Andrew Needs a Home

I know I'm still crazy because I so want this dog! And we just got rid of one dog (he's doing great!). LOL This guy looks like such a sweet heart and from the description I have, he is one!

I love the description they have for this cutie patootie.

Part Dog + Part Clydesdale = One Good-Lookin’ Boy Needing a Home!

Well, Andrew is not really part Clydesdale, but he sure walks like one! Andrew is a proud and handsome young man who is very well behaved. He holds his head high on walks with confidence and deliberate steps! He is a gentleman who gets along with other dogs well (cats...not so much!). Andrew is easy-going and will make a wonderful companion for an active single person or family.

Rescued from the streets of Taiwan, Andrew was hairless and in need of medical care. He is very healthy now- he has had full medical exams and treatments both in Taiwan and here in Washington. His DOB is approx November 2004 and he currently weighs 68lbs. He is neutered, current on vaccines, and micro-chipped.

We are looking for a foster or adoptive home.
To meet Andrew, please complete a foster application by linking here: http://www.kindredsoulsfoundation.org/FosterProcess.htm or an adoption application by linking here: http://www.kindredsoulsfoundation.org/AdoptionProcess.htm
To submit applications:

Email to: info@kindredsoulsfoundation.orgFax to: 253-584-4332 (follow up with an email to let us know you faxed to be sure it was received)
Mail to: Kindred Souls Foundation | PO Box 88627 | Steilacoom WA 98388 (follow up with an email to let us know you mailed)

Help Needed for Taiwanese Dogs

I would so love to adopt one of the cute dogs that comes from Taiwan. Every single one I've seen is just adorable.

Kindred Souls Foundation is working to find homes or foster homes for dogs from Taiwan who would otherwise die on the streets. ...

Animal Rescue Team TAIWAN has contacted us to take some dogs who will be put down by the local government-run shelter if they are unable to be sent out of country. ART has secured a chaperone for the dogs on a flight set for Late March (date TBD).
 
This is a cooperative rescue effort between Kindred Souls Foundation and Animal Rescue Team TAIWAN. ART covers all expenses to fly the dogs out of country and provides a full medical work up on the dogs before they leave Taiwan. KSF is only able to help dogs from Taiwan by recruiting new foster homes. Our regular foster homes are kept available to local rescue dogs. Taiwanese street dogs have no chance at life in their country. They suffer terrible acts of abuse and die horrific deaths. EVERY DOG DESERVES TO LIVE!

As a foster parent you are agreeing to love and care for your foster dog until we can find a permanent adoptive home. KSF and ART pay for all medical costs while you foster- you supply the food, transportation to vet appointments (at our vet Chambers Creek in Lakewood), exercise, socialization, play, chin scratches, belly rubs and kisses! KSF remains a support to you during the fostering process and our volunteers help you get prepared for his/her arrival.

All dogs will have a Well Pet Exam once they arrive to the US. We must secure a foster or foster-to-adopt home ASAP to ensure they can make the next flight to Seattle in late March.

SIZE and BREED: Please note that we are not able to tell you how big the puppies will get. While most of the Taiwanese rescue dogs remain small to medium sized adults, we simply do not know how big these puppies will get. We also cannot tell you the breeds- most are Formosan Mountain dog mixes, but as far as what mixes we do not know. To view some of our past Taiwanese rescue dogs (then and now), please link here: http://kindredsoulsfoundation.org/documents/blindnews/ART%20Taiwan_Rescued.htm
 
PROFILES: The puppies have been observed and do very well with other dogs. They are sweet, but timid and will need dedicated foster or foster-to-adopt homes who will work on their socialization (as with any puppy). Keep in mind- these puppies have not been loved and gently handled by kind hands. It usually takes a week for the dogs to acclimate to our weather, smells, sounds, time, and routines. Puppies are not fully potty trained. We are looking for fosters who can spend quality time helping these dogs adjust to their new lives and helping them prepare for their forever families.

DOGS NEEDING HOMES: To view the current referrals and to monitor updates, please follow this link: http://www.kindredsoulsfoundation.org/documents/blindnews/ART_Dogs_inTaiwan.htm
WHY WE WORK WITH ART: http://www.kindredsoulsfoundation.org/documents/blindnews/ART%20Taiwan.htm
If you are interested in fostering or fostering-to-adopt any of these dogs, then please contact us ASAP and we will email you a foster care application or download one from our website: http://www.kindredsoulsfoundation.org/FosterProcess.htm

To submit applications:

Email to: info@kindredsoulsfoundation.orgFax to: 253-584-4332 (follow up with an email to let us know you faxed to be sure it was received)
Mail to: Kindred Souls Foundation | PO Box 88627 | Steilacoom WA 98388 (follow up with an email to let us know you mailed)

I think Vivid is especially beautiful! Someday I WILL get a small dog!!! =)

Goodbye Sweet Boy

Trooper is going to go live with my sister in law in Seattle.

:(

Trooper taking care of me when I was sick.

On the one hand I'm incredibly sad about this. But on the other hand, I'm relieved. I'm relieved that my home will now have three dogs, only one of which is young and rambunctious. I'm relieved that the dog fights that have become more and more frequent will cease.

Even more, I'm relieved and excited for Trooper and all the fun he is going to have. He's going to get two walks a day! My SIL is extremely fit and active and she loves hiking and taking long walks, exactly the type of thing he needs. He'll lose weight and be more calm from all the exercise.

Waiting not so patiently for his food.

She lives alone and he will be an amazing source of comfort and company for her. He was there last week and she cried when she brought him back.

Handsome boy.

And he wasn't too happy to be back either as within five minutes he'd attacked Timber again.

I'm so cute!

He had a wonderful time last week, and gave my SIL SO much joy:

"We get up at 5 AM and walk 30 minutes.  As soon as I sit up, he comes bouncing over to me then runs for the door then back and forth.  As soon as I get the leash, he does his happy dance!  Trooper is afraid of waves, people in parkas and a certain building on Alki (haven’t figured this one out yet).  I got him down the stairs to the ocean this morning but only briefly before the ears went back, tail went between the legs and he was flying back up the stairs.  He’s very different in the morning; I can’t figure out if it’s because we have the whole place to ourselves or because it’s dark… he’s very funny!

We then walk 3 – 5 miles at night.  We had a minor incident last night when a small unknown animal ran out of a bush and over the cement ledge into the water.  Trooper is ridiculously fast but not fast enough for the little animal or my cat-like reflexes which kicked in and prevented both of us from going into the sound!  But don’t think he didn’t actually try to go over the ledge!!

He sleeps on the kitchen floor for the first part of the night but then comes into the living room on the dog bed next to me on the couch.  He spends most of the day sitting on the chair staring out the windows waiting for me to come home. 

He is SO adorable and listens SO well… I didn’t realize how great a dog Trooper is."

I know what a great dog he is when he gets one on one attention and is "working"...

 

  

  

Our adventures in Agility. A very rare site - a malamute agility star!

I will miss him terribly, but my level of anxiety in our home will actually go down. With him gone last week I was much more calm and even let Timber interact a little more with Marshal. And Timber got more attention all week from both me and my hubby.

It's the best thing for all involved. Trooper is not in a good situation for him any longer. And might not have been ever since we introduced a 4th dog. Because even though he was dog number three in our house, he got most of the attention since the other two were so much older and less active. Timber brought a whole new dynamic...and then the baby really caused him to start stressing out.

The good news is that he is still in our family and we'll still be able to hear him and get news about all his fun and active days. I hope he'll remember me when he sees me in the future.

This is an Olympics I can Appreciate

I'm not a big fan of the Olympics. I find them extremely boring. Plus when they're on my favorite shows aren't ... and for a TV addict that is lame.

But these are some Olympics I can appreciate...the Cat-O-lympics! Beaded Tail has some incredibly cute, and competitive, events to showcase.

Apparently it started over at Housecat Confidential, there are obviously a lot of talented cats out there.

 The talent. The grace.

Way more interesting than a bunch of hoomans skating around in a circle.

Memories

Next Saturday I'm taking Marshal to a puppy party to visit new Malamute pups. Looking at their pictures at 5.5 weeks old I am unable to not remember our trips to visit with Trooper when he was just a tiny guy.

Today's Puppies under a car.

Trooper and his brothers/sisters. What is it with being under the car?

One of today's puppies.

Me with my Trooper Bear. I miss that wedding ring. (It was stolen.)



More baby doggy holding.

Who could resist that face!?!

There are so many other photos that remind me of our visit with Trooper.

All of the 'today' pictures belong to Tigzy and you can see all 350+ pics on Flickr.

Trooper Going on Vacation

Well, Trooper and Timber got into it again last night. I had just walked in the front door, handed hubby the car seat with our son inside, and they suddenly went at each others' throats. NO idea why. The only thing I can think of is that we were all sort of bunched up around each other and jealousies brought out the mean in Trooper (he pretty much starts everything).

So hubby is holding Marshal and I've got my hands full with diaper bag, purse, work stuff and we're both trying to break up this big "KILL" fight. Basically we're both sort of kicking at the dogs to break them apart...which does not work.

Finally hubby "dropped" (set down heavily) our boy and got between the two monsters...bad idea. He's now sporting quite the red marks on his upper leg and torso ... technically a dog bite, but thankfully no actual punctures.

These two are going at it to kill. These aren't just "leave me alone" growling or snapping. They are full fledged going for the throat fights.

And yet not one time has any blood been drawn. I suppose we can just be thankful for thick fur and tough skin.

When we finally got them apart, I pulled Timber into the kitchen but he wasn't done fighting and was still growling and barking. I think he just is reacting and not actually instigating. He enjoys his brother and they do play more than they fight (they are hilarious when they play).

So I finally convinced my hubby to let Trooper go visit his aunt Jennifer.

Aunt Jennifer with nephew Marshal and Timber Wolf.

It might only be for one week but if he does okay with her I might lobby for a more permanent status. I love my fluffy boy, please don't misunderstand. But I love my son more. If it had been just me coming in the house by myself with my arms full with my son ... I would have had to let the dogs fight it out. There's no way I'm setting down my boy to break up a dog fight. So I'm supposed to let these dogs kill each other?

Or even worse to consider, what if Marshal got in the middle of the fight by accident someday (especially when he's able to walk)? The dogs didn't bite hubby on purpose...his leg/body got in the way. But it doesn't make the bites less serious.

Who Me?

This dog loves me (as much as any animal can "love") and I know this. He's "my" dog more than my husband's and yet I'm the one who wants to send him away. Because I do love him and feel responsible...he doesn't get enough exercise or attention and his aunt Jennifer can provide this for him.

I bet he loses 10 pounds in one week from all the exercise he'll get!

Cats and Dogs, Worlds Colliding

My little brother has the sweetest dog named Echo. He is a rescue dog labeled as part Rottweiler. Before we actually met him that label made my brother nervous. This would be his very first dog ever. (My mom never let us get a dog when we were kids...just cats.)

Plus my brother gets anxiety attacks, especially with anything new. So you can see how this would have been a stressful experience for him.

That's what big sisters are for, though, and I just forced him to go with my mom and I to the humane society.

This is the "Rottweiler" ... vicious looking isn't he? :)

He will apparently pick either of the cats up by the scruff of their neck and carry them around. hahahahaha My dogs would eat the cats!

Echo just likes the company.

Real or Fake?

I admit...fur coats intrigue me. Especially older ones from a time gone by. I love the feel of fur pelts from hunters as well and always have to touch them when I see them at the fair.

However... I'm not into any and all fur. Nor am I in support of horrifying conditions that many Chinese farms inflict on animals ... including, apparently, dogs. (And yes, I realize there are horrible conditions in some farms here...but that's not the point of this post today...we don't have DOG farms!)

Dog fur may be sold in the United States as "faux" fur ... which truly makes me sick.

The article from Dogster has a link to another article with a video that I refuse to watch because I know it would upset me too much. Someone in the comments said that their "favorite" and most highly prized dog coat was German Shepherd.

China, as a society and government, has little regard for human life so it doesn't surprise me that they would farm dogs (and probably other animals) with such blatant cruelty. It's the same country that forces women to abort female babies (leading to their shortage of females for marriage now!).

I'm not a fan of government laws and regulations but I would not be opposed to stronger labeling regulations for faux fur. The Dogster article has another link to help explain how to recognize fake versus real fur.

R.I.P. Mischief

When my Mother in Law called today and didn't immediately say anything I knew it was bad news.

Mischief had been acting strange lately and had lost a lot of weight. We took him to the emergency vet on Saturday where they did some blood work. The levels associated with his liver were super high and he was extremely jaundiced, something we hadn't noticed at home but was obvious in the office lights.

The vet told my MIL that they might be able to extend his life for a month and might be able to figure out what is wrong with him if they did a Sonogram and a needle Biopsy.

My MIL is on a fixed income and while we would have helped her pay for it she did not want to put Mischief through that. He had stopped eating all together. :( The vet was not hopeful.

So around 3:30 p.m. my sweet little Mischief crossed over the Rainbow Bridge to heaven. He was the sweetest and most cuddly kitty who still remembered me when I visited. He loved to rub up against my leg (and still ran away from hubby LOL). He kept my MIL company as she fought her Leukemia.

It's very sad ... he was only 11 years old. =(

A previous post with some sweet pictures.

Breaking My Heart

How can people be so cruel? The title of this post is so true...Neglect IS abuse! I don't know how anyone could just ignore an animal to this point.

I feel bad if I don't greet my dogs. The other day I went to bed and realized that I had not petted Trooper ONCE the whole evening and I felt horrible. Granted, he'll be ignored quite a bit when papa starts working nights, but never to the point of endangering his life. And I do plan to try to take him for walks with the boy on the weekends - not to mention the attention he will get from daddy on his days off.

But even the lack of attention for my dogs makes me sad. ... And really they aren't truly ignored or neglected.

Humans always have the amazing capacity to shock and outrage me with their cruelty. We are such an imperfect species. At the same time there are such amazing people who take the cruelty head on and try to make it right. God bless those folks!

Animal Photography

Browsing my Entrecards today I came across a post on Cat on My Head (love that title!) and she has a photo that just made me stop and stare. It's very powerful.

Isn't that awesome??? I wish the photos of my animals turned out so wonderfully.

Although I do like this photo of Timber I took the other day. Daddy was putting together the human puppy's Jeep walker and Timber wanted to help.

He's not much of a worker though. :)

What is YOUR Dog Doing?

One of my favorite blogs is Two Nervous Dogs. She's got a great sense of humor and snark, which I love. And her dog is spoiled like a princess, which I also love.

I hadn't visited in awhile so I don't know what kind of trouble the doggy was getting into, but apparently a doggy cam was implemented to see what she was up to. It's brilliant!

If I thought a camera would survive at all on one of our dogs I'd totally do this. :)

O.M.G. Cutest Thing Ever

Knowing huskies the way I do, this video just melts my heart. Of course, my huskies would never be this nice to a kitty...but it's nice to know that the species can co-exist at times.

Sixth Sense or Just Super Sensitive?

You decide...is this dog displaying a sixth sense and realizing that there's an earthquake coming before it happens? Or is he just super sensitive and feels the rumbling before the humans could tell what was happening.



Whichever it is, the video is still eerie.

My dogs don't seem that sensitive. Every earthquake they've gone through, they've done nothing. No super senses or warnings to us. No extra barking. Although we didn't have Timber through an earthquake yet...so maybe he'll be more sensitive. He does bark more and seems to sense when people or dogs are "threatening" his territory.

Very Bad Dog

I was ready to put Quinn down last night (I'm only joking...but I was ticked).

Hubby called and told me that he found her chewing on my COACH wallet!!!!!! The little brat. It wasn't on the floor or easily accessible. She had to pull it off my desk. And it's completely ruined. No salvaging it.

It's not like I paid full price for it but it's over $150 wallet (No, I did not pay that, or anywhere near it...thank you Outlet store!). Hubby says he'll buy me a new one. But it still ticks me off.

I wouldn't be mad at her if I thought it was my fault...like if it were on the floor or something. She's just being a pill.

In her younger and thinner years (this is her adoption picture).

She probably is bored, but she doesn't have enough strength or stamina to go on walks. She gets bones every once in awhile but her teeth are pretty delicate. And she can't really "play" because she can hardly walk. So what are we supposed to do? She obviously has enough stamina to get into trouble and 'eat' things she's not supposed to. Maybe just walking her a few hundred feet is enough to tire her out enough.

All I know is she was *this* close to sleeping outside in the rain (again, not really...my bark is worse than my bite).

Voting Continues

Just a reminder, that voting is still going on over at Art by Karie-Ann Cooper. I'd appreciate any vote for my Trooper Bear boy...either Entry One or Entry Two. I'm partial to the second one, but they're both pretty good.

Here's another pic of him with my little cousin. He outweighs her! LOL When she and her sister spent a few days with us before Christmas I was a little nervous about the dogs but they did GREAT with them and it gives me hope for out baby boy when he's older. =)

Back to Bed

My little boy slept in his own room last night for the very first time. :( It was very sad for me. But a very happy occasion for the dogs and hubby.

Of course, I didn't sleep well because I was worried about Marshal...but Timber didn't help me any as he went right back to his old habit of sleeping on my legs. Why not daddy's legs? Why mine?!?

It was pretty cute this morning when I got up ... Timber was curled up at daddy's head and sleeping like a baby. Of all the dogs, he is the most cuddly and sensitive - and extremely attached to hubby.

I still want my baby boy in my room...but I guess I have to start letting go already. :( *sniff*

Vote for Trooper

I had totally forgotten, but last summer I entered two photos of Trooper in a contest with an artist named Karie Ann-Cooper...the prize is one of her incredibly beautiful pieces of artwork - made from the winning photo.

Voting started on the 1st and Trooper has two photos (Entry One and Entry Two) you can vote for. I'd be so honored if you would vote for Trooper Bear, who has had a very rough few months. :)

All you need to do is leave a comment in the particular photo with the word "vote". I'll post reminders periodically.