Bella's Smiling!

Bella is smiling even bigger today because I told her how many supporters she has out there.  I told her that because of them, she will get to stay here with us and get the best care possible while she is sick. 

I am truly humbled by the response I got from so many people.  I, along with Jonathon and the rest of our little rescue, can't thank you enough for your generous donations.  Our director was brought to tears when I told her the treatment would be covered in full.  I see way too much cruelty in this line of work and my faith in humanity has often dwindled.  When people step up the way you all did, my faith is restored.  Evil lurks, but there are plenty of wonderful people out there.  I am fortunate enough to have so many of them in my life. 

Thanks for helping me!

The Student Becomes the Teacher.

We had a "plus one" over the weekend.  We were dog sitting our neighbor's dog, Bliss.  Bliss is a handful to say the least.  At one year old, she is 65lbs of pure strength and energy.  She doesn't just have a high, playful energy like our pack.  She is high strung and intense.  Being so hard for her momma to handle, her worldly experience has been little.  She is exceptionally smart and smart dogs need a high level of stimulation, both physical and mental, which she does not get so her energy is often of the pent up and frustrated kind.  She has grown up with our dogs, so she respects them and knows her roll in our pack, but she hasn't socialized with other dogs and is therefore clueless on how to interact with them.  She had a companion for a while, but they were a mismatch from the start and there were violent fights on more than one occasion. (The other dog has since been re homed for the safety of everyone.)

When we were asked to babysit Bliss, she hadn't yet been introduced to Bella.  Bliss can be dominate with other dogs, not to mention she is nearly three times Bella's size so play dates didn't seem like a good idea.  Introductions went smoothly though, as the two strangers simply mimicked Dixie and Jax's energy.  Over the weekend it was Bella focusing on Bliss, who is hesitant and insecure about dog/dog play.  She pushed and encouraged Bliss just as Dixie had pushed and encouraged her, only a month ago, when she was the one afraid to engage.  It was really something to see.  The brave little girl didn't even react when Bliss got out of hand.  She stood her ground, calm and assertive, until Bliss backed off.  It was this interaction that made us aware of just how far Bella has come.  She learned to be a balanced and confident girl so quickly that we didn't even realize it had happened.  She is a special dog.  A dog who's potential is sky high.  She will be so hard to give up.

Add caption

Medical update:

Multiple people have pledged to help pay for Bella's treatment.  I can't thank you enough.  I am gaining confidence that we will be able to raise enough money for Bella to be treated locally and remain with us as she goes through treatment and convalesces. 

She has started her 30 day pre-treatment medication, a strong antibiotic used to weaken the adult heartworms and help control the microfilariae.

Update on Bella

All three adoption applications on Bella fell through.  Two were no good and the third was a wonderful family who'd have given her a great home.  The father of that family is a realtor.  He went to show one of his listings, which was a foreclosure, and found that the previous residents had left their dog tied up in the back yard to die.  She was in awful shape, starving.   He took her home to nurse her back to health.  Another dog saved.   I can hardly be disappointed in that!   So our Bella is still searching for the perfect home. 




Bella sure enjoyed being spoiled by her foster grandma!

She has become the life of the party around our house!  She continues to amuse us with her antics and has become very bonded with all of us.  She has made her self very much a part of the family.  She and Dixie are especially tight.  We are already fearing that when the time does come, her leaving us will have a bigger than usual impact on Dixie, who always takes the foster departures harder than Jax does. 

Bella LOVES Dixie.

This young lady is also proving to be very smart.  She always comes when we call and does her very best never to disappoint us.  She is sensitive and feels terrible when she gets told "no".  I believe she would excel in agility.  I'd love to work with her.  Her compact size and speed combined with her eager to please disposition is a perfect combination for canine sports. 

We got very bad news at the vet yesterday.  She is heartworm positive.  In fact, her blood is loaded with Microfilariae (the microscopic baby worms).  Our poor girl needs treatment as soon as possible!  We are trying to get quotes in our area for heartworm treatment that the rescue can afford.  We have not yet been successful.  The rescue is new and money is tight.  Since the rescue's vet is 3 hours away, the idea was for us to take only the negative dogs, but it didn't work out that way.   Transporting a sick dog in the 100 degree Arkansas heat isn't ideal (remember that they aren't allowed to get hot or pant), so we'd like to avoid that if possible.  We may end up having to "trade" dogs with someone down in Texarkana, if anyone is even willing, while Bella goes through treatment if no better options are found.  I'd hate that, as we are already attached and I'd like to be there for her through the process, but I just want her to get started  so she can get healthy as soon as possible.  Whatever it takes. 

From Junk Yard Dog to Couch Potato

Bella is as sweet as she can be and such a happy girl.  She doesn't just walk, she prances.  She is always smiling.  I know it sounds weird, but I swear to it.  She is an itty bitty thing, weighing in at a mere 26lbs.  Granted, she is way too skinny, but even when she reaches a healthy weight she will be abnormally small.  Her peanut size has earned her the nickname "Midgy."  Perhaps she was the runt or maybe she didn't get enough nourishment in the time of her life that she was suppose to be growing and developing.  I am also quite sure that she has already had a litter, so that didn't help her either.  The pregnancy and nursing likely drained her body even further.  Puppies shouldn't have puppies!  She must not have been more than 8 months old when she gave birth.  I know they lived at least for a while, but I doubt anyone even saw the pups.  I can only hope that someone stumbled upon them and brought them to safety.  From what I have been told about the area she came from, odds are they weren't so lucky.   

See how skinny!

Every bone in her body sticks out.

Coming from a junk yard, Bella has never known the luxury of inside.  Like so many before her, she shied from entering the house.  Unlike some of the others however, it took her only hours to become totally comfortable being a house dog.  The couch is her preferred place to be.  We will even find her there all by herself, when the rest of us are outside.  I imagine she figures that she has spent enough of her life in the elements and is now quite content to leave them behind. 

Of course she got a nice, long, warm bath and I bought her a shiny new pink collar with jewels. She looked so proud when I put it on her. She was sick of being dirty! She likes to fancy!

So far, she has been such an easy dog.  I was expecting worse, given her history.  She understands to potty outside, does fine in a crate, rides calmly in the car, and sleeps quietly through the night.  All of these things were a pleasant surprise.  She already has all of the skills to be a great family member.  She just needs a little fine tuning.  Of course she has never had any training and the leash is totally foreign to her, but that kind of training is the easy part.  She is very eager to please and seems smart so I think she will learn quickly. 

Her physical issues are my main concern at this point.  Although she was de-wormed at the shelter, she still has tapeworms, which are causing her some GI upset (not fun for either one of us).  The meds I ordered should be here today.  I'm going to bring her in to my vet and get another heart worm test done, just to be sure that the shelter didn't make a mistake saying she was positive.  Fingers crossed that they did!  We need to get her healthy soon as she is proving to be miss popularity.  Once we got some new pictures of Bella on Petfinder, THREE applications came in on her the very first day!  I am shocked, but very glad that people can look past her imperfections.  I kind of thought she was a dog a person would have to meet to truly appreciate.  I guess I was wrong about little Midgy!

Pint sized!

There's that smile!

Happy Mother's Day!

Dear Foster Mom

There I sat, alone and afraid,
You got a call and came right to my aid.
You bundled me up with blankets and love.
And, when I needed it most, you gave me a hug.
I learned that the world was not all that scary and cold.
That sometimes there is someone to have and to hold.
You taught me what love is, you helped me to mend.
You loved me and healed me and became my first friend.
And just when I thought you'd done all you do,
There came along not one new lesson, but two.
First you said, "Sweetheart, you're ready to go.
I've done all I can, and you've learned all I know."
Then you bundled me up with a blanket and kiss.
Along came a new family, they even have kids!
They took me to their home, forever to stay.
At first I thought you sent me away.
Then that second lesson became perfectly clear.
No matter how far, you will always be near.
And so, Foster Mom, you know I've moved on.
I have a new home, with toys and a lawn.
But I'll never forget what I learned that first day.
You never really give your fosters away.
You gave me these thoughts to remember you by.
We may never meet again, and now I know why.
You'll remember I lived with you for a time.
I may not be yours, but you'll always be mine.

-author unknown

Welcome Bella!

Bella is coming to us from the Forrest City, AR animal shelter.  She, along with two companions, was picked up by animal control for running loose.  They were told that the dogs "lived" at an auto repair/salvage shop.  Animal control questioned the staff as to why the dogs were so underweight and they were told that they only feed them hot dogs and whatever else they can find.  They told animal control to take the dogs to the "pound."  

She is a boxer mix, about 8 months old.  The pictures don't give me the best idea of what she may be mixed with.  I'm looking forward to the guessing game when I see her in person.  I am told she is very sweet, but also very shy.  She unfortunately tested (light) heart worm positive, which is unusual at her young age.  She must have been infected when she was a tiny baby, as it takes 6 months for heart worm to show up on a standard test.   I will be getting her from one of the shelter volunteers who will meet me at a truck stop tomorrow morning. 

We are so happy that we decided to pull Bella from the shelter.  Nobody had shown any sort of interest in the poor girl and her time there was running out.  Mere hours after posting her on our website of adoptable dogs, she already received an inquiry.  We'll have to get to know her a bit before deciding what type of home she will fit best into.  Having basically lived the life of a stray, there is no telling what issues she will come with.   I'm glad that she is already attracting people with her good looks.  Hooray!

Pictures and details to come!

My dog ate my blog...

It's a good thing that I don't try to make my living by blogging!  Clearly, I'd be broke.  I can offer a long list of excuses as to why I haven't written in well over a month.  I'm an excuse master... just ask any of my old teachers.  Here goes.  I'm too tired, It's been our busiest season yet at work (yay!), our laptop died preventing me from writing at home, I'v been sick a lot  (all true, by the way).  I'm back now with a new computer and planning to be more consistant again.

Although we had a couple of quick visitors since Xavier left, we haven't officially taken in another dog.  All of those reasons for not blogging...ditto for not taking a dog.  If a dog comes in to our home, I need to be able to give him the time and energy he needs to ready him for his future.  I know that I couldn't have done that this past month.  Had an emergency come up, I'm sure I'd have figured something out, but learning when to say "no" is an important part of staying sane in the rescue world. 

But, we haven't been completely without doggy action.  Here are five things that have happened since my last post that I probably would have blogged about if I weren't a neglectful writer:

1)  Jonathon found two dogs along side a rural road while out working.  We exercised every resource in finding their homes, but with no success.  No surprise, given the area.  They were a Toy Poodle and a Pomeranian of all things!  Not exactly what we were used to. They stayed with us for a while and we were able to find them both great new homes.  I was reminded of two things by these pups.   First, tiny little lap dogs are much easier to re home than the big dogs and second, I am still a big dog girl.  Oh, my god that yapping! 

2)  Dixie's foot was impaled by something. She had a hole clear through.  It was pretty gross.  We think she may have been after a squirrel and tried to clear the fence like she did when she was young and agile, only to find that age has caught up with her.  Luckily, my vet is awesome and it healed without surgery. 

3)  Xavier's adoption didn't go as smoothly as I'd hoped.  He took the transport alright, but I think he was more attached to us and dependent on our dogs than we knew.  He didn't adjust very well and everyone was feeling pretty overwhelmed.  I felt helpless being across the country.  I talked frequently with them and tried to provide as much advice and encouragement as I could, but he was exhibiting behaviors that I had never experienced with him.  I know to act out, X must have been very stressed out, so my heart was hurting for him.  I also felt awful for the family.  They were so worried about him  They were very willing to listen and take any advice that myself and another member of our adoption team had to give.  They were not going to give up on him.  Over time, he settled in and is doing much better.  Sigh of relief.

4)  I finally managed to find a home for my neighbor's dog which is something I had been working on for a very long time.  The poor dog was in a bad situation and needed a way out.  A rescue friend of mine fostered her for six weeks (I couldn't do it.  Given the circumstances, it would have been too hard for everyone involved).  She just got to her forever home in VA a couple of nights ago.  They love her dearly and my neighbor's life has gotten easier too. 

5)  Most recently, I have decided to part ways with the rescue that I have been working with for the past two years.  Much thought went into this decision and it wasn't an easy one to make.  I am eternally grateful for the dogs that have come into my life by way of them.  I will still support them and attend events, as there is no bad blood between us. 

In the time I have been with them, the board member turnover has been high.   Most of the people I was close with have moved on. I don't agree with some of the changes that have been made, but even worse, it seems that some people are losing sight of the big picture...the dogs.  Politics and petty personal differences have weaseled in and created more drama than I care to deal with.  Sadly, this is all too common in the rescue world.  A few people have even split with feelings hurt, relationships shattered, and reputations tainted.  All so unnecessary, as we all do this for the love of the dogs.
I really hope that the new members can turn things back around, but I am stepping away from direct involvement, at least for now.  I figure that distancing myself before I get dragged into any of it is the smart way to go.  I certainly don't want to make any enemies in the animal rescue network.  The more connections you have, the more successful you are for your dogs. 

I have kept in touch with some of the board members that have left.  One of them has started her own rescue and we will begin fostering for them now. (She was the person who brought us Lincoln and Derby)  She is beyond delighted to have us.  She is in Texarkana, so it's a bit of a drive and vetting arrangements will be harder.  I guess that means we won't get the sick guys anymore!  We are expecting a new arrival any time now. 

To any adopters of my foster dogs- Please still feel free to call or email me anytime you want or need anything!  You and your dogs are super important to me and  I'm always here for you!  Again, terms are still good  between the rescue and myself.  I just need something new. 



Well, there you have it.  My life, in a nutshell.