No Words.

 I guess I thought I had seen enough in the past few years of rescue that nothing would truly surprise me.  I was wrong.  A rescue in my network is trying to help a dog that had her feet cut off by her owner so she wouldn't be able to jump the fence.  HER FEET CUT OFF.  I actually wouldn't have believed this had I not seen the pictures with my own eyes.  What in the hell goes through someone's mind while deciding to attempt this?  I mean, seriously.  How does that become a possible solution?  Things like this get me so frustrated with the human race that it makes me physically ill.   It just feels like there is no hope.  There is just too much cruelty and ignorance.  I try so hard to focus only on what I am able to do to help, but it just isn't that much in the grand scheme of things.  It will never be enough.  And that sucks.

Meet Brodie!

Our newest foster could be Jax's twin.  His ears are a little floppier, and he is underweight, but other than that, he is a mirror image of our boy and every bit as sweet.  He even had the same name.  Buddy! (We have called Jax Buddy from the very beginning.)  He seemed to recognize his name, so I changed it to the closest sounding name I could think of.

Brodie comes to us from the Texarkana area as an owner surrender.  The situation is sketchy and the owner has one story and the person who has been helping find a rescue to take him (and has also been buying him dog food) tells a different story.  Only Brodie knows the truth, but it's clear that he his situation was far from ideal.  He is skinny, but gaining weight already since he has been getting good food and has been de-wormed.  He is overly shy to not have been mistreated at some point.  "Normal" boxers are outgoing by nature.  He approaches with extreme caution and cowers at the slightest move.  His self confidence is zero until, that is, he gets around our two heroes, Dixie and Jax.  Perhaps more dramatically than I have ever seen a dog turn, he did when he met them.  I'd had him for about eight hours when they first met.  I had yet to see his tail move out from the tight, tucked position it was in when I picked him up.  We don't usually do face to face introductions, we do the walk first.  This time, because he clearly longed to be near them, we just let it happen.  His tail and ears perked up for the first time and he was instantly a different dog.  It was as though he was being reunited with his long lost best friends. 

He is the sweetest, most gentle dog.  It hasn't been a week yet and he is totally at home in our home already.  He is quiet and pretty mellow for a two year old.  Unless it's playtime, which he is all about!  He is potty trained and picked up on the dog door quickly.  I have started the crate training.  Although he's not had any leash training in the past, he walks quite well.  He gives great eye contact and doesn't pull at all.  I think he takes comfort in being right by my side.  He needs major socializing with people and that will be our biggest challenge.  I think and hope he will come around quickly. 


Welcome to the good life, boy, where you will never know severe hunger or thirst again and you will never be filthy and covered in fleas.  You will snack on healthy treats and not have to rummage in the trash.  You will learn to trust humans, even men, and learn that the ones allowed near you mean you no harm.  And most of all, you will learn that I will protect you and love you as my own until the forever family comes along that is worthy of having you join their life. 

 

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait!

And after waiting almost a year, Winston has found his forever home! I am so happy.  I promised him from the beginning that I would not give up on him, and I have fulfilled that promise.  I am now 100% sure that I made the right decision keeping him here with us and not transferring him.   His new family lives only a mile away from us!  Play dates are in our future for sure!  They are just perfect for him!  They have had him at their house for two weeks now, and I went to visit Friday night and make it final.  It's a match made in heaven.  They are a fun, young couple and remind me of Jonathon and me when we got Asia, our first dog together.  She went everywhere with us and went through so many milestones along side us.  She was with us when we bought our first house, when we got married and when we packed up our lives to move across the country.  Asia changed my life. Winston is their Asia.   That is how I know the kind of life he has ahead of him. 

Christmas 2012

Be careful what you wish for!  In my previous post, just before Christmas, I complained a bit about the weather here being unseasonable warm....OOPS. 

Our Christmas break turned into a complete fiasco thanks to the arrival of the winter weather that I had been longing for.  Lesson learned.  Arkansas is not meant for winter weather.  What they are calling "Snowpocolypse" was the record snow storm in Little Rock history and completely shut down the entire city, along with much of central Arkansas.  The irony is that we stopped trying to make it home to MN over our Christmas break to avoid this very thing.

We started our trip as planned, leaving Sunday morning for Daisy State Park in the Ouachita Mountains.  Our first day's hike was a gorgeous 65 degrees.  Day two was equally nice and we completed the most challenging part of the 28 miles we were planning to attempt.  It was then that we were certain that we would be able to finish the whole thing!  At least until we read the weather report.  Rain all night and changing into sleet the next day with snowfall potential of 1-3 inches.  Not wanting to be stuck in the tiny camper all day with the dogs, we decided to head home the next day (Christmas morning) and come back the following afternoon to continue our trip.  With the temperature suppose to be in the 40's, surely any small amount of accumulation would be melted.

Christmas Day we went to a Dim Sum place for lunch and then went to a matinee.  Just over two hours into a two hour and 45 minute movie, the power went out.  And so it began.  Almost an inch of ice had accumulated before the snow began to fall.  And it fell and it fell and it fell.  It was thick, heavy snow and power was going out all over the city as trees buckled under the weight.  Our neighborhood sounded like a shooting range that night with limbs snapping and transformers blowing all night long.  We did get to witness the rare phenomenon of thunder snow.  The entire white snow lit sky turned blue/green in bright flashes.  It was a pretty awesome site to see, although startling at first, as we had neither seen nor heard of anything like that before.

The next day there was 10 inches of snow on the ground and it was damn cold out!  It was clear that we were not going to make it back to the mountains and we were regretting leaving our four wheel drive vehicle up there with the camper.  70% of Little Rock was without power.  Traffic lights, grocery stores, and gas stations all out and roads were impassable for the most part.  We just played in the snow with the dogs.  Winston loved it!  We figure that since we got no snow last year, this was his first ever.  With candles for our only heat and all the blankets in the house, we and all three dogs spent a second night huddled together in bed.  It was 48 degrees in the house by then.

Any hotels that did have power were full.  The state park had power so the following day we decided to brave the roads and head back out there. At least the camper had heat and light.  We attempted to continue the hike, but the freezing cold slush was hard on the dogs' feet and the remote trails (we were staying in the state park, but not hiking there) were impossible to navigate in the snow.  We lost our way several times in the first hour.  When we began to question our safety, we knew we had to turn back.  We didn't want to be the people who wandered off into the mountains and got lost or stranded and froze to death.   In total, we hiked only 13 miles of our goal.  When you can't hike, and it's windy and wet, so you can't sit around a fire, camping just isn't that great.  But our freezing cold home was worse.  After two more nights in the camper  entertaining ourselves by drinking and playing cards, we came back to the city and plugged in our camper in our office parking lot, which did have power.  Then, when the power came on, we'd be close.  By this point, my hair was well on it's way to dread locks.

The energy company worked around the clock.  Crews and trucks from 16 different states came in. Finally, power returned to our house.  Two of our tall cedar trees were uprooted and a third snapped right in half.  Those are still laying on the house.  Another large limb fell and crushed our gate.  It hasn't warmed up enough yet to see if the pool has suffered any damage (the pump circulating the water keeps the pipes and filter from freezing).  The most frustrating part was having to spend our only time of the entire year that our business is completely closed dealing with all this crap.  Had it happened any other week, it wouldn't have been that bad.  So we were cold and dirty and without technology for a few days.  It could have been a lot worse.  It will be an experience that we will always remember.

Road to the hiking trail...pre-snowpocolypse.

Spirit Rock Vista

Spirit Rock Vista

Christmas night

The morning after

Front yard

Frolicking in the fresh snow!

Winston loved loved loved it!

Action shot!

Woohoo!

Nobody would play, so he raced himself!

This is the main highway connecting Little Rock with Hot Springs.

Tree companies cut a path for a single lane of traffic to pass.

 

Little Missouri Falls

Crooked Creek Falls

Happy New Year Everyone!  Best wishes for 2013!

December

I have once again been slacking on posts.  Although this is the slow time of year for us at work, I find myself very busy during this final month of 2012. 

December arrived with no relief from the warm weather.  We highly considered turning the AC back on after only a few weeks of not using it.  Finally, about a week ago, a cold front came in but it was short lived, as today was 70 again.  I just can't get into the holiday spirit with this ridiculous weather.

A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend the first annual "Rescuers Unite" dinner party.  The point was for all of us in the local animal rescue community to actually put faces to the names we see every day.  We all network and communicate with one another constantly but very few of us have ever met in person.  Facebook has done wonders for animal rescue!  I think there were about 70 or 80 people there.  Most were from AR, but we had a few people from the neighboring states too!   It was nice to be surrounded by people who share the same passion in life.  It was a diverse group.  Young and old, married and single, wealthy and poor, but there was never a lack of things to talk about.   The only people who truly understand the crazy lifestyle that we choose to live are the others that have chosen it too.  I can't wait for the next gathering which will surely be even bigger and better!  One woman's husband joked, "So what goes on at one of these things?  Do ya'll just go around sniffin each other's butts or what?"  For the record, no.;-)

The other day, I got a box full of goodies delivered for the rescue dogs.  Toys, treats, leashes and collars, even a thundershirt!  Rheagan's mom sent them all the way from Virginia!  She also sent a collage of photos of Rheagan who looks amazingly happy.  I will always remember Rheagan as my first out-of-state transport adoption.  So hard to go through, but SO worth it!  I would be thrilled if every one of my dogs got a home like Rheagan's!  Thanks Tangela!

Since he is still here, you have probably guessed that I chose to keep Winston with us and not transfer him to the rescue out east.  He will be too much for many people to handle and I am more comfortable knowing that if he doesn't work out somewhere, I will get him back.  I am committed to him and fully aware that he may be here for a long time.  I just love him so much.

We have had several short term house guests lately too.  Little Pearl, the deaf puppy, stayed with us before her trip out to Atlanta.  Her new family is also deaf.  Mom, dad, dog sister and cat sister all deaf.  How cool is that for her?  It took a village to get that little girl to such a wonderful new home! 

I'm a spoiled brat...wink. wink.

 

 

We got Phoenix the boxer from the shelter, bathed and de-fleaed him, and gave him a place to rest his head before he went on his transport to NH.   He was an awesome dog.  Fit in perfectly here.

 



 

Because one Winston just isn't enough!

 

 

We currently have Patch. He was kicked out of his home by his "family" just in time for Christmas.   He wouldn't have done well in a shelter. Poor guy is only four years old and about 20lbs overweight. His breathing suffers and it's hard for him to get around. He can't even scratch his own ears. It will take a long time to get him back to a normal weight, but once he gets there, he'll be a whole new dog! He will go into a foster home next week.

 

Our fat boy!

 



 

 

We have also been on a few hikes, despite the warm weather.

 

Buffalo National River

Winston and me in Indian Rock House cave.

We hiked through Rush Mountain, a ghost town that was a mining town over 100 years ago.  It was really neat.   I'm sitting in an old mine cart.

 

 



We will be loading up the dogs and the camper and heading to the Ouachita Mountains over Christmas this year to attempt a 28 mile hike!  Not sure how many days it will take us, but it's going to be a challenge I'm sure.  If I don't get around to another post before we leave, Merry Christmas to all of you from me and my pack! 

To Santa, From Winston

Dear Santa,

For Christmas, could you please bring me a family of my own?  If it isn't too much to ask for, I would like a child to play with, maybe two.  Kids are my very favorite!  Could I also have a big yard to run around in with my kids and some tennis balls for them to throw for me?  I have been a good boy Santa.  My foster mommy tells me that all the time.  She kisses me and tells me that I am sweet and beautiful.  I love her.  Even though she wishes that I could stay with her forever, there are other dogs in shelters that need her.  I remember that. I was sad and scared when I was in the shelter.  I want to help those other dogs, just like somebody helped me.  Santa, if you bring me a family, I will love them forever.  I will make them happy when they are sad.  I will do my best to always do the right thing.  I have been trying hard to learn that.  With my family, Santa, please bring patience and commitment.  I don't know what those things are, but Mommy says that nobody has given them to me before.  She says that I need them most of all.

That's all I want for myself Santa, but I have another favor.  Could you also please bring some blankets for the dogs that will spend Christmas alone in the shelters?  It's cold there and sleeping on the cement is the worst.  It's also boring and lonely so please bring them some toys too.  If you could, send some volunteers to pet them and hug them and take them outside.  That would be the best.  The days that the volunteers took me out of my cage, even for a few minutes, were the only good ones I had there. 

And Santa, there is just one more thing.  You must know a lot of people.  Could you please spread the word to everyone on your list about all the homeless dogs that will be forgotten this year.  Let them know that even if they can't give one a new home, there are other things that can make a difference.  Maybe they have some old blankets or toys that they could give. Tell them that a couple hours of their time this year could make the holiday a whole lot brighter for a dog who isn't as lucky as I am.  

Thanks Santa!

Your friend,

Winston

Puppy Up!

On Saturday Jonathon and I represented our rescue at Arkanas' second annual Puppy Up! cancer walk.  A rescue friend of mine hosted this event and I am so glad that she invited us to participate.     2 Million Dogs Foundation is the organization. (2milliondogs.org)  It's mission is discovering the common links between canine and human cancers through comparative oncology research.  This entire program was founded by one man, Luke Robinson, who walked with his two dogs, 2000 miles, from Austin to Boston.  There are now Puppy Up! walks hosted all over the country. 

Dogs get cancer the same as humans do.  They get breast, bone, lung, skin and other cancers.  It makes sense since they live along side us, exposed to all of the same environmental factors that we are.  The difference is that it develops much more quickly in dogs than it does in humans.  Think how much more quickly a dog ages...years vs. decades.  Therefore, treatment research results are known much more quickly.  Obviously, all research is done on pets with pre-existing cancers and this is by no means animal testing.  In fact, many dogs who would not otherwise have access to any kind of treatments, like shelter dogs or dogs with families unable to take on the expense, are part of the studies.  This foundation is partnered with medical research teams from Harvard, MIT, and other big time medical facilities.  They have recently funded a large study on breast cancer.  It will be done on mammary tumors removed from shelter dogs during their spay surgeries.  Those dogs will be free of their tumors and the medical research team will have unlimited cancer specimens to work with.   It's a win, win. 

Ironically, I received the email from our director asking if I would run the booth for our rescue the day after Jax was diagnosed with his cancer.  But cancer had touched my life long before that.  Several people in my life have battled cancer, some a long time ago, and some are still fighting today.  I don't think a person exists that has not been affected in some way or another by this terrible disease.  Unfortunately, it doesn't discriminate, not even by species.  I think it's amazing that Mr. Robinson has created this awesome foundation out of his two passions in life, his dogs, and finding a cure.

The reason for the event was serious, but it was really a great and uplifting time!  My only complaint was that it could have been 20 degrees cooler.  85 in November...no thank you.  There were many cancer survivors, both human and canine, participating in the walk.  Some walked in teams and some walked in memory of loved ones passed.  There was a silent auction (a weakness of mine) and lots of vendors and other rescue organizations.  We got some good exposure for a couple of our rescue dogs and got our name out there in the community.  Most importantly, the event raised almost $8000 for cancer research!  It was a good day. 

I assumed that Winston would have fun at the event, but I also assumed that he would be a little crazy and overly excited.  I was wrong.  I didn't even pull out the thunder shirt.  He was perfect.  He was very friendly, yet polite, and a total ham.  He wanted to meet every person and play with every dog, big or small.  I was extremely proud of him.  He was also the only one of us that actually walked in the walk.  Two little girls that were there with their mom asked me if they could walk him.  It was so sweet and they had a great time.  They took a million pictures of him.  Sadly they were not in the market to adopt! 

This is baby Pearl, a foster in our rescue who spent the day with us.  She is 12 weeks old and Deaf. Could she be any cuter?

The crew!

This is how Winston and Pearl spent most of the day!  He was SO good with her.

Must have been toward the end of the day.  They look tired!

 

"Earl" from the Pug rescue next to us. 

Jax, chillin as usual. 

 

Winston with his biggest fans before they started the walk.

 

 

Jax and I with 2 Million Dogs founder, Luke Robinson and his dog, Murphy.