Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
We call this "Happy Tail"...
and it's not a good thing. When we found Ralphie three weeks ago, he had been chewed up from one end to the other - including a few bite marks on the very tip of his tail. He was apparently trying to get away from whatever had a hold on him but I guess he just wasn't fast enough.
Back to the "Happy Tail" - Ralphie gets SO excited when we let him out of his crate and he's wagging his tail SO hard that when it hits the wall (or the crate, or the sofa, or my legs) it knocks the scabs of the end of his tail. And in case you ever wondered, tails bleed like ears or nails that you clip too short.
Basically my kitchen looks like a crime scene. If a forensic unit ever comes into my house, I'll probably be doing some jail time.
Big Ralph's tail is now wrapped (in funny green tape that says, "No chew!") and I'm sure it'll heal up soon. :-)
Back to the "Happy Tail" - Ralphie gets SO excited when we let him out of his crate and he's wagging his tail SO hard that when it hits the wall (or the crate, or the sofa, or my legs) it knocks the scabs of the end of his tail. And in case you ever wondered, tails bleed like ears or nails that you clip too short.
Basically my kitchen looks like a crime scene. If a forensic unit ever comes into my house, I'll probably be doing some jail time.
Big Ralph's tail is now wrapped (in funny green tape that says, "No chew!") and I'm sure it'll heal up soon. :-)Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Don't forget Meatball...
Meatball is still with us too. And he's seen his last adoption day after trying to de-vein me and another foster mom who was trying to help me get him back in his carrier. I'd rather have a cat living in my front bath permanently than have to be rushed to the hospital after being sliced and diced by an 18lb cat. Good thing he's super sweet at home! He'll remain on our Petfinder site but I'm not holding my breath.A Dudley update:
since the last two weeks have been all about Ralphie. Dudley is still with us in spite of getting 150+ hits each week on Petfinder (which is unheard of on our site). We've gotten several applications but none that have wowed me. And yes, I'm picky. My fosters will NOT be placed in a home where they will be left outside for any extended period of time. And being part pit bull, Dudley should NEVER be left outside unattended at all. Too many things can happen and pit bull owners cannot afford to take that chance. So he remains with us. For now. He's approximately 5mos old now and is pushing 30lbs. And his feet...they just keep getting bigger and bigger! Oh, and he LOVES Marley. I'm not sure if he thinks she's his mom or what, but he now runs like her, plays like her and when I say, "Come on Marley, go to your room (crate)!" Dudley comes running to go in too. It's not uncommon to find the two of them snuggled up together sleeping in Marley's crate. Silly dogs!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Ralphie's finally home.
Well, it's the closest thing he has to a home right now...MY home. He spent a total of four days at the vet and in that time was neutered, vaccinated, had ticks picked off, had scabs picked off, had bloodwork, heartworm tests, you name it. And he was a great sport the entire time.He has a crate of his own (complete with a soft pillow) in my sewing room and is turning out to be such a great dog. We'll never be sure what (or who) happened to him but I can assure you that he'll NEVER want for anything again.
Why I don't have nice furniture:
This is Veronica (black Lab-mix) and Lily (red/brindle pit bull-mix)...and they could play like this for HOURS. And the cushion underneath the blue blanket? Yeah, it's totally destroyed and has been for quite some time. That loveseat is one corner of the canine NASCAR track that runs thru our house. But I'm okay with it. Really.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Ralphie update.
Ralphie's quite a bit cleaner and his hair is no longer dingy brown...it's almost RED! He's resting up between baths and will likely come home Saturday.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
A dog named Ralphie.
Mr. NoNameYet is trying on the name Ralphie for size. I don't like "traditional" pit bull names...ya know...names like Bruiser (Dudley's former name), Bullet, Chainsaw. It doesn't exactly help their already bad reputation...then again, the people naming their dogs like that aren't helping much either. But I digress...
I dropped Ralphie off at the vet this morning for a day of fun. First they bathed him and picked all his scabs off to clean out his wounds. That's when they found and removed 17 ticks that somehow outsmarted the two Capstar pills he'd had. Then he was neutered. While under anesthesia, my vet opened up a few of the larger wounds on his front left leg so they could drain.
As for the bloodwork...Doc found a few filariae in his blood sample but said that they could just as easily be from fleas as from heartworms. So the plan is to start him on Heartgard immediately and retest in 6mos. At this point, he's too weak and thin to handle any harsh heartworm treatment anyway. Which brings me to his weight. 41lbs. At best, that's 12-15lbs underweight.
He'll stay at the vet until Saturday to rest and recover (I think that's the vet's nice way of saying my house is a circus!) and we'll pick up from there.
I dropped Ralphie off at the vet this morning for a day of fun. First they bathed him and picked all his scabs off to clean out his wounds. That's when they found and removed 17 ticks that somehow outsmarted the two Capstar pills he'd had. Then he was neutered. While under anesthesia, my vet opened up a few of the larger wounds on his front left leg so they could drain.
As for the bloodwork...Doc found a few filariae in his blood sample but said that they could just as easily be from fleas as from heartworms. So the plan is to start him on Heartgard immediately and retest in 6mos. At this point, he's too weak and thin to handle any harsh heartworm treatment anyway. Which brings me to his weight. 41lbs. At best, that's 12-15lbs underweight.
He'll stay at the vet until Saturday to rest and recover (I think that's the vet's nice way of saying my house is a circus!) and we'll pick up from there.
Monday, April 7, 2008
My "interesting" assortment of friends.
I've been told on several occassions that I have a very interesting (and wide spread) assortment of friends. Let me back up and mention that, growing up, I didn't have a LOT of friends, but the ones I had could be counted on for anything. And 20+ years later, I still keep in touch with a few of those friends. I should probably also add that the majority of my good friends now...well, I've never actually met many them. They're names and faces on an online chat board.
Take Mr. NoNameYet dog. Within two hours of finding him, I had one virtual friend in Connecticut lobbying her rescue group on his behalf and looking for a foster home. At the same time, yet another friend in Texas was offering to help with his vet bills. And yet another in Florida is sending me a donation to use towards his care.
Then there was Valentine. These same ladies helped me raise more than $600 for her vet bills. One of these friends (who is also local) took the crazy trip to Chicago with me to deliver Val to yet another virtual friend. And we passed thru Ohio to see yet another friend who is also a wonderfully talented photographer and took some lovely pictures of Val.
And speaking of photographers, not all these ladies' good deeds are pet related. Another photog friend in California has offered to photograph my brother-in-law's homecoming. He's been deployed with the USMC and during the first year of marriage to my sister has missed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, their anniversary and her birthday. These pictures will mean so much.
I used to shake my head when I heard about people marrying someone they met online...that is, until I realized that many of my best friends are online too.
Take Mr. NoNameYet dog. Within two hours of finding him, I had one virtual friend in Connecticut lobbying her rescue group on his behalf and looking for a foster home. At the same time, yet another friend in Texas was offering to help with his vet bills. And yet another in Florida is sending me a donation to use towards his care.
Then there was Valentine. These same ladies helped me raise more than $600 for her vet bills. One of these friends (who is also local) took the crazy trip to Chicago with me to deliver Val to yet another virtual friend. And we passed thru Ohio to see yet another friend who is also a wonderfully talented photographer and took some lovely pictures of Val.
And speaking of photographers, not all these ladies' good deeds are pet related. Another photog friend in California has offered to photograph my brother-in-law's homecoming. He's been deployed with the USMC and during the first year of marriage to my sister has missed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, their anniversary and her birthday. These pictures will mean so much.
I used to shake my head when I heard about people marrying someone they met online...that is, until I realized that many of my best friends are online too.
In the words of the great Aretha Frankiln...
Rescue me! Oh take me in your arms - rescue me! I need your tender charms. Cause I'm lonely and I'm blue, I need you and your love too - come on and rescue me!Sunday, April 6, 2008
A day in my life.
1) Feed dogs.
2) Shower and get dressed.
3) Meet Brandon at Costco for lunch (footlong polish dog and a drink for $1.50 - you can't beat that!).
4) Stop at WalMart for Listerine and Dawn dish soap (mix equal parts in a sprayer attached to the garden hose and it'll beat down the dog smell in your yard - it's fabulous, I promise!).
5) Drive home minding my own business.
6) Screech to a halt at neighborhood entrance when I catch sight of a dog headed toward me dodging traffic.
7) Grab a can of cat food (hey, it's all I had!) a leash, my cell phone and jump out of the car.
8) Proceed down road for at least 1/2 mile begging the dog to stop, praying to St. Francis that we don't get run over and calling the police for officer assistance.
9) Slip lead over dog's head when he finally admits defeat and walk him the 1/2 mile back home. With a police escort.
10) Have officer hold dog in driveway while I run in and set up yet another crate.
11) Call Brandon at work in a feeble attempt to explain why we now have EIGHT dogs at our house. Did I mention that our HOA limit is two? Oh, and our CITY limit is six!
12) Feed dogs.
See, it all comes full circle. Here's the pitiful pup that found me today. Pit bull. Male. Intact. Skin and bones. Limping. Covered in puncture wounds, new and old. He's been asleep in my sewing room for the last six hours, waking only to eat. He's tired. And he's broken. And I have no clue what tomorrow will bring.
2) Shower and get dressed.
3) Meet Brandon at Costco for lunch (footlong polish dog and a drink for $1.50 - you can't beat that!).
4) Stop at WalMart for Listerine and Dawn dish soap (mix equal parts in a sprayer attached to the garden hose and it'll beat down the dog smell in your yard - it's fabulous, I promise!).
5) Drive home minding my own business.
6) Screech to a halt at neighborhood entrance when I catch sight of a dog headed toward me dodging traffic.
7) Grab a can of cat food (hey, it's all I had!) a leash, my cell phone and jump out of the car.
8) Proceed down road for at least 1/2 mile begging the dog to stop, praying to St. Francis that we don't get run over and calling the police for officer assistance.
9) Slip lead over dog's head when he finally admits defeat and walk him the 1/2 mile back home. With a police escort.
10) Have officer hold dog in driveway while I run in and set up yet another crate.
11) Call Brandon at work in a feeble attempt to explain why we now have EIGHT dogs at our house. Did I mention that our HOA limit is two? Oh, and our CITY limit is six!
12) Feed dogs.
See, it all comes full circle. Here's the pitiful pup that found me today. Pit bull. Male. Intact. Skin and bones. Limping. Covered in puncture wounds, new and old. He's been asleep in my sewing room for the last six hours, waking only to eat. He's tired. And he's broken. And I have no clue what tomorrow will bring.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
OPRAH on puppy mills this Friday!
http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200804/tows_past_20080404.jhtml
This show will be tough for a lot of people to take. I've been working rescue for almost 7 years now and I KNOW it will hard for ME to take. But this is something that's been swept under the rug for far too long in this country, and these exploited dogs could not ask for a better voice than that of Oprah Winfrey. While I may disagree with her on some things (politics in particular), let's face it...she's incredibly influential and has the power to make some desperately needed changes in the world of puppy milling and brokering.
People say to me all the time, "I don't know how you do it" and "I don't think I could do what you do." Thing is, when you know the truth, when you know the horrors that these animals endure at the hands of greedy people...how can I just sit here idle? What I hope people take away from this show is that you don't have to be on the front lines to help. Just be aware and talk to people...educate yourself and others on where exactly those cute little pet store puppies come from. Sometimes not being a part of the problem is the easiest way to be part of the solution.
Don't miss OPRAH on Friday 4/4. You'll never be the same.
This show will be tough for a lot of people to take. I've been working rescue for almost 7 years now and I KNOW it will hard for ME to take. But this is something that's been swept under the rug for far too long in this country, and these exploited dogs could not ask for a better voice than that of Oprah Winfrey. While I may disagree with her on some things (politics in particular), let's face it...she's incredibly influential and has the power to make some desperately needed changes in the world of puppy milling and brokering.
People say to me all the time, "I don't know how you do it" and "I don't think I could do what you do." Thing is, when you know the truth, when you know the horrors that these animals endure at the hands of greedy people...how can I just sit here idle? What I hope people take away from this show is that you don't have to be on the front lines to help. Just be aware and talk to people...educate yourself and others on where exactly those cute little pet store puppies come from. Sometimes not being a part of the problem is the easiest way to be part of the solution.
Don't miss OPRAH on Friday 4/4. You'll never be the same.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Come out, come out...
wherever you are!
I know this site doesn't generally get a TON of traffic, but I'm getting some weird hits on my sitemeter...who in Turkey is reading about my dogs?! I know a lot of the ladies reading are from another chat board I'm on, but what about the rest of you?
A comment every now and then wouldn't hurt :-)
I know this site doesn't generally get a TON of traffic, but I'm getting some weird hits on my sitemeter...who in Turkey is reading about my dogs?! I know a lot of the ladies reading are from another chat board I'm on, but what about the rest of you?
A comment every now and then wouldn't hurt :-)
Valentine update.
Here's sweet Val right after her puppies were born. This is the picture I received along with a plea to "please help this Boxer!" Boxer? Um...yeah.
Here's Val after her first week of boarding and treatment at my vet's office in January 2008). Looking better but still a LONG way to go.
And here she is now after a month in her Chicago foster home! That's yogurt on her nose...apparently she's a very eager eater!
Here she is with her foster brother and best friend Gizi. I think being in a foster home with another dog has made all the difference in the world.
And that brings me to my favorite picture ever - Chicago still has snow on the ground so Gizi and Val get their exercise indoors...chasing each other around the couch at full speed! Look at Gizi's eyes bugged out of his head! Hahahahaha! You can almost hear him yelling, "Pit bull! Pit bull!" Val has also figured out that if she just stops and waits, Gizi will eventually just run right into her. Crazy pups!
Here's Val after her first week of boarding and treatment at my vet's office in January 2008). Looking better but still a LONG way to go.
And here she is now after a month in her Chicago foster home! That's yogurt on her nose...apparently she's a very eager eater!
Here she is with her foster brother and best friend Gizi. I think being in a foster home with another dog has made all the difference in the world.
And that brings me to my favorite picture ever - Chicago still has snow on the ground so Gizi and Val get their exercise indoors...chasing each other around the couch at full speed! Look at Gizi's eyes bugged out of his head! Hahahahaha! You can almost hear him yelling, "Pit bull! Pit bull!" Val has also figured out that if she just stops and waits, Gizi will eventually just run right into her. Crazy pups!
Such a big boy!
Dudley is in today for his neuter. The BIG snip! He'll be coming home tonight minus his two little friends and I won't miss them one bit. Very little skeeves me out more than dog testicles - in part because I'm not convinced that many dogs actually need those testicles. But I'll spare you my spay/neuter rant...for now.
Here's Dudley, his momma Valentine and his littermates at approximately three weeks old (Dudley is the only red pup in the litter):
Here's Dudley two weeks ago when I picked him up. I aged him at 15 weeks:
And here's Dudley last night at approximately 17 weeks - he's losing that roly-poly puppy look but he's such a handsome boy:
Here's Dudley, his momma Valentine and his littermates at approximately three weeks old (Dudley is the only red pup in the litter):
Here's Dudley two weeks ago when I picked him up. I aged him at 15 weeks:
And here's Dudley last night at approximately 17 weeks - he's losing that roly-poly puppy look but he's such a handsome boy:
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