Can You Hear Me Screaming???

Wow today is one of the most frustrating days I have had in a long time! The frustrations started last night when I realized that a month after her spay surgery Piper's middle of her incision opened up! I packed it with ointment and steri stripped it, by this morning it was closed but I decided to call the vet that done her surgery anyways. Well after waiting 7 hours for them to return my call, I missed it and wasn't able to get a resolution to the problem. Piper doesn't act like its bothersome but my main concern is should she be on a preventative antibiotic?

Progress Or Not?

There are moments through out the day I think I am making progress with Gemma, then there are moments we take steps backwards. In this picture you can see where Gemma spends most of her day, on the back of the sofa staring at everyone wondering what is going to happen next. Sometimes she will even fall asleep in this same position, sitting up nodding her head. Its so sad to see this and its also very disturbing. Gemma is not even 2 years old yet but obviously in her short time she has had some very horrible things happen to her. I know she has not had socialization but most times she doesn't even act like a dog, its very hard to explain, but when we are outside, I will crouch down and call her, she will watch as the other dogs come to me then she will start nervously circling and quickly back up into me. I have never seen a dog act like this, I guess you learn something new every day, then when I go to pet her she stands up on her back two feet with her front paws in the air, it is the oddest thing I have ever seen.

Last night my husband had her laying in his lap, she eventually settled in and looked pretty comfortable, however she looked at me like I was a alien from outer space. I made some popcorn for the dogs and me to eat, I don't do this very often but all my dogs love popcorn and its something we can share together. I tossed a piece to David to see if just by chance Gemma would eat it, to my surprise she ate it right out of his hand then continued to eat a piece or 2 more. I was impressed and happy to see her actually enjoying something "normal". Then this morning, it was like none of this ever happened and we were all strangers again. Truly if you think puppymills or back yard breeders "Aren't that bad" come to my house and see this terrified poodle that they would use to breed their cute little puppies! I guarantee you will have a different opinion. 

Transitions In The Davis Pack

There has been a lot of transitions going on in the Davis pack, especially this week. With Piper becoming a member, Gemma being new and Mr. Teddy here for a visit, its interesting to see the dogs bonding and showing their rank in the pack. As I stated before Gemma definitely loves other dogs but I have noticed this week she has a special love for Duncan, and if she had her pick I think her would be the one she would keep close to her all the time. Not sure why but she does seek him out between all the dogs, maybe he makes her feel safe or has a calming effect on her. As you can see in this picture, Duncan is fine with being close to Gemma and you can see the peace on her face, like she is really comfortable. This is a very good thing since Duncan is our most well behaved dog!

Hazel and Piper are working on the ranks in the house, Hazel has definitely always been low man in the pack but she is letting Piper know that she is now the low man. Its nothing huge, or vicious, she has lately, like just later this week, refused to play with Piper. This picture is from earlier this week, they were actually playing and Hazel was cleaning Pipers ears.Piper will try to initiate play by rubbing up against Hazel, but for some reason Hazel is taking this as being pushy, and dominate over her. I wish I understood what they were communicating with each other, and how to read those signs. Hazel has been quite gentle about communicating to Piper that "No way chic, you are on bottom now!" She gets upset when Piper tries to initiate this play by putting her ears back and making a growly sound, if Piper doesn't listen Hazel will knock her down and stand over her. It is so interesting to me how the dogs know that Piper is officially joining their pack, I can't recall ever seeing them have this transition with any fosters. Its also funny how this in no way effects the higher ranked dogs, Duncan, Izzy or Cashew, its strictly between Hazel and Piper. I am letting them work it out and only plan on intervening if necessary.

Lucky Dog Boutique had a ice cream social today that benefited the Bi-State Pet Food Pantry  I took Isabelle and Piper with me, they absolutely LOVED the ice cream! I met one of our fosters there too, she fosters Saburo a beautiful, sweet, well mannered standard red doxie. We had a great time and it was for a great cause, the Pet Food Pantry is a blessing for a lot of animals and people that in this economy can't afford to feed their pets. Kudos to Lucky Dog and Bi- State Pet Food Pantry!!!

Lazy Dog Day

Today the dogs seem very happy to lay around and catch some Z's, which is fine with me it gives me a chance to get some things done and spend some needed time with Gemma. Earlier today I took this picture of Piper and Mr. Teddy cuddled up and ready for a good snooze. Days like this its very tempting to go crawl in bed with all the pooches and sleep the day away! I have been too worried today to snooze, I have a friend having surgery today and I can't get her off my mind. The pups are very therapeutic, and at least keep me calm, but not enough to be able to nap.

I spent some one on one time with Gemma this morning, brushing and cuddling her, she is such a sweet girl, she just doesn't know how to show it yet. She seemed to enjoy her brushing and even let me get to her belly and feet, I sat on the floor and held her like a baby in my arms for awhile and I seriously could feel her pain. I guess a lot of people think I'm weird but I could feel this dogs pain, and suffering so much I started to cry. She is going to be just fine, I think Gemma and I are communicating now. The rest of the day she has been a little less stressed, and I hope a little less worried. She will usually sit on the sofa and nod off but never really get comfortable, check out this picture I took today, not only is she comfortable but she actually has her back to me, which is a HUGE deal.

I love this weather we have been having, I wish I felt up to getting some real yard work done but since I come down with that virus a couple weeks ago, I'm still not up to par. I really love these days and they always make me feel at peace. I mean how could you watch this and not feel at peace? They were all sacked out till I took this picture, Mr. Teddy has a keen sense of knowing when I am taking a picture, I guess he doesn't want to get caught in the act of sleeping :) Our whole house is filled with dog beds, especially the sun room because I spend a lot of time in there, that's about the only place they use the dog beds though because if we are in the family room they insist on laying on the furniture, which is fine with us.

Settling In

I told you in my last blog that I was dog sitting Mr. Teddy while his mom is out of town for a business trip, I also told you I would share some pictures of him. Well here's one picture of him. He is such a doll baby, we think he is a Shi Tzu/ Brussels Griffin mix super cute pup with excellent manners. He somehow ended up in the city pound?!?!  Mr. Teddy gets along very well with other dogs, even my Cashew, he is so nonthreatening to other dogs, she feels no need to boss him around like the other new dogs in the house.  Mr. Teddy is always welcome to stay here because he is such a great boy and what we call "low maintenance".


Meanwhile we are working with little Gemma, she is not going to be easy by any means. She did allow me to

bath her yesterday and get her a little trimmed up. I was planning on taking her to Lucky Dog this Saturday but now I'm not sure, she still has not adjusted here at all so I think it might be a good idea to keep her at home till she gets used to the new environment. She has had some diarrhea since being here but I am pretty sure its nerves, the stress is almost too much for her to handle. She watches the other dogs with such interest, this is a picture I got of her outside, she was intently watching the other dogs socialize and just be normal dogs. Can't you see the want in her eye's? When I look at this picture I see her wanting SO bad to be a normal dog, she just has no clue how to. With time I hope this will change. She has minuet moments of calmness but is ALWAYS just on the edge of terrified. The last 2 mornings she has messed in her crate, I feel bad for her, but yet I literally get sick cleaning it up. I do not have a strong stomach at all and diarrhea is always the one thing that gets me. I hope to one day have a stomach of steel but since it hasn't happened in 35 years I don't have high hopes.

We Welcome Gemma and Mr. Teddy

Last night I went and picked up the scared little poodle from her foster mom and also picked up Mr. Teddy, who has been adopted and is much loved. Mr. Teddy was one of my previous fosters till his mom adopted him about 6 months ago, he is only here for a week because his mom has to go out of town on business. We decided to dog sit him because he is such a good boy and we enjoy having him around. Gemma is the name of the little poodle I am now fostering, she is beautiful but petrified of humans. There's a picture of her. I don't know what this poor girl has been through but obviously its been very hard on her. I spent a little time with her last night brushing and petting her. She relaxed a little bit while I was brushing her and actually laid her head in my hands. Say a blessing for this little girl, that she can turn around and realize life with humans is not that bad.

Gemma was a breeder surrender, the breeder had obtained her from another breeder when she bought her whole breeding stock of poodles. Gemma was lucky to get out of that environment, now we just have to convince her that life as a loved dog is good, and shouldn't be scary at all. Gemma LOVES other dogs, which might be the one thing that helps her turn around. This morning we went outside for potty time and I was shocked when Gemma ran up and stopped right at my leg, I put my hand down and she bear hugged it with her front paws. She really wants to be normal, she is just having a hard time getting over her past. Right now she has to stay on a cable lead at all times, I look forward to the day she doesn't have to have that on her. I will keep you posted on Gemma's progress and will post a picture or two of this darling Mr. Teddy this week, get ready for some serious cuteness!

Former Fosters

I got a update last week on a couple of my former foster dogs, its always so nice to get these updates. One of the updates came from the daughter of the adopters of Ivan, a skinny little black poodle, I fostered for only a few weeks before he went to his forever home. He was a very close to perfect dog, already house trained, friendly, cuddly, and just a good natured little guy. The only problem I had with him here was he really didn't like the bigger dogs in the house, he found them very intimidating. Other than that he was a gem! Here is one of the picture's the daughter sent me the other day and said Ivan, now named Henry was doing wonderful! She said her mom and dad love him so much and he is the perfect little man, that loves his new yard, daily walks and all his toys. She went on to say that Henry has put on some much needed weight, and does very well at the groomers and has many fans in the neighborhood.

Ivan aka Henry came to us after he ended up in what used to be Gasconade pound, in the city. He was already chipped and once someone was contacted they said "Oh we gave that dog to so and so", "so and so" was also contacted and they had also gave him to someone else. We don't know how many homes poor Henry was in before ended up homeless in the pound, but once our leader, Ellen, seen him she decided he needed another chance at a good life, hence he became part of the St. Louis Senior Dog Project. When he came to me he was grossly underweight and hadn't had a haircut in quite sometime. He was so skinny, it would make you cringe to pick him up, you could feel EVERY bone in his little body. He was still skinny when he left my care but obviously put some good weight on.

Originally I was contacted by the daughter saying she really thought Ivan, would be a great fit for her parents. Her mom was really wanting to get another dog but dad was still grieving the loss of their previous poodle. I was told by the daughter that dad said it was just too soon but the couple surprised me one Sunday by showing up to a adoption event. I got Ivan out of his cage and placed him in moms arms, then I told them "Why don't you take him for a walk around the store?"  Dad was in tears most of the time, just looking at Ivan and remembering their former poodle. I told him that we can never replace our beloved lost pets in our hearts but these guys do help us with the grieving process, even though at the time we usually don't realize it. Well they adopted Ivan that day and by the time they left dad was smiling and laughing. Look at the love in this picture, little Henry going from unwanted to irreplaceable, that's what rescue is all about!

I got a short update on Bella, formerly Payla, the little puppymill Havanese with the injured back foot. She is doing wonderful and is keeping her mom and dad very entertained with her funny ways. She is learning how to jump up and down off the furniture and really enjoys playing with the grand kids. I love happy endings! 

Every Had "One of Those Days"?

After getting about 4 hours sleep last night, I woke up this morning bright and early for what ever reason, then couldn't go back to sleep, so I got up verses laying there tossing and turning. I am not sure that was a good idea. Little by little the dogs wondered out of bed, so I let them outside as they came stumbling from the bedroom. Everyone had been out and was back in, besides Hazel and Cashew. I was checking on them every few minutes or so, the last time I checked on them they were circling and whining at the big tree in the back yard. This is a daily occurrence, because the squirrels like to mess with them. All of a sudden I hear a dog screaming, ran to the door and opened it to see them pulling a small animal through the fence, it was a squirrel UGH I just knew it would happen one day. They have never been able to catch one but he must have had trouble getting through the fence and that was all it took, of course Piper and Isabelle flew out the door when I opened it. I found a big stick to pick it up with so I could dispose of it, I touched it with the stick and I guess Hazel thought it was getting up so she flipped her paw on it and turned around to see Izzy standing a couple feet away, well the fight was on, not sure when but at some point Cashew got in on the action so then I had not only 2 but 3 furious doxie's to break up. I finally got them broke up and escorted Izzy and Hazel back in the house, when I came back out in the yard, the squirrel was gone, I looked on the other side of the yard to find that Piper had it laying next to her. I finally disposed of the body and realized I was covered in mud UGH what a morning already!

I'm surprised it took them this long to catch a squirrel, they have caught many rabbits but were never quite fast enough to catch the squirrels. Here's a picture of Hazel and Cashew on one of their daily hunts. I have to admit, I usually have a hard time looking at them for a day or so after they kill one of these animals. Hazel is a avid hunter, I have witnessed her catching birds out of mid flight, then turn around and want to bring it in the house YUCK I don't think so! I think I am going to go back to bed and hope when I wake up the image of that poor squirrel will be out of my head.

Hungry Mongrels!

You would think that these dogs at my house are starved to death or something, I do have to keep all the doxie's on a strict diet but I try to supplement them with green beans and apples verses a lot of food. Last night I gave them all a biscuit, well the Pug ran to her bed to eat hers slowly, soon walked Isabelle sniffing out the situation, Pei Pei charged out her bed like a rabid dog and the fight was on. I fell out of my chair trying to stop Pei Pei from getting hurt,while the rest of the pack ran in (including David), poor Cashew was going to back up Izzy when Izzy turned on her. If you have ever seen a doxie fight you know what kind of viciousness I am talking about, seriously you have to be careful so you don't loose a finger breaking it up. We finally broke it up but good grief all over a crumb or two! Course when all was done, I looked over at the Pug she was sitting back in her bed with those BIG Pug eye's like "what just happened"? I couldn't help but laugh. Dinner time around here, is well.... interesting to say the least, Cashew thinks its important to make demands to me because I guess I am not fast enough.

I sent a couple pictures to Pei Pei's dad this week, this being one of them, I figure I will get a good lecture when he gets home about not dressing up his dog :) that comes with the price of free dog sitting! Once Pei Pei goes back home I will be taking a breeder surrender poodle, she has been in the group for close to a month but foster mom would like her to go to someone that is home more and can spend more one on one time with her, so I offered to give it a try. This poor girl is scared to death of humans, but I am hoping with a lot of love and patience she will come to trust people.

Today Is A New Day

So as upset and frustrated as I was yesterday, today is a new day! I am still counting but so far it looks like at least 10 dogs made it out of JCAC and I think at least 5 cats also. That is amazing considering so many rescues are full right now. It was so hot out there at JCAC today, there were many times I thought I was going to pass out, I am sure it didn't help that I had not eaten anything all day. The important part is they postponed euthing till Monday or Tuesday next week so we are good for a few days at least. One of the dogs that made it out today was the beagle mix, he's the one I posted a picture of in yesterdays blog. Well there is a picture of him while he was riding in my car, on his way to safety, can you tell by the look on his face that he knew he was safe? Elizabeth, that fosters for St. Louis Senior Dog Project decided she would foster him and he tested wonderful with dogs and even cats, he is a good boy and it would have been such a waste of life if he wouldn't have made it out. Seriously this dog tore my heart out when I was going to put him back in his kennel, he laid down and refused to even go close to his kennel, he knew that was not the right place to be and pulled me to the car, once in the car he was happy as a lark!

So for me today is definitely a new day, and for a lot of lucky dogs and cats out there its a new day with a new life on the horizon.

Frustrations Are Building

Tonight I am so frustrated I feel like I want to scream at the top of my lungs. Why do people not feel the same way that I do about my dogs? How can you look at a living breathing soul and think that they are up for trade or disposal? Today is one of those days that seriously I want to go hide in my bedroom and never emerge again! The shelters are bursting at the seams right now, with adoptable animals that we have absolutely NO place to go with, these poor animals are also victims of irresponsible people that don't care one lick of what happens to their so called "beloved pet". This boy pictured here is one of those dogs, he has been overlooked, I guess because there is nothing "special" about him, but there is something special about him, right now he is alive and he is a sweet boy that needs to get out of JCAC, he will most likely be on the euth list tomorrow.

This dog along with many others haunt me at night, when I close my eye's I see them all, the ones we are fighting tooth and nail to get out and the ones that we have failed to get out that really deserved another chance some are old, some are young and have never even begun to live. Anybody that thinks spaying or neutering is cruel, think again, whats cruel is these adoptable animals young and old being put to sleep before their time, lingering for weeks, months and even years in a shelter to only be put sleep in the end anyways. I have also heard people say we will run out of dogs if they are all spayed and neutered, anyone that says that is just a plain ignorant person.

If only people in this world took the idea of getting a pet seriously, it might just help with the overflow of unwanted animals. No matter what changes in your life you need to remain dedicated to your responsibilities. It is just like having children, and until everyone in the world see's pet ownership like that millions of animals will continue to die.

Just Sharing Some Funny Pictures

I was going through my pictures today and got a good laugh out of some of them, some are just goofy pics as they were growing up or funny pictures of weird positions they lay in. This first one is a picture of Duncan when he was about 6-7mth old, his ears were just starting to stand up and looked a little funny for awhile. I often play with his ears, putting them down like if they were floppy, he just wouldn't look like the same dog if his ears didn't stick up, it gives him character. Duncan was one of the easiest puppies ever, very easy to housebreak and crate train and is very people orientated he will do anything to please his mom and dad.

This is Hazel sleeping, I don't know what it is about Dachshunds but sometimes when they sleep or look out a window they will bend their nose up, which looks horribly uncomfortable but maybe its not, because they never act like it is a problem. My doxie's will lay in the weirdest positions but Piper takes the cake, I have never seen any dog that will totally pass out in the most uncomfortable positions. The picture from yesterday's blog should prove that, unbelievable!




Now this is a signature nap for Cashew, feet up in the air, sacked out. I think doxie's sleep like this a lot to stretch their back out. This also makes her belly very assessable in case you decide you would like to give her a belly rub. She is doing fairly well with Piper and I think they will eventually be good friends. She is just particular about who she accepts, she really doesn't like to accept anyone new, including humans. I just don't get it, Hazel and Cashew are blood sisters, raised the exact same way one loves everyone and everything and one hates everyone and everything. There is one thing Cashew loves besides her mom and dad and that is Grandma and Grandpa, oh say the words and she is dancing around the house telling you how excited she is. Crazy dog!

I wanted to post a video of Pei Pei posted below, such a charming Pug. I plan on dolling her up and sending some pictures to her dad, he should just LOVE that! Once Pei Pei is back with her dad I plan on getting another foster dog, I was told today we have 3 chocolate labs in the program now so if one of them is pretty low key, I might just have a chocolate lab as my next foster.

Comical Pooches

Just about everyday I am reminded how comical these dogs can be, I mean if I need a little comical relief I need not look any further than these pooches. Take a look at this picture of Piper on the left, I know its not the most girl flattering position but tell me, does that even remotely look comfortable?? She was sleeping, now how in the world could you sleep like that? Dachshunds are so comical to me as a breed anyways, but these guys usually get me laughing at least once a day, with their goofy antics. Piper had to have a bath yesterday because when we went to the custard shop she managed to get a big goop of caramel on her head, by morning time it was so stiff you could break the hair off.

This week I am dog sitting for my brother in law, he has a cute as a button Pug named Pei Pei. There's a picture of her that I took the other day. This dog is very special to me for a couple different reasons, Pei Pei was a breeder dog in a puppymill and I was lucky enough to be able to personally go to the puppymill auction and save her. I got her vetted through Senior Dog and was able to foster this girl before she officially got adopted by my brother in law. To see her bloom from a dog that had obviously never been on grass before to a dog that is loved and cared for and lives to play with her toys means more to me than words can express. This girl is SO comical, now if you have never been around a Pug you don't know what you are missing. I have never been a big fan of the breed, never thought they were all that cute, but I have totally changed my thoughts on Pug's, thanks to this little girl. She is hilarious, and such a good girl, she has been putting her self to bed around 10:30 every night. She goes to her crate and goes to sleep, she has shown very good house breaking manners since she has been here also. My brother in law struck gold with this one and I have to admit I am a little envious. I will post some video's of Pei Pei in this weeks blogs so you can get an idea how adorable this girls personality is. I am not sure how anyone lives without dogs, I know I could never live without these comical pooches.

5 Is A Lucky Number

My whole life I have always found the #5 to be a lucky number for me, not sure why but it seems anytime I use the #5 it comes out in my favor. We have now up'd our permanent dog number to 5, yes we decided to adopt Piper and are very happy with our decision. There is a picture of her official membership to the Davis pack. A big group of the family went out to eat on Saturday and then decided to head to Bobby's Custard, we came home and got Piper so she could be "christened" into the human family. She celebrated with eating some delicious custard and sprawling out on my lap, belly up to stay cool. I hope she enjoyed herself and understands that she will never want for anything again including a loving home.

I went today with my soon to be sister in law to the Op Spot event, her and my brother's dog, Copper, was due for his vaccines. WOW was it hot, even though I guess it was cooler than yesterday it sure seemed steamy to me. I ran into a couple of Senior Dog fosters there also! The lines were longer than they were last year but that is a good thing that means more people are taking advantage of everything this event has to offer, low cost vaccines, cheap microchipping, nail trims, ear cleans and $10 spay/neuter vouchers. This means more people are making a effort to keep their pets healthy, and hopefully means more pets in the area are getting spayed or neutered.

I took Hazel with me today, just to hang out and spend some alone time with her. I like to take the dogs out separate from time to time just so they get the one on one time from me, having 4 now 5 dogs plus foster dogs, you don't get that alone time with them that I think is very important. Even though all my dogs are my babies, Hazel has always been a cuddle bug and enjoys our bedtime routine, where she snuggles up face to face with me. Since Piper, Hazel has been 2nd in line, which she seems OK with but it makes me feel guilty. I have to be sure that Hazel knows she is and always will be my cuddle bug. I snapped this picture today while we were sitting under a tree for some much needed shade.

Decisions, Decisions....

In the last 2 days I have got 2 interested parties in adopting Piper. What to do? I personally would like to adopt this little girl, she has fit in so well here and we adore her. I believe my husband feels the same way, as he was trying to teach her how to growl at people at adoption events, what a goof! The idea of having 5 dogs overwhelms me though, I don't know why for me the jump from 4 to 5 seems HUGE. We went from 2 to 4 at one time, when we got Hazel and Cashew at the same time, that should have been more of a worry than the 4 to 5 jump right? At what point am I considered the crazy dog lady, HA, I guess maybe I already am.


I guess we have a big decision to make, and soon. This would mean I can only foster 1 dog at a time versus the 2 I have been able to do in the past. Its not only been my husband and I that have enjoyed having Piper around, Hazel and Isabelle are really enjoying it too, they have been playing a lot with each other. Anyone that can get Isabelle to run full speed around the yard is doing something right. I got a video of Hazel and Piper playing last night (posted below), they are so cute!



Cashew and Hazel used to play a lot but with age Cashew is not as playful as she used to be, I think some of it maybe her knee problems. She was diagnosed with a luxating Patella a few months back, and usually has hardly no problems but maybe it bothers her more than we know. A luxating Patella just means the knee cap pops out of the groove, she is estimated to be between a grade 2 and 3 which means she is on a glucosamine supplement daily and occasionally needs a anti-inflammatory when the knee cap pops out and she can't get it back in, which happened last week for the first time since her diagnosis. Usually by the next day you would really never know there was a problem. She will more than likely need surgery eventually, I am not looking forward to that, keeping a doxie down and practically immobile for a long period of time is close to impossible.

How Are They Doing?

I have had a lot people recently ask how Marco Polo is doing? Well I just got a update last night and his new mom sent me a picture, here is one of the pictures she recently sent me. He is doing good, likes to lay next to his mom on the couch, loves his raw hide donuts. Mom also says he is a great watch dog! She has now done the full transition with his name it is now just Wilby :) I think a lot of people ask me about Marco because they can't believe he has been adopted or they can't believe that it might actually stick. If I hadn't been the one to meet Diana, I probably wouldn't have believed it myself but trust me this one will more than likely stick which makes Marco or I mean Wilby a very lucky pooch.

I also got a update yesterday on Bella, formerly Payla. She is doing GREAT and they love her dearly, she is officially a member of the family, and the grandchildren just adore her. They really get a kick out of her antics, which was my favorite part of having her here! Potty training is still a work in progress but they knew that when they adopted her and hopefully Ms. Bella will catch on soon. I haven't received any pictures of Bella yet in her new home but this is one I took of her the day she left here. Such a little doll, although don't tell her that, she could keep up with my doxie's and seemed to love to eat the dead worms in yard too!

I am very distraught over a Rottweiler that has been locked up in the Granite City pound for 3 years?? Yes you read that right, 3 years! I am at a total loss as to what to do for this poor dog, they used to put him in the same cage as his dad, daddy used to beat the crap out of him :( Well they want him gone now, he is great with people but we just don't know about other dogs, he is so powerful none of us feel comfortable with testing him around other dogs. Stephanie has been going out and walking the dogs there and has fell in love with Zeus, that's the Rottie's name. I am sure he needs work, a lot of socialization and love. If you have any idea's for this boy please let me know, I don't want to let Zeus or Stephanie down, resources are so limited right now, especially since this facility is only open for 1 hour a day.

Whoa Is It Hot Or What?

I really can't bare the heat, extreme heat or cold sends my MS into overdrive. I would definitely call this heat extreme...... I took Piper to get her stitches out today, on the way she vomited in the car, I really think she gets motion sick, I noticed while in the car she hyper-salivates, poor baby. I need to start giving her some Dramamine before we go in the car. Good thing I carry a roll of paper towels with me. She of course was a angel getting her stitches out and when we left I decided to make a trip to JCAC to check out the situation and take pictures. Don't worry I left the car running while Piper rested inside. They have some new dogs, and we are still waiting for the college to come pick up their chosen ones. There are some CUTE puppies there right now, I hope someone gets them out of there quick! If you don't believe me when I say CUTE, take a look at this picture, now if that isn't cute I don't know what is!

On our way back home I decided to stop by a drive thru to grab a shake, haha big mistake, the car died on me around the same time Piper was having her next puke session UGH After the car got pushed out of the drive thru it started and all was well, well except for the vomit but we got that cleaned up also. This just proves its too hot for anything right now, keep yourself and the fur babies inside.

Its All About The Photo's

Several people have told me that the pictures of Piper don't do her justice, you can't see her amazing brindle coat in them. I have tried and tried to take more pictures of her so you can see her beautiful coat. There is a recent pic I took of her. She is one of those dogs that when you see her in person you are amazed of how beautiful she is. This girl is not only beautiful, she has a GREAT personality to go along with her looks. I am falling in love with this girl, she really does need to get adopted quick. I came home Sunday after the adoption event, and cried thinking about letting her go, ok so my blog readers are the first to know that I truly may have to adopt this girl.

I have been trying to get caught up on my household chores after being sick, actually I still am a little, what ever this stuff was it kicked my butt for sure! I have to take Piper over to the vet this week to get her suture's out from her spay surgery. One day I might get caught up but I won't hold my breath.

Joyful Weekend!

I really wasn't sure we would have a good adoption weekend because of the tax free weekend and everyone preparing to send the kids back to school, boy was I wrong! Yesterday Senior Dog had 7 adoptions, that is not counting the planned adoption of Max. Today we had a 3 adoptions and a couple that may turn in to adoptions! One of the adoptions was Daisy the Corgi mix, I talked about her in one of my past blogs, her owner past away and when the family took her in they locked her away in a crate in a dark garage for 6-8 weeks. This girl was un-trusting of people at first, once she got in her foster home, she was like a new dog! Daisy was adopted today by her foster parents, and all were very happy at the new prospect of life. There's a picture of them today. Happy tails to Daisy!

Piper made it through her first adoption event, I think she done very well, she was unsure at first in fact I had a hard time convincing her to leave the house this morning. After being there a short time she was socializing with people and dogs. One in particular was her favorite Saburo is the red standard that she came in with at JCAC, they hadn't seen one another for about a week, wow was it a great reunion, they whined and wiggled with joy. Piper had to take a long nap today, of course I joined her :) those adoption events wear us out, human and dogs alike. I am just so overjoyed this weekend for all the lucky pups that found their new homes, to think they went from unwanted to cherished pets. Couldn't be happier!

Little By Little

Little by little Piper's personality is coming out, everyday I see just a little more of it. She is a really sweet little dog that just wants love and attention. She has now started playing with my dogs, and seems to really enjoy their acceptance of her. She is very good natured and doesn't get into things that she is not suppose to. I have not needed to crate her at all when we leave, and when we come home the house is exactly how we left it. I thought at first it was odd that she didn't lick a whole lot because my doxie's will lick you to death, in fact my husband says Hazel has a licker problem and needs to attend Lickers Anonymous. Well it turns out Piper does lick, it just took a few days for her to feel comfortable enough, she LOVES to give lots of kisses and snuggle her head under your chin. At night she can't get close enough to us in bed.



I took a video of her today playing fetch, she really seems to like balls, and will run her little heart out to get to one. That's one of the video's I took below. I will be taking her to her first adoption event on Sunday, as timid as she is this one might be a little tough on her but with time and more exposure I know she will learn to enjoy socializing at adoption events.

Carry On

Today I went out to JCAC to pull a beautiful yellow lab for a lab rescue here in IL, I also had to take pictures of the new dogs and survey who was still there and who had left. I had the unfortunate timing of being there when the vet arrived to euthanize. I had just went from dog to dog giving pets and biscuits telling them they were good babies, not knowing this would be the last time we would ever see each other. I wonder what kind of life these dogs had? Did they have any happy times? I hope and pray for their sake they at least had some times were they were truly happy, in fact I have to convince myself that they did otherwise, I would have fell apart today and I'm not sure I would have ever come back together. It really didn't hit me till I got in the car on my journey home, I had this big ol' yellow lab hanging his head over my shoulder and I lost it. I knew that he knew why. I am certain these dogs know what is going on when their fellow canines lives are being taken, or least they know its not good. I will carry on, even though, right now my heart hurts.

August or Auggie for short was the name I gave the yellow lab, he is safe in rescue now and will make a great companion for someone. There's a picture of him while he was at JCAC. He is very well mannered and not overly energetic. I am so grateful I had him with me today, he was such comfort to me and I hope I offered him the comfort of knowing he was getting another chance at life. I am not sure what we have to do to convince people to spay and neuter their pets maybe if everyone had to spend a couple weeks watching the devastating effects of our current situation? I don't know, I guess some people don't care, I wish I knew what the answer was. All I can do is carry on, do what I can and leave the rest to fate.

Lucky Dogs

In my last blog I mentioned the dogs that were put to sleep at JCAC the other day, well one of them is a VERY lucky dog. Baxter was saved, only because they ran out of time to finish the euthanasia that evening and held him over for the next day. Thanks to Ellen, our fearless leader of the Senior Dog Project, he will be coming to our group tomorrow. She checked around to find out if any of those dogs that were taken to be euthanized were still alive, Baxter was! Thank you Ellen, Baxter is a VERY lucky pooch!

I have heard from Diana, Marco Polo's new mom. She is now calling him Marco Wilby, and has sent me a few pictures of this cute boy. There's one of him peaking out from behind the blinds. He is progressing well, and even went on a day out the other day. According to Diana, he sat on her son in law's lap and seemed to enjoy it! That is a break through for Marco Wilby, he has always been very fearful of men. He is enjoying his groom time, and Diana no longer has to corner him to pick him up. She said he is really starting to like the cat also, he just can't quite figure out what it is. Marco is also a lucky dog, once used as a breeder dog in a puppymill and then thought to be unadoptable, but now in a wonderful loving home for the rest of his life! I wish they could all be as lucky as Baxter and Marco Wilby, but we have to celebrate our victories and forget about the failures.

Wondering Why?

I went out yesterday to meet another rescue so we could transfer one of their dogs to us. Her name is Daisy and she is a very cute Corgi mix. This girl comes with a very sad story, her owner died and wasn't found for 3-4 days after meanwhile Daisy laid by her owners side I'm sure not understanding what had happened. The family of her owner took her in but they locked her away in a garage for 6-8 weeks, why would you take her in if you were just going to lock her away? She has obviously suffered terribly, and has the mental scars to prove it. In the other rescue she has been making progress, but they are more of a shelter and wanted to see Daisy get into a home environment. So our leader, Ellen, decided we could give her a try. You see Daisy is not very socialized, I'm sure being locked in a garage for almost 2 months didn't help, she needs a lot of love and patients to make her feel comfortable. I'll be getting Daisy from the vet this evening and driving her to meet her new foster mom and dad, lets hope they all like each other right away, so this girl can go on to her new life.

I have come to the conclusion that Piper has probably had some abuse in her life. When you
approach her to pick her up, she immediately rolls on her back and wet's all over herself. She is such a sweet and well mannered baby, I just don't understand why someone would abuse her? I hope with time to be able to show her that no one is going to hurt her again and she doesn't need to be scared. The number of animals that we see that have faced abuse in their life is staggering, overwhelming and for me sickening.


It was a sad day at JCAC yesterday, there were 5 adoptable dogs put to sleep, 2 of which really didn't even have a chance. Baxter and Ottis were dumped by their owners because they were moving, they were just turned in 4 days ago. I wonder if people understand what their pets chance's are of being saved when they are turned in to a shelter or animal control facility, or if they just don't care. Why do you get a pet if your going to lock it away, abuse it or dump it?