On The Eve Of A New Year

As most people in this world, this day gets me thinking about what I want to change for the year of 2011. Well there are a lot of things I would like to change but I try to be realistic about what I know I can change. I could say I want to loose weight, or I will quit smoking but I know in my heart that I probably won't follow through with those :) This year I'm thinking more along the lines of just trying to have a little more fun, maybe do a few more things for me. Somehow I do everything for everyone else first and by the time that is all done I'm to exhausted to take a little time to do something for myself. Oh don't get me wrong, part of what I cherish is doing things for other people and animals, it does make me happy but I think I might take a little time to maybe make a trip to Borders Book Store, or enjoy a cup of Starbucks coffee. Just a few small things, that's all I need.

I live in the world of rescue, sometimes its good but there is always bad, I can always look on facebook or in my emails and see how some poor animal has been abused, neglected or abandoned. It makes me sad most of the time, so sometimes I need a little pick me up. It helps looking at my babies here, and knowing they enjoy their life and I give them everything I can but I think I need to do something to get away from it, even if its just a few moments. That's why I think just doing a few things for myself would help me coupe with the rescue world.

The snow we had on Christmas eve and day has melted now, but I did get a few pictures of the dogs in the snow. Here's Hazel, she absolutely loves the snow. I will have to get a picture of the girls after they come in from a romp in the thick snow, their hair attracts snow balls, so they come in with thousands of little snow balls all over their body. Its comical but hard to get off, they've learned to go to the rug and pick them off before getting on the furniture. Thank goodness!

 Here's Cashew, checking things out. I never understood how dogs could hate the rain so much but love the snow. Honestly I could do without both, but I do understand nature needs it, so I guess I will have to tolerate it ;) As you can see the snow in our yard doesn't stay nice and fluffy for long. With 6 dogs romping in it, it gets all printed up quick.

 At last here's a picture of Dooley. If you look real close you can see some snow on his nose.


 Tonight we are having corn beef and cabbage for our New Years dinner, something I haven't had in years. The dogs are getting a meal of kibble and apples. We are hoping for a healthy happy New Year for all :)

What A Wonderful Christmas!!!

This Christmas was wonderful for us. Of course I enjoyed that my mom and dad came home to spend Christmas with us, but something about this Christmas was peaceful. The dogs are set with toys, beds and treats for long time to come, that makes them happy and anything that makes them happy makes me happy. Check out this toy pig my brother and soon to be sister in law got Duncan. Its a soft rubber like material that oinks when you squeeze it. Duncan is actually scared of it but Piper and Dooley LOVE it! I think Dunc might start to like it eventually but its going to take him awhile.

Aunt Gloria got them a big pack of all natural Christmas bones, we haven't opened them yet, they have so many treats I'm trying to use whats opened before I open more, I plan on trying them too once we open them :) Don't they look yummy?

Dooley is doing better and better everyday, he gets medicated baths once a week and his ears cleaned every other day. Yesterday he was kinda limping on his front foot, when I looked at it I realized why. A big hunk of fungus was coming off one of his pads, we got that off and all is well. He of course has made his way into our bed, I don't know how we all sleep. 6 dogs and 2 humans in a king sized bed, especially when one of those dogs weighs 70lbs! He like all my doxie's loves the snow! I was throwing snowballs to then the other day, he would catch them and take off running like he had a real ball in his mouth, then he would try to spit it out and couldn't figure why nothing was there LOL it was quite comical. I love watching dogs run in the snow, it always brings a smile to my face.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and have a great New Year, we plan on celebrating ours at home with the dogs. That's they way we like it :)

T'was The Night Before Christmas....

and my house is a mess :) Since we are going to my brother and his fiance's house tomorrow afternoon for Christmas and David has to work in the morning, the dogs got to open their gifts today. First we just let them open their dog beds this morning, that was a total riot! I wasn't sure what to expect Dooley to do but he was ripping and tearing at that paper like a nut. Duncan and him are basically the ones that opened the beds, while the girls sat back and watched. In this picture him and Duncan are giving it a team effort. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. There is something about watching dogs open presents that is so comical.

 This is what happens after you have worked really hard to open a present, he couldn't even make it to the bed before he crashed LOL There was not a inch of the floor that wasn't covered with shredded wrapping paper! I don't care it was worth cleaning the mess up just watching them tear into it.We let them open the rest of their presents tonight, they each got a new toy. Everyone participated in the unwrapping this time. Cashew and Hazel took theirs to the bedroom to open theirs and the rest done theirs in the family room, this means I had wrapping paper strode from one end of the house to the other :) even under the bed HAHA!

I feel truly blessed this Christmas, and wish all of you the same.

A Great Gathering And A Little About Dooley

Today a few of us fosters in the group met at The Blue Owl Restaurant & Bakery in Kimmswick for breakfast/lunch. I think a good time was had by all, I know I enjoyed myself. We done a secret Santa gift exchange and just sat around and talked, there is nothing better than being in the company of good people and having good food around never hurts :)

After wards we walked down to one of the many shops in Kimmswick, the Christmas Haus, its filled to the brim with anything and everything Christmas! I've been to Kimmswick once before but its been quite a few years ago. You can't help but get in the Christmas spirit, after having a wonderful meal with friends, exchanging gifts and visiting stores like this. They have just about any kind of ornament you can think of, they even had jellyfish ornaments as one of my friends wonderful son pointed out to me.

They have a "fake" Santa set up in this shop, but he really does look life like, in fact a few of us had the discussion that it was kinda creepy.  I had to take a picture of him, he even had finger nails that looked real. I told one of my friends, when I was a kid I was petrified of Santa Claus. My cousins used to make fun of me, how can you be scared of a man that brings you presents but I was convinced there was something mean about Santa. Every picture I ever had taken with Santa, I was crying, or my eye's were bulging out of my head in fear. I don't know where those pictures are now but I'm glad their not around to remind me of how silly I was to be so scared of Santa Claus. In my opinion, Santa could come down my chimney just long enough to leave the presents under the tree and that was it! There is nothing better than being a kid at Christmas time, it of course was my favorite time of the year, some of my best childhood memories are from spending time with my family at Christmas. That is one thing I wish I could have back, my childhood outlook on Christmas, its just not the same after you "grow up".

After I got home and fed the dogs we took a long winters nap :) Then I decided to give Dooley a bath. It was something else trying to coax this big moose baby to get in the tub. Once in the tub he was great, he didn't even shake water all over the place! I was going to wait till tomorrow but I just couldn't stand the flaky, crusty scabs that needed to come off him. I know this sounds funny but I'm a "picker" anytime I pet him I'm constantly picking the scabs and flakes off, I think its a OCD thing ;) Now that we have increased his frequency of taking the prednisone he is not near as itchy. I gotta say, I'm in total love with this boy, he is such a big baby. He loves to cuddle up and doesn't care what I do to him, he just lays there like "Ok, whatever." This poor guy has some really nasty ears, its a work in progress but one day they'll clear up. I clean them every other day and put medicine drops in. I thought it was his body that still had a smell to it but its not, its his ears. He has been horribly neglected, I do kinda wish I knew his story because I can tell he was cared for at one time in his life, they cared enough to teach him commands and manners. He is going to make such a great addition to someones family!

Dooley wishes everyone a goodnight!!!

Lettin Loose....

Yesterday Dooley's personality started to shine, he just had a little more pep in his step and he started talking to me by huffing and puffing with his mouth open, its very cute. Today he is really starting to let loose, I think he is starting to feel better. He is not holding his back leg up as much as before. His left back leg and foot is just horribly infected and covered in fungus, but it must be starting to feel better because he is using it much more. Its amazing what just a couple days worth of rest and medication can do.

As you can see in this picture he doesn't have much hair left on his back or tail. Today he does seem a little more itchy than the days before. He probably needs another medicated bath but has to wait a few more days so his neuter site can heal more. A lot of his scabs, flakes and crusts are coming off, I'll take that as a good sign he is healing. I have a coat that fits him perfectly, so he can stay warm till his hair grows back.

Today he showed us how much he really likes toys, as you can see in this picture. He completely entertains himself and us. Course the fun police (Izzy and Cashew) around here gets upset and starts barking at him, but he doesn't seem to care LOL Earlier today he had all the pillows thrown off the sofa, while he rolled and rooted around with a toy in his mouth, whatta goofball! I really don't want him on the sofa, cause he still has a smell to him but I can't make him get down, I just don't have it in me :) He just seems so happy. This rustling around lasted all of about 5 minutes, he is now crashed right behind me, on a dog bed, snoring, as I type.

My Christmas Miracle

I do believe in miracles, maybe not as much as other people but on occasion I have witnessed some very amazing things, that can be called nothing but a miracle. I've been watching the JCAC board, its a site that all the animals that are at this animal control facility is listed on, whether they are stray or owner surrenders. I really haven't been keeping track of that board for sometime now because I really have been busy with many other things but for some reason I was drawn to keep my eye on it. I know why now, a couple weeks ago I was struck by the picture of a dog on this site, he had obvious skin irritation, and infected wounds. There was something in his eye's that was talking to me and he reminded me entirely too much of my Duncan. I have been looking at that picture daily, sometimes multiple times a day, and every time I peered into this dogs eye's I could see pain and misery, but there was still a twinkle, a lust for life, a good life.......I kept trying to push his pleading eye's out of my mind but still couldn't help but look at his picture and wish I could help him. I knew I couldn't take him, he was a big dog and I already had a foster here, on top of my own 5 dogs, it would have been way to much dog in my house.

A couple days ago I got a email from one of the volunteers at JCAC, with a list of EXTRA URGENT animals on it. Basically extra urgent means, this is the last chance for these animals, as euthanasia day is approaching and the shelter is full. When I opened the email, I found this staring back at me.This is the picture I have been obsessed with for weeks. I knew it was now or never, I had to figure out how to help this baby, so the wheels started turning. As guilty as it made me feel, I started wondering if anyone in our group would consider fostering Radar, so I could make room for this guy. I emailed Ellen, the leader of our group, asked her if she had any suggestions on how I could save this guy? She thought maybe she could find a place for Radar, but she wanted to go up to JCAC and check this big boy out. She and I were a little concerned because the Sharpei breed can be dog aggressive. While she went up to JCAC I called Adel, one of the volunteers, and it just so happened she was at the shelter so I explained the situation and asked her to dog test him. A little later in the day Ellen and Adel reported he seemed fine with other dogs and was just a docile, calm fella. Ellen also told me that she thought maybe one of our fosters, Kelly would take Radar. Meanwhile my guilt is growing, I was feeling horrible about turning Radar over to a new foster, him and I have a bond, we understand each other and I just knew he would think I gave up on him, or maybe think I didn't love him anymore. I emailed a couple of my friends in the group asking for advice. Lesa and Kim immediately told me, you are not giving up on him, you have brought him a long way and now its time for him to expand his horizons and for you to save a life. A special Thank You to Kim and Lesa, I needed that!

Well Kelly agreed to give little Radar a try and that meant I could get this boy out of the shelter so he could get some much needed medical care and on the road to recovery. I met Kelly last night with little Radar, of course on the way there he was giving me some serious doe eye's, I couldn't help but cry. I've had good and bad times with little Radar, the good far out weighs the bad. I've watched him grow into a affectionate, loving companion, and I think I've grown a little too. Thank you Radar for the experience of watching you blossom and learn to trust, I love you buddy and always will.

Ellen picked up my new foster yesterday and delivered him to the vet for some medical care and his neuter surgery. I went by the vets office this morning to pick up him up. Dooley has a bad skin condition caused from a flea allergy, that turned into a nasty dermatitis, yeast and fungal infection. He has a long road of recovery ahead of him but he is already as sweet as pie. Dooley is doing fine with the Davis pack and ignoring the more vocal ones :) This boy was someones loved companion at one time, he does know some commands and seems to be house trained. I don't know what happened with Dooley's former owners but he doesn't have to worry about ever being neglected like this again, I'll make sure of that. Thank you for my Christmas miracle.

Progressive

Lately the Davis household has been slow but progressive. I've been trying to get deep cleaning done in the house, send out Christmas cards and get presents wrapped. While my part is slow, Radar seems to be making great strides, I am so proud of my boy, he really is trying very hard to become a normal dog. Lately he has been hanging out with us in the living room, now even when David is home. He has also went outside for David a couple times, this is HUGE, even though once he gets out the door he turns around and starts barking at him. He really is ready for a home of his own, he still needs a special home but I know now he can overcome his fears and be what he was meant to be, a loving family member.

I plan on taking him to Petco for a adoption event for a couple hours tomorrow, we'll see if we can strike the interest of that special adopter :) Oh and I almost forgot to mention that I left him the other day for 1 hour and came home to a CLEAN crate!! I was SOO excited, I don't know if it was a fluke or not but we'll soon find out. I'm really hoping its starting to click with him, he seems to have all of a sudden realized he shouldn't potty in the house and totally understandx what I mean when I say "Do you need to go outside and potty?" he bolts to the door, dances around and sometimes even throws out a few barks. I'm hoping to soon be able to say he is POTTY TRAINED! That is a wonderful word in the world of rescue, we wish they were all potty trained, it would make our lives much easier and our houses much cleaner :)

Meanwhile my gang is getting progressively anxious for the visit from Grandma and Grandpa, when I mention it, it sends them into pure excitement. You know the kind of excitement you see when you've been gone all day and you come home to jumping, crying, licking dogs? They all love their Grandma and Grandpa, mainly I think its because they know they can get away more when they are here :) of course they get many more treats than usual also! 

A Couple Updates

While I was at the Holiday Magic event on Friday, a woman and her kids came up to our table and said "We love our dog we adopted from you" I had to take a good look at her and then it dawned on me, they were the people that adopted Delila, she is a 35lb Beagle mix that I fostered. Well actually she started out as a foster for my brother and his fiance but their dog Copper said "Absolutely not!" So she came to our house but only for a week or so, till she got adopted by this awesome family. I was told she is doing great and they love her to death! This poor dog was dumped at Animal Control by her previous "family" because they were moving. Sad excuse if you ask me. She has a new lease on life now and as the son told me while they were leaving, our dog is the bestest in the world :)

So I went to Holiday Magic again on Sunday with Radar. I was actually able to look around a little bit and it was certainly busier than it had been on Friday. It was not the best day for Radar, since we had attended this event on Friday and then went to Petco for just a little while on Saturday, by Sunday he had enough. I don't really blame him, by Sunday I was in the same mood as he was :) I talked to couple people that thought they were interested in him but once they realized that he needed a special home they become uninterested real quick. That's fine with me, my goal for him and for all my fosters is to make sure we get it right the first time, that doesn't always work out but I've found if I am brutally honest it seems to weed out the people that would not be a good fit for the dog. I really wish more people were willing to take a chance on these special needs guys, it is SO rewarding to watch them blossom and become wonderful, loving pets. As you can see in this picture, Radar is still recovering today. 

I also talked to Apples new family, she is doing well and seems to be settling in. After trying to figure out where she prefers to sleep, she decided she likes to sleep on the sofa curled up in a blanket. Her potty accidents are down to a minimum and she has started play bowing to them. They have only reached the tip of Apples personality, she is a vivacious little dog that seems to really have a zest for life and a love of her people.  

Need A Little Holiday Magic?

 Today kicked off the start of Holiday Magic at the America Center downtown, it goes on all weekend and there is TONS of stuff to do! There's carnival rides, a ice skating rink, many activities for kids, and lots of booths with more stuff than you can imagine. St. Louis Senior Dog Project has a booth there along with a few other rescue groups, selling craft items (to benefit our dogs in foster care) and we have dogs there for adoption also.



I took Radar this afternoon till close. He participated in the pet parade and done really well. During the pet parade they have all the dogs that are up for adoption walk across a big stage, while a MC announces their names, personalities, what they like to do for fun and which rescue group they are with. I had to carry him up the steps but considering how loud and bright it was up there he walked across like a pro with his tail high in the air. Thank goodness my nightmare didn't come true, all I could imagine is him getting on stage and having to take a big ol' poop. LOL Wouldn't that have been sumpin? ; )

Everyone that walked by just thought he was sooo adorable, he gets a lot of interest at adoption events. Tonight there were a couple people that were working some of the dogs booths that actually seemed really interested in him. There was one in particular that really had the gentle touch that Radar needs, she was actually the only person that he approached on his own, which is really saying something! He doesn't approach anyone but me.As the evening neared the end, he was beginning to show signs of stress, and would do a low barky, growl when people would approach. He was saying he had enough! We were there for about 4 1/2 hours and that is quite a long time for him to be in that busy environment.

I might go back on Sunday with Radar, depending if we both recover by then :)

The Princess And Me

Today has just not been a good day from the very beginning. It started with the neighbors dog getting out of the yard right around the same time I was waking up and letting the dogs out for their morning potty. Well of course Kiki wanted to come over to the front of our fence and start a barking, running frenzy, which is not easy to break up when we are talking about 7 dogs total. All before my morning coffee *SIGH* As the day progressed, it got worse. Izzy started puking, many times, because she ate something she shouldn't have, Radar running through a water bowl, dogs trying to eat cat hair......the list could go on and on. While I'm having one of my bad days, Izzy is having one of her high maintenance days. I wonder if people understand what I mean when I say she is a high maintenance dog? If she gets something in her head, there is NO changing it, typical doxie but she tends to take it to extreme's sometimes. Below is a little video of her during one of her "moments" don't forget to turn up the volume, sorry for the background noise. 

What does she want? She wants a treat, since I attempt to keep them on a strict diet because of their breed, I also limit the amount of treats they can have. I had just given them all a small piece of a treat but apparently she was not happy with that. If I don't do what she asks, she will start this, she also will bark (loudly), stand up, beg, dig on my legs etc. This is why we call her Princess because she truly believes she is and thinks she should be treated like royalty.

One thing I have always been told about doxie's, if you give into them once they never, ever forget it. If you don't believe it, watch the video again LOL  I hope tomorrow will be a better day for me, and maybe Izzy will wake up not so needy also :)

It Was Nice....

It was really nice seeing family this Thanksgiving, I don't see enough of them. Its funny how you get so busy with your day to day life you loose track of friends and family sometimes. The dogs were all well behaved besides Radar's pooing in the crate while we were gone :( but its all good, or at least I keep telling myself that. I mean look at that face, how could you get mad at that? He looks so peaceful, and really he is doing better, he is now getting much more comfortable in different parts of the house. The bad part about making him more comfortable in the rest of the house, I think its going to turn him into a major moocher, but oh well.

I got the Christmas tree up today, and I didn't have the heart to put it up where I usually do, only because that is Radar's "safe haven" so I just made room for it else where in the house. Radar was already acting weird this morning. After we come in from the morning outside trip, he wouldn't go lay in his bed, I looked at the bed, picked it up, wondering what in the hell it was that was bothering him. Well after about a hour I figured it out, there was a throw blanket over the back of the chair, its not usually there, so once I put that away he slowly got back into routine. Some days I wonder if I'm going crazy or if they are, OR maybe we're going together. Its always nice to have company :)

So needless to say I have kept myself busy, my dogs really don't like all the commotion that comes with putting up the Christmas tree, I can tell it makes them nervous and jumpy. Here's a picture of Izzy laxin. I have also managed to ALMOST finish my Christmas shopping! I am so proud of myself, and I didn't even have to leave the house. The last couple years I have done most all of my Christmas shopping on Black Friday online. You get really amazing deals, plus usually free shipping, without the hassle of dealing with the crowds. Yes its right up my ally :) Really the only thing I have left to shop for is the dogs, I meant to finish that today but I didn't get to it. Tomorrow brings lots of running and a return trip to get MORE bloodwork done, I hate getting bloodwork done! The last trip they blew my vein in my right arm, so I guess they'll be shooting for the left this time, have I mentioned I hate getting bloodwork done? lol

I have already caught Cashew trying to snatch a ornament off the tree! Since this is Piper's first Christmas with us I'm not sure how she is going to do with the tree while we are gone, right now she seems not so interested. Doesn't really matter I'm used to coming home to a ornament chewed up here and there. I'm looking forward to my mom and dad coming into town for Christmas, now to get the house ready!

What I'm Thankful For

I am very thankful for a lot of things in my life, great family and friends. I have a wonderful husband that puts up with my obsession with helping animals and welcomes new fosters with open arms. I am also very thankful for all the health of my perma dogs, and of course the love and friendship they offer me. I am so relieved that Apple found her new furever home before the holidays, now she gets to celebrate in style and comfort as she was meant too. Although the last few days I've been a little down about my own health but all it takes is a good snuggle with the dogs and a holiday to make me remember that I am truly blessed.

Today I'm preparing for tomorrow, since I am not having Thanksgiving dinner at my house all I am doing is making a few desserts, easy enough. The real work will come after this holiday, getting the house decorated for Christmas, "spring" cleaning and getting ready for my parents to come into town for Christmas. Oh and I can't forget the dreaded Christmas shopping, the last few years I have done the majority of my shopping online and that is my plan this year too. This should be a real experience for Radar, he doesn't like having new people in the house and I hate to tell him but his normal hang out spot is where the Christmas tree goes. This should really throw him out of whack. The last few nights he has been coming in on his own, the common denominator seems to be David, when he is home is when he seems to do this. I would really like to see Radar have his very own home for Christmas, but if that doesn't happen its ok, he can celebrate with us and enjoy the goodies Santa brings.

All the dogs were unhappy this morning because of the rain, except Hazel, the rain doesn't bother her one bit. She runs and plays in the yard like its nothing. Piper really hates it, I made her go out and she just sat at the door with her tail tucked begging to come back in. It finally slowed down enough that she went out and done her business. Cashew would only go out if I accompanied her, geez what a brat :) I don't blame any of them for not wanting to go out, I wouldn't want to go out in this cold, wet stuff either but sometimes we have to do what we don't want to, right? Here's Cashew curled up with Izzy, or rather her back end. 

I wish all of my readers a very Happy Thanksgiving, be thankful for what you have and forget about the things you don't. I believe God gives us what we need and only gives us as much as we can handle.

Radar The Turd Bird

Radar really is a good boy for the most part, but he certainly has his moments where he can be a turd bird. Tonight he went out with the rest of the pack around 7pm, he kept coming to the door acting like he wanted in, I would open the door and he would stand at the bottom of the steps and just look around. Well finally over 3 1/2 hours later he came in, but not on his own will. I propped the door open and had David go out in the yard, it took a few minutes but Radar finally bolted in the door. I told ya he doesn't like my husband, at least now we found a good use for this dislike.


I wish I could figure out why he does this, it always happens at night time and it hasn't happened for over a month now. For awhile after the last time he done this I made him wear a lead every time he went out, but quit doing it as he started coming in just fine. I just can't understand it, this time I tried hot dogs, cheese, just leaving the door propped open and walking away, nothing worked till our send David out to the yard plan.

There are some days that I think maybe I'm not cut out for fostering, today is one of those days. I still can't break him of pooping and peeing in his crate when we leave. I've been working with him for almost 2 months on this and its not getting any better. I take that back, it has gotten a little better, now I can leave for about 15 minutes without it happening but nothing over that. I keep thinking maybe I'm doing something wrong but when I ask for advice, I'm told the same things I am doing. I've tried leaving him in a xpen instead of a crate and he still does it. I guess I'm just going to keep going till something clicks in him to make him realize we are never going to abandon him.

Bigger and Better Things

I got Apple all bathed and smelling good, cleaned her ears brushed her out so that she would be ready for today's home visit with her potential adopters. My friend, Amy is starting her own grooming business and offered to "finish" groom Apple, so last night we went over to her home so she could get her all trimmed and shiny :) 

She trimmed all the excess hair between her toes and pads and made her tail look perfect! I think Apple did very well considering this is likely the first time she has ever been on a groom table and probably the first time she has ever been trimmed with sheers. Here she is getting her tail trimmed, she doesn't look to worried to me :) she is actually keeping a eye on Amy's little Pom, Prince, she seemed to really like him and enjoyed his bounciness.

Here is a picture of Prince, or as Amy calls him Princy. He is also a puppymill survivor that struck gold when Amy adopted him. He was about 8 months old and had a luxating patella, basically this is when the knee cap pops in and out of the socket. Prince had a Grade IV, which means the knee cap permanently stays out of the socket, and requires surgery, he also has chronic urinary problems. He is a lucky boy, there are a lot of people that would not have spent this much money on "just a dog."  Isn't he a doll baby? He only weighs like 4lbs or so and is nothing but a bundle of energy and happiness, thanks to Amy! He's one of those dogs that you can't help but be happy around because he is so enthusiastic about life and everything in it.

Back to Apple, I completed her home visit this afternoon and was very happy with it. Tonight she is in her new furever home, hopefully loving life! Her new adopters are home most of the time and were as happy as could be with Apple. When I left she was curled up in the recliner with the son, I love happy endings! I'll be calling to check on her in a couple days and I hope they send me a picture or two of this sweet little girl. Happy tails to Apple! The Davis pack sends love and kisses!

Groom Time For Apple

This evening I decided to start grooming Apple in case she gets adopted. She hates getting a bath, she really doesn't like the water part, she seems ok with the scrubbing, soap part but the water does not make this little one happy. I don't blame her, probably the only experience she has had with spraying water was a hose splashing her in her cage. I think that would make me not like spraying water too! The whitening shampoo done a good job, I think its going to take a couple times to really get the stains totally out of her fur.

I'm gonna miss this little firecracker if she does get adopted, she has SOO much personality, I can't believe her little body can hold it all in. I think she would be really happy in a one dog home so that she can be pampered, and doted on like she knows she deserves! :)  See the look on her face in this picture? I think she is saying "Why did you that to me? I'm a princess." I'm not sure which is worse, a dog that comes from a breeder that has no clue what the good life is or one that has expected it their whole life but till now they never received it? I've seen both, and really both are heartbreaking, but maybe that's because I believe they all deserve warm beds to sleep in and a plethora of love and treats. At least now she gets to live the way she should, warm and loved.

Adoption Weekend

This was a big weekend for adoption event's at Petsmart, I was there on Saturday for only about an hour to drop off some baked items, for Sunday's bake sale. I took Radar with me so I didn't have to leave him in the crate at home. Apple and Radar attended the Sunday event at Petsmart. Radar continues to do better and better at events and has basically mastered walking on a leash, well as long as I'm the one holding the leash. I need to come up with some kind of plan to get him to come around to other people, he mostly acts like a normal dog with me but other people are very terrifying for him still. I think until I can get him to relax in the presents of other people, he will continue to be overlooked for adoption. He really is such a sweet boy, I hate him not having a home of his own. He is still so skinny, I have tried fattening him up but I haven't seen the results I expected, maybe its just in his genes to be this skinny.

Apple struck some interest on Sunday, in fact I have a home visit scheduled on Saturday for her. If all goes well she will be the only dog in the home, which means more love and attention for her, and that is definitely what she craves. My only concern with this adoption is the adopter mentioned being worried about shedding. Even though Apple is not a heavy shedder, she is not a no shed breed, which I have explained to the potential adopter. I have also told her if by any means she is really concerned about the shedding, I would prefer she not adopt Apple, I don't want to see her being returned because she sheds. She seemed to have come to peace with the fact that she will shed. I took Apple to the vet today to get her sutures out and pick up her medical records. The vet was talking to me about what a nice little dog Apple was and that he thought she was really friendly and very adoptable. I do agree with him, she is actually the first dog that I have fostered that came from a breeder that I have considered adoptable immediately. Since we are going on a home visit for a potential adoption, Apple will be getting groomed this week, I ordered some whitening shampoo so hopefully it will remove the stains she has in her fur. Keep Apple in your thoughts, hopefully this is the right home for her.

Dachshund Puppies Oh My

To me, there is nothing much cuter than a Dachshund unless were talking a Dachshund puppy! It brings out the OOh's and Aw's in me, it also makes me start talking that ridiculous baby talk. So I thought I would share a few pictures of 3 of my girls when they were babies, its been so long ago, I'm hard pressed to find really good pictures of them. I truly cannot find all the pictures I know I have of Izzy when she was a baby, this is the only one I could find and its not a really good picture, trust me, she was one of the cutest things I have ever laid my eye's on. Of course I'm a little bias :)  People always thought she was a Cocker Spaniel puppy because her ears were so long and fluffy.

Izzy is recovering from her food "binge" last night, I was a little worried, she bloated up and her belly was as hard as a rock, in fact I think you could have bounced a coin off of it. She made many trips outside last night. Last night while we were in bed she laid at my feet and about every 15 minutes she would bark, it was her frustrated bark, the one that lets you know she has had enough, this went on all night long. I think she had a major belly ache and that was her way of letting her belly know she had enough?? I don't know, the dog is nuts LOL Today I gave her a Pepcid to help with her belly and she is much better tonight, she is a little ticked off because I didn't feed her a regular meal today, all she got was some meat to take the Pepcid with and a few dried cranberries. I really don't think she needs any real amount of food today, we'll resume as normal tomorrow.

Hazel was also a very cute baby, she has always been on the docile side, even when she was a baby. One thing that is amazing to me about doxie's is the changes their coats go through as they get older. Hazel had a lot of black shading on her when she was little but now she has very little, its mostly just red. She still has those sad eye's, she can have me wrapped around her finger with just one look :)

Here's my Cashew, the little moody girl. Half the time I don't think she can stand herself! She truly is a beautiful Dachshund though, she has the big, bright eye's and a beautiful shaded coat. Cashew retained more of her dark colorings, at least more than Hazel did. I love my doxie girls, I wish I had pictures of Piper when she was a baby, I'm sure she was just adorable. That's all the cuteness I can stand for now :)

Busted

I planned on blogging about something totally different tonight, till I busted Isabelle and my blog subject changed quickly. I was actually going through pictures and heard Izzy throw out some barks every once in awhile. At first I totally ignored it, then I thought, well she is probably barking at the cat, when it continued I thought I better go check it out, she has been known to walk in the pantry while the doors open and get closed inside. Well she wasn't in the pantry, she had some how opened the dog food bin and was standing on top of the food just eating away, she thought she had hit the jackpot! Especially since I just went and bought dog food yesterday, a 50lb bag, so the bin was full to the rim! I guess when I fed them earlier I didn't tightly close the lid, my bad. Oh and what she was barking about was warning everyone not to come near HER food! Cashew was standing in the door way just looking at her with a very confused look on her face.

Dachshunds are known for being, well, pigs but my 4 act like they never get enough. I truly believe all of mine would eat until they just fell over dead. In our house, Izzy is known for being a pig and she does not like to share. She knows what a bag of food or bones looks like from a mile away, seriously, I remember the day I took them to the ice cream social at Lucky Dog Boutique, they were doing a food drive for the St. Louis Food Pantry. Well they had a box set up and we were sitting, I don't know, 10-12 feet away from it and she knew there was food in that box. Thank goodness they picked up the stuff and loaded quickly because she can become quite the pest when she knows there is food anywhere near. I call this picture the bloated, bull frog look LOL

Beyond Exhausted...

Lately I've been feeling under the weather and no I still have not called the doctor, I feel like my days are so full that I can't find the time to call and then make it to the appointment. This coupled with the last few weeks it all becomes a clustered mess, I need some calgon to take me away from it all for just a little while. I have a lot of things I've put on the back burner that I need to take care of but I'm mentally and physically exhausted. No catching up this weekend, the group has a bake sale going on and I have an adoption event to attend.

Meanwhile the dogs seem to be enjoying the nice weather were having, I guess they better enjoy it now because its soon to get really cold. Duncan's allergies have already started to flare pretty bad, his get bad when the furnace gets turned on. Today I plan on shaving him and giving him a bath, which does seem to help, at least temporarily. Poor guy I know it must be miserable to be so itchy. We had him on shots for awhile that was suppose to make him immune to his allergens but after a year of them he became so fearful of the needle that he would hide from me so we decided to stop giving them to him. I think they may of helped him in the long run but he still gets really bad come fall and winter.

Apple seems to be recovering just fine from her spay and dental work, she's been running around like a frisky puppy the last couple days. Here she is getting into the toy basket, she is very interested in toys now. She's been sporting diapers till I can break her marking habits. You should see the look on her face when I first put one on, she turns around and looks at it and then looks at me, as if to say "What in the hell is that?" she quickly shakes and she's off. It really happens that quick, and she pays no more attention to it. She is the kind of dog that I believe could be put in any situation and she would adapt fairly quickly.

Izzy has also recovered from her infection, and her bark is back to its normal self. Oh boy is it back! I'm very relieved that it was just a infection and nothing more. I'm not sure why this picture loaded upside down? Oh well that's kinda how I feel, upside down. At any rate she is doing good and back in action, being bossy and crazy as usual. That's how we like her.