Upside down

My world has been nothing but upside down since Friday night.

We were at the North Van's Green Market, night market at the Pier thinking it was a usual Friday night of serving it up, enjoying live music and then a late night getting home.

I was in the midst of a rush, when my phone kept getting a call. I was slammed busy and couldn't answer it. After all had subsided, I checked my voice mail. It was the police looking for me because my residence had been broken into. WTF?!!! My heart sank. I called the officer back, and got what details she had, but I felt so stuck - My trailer is parked in such a way that makes it not easy to leave a market early..  I couldn't have been further away from our home in Burnaby. My concern was the dogs, and she wasn't sure if they were even there. 

Apparently my neighbours across the street saw my belongings on my front lawn strewn about. Saw the dogs walking around and saw the front door open. She called the non-emergency line. They suggested she call 911. While waiting for the police, her husband came over and picked up the stuff in front yard and put it on my steps and tried to herd my dog inside. He got one in. Closed the door, then went around back to check on that door. The back door had been kicked in, and he just closed it as best he could.

Police showed up, and I guess did her job of asking neigbours if they had seen anything. She also secured the residence. No one was around. I was called, and was enroute from the market. (Thanks to everyone who helped load that baby up as fast as we could to get us out of there! I don't think I've ever been able to pack up so fast EVER!)

The whole ride home, my stomach was burning - I couldn't drive fast enough. Traffic was thick from a drinking and driving check stop. My daughters were crying in the back of the truck worried sick about the dogs. I was white knuckling it all the way home.

We pull up and my daughters are too frightened to even get out of the truck. I walk up to the officer and we walk to the front of the steps. All the sh$t that was out on my front steps that the neighbour put out. Was not even mine!!!! It was baby diapers, a small kids back pack, there was a file folder with some info about someone adopting a dog. I only quickly glanced at it, it was a person on Mahon Dr. in North Van. There was even more stuff dumped under a tree in the front yard, a map of Calgary, a little kids back pack and some jackets and more diapers.

I was so stumped, and so scared to walk into to see what had happened to our home.

Walked in and the place had been trashed.

And no Lily dog.

I scanned the girls room, and they did the biggest number on that room. They went through everything. Every birthday card the girls saved, tossed all their clothes, emptied out their lockers, they even went as far as to pull out the containers under their beds. Mother f&*cker$. Checked every knook and cranny.

They hit my room, pulled out every draw, paper work was every where, boxes that haven't been unpacked from the move have now been unpacked by being tossed around the room.

No Lily.

I am looking under beds, looking anywhere and everywhere for Lily.

I make my way to the back door and they had kicked it in, and my craftroom has been dumped out as well. Drawers pulled out and more dumped boxes, that had not been unpacked. 

I at this point hadn't even started to calculate what was gone. I was just looking for my baby.

She was nowhere.

Fu*cker$

My heart had been ripped out and stomped on. I felt so sick.

So scared. My dog. How could this happen? Worst nightmare, I am living right now.

Now we had to go to the basement.

Same story as upstairs. I mainly had more boxes stored down there, and they have dumped them all out.

I look for baby Lily.

Nothing.

Now, I start noticing what is gone.

My daughters cruiser is gone.

But, the cop says it may be across the street.

She had seen a bike laying down.

We head upstairs and go out there and sure enough, it was hers.

I'm thinking they got ambitious about all they could load up, and just couldn't fit the bike, so they left it.

I mean loading up a 60" flat screen takes up a lot of room in vehicle.

As does our generator. That's a two man job to pick that up.

And the jerks, not only took it, but they also took the friggin' time to add gas to the tank and toss the gerry can on the lawn.Wanna know the kicker?

A neighbour saw fu@ckin' a guy in Santa hat loading something red into a red car. She thought it might have been a gas can. I guess, that was our RED Honda generator... and he was gassing it up while it was in the back of his car. Shoot me now. Why me?

We later figure out that the Santa hat was from a box in the basement. Perhaps to disguise the dude while he robs me.

I head back in the house. My kids are staying in the truck, terrified to come out.

Bottom line - oddly enough. no one really saw anything. But, i know my dogs would have been tripping out. You can hear the barks so easily from our non-sound proof home. Imagine what the sound of a door getting kicked in sounds like? I'm so mad and sad.

I'm still speaking with the officer, now assessing everything that is gone.

And everything IS gone.

Anything of value has been ripped out of my hard working hands and into the hands of some culprit.

And of course.

Jenelle did not have home owners insurance.

FU@K.

I know.

I never ever in my life thought this would happen to me.

Ever never ever.

Of all the homes on my block. Why ours?

The scary thing is my oldest daughter who is 14, was going to stay home that night. I am so thankful she came to work with us. What if she was home? Holy sh!t. I always thought, well she is safe with the dogs. What a false sense of security.

My Lily was such our guard dog. She managed our fortress. Even on our small floating home. She always perched herself in the window barking at anyone that passed. She was fierce. I can only imagine what she would have been like to intruders in our home? Did they try and kick her? Did they take her? Did they harm her? I'm so worried sick for her.

There were so many things I wish we had taken out of our home that night. Mainly Lily. I wish she could have gone to work with us. But, no dogs allowed in Soylent Green. Poor Lily.

I wish we grabbed our i-touches, our camera's.... my daughters were charging their phones in their room and they took those. They took my kids jewelry. T.V gone. They took coins even out of my kids piggy banks. Laptop.

I haven't even begin to "right" our house. It's too much for me to handle. I figure, I'll just buy boxes and just pack it in.

When the police finally left, I had to beg my daughters to come in the house at least to use the bathroom. They wanted nothing to do with this house. That is still the case. They wanted to go find Lily.

We can't stay here. It's not safe. We are barely sleeping. The dumb landlord can't/won't even come till Monday to check out the damage and replace the doors.

We want to move. Well, we are moving. I am not staying here. My daughters are living in fear now. It's a terrible way to live. They don't need the stress. We take cat naps through the day, because it feels safer to sleep in the day.

If anybody out there knows of a 2-3 bedroom house for rent, available NOW. Please let me know.

Cops leave.

Not 1 minute after the police pulled away. Around the corner comes a mini-van. Stops about 2 car lengths into the block. See's me. I'm looking straight at the van. They dim their lights off, while the van sits in the middle of the road. I'm thinking... what the hell?! They do a 3 point turn. The driver is totally checking things out. This all happened so fast. I decide to start walking towards the van now... then, I decide I'm gonna run... They peel away... as they are peeling away... 2 more heads pop up in the back seat. Got the license plate. Call the officer who was just there... no answer. Left a message. Haven't heard from her since, because she is now off for a few days. Damn.

Anyway.

I get working on finding a photo to make posters for Lily. I head to the 24hr Kinkos to print some up.

I was up till 7:30am yesterday combing the neighbourhood putting up posters. Hoping she would just walk out of a bush, "Oh hi! mom!". But, no baby Lily.

Yesterday was filled with one hour cat naps, and then putting up posters and talking to as many people in the neighbourhood that we bump into, asking if they remember seeing Lily wandering around. Nada.

Last night, I went looking for "that" van. Figuring they may live close. Nothing. I did however find two crackheads two blocks up, looking into cars. I had seen them when I was up near the skytrain. They were walking like they were straight out of some zombie movie. They made me mad. I saw them carrying heaps amount of stuff in their arms. So, I kind of was hoping I would see them a little later on down the road.

 I was creeping the truck slowly down the streets, looking at plates and what do I see? The zombies all trying to duck behind a car. I reverse the truck a bit, and shine the flashlight on them. They come out and are all looking like zombies ready to eat my brain. They were all walking and tweaking out - I just shinned the flashlight in their ugg faces, and off they scurried, like rats. I drove off, half wanting to drive around the block and herd them out of our neighbourhood by intimidating them with my big ass truck.

But, my kids were sleeping in the truck and I was so beat. We headed home. If I was 15 years younger.

In between coming home to eat, check emails, look for places on craigslist (which I have found nothing) have little cat naps, our life has been upside down from these a$$holes.

My daughters are traumatized. Our dog is missing. We want to move.

I can't even work right now, because we have no generator and there is none listed on Craigslist, because I can't afford to spend $3000 on a new one right now.

This sucks.

I just want my baby Lily to come home and I know everything will be ok.

I'm trying to be strong for my girls. But, part of me just wants to lay in bed and just forget this all happened. I know that I need to find Lily for them. We need to be re-united. All those material possessions will eventually be replaced over time.

Lily is not replaceable.

I got Lily from a family that decided a dog was not a good fit for them. It was a year and half ago.  I had just lost my side-kick Luke the "shopcat". He became ill, and I did everything I could for him. He broke my heart. I was missing him so badly, I was grieving. I oddly enough bonded with a friends chihuahua, and it was so nice how they just curl up in your lap and give boundless amount of love. I decided at that moment I needed a chihuahua. I was lucky to find her. She was from a sweet family in Abbotsford. The dad, worked in a cold furniture warehouse and it just was not ideal to take a 4lbs dog there everyday. Anyway, she melted my heart and we have been together ever since. I loved sleeping next to her. She would be such a log when she was sleepy. You could move her any which way in bed, and she would just let you move her. On the other hand if you caught sleepy, bitch Lily before that point of heavy tiredness, she would get all snappy. I loved her moods. Every morning, she would stretch her body out on the back of my legs as I was in the kitchen or somewhere standing. She would always sleep in, and get up after me. I love her. I need her. She needs her family. I miss her little belly, when she would roll over all submissive to get kisses. I miss seeing her little head peeking out the front window. I miss her pitter patter of her little toes on the hardwood floors.

I don't want to not see her again.

Please keep your eyes peeled for her. I honestly have never seen another chihuahua like her. Usually they have dark chocolate or black noses, but hers is pink. 

I am trying to remain hopeful and determined.

Please tell everyone you know.

I know the powers of the internet can be so very helpful.

Help Lily get to her real home, she is so badly missed.

Lily is: Orange and white cloured. 5 lbs roughly. Has hazel eyes. Pink nose. White tipped tail like a paint brush. Inner thigh has a tattoo from the breeder. White chest. Has a little white mark towards her tail that is shaped sorta like a "Nike" swoosh. Her size is referred to as a "Teacup chihuahua".

Last seen in South burnaby. Dow St. Cross Street is Watling. Close to Sussex st.

We are a few blocks South of Metrotown.