!! |
| Thanks guys.
I was born & raised in the Syracuse area. Lived there most of my life. Did a little stint in Detroit in '94, but other than that, lived there my whole life until the fall of '07 when I moved out here with the job transfer. I tried finding a job out here but I just didn't get any response to my resume. It's a good resume, too. I'm hearing the same thing from the other people I worked with. I would have preferred to stay here in the area. I really like it around here. I have family in CNY so I will be staying with them while I put my life back together. Kristine, The surrounding area IS nice. Especially during the nice weather. Which isn't nearly long enough. May - October is about all you get. Not looking forward to the 150" annual snowfalls or the gloomy Syracuse skies. Sorry for being so negative. That's what Syracuse does to you. Brick & I are VERY intimate with the Wegman's Good Dog park on Onondaga Lake. It'll be nice to take him back there. He loves that place. I can't even say the word "park" around him. He goes nuts. I have to spell it out to be able to talk about it. But I'm not sure where I'll end up. I'd like to stay on the east coast. Charlotte would be nice. I have friends and a little bit of family down there. Something tells me Zeke's and my paths will cross again. I WILL make sure of it. I just hope my ex will be accommodating. |
| That really sucks! I hope all goes well for you. |
| I am so sorry for you and Zeke.
Tracie, Portage and Hudson |
| I'm so sorry for you and Zeke. I hope you get visitation rights. I think you can actually go to court for them...if it ever got that far. Good luck to you and your new start in life. Things really do have a way of working out...and yes, there is a reason for everything. If you ever find yourself in Chicago at the beginning of October, please join us at SheepieFest! for a sheepie fix. Glad you're going to be staying with us here. |
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I am so sorry... Zeke will always remember you and the special bond!! Take care |
| I am so sorry you are going through all of this. I do hope you will get to see Zeke again. Take care. |
| So sorry to hear your story.
I hope you get things sorted out soon! Thank goodness for your buddy Brick. Will he missing Zeke too? You'll have to keep each other from getting lonely, lots of walks and boy stuff together. |
| Mark, I am so sorry to hear that you have to move and leave Zeke behind. I hope your luck changes and you find a great job in a great place. Have a safe trip.... |
Mark, I'm SO sorry you're facing having to leave Zeke and can fully understand how much you will miss him. Thankfully you have Brick, and hopefully he won't miss Zeke too much either.
I'm very familiar with the Syracuse area as my son went to Syracuse Univ. You're right - the town itself is a dump. There were LOTS of thefts from cars and apartments of college students from the natives, my son included (had his car broken into, and his bike stolen from being chained on his front porch!). But the surrounding areas are nice, the Carrier Mall is growing (or has it already grown? Haven't been up there in a few years), and there's always Dinosaur's!! I'm also a believer that things happen for a reason. I was also downsized in March this year, but luckily (if you want to call it that) I was there long enough and am old enough that I can collect my pension, on top of my severance package and unemployment comp. But as you said, you'd much rather have the job. Being relatively young and retired is okay financially, but it does get boring mostly. I'm so glad to hear you say you're also still going to keep a sheepie in mind for your future. I could never be without one again, and we got our first one in 1979. These clowns just have a way of worming into your heart and not letting go! Good luck to you for a successful return home, at least temporarily. |
| Sorry you are going through a rough time. Life changes are really hard--but chances are something very good will come from this difficult situation.
Leaving Zeke has to be breaking your heart and I know you will miss him and he will miss you. You and Brick will most likely have another Sheepie in your lives--how could you not-- Another one will never really take the place of Zeke--but will find a new place in your heart.
Best wishes and travel safe! |
| So sorry all this has happened Rough times but it can only get better now. |
| mark after reading your story i can so relate to it my ex took my daytona i had for 12 yrs. i knew she would never survive without him along with her not able to walk i could not carry her around here living in a aframe.. it hurts daily i can not be with her , i just try and see she is ok and still a happy girl ! but i oh so feel your pain.. i wish you the best on your new venture.. you never know what the future will bring.. i thought i would never see my daytona again and my ex is bringing her down on sat to see me.. hang in there |
| Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwch |
| Thanks for all the good wishes.
It IS breaking my heart to have to say "see ya later" to Zeke. My ex just called me a little while ago. Due to her schedule, I have to bring him back tomorrow afternoon around 5 PM. That's gonna be really hard. I was hoping to have him until Friday morning, but her schedule won't allow it. Even though Brick will be with me Thursday night, it's gonna be pretty quiet in the house. All the furniture will be gone tomorrow morning. All that will be left is me, Brick, & an air mattress. I hope I can sleep Thursday night. I have a 14 hour ride back to Syracuse on Friday after closing. |
Please lets us know whenn you reach your new home. However bad you think it is, it will be home. As I had said to you in a PM get in touch with me and we can meet seeing I am close. There is Lyn ( Lokis Mom here too) so there are freinds around.  Have a safe trip! Don't take chances. Stop if you need to.
Best of luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
| Well the packing seems to be all done. I have all the boxes staged in the garage to make it easier for the movers.
All that's left is the computer. Tonight was strange. The boys were real quiet. And they stayed on my heels all evening. I think they know somethings up. So tomorrow I have to say "see ya later" (I will not say goodbye) to Zeke. That's gonna be rough. But I want to thank all of you for your kind words, good wishes, and support. It means a lot to me. So with that, I'm signing off for now. I should be back by Saturday afternoon. Thank you again and have a good few days. |
| Well, I made it back to Syracuse in one piece.
I left St. Louis at 11:00 AM EST and got to Syracuse at 12:15 EST. All in all, an uneventful trip. Brick behaved like a champ in the truck. He slept most of the time. It was tough leaving Zeke behind. It wasn't as bad as I had imagined it would be, and I'm glad for that. Thinking about it is worse than actually doing it. I still miss him terribly. I got some pics of me & him together that I will post later. My ex said she will will send pics and keep me updated about his life. I told her I want to come back in the spring and she said I could take him while I'm there. So that was nice. So now I have to rebuild my life. It seems like an almost insurmountable task. But I guess it's one day at a time. So, thanks again everybody, for everything. |
| Glad you had such an uneventful trip, and thanks for keeping us posted. It's nice to know how you're doing.
Your ex sounds pretty understanding. That's a relief. I've never liked change, only embraced it when I had no other recourse, but it's always been good to me. Here's wishing the same for you. Kristine |
| I'm glad to hear you made it back safe and sound. Things will look up. Keep us posted. |
| Glad to hear your OK. I also feel better that your goodbye was better than you thought from Zeke. It will work out somehow.
So whats up now? Job I guess. Best of of luck to you that you find one soon to keep you busy. Deana |
| Good luck!!!
As you said "one day at a time" Keep well. |
OES Mommy wrote: Glad to hear your OK. I also feel better that your goodbye was better than you thought from Zeke. It will work out somehow.
So whats up now? Job I guess. Best of of luck to you that you find one soon to keep you busy. Deana Yes, job is next. I really have to focus and work hard to land my next gig. But now that selling the house and moving is behind me, I can concentrate on just that. |
| aHHH Mark, bless you. You sound such a lovely man, and a Shepie fan too, sigh just my kinda guy...... too bad Im in UK
Debsx |
| Mark - I hope things work out well for you back in Syracuse. Also, as sad as it is to leave Zeke, it's so nice that you and your ex are on good terms and she is understanding about your love for Zeke and makes it possible for you to keep up with him and still see him when you can. So nice!
If you end up in Charlotte, you have to let us know. There are lots of OES folks around here, too.  |
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