Merry Christmas 2011

This will likely be my final post of 2011.  I sincerely thank everyone who has followed me through the year  as I write of the craziness that is living with rescue dogs.  Although I started this blog for myself so I would always have the memories of my beloved fosters who come in and out of my life, I am very happy that so many others enjoy my stories as well. 

This year, as usual, has had it's highs and lows.  The deeper I dive into the rescue world, the more often I feel like the lows exceed the highs.  If I stayed out of the networks, and stopped viewing the "urgent" lists, focusing only on my personal foster dogs, it would be easier.  However, I know the problem will not go away simply because I choose to keep my head down.  So I keep up with the latest goings on, both nationally and locally, helping where I can and continuing to have my heart broken on a regular basis.

That being said, there were many successes in animal welfare this year!  Several new laws were passed throughout the country in favor of the animals.  Some of them seem so ridiculously obvious that one would never imagine a law would have to be created for such an issue.  Sadly, that isn't the case.  Like having to pass a law that you have to feed your dog.  That is a law in Missouri now, thank God.  Commercial breeders  are now required to provide adequate food and water to their breeding dogs.  Missouri has a long way to go, but at least this is a step in the right direction.   A few more states banned greyhound racing.   Many states have created more strict punishments for animal cruelty offenders.  Some states have even started in on spay and neuter laws, the absolute most important issue in animal rescue!  Until all states adopt some form of this law, we are fighting a never ending battle.  Hopefully 2012 will continue this trend!

There have been plenty of personal highs as well.  Of course, the biggest were having six dogs (Calista, Lincoln, Bindi Sue, Rheagan, Derby and Percy) successfully placed in forever homes and having Ezra thriving in a wonderful long-term foster home.  I will never forget any one of them.  I am thankful that our home was the bridge from their pasts to futures. 

Other high points are when I hear from the adopters of my babies.  Just yesterday, I got a Christmas card from Lincoln.  His mom sent me several pictures of him and he looks awesome.  She also reminded me of how much they love him and thanked me yet again for "bringing him up to be such a sweet dog".   I talk to Rheagan's mom  quite often.  I have been helping her with some training that she has been doing with Rheagan.  She also sends pictures.  Calista's mom isn't much of a talker, but  I got a video sent to my phone one day from a number that I didn't recognize.  It was titled "WWF...boxer style" and I figured it to be a silly forward.  In fact, it was a video of Calista wrestling around the house with her doggy friends. There were no words, but I guess she knew that the video said it all.  It brought both tears and laughter.  I think moments like these may be my most favorite part of rescuing. 

Enzo in his Christmas attire!

 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you and all of your four-legged family members!

I have attached a Christmas video (created by a different rescue).  It's hilarious to me, because I have experienced nearly every scene of it!  If you have a naughty dog or two, you will agree!  If not, well it's still pretty darn cute. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/embed/bYTK18xq4DA?rel=0

Home for the Holidays!

Percy will be spending her first Christmas in her forever home!  As I expected, there was interest in her right away.  I contacted the person on Friday afternoon and by Friday evening, Percy and I were in his living room doing the meet and greet.  While I was there, I did the home inspection as well, which he passed with flying colors.  She will be getting picked up tomorrow night. 

I have rarely seen two dogs come together so perfectly as quickly as Percy and her new "brother" Heath did.  He is a two year old male who has rarely socialized with other dogs.  Of course that concerned me at first, but the chemistry was instant.  The second they saw each other, the chase was on.  They wrestled and played for an hour.  Although he is at least twice her size, my little tom boy held her own and loved every minute of it. The home is a perfect fit and they are so excited to have her!

Even though I totally expected her to be chosen before he was, I can't help but to feel a little sad for Enzo, who will surely miss his sister terribly.  I'm sad that they will be separated, but trying to find a single home for two large dogs is nearly impossible.  We can't pass on great homes waiting for something that may never come.  They are young and they will move on and be fine. Still, it hurts my heart a little to see them cuddled up on the couch together right now knowing that tomorrow night she will be gone and they will be apart for the first time since birth.  We will give Enzo extra attention for a while and he will be happy and loved here until he finds a forever family of his own

Good luck in your new life my little one! 

Puppy update

Both pups are doing well, have very few issues, and will make great dogs.  As attached as they are to one another, they have proven to be quite different.  As they came out of their shells, their personalities became very distinct. 

The first word that comes to mind for Percy is "sassy."  She loves to run and wrestle and won't hesitate to get into guard dog mode if there is any commotion on the other side of the fence.  As un-boxer like as it seems, she also has a talent at retrieving.  She is certainly the more dominant of the two, but her dominance seems to be limited to her brother.  She is just so bossy with him.  She attacks  him when he tries to play with the other dogs.  It's not a serious attack, it's play, but it's pretty harsh.  She likes all of his attention to be on her.   She is also much more independent than he is and she seems very smart.

Enzo is more like all of the other male boxers that we have had.  Laid back, clumsy, and not quite as bright as the girls, but so very happy and sweet.  He is overly friendly, always wanting to be as close as possible to anyone that will cuddle with him, human or canine.  A big, dopey, love bug.  Of course, he lets Percy bully him, appreciating any attention that he gets. 

The weather has been rainy and cold.  We hadn't even seen frost on the lawn yet and we woke up the other morning to an inch of snow!  This has not been an ideal situation for potty training.  They hate going out.  I have to get to the store and get poor naked Enzo a sweater!  The forecast is looking up though, so I suspect more success and less accidents for me to clean up. 

I have also decided that I need to start getting them some time apart.  I am going to be walking them in pairs, one puppy and one adult at a time.  I am also considering putting the divider in the crate.  It seems harsh, but it's for their own good.  I don't foresee them getting adopted together and it's better that they adapt to it slowly.  I think it will also help her to not be so possessive of him.  It's play now, but as she matures, I could see it escalating.  I want to nip that in the bud early. 

It's funny (and actually really annoying because deaf dogs are unbelievably loud) when Jax plays with them.  When the pups are wrestling with each other, they are totally in the zone.  Jax circles them barking like crazy to get their attention, clearly bothered by being ignored.  He has never really been the third wheel.  If he can get them to acknowledge him, he can usually bring their attention to him.  He'd rather be double teamed than feel like second fiddle. 

When Dixie gets involved in the chaos too (the twins adore her!) it's a real hoot.  I can watch the four of them like I watch TV.  I try to capture the giant ball of fur flying fun on camera, but the pictures just don't do it justice. 

Meet the twins!

Our newest additions (Yes. That would be plural.) are  eight month old siblings that were seized from their owners in Fort Smith, AR for reason of neglect.  They were very skinny but have improved after being at the shelter for three weeks.  They also have mange, which is why our rescue pulled them.  Mange dogs rarely get adopted from shelters and are therefore usually euthanized to make space for healthy dogs.  The female, Percy, we named after vikings wide reciever Percy Harvin.  He was having a stellar day today as we were thinking of names while watching the game!  She is a beautiful little flashy (white on boxers is called "flash") brindle.  She actually has very little hair loss, just a few small bald areas, but mostly just thinning.  The male, Enzo, was named by Jonathon, after a favorite "Big Brother" house guest.  He is fawn colored and actually reminds me a lot of our last mange dog, Lincoln, whom I was crazy about!  He has lost about half of the hair on his body and will take longer to fully recover.  They have been getting treated for the mange at the shelter for three weeks now, so they aren't obsessively scratching.   In fact, they seem to feel great.  Luckily, they are young enough that they are both heart worm negative.  Hair loss aside, they are absolutely adorable.   They are also very sweet and love to cuddle.

As you can see, little Enzo has suffered in his short life.

If you have never had the experience of smelling mange...consider yourself lucky.  Twice weekly baths are a must!  Lucky for me, he was a perfect angel for his first bath.

Isn't she a beauty? You can kind of see the hair loss on her face and ears.

These are the worst spots on her body.  Somehow she got luckier than her brother.

They have been together since birth and are extremely attached to one another.  They stick together like glue. It's pretty darn cute.  Plus, they keep each other occupied playing so they aren't pestering the rest of us like puppies often do:-)  It would be awesome if they could get adopted together, but the likelihood of that is slim to none.

Clearly they were used to sleeping outside. After playing for hours, they nested up in the flower bed. 

They seemed pleased to have a soft indoor bed of their own.

But by morning, they had joined the other two on the couch.

The plan is to get to the vet this week for mange medications and rabies shots, and set up a time for a spay and neuter.  This needs to be done asap!  If they really are eight months old, Percy could potentially be pregnant already.  I don't think Enzo is "interested" yet, but they were with another dog when taken away.  If she is closer to six or seven months,which I suspect, she could go into heat any time.  No thank you! 

Dogs this young and cute, especially around the Holidays, should be adopted quickly.  It wouldn't even surprise me if Percy had a forever home for Christmas.  Enzo will probably have to stick around a little bit longer while he heals up.  There isn't much interest in a hairless boxer.

To go ahead and answer the question that I am sure I will get, yes.  We still have a three dog policy in house.  Jonathon made this exception because our rescue is overwhelmed right now and had to pull nine more dogs this weekend.  When it rains, it pours.

Derby's Forever Home.

Wow.  Two weeks since my last post and I missed "Wordless Wednesday" too.  Sheesh.  In my defense, I have been very busy lately.  The highlight of my absence from the blogging world was my trip home to MN.  I spent time with (most of) my favorite people.  Thanksgiving was wonderful this year with the addition of two little ones...for once I mean babies, not dogs!  I am very thankful that I got to make the trip. 

In doggy news, though most of you already know, Derby has found his forever home!  This was in the makings since I first got him.  I broke one of my personal policies and decided to adopt him out to an employee of ours.  I hesitate to do this because as anyone who has ever had employees or even been an employee knows, it doesn't always end well.  George has been a great member of our team so far, but I have seen other good guys go downhill.  I remain in touch on at least some level with the adopters of almost all of my dogs.  I would hate to ever be on bad terms with someone who has something that means so much to me.  I did have this very conversation with George, expressing my concerns. I wouldn't exactly say I "threatened" him, but I definitely got my point across;-)  I put my own paranoia and cynicism aside this time because I know that George's family will take wonderful care of Derby.  Their whole family is full of dog people.  Ironically, George's first dog was a boxer from our rescue, almost 20 years ago.  He grew up with that dog and has wanted a boxer ever since.  He and his wife just closed on their first home.  They have two little girls. 17 months and four years.  Derby makes a great addition.

Derby is a dog that I became extremely attached to.  I love them all, but some just fit so perfectly into our lives that it's hard to imagine them ever leaving.  I thought "oh, what I could do with this dog!"  I was worried that his potential might be wasted somewhere else.  After seeing this picture, my perspective changed.  I know that his job will to be this little girl's best friend.  He will be there for her and her sister as they grow up.  That is the most important job a dog can have. 




Derby stayed with them while we were in MN.  Although the adoption is yet to be "official," we didn't want him to come back into our home for the completion of the process.  He is slowly adjusting and I don't want him to have to start over.  George had Derby at the office when we got back to town (of course, our first stop was work). He and Dixie and Jax had a joyous and rambunctious reunion.  I'm glad that he will still be in our lives.  I for see many play dates in the future.