Water Dish Reflections

2011-12-18T22:10:00.000-08:00

The three Siamese cats that I had in my spare bathroom recovering from a sneezing problem have recovered and are back in the store for adoption. They are so much fun, the adult male, Mongo, is the greatest cat. He lets the kittens climb all over him, lay on him, pounce on him -- you get the picture. The adult female, Sky, is tolerant but not as easy-going as Mongo. The little flamepoint kitten, Snowfire, loves to cuddle. I can't believe they lasted the week in the store, I thought they would go out quickly because they are beautiful, nice cats.

This weekend we had "Santa" at the store for pictures with pets. PetsMart keeps part of the money and part of the money is given to the non-profit involved. Because it is so close to Christmas and I have bizillion things to get done -- JoAnne had to twist my arm a little bit to have me go in for a two hour shift to take pictures. What a blast - I will remember how much fun it was and schedule time next year! Our first two customers were actually kids. Since we are back in the corner and it is fairly quiet (because it is easier to take pictures if the animals are calm, of course) there was no commotion and no lines. One of the first Mom's said that she brings her kid to PetsMart every year because it is a much nicer experience than the mall stores. Certainly, our Santa had time to talk with him. That kid was clutching a piece of paper in his hand. On the paper the child had glued pictures of what he wanted for Christmas. He showed each one to Santa and described them in detail. Santa was VERY attentive and then said "I'll give this directly to the elves so that we will be ready to visit your house Christmas Eve". Mission Accomplished. The child shook Santa's hand as he got ready to leave. We actually had a lot of kids come by - and some really nice dogs as well. Only one picture that I took was just of the dog - most of the pictures included everyone in the family as well as the dog. It was fun but sometimes there were so many people that I had to step back and soon the Christmas backdrop wasn't big enough. I kept telling people "it looks like we're going to get some of the cat trees in the background - is that OK?" People were really nice and I had a good time taking the pictures. Thank goodness the person who was actually printing the pictures and putting them in the frames knew what he was doing and was able to fix the camera when it got stuck.

Now I have Patches in my spare bathroom. A beautiful callico, Patches was scared spitless in the store. I suspect that she is another one that will need to be adopted from the website and go to a quiet home. Her Mom lost her job, housing and decided to move back home across the country and couldn't take Patches with her. Patches has been sitting in basically one spot every time I've gone in to visit with her; I hope she starts feeling comfortable soon! At least she is eating and using the litter box so it can't be all bad.

2011-11-18T19:41:00.000-08:00

This week I went to a vet office to pick up a little one who had been abandoned at the Vet office. The dog had one of our tags on the collar - the people just never came back to pick her up. I don't know if JoAnne was successful at reaching them or not but regardless, she is in a foster home now and hopefully I'll see her tomorrow at the dog adoption! She is a sweet little one but pretty scared. When you have no control over your life and/or destiny, sometimes the world can be a scary place.

Today I worked half the day at home with a happily snoozing dog supervising me -- and the other one outside telling off the garbage collectors. If any of my neighbors were home, I'm sure they were muttering not nice things about us.

The kittens that came up in exchange for the unadoptable/wild cats are SO CUTE. But, they started sneezing and so the people taking care of them have their hands full and we haven't put many of them up for adoption yet. It is so much fun to walk into that room - at first they are all cuddled up in groups of 4-6 kittens sprawled all over each other but as soon as someone shows up - they start wacking each other and chasing toys and tails and pushing each other off the cat towers.

I saw Max last weekend - I'm not sure if he remembered me or not. I'd like to think that he did. He is a beautiful dog but he is really strong now. I'd have to use both hands and really plant myself solid if I wanted to stop him moving forward.

2011-10-31T20:40:00.000-07:00

Max is coming back! Unbelievable - he was the sweetest puppy and smart as a whip. I can't remember how we got him but we were his foster home for a few weeks until he was adopted. Now, his family has received custody of their grandchildren and a 1.5 yr old bouncy lab (with a lethal tail) and small children just don't mix. JoAnne called but my girls are still fighting so I just can't foster quite yet. We do try to put pups back in their original foster homes to minimize the number of households to which these dogs need to adjust to and learn. I hope we can find someone who will work with him - I'm sure he is much larger than when I had him and if he is just as bouncy - he would be a handful until/unless he is able to run off some of that excess energy. I remember when I was fostering Sugar - a young female black lab - I told JoAnne: "I need another foster, this one is driving me crazy." So - here came LuLu. Those two were about the same size/age and about the same weight and (yeah!) they were an absolute matched set. They ran. They wrestled. They stalked. They pounced -- THEY LEFT ME ALONE...and when I did walk them, they were usually just fine - not crazy and trying to pull me in 10,000 directions at once. It will be nice to see Max at the weekend adoption. His picture is very handsome.

We also received a new kitty in this week - her name is Biscuit (because she loves biscuit/treats). I think her foster Mom is correct - she does look like she has a good portion of Russian Blue - and she is a purring machine. Eight months old and a little snuggler. She went right into PetsMart. We were saving room for all the kittens that we brought up but those darn little kittens are all sneezing - but getting better every day! Whew...

2011-10-24T20:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday I held the cutest, shivering little scared dog - his tail was so tucked I thought that he was tail-less. Yesterday I heard that he met someone and sparked right up - tail swishing and eyes sparkling -- and he went home with them! Yeah! Tilly was adopted out to a couple that had another cat that was getting into trouble and needed some company. I wouldn't call Tilly a steadying influence but hopefully they will run and tumble and NOT look for trouble! Brewster did not come back - for whatever reason I heard their dog started ignoring him so the family was willing to give it another shot. It is so hard to tell sometimes when you are blending in new pack members.

I was so happy to see Timber brought back in - his hair is growing back and this weekend he proudly was carrying his tennis ball. He was grinning and his eyes were normal and sparkling. JoAnne commented that it looked like he had "firmed up" and the brother who brought Timber in said that he had been playing with a Golden Retriever puppy. Yep, that will do it. He looked SO MUCH BETTER. Then - the people who had adopted the younger dog that was brought in with Timber at the beginning happened to visit the store. Timber jumped up and was so happy/excited to see that other pup. It was wonderful and sad at the same time. I'm sure Timber will find just the right family. We're all on the look-out for him because he is such a sweetheart.

2011-10-12T16:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been some place with bizillion kittens all running and jumping and pouncing and playing? After more than one year working with nine cats that we accepted in from a difficult situation, we were unable to get them to the "adoptable" stage - they remained too scared and jumpy. It might have been different if we had been able to find one-to-one foster homes to work with each of them, but foster homes are in short supply with so many people losing their homes and moving in with family/friends. Anyway, we finally made arrangements to have them go to a cat santuary. The santuary works with non-profits and trades adoptable cats/kittens for non-adoptable cats that they take care of for the cats lifetime. The trade rate per unadoptable cat is either (1) five adoptable cats or (2) 25 kittens. I'm not sure exactly where they get the kittens since the cats from the non-profits need to be spayed/neutered before they will be accepted but - apparently they have a LOT of kittens. Each non-profit has one year to complete the trade. They took in nine of our cats. In exchange, for our first exchange shipment, we took a few adult cats but overwhelmingly, we have kittens. White, black, tiger, spotted, striped, big tails, no tails, fluffy, sleek -- you name it, we have one (or more) and they are all busy, busy, busy! I picked one up last night and went to sit back down -- and sat on another kitten who had jumped up into the chair in the ten seconds it took me to stand up, bend over, scoop up a kitten and BAM - some other adventureous kitten had jumped into my chair. Fortunately, I didn't QUITE sit down once I felt and heard the kitten squeak. Kittens are scampering up the tables and bins, they are exploring every nook and cranny, rolling on the cat beds and trust me, you have never seen so much action in the litter boxes. They are very, very cute. Hopefully they will adopt out quickly and we can take another "exchange" group. It is impossible to frown when you are surrounded by kittens.

We have had a hard week in that Brewster is being returned. He is a big cat (declawed) and really a lot of fun. He adopted out and through no fault of his own, the family dog just didn't like him and didn't want him in the house so - here he comes back. He is a sweet baby. Tilly is going crazy in her cage - she is jumping and pouncing and generally shakes all the cages that border with her cage; it's like having a very noisy neighbor. The other cats are starting to get tired of the thumping from her cage but she is BORED to death. She was so quiet when she first arrived but you would never know it now.

We took in two dogs unexpectedly - border collie and a border collie mix. Their 45 year old owner passed away at home. Four days later, someone came to check on him and brought the police. Because there were animals in the house, the police had to call the park service. The dogs were curled up beside the body and wouldn't leave. The park service got the younger dog to come out but the 4.5 year old refused to leave the owners side so someone put a noose around his neck and metal around his lower jaw and pulled him out. The noose was so tight that his eyes literally bulged/popped out of their sockets. When the family called, JoAnne told them to get the dog to a vet. The vet was able to re-set the dogs eyes back into their sockets. When I saw the dog (Timber) on Saturday, his eyes looked like cherry tomatoes they were so bright red. He was in total denial. He laid very still with his eyes mostly closed despite the chaos of a PetsMart adoption day. The younger dog adopted right out but this one just looks awful even though you can tell he is a sweet dog - but, his hair along his back has fallen out -- I don't know if it is stress or something else -- sometimes it is hard to tell. The volunteers were all lovin' on him but he just didn't really care. He was so - so- so sad. Another family member is fostering him right now so maybe that will help; at least he already knows them.

2011-09-23T21:20:00.001-07:00

Isis was adopted today -- YEAH!

2011-09-22T18:28:00.000-07:00

We have lots of bouncy pups ready for adoption -- they will be at PetsMart this weekend. It should be a busy weekend -- and probably noisy although it is difficult to tell. Some weekends it is just deafening with all the barking and some weekends - honestly, you would hardly know there were dogs in the store.

The kitties are just wonderful right now. We have two little grey kittens with the prettiest orange/brownish eyes. They pounce on everything that moves and when I clean the cage above them, I feel little kitten paws patting me to get my attention to play. They love that blue circle toy with the ball in the middle that spins.

We have a calico/siamese mix, probably about a year, that is absolutely one of the most beautiful cats I have ever seen...and Bassett is sweet. She hides in her litter box when kids come in. Brother, I just saw her picture on the web - she is 1,000 times cuter than THAT.

The two declawed sisters were adopted - they were such nice girls - but Brewster is still staying with us. People getting married and one person is alergic to cats and here we are ... I felt so sorry for him when he came in because instead of a blanket, he had a sweatshirt to lay on. He cuddled on that for a good week or so before it got changed out and washed. I don't know whatever happened to it - but it is probably waiting with any other "stuff" he has to go with him.

Brewster is next to Pumpkin Pie in PetsMart - those two are both players. They love to be pet and they bat those little mice and other crinkly cat toys around in the cage and pounce and play. Those cages aren't very big and these are both good sized boys but they make the best of it. Pumpkin Pie loves to be pet.

Parcheesi and Lincoln are still at PetSmart. Parcheesi is a beautiful calico with big green eyes. She had four kittens - all of whom were adopted. While the kittens were in the store, someone brought in one kitten so we put him in with Parcheesi and her group and they all got along well. So, now Lincoln and Parcheesi are together. Lincoln is a talker - he talks and talks and talks. The only time I've seen but not heard him was when a gentleman was holding him and the man was talking Lincoln who was just laying there in the crook of that guys arm quiet as he could be. I couldn't believe it.

We also have a tabby and a black cat in the middle cage. They are both pretty large and nice. When I first saw them, they were curled up in two separate corners but now they are relaxing a little more with all the commotion at PetsMart - they are out and about and available for lovin' from our visitors.

Isis is still here too - she came from a house that we took either 7-8 cats from when the people had to move and couldn't take everyone with them. All the other cats were adopted but Isis is a shy little girl and she is grey. She nestles down in the box and you can't really even tell that she is there. If you stand and talk to her for a minute, she gets right up, stretches and then comes over to say HI. Everytime I see her I think, WOW your life has changed 360 degrees. Hang in there, it will get better.

We'll see what the weekend brings -- hopefully lots of adoption action!!

2011-08-07T16:18:00.001-07:00

What a great couple of weeks -- the kitties have just been flying out the door. Lucky and Karl were both adopted and so was stormy. Now, if those sisters (declaw) and Brewster could find homes before the little kittens get in and take all the attention, that would REALLY be cool.

Gracie was also adopted and is now happily with a family with two boys and another dog. I hope she and her new family settle in quickly!

Next weekend is a big adoption weekend at PETCO and it is also our weekend to have dogs at PetsMart - everyone will be happily crazed. We hope to see a lot of people and match them with their next family member!!

2011-07-29T21:04:00.000-07:00

July - I can't believe it -- another thunderstorm and this one was BIG. Just for the record, we do not like thunderstorms at our house.

We have the cutest cats at the store right now. I can't believe little Lucky is still there - it's been about a week now. Talk about a purring, love-bug. I'm so surprised he hasn't been taken home by someone. And the two sisters - declawed - they are really nice cats. What a story too, rescued out of a dumpster then had a nice life for 3-4 years (I can't remember exactly) then their owner died and they found the two cats cuddled next to owner when a neighbor went in to check on them. They are very, very sweet cats! Tabitha was adopted - I really enjoyed her although the first time I cleaned her litterbox she almost scared me to death. She waited until I had the litter clean and was lifting the box back into the cage and then she took a flying leap exactly into the clean litter. I had the box balanced -- but I wasn't ready to have it absorb the weight of a flying cat. Yeah - that was a close call. She did that every time I cleaned her box - and she just bounced against the walls of the cage trying to play with her little toys. I was so happy to hear that she went home with a nice guy -- not that I met him, but clearly he has good taste in choosing a cat! She was a lot of fun. Every once in awhile we get a big cat and our resident "big cat" is Brewster - he is pretty large but I've never seen a cat as large as Baby was -- still, Brewster is a considerable sized cat. I noticed him immediately because he was sleeping on someone's sweatshirt -- not one of the usual cat blankets. Clearly someone was trying to transition him gently.

I see that Gracie is on the website now and ready for adoption. What a sweetheart she is - and smart. She loves kids (I don't know how she is with real little kids but she does well with 5-7 yr olds) and she loves attention and playing -- if she didn't have an on-going feud with the family cat (the cat has senority in the family) it would be a different story. She loves to run and run and run -- and she is an accepted part of a running group with good manners when she runs. She generally plays well with other dogs and is considered a "greeter" at daycare. She is pretty careful of the other dog in the family (14 yr old Lab) but - she is bouncy and ready to rock. I hope she gets matched with someone who will love her -- and who doesn't have a cat.

Well, as I write this Luna is snoozing behind me - not a care in the world. I was so mad at her last week I couldn't see straight. She has NEVER gotten up on the kitchen counters but last week she jumped up and started pacing across the counters (I have a neighbor who witnessed her counter-pacing) - then she managed to turn the water on at the sink and then decided to cascade the water onto the floor. What a mess! I'm still cleaning it up! ...and I'm blaming the thunderstorm and other unexpected events that apparently turned her into a frightened ball of mush that went absolutely crazy. It's hard to stay mad at her when she is shaking like a leaf and so relieved to see me ...

2011-06-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

June - I can't believe it. Last night we had a thunderstorm and Luna went crazy. We haven't had a foster dog for so long - I really miss them but, the girls are still fighting so I have to solve that problem first. I did look at the pups this weekend that were up for adoption. There were some nice quiet ones and some that were anxious to get outta there and emploring their foster people to TAKE THEM HOME NOW. It is a scary thing when you are little and surrounded by giants who don't speak your language and don't listen to you.

While I was cleaning the cats this week, I saw the cutest puppy with a young girl. The dog looked familiar so I asked - yes, one of ours adopted 11 days ago. I watched the family shopping and thought about how that dog just was bouncing and happy -- two kids and two adults trying to decide what "stuff" the dog needed - the dog was just happy to be there and happy to say HI to anything that moved. The girl was doing a nice job with the leash and correcting the pup. It's always fun to see a happy beginning.

Our cats are doing really well. A couple of the cats that had been in the store for way too long finally got adopted. It's so funny to have the same cats for 1-2 months and then go in one day and have 4 out of 10 adopted. I don't know exactly why/how it works out like that but it seems too. I hope Buddy is happy in his new home, I'll have to ask JoAnne. He is such a beautiful flamepoint siamese - he came in with an orange cat but they were adopted out separately. The orange guy was really friendly and adopted right out. Buddy was more shy and hid for the first few weeks, honestly, it was hard to even see him. But when he came out to say hi, the first thing everyone said was "What a beautiful cat". Right now we have seven cats from the same home -- the people had to move and could only keep two. I personally can't imagine having nine cats but ... that's just me. Miss Kitty is still there - she is beautiful, nice and friendly. It's hard to believe no one has taken her home! We have two cats that are currently hiding. They were fostered a couple of years ago as kittens -- adopted out -- I'm not sure what happened but they are back to find a new home; I think the people were moving. Anyway, the foster couple came in to see them and picked them up and snuggled with them for awhile; hopefully they will find a new home soon. We also have a male calico in the store -- I can't remember his name but he is also a beautiful cat - and nice. He came in because the two other cats where he was living decided to start beating up on him. He cries and wants loving every time you even look at him. Sometimes it is hard to wait for the right person to come along ...

2011-04-14T16:45:00.001-07:00

More dogs coming up next week from California - there is such a never-ending waiting list of cute lovebugs looking for loving homes. Some of these were spayed/neutered before coming up so that will be a "plus" -- they will be ready to place upon arrival instead of surgery and then recoupment before they can be placed.

We have the nicest cats in the store right now ... I hope they get some attention, too! The other day I went in and one of the cages was empty and it took me a couple of minutes to figure out who was missing. JoAnne regularly trades cats around from the upper to the lower cages and left to right -- so that they each get a "new view" to look at and so that she finds just the right combination to show the cat to their best advantage.

2011-04-07T17:56:00.000-07:00

Luna and Maggie are still fighting. I took them into the store last Saturday so that JoAnne could help me with them because I couldn't tell what was going on. Maggie has been identified as the one who is starting the spats. A friend told me -- two girls? They need a MAN -- so, I've borrowed the two male dogs from next door to come over and visit. I haven't noticed peace descending but I hope it works -I'm getting tired of breaking up these free-for-alls. ...and I can't foster because I can't in good conscience bring a shell-shocked dog who is already off balance because there is nothing and no one familiar around anymore into an environment that is "hostile" to say the least. Sigh. Last time I tried to walk Luna and Maggie together I ended up tying one to a tree and taking the other one home -- about a 3 minute walk -- and when I got back to the tree someone had stopped their car and was untying the leash -- I had to run to get my dog!! It was a nice person, only trying to help and I have to admit I'd probably stop if I saw a dog leashed to a tree with no one around paying any attention. Sigh - I hope Luna and Maggie remember they have been friends SOON because they are wearing on my nerves!!!

2011-04-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

More dogs up from California for adoption this weekend -- this time two who had given birth five days before coming up and one little one pregnant and ready to pop. It is such a hard journey up for them, it is hard to imagine pregnant or just recently delivered! One of them had a partially severed tail -- found as a stray, maybe a "home done" tail dock - who knows, it was awful. The CA place completed the procedure and sent the pup up here - I haven't seen him yet.

We sure have some nice cats at the store right now. Two different "cat groups" from homes in which their person died. They are lovin' up at the front of the kennel so hopefully it won't take long for someone to take them home!

It's so weird - for awhile we will get cats as a result of foreclosures, then we get a wave from divorces now we are in a "person expired" phase. It is hard to go from a loving home to a noisy, busy store but ... we have a lot of great people that regularly come in and visit with them so that is the nice part.

2011-03-25T22:29:00.001-07:00

Dog adoption tomorrow! It is always a fun day to see who is there and who gets to go home with someone!!

2011-03-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

I talked with JoAnne today - those two Lab/Corgi brothers went to a different Rescue group (one with foster homes!) we just didn't have any place to put them, they were sure sweet.

The cats from the person that died have been adopted - two just went out in the last couple of days. That is always good to hear - the store environment is always such an abrupt change when animals are used to being in a loving home.

We had a litter of six kittens and only three remain to be adopted - that is good too! They are sure feisty little ones looking for toys and bugs and you name it -they are busy babies...

2011-03-18T16:29:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I didn't add another post about Kiba. Bless his sweet little heart, he found the BEST home - complete with a built in (young) energizer-terrier named Ronan. They wrestled and played and pounced non-stop for the 30 minutes I watched them. It was perfect. The orthopedic specialist said Kiba could play but not get "jolted" -- that terrier was "worrying" Kiba's cheek, his ear and his tail but wasn't big enough to really JOLT Kiba. I told the family I just couldn't imagine a better playmate. The people were nice, too!

Now, I need to get the information back to the orthopedic office. The family agreed to bring him in annually for his MRI so that the physician could do his research paper. Really - it was EXCELLENT!! :-)

Now, I just have my girls (Maggie and Luna) who are fighting right now. Someone told me it's because I don't have a young pup to keep them busy. Umm...I don't know about that. It is nice to be puppy-less for a few weeks and kick back and relax.

Gracie (Kiba's playmate) tried to talk me into taking Sam home. He is a year old black Lab - came from a family with twin boys and also cats so he has good skills for getting adopted. He was SO ready to play with anything and everything that moved at PetsMart - I got tired just watching him! The family is fostering him until we can find a family for him. He is sure a nice guy!

If I had taken anyone home, it would have been Buddy. He is an older stray (grey muzzle) found wandering around behind the hospital. He is well behaved and well taken care of - but no response to any of the ads or postings for a found dog. He is just a nice older gentleman. He went home with one of the other foster homes and their dog promptly jumped him. It's an issue with older dogs - the younger ones try to run them off if you aren't watching closely.

If I thought Luna and Maggie would be nice to him, I'd have taken him home in a heartbeat. He was being fostered by an older man (83) who was scheduled for surgery this week so - I'm not sure where JoAnne popped Buddy in for foster care this week. Buddy is calm and stately - maybe my girls would have been fine with him, it's hard to say. I may bring him home yet.

We have another shipment of dogs from California that came up - they came in Friday and four of them adopted out on Saturday. They left the California shelter on the day they would have been put down. Such nice dogs - and fortunately none of them pregnant this time!

There were two brothers that looked like yellow Labs lying together in a kennel - but then they stood up and they have short, stubby legs. I went and looked at their card - Lab/Corgi mix is the description. I rolled my eyes at JoAnne and said CORGI? JoAnne rolled her eyes back at me and said "Basset Hound, bet you a dollar". They look just like Labs but they are only knee high. Eight months old and wide-eyed looking at the world. It's so hard to believe that they would have been killed. In an hour I only heard one of them bark once -- I think they were still shell-shocked at all the changes in their lives in the past few days.

I'm feeling so good because my volunteer slots at the store have been filled -- all except Saturday morning. Just when I am ready to despair (because I was cleaning Friday morning, Friday evening, Saturday morning and then sometimes Saturday night and Sunday morning) but then - new volunteer cards are completed and whew - it works again. Our volunteers are the absolute best - they call me if they can't come in to clean so that I can rearrange my schedule to get in there and do it.

I see Charlotte is back on the website. She is such a nice cat but scared to death at the store - all she does is scuttle to the very back of the cage and shake. She was joined at her foster home by Munchkin - who is on a diet because free feeding was DEFINATELY not the way to go with her. We have another kitty (Olive) who has ballooned up with the free grazing and she is being curtailed with her food also.

We have a small area for cats that need special one-to-one time. I think we are going to try to find foster homes through the vet clinics since these cats will need an experienced cat person who either doesn't have another cat or who can keep them separated from other cats until they relax a little bit. They are just skittish cats who aren't very used to people and need a half-way house to get the ready for adoption. Munchkin and Olive are two of those cats -- there are plenty more - around fifteen - that we just haven't been able to give the attention they need to get used to a real home.

We have four cats in the store that came from one home when the owner died. They are so friendly and right up at the cage doors asking for lovin'. I hope they find new homes quickly!

Now .... if we just had more foster homes!!! Hope springs eternal ... and it's almost Spring! My backyard is a mud pit but hopefully that won't last for more than a month or two! :-)

2011-01-18T21:41:00.000-08:00

Here we are in the middle of January already! It has been a busy month for us - a lot of dogs and cats adopted recently - the cats have just been flying out of here which is really good because we continue to get new ones in - mostly returns from prior adoptions - some after several years. Usual reason is people are losing their home and moving in with family and pets are not welcome. It's just plain sad. But - it's reality. All the rescue organizations are turning people away (unless the animal is a prior adoption return) because there just aren't enough resources to accommodate the influx of animals. In our case, we don't have a shelter building and rely totally on foster homes so ... unless we have a foster home, we just can't help someone. I can't tell you how many people ask if we can just keep the cat/dog for a month or two until they get back on their feet but - we just can't because our foster homes are bursting as it is right now.

Good news for both Mesha and Kiba -- Mesha was adopted, and not during a weekend adoption! She came in special one evening to meet a potential family - they already had a little 1.5 yr old dog who was needing a companion. They met Mesha and she just turned "on" so they took her home and are settling in. I think it will be a good placement because she loves to run and play AND they let her sleep under the covers AND someone is home most of the time so she doesn't need to be crated to stay out of trouble. YEAH!

Kiba DID go to the specialist and he took the absolute coolest MRI of Kiba's legs. The image can be turned and positioned and then the image of the joint itself can be sliced into small sections so that you can see exactly what is going on. It almost made me wish I had chosen to be a Vet or Dr - it was so much fun to look at the joint in detail. He put the joint MRI of a regular dog up first to show me what it SHOULD look like and then he put up Kiba's MRI and even my untrained eye could see that things were off kilter. The good news is - whatever happened, happened when he was very little and his body accommodated the change. It is the bone between your wrist and elbow - instead of growing up straight to connect the wrist to the elbow - that one bone spiraled to the right. The MRI shows it very clearly twisting/spinning and not flat/straight. So, the bone did grow from the wrist to the elbow but because it was spinning, it didn't really connect with the elbow. So, the valley where the joint should lock/swivel is actually just facing out into space. BUT something grew -- best guess is cartiledge -- so the bone does connect/swivel between the two joints and they do work but they just work weird. I asked about adoption/placement and he said absolutely fine - as long as I understand that the joints can't take a lot of sudden jolts. So - hiking is fine, jumping around on river rocks is not fine. Easy wrestling is fine - hard play that knocks him off his feet is not fine. Probably not a home with young kids because they might jump/wrestle with him too hard. It is actually such as weird accommodation the vet wants to follow him and study him for the rest of his life - as in an MRI every year to see what/how the joints are changing as he grows. It is not a "slight" accommodation, it is a MAJOR accommodation that the orthopedic specialist thinks will have impact on how/when joint surgery is done on other dogs with a less prominent twist. He wants to do a study/paper and publish Kiba's changes as Kiba grows. The vet said it would be like riding a bicycle with your knee joint not facing straight ahead but at a 90 degree angle turned away from the bike -- and then your ankle joint not facing straight ahead either -- but not facing the same direction as your knee -- and the bicycle somehow accommodating your leg position so that you could still pedal the bike.

Bless Kiba's heart, he was glad to see me and to go home but he didn't want me touching his bandage from the anesthesia. I left it on thinking that he would get it off himself but even though he worked at it - it didn't come off and it was so tender that I needed help to release the bandage. Now - he has a cone on because he is licking that spot and it is raw. Maggie is so mad at him because that cone is just at the right height to wack her in the neck like he is trying to behead her. Just for the record, she does not appreciate being wacked. Well, anyone who has experienced those cones knows that we are not having fun at our house. I tried to play tennis ball with him but that ball kept getting into places that he couldn't get to with the cone on without complete destruction of whatever was around. Then, I tried playing "tug" with the rope toy but that wasn't especially successful either. He wants to run and jump and play but it has been so rainy and muddy that I don't want that spot to get dirty so we are muddling along inside the house for exercise -- with short outside walks because the weather has been horrible -- as best as we can. He is climbing the walls with cabin fever but hopefully another 2-3 days and that spot will be healed and the cone can come off and we will ALL be happy!

2010-12-30T22:08:00.000-08:00

Time just flies by!! Meesha and Kiba are still with me - incredible but true. We did take Kiba to the vet who took some x-rays and now we are off to a specialist next week to see what (if anything) needs to be done. Apparently his leg bones have grown weird. I don't know - he gets around like greased lightening and he jumps better than any dog I've had - umm, how do I know? I was coming into the house and saw something I didn't recognize in the kitchen window. It was Kiba STANDING WITH ALL FOUR FEET ON THE KITCHEN COUNTER -- wow - he jumped about 10 feet when I came around the corner and yelled. I had a treat that I put way at the back of the counter where I knew Luna couldn't reach it. It just never occurred to me that Kiba would actually jump up on the counter. I doubt very much he will do that again - he was in big, big trouble.

Meesha is so darn sweet I can't stand it. She tells me off when I leave but all is quiet when I come back home. Both Meesha and Kiba are crated while I'm gone because TROUBLE has the two of them on speed-dial. I'm not sure who thinks of the creative fun but puppies being puppies, they have a knack for getting into places I don't want them to be!

Kiba has decided that his latest most favorite game is grabbing Maggie's tail and giving a good strong tug and then looking the other direction when she turns around to see who has grabbed her tail. Maggie is being very patient with Kiba in that she barks at him but hasn't actually laid teeth on him yet. I keep telling him "Buster, your days are numbered if you keep that up. She is going to tell you off BUT GOOD" .. of course, he doesn't listen to me. Maggie will get fed up one of these days and then Kiba will be in for a surprise - and I'll let Maggie take care of the problem because I'm sure she can handle a whippersnapper like Kiba. Maggie has turned out to be a really good puppy-sitter even though she would rather just lay around and not babysit.

2010-11-24T20:00:00.000-08:00

What a lot has happened! Meesha and Marc went to the other foster home - Marc was adopted - Meesha came back here. I just couldn't resist her at PetsMart, every time I glanced over at her she just barely twitched her tail like she really WANTED to wag but wasn't sure I liked her anymore. Guilt, guilt, guilt - she came home with me. She is shameless. It is always interesting for me to get dogs back - somewhere during the time that she was gone she learned to sit politely for treats and decided that she doesn't like kids - really. JoAnne told me that but it wasn't until I saw her tell off a little girl who was just walking by that I realized somehow, somewhere Meesha has decided that kids are a problem. Of course, Meesha is still only 9-10 lbs so her little snits are just that - little snits. She has bigger things to worry about now anyway. Labor Day JoAnne asked me if I could go to the vet and pick up another dog who was being boarded because of colitis; a cattle dog mix named Tucker. What an absolute sweetheart. It has been a long time since I have had a talking dog in the house but the cattledog half of Tucker had something to say sotto voice about life in general and some things in particular most of the time. Tucker always looked worried. He was a beautiful runner - poetry in motion. He was adopted out but came back because he got the people up consistently during the night. I told them "I never had that experience with him" which was true - he always slept through the night at my house. You just never know - he adopted back out to someone who was a caregiver and getting up 2-3 times a night anyway so she didn't care if he got her up or not. He is her first dog -- Tucker would be a great "first dog". Now, in addition to Meesha, we have another foster dog named Kiba. He is an eight month old husky/shepherd mix and sweet as can be. Wants to be with people and reminds me of Luna in his singlemindedness to be with people and NOT in the back of the car behind the dog barrier and NOT in a crate. Once he is next to you - yeah, butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. He wants to play with Meesha but he is big and bouncy and Meesha just doesn't want him in her face - she tells him off all the time. Maggie also tells him off a lot. Luna is more tolerant. I don't think he has been around dogs much because he looks so surprised when one of the girls gets on his case. He gives ground right away -- mostly because he is a PUPPY but then he bounces right back over 5 minutes later. He is a trial to Meesha and Maggie. I take him to play with a friends dog (1 yr Rhodesian Ridgeback/hound mix) they are a good pair and play really well together. It is a nice 45 minute tussle for both of them. Kiba has one blue eye and one brown eye and is very sweet tempered. He runs really funny - something is weird with his legs. I think after the holiday we will take him to the vet for x-rays to see if there is something going on or if he is just double-jointed or something.

2010-08-28T21:58:00.000-07:00

Time just flies these days, I can't believe school is ready to start again and Labor Day is just around the corner. Mesha and Marc are still waiting to be adopted but they are at a different foster home. I was working long hours and they were not getting the attention that puppies need -- or the play time -- so now they are with someone who is home all day and has other little dogs. I miss them but it is better for everyone. I saw them today at PetsMart and they were so happy to see me -- it is easy to get attached and hard to walk away!

Luna Tuna threw me a curve ball this week by getting into a bottle of extra strength Advil and eating a bunch of them. I didn't see the empty bottle for about 30 -45 minutes after she ate them and when I did see it, I was not happy! I have no idea how she managed to get to them but she did. She threw up four times at home, I called the vet and told them what happened and that I thought most of them had been expelled then I took her to a friend's house so that someone would watch her while I was at work. Before I even left her, my friend said "She can not stay here - look, she is staggering like a drunk and sure enough even as I watched she listed to the side and looked like she was going down so -- back on the phone to the vet and we took her right in and they had her throw up again and then eat some stuff to coat her stomach and started her on IV fluids. They wanted to keep her that day and overnight and one more day but I said NO - she panics when she is in new places with new people but the vet absolutely wouldn't let me take her. So, I picked her up the next afternoon and she was apparently a perfect patient - she took her medicine and let people take her out to potty and walked out to meet me swishing her tail and looking bright-eyed. She has come such a long way in a relatively short time. I was so surprised and proud of her -- she is so much calmer than she used to be and usually now I only medicate her around noisy times (July 4th, New Years etc.) when she used to take canine Prozac every day. She apparently still had issues when other dogs walked by her cage but she was fine with the people. That is a definate step in the right direction. JoAnne called me to see if I could foster a dog the night I brought Luna home but I had to decline -- it's hard when we are so short of foster homes and people out there are so desperate to do something safe with their animals when circumstances overwhelm them but I told JoAnne -- we just need a few days to recoup, it was way too exciting a week for all of us!

2010-08-02T01:11:00.001-07:00

We received another shipment of dogs up from California. It is so strange - they come from different kill shelters and the first group was exhausted and weary when they got here, then the next group was scared and jumpy as all get-out and this group arrived tails wagging and happy to be here. Well, they are nice pups, all of them. I didn't take any to foster this time because I am crazy busy at work and I still (unbelievable!!) have Mesha and Marc who have not yet been adopted. I was so mad at that little Mesha the other day because she got into the front closet and chewed up one my my best leather leashes - it was hanging up but she reached up and chewed off the loop at the end that is for your hand. I yelled at her and she was properly contrite --then, when I was finished scolding her, she jumped up, picked up the severed leather loop and pranced -- yes, PRANCED -- around the corner down the hall without a care in the world. I tell you, she is such a GIRL.

One of the little dogs that came up on Thursday was sooo pregnant that JoAnne and Rick just took her home with them. They couldn't get her to eat on Friday and she was restless - yep, that night she gave birth to five puppies. The previous group of dogs that came up also had a pregnant dog -- we didn't realize she was pregnant and adopted her out but she came back really quick because when the new family took her to the vet and found out she was pregnant - well, they wanted a dog not a ready-made family of puppies. The dog this time was obviously pregnant -- what a difficult trip for her to come up all that way in a crate. The mother dog weighted nine pounds -- with five puppies inside of her. I told JoAnne, how on earth could such a little dog have FIVE puppies??? JoAnne is already cooing over them - they are the cutest puppies on earth (her opinion - I haven't seen them yet).

One of the pups that came up is a little cocker -- ooohhh, I was so tempted to take him/her home to foster but NO - I was strong and didn't offer. He/She is staying with a good foster family and I'm sure will be just fine.

Well - there are always surprises with this dog transport exchange - we got four dogs we weren't expecting and the one that was (unknown to us) pregnant. At least they all have a chance at a good life now!

2010-07-22T06:53:00.001-07:00

I can't believe Mesha and Marc are the last two dogs up from California to have not been adopted. They are so darn cute and play so well together - and busy, busy, busy just as puppies should be!

I walked into the bedroom the other day and there on the (white) pillow was (brown) Mesha and-- a black shoe. When she saw me, she stretched out her little legs trying to cover the shoe and then tucked her head down facing away from the shoe and then squeezed her eyes shut like she was asleep and not even THINKING about chewing that shoe. She is such a cheeky little girl!

2010-07-14T05:29:00.000-07:00

With the warmer weather, I have been outside working in the yard - totally supervised by the four dogs. I was in a different part of the yard and I heard Mesha barking the alarm. I thought it was someone walking by on the sidewalk so I ignored her. The barks got louder and more hysterical so I went to see what was happening. There was little Mesha -- all 9 lbs of her - legs quivering, body rigid and focused on one spot in the garden. When I got closer, I realized that she had cornered a little garter snake which was coiled and flicking it's tongue at her. When she realized I had arrived, little Mesha just wilted like: "WOW - I held off the invader until help arrived". I tossed the snake over the fence and told her "good job" -- she just glowed and pranced and was so proud of herself.

Mesha has a mohawk. When she is scared the two inches right down her back stand straight up. I asked a friend "Do you think she has any Rhodisan Ridgeback in her?" -- Now, those dogs are big, muscular dogs who were bred to hunt and kill lions but at 9 lbs, there is no way Mesha has any hope of being anything other than a lion snack -- my friend and I both just laughed at the thought.

Our bluejay is back. This is the stupidest bird. It spends the day ramming it's own reflection in the window. I've hung stuff up, I've bought decals - it just doesn't seem to make any difference. Every year I think maybe it has hit it's head once too often and will not be back and then - here it is.

Well - Mesha has decided that along with the "no snake" yard policy that there is also a "no blue jays ramming the window" policy and she makes it her personal project to keep an eye on that blue jay and chase it off every chance she gets. Trust me, there is plenty of opportunity.

You can see keeping the yard safe is a full time job but Mesha is up for the challenge.

2010-07-07T19:54:00.000-07:00

Whew - another July 4th has come and gone. This time I think I had the drugs just right because Luna dutifully took her pill and then crawled under the bed and went to sleep. I gave Maggie a little help as well because she was growling and pacing and she settled right down too. The two little dogs love to burrow so as usual they were under the sheets. Whenever there was an especially loud BOOM they would hurry out to see what the problem was - and of course, I was reading, the radio was on and Luna and Maggie were peacefully snoozing. BORING. The little ones just went back and laid down. It was the easiest 4th since Luna's arrival!!

We have two cats in the spare bathroom: TommyGirl and Sassy. They have been at the store but needed a break from their small cage (they are full size cats). Nice as can be and get along with dogs which is why they were in the cage out front with all the people and dog traffic walking by - it didn't faze them but...they are happily taking a small R & R break and climbing the cat tree and sitting in the garden window watching the world go by.

Mesha and Marc are so much fun - I will really miss them when they get adopted. They are very vocal when they play-- twisting, turning, ambushing, growling, yipping, squealing - you name it, they make the sound. Luna, Maggie and I just ignore them unless it starts to sound personal -then, I just say "Hey - you two knock it off" and they immediately look chastised and settle down. I told JoAnne, they will probably have to go to someone who has already had some experience with dogs so that when either one of them pounces on (for example) your shoe and grabs the shoelace and growls and tugs -- if you didn't recognize it as puppy play, you might think they were trying to attack you. They are non-stop action and so excited to see me when I get home - it is a welcome worth coming home for!

JoAnne just had a dog returned to us because it was "aggressive". JoAnne took him home to observe him since he is less than a year old and didn't have any problems in foster care - in fact, hasn't had any problems to date until this family returned him. JoAnne said he plays hard but there isn't a mean bone in his body -- he shares, he gives and takes and he plays, plays, plays. He was just fine with their other dogs and did well with their young grand-daughter. Sometimes it is just a matter of recognizing what the dog is doing and what it means. Maybe the family that returned him just wasn't quite ready for the demands of a puppy - it is hard to know. You can explain the commitment to a puppy but if you have never experienced a puppy -- you just can't understand how much time and energy they require. I very rarely foster just one puppy - I usually ask for two so that they can entertain each other -- trust me, two is much easier than one. If Luna or Maggie will play with the puppy - fine but if not then -- I need a second puppy - one just gets into too much trouble by itself!

2010-06-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

We have been joined by another foster dog -- I'm not sure what the story is with this little one but she needed a place to stay as of last Saturday so she came to our house. Marc thought I was THE BEST because I kept adding girls to the mix -- and even though he is little, he was the only un-neutered male with Luna, Maggie, Mesha and now Sweetie. Let me tell you - he thought he was HOT STUFF. He was neutered this week so hopefully things will settle down a little bit.

Marc and Mesha play so nice with Sweetie. The three of them thunder up and down the hall wrestling and barking and wrangling and for some reason, they all go for the leg bite. Mesha has a ridge of hair along her back that stands up straight when she is trying to boss someone and they are just not doing things the right way, a.k.a. Mesha's way.

Maggie and Luna stay out of the way of the three little ones - usually because I'm bribing the two of them with food to sit quietly with me while the little ones play. Maggie is such a "cop dog" that when the little ones get REAL rowdy, she bustles over to them growling and snapping and the three little ones obediently stop what they are doing until Maggie swaggers back to me with everything quiet -- for about 20 seconds, and then they are off running and playing again.

We've had a fun week!

2010-06-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

What a week! It was long and cold and rainy but today we are FINALLY at Friday and so - all is well. If we get even a peak of sun tomorrow I will try to work in my yard, aka the jungle. Mesha and Marc will be at PetsMart tomorrow afternoon and even if they aren't adopted -- they will be tired tomorrow night! I should be able to get SOME work done. Darn those little ones anyway, they figured out how to slip under the fence and when I went to call them, here they came flying -- from the neighbors yard!! They were sure proud of themselves and didn't even blink at being "talked to" -- brazen little brats!! They are so fast and so fun -- they just tumble up and down the hall wrestling and squeaking. It is hard when you don't have puppies to remember how much energy they have to play -- then, when you have puppies, you just think "I'm tired just watching you!" They sure have fun...Maggie and Luna and I just provide the audience -- as long as no one gets bumped into or run over...because then we have a problem. Respect for your elders and all that. I think Maggie was a police dog in a prior life. Maggie likes rules. Maggie likes to enforce rules. Maggie is a force to reckon with and four times their weight. They don't get too rowdy.

2010-05-29T23:21:00.000-07:00

Today was not a dog weekend but JoAnne has caught some icky bug so I told her that I would go into PetsMart for the cat adoption time from 1-5pm. Well - since I was going to be there anyway, I took the baby gate and the two sweet little babies (Mesha and Marc) with me. Once I got there, one of the other foster Mom's was there with Sherman and said "Hey, if you are going to be here, I'll go get Sherman". NWAC does dog adoptions every other weekend because there is another rescue group that brings dogs in on the weekends that NWAC does not - bottom line, we aren't supposed to have NWAC dogs in the store when it is not our weekend. But - I told her (and the store people who asked me) "I know it's not a dog weekend but these are just my two fosters and it is boring at home" -- no one kicked us out so - that is a good thing. JoAnne staggered in briefly and said "Hey, why are these dogs here?" When I explained, she said "I have people who have called about Sherman - I'll go call them to come down and meet him" - Sure enough. Sherman was adopted today (we also had two cats adopted so it was a good day!) Anyway - I'm just starting to get a little miffed -- of course, I think Mesha and Marc are absolutely THE BEST -- I just can't understand why they are not seeing any action. They were so cute in the baby pen too -- wrestling and playing and just having a blast. Although, I can see why Mesha is having trouble - she is so darn scared that she backs up and starts barking at everyone. 100% of the people responded with "Oh - that one doesn't like me!" I said "She's only six months old and weighs less than 10 lbs - everyone and everything here is big and scary and she is SCARED. I don't know - she is such a little brat at home. She was under the comforter this morning and Marc accidently stepped on her - WOW - she came out and told him off along with a few choice words about his mother She is such a little pistol. Marc is a lot more mellow than she is and just basically gave the classic "What is YOUR problem" look -- and then bounced off totally unconcerned. ...and I was right. JoAnne told me today that Lance was adopted by the foster person who "took him home for the week". He will have a great home and maybe I'll still get to see him sometimes so that is nice.

2010-05-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

What a weekend!! It went way too fast and I didn't get half of what I needed to get done actually done but - hey, Monday is almost here.

Only ONE of my little fosters was adopted this weekend - I absolutely can't believe it. I thought they would all be scooped up and taken to new homes. They are all really sweet dogs and just love, love, love to play and cuddle.

I'm only fostering two pups for the next two weeks -- the other two went to different foster homes because the fostering people thought they were "so sweet" that they were wisked off to new foster homes. This is EXACTLY how we lose foster homes because then the foster homes adopt the dogs and then they don't have the room and/or time to foster with us anymore. Both the little Spaniel-looking one (Sherman) and the little red one (Lance) are in their very own foster home -- no other dogs to compete for attention and from the looks of the fosters, each of those pups is probably settled into a soft, comfy bed. I will say that the adoption afternoons tend to emotionally wipe out the dogs -- Mesha and Marc are both sacked out on the futon snoozing quietly - you would never guess that this morning they were racing up and down the hall and wrestling and pouncing and squeaking for mercy. Mesha is 6 months and Marc is 11 months and they both have energy to burn -- but not tonight. Luna will miss Lance -- she really took a fancy to him and he was quite smitten with her as well. We'll see what the next week brings...

2010-05-21T20:32:00.000-07:00

Well -Luna, Maggie and I are now fostering our second bunch from California. This time I took four - all boys (umm, didn't want to risk a female in heat with un-neutered males again -- THAT was not fun). These boys are so darn cute it isn't even funny. I think they are from a different kill shelter than the first group. They are certainly more scared and jumpy but they are relaxing and fitting right in. I have crated them unless I am in the same room with them - four un-neutered males in a "new space" can lead to trouble. This time none of them came with names -- at least, not that I was told.

I have a one year old little red fluffy one - looks like he is smaller than Mesha (she is 9.5 lbs). WOW is he a snuggler! He is very shy but once he warms up -- he has taken a particular liking to Luna and Luna is facinated with him. He rears up on his back legs and shadow-boxes her face. Luna jerks back and just watches him and then "woofs" and bends down to sniff at him and he scurries around to her back legs and barks and then comes right back up front and does it again. They play really well together.

The second one is just plain goofy. He is some type of terrier mix and a year old. He is also skittish but he just wants lovin'. He is right there wanting attention and petting and play, play, play. He is larger than the other ones but I think he is either younger or just more non-dominant because he lets everyone else take the lead and then he just g-lumps along. He LOVES the rope toy and proudly carries it everywhere.

The next one looks like some kind of spaniel even though he supposedly doesn't have a spaniel bone in his body. He has a deep chest and then very narrow back and hips. His feet point out like a ballarina's. He is a mystery - if there is a scuffle, he is in the middle of it and has usually started it. Not a fight - I think they are just testing each other - but then when we go in or out the door -- he is always the last one through the door and needs to be invited to either go outside or come in; he waits until everyone else goes through and then looks to see if it is OK for him to come too. I don't know what the deal is with that. He is a little snuggler too.

The fourth one looks a lot like Mesha except he has a black nose and black on his ears - just like Mesha he is greased lightening and part mountain-goat. He and Mesha are having a grand time.

We have a busy house right now!! Tomorrow is dog adoption day - maybe some of these little ones will find their new home tomorrow. Of course, that is always the hope but it is still hard to see them go - especially when they are sweet and scared and it is a big, big world out there!

2010-05-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

Good news!! Doolittle was adopted and now is with a family with a young rat terrier - that ought to keep him busy. The adopter called me because Doolittle seemed shy and wasn't really playing with their dog - I told him, "I've had him 1.5 weeks - these dogs are shell shocked. Just this morning for the very first time Mesha and Doolittle were thundering up and down the hall and wrestling like the fate of the world was waiting to see who would win -- and, this afternoon he is back in a cage and taken to a new home. Connect the dots: I play and get rowdy, I get given away again. I better not play anymore. I'm sure that he will settle in just fine but he needs a lot of reassurance - he didn't do anything "wrong". I can't believe Mesha is still with me; honestly, I thought she would be one of the first adopted because she just sparkles at home. But - at PetsMart she cowers and shakes and clings. It is a scary place when you are only 9 lbs. I'm sure the right home will come along for her. Watson has been adopted, too! I saw pictures of his new home and family and he is fitting right in, yeah. Princess is doing well and has two doting people helping her settle in - that won't take long, she totally appreciates adoration.

2010-04-28T22:04:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy week - thank goodness those CA dogs are just cuter than cute -- I only have two left at my house - and I think both of them have had a lot of calls so I'm sure that they will be adopted on Saturday. It was so nice that one of the other foster homes took Skittles home with them. She was in heat and wreaking havoc with the male dogs - it has been so much easier this week than it was last week. Mesha is such a little cutie that even when I SHOULD be mad at her (she is in the teething stage and chewing everything in sight) I just can't because she is just so darn cute. Doolittle, now that there aren't as many dogs around, has turned out to be a little cuddler. He is more shy and waits to be invited -- unlike Meesha who just prances up and expects adoration -- and usually gets it because she is just so cheeky. Princess is now with her new family and Watson is with a different foster home - he is a popular little guy and I couldn't say "no" when someone else wanted to have him at their house.

For reasons beyond my understanding, the volunteers who clean the cats at PetsMart are going through a transition: one has moved, one has changed jobs, one is now pregnant etc. etc. etc. which means that I have been down there cleaning almost every day -- sometimes both shifts. I'll be glad when the slots start to fill in again because I have been running like a crazed chicken trying to get every shift covered. Tonight I took a call from someone who will cover two of the morning shifts - yeah!! That just leaves me three evening shifts to get filled and then it will settle down a little bit. Trust me, it can't happen soon enough!

2010-04-24T23:04:00.001-07:00

We have had our first fostering experience with dogs up from California. Although the dogs typically come in early in the evening, this time they arrived at 10:30pm. I went and picked them up and brought them home -- and more than just who I was fostering because one of the foster homes couldn't get to the pick-up site that late at night. I brought home eight dogs - good thing they are all small! Getting everyone settled for the night took some time and there was chatter for a good hour but finally everyone was quiet. The next morning was chaos, I told little Princess (who weighs 14.5 lbs) that she was now a "big girl" because most of these new dogs are smaller than Princess. Since I only had Luna (70 lbs) and Maggie (40 lbs) to compare to Princess - Princess was looking pretty delicate. Now she is one of the "big dogs". These little ones are cuter than cute. We had a couple of days to settle in before the dog adoption at PetsMart on Saturday. Everyone got on a feeding and potty schedule and this morning they all got baths and although I didn't have time to brush them or untangle any mats, they were looking good. Charlie (quiet, calm, cuddler) went home with someone overnight to see how he gets along with their dogs. Princess was adopted but I still have her because she has an appointment to be spayed on Monday. Domino, Mesha, Skittles, Doolittle and Watson all came back home with me for the evening. Mesha is such a little cutie - she cuddles right up next to me. Watson is a constantly-in-motion little pistol on four paws, Skittles is sweet but a little hand-shy - she wants attention but is scared and unsure how to ask for it, Domino has the softest hair and big brown eyes and Doolittle is wanting to be with everyone but I've had to separate some of them out -- 8 dogs following me around is just too much for me. The ones sacked out "supervising" me are quiet and content. The ones in the crates are unhappy and cranky -- although after a fun-filled afternoon at PetsMart everyone is tired and it is a much quieter evening tonight than I had last night! They have been good guests after a long, difficult trip up here. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

2010-04-17T23:08:00.000-07:00

Luna and I have started dog-fostering again. YEAH! Luna is doing really well - not perfect by any means and I have to be careful about the dogs that I bring home since she needs some definite time to warm up to someone new...but we are continuing to move forward.

We started fostering again somewhat by accident; I was getting ready to walk at a park with a friend and looked up and here was a St. Bernard just walking down the street all by himself. I quickly put Luna back in my car and yelled for a man close to the dog to hold him - which he did. Then I walked around trying to find the St. Bernard's family -- most of the time, they are a distinctive enough dog that people know which house the dog belongs to but not this time. My friend drove Luna home and then came back to get me - I posted the dog on-line with JoAnne's number and we waited. The dog had to sleep in a crate in the garage since I didn't want him to meet Luna. He was too big for me to try to pull them apart if they decided they didn't like each other. He was clearly a loved dog and didn't like being in the garage at all but at least he was safe and wouldn't get hit by a car. He finally settled in for the night. Thank goodness his family was looking for him and found him quickly. The three kids were so excited!! I told their Mom -- no chip, no collar, not neutered - it's not a good thing. Then she told me he was deaf (I thought he was just ignoring me!) - all's well that ends well, I guess.

Then JoAnne had a dog that needed his own "space" so I agreed that he could come into the laundry room and be alone. Well - it was a puppy and he didn't WANT to be alone, so - I tried him out with Luna and Maggie (yes, Luna now has a dog to keep her company-- a 5 yr old terrier mix). The puppy was fine but a little wobbley. We have had to change our approach to dogs for adoption. Our volunteer that used to go to the various local shelters and rescue dogs into our organization for adoption before they were put down - her husband has now transferred out of State. We don't have anyone currently volunteering with us who has the time and knowledge necessary to go around to the local shelters - so, JoAnne has been working with a rescue group in California since they have a lot of kill shelters there. The dogs are transported up to us 15-20 dogs each trip - we arrange for the spay/neuter and sometimes medical care as we are getting them ready for adoption. This little guy (poodle mix) was one who came up from California. Somehow (maybe a really small cage?) his hair got all matted on his back end. I mean really matted - his two back legs and tail were one big clump so that he hopped/hobbled but he couldn't walk. Whether he peed or pooped --it just went right into the mat and made everything even worse. JoAnne took him right over to the groomers so that they could release his legs so that he could at least walk. It was pitiful. He literally didn't know what to do but after a few minutes he tried a little run and after that - well, life got a whole lot better. I told JoAnne - a sweet dog but obviously never in an actual home since he knew NOTHING about being in a house. The day I put my cereal bowl on the table and turned my back -- then turned back to eat breakfast and saw that he had jumped on top of the table and was standing there chowing down on MY breakfast - well, let's just say we had a conversation about house manners. He was a sweet dog and was adopted quickly.

Next, we had another puppy -- I think probably a Lab/Great Dane mix. He was a stray that was turned into us so we had to hold him for thirty days before we could adopt him out. Very, very cute and engaging but unfortunately, he was also TEETHING. JoAnne asked me what I had named him and I told her that I was calling him "Jaws". She rolled her eyes and said, "I'll never get him adopted with that name." One of the other foster homes named him for the website and when the thirty days were up we put his picture on-line --he never made it into the store, he was adopted before our next adoption weekend by a great family with an Australian Shephard who was bored and digging out of their yard. I told them - "Well, those days are over. This puppy will keep your dog busy!" Maggie, bless her heart, turned out to be a great puppy-sitter and played with the puppy a lot more than Luna played with him although he gave Luna a workout too. I think Maggie is terrier/bulldog because she has such short little legs and then a very sturdy body. No matter what that puppy tried to do to knock her off her feet - she is a solid girl and she held her own even though she was much shorter than him. She had the advantage of a solid center of gravity instead of a seemingly boneless, goofy puppy body.

Now we have another little one -- probably 1-2 years old. This one we think was probably dumped. The people who called us live somewhere around Hagg Lake and there are no other houses or campgrounds anywhere around them. You can't see their house from the road. Out of nowhere, this little dog crawled up to their door. Their big dogs tried to attack it so the people put it in a horse stall for protection. When it came into PetsMart for the adoption weekend, it just curled up into a desolate little matted bundle of filth and wouldn't look at anyone for any reason. JoAnne talked someone with grooming experience into taking the little girl home for the night and she came back in on Sunday a new dog -- nicely clipped and looking so much better. She was still terrified so she went home as a placement with someone who has two little dogs in a quiet home. They got along fine but it was just an overnight placement while we figured out what to do. After that, she came to our house. At first, Luna pitched a fit but now "Princess" has settled right in. I did take Princess to the vet because she has something going on with one of her eyes. The vet looked at it and said at sometime in the past she had punctured the eyeball - some of the eye oozed out and now it looks a little strange but it seems to have healed and doesn't bother her and since there is some potential that she still has some vision, we decided to just leave it alone. It is clear that she has been loved at some point in the past because as I told JoAnne - there was absolutely no hesitation whatsoever when she bounced into the house. She flew up on the furniture like she owned the place. As soon as a lap was available, she was off her chair and asking to be cuddled -- and she stayed still for two hours while she was stroked and listened attentively to the one sided conversation. She is a sweet little girl but she doesn't like going outside and she doesn't like being left alone. The good news is that she is much better now than she was at the beginning of this week so hopefully once she gets settled into her forever home, she will get over her fear of being left. Right now, we are enjoying having her as our guest. She clearly loves life and looks forward with anticipation to what might be going to happen next - she is definitely a "sunny side of life" dog but it takes her awhile to get up the courage to meet anyone new. Next weekend is a dog adoption weekend - we'll see how she does in the commotion of a busy PetsMart Saturday.

2009-07-02T22:36:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is July 4th again! Hopefully Luna will have an easier time this year than she had last year when I didn't have a clue what was going on with her. We'll know soon enough. JoAnne decided no dog adoptions this weekend since it is the 4th with fireworks - she is afraid to put a dog in an new environment and then have it scared by fireworks -- too much. I think the orange cats (brothers) have been adopted - yeah! Because we have a lifetime return policy - if for some reason you can't keep your animal or things aren't working out, you can always bring the animal back -- well, we have had 101 cats returned in the past two months due to people losing their housing or moving in with extended family. So many people just want us to foster for them until they get back on their feet but we just don't have the foster homes to be able to accommodate their requests. It's worrisome because in most cases you just don't know what happens with the animals in the situation. Some of our returned kitties were adopted out 5 - 7 years ago but here they are again. We have two that I named when they were tiny kittens -- the people who adopted them kept their names (Della Street and Perry Mason). They are really nice cats - friendly and calm. Some of the cats come back with pages of explanation and instructions about what they like and don't like. It is just really rough out there right now. It isn't just us, other rescue groups are seeing the same thing. Sigh. I guess the good news is (if there IS good news!!??) is that I have a lot of volunteers at the moment because so many people are looking for work and "trying to stay positive while job hunting by doing something good" -- the cats are the winners with the extra attention so I am absolutely not complaining! Lady (adult cat) is getting stir crazy - I'm about ready to take her into the back room and just let her RUN she is so wacko at the moment. Butters (named for his soft head butts) is getting quieter and quieter - he is such a nice cat and Ramses went out for a bath and came back so soft -- he was feeling somewhat stiff and sticky but now he feels like silk. One of the foster homes took him home and popped him in a bath and then brought him back to the store. So many people have different talents - I've never bathed a cat in my life and have no desire to start. Animals sense weakness, so probably any cat I decide to practice on would just take me out and that would be that.

2009-06-28T14:48:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go? Amelia is now established in her new home -- as an only cat with a nice family who do not intend to have any other animals. Per the family, she went right down to the bedroom, jumped on the bed and started purring. The family was thrilled that she settled in so quickly. GOOD!! That is what we like to hear!

I now have two other cats here. They are part-bengel siblings named "Cuff" and "Link". One is very secure and came right up to me, jumped in my lap and started nuzzling me. The other one stayed away from me for 2-3 days but now is comfortable enough to jump up and want attention. They both like the cattery and spend most of their time outside watching life go by.

We are starting kitten season so some of the adult cats at the store have been re-located back to foster homes to make room for the kitten litters. We have three litters in the store right now and more on the way. I told someone who was looking for a new cat about the two orange brothers -- they are now back in a foster home but they have been at the store for awhile. They are beautiful and they are easy-going and mellow. I can't believe they haven't been adopted yet. I guess they will need to wait until kitten season is over before coming back into the store. Several people have asked about them but no new home yet.

McFly is now at the store in a cage out front. I told JoAnne --- umm, I'm not too sure about that placement. I like to have the relaxed cats out front. McFly is cunning - and he is big. One day when I removed the litter pan to clean it - when I put it back into the cage, McFly used it like a jump -- went up on the top of the litter box, bounced onto my shoulder and would have been free in the store if I hadn't grabbed him on my shoulder. He is just so ready to get out of the cage and walk around FREE. The good news is, the volunteer spots are taken care of (again) and we have people who are willing to come in and take the cats to a larger room and let them explore and play a little. That will be so good! Cats are faster than I am -- I was lucky to catch McFly before he escaped!

JoAnne is happy, there was a group that picked up some animals from a shelter that was either closing or for some reason they needed these animals removed immediately. JoAnne took in 13 animals on a Wednesday. We got them spayed/neutered and ready for the weekend adoption and five of them got new homes that next weekend! It is a good feeling :-)

2009-05-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

Sweet Amelia is still looking for a home. She is the absolute nicest cat -- when she is by herself. She doesn't get along with either dogs or cats so she is looking for an only-cat home. Because she can't go to the store (other animals are there), she is limited to the website for finding her new space. She is a sweetie but I feel guilty every time I walk past the spare bathroom and hear her pitiful meows because she is lonesome. I visit her morning and evening but it is not the same as having your own family. Sigh...she is getting tired of waiting and I am feeling sympathy -- it's HARD to wait for just the right family. I'm sure they will come along -- sooner rather than later, we hope!

2009-05-02T14:46:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been this long since I checked in! We have been so busy but that really isn't any excuse. We have our first big litter of kittens (9!!) for the season. They are in one of the foster homes, born on April 1. Kittens are really cute but it is hard to imagine nine in one litter. The largest litter I have fostered had seven kittens and let me tell you, it is hard to shut the door and keep all of the kittens where they are supposed to be, they are such escape artists that usually 1-2 of them would sneak out of the spare bathroom into the hall/livingroom and then I'd have to chase them down -- and kittens are fast!

We have so many nice cats at PetsMart right now -- I can't believe Fluffy is still at the store. She is such a sweetie, comes right up and nudges to be pet; she is really good company. Our two large orange cats (brothers) that we adopted out a couple of months ago came back; their adopted owner lost her job and things just fell apart - so they are back at the store. Jelly is at the store in the cage at the top far end. She was one of a pair (the other one was named Peanut Butter) - I'm not sure what happened to Peanut Butter but we only received Jelly for adoption. We have a part Persian named Noodle and another part Persian named Minnie. They are both sweet cats although they both look grumpy (my opinion of Persians). We have three new cats that I haven't actually seen because as usual the first 2-3 days are spent hiding in the litter box or cat hollow. One is named Little Girl - she looks grey and white (what I could see of her anyway), another is black and the third is a cute little tortie.

PetsMart is having an "adoption weekend event" this weekend so hopefully there will be a lot of potential adopters in and looking around. We'd love to send all the kitties home! :-) I'm not sure what dogs we have for adoption at the moment. Whiskey -- what a cutie -- is a whippet/pit bull puppy but she is adopted and now living with a family that includes a full pit bull and a german shepherd. It's good there are two other dogs and room to run with her new family. Whiskey has a lot of puppy energy and it will probably take both dogs to keep her occupied! She is a lovebug. The Chow/Rottweiler mix also was adopted out - wow, you just have to feel for people. The person who released her to us was a Grandma who unexpectedly found herself responsible for her grandkids - then lost her home - then qualified for State housing, and they told her that they accepted animals but when she arrived to move in, they told her that her nine year old Chow/Rottweiler that she had raised from a tiny puppy was not acceptable in the State housing structure. She couldn't not take the apartment because she needed someplace safe for the grandkids. Life is just so difficult sometimes. JoAnne adopted out the last of the cats that she took in from someone with cancer who wanted to have them all placed in good homes before she past away. JoAnne worked really hard on placing those cats -- none of them young -- the last one adopted out was a nine year old tortie. JoAnne said, "Well, at least now I can call her and tell her that her cats have all been placed with really nice families". She felt that way about the woman who had to give up the Chow/Rottweiler, too. What a nice, calm dog -- truly safer than a lot of the smaller dogs they probably accepted into the housing. Talk about heartbreak.

2009-03-13T20:52:00.000-07:00

Someone asked me the other night how NWAC is set up and where our "shelter" is located. I had to tell them, we don't have a "shelter" - we operate solely out of foster homes for both the cats and dogs. It is a network of people that has been built up over the years. We are always on the lookout for additional foster homes because, of course, it means we can accept more animals into the "pre-adoption" phase if we have someplace to house them. Animals stay in the foster home(s) until they are either(1) adopted at PetsMart (cats are there 24/7, dogs go in for "adoption afternoons" every-other-weekend from 1-5pm on Saturday and Sunday) or (2) adopted through a listing on PetFinders or our website.

By no means are the animals that come through the one foster home mentioned on this blog all of the animals that are currently available for adoption through NWAC. JoAnne is our Adoption Director; she both accepts animals into NWAC and adopts animals from NWAC. The rest of the NWAC volunteers are usually either foster homes or help clean the cat cages at PetsMart.

We have a lot of great animals just waiting for the right placement and since I'm not fostering additional dogs at the moment; you'll probably start hearing more about the cats!! We'll see...
I need to see who is still down at the store - the cats usually rotate through pretty quickly although we have had Princess for awhile (she is named Princess for a reason). She is a very pretty cat but not one that you can just reach down and pick up right away. Once she knows you, she is great but she usually stays curled up in her little house and doesn't come out to meet and greet people.

Fluffy came back - she is a long haired dark torti and just the sweetest cat. The people who adopted her in April have found out that the woman is pregnant so, Fluffy came back. Fluffy is usually right up at the front of the cage asking for lovin', she won't last long at the store. We accepted eight cats from a woman who is not expected to live much longer -- seven have been adopted and now we have rotated the last one into the store. The cat's name is Shy and she is an older cat -- and not at all happy to be at PetsMart. She has spent more time hiding in the litter box then anywhere else. She is a pretty little brown tabby.

Umm...I guess I'll have to take inventory when I'm at PetsMart tomorrow since I can't remember any of the other cats at the moment.

2009-03-08T15:40:00.000-07:00

What a nice surprise. Bear and his family came to PetsMart to visit us yesterday. He has filled out so much and he is so much calmer - I didn't even recognize him at first. He sure knew me, though!! It was great to have him wiggling around in front of me so happy, happy, HAPPY. I told his family that I was absolutely impressed - his coat was glossy, his tummy was well-rounded and he was grinning from ear to ear -- AND, he didn't jump on me and almost knock me down. THAT is a definate improvement. The gentleman said they had Bear in a training class and that things were going really well. It is so nice to have a visit now and then to see progress ...

I took Luna to a behaviorist and she gave me some ideas that we are going to try. No more foster dogs at my house for awhile - and hopefully Amelia will get adopted and out of my bathroom soon. She is a cat that likes company and doesn't get too much right now.

Well - Spring is on it's way -- it was sunny, snowy and hailed today. The forsethya is blooming, the daffodils are almost ready to bloom and the tulips have poked their way up. It's a good time for new beginnings!!

...and it's been three weeks and the volunteers cleaning the cat cages are still working great -- WOW -- it just doesn't get much better than this! :-)

2009-02-15T23:11:00.001-08:00

YEAH !! Bear was adopted today - to a couple who have had a Golden Retriever and a Mastiff before - I'm sure they can handle Bear. He is such a nice dog - I hope it is a good match.

2009-02-14T21:15:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day -- Today was a dog adoption day and we adopted out four dogs and one cat. YEAH!! One was a Valentine's Day present - the gentleman did a really nice job setting everything up; the lady was so happy to get to choose a new member of the family!

I'm feeling so good because all of the cat cleaning volunteer times have been filled now and hopefully we will be running smoothly for awhile. Although, as I said to JoAnne, our record for having all the volunteer slots filled during the past two years has been TWO WEEKS. Yep, that is IT. Well, I'll enjoy it as long as it lasts - and maybe this time it will last longer and we'll have a new record. Hope springs eternal.

Also, Amelia is back in my bathroom. You may remember her - she is the sweetest cat but she hates (and I mean HATES) other cats. As soon as I got into the store and saw the blanket across the front of one of the cages with a big sign "STAY BACK - DO NOT APPROACH" I asked the volunteer, "Who is in that cage?" and I knew before she even said anything that Amelia was back. You may recall that Amelia was adopted out to a no-other-cat-household. Well, it turns out that Amelia was an absolutely wonderful cat there and the lady just loved her but when she told her husband (who had been gone and was getting ready to return home) that Amelia follows her around and snuggles and loves sleeping on the bed the husband said: That cat has to go. So -- Amelia came back. JoAnne was frantic trying to find a foster home that didn't have any other cats. I told her - "If you can find someplace for the six cats that are still in my bathroom, I'll take Amelia home again. She is a great cat when she is by herself." JoAnne called me back 20 minutes later - she had placed all six of my foster cats somewhere else and could I please get Amelia out of the store as early as possible the next day. So - Amelia is back waiting for another chance. Sigh.

Bear is still here with us too. Unbelievable, I thought he would find someplace really fast because he is just such a fun, goofy dog. He was almost adopted once but JoAnne just couldn't do it. The people were great but they didn't have a good fence and the lady was very petite and there were lots of kids from extended family. Bear is a bull in a china shop - he is a bouncy baby boy himself and I don't think anyone in that particular family except the husband would have been able to walk/exercise him. If they had another dog so the two could play and Bear would be TIRED - well, that would be ideal. Bear is such an absolute sweetie...but, he still bounces up against people. Yeah, we're working to stop that. The people who raised him from a puppy must have played "hand" with him a lot because he absolutely LOVES to play the hand game. It's OK if you are used to dogs and recognize it as the "hand game" but if you are not familiar with the game, it is a bit of a shock to find your hand in the jaws of a dog. Bear doesn't bite, he just holds your hand and his eyes sparkle up at you. It is quite a fun game with the little puppies but by the time they have grown to 50-60 lbs, well, let's just say if I hadn't recognized it as part of the game, I probably would have screamed the first time we were walking and he just casually reached over and grabbed my hand and walked with it in his mouth. As it was, I just said "Uh-Uh - release" and he spit out my hand right away -- but he looked so crestfallen that I wouldn't play that later he conned me into a BRIEF game of "hand". Puppies are so hard to resist.

Someone was interested in Bear today -- but they had a ten year old female terrier mix with them who looked up at me with soft, calm brown eyes and gently swayed her tail -- I just thought "Bear is twice your size and loves to pounce - you will have a miserable year until he grows up a little bit"...and also there was a frequent 3 yr old visiting child and Bear is 50 lbs -- I told the person - "It's no reflection on you and it's no reflection on Bear but - I just can't see it working -- unless you have another dog or activity to exercise Bear. Otherwise, Bear will be too much energy for your situation." I'm sure the right home will come along for Bear.

2009-01-23T19:05:00.000-08:00

Lilly was adopted last weekend and is home with her new family. Bear is missing his playmate - Luna just isn't in to running/wrestling/wipeouts at full speed like a puppy.

Half of the kitties in my spare bathroom went to a different foster home and that has been NICE!

2009-01-15T13:56:00.000-08:00

Poor little Bear - it was fine for him to be here for a play-day with Lilly, he enjoyed the whole day running and wrestling but then when it got dark and we were ready to go night-night that first night -- things were not OK. I don't think he has been away from home before. He paced. He panted. He whined. He jumped on and off the bed. No one slept much the first night. Last night was better :-)

Today we went for a ride in the car just the two of us. I put him in the back behind the dog barrier but he is a smart pup and when he couldn't get out the top or side, he pushed the rear seat forward and surged into the car seating area, went to the front passenger seat, plopped himself down, put his head on my knee and laid there quiet as could be the entire trip. I guess that's where he is supposed to ride. Per Bear. Ummm.

2009-01-13T22:01:00.000-08:00

Well, Lilly has been here a week and a half and ... I've had exactly ONE SOCK chewed. Of course, she gets two walks each day and has Luna to run with her and keep her out of trouble. Sigh...well, she needs someone else who will keep her busy. That first night Luna crawled over to me and heaved a big sigh like she'd had a really hard day. So ... we have another puppy to keep Lilly busy and give Luna a rest. His name is Bear and he is a black lab born the middle of May so they are almost the same age, Lilly is about a month older than Bear. They are thundering up and down the hall and thumping against the walls and wrestling on the floor until someone (usually Lilly) squeaks. Luna and I are monitoring them from a distance. What a change for Bear -- his Dad and Mom lost their house and then the Dad was diagnosed with cancer and before you know it - Bear was living in a van. It's hard to imagine life with a 50 lb, 10 month old puppy in a van.

I also have eleven cats in the spare bathroom. Everytime I get caught like this I just appreciate my brother SO MUCH because a few years ago I told him that I wanted a cattery for Christmas and he said "What's that?" and so I explained it is a screened-in outside porch for the cats to safely sit outside and watch the birds in the fresh air. The thing was -- I wanted one with levels that was big enough to put the litterbox outside so I didn't have to deal with it inside the house.

He found a stand-alone kitchen pantry at a Habitat for Humanity sale - he took off the doors and put screens in, added holes in the shelves and removable ramps for them to go up and down and voila - we put a cat door in the bathroom window and now they have their own little tri-level condo. It is REALLY nice. When JoAnne asked if I could be a one-night stop-over for five cats because one of the foster homes wasn't quite ready for them, I agreed. But, when I got them, there were ten cats because the other foster home fell through. Then, they found another kitten that belonged in the batch. They are nice cats and kittens (two Moms and their kittens) but still - it is too much for me with the two puppies and Luna. It's been a busy week.

2009-01-06T21:03:00.001-08:00

Geni was adopted this weekend. Someone walked by and Geni is apparently the twin of their dog who needs some company. They have two cats. I told JoAnne, Geni is an announcer of every cat movement - she doesn't chase cats, she just lets you know when they move ... to the bedroom ... to get food ... to the chair. It took me a long time to figure out what she was barking at when she barked but once I figured it out - I told JoAnne ... for the sake of their sanity, don't let anyone with cats adopt Geni. JoAnne told them about Geni but they said that they had successfully trained their dog to ignore their cats so - Geni has a new family and new life - YEAH.

Sunday was a busy day for us because -- Lilly came back! Lilly is one of Luna's puppies that was adopted out back in June/July. Lilly was returned because: SHE IS CHEWING. I said to JoAnne, "Huh? A puppy? Chewing?" Ah well, it is nice to have her back home and Luna is happy to see her. Lilly is a sweet, playful puppy. Last night Luna laid down and sighed a BIG sigh. She was tired. Puppies are hard to keep busy. So far, I haven't seen anything chewed but ... she's only been here a couple of days and I've got my eye on her, especially when she is quiet.

2009-01-01T18:42:00.001-08:00

What a crazy Christmas!! We had so much snow and ice that most people just stayed home. Not everyone, though. The cats were absolutely flying out of PetsMart -- and the cats we have in foster homes waiting to come into the store couldn't get in because of the weather. At one point, we only had three cats in the whole cat area. It was amazing! Now the streets have cleared and we have batches of kittens either on their way in or already in the store. We have a litter of eight, then a group of three and we also have ten cats that someone was going to shoot coming next week. It is amazing to me with all of the available support groups that we still have neighbors or friends or just people jogging by that stop and save an animal - someone saw a person throwing kittens off a bridge and offered to take the ones that were not yet dropped, another person was jogging by a fence and saw two kittens hanging over the top -- and they were still wiggling. I can't even count the number of cats that are left in apartments and houses when people move out . And those babies came in from just the past few months -- it's a good thing that people out there are alert and take the time to stop and help. Sigh.

Amelia has been adopted!! YEAH!! You may remember her. She is the nicest cat BUT - she apparently hates other cats. We put her into the store and she immediately started hissing at everyone and everything that moved. Then, she got downright nasty when the kittens came in and started crying in the cage directly beneath her. It was clear that she was not making a good impression on ANYONE. So - we decided to try to adopt her without having her in the store. Last week someone came in looking for a female tabby -- Amelia was brought into the store t meet them -- but not to the cat area -- and, she curled right up on the available lap and ... went home with a new litter box, dry and canned food (she LOVES canned food) and all sorts of new things to see and play with - it's always nice to have a happy ending, especially when the animal in question is not putting their best foot forward even though you KNOW they have a great personality and are sweet -- but not when they are stressed out. At the follow-up call, both Amelia and her new family are doing great together. What a great way to start the New Year!!

2008-12-20T11:30:00.000-08:00

Good news!! That pup is back home for Christmas!! Just when I had given up and asked for his picture to be put on the NWAC website to start the adoption process - his family saw him through PetFinders and came and picked him up the very next day. It's always nice when there is a happy ending to someone's story. It's always weird when you list an animal several places and the family is looking in those same places -- but we don't connect. That pup turned out to be a Plotthound - a breed I'd never heard of. I had listed him on Dove Lewis' lost and found as a Pit mix and on CraigsList as a Boxer mix --- and they were looking for dogs under "Plotthound". I had left a report with the animal shelter as well but they didn't make the connection either. Good for the family for continuing their search - it had been almost a month that the pup had been missing.

2008-12-17T17:03:00.000-08:00

ADVENTURE with a capital "A" ... we've had snow for the past few days at our house. I was coming into the house the other night with my hands full and kicked the front door closed. When I got back to the back of the house, I realized I only had Luna with me -- Geni and Milo were not following close on my heels as usual. I called - no answer. I retraced my steps and discovered the front door wide open and two dogs vanished. Darn it anyway!! Thanks to the snow, I knew exactly where they had headed and pretty quickly saw Milo -- who came flying toward me with sparkling "WOW - isn't- this- fun" bright eyes!! Bless his heart anyway. Geni led me on a merry chase -- in the snow -- which I wasn't too happy about but finally got them both home and in the house and read them the riot act about going outside without me!!!

I can't really blame them. It's been really slick so I haven't walked either one of them so we are all suffering from cabin fever. I've started putting them thru their "Sit" "Stay" "Down" and "Come" paces so that they aren't totally bored. Yeah, I know. They would much rather have a good long walk.

2008-12-09T07:15:00.000-08:00

That little charmer, Brandi, was adopted this past weekend. She went to a family with two young girls, no other dogs. I told the Mom - "Brandi is a player, she will keep those two girls entertained." As I watched them walk out of the store, the Mom stopped and held a sweater up to see how it would look on Brandi. I thought to myself "Brandi, your life has just taken a definite turn for the better". ...and then I thought about how jealous Geni would have been if she could have seen that sweater.

Geni is such a delicate little "girly girl". I swear, if they made lip gloss for dogs, Geni would not leave the house without having her gloss on and her hair done. I told JoAnne - no kids for Geni. Geni is hand shy. I'm not sure why, but when you reach down for her, she backs up and goes the other way. You can snap a leash on her and lead her but you can't reach down and pick her up. To scoop her up, you need to come at her from the side instead of leaning over her. She is such a cuddler and claims my feet each night on the bed. Geni would like a sweater -- I don't think Brandi could care less about having a sweater but Geni would want to try on the whole selection to see which one looks the best on her.

Geni is doing OK at my house. Geni came from a home where she had been the only (doted on) dog since she was six weeks old - Geni is now eight years old. Coming to a house with two other dogs, two cats and a lot of activity has been a definate adjustment for Geni ...and this new pup is a complete trial for her.

The pup is about 5-6 months old, 56 lbs., male and full of energy but he isn't very coordinated yet. When he and Bradi would run down the hall, sweet little Geni would be right in their way and while Brandi swerved around Geni, that pup either jumped over her (still at a dead run) or slammed into Geni which sent her flying about three feet. Either way, Geni would get back on her feet with all her little feathers ruffled and growl and mutter at him -- she is part Husky and she is very vocal and talks/sings under her breath a lot. Anyway, that pup would fling a look back over his shoulder like "Huh? Well, get out of my way!!!" and not even be sorry. Geni (17 lbs.) only tried to discipline him once but he flattened her pretty quick and she squealed - which brought Luna running and Luna flattened the pup who then turned on Luna to defend himself and the next thing you know, I had a free-for-all in the house. Fortunately, it has only happened once. I sat everyone down and gave them a firm talking too and so far, the peace has held.

I did take the pup walking in an area close to me that dogs can run off leash but I didn't release him because I'm not sure he would come back to me just yet. However, there was a man there with his dog, Jack, and he asked if the pups could play so I let the pup off leash because I was pretty sure he would stay with Jack. Sure enough, they ran and played like crazy. The gentleman watched that pup play with Jack. The pup doesn't really run, he bounds like a deer. The gentleman turned to me, gave me a big grin and said "BOXER--what a beautiful dog!!" I don't have much experience with Boxers but I took another look at the pup. He has long legs and a deep chest, narrow hips and folded ears. His coat has short hair and is brindle colored. His nose is too long and slender for a Boxer, but he certainly bounds instead of running. I asked JoAnne what she thought and she said she could see Boxer but from the side, his profile looks more like a hound. From full on, his face looks like a Pit. His gums have black spots like a Dalmation. He is clearly a mix of many :-). He is good natured and calm. When he and Brandi would play chase, he would roll over and lay on his back and wave his paws lazily in the air while Brandi wailed on him. She would grab his cheek/jowl and tug with all her 20 lb might. The pup would lay there. She would leave the cheek/jowl and grab some loose under-arm skin and tug on that. The pup would lay there. Then, when he was ready to run again, he would turn his head, put it under Brandi's tummy and casually toss her about two feet - then he would leap up, and whoosh, they were off and running again.

Unfortunately, the pup has discovered my cat. He has a very strong prey drive and will chase ANYTHING - squirrels, cats, leaves etc. He is a very alert, athletic, muscular young dog. He will need someone with an active lifestyle or someone with another young dog so the two of them can tire each other out. Geni is ready for him to leave.

It is just a fact that stray dogs that are turned into a shelter are on a three day hold before something is done - either they are adopted or sent to a different shelter. Rescue organizations, however, if they accept a stray, must keep the dog on a 30 day hold to give the owner time to find the animal. I have listed the pup as many places as I can think of but ... we will probably put him up for adoption right after Christmas.

Luna has done amazingly well with all the activity. I took her out for a walk on Saturday -just the two of us - umm, it was a great walk and she really loved it. Luna likes the pup and has started playing with him - not too much yet but I think they will get there eventually.

2008-12-01T21:31:00.000-08:00

It never rains but it pours -- last Saturday evening JoAnne and I were in PetsMart when some people who were walking their dogs came in -- it was dark and they didn't really notice that they had been joined by a stray puppy on their walk because he is dark brindle with a white blaze on his chest and throat. They took him home but he immediately jumped their fence so they brought him in to PetsMart because they have a 17 yr old cat so they didn't want the puppy in the house but clearly he was not going to be contained in the yard -- all the shelters were closed and they couldn't find anyone to take him for the night. I knew Luna would throw a fit but I thought he was young enough that maybe she would accept him. I tried Brandy first -- that little girl is a PLAYER. Brady recognized a fellow player immediately and those two hit it off so well, they were charging up and down the hall. Brandy is about half the size of this pup and she pulled the same trick that she plays on Luna -- runs down the hall to the bedroom at the end of the hall, jumps on the bed, looks back to make sure the "chaser" is following her, then jumps off the other side of the bed, goes under the bed, jumps back up on the bed but comes up BEHIND the "chaser", bounces into the "chaser's" butt then jumps back off the bed racing down the hall. Unlike Luna, this pup followed Brandy under the bed and when he came out after her Brandy was waiting and p-o-u-n-c-e-d on that pup as he was scrambling up to his feet -- then Brandy pounded back down the hall with the pup hard on her heels. Believe it or not, this game can last for hours. Well - we listed a Found Dog report and hopefully the owners will be located. This pup knows Down and Sit -- although I don't think he has ever been walked on a leash because his leash manners are terrible. Well - we are a busy place right now. Luna is still throwing a fit every time she sees him. He is too bouncy for her -- he has a calm temperment but he is all over the board because he is a puppy. We'll see how this plays out...hopefully someone somewhere is looking for him.

2008-11-25T18:30:00.000-08:00

Luna and I have two new pups -- Genni and Brandy. They are both really sweet girls -- pretty small, I think Genni is 17 lbs and Brandy is not much bigger. Luna was still scared spitless of them and did her usual flip-out at anyone/anything new. But - by the next morning all three were getting along just fine. Brandy is a puggle (pug/beagle mix) and is just a little minx. She chases Luna around and about. If Luna doesn't want to run, Brandy rams her full on in a broadside move OR she runs right up to Luna, balances that last step on her hind legs and then PUSHES Luna with her front feet in a vain attempt to knock Luna off balance. Since Luna is about 60 lbs and Brandy is probably around 20 lbs, you can see that Brandy doesn't have much hope of actually moving Luna -- but she does get her to chase and that is the whole point anyway. Brandy definately comes to us as a loved part of a family. The entire time she is riding in the car, she is eyeing the drivers lap waiting for just the right opportunity to sneak over before the driver recognizes that they are being stalked. She is also very comfortable on furniture -- and walks well on a leash. Brandy loves a good romp. Genni is definately more the white wine and refined activities type of dog. She has clearly been the apple of someone's eye and for those of you who are not yet aware let me just tell you the truth: The world revolves around Genni. She is a sweet, sweet girl who likes to be where you are, doing whatever you are doing. She loves riding in the car. Brandy sleeps curled in your knees and Genni takes the feet. They get along great with Luna and the two little dogs next door -- and they ignore the cat (which is more than I can say for Luna who has now been scratched and so she is actively watching for any renegade cat activity in the house). Brandy and Genni are delightful house guests and we are having fun with them here.

2008-11-21T17:10:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I checked in -- where does the time go? Fall has been busy, busy, busy. We are getting so many animals back because people have lost their housing or moved in with friends/family that we are just spinning. The kitties at PetsMart have been removed for a ten day quarantine - and the dogs ... well, it's just been CRAZY.

2008-10-27T18:58:00.000-07:00

That little Luna Tuna is a handfull! I tried her with Koda Bear - nope, not interested. I tried her with Honey - nope, not interested. We are on our own for another two weeks.

The neighbors dogs are over a lot and Luna went to their house for an hour last week. She was antsy the whole time and more than ready to come home. The little dogs next door are good for her although one of them objects to her sniffing him up and down and finally had enough-- and grabbed her NOSE and hung on while she cried and yelped and backed up. She gave him such a "what on earth was THAT for?" look and he just looked up at me like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.

I think Luna will learn to speak "dog" pretty quick with this level of instruction...

2008-10-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

It must be a full moon or something. I was talking with JoAnne earlier today and she told me that the person who has our "unadoptable" dogs has now moved to a new location and it is not an ideal set-up for the dogs. Most of these dogs are very old and will not be adopted so they just need a place to "be" for 3-4 years. Not a lot of steps or hard surface floors etc.. ARGH. I asked if Joanne if she could find a sanctuary to take them but she said that they have not been successful in getting them into a sanctuary. Everyone seems full. Well - these dogs need to be someplace where they can live the rest of their lives comfortably and safe. I can't believe there isn't a sanctuary out there that would house 4-5 old dogs. We'll have to think on this one.

2008-10-20T19:54:00.001-07:00

What a weekend! You could have had my Friday night -- it was not a fun experience. JoAnne called me at 10:30pm to tell me that they had a dog dropped off. It was currently at her house but he was barking because he didn't want to be in the crate; that set off her dogs and everyone was barking/howling and she couldn't hear herself think -- could I find a foster home for this dog TONIGHT???? ...and, by the way, the dog doesn't like cats or large dogs. It always amazes me the fact that some dogs are so particular. One of my friends' dog got along fine with other dogs -- except "fluffy" dogs. If the dog coming toward it was "fluffy", well, there would be an issue. I never did figure out what the reason was but ... there you are. Anyway, I said to JoAnne - "You must be crazy. It's 10:30pm on a Friday night. I can't even think of a foster home that doesn't already have a cat or a large dog that is somewhere close to you. I can't ask someone to drive across town at 11pm. I'll have to think." Ten minutes later she called me back and I hadn't thought of anyone so I told her I'd take the dog and he could stay in my laundry room (completely separate from Luna) but at least he wouldn't have to be crated and would stop barking. Unfortunately, after I got him all comfy in the laundry room it became VERY apparent that being crated was not the reason he was barking. He was barking because he was ALONE in a strange place. Ask me how I know this -- yep, about 5:00am after listening to six hours of almost non-stop barking, I finally put Luna out in the car -- we would be leaving to go walking at 6 -- and I let him out of the laundry room. He promptly ran to the bedroom, jumped up on the bed, snuggled in and went to sleep. I actually heard him softly snoring. He was so happy just to be with someone. Saturday I was a zombie.

Amelia has settled in quite nicely in the spare bathroom. She is head-butting me and meowing for attention. She is SO MUCH NICER than she was at the store. I'll check the website to see if we have a picture of her available since it is painfully obvious that she will not be adopted through anyone seeing her at the store. She sure hates listening to those kittens cry...and she LOVES canned food ... it is her weakness.

2008-10-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention one thing yesterday -- Luna is continuing to make good progress. She is now friends with the two little neighbor dogs. She needs someone that she knows to be with her. I chose not to take another foster dog this past dog adoption day because I wanted to work with just Luna but I think that was a wrong decision. Luna was much calmer when she had Toby with her all day. Clearly, she needs "known" people/dogs around her to feel safe. She is a sweet girl -- she just gets so agitated as soon as anything in her world is "new" - it just completely throws her off base.

2008-10-16T17:15:00.000-07:00

It just never fails, does it. During the past 1.5 years, the longest timespan we've had of consistent people cleaning the cat cages mornings and evenings is two weeks. That's right: 2 weeks. Usually it is the mornings that fall apart but I have to say, the morning volunteers have really hung in there for a long time. Recently, it is the evening shift that has disappeared. I don't really mind if someone can't do it on their scheduled night as long as they call and let us know so that someone can scoot in there and clean for them but I get REALLY TIRED of people just not showing up and not calling to tell us that they have decided they can't help anymore. The next thing you know either the store is calling to tell me the cats haven't been cleaned and customers are complaining or JoAnne is calling to tell me that in the 6 hours she has been at the store she hasn't seen ANYONE come in to clean. It is frustrating to say the least. Well, this week we have three new people trained to help clean so hopefully the evening shift will be back on track soon.

On Sunday a Mama Cat and her four kittens were brought into the store so I took them home to foster. I originally said NO - I can't take them but the alternative was to have them fostered in a house with no separate "cat" room so the cat and kittens would be having dogs swishing around them all the time. If you know mother cats, you know that makes them nervous and they get, well, not friendly. So, I took them home and put them in the spare bathroom by themselves. When I went in to check on them, the cat hissed and growled and generally didn't want me in there. The next time I opened the door the cat was sitting right there giving me the evil eye and hissing. Then, the people who found the kittens in the first place found ANOTHER kitten that they wanted to bring in for the Mom so I ran up to the store to get that kitten and put it in with the rest of the family. Three days later, Mom would let me in the bathroom and let me pick up the kittens as long as I didn't stay more than 30 minutes in any one visit (apparently she has a strict visiting hours rule). Those kittens are so cute but I told JoAnne - this Mom is going to need a lot of work and I'm just not around very much these days. So, JoAnne sent another foster family over to pick up the Mom and kittens and asked if I would bring Amelia home for some down time. Amelia was such a nice cat when she arrived at the store but we have gradually learned that (1) she doesn't like other cats around and (2) she goes bonkers at all the noise that kittens make. Unfortunately, we have a lot of kittens right now and Amelia is continually throwing a fit. We'll take her out of there and put her up on the website and see if we can find the right place for her without subjecting her to the store environment for awhile.

JoAnne also said that we have another (possibly) pregnant young lab/shepherd. I can't remember the story right now but that one, if its true, will be interesting. They are long fosters which are sometimes difficult to find. Puppies are awful cute but they are a lot of work!

2008-10-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

YEAH YEAH YEAH -- Toby has been adopted by a F-A-M-I-L-Y with kids and someone home all day and someone who likes to be out and about in the great outdoors. That dog absolutely lights up when kids are around so I'm very, very happy for him (and them!). We received a confirming phone call and he seems to be settled in just fine. He is such a nice, happy dog, I'm glad he has found a family to love him.

JoAnne had fifteen minutes of fame on one of the news programs talking about how many animals are being displaced because of the economy -- people moving in with family (like how Toby lost his original home) or moving from homes to apartments that don't accept pets. Baby was "on camera" and someone saw her and adopted her the next day!! We also had response from people who were interested in being foster homes and people to help with cleaning the kitties in the store. Wow -- the power of communication always amazes me.

We have new cats at the store - most are still so scared they are hiding in the litter box or just coming out long enough to swipe at someone before going back in to hide. It is a noisy place and there is a lot of action going on; it takes awhile for them to get used to all the sounds.

We also had a dog released to us on Saturday. Her name is Honey and she is exactly that - an absolute Honey. Her owner died and his wife has care needs of her own. The son came in from out of state, he's having his house remodeled this week and then getting ready to move his Mom out-of-state. How quickly things change. Carrie -- Honey's foster Mom for the next couple of weeks-- and I were watching Honey and we both remarked that it didn't look like she had missed any recent meals -- and was undoubtably a couch potato to boot. Carrie has two dogs and I think 4 year old Honey will be getting in shape pretty quickly during this interim two weeks before the next dog adoption. She is such a nice, submissive, eager-to-please dog -- obviously well-named.

2008-10-03T17:44:00.000-07:00

YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! I tried setting up some doggie play dates for Toby but because of the schedules at the other foster houses, we just didn't connect. BUT - one of the volunteers suggested that I contact Many Paws Doggie Day Care in Hillsboro and sure enough, it has worked out absolutely perfect for us. Toby has gone one day a week both last week and this week and it has been such a great solution. The first week he was apparently worried and spent his time pacing back and forth and not really playing but yesterday he left me without a backward glance and had a great time. Trust me, it's a good thing. We are all much happier :-) ... he was almost adopted three times -- the first couple found another dog through some place else before they even met Toby (ARGH) and the other two people couldn't clear adding a dog with their landlord(s). Bummer. Two of the three had someone around all the time and one of them had someone who likes to run -- THAT would tire Toby out and he would be a great running companion. You would have to run pretty early, though, because Toby has the eyes of a hawk and notices anyone out and about and barks to tell me they are there. I try to shush him quickly (before Luna joins the chorus) because I usually walk them before work which means we are out about 6:00am and I just can't see people appreciating having dogs barking at that hour when the houses are still dark. At least I know when someone else is moving around out there in the dark. But, I'm a walker not a runner so Doggie Day Care is a great supplement for us. Whew, that problem solved...

2008-09-19T08:44:00.000-07:00

Cabin fever. We have a strong case of it at our house. I have been experimenting with different methods of exercise because my schedule doesn't permit adequate exercise for two young, energetic dogs that are too large for me to exercise together. One-to-one they are great but together they can out manuver me. Toby is the most antsy. He is used to a busy house (five kids would keep him hopping). The other foster home (they have four kids and a big dog) took him for a play day last week but their dog has now sprained something and has to take it easy. We're going to have to come up with Plan B. Toby is smart and if I don't keep him busy, he will find something to do on his own...and probably not the same thing that I would find for him to do ... isn't that just the way it works! Think - think - think ....

I went in to visit the kitties this morning at PetsMart. JoAnne has dispursed a lot of them out to foster homes to treat a sneezing reign of terror. Hopefully, separating them and getting them on antibiotics will end that. Amelia is there -- found under someones bush in their yard. Hungry enough to come right out and snuggle. She LOVES canned food and is so friendly. Two little tuxedo cats came back - we adopted them out as kittens but now their person has been dispatched to Iraq so they are back looking for love. Baby is still with us, she is a nice cat out of the cage but she HATES the cage and is downright unfriendly when people stop by to visit. We've all talked to her: The fastest way out of this place is to be nice...but she isn't listening. Mama, a muted tortie) is also there - she is so scared but now she is at least looking up and not pretending that she isn't actually there - that's a good sign. We'll see what the weekend brings...hopefully some good matches!

2008-09-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

Toby gets some type of award. I'm not sure exactly what yet but he is one of the most easy-going dogs I've met. This is not to say that he doesn't have a commanding bark -- because he does. It is deep and chesty and says "I mean business". His growl is pretty daunting as well but -- he is such a nice boy.

The other night he was laying in a "down" in the kitchen while I was talking on the phone. Minding his own business. Being a quiet, good dog. In walked Luna. (Just for the record, I don't think that Luna knows how to speak "dog") So, Luna walks over and leans over Toby's head and starts breathing in and out really fast - too strong to be blowing in his ear but that was sortof what it looked like. Toby's head jerks up. His eyes are white around the edges. He looks at me but otherwise he doesn't move. I keep talking on the phone. Luna walks around to his other side. She does the same thing to his other ear. Toby gives me a look that says "What the *)&*&^) is she doing????". Luna walks down toward his butt, and rams him with her leg. She didn't paw at him or nudge him, she just jutted her leg out straight and ran into him, poked him really hard. Toby gets up and looks at her and then looks at me and then looks at her. Luna does a little hop/skip and bounces toward him. I said to Toby, "I think she wants to play with you." Toby just looks at me - looks at her -- and then clearly says "I don't think so, she is WEIRD" and walks off. Luna just wilted. Yeah, I'm not sure what that was all about. On the up side, they run and play in the yard just fine -- chase after tennis balls and generally have a grand time. Toby does his best but sometimes I can just hear him think "WOMEN!!!" This was one of those moments.

2008-08-28T21:44:00.000-07:00

I just love August. It is such a great month - sunny, warm and the last harrah before school and Fall arrive. I left town again for awhile - Toby went tovisit over at the other foster home with the four kids -- they were so excited to have him visit. Luna didn't have any takers so she got room service at my house. I tried to keep them together but the thing about foster homes is -- they usually either have cats or dogs or both. Tobys' vice is chasing cats and Luna is wacky around other dogs so it was clear that it would be a challenge to find a foster home without other dogs and/or cats. It's OK - it worked out just as well. It was nice to pick up Toby and get him back home and Luna was happy to see us so - here we are. I've started just the smallest bit of training with these two for ten minutes a day Sit / Stay / Come / Break. They are getting better. Toby already knows sit and stay but he has a mind of his own. Luna is anxious to please but she doesn't have a clue what I'm asking her to do. Together, they do OK. We had the yard rototilled and bless their hearts if they didn't take advantage of that nice, soft dirt and just squeeze under the gate and go exploring. Fortunately they both came galloping back when I called them (Toby was only next door and Luna two houses away). I was happy to see some of the rain showers last week because it firmed up the ground again. Hopefully we will have a busy adoption weekend this Labor Day. We have so many kittens at the store that the room practically hums on it's own. Buddy is back - the adoption home with the other cat didn't work out. We didn't have any information on how he would do with another cat and now we know - he needs to be an only cat. We have a couple of new, shell-shocked cats who were found in their respective homes with their deceased owners. Talk about a change of pace to go from their home, to a foster home and then to PetSmart with all that commotion. They are nice cats and will hopefully find someone to love them again soon. Baby is still with us, too. She hates being in the cage but loves being out and walking around. Peter and Paul were adopted - they were such neat cats. We let them out to walk around frequently because they always stayed right in the cat area - even if a dog came through. Not too much seemed to rattle them. They were very mellow, relaxed cats. Well - here's to a great weekend!

2008-08-05T22:15:00.000-07:00

Well, it didn't take long for Luna to surprise Toby. Yesterday Luna saw something across the yard she wanted but Toby was standing in her way so she just ducked her head a couple of inches and ran right under his tummy. He had the funniest expression on his face!! I don't think that has ever happened to him before. Let this be a lesson: Stand between a girl and what she's after at your own risk. Toby cornered one of the cats last night - I called him off and he relunctantly came. Sigh...sometimes you just can't have any fun at ALL.

2008-08-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

VACATION -- Luna and I spent three days at the Oregon coast with family. It was great - hot dogs on the beach, board games in the evening (I didn't win even ONCE) and lots of good food and fun. Luna did pretty well with the six adults and three kids but I have to say -- they did better with her than she did with them. I completely bombed the introduction - I went down early with the idea of getting her tired on the beach before she met everyone for the first time. Instead, the beach was crowded with dogs and people and by the time the rest of the group arrived, Luna was so crazy that I just put her to bed in the car. The next day we walked on the beach early with just two other people and that was much easier. Then, she spent part of the day well away from everyone (but on full alert) quietly watching what was happening. Everyone totally ignored her and just went about their business. We went out for lunch - she was in her gated off back-of-the-car with three strangers in the car and she handled that OK. The next day she finally was calm enough to sniff and meet some of the people - although I have to say not everyone wanted to meet her up close and personal. She did pretty well all things considered. I told my sister if her family was staying another 2-3 days, Luna would probably be just fine but - their vacation was over in a blink of an eye and they headed back to Colorado.

When we returned, I asked JoAnne if she could find me a large, calm dog for Luna to live with and JoAnne came through with bells on!! I explained to JoAnne that I think part of Luna's issue is that she is so nervous about what she doesn't know that MIGHT happen and MIGHT be bad that she just works herself up. She needs someone like John Wayne. She needs someone to say: "Wolves running off the cattle? Mean railroad people trying to steal our land? Locust eating all the crops? NO PROBLEM little lady, there is nothing there for you to worry your pretty little head about. I have all that under control. The only thing you need to worry about is what to fix for supper." Of course, from a dog it would probably sound more like "Someone walking across the street? Dog two blocks away coming toward us? Not to worry, I have it all under control". JoAnne suggested thatwe foster Toby for awhile. Toby is a Great Dane/Lab mix, 2 years old, good with kids and other dogs and people. He came from a family with five kids who are in-between houses right now and were not able to keep him with them. Luna spent the first night rushing Toby and air snapping next to his ears, nose, shoulder etc. She never actually touched him although it looked like she was flinging her 62 lbs. directly at his 96 lb. body. I swear, he didn't even blink. She was like a pesky fly that he couldn't even be bothered to swat away. He is so calm and has such confidence. Next thing I know, they are curled up together on the bed - then outside barking together - then both following me around like shadows. Toby went walking with us yesterday and met our other friends. We had a great Saturday walk.

Right now both Toby and Luna are flaked out on the floor (waiting for me to finish this and do something a little more exciting). This weekend was a dog adoption weekend so Toby was down at PetsMart both yesterday and today from 1-5pm so he is tired from all that stress. I tried to talk JoAnne out of showing him this weekend because I really want to keep him for awhile but at least JoAnne said if Toby is adopted that she will find someone else to be with Luna until we can get Luna a little calmer around new people and dogs.

It was a good weekend for adoptions - YEAH!!! several dogs and cats starting a new life with their new families. It is always such a great feeling to watch everyone walk away happy. My little foster kittens all went home with someone - honestly, it is so hard to resist a kitten!!

2008-07-26T23:18:00.000-07:00

Luna and I had a wonderful visit with Logan - he is full of energy and charm and only chewed one (minor) thing. They ran and play and tugged and wrestled -- and then he went home. He was so excited to see his Mom back, he left me and Luna without even a backward glance. He has a very nice, new family and we are so happy for him.

I've been working with the kitties because of other volunteers' vacations -- that Internet kitty has been adopted and so has Smokey! Two new Siamese are now in the store -- Seal Point and a Himalayan, I think but I'm not that familiar with the different types of Siamese. Two little Persians were found by the road by a woman jogger who thought they were dead so she sent her (very nice) husband up to check it out and he discovered they were OK - just laying really flat to try and hide from the coyotes. Those two are in the process of getting checked out before they will be ready to come into the store. We have so many kittens waiting for "store space" that JoAnne may try to rotate some of the kittens in first. Two of our recently adopted cats are back - Izzy and Note. Note hasn't been gone that long - maybe 2-3 months but his new person is moving into a no pet place and so he is back with us. Note came in scared and growling but he has settled in now and is much better. Izzy came into us with her kittens a few months ago. She is a small tabby cat and the sweetest temperment. Her owner said she was getting too much flack from the neighbors for letting Izzy outside so she was bringing her back. Well - YEAH! for the neighbors. There are too many hazards outside for a cat these days and Izzy is too sweet to be coyote dinner.

Peter and Paul are still there - they are such great cats. The one that looks most like a tiger lays up on the cat tree with his front paws completely straight and stretched out as far as he can -- he looks like a lion taking an afternoon siesta. Buddy has moved down to the end cage as it is a little bigger and the cats like an occasional change of scenery -- he has been at PetsMart long enough to get a different view. He is sure a nice cat -- just waiting for the right guy to come along and take him home.

2008-07-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

What fun!! Little Logan came back for a visit and came into the house, immediately tried to nurse off Luna and when that didn't work - grabbed her ear and tugged: HARD. Then, whoosh, they were off running and playing. It will be a great visit for both of them .. and me as long as not too many things get chewed on...puppies are just like that, sigh. Good thing they are so cute!

2008-07-15T21:56:00.000-07:00

Time just flies ... unfortunately there were some glitches with this blog but hopefully things have straightened out now.

Those puppies were incredible - I say "were" because they were adopted almost as soon as their paws hit the ground. Once they had been fixed, had their shots and were ready for adoption, they were scooped up by people looking for sweet puppy companions. When JoAnne did her follow-up calls, one of the adopters told her "This puppy is crate trained AND house broken!! I laughed and told JoAnne, umm...he wasn't either of those two things 48 hours ago.

One of the puppies is coming back tomorrow for a three day stay with Luna. When he was adopted it was with the understanding that the new family would be out of town part of this week and we agreed to watch him for them. Since we no longer had the puppies around to climb and wrestle and play, Luna went to the vet last Friday and finally got spayed herself. She has been peacefully recovering although it has been difficult. I just don't see how you can keep a young, healthy dog quiet for 7-10 days without any exercise. We have obediently stayed quietly home but she is stir crazy and climbing the walls. I looked at her trying SO HARD to get me to play with her as I was sitting out in the back yard tonight and thought "The way she is running and twisting and jumping, I might as well take her for her usual walk!!" We'll see how she does with one puppy back here to keep her company. Maybe it will be enough that I won't walk her until the weekend.

JoAnne and I have decided that we will not take Luna to PetsMart on dog adoption weekends - we will introduce her privately to anyone interested. She is just too agitated in new situations with a lot of "stuff" going on around her. She is a very loving dog and after having her so long, I will really miss her! I told someone today that it would be tempting to give up accepting foster dogs for a year or so while training her out of her initial greeting "jump" towards another dog but -- I really enjoy fostering and it just wouldn't be fair to bring a new, scared dog into a house with a resident dog who I already know will thump on them when she first meets them. After that first time, she is fine but since foster dogs usually pop in and then out of your home, I just can't see Luna relaxing in that lifestyle. She would be constantly having to thump someone and I would be constantly on her case -- doesn't sound like very much fun to me!! With the right person in the right situation, she will be a great dog.

We did find out that she panics, I mean BLIND PANICS, at thunder and lightening and fireworks. I've only seen one other dog (that I was dog-sitting) who went through the screen window he was so scared of fireworks. That was way too exciting - I did manage to get him back into the house but only because when he went through the window he landed in their fenced yard -- otherwise, he would have been gone. Anyway, Luna would have done the same if she'd had a chance. I called JoAnne after the thunderstorm when it was clear that there would be no peace in the house and asked her if she had any sedatives because nothing I had tried was even beginning to make a difference. JoAnne didn't have anything other than "TravelCalm" which somehow just didn't sound like it was going to be enough, so I called the emergency vet clinic but they declined to advise me because they hadn't examined the dog. However, if I wanted to bring her in... YEAH, I thought, that's helpful, it's after midnight, she is in a panic and I don't think I can get her in the car, out at the clinic and back into the car in her current frame of mind so ... I kept calling people until I found someone with dog sedatives who (what a great friend) would bring them over to me and leave them on the front porch. Two hours later - ahh...a snoozing dog. It was amazing. The next night (after all the clinics had closed for July 4th) a customer came into PetsMart looking for sedatives for her dog for the holiday weekend. She said "You won't believe how upset he was" and I told her I absolutely WOULD believe her but that I didn't know of anything over-the-counter that will begin to calm a fireworks scared dog.

The volunteers that clean the cat cages at PetsMart have wacko schedules for the summer because of vacations so I have been filling in cleaning the cat cages more than usual. It is always fun to see the cats. I'm absolutely in love with Smokey - he is an older cat but the sweetest, most loving cat. He just wants to cuddle up and tuck under my chin. He is skinny and has a "lion cut" hair cut. That is because he was so matted when he was found that they just had to shave him bald except for around his face - so, his face has hair and looks like a lion's mane. So many people come in and ask "Oooh, what breed of cat is that?" but then there are others that come in and say "Umm, Lion's cut - he must have been really matted". He is an absolute darling. Buddy is still there, too. He is such a nice cat. We still have Baby too - yeah, Baby. JoAnne lost the battle and won the war with her. Baby was so matted but she could see JoAnne coming a mile away -- no amount of sweet talking or cat treats could disguise the cat brush in Joanne's hand. Finally, JoAnne took her to a professional groomer to get the mats out. Now, Baby is mat-free and JoAnne is happy. Since Baby no longer presents a challenge, JoAnne has turned her attention to our crazy Internet kitty. That poor little one was purchased through Craig's List - shipped to her new home -- met by a huge dog that scared her to death -- and since she couldn't be returned to her original home ("No return" policy) the person gave her to us because it was clear that things just weren't going to work out. Well - that cat was so scared that you couldn't even open the door without seeing teeth and feeling a good strong swat from a lightening fast paw. I told JoAnne I was afraid to open the door to change the cat litter. Well - JoAnne put her mind to it and started talking up that cat. Pretty soon the cat was coming out to see JoAnne and letting her pet it etc. I still don't like to change the litter but I've been really amazed at the number of our regular cat visitors who are also cooing at the door to that kitty -- and that cat is walking up to the front and letting them pet her - sometimes. I was watching someone stroke her the other day and I told them "You couldn't pay me enough to do that" and someone else who was standing there said "She has always growled at me before but just yesterday she finally let me pet her". We have such a great group of regular visitors to the cat area who really do a nice job of working with the cats -- in this particular case, much better than I do!! More power to them - I think that cat will come around although as I said to JoAnne -- after JoAnne bragged that she cut the cats nails without anyone holding the cat, the cat just sat there and let her clip the nails --"I don't care how sweet that cat is to you - I'm afraid of her and that's that."

We have Peter and Paul out front - they are great cats, just over a year old Maine Coon mixes. What nice personalities, they are always happy to see me. We are in kitten season so we have many kittens waiting to adopt out in pairs. I like kittens but I don't like to clean their litter boxes because they are faster than greased lightening and by the time I get the litter box out of the cage to dump out, I've usually successfully grabbed and put back in the cage 1-2 escape artists.

I'm currently fostering a kitten that was hit by a car (but not hurt) on Walker Road out in front of PetsMart - a customer brought it in. We couldn't find the Mom or the rest of the litter. I named that little one "Noodle" - what a sweetheart, that little black and white kitten just purrs up a storm. In another 2-3 weeks, it should be big enough to get fixed and shots and then come into the store for adoption.

JoAnne got called by K-Mart employees. They had seen a mother cat with her litter in a couch around in back of the store. One day the mother cat didn't come back (we have a LOT of coyotes in Beaverton) and the babies were crying. JoAnne asked one of the foster family if they could help and they came to get the litter -- the kittens can't be more than two weeks old and will need to be bottle fed. That is not one of my areas of strength but thankfully there are other people with the time and energy to work with those little babies. It's never dull around here for long...this Saturday is a dog adoption weekend so we'll see what happens. During last dog weekend we adopted out several dogs - but not one cat. Hopefully some of the cats will find their homes this weekend too.

2008-06-14T22:14:00.000-07:00

Slam//BAM // squeal // thundering paws - what a difference a few days makes!! The pups have now outgrown the whelping pen, the play pen and the laundry room! They need to R U N -- and wrestle -- and squeal -- and nip -- and play their favorite game which is: Climb the Mama Mountain -- then, jump off and chomp on her tail!!

Luna is holding up remarkably well. She has come a long way from the first few nights when I said to her "Do you hear those puppies?" and she looked up and said, "YES!! -- they are making a racket. What is THEIR problem?" and then just put her head back down to snooze. I had to nudge her and say "I think they are hungry - let's go see." and then we went down to the laundry room and sure enough, the puppies were hungry.

Now that they are up and moving and playing -- Luna is right in the thick of things. If those puppies would just take a hint, it would save them a lot of grief but no, they just keep pushing the envelope. I don't even investigate the small slams -- only the ones that shake the walls. That is usually Luna, on her side/back against the wall, being surged on by three relentless puppies. Whoever chomps her tail, Luna immediately shakes the other two off and pins the offending puppy to the ground with a mouth grip. If the puppy lays quietly, she lets it up. If the puppy churns like a turtle and then twists around and chomps her EAR -- although Luna doesn't change physical position -- I can see her jaw start to slowly close like a vise until the puppy squeaks "UNCLE" and then gets up promising never, ever to do that again -- at least not for the next two minutes. Lilly loves to tug -- she gets a grip on something and sets her bum down and starts trying to scoot backwards - even if what she is tugging is five times her size. Max is a sweetie - he is fluffier than the other two and a little love bug. Logan is the explorer - he'll try anything. Lilly loves to tease Luna. Luna will be chewing a toy and Lilly will reach up into Luna's mouth and grab it -- and tug. If Luna doesn't release it, Lilly will launch herself at Luna's cheek and grab some loose skin and tug. When Luna drops the toy to discipline Lilly - Lilly grabs the toy and just holds on to it until Luna releases her -- and then Lilly prances away. Luna then has to get up and pounce on Lilly to get her toy back. All four of them play and play and PLAY.

The puppies have two more weeks until their next distemper shot and then they will be ready for adoption. They went to PetsMart last weekend for socialization during the dog adoption weekend. The high school volunteers had a great time playing with them and the puppies were so tired - they got home at 7:30pm and slept straight through until 5:00am. They have NEVER slept so long. Usually they curl up together but that night they just fell over where they were standing and sprawled -- down for the night. So, we need to start thinking about their shots and getting them fixed and starting to potty train. They can't go outside until their second distemper shot so they are still inside even though the weather has been so nice.

Luna went outside and weeded in the garden with me while the puppies were at PetsMart. She is a good companion in the yard. She attentively watched the neighbor take her laundry off the clothesline and didn't make a peep -- until the neighbor snapped a sheet as she took it down to fold it. Luna jumped and barked -- she didn't know quite what to think about that. Another neighbor came out to their backyard and Luna sat quietly at the fence watching their every move. She came back to me about every five minutes to tell me "Nothing to report - but I'm watching them" and I said "Good Girl!" and then she quietly trotted right back to the fence and resumed her sentry duty.

The puppies had a play day last week with a family with five kids ages 4 - 11. It was a blast.

Luna has started to play with me and happily goes on walks with me or with friends that she knows. She is still wacked out around other people and dogs but she is fine at home. We are starting to play our "guest dog guessing game": i.e. "Whose pup are you?" Luna needs one of two placements: An experienced dog person who will spend the time and energy to introduce her to new people and new dogs until she learns that the world isn't such a scary place OR an experienced dog person who stays close to home so that once Luna learns who her "pack" consists of - she will not be in a situation where she will need to meet new people and/or dogs. The puppies need someone with the time, patience and energy for a puppy. Someone at work asked me if she could come look at the puppies before they are ready for adoption and I told her absolutely not. She is a single mom with four grade-school kids in before/after school daycare. I told her "These puppies are too little to be left alone and they won't be careful of your kids. Puppies put everything in their mouth -- they chew shoes and clothes. They don't know how to bite softly - they CHOMP everything until they learn that they can't just grab with gusto. You do not want a puppy. You need a dog at least three years old who is used to kids." Other people in the office agreed -- for the first couple of years, puppies need a lot of attention. They are worth the effort but you need to know going in that there is a 2-3 year commitment before you really start to see the results of all your efforts.

We have had so many cats come in at PetsMart - I can't hardly keep track of them all! They are all so different. Buddy was returned to us - he adopted out about a year ago. His person is terminally ill and can't keep him anymore. JoAnne and I were fussing over that cat because he was hiding in the litter box and every time either one of us would say ANYTHING to him, he glared at us and hissed. Then, while I was standing two cages over, some guy stopped in and went up to Buddy's cage. Buddy hopped out of the litter box and came over purring and head-butting that guy. I told JoAnne: Buddy needs a man. He was a different cat with that guy who stopped in to visit. Umm..after four days, Buddy finally let me pet him yesterday, progress.

We had the nicest gentleman bring his two cats in. He came in with his daughter-in-law to sign the papers releasing them for adoption. He was in his 90's and his wife had recently past away. He was changing his living situation and was not able to keep his cats. He just stood at that kennel for the longest time taking picture after picture with his cell phone and talking about what great cats they are -- by the time he left (he was so upset) -- I was in tears myself. JoAnne is very careful with the responsibility that she takes on and told him that she would contact him with potential adopters if she has any questions (i.e. How would the cats be with kids?). He will be calling back to check on them and see if they have been adopted in the next 2-3 weeks. They are pretty cats - a declawed Siamese and a little calico - both are sweet as can be.

The very first kitten litter that I fostered in my spare bathroom had seven kittens who were adopted in November 2007. There were two orange kittens in the litter - Big O and Little O. Two of the seven kittens, Big O and Ellie (a tabby), have come back. The adopters resident cat was OK with the two kittens at first but then she started attacking little Ellie, so the family brought them back for us to re-home.

I'm telling people that we have Sumu cats because we also have three very large cats right now. Baby is a calico 16.8 lbs. She was matted to the skin - we're working on that a little bit at a time. She likes to get out of the cage and walk around the little room (we close the door so it's secure). She belonged to someone whose husband past away and whose parents are no longer able to live independently so the lady was leaving to go take care of them. Her parents are allergic to cats. Baby is a nice cat but she is not interested in having her matted hair taken care of and JoAnne is determined to get her mat free as soon as possible without freaking Baby out -- so it has been an interesting test-of-wills to watch the two of them try to out-smart the other one.

The other two large cats - Leo and Saber - are two orange brothers. I think one is 12.8 lbs and the other is 15 lbs. I can't recall their story at the moment but they are the mellowest cats we've had in a very long time. They are sharing one of the double kennels but there is no room for them to really play and they have been with us more than three weeks. We might need to switch kennels to one of the other double kennels so that they are more towards the front of the cats or something. They are really sweet, laid back cats.

Felix-Marcus is out front. He is a beautiful bullseye tabby and he doesn't want to be in PetsMart. He meows if you even look at him because he wants to be held. His person who released him has been back in to visit him several times. Her husband developed an immune problem and can't have the cat in the house. Felix-Marcus is SO ready to go home.

We still have two of the four kittens that came in a couple of weeks ago. I can't believe they are still out front but they are. George and Ringo (John and Paul were already adopted) are two little black kittens. Those two babies are fast and like to try to escape as their litter is being changed. I understand they were loose in the store yesterday - they are hard to keep an eye on while cleaning.

We received a tabby and a white Siamese from Multnomah County yesterday - they were scheduled to be put down that day so we took them in. Then, the tabby started hissing at the Siamese so we moved the Siamese down in with Big O and Ellie -- since those two get along with everyone --as soon as we moved the Siamese out of the kennel, the tabby went over and used the litter box. Sigh. I guess it was just too crowded for her to have a private moment with the Siamese in there with her. JoAnne just rolled her eyes. Sometimes you can't win for losing.

2008-06-03T20:58:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks have just flown by. Luna (Lab mix) and the three puppies, Max, Logan and Lilly, arrived at my house about 10:00pm on Thursday, May 15. Usually when we receive a guest dog(s) they go into the laundry room for the first night because they are wacko from being moved frequently and it takes them awhile to adjust to yet another new space and another new set of house rules.

It didn't take long to discover that Luna was not an inside dog. We did the usual four tests (dishwasher, vacuum, shower and TV). She was not familiar with any of them, tilting her head and staring at them for a long time. The only one she growled at and repeatedly rushed was the dishwasher. OK - now we have established the starting point. The usual length of stay for a guest dog is just a couple of weeks (between the weekend adoptions at PetsMart). However, since Luna's puppies were so young, I knew that I would have Luna long enough to start her on the path to becoming an inside dog. I don't usually make any training demands the first couple of days - and that was true for Luna too. However, when she arrived with the puppies, I was told that she was refusing to nurse the puppies and I was handed two gallons of goats milk with a puppy bottle and told that the puppies didn't really like the goats milk so it took FOREVER to feed them and that I might be more successful wetting down some of the dry puppy food to see if they could start eating soft puppy food instead. Well, after one unsuccessful session of trying to feed those puppies -- Luna and I had our first heart-to-heart negotiating session. I told her it was a total and complete waste of my time to try to feed those puppies while she is sitting over there full of milk - what exactly does she need to have happen in order for her to feed those puppies? Luna stretched out beside me and basically said "I would lay here forever in the peace and quiet if you sit and pet me." I said "There is peace and quiet in the laundry room with those puppies, you go in there and stretch out quietly and let them nurse and I will sit and pet you." It was a win-win-win deal: the puppies got to nurse, Luna got petted and I didn't have to mess with the goats milk. At that very moment, I knew Luna and I could work well together.

Training aside, the first behavior we tackled together was getting her housebroken. Watching her like a hawk and going outside with her regularly and praise, praise, praise and voila - after a little more than one week, Luna is about 90% reliable in the house. I still need to be careful to feed her early in the evening and to go outside and STAY outside with her until she has done what she needs to do -- but if I do that - she is reliable. Whew. It's nice to get past that corner.

Since she was nursing the puppies and clearly a smart dog who is eager to please, I decided to start enforcing some of my ground rules. Every house has them and mine is no exception. Here are my basic rules:

(1) No jumping on me when I am dressed to leave for work. (Command: OFF)
(2) No crowding me at the front door as I'm getting ready to leave. (Command: BACK)
(3) When you are in the car, no jumping, whining, scratching or general hissy fits - sit or lay
down quietly. (Command: ENOUGH)
(4) When I'm ready to shut the car door, make sure all body parts are tucked into the car.
(Command: WATCH YOUR TAIL)
(5) When we arrive wherever we are going - don't jump out of the car as soon as the door
is opened. Wait for me to put the leash on and release you to jump out of the car when
I'm ready to have you jump out of the car. (Command: WAIT Command: BREAK)
(6) When you are in the kitchen and I'm cooking dinner - no walking around and absolutely
no paws on the counter or counter cruising. Generally, I try to give a mutually
exclusive command. For example, if the dog is on a DOWN/STAY - then, the dog
can't be walking around in the kitchen or putting paws on the counter. If the paws are
on the counter, they need to get off. (Command: OFF)

I figured we have about four weeks - we won't get everything done but we'll at least lay some groundwork. So far, Luna is pretty good at BACK, WAIT, ENOUGH and WATCH YOUR TAIL. She doesn't yet have the DOWN/STAY which means I'm constantly telling her OFF in the kitchen. We're still working on the rest of them.

On the weekends, I regularly walk with a group of friends. I don't work in the same office as any of them anymore, but we've all met through various jobs and we all have dogs so -- most Saturdays will find us out doing a three mile loop before 7am. Three of the four dogs are large: two Labs and a Dalmation. The fourth dog is a corgi mix. Luna is a young, healthy ENERGETIC dog so I told everyone that I had a new guest dog that I would be bringing on the Saturday walk. The group is fairly used to having new dogs join us for walks. Much to my surprise, when Luna got out of the car and went over to meet each of the dogs, she greeted them by sniffing and then WHAM! one by one she jumped them growling and snapping. Fortunately, each of these dogs handled it calmly: Dulce (Dalmation) gave her a look that said "That was RUDE - what did I ever do to you?" and then she turned and walked away. Isabel (Lab) snapped back at Luna and then said "Get a life" and turned her back on Luna. Otis (Lab) snapped back at Luna and said "Knock it off" and he also walked away. Luna continued to throw a fit. However, everyone just ignored her and started walking on our route. About ten minutes into it, Luna settled down and walked the rest of the way. The second weekend, I brought a Gentle Leader for Luna to wear (just in case she repeated the behavior) but she was just fine with everyone. One thing about guest dogs: They can be such a puzzle. Then, for the next test, I took Luna to PetsMart. She was so scared, her tail went between her legs and she was jumpy the entire time -- trying to look all directions at once so that no one and nothing could sneak up on her. Clearly, we're going to have to work on that - the question is: What is the best way to do that? So, I asked my neighbor if Luna could meet the two small dogs next door. Unfortunately, they are not calm dogs and together the three of them set each other off and we had such a barking, lunging, fit-throwing time -- it was actually fairly impressive. OK - well, obviously we'll need to work up to calmly being around other dogs.

Luna was found walking alongside a highway. I was looking in her mouth the other morning and noticed that all four of her long canine teeth are flat - she is missing the top "point" part on all of them. I don't know what she was gnawing on -- maybe a metal chain or perhaps some rocks? Something ground down those points. She is so funny - I can leave her just fine during the day - but if I put her in another room (like while I'm cleaning) she throws a fit until she gets to come back in and watch me work. Last Saturday I was working outside in the yard and Luna was keeping watch at the fence. She alloted one "WOOF" to each person walking by - granted, it was a deep, commanding WOOF but it wasn't ear-splitting, frantic barking. I've never before had a guest dog that just barks once per person.

I called the first foster family (they have five kids) last week and asked if they could watch the puppies on Saturday because we were having company for dinner. They were so excited to be able to have the puppies visit. I took those three wiggly puppies over to them and they had a blast (and the puppies got a bath - an added bonus!). When I picked the puppies up after the dinner guests had left, those three puppies were just like little sacks of potatoes - they were totally limp, they were so tired they didn't try to wiggle or kiss or squirm. When they got home to Luna, they nursed and promptly staggered a few steps away and were asleep for the night and we didn't hear one peep out of any of them. I think both the pups and the kids had a great time. Luna did a good job with all the company, too. All in all, a successful evening.

Well, we have another week or so before the puppies can get their first shot. After they have their first shot, they can go outside in the backyard and get out of that 4' X 8' play pen for a while. THAT is a day we are all looking forward to!!

2008-05-26T22:44:00.000-07:00

In addition to the kittens and cats that are eligible for adoption at PetsMart, we also have a number of dogs that are in foster homes between the adoption weekends. Although the cats have a designated adoption space at PetsMart, dogs take up a lot more space. Our dogs are brought in generally every-other-weekend, Saturday and Sunday from 1-5 pm for people who are interested to meet them and take them for a walk. We generally encourage people to visit with the dogs outside the store, usually in the park next door or to find a quiet aisle in PetsMart. The weekends are very busy at the store and there are many, many dogs shopping with their owners. It is a very artificial environment to try to get an idea of an adoptive dogs' personality; you need some place quiet and away from the noise and movement.

We receive dogs all the time - some are owner surrendered, some are scheduled to be put down at various shelters and some are strays. Most are anxious because they are in a strange environment and don't know anyone or what is going on around them. In more than one year of fostering dogs, I have yet to meet a mean dog needing a place to call home. Most of them are the victims of circumstances beyond their control. Walking down memory lane, I remember Lulu - she was a shepherd mix and came in with her sister Mimi. They only understood Spanish. Mimi was very protective of Lulu who cowered in the back of the kennel and would NOT come out at all. JoAnne was having them fostered together because they were sisters and were both pretty young but Mimi was becoming increasingly agitated over people approaching Lulu so we split them up into different foster homes. Mimi immediately calmed down and was adopted pretty quickly. Lulu, however, continued to be scared of anything and everything. It was clear that Lulu hadn't been an "inside" dog and that she was being constantly exposed to new experiences (dishwasher, shower, tea kettle etc) which startled her. We brought another pup about her same age into the foster home. Lulu and Sugar ran and played together but once again when Lulu got to PetsMart, she cowered, no one could get her out of the cage. She is a beautiful dog but her behavior was not helping her find a home. At Christmas, one of the high school volunteers asked if she could take Lulu home over the break. She worked with Lulu and when Lulu came back - she was a different dog. She had a lot more confidence and although she was still shy and timid - she no longer cowered. A family that had seen her on the website, and then visited her in the store, came back in and saw her again -- this time they scooped her up and took her home. She has come back in to visit us and looks so GOOD. Sugar also was adopted by someone in the area and comes in frequently to shop. It is always fun to see her walking proudly with her Dad.

Usually when I get a "guest dog" it is after an afternoon adoption session at PetsMart. The "guest dog" is an overnighter -- because perhaps they will be adopted on Sunday if they were not adopted on Saturday. I don't introduce the "guest dog" to my own dog, JD, who is an 85 lb smooth coated collie unless the "guest dog" isn't adopted on Sunday and is back to stay for the interim two weeks. It is just too much hassle to introduce dogs all the time and the "guest dogs" are usually already stressed to the max - they just need a quiet place to themselves to sleep the sleep of the emotionally exhausted. I get their bed ready in the laundry room, take them outside to the back yard for potty and once they have calmed down a little, I bring them back into the laundry room to sleep. One Saturday I brought home a little pit bull and after I got her bed ready and took her outside to potty -- she absolutely refused to calm down. I sat out back with her and talked quietly for a half hour trying to engage her but she wouldn't have anything to do with me. She just ran the back fence - at first just a fast walk, then a jog, then faster and faster until she was racing across the back yard and back. Then she started whining and crying and became increasingly agitated. It was clear that unless something was done - no one would be sleeping that night, including the neighbors. I went back inside the house and talked to JD. Please understand that JD didn't volunteer to be a "host dog", he was drafted into the position and doesn't always appreciate sharing his house with other dogs. Most of the time he enjoys the company but when he is not in the mood - then, he is very clear that HIS SPACE is HIS SPACE and he needs to be left alone. So, I went in the house and told JD that I couldn't calm little Mitzi down and, in fact, she was rapidly going from agitated into a panic. I put JD on a down/stay and then let Mitzi into the house where JD was laying majestically in the hallway. Mitzi took one look at JD and flung herself at him with a sob of relief. You could tell exactly what she was thinking "Are you in charge here? What am I supposed to do? I don't know what to do!!" and JD's chest swelled out and you could tell he said "Calm down, little lady. I'll take care of you." Little Mitzi snuggled under his chin and then burrowed under his armpit and was stretched out asleep in about ten seconds flat. I just looked at JD and said "How on earth did you do that?" Because Mitzi did not get adopted on Sunday, she came back for the interim two weeks. She shadowed JD for the first couple of days -- when he got a drink, she got a drink. When he sat down, she sat down etc. etc. It was cute in a sad sort of way, she was so afraid of doing something wrong. She eventually relaxed enough to find her own entertainment and was adopted within a very short period of time by someone with property who had owned a variety of pit bulls because of their intelligence and energy as he worked outside on his property. She was a really nice girl and I'm sure a great companion for him.

Then there was Chips, he was a very young, scared cattle dog who had experienced a lot of changes in a short amount of time. We received him from a humane society and scheduled him to be neutered so that he would be ready for adoption. He had a week to recover before adoption day but by that Friday he had developed a slight cough. I thought it was the result of the anes. during the surgery but he got worse instead of better so he went back into the vet - diagnosis: kennel cough. Ten days of antibiotics later, he was much better and starting to show his playful side instead of just huddling in a miserable little ball that clearly said "Leave me alone. I don't feel good." When he was able to go on walks, he was such a nice dog on leash and also very attentive while walking. Clearly, a dog who with a little training could do just about anything. He was so light on his feet that when he jumped up onto the bed or chair, he made less of a "bounce" than the cat. A family saw him on the website and came in to meet him. They were looking for a dog that could be trained to do things with various family members. Chips is a very smart dog, eager to please and gentle (they had kids). It was so nice to see him prancing off with his new family. Then, of course, there was Kane and his dog. Kane is a Lab and on Kane's first birthday - his family decided to get HIM a puppy to see if having a puppy would calm him down. Unfortunately, later the family circumstances changed and Kane and his puppy came to NWAC to find a new home. The family asked JoAnne to place the dogs together and she agreed to try although finding a home for two Labs is not the easiest thing in the world to do. But - someone saw Kane on the website and called and talked with JoAnne for a long time. They had just lost their Lab to cancer -- and their other Lab had past away from old age just a few months before. Sure enough, they were willing to look at taking both Labs. The Dad came into Portland with a friend of his and they checked the dogs out for personality and behavior. A confirming call home with his wife and then both Labs were loaded into the truck and whooshed home -- a surprise for the kids. JoAnne received a phone call to say that the whole family was delighted with them and that the dogs were settling in just fine. That was so nice - what a great Saturday surprise for those kids!

Sweetie is an eight year old "grand old girl". Sweetie had been the constant companion of someone with cancer and when her person was unable to keep her at home, she was brought to a shelter. On the day she was scheduled to be put down, one of our volunteers brought her to NWAC. What a calm, gentle soul. Wherever you were - she was right there next to you. If you dropped your hand down next to the chair, a nose and head just snuggled right under your hand for a little love. We were concerned about finding just the right place for her - not too much activity but with someone who was around a lot because Sweetie was so used to being with people. Then, a family called JoAnne to assist them in placing their puppy with someone else because they couldn't keep him. Although they had researched the breed and tried to get a compatible dog, the puppy they got was too high maintenance for their family; especially their 8 year old who struggles with movement and spends much of his time in a wheelchair. They needed a calm dog who could be company without jumping on him and bouncing around. So, JoAnne agreed to take their puppy -- and they agreed to meet Sweetie, and then they decided to adopt Sweetie. Their puppy now has a new home and prances into the store frequently (usually with a new toy or collar or some other treat) with his new family. Sweetie is so happy to have her own family and the family says Sweetie couldn't be a better companion for their kids.

Who could forget Katie Scarlett. She initially came with just the name "Katie" but I had to add the "Scarlett" for Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind. Even if you didn't see the movie, I'm sure you've met someone exactly like Scarlett. She is the girl who has to have the prettiest dress, the best boyfriend, the richest Dad etc etc. Her life motto is "Look at me. It's all about me." She was a very pretty dog and very eager to please BUT she absolutely needed (not wanted but NEEDED) to be the center of attention at all times. We placed her with a family who was looking for a companion for their dog. The family had previously had two dogs but their other dog (the alpha) had past away and the remaining dog needed some company. Since he was not the alpha dog and he didn't mind being hen-pecked...off went Katie Scarlett to a good life with a great family. It seemed like Katie Scarlett would get the attention that she needed - two people and two dogs -- a person of her very own. Two weeks later, here came Katie Scarlett back. She wasn't sleeping, no one was sleeping. She was pacing and panting and wouldn't settle down at night. Back she came to my house (where she had slept like a rock). The first night back - she slept from 11:00pm - 2:00am but at 2:00am she was wide awake -- and so was everyone else. She would NOT settle down - didn't want to go outside, didn't want a drink, nothing would calm her down. It was a mystery. The next night I left the closet light on as a night light and Katie Scarlett slept the whole night. I called the family back and asked if there was anything with lights going on at night. Apparently, the family has lights that are on an outside timer that go on and off at night. Also, they had sensors in the bathroom so that when you stepped into the bathroom, lights automatically switched on. Well, we think Katie Scarlett couldn't figure it out and got scared and just continued to pace, turn on the lights and scare herself until she got paranoid about going to sleep. Because she slept fine at my house, we were wondering what the next step would be for Katie Scarlett. Then, a family with two teenage sons' expressed interest in Katie Scarlett so we started asking questions to find out if it would it be possible that Katie Scarlett could have THREE people all to herself? Questions to the family told us there were no other dogs in the house (Katie Scarlett would be an ONLY DOG) and that they didn't have a yard -- Katie Scarlett would be walked by the family every day (talk about one-on-one attention for HER) - and, they didn't have any lights on timers in or around their house (TOO COOL). Katie Scarlett went home with them and is apparently sleeping just fine.

It has been so much fun to meet so many, many nice dogs and help them find a second start. At the moment, we're fostering Luna, a young Lab, and her puppies. Luna was picked up as a stray but no one claimed her. So, we were contacted and asked to come and get her. One of the other foster families was dispatched to pick up Luna. When she jumped into their vehicle, she didn't quite clear the floorboard. That night, to everyone's surprise, she gave birth to three puppies (Max, Logan and Lilly). The foster family has kids and their kids have friends -- and this young Mama Dog objected to the activity of so many kids and friends around her and the puppies. So - they were moved into a quieter environment. Just this weekend the puppies graduated from the whelping pen into the play pen. This was necessary after little Logan greeted me twice at the door -- somehow he had managed to climb out of the whelping pen and was pretty darn proud of himself. However, having a six week old untrained puppy with sharp little chewing puppy teeth on the loose unsupervised in the house - it's enough to send shivers of fear down ANYONE and I'm no exception. Out came the playpen and voila - the pups are once again securely confined.

May 22, 2008

2008-05-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

Water Dish Reflections:

Northwest Animal Companions at the PetsMart at Walker Road and Cedar Hills in Beaverton has an adoption area that temporarily houses approximately fifteen cats at any given time. We say approximately because sometimes we have compatible cats sharing the same cage and sometimes we may have a litter of kittens (5-7) in one of the larger cages. Kitten season is almost upon us; we have already had a single grey kitten wandering down the side of Walker Road dropped off to us (the kitten is now in a foster home growing and getting big enough to get spayed/neutered and then it's first shots before it can be brought into the store for adoption); we've also had a Mom cat and litter of 2-3 week old kittens dropped off. They are also currently in foster care. One of our litters in foster care just was spayed/neutered today and have received their first shots ; those six kittens and their Mom are scheduled to be in on Saturday, May 24. We had five kittens in the store this week - three have been adopted and the two little black ones are left. They are out front and cuter than cute.

Of course, we also have loving adult cats. In the first cage on the upper right is two year old Pearl. She is a muted tortie and was left in an apartment with another cat - they were found by the gentleman who was supposed to clean the carpets. He could only coax the one cat out -- so, now we have her and she is a sweetie. In the inside cages, we have Carmine who is an eight month old grey/white kitty. He is full of sass. He can be so loving but if you look like you might want to actually DO something (like worm him or give him medicine) -- umm, that is a challenge. He was so happy last night. He managed to dump his water dish into his bed and also turn his food dish on it's side and when the volunteer opened the door to get the litter - his food dish bounced out onto the floor splashing food and water everywhere. Carmine was snickering - I distinctly heard him. He needs a playmate that will keep him busy. KeeKee is a long hair tortie that is on the lower left. She doesn't particularly like other cats but she does like attention from people. The cat that really is a lap cat/love bug is six year old Tiva. She purrs and rubs and is so friendly; I can't believe she is still waiting for someone to take her home. Polly is a quiet tortie who has been with us for a few months. She has extra toes and when she came in with her litter of kittens most of THEM had extra toes. Her feet look like mittens. She is a calm cat and doesn't mind the racket of people and dogs continually walking by her. Leo and Saber are the two large orange brothers in the middle lower cage. They are six years old and well over twelve pounds each. They like to pounce and play but the space of the kennel is not adequate to a really good wrestle. They spend most of their time snoozing. Cali, approximately one year old, is also waiting patiently. She was found abandoned in an apartment by the apartment manager who brought both her and her kittens in to JoAnne to find homes. The kittens (two orange, two siamese and one black/white) have found loving homes; Cali is a sweet, young kitty. She will find space in someones heart. Smokey (male, five years old) came back to us. He is a beautiful cat and well mannered. He was adopted out but the other cat who was already in the home had other ideas so Smokey has been brought back for re-placement.

There is always something going on in our little corner...some days it's hard to keep up with everything!

Welcome to the NWAC Blog

2008-05-22T10:48:00.000-07:00

This is the first entry of many to come about our non-profit animal shelter serving the Portland/Vancouver metro area.