Tragedy has struck me down again this year and this time it took 3 members of my "fur-family" with it. On Friday night while we were asleep, my back porch caught fire *still uncertain of the cause. My Standard Poodle, Giovanni woke us with a loud bark. Once we looked out the bedroom into the living room, we discovered there was a massive fire on the back porch. We gathered ourselves and quickly tried to get out as fast as we could. When we went into the living room, you could see the flames were already covering the back wall and the ceiling. So hastily we moved to the front door and out we went. When I tried to call 911, the tower that I had built for wifi, which is what I had to use to get a signal out at my house was already burned so I had to roll (in my manual wheelchair) up the road to a better signal area (about 300-400 ft) before I could get a call out. We thought the dogs were behind us but I think they were truly frightened when they saw the flames when we came out of the bedroom area and they ran back to the bed. I'm sure they were thinking it was safer there. As soon as I discovered that they were not behind me (while on the phone with 911) I rolled back to the house as fast as I could. However, when I came to the front door I could see through the glass. Everything was black, and it was closed and I knew if I had opened it, the flames might just engulf me. Despite that, I did try to open it, but it would not open. The only survivor of my Fur family from that night is my little Dove, my little white toy poodle. Even though I am grateful that she made it out, my heart is truly just a shell without my Giovanni (Standard Poodle), Brick (Frenchie), Mia (Toy Poodle). I'm very close to my Fur-Family, they were always with me, even when I went to work ( I work as a mobile groomer). When it was a groom day, I would just say to them all, "It's time to go to work," and we would all just go. When I got hit by the truck in January of this year, all through my healing (which took till September), they never left my side. I really do not know how I'm going to get over this or move passed it. But I'm going to give it my best shot. Currently, I am staying at a friend's house, And my neighbor has offered a temporary place for me as well.

My house completely burned down and all of my belongings went with it including my power chair as I am a paraplegic, complete wheelchair bound. I've had a lot of folks who know about the fire already and have wanted to give me clothing and basic needs, however, until I get my living situation situated, I just wouldn't have anywhere to put anything. Someone advised me to possibly put together a wish list on Amazon so once I research that, I will. Currently I'm putting this gofundme together to get funds to help rebuild a wheelchair-friendly home for myself.

In all of this, I am not emotionally distraught over the loss of all of my "things", or my pictures or anything really that was burned in the fire, including my house, because those are just things when it comes down to it. All relatively easily found again but my Fur-Family were my rare gems, my heart, my joys and they are irreplaceable. They are now all with my Charlie (My other Standard Poodle) who I lost in January this year when I was hit by that truck