Eating Ice Cream and Getting Slimed

Eating food can be a dangerous task around here. Our dinner table has only been used for eating a few times. We eat on the couch and the dogs are happy with that - it means more chances for scraps. Though rarely from me - papa is the worst at falling for their puppy dog eyes.

I do have a bad habit though (only one!). When I eat ice cream I let the dogs have the empty container (because let’s jut be honest…I never eat part of a container!) so they’ve come to expect that.

Trooper waits patiently … staring at me with his tongue hanging out.

And the drool pooling!

It’s really gross. I didn’t realize that he was part St Bernard!!!

What is THAT?

Once again Quinn and daddy will be making the trip to the vet, more than 30 minute away from our house.

I took her on a walk on Sunday afternoon (she’s looking a little chunky and ever since Bullet arrived she hasn’t gotten a lot of attention) … so we’re going along at a super slow old lady pace and she’s panting and I see something a little ‘off’ in her mouth. It almost looked like her teeth were sticking out somehow.

On closer examination I realized that she had some weird growth on her lips!

My poor baby girl. Getting old sucks.

I don’t know what the growths are…I’m hoping it’s something easy that the vet can easily remove or treat without too much effort. I don’t want to put her through a ton of traumatic testing or procedures. She’s already at the point where she doesn’t like the vet office. *sigh*

She still seems to have energy and is very alert. I think the walk was a little tough because by the end she was walking behind me. Slowly. The arthritis in her back must be worse - and her weight doesn’t help. Papa need to be more careful about the amount of food he gives her.

Making Progress

Trooper and I are doing fairly good in our agility training…at least in my opinion. I’ve gained confidence in the last few weeks with my handling and I think that Trooper has really started to get it - watching me to know where he needs to go and recognizing word commands.

He had been doing the Weave Poles perfectly two weeks ago but now he will do half of them and then think he’s done and stop weaving. The goof ball. So it’s more practice doing the weave pole dance (this involves lots of treats and specific placement of my feet and hands) until he can do it perfectly again.

The table and A-frame are his favorites…probably because he gets so many treats on both of those exercises. We’re working on touches when he comes down on A Frame. He’s so big that he can jump off and out of the proper area in one stride (the dogs have to stay on the various objects down to the bottom or end and get docked if they jump over or off).

On the other hand I am having a hard time visualizing when and where to do front and rear crosses. Simple ones I can figure out but when the instructor asks where we’d put a cross I go completely blank! It’s really frustrating. And confuses Trooper when I am trying to move quickly and guide him at the same time.

We have another agility demo coming up this Saturday and I hope I do a better job than I did last time. I also hope the course is a little larger too.

Apparently when I run I stick my butt out. Ha! Which is funny because I used to run with a straight back. I need to work on that.

Yesterday’s class went really well. There were SO many dogs that we were split up into mini groups within our groups and one of the trainers asked me to watch over my group. It was scary but kind of cool that she’d ask me to do that. Not that my group needed watching over…it was the more advanced group.

I really am kind of hoping that they’ll move me up soon to the more advanced class. I think that Trooper can handle more difficult tasks and I hope that I’m up to learning new things.

The Zoo is a Zoo

Phew…it’s been crazy around here lately. My friend and coworker died and things were very emotional and exhausting from Friday when I got to say goodbye to Monday when I found out she died that night.

My dogs are wonderful stress release though and having a sleek puppy snuggle with me is very therapeutic.

I’m a horrible foster mom. And hubby is turning into a bad foster dad. We have allowed (okay, encouraged) Bullet to sleep in our bed with us. Both of us always wanted a dog to cuddle up at night in our own bed. I’m not sure why but that’s just us. Unfortunately none of our furry babies want anything to do with us once it’s bed time. They get warm in cool weather so curling up on a bed with blankets and two humans is not their idea of fun.

Bullet on the other hand LOVES to snuggle as close as she possibly can - to the point that her head is under our pillow. It’s the cutest thing!

Of course she’s ruined for her next home (if we ever let her go!).

I took her yesterday to the new low cost spay and neuter clinic in Tacoma. It’s called Coalition Humane and it seems like a nice little clinic. It is a fairly well oiled machine. I had to work but was able to take her in at their drop off time at 8 a.m. Pick ups are at 7:30 a.m. so people picking up were crowded and waiting for their babies. I filled out a small amount of paper work and paid for her surgery and shots. We never did get her original shot records and have to have them for adoption (not to mention puppy daycare).

What a miserable night we had!!! I was SO sad that she wasn’t there when we went to bed. No sweet puppy cuddling last night. Or tonight for that matter because I don’t want her to jump off the bed - she’s not supposed to jump for 7 days. Yeah right!

She was happy to get home that’s for sure.

She was also extremely (extremely!) constipated. Is that normal??? (Paging Dr. Ferrox!) I mean so badly that we were out there for a good 5 minutes while she tried to squeeze it out (sorry to be gross but it was only 1/2 way out and she was starting to CRY!!!). When we got back in I swear she felt sweaty.

I have her corralled in one of those adjustable gate style pens in the living room. She’s been sleeping pretty much all day - mostly because I won’t let her out to do anything else. I think all the dogs are enjoying the quiet though. ha!

I can’t imagine I’ll be able to keep her content and quiet for 7 days though. She’s a puppy with a LOT of energy! I want to take her for a walk but can’t belly wrap her right now so that will be tough. We’ll see how she does the next couple of days. Thankfully someone will be home nearly all the time so she won’t be alone.

Happy Birthday Trooper Bear!

My sweet boy Trooper Bear turns two years old tomorrow. I cannot believe it’s been that long!!!

Just a baby!

Just a few months old - around 6 - in his first experience with snow!

He used to sleep on the fireplace bricks - he’s too big to fit now but he still lays his head on them. And still sticks his tongue out. It’s SO cute!

It was kind of traumatic, getting him home. He had diarrhea twice before we even got out of the breeder’s driveway. So the kennel was disgusting and I ended up holding him on my lap the whole way home. That was a bit nerve jarring.

When we got home he was tired but excited. By the time we had him in this little makeshift kennel area he was tuckered out. But he still had strength, even at 8 weeks old, to knock over the walls! Hence the use of papa’s weights to hold it up and not let it move around the kitchen.

Trooper’s presence in our lives has been a blessing from God that I cannot even fully describe. I’m sure most who read this blog understand the bond between a person and their pet. My bond with Trooper is stronger than I’ve ever had with any other animal. I love my other two dogs, don’t get me wrong. But Trooper is special. As my husband says… He’s “my” dog. He loves his papa, but he’s a mama’s boy.

His first few weeks home with us were stressful. My husband got VERY ill and was so sick that he couldn’t even get up to take Trooper out to potty during the day. We’ll eventually be getting our carpet replaced. We’re used to the stains by now though. ha!

Night was a challenge because we were determined to crate train…Trooper was determined to not let us sleep. He would howl like I’ve never heard an animal howl. As if he were being severely beaten. Then he’d get his little baby puppy jaw stuck in one of the crate holes and that sound was gut wrenching. I’d hop out of bed, quick like a bunny, and unstick it for him. Thankfully he grew too big to get his jaw through the holes! We only maintained the crate bedtime routine until he was potty trained.

His bed now a days is a spot directly under me under our bed. He scoots down and does a stomach crawl to get there. He’s huge and yet he loves sleeping in his cave.

If you ever decide to buy a dog from a breeder, please do super careful research and ALWAYS visit the breeder’s location first. I can’t stress that enough. I’m reading a book right now about puppy mills, that I will review later, that tears my heart apart. I am always grateful that we found an amazing breeder who does a wonderful and responsible job with her dogs. Thank you Carmen of Gryphen Mals!!!

Trooper’s daddy’s name is Hooch and I think he might have inherited his love of all things alcoholic from his papa.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TROOPER BEAR CASTO!

Double Trouble

Life is as crazy as ever at our Zoo.

Bullet and Trooper get along like lifelong pals and are causing all sorts of mischief. Bullet really enjoys sticks and they’ve both discovered that if you dig down a little bit in the dirt you can find roots that are fun to tug on.

*arg!*

So these stinkers dig and dig and create an unholy mess (and Trooper gets allllll muddy) to try to get at these roots. It’s hilarious but annoying.

Then they run around the yard like crazy dogs. Trooper gets hot fast and so he gets in his pool to cool down…and then proceeds to run in the dirt. He got groomed yesterday but I have a feeling the clean and pretty smelling fur won’t exist when I get home tonight.

They play pretty roughly and I’m really super impressed that Trooper hasn’t hurt Bullet. I’m so not used to a dog with so little fur. His mouth is as big as her head and he looks like he’s killing her but there’s not a mark on her. It’s remarkable how gentle he is with her. He is never that gentle with Quinn - grabbing the back of her neck and shaking. Although there really isn’t any fur to grab onto with Bullet. Ha!

Here is a video from her first full day with us. When I tell her not to be rude she had snuck up on me and stuck her nose up my bum. Ha ha ha!

Quinn is not nearly as thrilled with our little Bullet girl. She doesn’t like it when other dogs play and often tries to break it up. It’s hilarious. She’s constantly “talking” to Bullet like she is trying to make sure she learns the rules of the house. Like don’t bother Kodiak.

And of course one more video from her first day. I have another video on my camera that I need to download.

They are going non stop. First thing when they get up in the morning they start wrestling. *grin* It’s so cute but we need to teach them to calm down and sit quietly at some point!

I'm Falling In Love

Someone better adopt this little sweetheart fast because she is melting our hearts like butter. I swear she is one of the sweetest dogs ever.

Of course, on Friday evening I was already wishing someone would adopt her that night! LOL She is non-stop active. She even wore out Trooper, our two year old Malamute, who is higher energy than any other dog we’ve ever had. Now he knows how Quinn feels when he refuses to leave her alone.

Meet Bullet.

She is a 10 month old Weimeraner puppy who loves to be loved. This girl is a cuddler and when she does finally stop moving she cuddles up next to me and tries to get as close as she possibly can without being physically in my lap completely…though her head ended up in my lap last night as she slept before bedtime. I think if I let her she’d climb right up and be a huge lap dog.

She knows several commands and knows her name…and she’s housebroken which is an added bonus! Bullet can sit, leave it, drop it, and sometimes stay if she’s not being too wiggly. She takes treats very gently from my hand though seems to think it’s okay to check out what’s on the counters.

Hubby has nick named her Meercat because she will stand up at the window sill and peer out … she looks like a Meercat - practically standing straight up. It’s so cute. I tried getting a decent photo but this one of her on the couch is the best I did.

She looks HUGE there, but she’s really only about 40 pounds. I can see her ribs!!! I’ve never seen our dogs’ ribs…I can hardly feel our dogs ribs. When we first got her I wasn’t really even sure how to pet her. I’m used to three inches of fur between skin and fingers and here she is sleek and silky steel gray fur right up front. Her skin is apparently very strong though because she and Trooper have been rough housing non stop and the worst she’s gotten is slobbered on.

Bedtime is quite easy and painless. She knows her crate and knows the command to go “night night” which is the same command we use for our dogs. She doesn’t always want to go ‘night night’ but she hasn’t fought me too hard yet. She hasn’t been waking up in the middle of the night but OUR dogs have so we let her out at the same time. She knows the command “go potty” though gets quickly distracted with the other dogs around.

She will need a firm but gentle alpha leader because if she’s allowed to do whatever she wants she will take over. Weimeraners are very strong willed and extremely smart. Thankfully I’ve had experience with that kind of mentality in dogs. I’m always alpha!

And she’ll need a little work on her manners. She jumps up when first meeting someone and has to be told “off” several times. As mentioned above she also counter surfs. For a family with other dogs she’ll need some correcting because she doesn’t seem to grasp the concept of not sharing. Trooper corrected her this morning (many yelps were heard but no blood seen!) when she got too close to his food. Quinn corrected her Saturday night when she got too close to Quinn’s bone. It’s just a learning process.

She has no respect for personal space, that is for sure. Which I find hilarious because Trooper really never did either, though he’s gotten better.

I really wouldn’t recommend her for a family with very small children - though I do think she would make an amazing and excellent family dog. Especially for an active family who likes to go on long walks and hikes. And a family with another active dog would be even better - the only thing keeping me sane is Trooper’s ability to wrestle with her for 6-8 hours in a day.

I’ve submitted the information on Bullet to Ginger’s Pet Rescue and she should be available to adopt soon. I hope it’s sooner rather than later because I could seriously get attached to this sweet girl.

Dog Food Warning - Nutro's "Nature's Choice"

Just when we thought the madness was over there appears to be another suspected dog food scare out there. It’s really disheartening to me that pet food companies seem to only care about the bottom line and disregard the love people have for their pets. Animals have become family members and while human children are protected through the FDA (as protected as any government agency can make us) animal food has no such oversight.

The warning about Nutro’s Nature Choice comes via the cat/dog Log and her work with a rescue organization in Florida. Apparently several dogs have died and the believed cause is this food. Sadly Nutro has shut out all inquiries and is not communicating about this scary issue.

Nutro’s “Nature Choice” line of food is highly suspected in the deaths of six dogs in Florida in the past month. Two Rottweilers and a German Shepherd from one household, and three German Shepherds in another household all consumed this product and then died within 48 hours.

Considering the fact that I am bringing a new dog into my house and will need to pick a food for her, this scares me so much. I want to pick a lower cost food than what I feed my dogs (because honestly we can barely afford their food!) but want it to also be healthy. I may have considered Nutro!!! Not anymore of course.

Always use the utmost care when picking your dogs food. The more natural the better, of course. But always read the ingredients and look for things like ‘meal’ or ‘by-product.’ Those are not high quality ingredients. Even treats need to be reviewed carefully.

*chicken by-product meal - an inferior source of protein made from necks, feet, intestines, etc.
*Fish meal - Like with all other animal sources, if a type isn’t specified, you never know what type or quality of fish is used.

The Dog Food Project has a nice list of ingredients to avoid with your pet’s food. I know it can be expensive to feed healthy food to our animals, however I try to look at the long term benefits. Over time, poor nutrition can have a significant negative long term results that can require even more money to treat.

I want what is best for my dogs and the dogs in my care. I wish dog food manufacturers felt the same way.

Our First Foster Dog

Well, it looks like we were approved as foster doggy parents. Woohoo!

Hubby is still hesitating and not excited but once he sees a 9 month old puppy Weimaraner he’ll get over it. I still need to set up a time to pick up the little darling, but hopefully we will get her this week. She will come with her crate and toys, which is nice, though we do have extras.

I’m excited…and a little nervous. Trooper is just now calming from his puppy stages and I’m sure that this new puppy will have some issues - seeing as how she’s leaving her family and coming to a strange new place. She’s also not spayed but the rescue organization will pay for that.

It sounds like Weimaraners are headstrong and willful. Gee, I wonder what that’s like? Ha! I can’t imagine a dog as headstrong and stubborn as a Malamute or Husky.

Now the plan is to ease Hubby into the idea within the next 24 hours. *crossing my fingers* I know that once we get into a routine he’ll be fine. It’s just getting used to the idea of a temporary dog.

*gulp*

I’ll definitely update here and post photos if we do finally get her home. I have a feeling she’ll be adopted out pretty quickly. Have you seen Weimaraners? They are gorgeous!!!

Out of Their Misery

*** You may not want to read this post or view the video if you are particularly sensitive. =) ***

Hubby and I went on a fishing trip yesterday and had a blast! We went Saturday night and stayed the night in a moderately dive-ish room but it was better than waking up at 1 a.m. to drive two hours and be at the docks no later than 4 a.m. Westport is a town on the coast of Washington. It’s a tourist town but mostly a fishing town so the “tourist” stores were actually closed by 6:30 p.m. on a Saturday. It was weird. I did buy Salt Water Taffy and Sea Foam though. Yummy!

We woke up at 3 a.m., got ready, and walked to the docks to check in with the Charter company. It brought back SO many memories. My father used to take me fishing when I was a little girl - he’d wake me up when it was still dark out, make me some buttered toast wrapped in a paper towel and hot chocolate, and we’d head out to sea. My mom says that I loved rough weather and would come home talking about all the “rocks” we hit. *grin*

The day didn’t start out rocky but boy by the time we came back in it was super rough. The boat was rocking so much that I couldn’t see the horizon at several points.

But I had so much fun. I finally found my sea legs and was able to stand up without falling over - though walking is always tough. I get wobbly on a plane!

I caught the first fish of the day!!! =) Though the boys on the boat didn’t think it counted because it was “just” a flounder. They were just mad that a girl caught the first fish. Ha! I wasn’t the last one to catch a flounder though - two others were caught as well.

Hubby caught the biggest fish of the day though and it was a salmon!!! It was SO exciting and I am so proud of him. Hubby gets sea sick so I’m not really sure why he even suggested we take this trip. He never wants to do it again of course, but is happy with his catch.

**** WARNING - This video *is* a little graphic. Nothing bloody or anything but if you are extra sensitive to fishy feelings you may want to avoid watching. My mother in law thought it was mean…but she’ll enjoy the salmon once its cooked! ***

Now…I asked why they hit it on the head with that big pipe thing because it did shock me a little. I hadn’t been fishing for a long time and forgot that they do that sort of thing. But it’s for two good reasons. The fish can’t breath out of the water so it’s just suffering more if it’s not knocked out right away. Two, it can actually hurt people if it’s flopping around the boat. Trust me, even the smaller fish get in the way if they flop around under people’s feet. So while it seems mean (my MIL was horrified) it really is better than letting it suffocate to death.

They filleted it when we got back to the docks and we are going to be feasting on salmon for a long time. It was a fatty!

I caught 11 Sea Bass and Nick lost count of how many bass he caught. There were only three other salmon caught, but hubby’s was the biggest. Woohoo!!!

Here’s me with one of my Bass - I’m sure my papa was smiling down on me from heaven with pride. And my grandma too. She was quite the fisher-woman herself.

Needless to say, we’ll be eating a LOT of bass. I don’t even know how to cook bass.

Hubby says it’s the last trip he will ever go on - he was so sick last night it would have been funny if it hadn’t been so pathetic. I was a bit dizzy (and exhausted) but at least I wasn’t sick. If you are interested in reading more details and seeing more pics please feel free to visit my other blog where I’ll be posting lots of pictures.

Think About Fostering

As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve applied to be a foster dog parent. I talked to hubby about it and while he’s not as thrilled about it as I am he didn’t say no, which is as good as a yes in my book.

So now I’m starting to think about all the things I’ll need to do and how to act with a new dog who will be a temporary member of our pack.

Commenter, 14 Karat, who I’m guessing found me from Rachel Lucas‘ blog *grin* had a lot of advice and totally overwhelmed me. LOL Not that it takes a lot to overwhelm me.

Some of the advice seems completely opposite to what I had intended to do, which scares me! I welcome any and all advice and want this to be a conversation so I’m going to take some of 14k’s comments and give my thoughts. In no way am I discounting 14k’s thoughts or try to pick on her. Her experience is invaluable and I just want to learn!!!

“Plan to be at home all the time.”
That just isn’t going to happen. I work away from home 4 days a week. Luckily, my husband’s schedule varies so there will be times when he will be home while I’m at work. However there will be “away” days when we’re both gone. We don’t allow our own dogs to stay home by themselves for too many days in a row. They will either go to Daycare or grandma will come over to dog sit. We’ll probably ‘hire’ grandma to watch the doggies but I don’t expect her to handle a strange dog. We’ll have to have a family meeting about that. And of course it depends on the dog too.

“Avoid looking your new animal directly in the eyes for awhile.”
I totally get this one. However, what about establishing pack leadership? I’m used to disciplining my dogs, two of whom have only lived with us since the age of 8 weeks old. We flip them on their backs. We put our mouths over their muzzles, punishing them in dog language. I would never do this to a strange dog of course. But how am I supposed to establish dominance as the pack leader? I can’t let another dog get away with things that I wouldn’t allow from my own. So how do I do this?

“Make sure you are around the dog when it gets fed, and don’t let kids around until you are sure it won’t bite you at feeding time.”
No problem there. We feed all our dogs at one time and in their assigned areas. We don’t have kids so that’s not an issue. I had planned to train the foster dog the same way I did with Trooper and Kodiak. Quinn doesn’t have to work for her food. =) She’s an old lady.

Trooper is required to lay down and wait for his food until I release him. I don’t make Kodiak work all the time because it’s harder for him with his bad legs but if I think he’s being too excited or hyper I make him sit and “leave it” until I say “get it.”

Of course, these things took a few minutes (*grin*) to get them to do but are absolutely necessary parts of feeding 3 dogs at once. Plus I always feed Kodiak before Trooper so that Trooper knows he’s not alpha over him.

So I’m torn about how to feed a 4th dog. Do I make Trooper wait until I feed the new dog? I don’t necessarily want him to be “lower” in the pack than a new dog but I also don’t want him to think he’s alpha. We’ll have to create a separate place to feed the new dog and we have one of those moveable gate things that we can use in the kitchen.

“Keep the dog outside or in a kennel; don’t allow any foster animal on your furniture or on your bed.”
This one is one I’m not sure I can deal with. I want to train a dog who can become a family member for someone and to me that means being inside. All of our dogs sleep with us in the bedroom. They all have their “spots” on the floor but are allowed on the bed if they want (though Trooper is the only one who can actually jump that high and the other two don’t like it up there). I don’t anticipate letting a new dog up on the bed.

It will be difficult, if not impossible, to restrict the couch though. It’s pretty much FOR our dogs. In fact, Kodiak is curled up there right now sleeping soundly. Is it okay to restrict one dog when the other three don’t have those restrictions? Won’t that confuse them?

And the only time I anticipate the dog being in the outside kennel is when we are both away from home. The other three dogs will be in the house and the foster will be outside. The other alternative is to have the foster dog in the kitchen in either a crate (if we can properly acclimate them to a crate) or the moveable gate/fence thing.

We are one of those families who believe that family dogs belong inside with their pack. Unless they are a farm dog or something and even then I have a hard time seeing a dog constantly outside and not allowed to be part of the pack.

“No human food. Period.”
No problem there. I’m always yelling at hubby not to feed the dogs from his plate. It drives me bonkers!

“Provide only specific toys, and don’t tussle with the dog. If it seems aggressive at all it won’t be adoptable.”
I don’t tussle. =) Hubby does but I won’t let him with a foster. What do you mean with specific toys? You mean don’t let him share with the other dogs? Toys may present an interesting issue with us. Trooper LOVES his toys and he tends to try to take the other dogs’ toys. We actually have gotten pretty good at preventing this over time but he still has his moments. We’ll have to police this very carefully.

“Be careful about hugging your dog, since this can be seen as aggression.”
Gotcha. I hug my three dogs all the time but I didn’t start hugging Quinn until we were more used to her and she to us. I know she’d never hurt me. But I’d never hug a strange dog.

“Try to help the dog minimize exposure to behaviors the ancourage barking (for us it was people moving in a herd and really loud noises when they were kenneled. I had to build a privacy fence).”
Hmmm…I guess we’ll have to figure this out as it occurs. We’ve never had to deal with barking before because Huskies and Mals aren’t real big ‘barkers’ … they do talk though.

I’ve never had to deal with a barker. Other than when Trooper was a puppy in his crate - which we ignored for two weeks straight until it stopped. Our neighbors said they never heard anything. We may have to get advice on stopping a barker. I’ve watched the Dog Whisperer but I’m no Caesar. =)

“Try to use their name and touch them whenever you can.”
ABSOLUTELY!!!! Every time I’ve had a new animal I say their name constantly … all the time. When I got my new kitten I would sit there and pet it and say its name over and over and over again as I pet. Same with Trooper and Kodiak. Quinn came with her name. LOL

Phew…it’s a lot of information to digest. I’m nervous and excited at the same time. I already have chatted with our agility trainer and have permission to bring another dog along and we can pay a few extra dollars to have some training while I work with Trooper. I plan to practice walks and loose leash. Trooper is going to be very jealous. Ha! It’ll be good for him.

I look forward to a continuing discussion about this new adventure. =D

Independence Day - Help Grant Freedom

While most of us will be celebrating this 4th of July with BBQs, hotdogs, fireworks, and a cold drink or two…animals at our local shelter will be facing off with the clock. Don’t wait until after the holiday if you have plans to adopt.

Go visit today or tomorrow and bring a new family member home.

Herd County animal shelter in Georgia has the most beautiful little Siamese kitty. I wish I could bring her home! Trooper would enjoy her as a snack. She would make a wonderful companion, as would the other sweet kitties and doggies in danger of being put down this Friday.

And Saving Shelter Pets needs your help!!! They have 52 - FIFTY TWO - puppies to rescue and transport. That is a lot of sweet, adorable, and adoptable puppies to save.

Look at that face!!! My heart melts. If you can spare it, please make a special Puppy Promises donation. I donated $25 yesterday and wish it could be $2,500! So far, most of the sales from my Etsy shop have gone directly to SSP. Don’t tell my hubby!

Thank you Hounds Good for your hard work to find these animals homes or rescue. You have inspired me so much in the last few months and I put in my application yesterday to be a foster mom. =) I’m nervous but excited and hope that I can make a difference and save lives! The minute I get approved I am going to start blogging about our experience.

Oh and I’ll also be asking for help and advice!!! =D LOL You can be sure of that.

A Different Kind of Foster Parent

I would love to foster a dog. It would help me get that “new dog” itch scratched but not truly tie us to having 4 dogs full time. I *think*.

It would also be really hard for me to let go if I got attached. And I don’t see how I wouldn’t get attached. I get attached to the dogs at Agility and they don’t come home with me.

Ginger’s Pet Rescue is looking for volunteers to foster small and large dogs. She will be getting 10 small dogs (under 20 pounds) and several larger dogs (over 50 pounds) this coming weekend. Can you help?

Most of the dogs are under three years old, are spayed/neutered, and up to date on shots. I’d really like to foster one or two of the larger dogs. I need to talk to hubby about it first though.

We’ve never fostered a dog. We have rescued a couple of dogs off the road and held them until we found their owners…but we’re talking hours not days, weeks, or months. Fostering a dog is a big responsibility, but is something that can mean life or death to a dog stuck in a kill shelter.

Have you ever fostered an animal? Or do you know someone who has? What are some tips that you can share?

Do you think it would be traumatic for our other dogs to have a new adult dog enter the pack, only to leave it later?

Too Hot For Living Souls

Today in the Pacific Northwest it is in the 90s. It’s a “dry” heat, which means absolutely nothing to me except that I know humidity is just more miserable. We’re not used to this kind of weather though. Summer has been slow in coming, and while I was getting tired of clouds, this heat is no fun for me or the dogs.

Animals can so easily overheat in this kind of weather. I was sick to my stomach yesterday as I drove home. I saw two different trucks with their dogs in the back beds. The dogs looked absolutely miserable - completely out in the open with no shelter (not to mention no security…but that’s another topic altogether) and I presume no water. Their tongues hanging out, panting so heavily I just wanted to roll down my window and yell at the drivers. It was worse because it was stop and go traffic on the freeway - it just seems hotter surrounded by all that pavement.

I was thinking about those dogs this afternoon when I took Quinn with me to the Post Office. I’m sure someone thought I was being abusive to her - taking her out in this heat. What they don’t know is that Quinn LOVES heat. Seriously LOVES it. She will lay out on our deck even in the hottest weather and won’t come in unless we force her. She was born in a hotter climate (Spokane, WA has much hotter summers) but she’s still a black and white dog. She will come in panting like mad but she just loves it. I wonder if the heat feels good on her old bones.

Anyway, my point is that I know my dogs and I knew that she could handle the short trip to the Post Office. I left all the windows down (it wasn’t too busy so I felt safe doing that) and could see her from the post office as I waited in line. I watched her carefully and was prepared to go back out if she looked distressed. She didn’t even pant for the first few minutes. And she purposely stayed in the sun with her head hanging out the window. She’s so cute. By the time I got out to my car (no more than 10 minutes) she was panting (not heavily) but still in the sun with head hanging out. I offered her a drink of water from my water bottle and she wasn’t that interested.

I know how my dogs react to heat. I could never have taken Trooper or Kodiak on that short trip. Both would have been absolutely miserable. I also know Quinn’s limits and if I’d left her much longer she would not have been comfortable. All animals have different tolerances.

We can’t even walk the dogs in this weather. In 70 degree heat they get so hot that after we’re done they go immediately to their kiddie pool. Trooper and Kodiak spar to see who can get in and dig around the fastest. It’s hilarious.

Quinn rarely gets in the pool.

So now, in this heat, we have our small air conditioner (window unit in the bedroom) going full blast with the fan blowing on high and the dogs are still inside panting. Our house gets full on sun until around 4 p.m. so it heats up very hot. I need to get curtains to keep the sun out and keep the house cooler. The only reason we got the AC unit was for Trooper. Before we got it the house would get to over 100 degrees. With all his extra fur he’d probably get heat stroke.

While the dogs are miserable, my cats are in heaven. They love to sun bathe and at their new house with grandma I hear they are enjoying laying by the sliding glass door in the sun even in this hot weather. But even cats can get overheated.

Stay cool everyone!

A Home for Every Cat

I talk a lot about dogs here but I have a secret…I used to be terrified of dogs! I grew up with cats.

My mom tells a story about my dad, who did not want a pet, coming home and tossing a new kitten on the table and saying “here.” What a sweetie. LoL But I of course was in heaven. I’ve always loved cats. My mom brought one home once from the grocery store where someone was giving them away. I named him Izzy and he’s still alive 18 years later…though last I saw of him he was looking pretty ragged. Once I moved out he became an outdoor cat (much to my dismay) and the neighborhood Tom cat. He was a tough kid.

We had several other cats as I grew up but they didn’t survive long. One disappeared and mom told us that he probably crawled away and died…but who knows if another animal got him.

And of course my favorite kitty in the whole wide world was Sherbert. I was volunteering at the pound and he jumped from his cage onto my leg and it was instant love. He was the cutest little kitten and full of spunk. Of course my other two cats hated him but he grew up to be the boss. He had long orange hair and even won an award at a cat show as a kitten (though we didn’t make it a career…two shows was enough for us). Sadly, my sweet Sherbert snuck out of the house one night - he was too smart for his own good. He never came home. We found some fur and that’s it. I walked the neighborhood for hours and passed out fliers. I was desperate and sobbing.

I mention this just to show that I’m not all about the dogs…well, I am now, but I haven’t always.

So when I see kitties in need I get that longing to adopt again…though with our current Zoo it isn’t a good idea unless that cat is a Puma. =D I think Sherbert would have put Trooper in his place but Mischief and Jazmyn were too passive. They’re enjoying themselves at their grandma’s new home.

Then I found this amazing Home for cats and my heart just soared! An entire home just for kitties!!! I wish every unwanted kitty could live in their own home in peace and comfort. Old cats, sick cats, feral cats - cats that people don’t want or can’t take care of can live their lives.

If you’d like to donate to Caroline’s Kids your donation is tax deductible. They have some amazing expenses - they go through 2,400 pounds of liter a month!!!! WOW!

I wish I could do something amazing like this. My dream is to have a special farm where unwanted doggies can be safe and happy. Maybe one day.

When Cute Isn't Good

When you enter the house does your dog go a little nuts? Or does your dog go bananas?

Our dogs get really excited, but usually Quinn is just excited to be let outside to relieve her old lady bladder. Other than running to the back door to let her out I don’t greet my dogs in any exceptional way (usually). If they are acting extremely hyper I ignore them completely…not even saying hi until they calm down.

When I have to let them out of their kennel in the back yard they start jumping up and down (they seem to think they’re bunnies and not dogs) and yelping or howling. But until they sit down quietly they don’t get let out. I don’t say a word. I just stand there and look at them until they quite down.

My aunt was telling me about her dog, Lacey, and how cute it was that she misses her mommy so much. It turns out that Lacey was keeping my uncle up until all hours of the morning because my aunt was out late at an event. And when she finally got home Lacey followed her all around the house and wouldn’t let her out of her sight.

Cute? Maybe. But also unhealthy. The level of anxiety that Lacey felt was bad for her and bad for my uncle who had to get up at 5 a.m.

Of course, when my aunt got home she gave Lacey instant attention - petting and coddling her and reinforcing Lacey’s anxiety. And anxious dogs can become destructive dogs.

Being the quiet and shy person I am, I of course told my aunt that she should ignore Lacey when she gets home until Lacey is quiet and calm. We’ll see if that happens. Sometimes people LIKE the anxious attention their dogs give, thinking it’s cute and mistaking it for love. It’s actually quite unhealthy.

Giving our dogs (and cats) love sometimes means being tough. My mother in law thinks I’m mean when I make Trooper wait for his food…but he knows I love him and he knows that I am in charge. When I take him down (which I had to do the other day) when he growls at his brother at meal prep time I don’t do it to be mean. I do it to enforce my role as alpha and to express to him that he is NOT allowed to behave in that way.

I know that Trooper adores me and that I’m his “mommy” even though I am often strict with him. Sometimes it is kinder to be tough than to let dogs get away with things - and it helps their mental health as well as ours.

Animals Are Not People

My heart is as big as can be when it comes to pets and animals. However, I think that logical dictates that some animals have more value than others. I do not value a fish as much as I value my dogs. I do not value the life of the stray, unneutered Chow that wanders my neighborhood more than the lives of my dogs and would kill that dog (if necessary) if he attempted to harm my pets. Though Quinn would certainly do her best to defend us all.

Likewise, human life (okay, most human life…there are some humans I wouldn’t value more than slug slime) should be valued more than animal life. If my house was on fire and my husband passed out I would do everything in my power to save his life first. If he were okay I would then do what it took to save my dogs without killing myself. If I were unable to save them I would mourn like nobody’s business, but I would continue living, and probably one day get more dogs. If my husband died, life would not move on in the same way.

What’s my point?

I believe that there is a point at which so called “animal rights” activists go too far. Acts of violence against humans or human interests do nothing to further the goal of making sure animals are treated fairly. I don’t want animals tortured for unnecessary purposes like testing mascara. But I do believe science has a commitment to discovering new and better ways to treat humans (and animals for that matter). Doing so humanely is important, but the extremists don’t want any scientific progress whatsoever if it involves the use of animals.

What about pound dogs and cats? I have heard stories of people “adopting” animals and then taking them to a lab to use in testing. I have very, very, strongly mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I absolutely hate the idea of a potential loving pet being taken to a lab and used for experimentation. On the other hand, is it better to allow these animals to be euthanized with no benefit because there aren’t enough homes for them all? At least with testing they may be part of a cure or discover to help us all.

I do not think that animal testing will end anytime soon, though it would be a wonderful thing if science could instead use computers to test their discoveries. In the meantime, PETA and animal rights extremists should work harder to get dogs, cats and other abandoned animals new homes. It will do a world of good!

Pet Adoption Month

Did you know? It’s Pet Adoption Month!

I’ve mentioned a couple times that we adopted Quinn and we found her through Petfinder.com. Hubby wasn’t so sure but I had fallen in love with her sweet face.

Though she was a bit skinnier back then. Ha!

Things to consider before adopting a dog:

Space - the amount of space you have available in your home and yard should help you determine the size and type of dog to adopt. Larger dogs don’t *always* need the most space. Some small dogs are so hyper that they not only need lots of exercise but space to run around. Whereas some big dogs are pretty lazy (not to mention any by breed here though ha!) and just need a small walk daily.

Time - Are you a busy person with lots of activities away from the house? Seriously think about your schedule before adopting a dog. If you can’t take the dog with you on most of your activities it may not be the right time to adopt. Dogs take a lot of commitment that people don’t always consider. Walking, training, playing, feeding, cleaning … all of these take time and energy so you need to be ready.

Fence - The number one requirement when we got Quinn was a good fence. She was an escape artist and had proved that several times over. Before we drove 5 hours to pick her up our house and back yard were inspected - the inspector walked the entire length of our fence to make sure it was adequate. (Of course, several months later our stinker girl tore off the bottom of several planks … so you never know!) Some dogs are really great about not leaving their yard but the majority should always be fenced in or at least not allowed out without supervision. If you can’t build a fence you may look into the invisible fences. But never leave a dog chained up outside alone. It’s cruel and dangerous.

Kids - Do you have any? How old are they? Some dog breeds are known for being great with kids and others … well, aren’t. The age and activity of your kids matters. Some kids are rowdy and others are more gentle. Consider how your kids will interact with a dog when determining the breed.

Money - I’ve written about it before. Dogs are expensive! Hubby and I feel like we’re practicing for human kids with all our expenditures on our dogs. Some are, of course, not necessary. We don’t *have* to spend on doggy daycare, grooming, or special fun toys. But some expenses are not optional - vet bills and food. If you want a healthy dog, feed the best food you can afford and do not skip or skimp on the vet visits.

Adopting an animal is such an amazing experience. You are literally saving two lives. The life of your new companion and the life of the dog who can take their place on the list or in the shelter. Without those spaces opening up…well the future for them is bleak.

There will always be dogs and cats available for adoption. Spread the word and encourage your friends and family to adopt.

Quinn is Doing Better - and Trooper Rocks!

Just a quick update…Quinn is doing much better. She’s still crying but I seriously think she’s doing it to get what she wants at this point. That whole positive reinforcement thing is so evident. =D She cries, she gets attention … ahhh…2+2 really does equal 4 doesn’t it? So she cries more. The little manipulator. *grin*

Does are smart like that.

Speaking of smart…Trooper continues to amaze me in Agility class and at home. He’s a wild Malamute with lots of energy but he seems to have started really using that noggin of his for good. On Saturday I took him to a new place!!! I loaded up on chicken and hot dogs first because I was a little nervous. It was a baseball game at a local college field and boy was it a brand new experience for him.

All the new sounds and smells … I could tell he was overwhelmed but he did so good. He’s so food oriented that every time I said his name he looked at me, which is excellent. He sat, laid down, and ignored other dogs when I asked him to. There was a 7 month old puppy lab who was very intent on meeting Trooper and that went well. There were also two small dogs and we met one of them. I always worry about Troop with small dogs as they are so…well, squirrel / cat like (no offense to small dog owners…I would LOVE to have a small dog but it’s not going to happen right now) and he has such a strong prey drive.

At one point I sat down on the last row of the bleachers and made him lay down and stay. That’s all…just stay and be a good boy. And he DID it!!! Anytime he tried to get up I’d say no and he’d lay back down. There were balls flying and being hit, announcers yelling over the speakers, people clapping and “woohooing” (including me!) … all of which at first made his ears go back and he head swivel around like a top … but after awhile he just got used to it and wanted his treats.

Of course, after 45 minutes the security guard came over and said we had to leave. They have a new rule that no dogs are allowed on the college property - which is SO lame. But I understand. They could be held liable if one dog attacks another. And we were ready to go anyway. We had a GREAT time and I was so proud of my boy. It was a totally new experience for him and he did great!

He’s going to have to get used to the clapping and large crowds if we ever do agility events. =)

My Poor Little Princess

Poor Quinn. Her grandma reports that she cried all day Friday. The vet didn’t send us home with any pain pills. So she lays there and cries this super faint absolutely pathetic whine. And she keeps licking herself …. ‘down there.’ She’s been doing that more and more but for some reason seems to be doing it more now. And crying. I hate the crying. She woke me up at midnight with her soft painful cry. =(

We don’t know how old she is…but she’s definitely up there in doggy years. We adopted her in 2002 and the adoption place estimated her age at 4-5. So if that were accurate she’d be 10-11 now. Good grief. She’s an old woman. Her ears have gotten salt and peppery - they used to be dark black.

We know she has arthritis in her back…she had x-rays a couple of months ago that showed it clearly. Plus she just moves slower. She does get excited and hop around once in awhile but not like her “Circus” days where she used to balance on her back legs and jump around. It was so cute!!! Now she sort of hops up and jumps her front legs up quickly and back down. Howling. She’s a howler.

Hubby came home today after a week away for work and she was SOOOO excited to see him. She missed him so much. She’s daddy’s little girl.

I hope that she’ll stop crying and not be in pain…I can’t tell if she’s crying because grandma did a little too much positive reinforcement today or if she’s actually in pain. Watching her age is so painful to us. I can’t explain how much she blesses our lives.

She really was a true rescue - she was in the kill shelter four times. The final time her family did not come to get her. She was an escape artist and apparently they got tired of paying the release fee. The shelter had a 7 day kill schedule. She was there 14 days. Her sweet personality won everyone over and they kept her around until a spot opened up in the local Husky Rescue. We found her on Pet Finder and drove more than 5 hours (10+ round trip) to introduce her to Kodiak and bring her home. She attacked him that night and drew blood, which I laugh about now. She is definitely the alpha female…he did try to take her bone so it was his own fault (I know…really it was ours for not thinking he’d try to get hers!). But she loves her two brothers and was amazingly motherly when we brought Trooper home. She didn’t bark at him once and only drew blood once when he tried to steal her dinner. Serves him right.

We love her so much. Please help us pray that she recovers and continues to live pain free and comfortably. We know our time together is limited.