It will always be a crazy ride...

So while my lap looks like this (see above photo), I realized that our last week was so crazy, I've neglected you all. Juggling work, the house, family, and my Poo-Bahs can be overwhelming. But every night, when I have crowded lap time, I'm reminded how absolutely lucky I am. Our pasts might be heart breaking, full of ups and downs, but here at HOME, we are flying high. Warm place to sleep, food in out bellies, and lots of love is proving to be the recipe for rehab here.

Roscoe is doing far better than I imagined. His hip bones aren't protruding as much, and his house manors are greatly improving. We are working on basic commands, and he's very obedient if you have a treat in your hands... But not so much without food rewards (getting better). He's on his last round of Panacur, and is ready to roll out. I'm going to redo his Pet Finder ad tomorrow and submit it with new pictures... He's such a loveable cuddle-bug, it's going to be a bitter-sweet moment once he finds his forever home.

Miss Dahnke is also doing well, she had a good vet visit on Saturday! HW-, baby! I knew it would be, but a secand test was necessary because of the timing of her last one. She's generating some interest, and I might have a potential adopter for her! She's very excited to be an only puppy, I tell you. I am just so glad that we may have found someone who can provide her the environment she needs. So keep your fingers crossed!

http://www.facebook.com/ThePatrickMiracle

And a side note: Patrick's story isn't for the faint of heart. It's a true testiment to some of the horrors people are capable of, and also the great things people can be. For every mainstream story, there are thousands of tales just like it that go unnoticed. 

Where to begin!?!?

There is lots to be done this weekend... Already emails are flying hot about the Boxer Bash in September. The Boxer Bash is GOBR's biggest yearly fundraiser. If it weren't for the previous successes of this event, GOBR would probably not be around. The moneys we raise at this event provide most of the funding we need throughout the year for our dogs' medical expenses. The entire event is set up with volunteer efforts, and every penny raised goes to the medical fund. Which is great. For the dogs.

I was racking my brains on how I could help. And I had an idea. And of course I think this is a great idea... but then... ugh, I don't know!

I LOVE to bake. It started out as something I did when I was down to cheer me up. Now I am a baking, cooking fool. I like to try new things, and make it look pretty, and eat tasty goodies!!!! I digress...
CupCakes for people and decorated with little boxer fondant silhouettes, and PupCakes for the dogs! (I have an apple-cheese recipe for dogs, with a cream-cheese/greek yogurt icing!)

So for now, I'm volunteering to send out solicitation letters asking for donations... I would like to do the cupcakes but I'm really afraid of over extending myself... I also don't know how I'd transport them and the dogs... hmmm... I'll figure something out.

what to do, what to do?

#3750 Roscoe's PF ad...

I spent all weekend writing and rewriting Petfinder ads for Roscoe. The one I finally submitted this morning was blah, but I've been on a block writing this for over a week now.

Hello! My name is Roscoe and I am a big boxer boy! I'm about a year to a year and a half old, almost 70 pounds, UTD on shots, HW negative, and I just got neutered. I have natural ears and  a tail, and my dewclaws still. I'm a great boy with a great disposition, I'm learning to keep "all four on the floor" and I love to go for long walks. My foster mom says I'm horrible on a leash, but I'm great with a Sporn halter... She keeps telling everyone what a great thing it is, I don't mind it, so I let her use it. 

My favorite past times include following my foster mom around the house, playing with my foster sibs, and lounging in laps. Yep, I'm quite possibly the biggest, cuddliest lap dog ever! I like to rest my head on my foster mom's shoulder while she reads out loud to us.

****

Roscoe was originally picked up as a stray, but we quickly learned he has a great personality, is house trained, and will only sit and shake for a treat at this point, though we are working with him. We would recommend some obedience training classes (dual purpose: for training and bonding) or someone familiar with the breed and training.

If you think you can handle this much love-bug in your life, head on over to www.goboxerrescue.com and submit an application!!!

But that's what I sent for review with the group... I figure I can make changes as needed.

Also, new development... if I leave the broom with in reach of him, and leave the room, he will bring it to me. Only the broom, and he did it about 5 times this weekend. I asked him if he was trying to tell me something, and laughed. 

Dahnke's Nub

It was going to be called Dahnke's Tail (Tale- get it, LOL!) But she doesn't have one... Don't worry, she doesn't mind, she wags her four inch nub just fine. She's a Boxer, it's supposed to be docked anyways (Don't tell Roscoe).

I call Dahnke's coming home from the shelter date, her birthday. We call it her 3rd Birthday. October 2nd, 2010 Dahnke turned three and started a new life. The day I picked Dahnke up from the shelter I had gotten up early and driven two and a half hours to get her. All I knew was that she had been involved in a neglect case.

When the animal warden took them the owner had NO IDEA HOW OLD DAHNKE WAS. So that's why we call it her new third birthday. She was underweight, had some nasty fleas, and was a little scarred up. But she has an Angel face...

So home we went, where in the course of a few days I realized I had brought home a little more than i bargained for. First thing we did was get a bath, pick of remaining fleas, clean up her ears, toe nails, etc. Then came my next surprise... Diarrhea! OMG, that poor girl was spurtin' cow patties all over my lawn for a MONTH! And I don't know if you have ever tried to clean up diarrhea on your lawn, but it wasn't fun for me.  It was a night mare... specifically when i went back to work, and she got most of it all over the floor and walls of my dining room (and that's from her crate! could you imagine what I would have come home to if she had been roaming!?) We eventually moved to grain free foods, and her "issues" completely disappeared.

Dahnke has some issues getting along with new animals. She is fine with Medwin, but Medwin was a runt. He's submissive, and playful, and bends to Dahnke's "will" per se. She simply does not like other females, from the get go, and is slow to accept any other animals in the house. Because of these issues, I'm looking for a single pet household for her. I don't want to set her up to fail. She's a good dog and eager to please her person. She's very obedient now, and I have no problems with her in the house (aside from scuffles with fosters now and again).

Dahnke's Petfinder link is http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/18677716.

#3750 Roscoe is doing well

I know, I know... way to be on top of things, Angela...

Truth is, I have been super busy. Things to take care of, and do, and get done have been raining down upon me, and I've been super scrambling to get things done. Back to my Poo-bahs:

Roscoe came home last Thursday night. For a guy who just got his balls removed, he was rather lovey and tried to be active (I put a cease order on that- "limited activity" the vet said). He's totally an optimistic :) My 65lb Mr. Brightside :) He had the last of his pain meds Monday and didn't have any adverse side effects. So other than the fact that I know he had surgery, and you can see the surgical site, he seems back to normal. I need to do his write up, but I just don't know what to say. I'll sit down with him tonight and see what he thinks.

Dahnke has a vet visit coming up, she needs to have another HW test done. Apparently they don't trust the ones done in the fall, they can sometimes give out a false negative if the heart worms haven't developed to a point, it won't show up. She's been on HW preventative since October when i got her, and i think she's fine, but better safe than sorry.

It's finally supposed to be nice outside tonight after work, so I will be able to tell you how he is on a leash soon! (but just a short walk, "Limited Activity!")

Oh Boy...

I received this article in an email today... It would seem that this behavior is becoming more and more prevalent in the news recently. They point out someone who is "Doing Rescue Wrong" and smear them all over. Don't get me wrong, I think that animal hoarding and taking these dogs out of kill shelters to put them into poorer conditions is horrendous, but this article articulated questions at the end that I have been asking myself for a long time:

"Questions

• What are policymakers doing to address this crisis?

• What role do breeders and powerful lobbies like the American Kennel Club (AKC) play? Most of the dogs in the Via case were purebred boxers and Chihuahuas.

• Why aren’t puppy mill operators and irresponsible breeders regulated by more stringent laws or prohibited altogether? Year after year their factories churn out untold millions of animals and rake in substantial, often untaxed profits. Some of their “products” ended up unwanted and diseased—afflicted by genetically-predisposed chronic mange, blindness, and deafness—as the responsibility of Alice Via.

• Why doesn’t every American community offer free or nominally-priced, easily-accessible spay/neuter services and pet care education? Wouldn’t that be less expensive—at least in the long run—than the price we’re paying now?

• Why, in California and most other states, is there no law to guide public shelters in proper methods of releasing animals to private rescue groups? Such a law, like the new shelter access bill recently introduced in New York, might have helped save taxpayers the expense of prosecuting Alice Via and kenneling her 62 dogs at county shelters for several months. (Five of those animals remained in a county shelter as of last week, amounting to one year of custody in county kennels, according to a shelter spokesman.)

• Is the system fair to the tens of thousands of private rescuers around the nation who sacrifice time, money, and, as in the Via case, risk reputations and even prosecution trying to take up the slack left by overwhelmed public shelters?

• Why is there so little public guidance, support, or even acknowledgment of  those private rescue groups? Such assistance might also have helped prevent the expensive prosecution of Alice Via.

• Would less finger-pointing and more cooperation between all of these various players create viable solutions? "

It seems to me that instead of finding solutions for the amounts of animals literally pouring into shelters, rescues, and humane societies across the nation, we'd rather point out how bad they are doing at it. Instead of people at the individual level accepting their responsibility for their actions, they scorn those that can't pick up their slack. Really?!?!

We can't even pass laws in Ohio to make blatant animal cruelty more than a MISDEMEANOR. But we are expected to take in every abandoned, broken, scarred, scared, and rejected pup that get thrown away for whatever stupid reason. And yes, 90% of the time it is a STUPID reason. "he's just too energetic" Uh, it's a boxer, did you do ANY research? "My wife and I are expecting a baby" Um, so when the next kid comes along you are going to throw the first one away? "He chewed my favorite shoes" ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME!?!? It's a PUPPY! Perhaps you should PUT YOUR SHOES AWAY OUT OF REACH OF A TEETHING PUPPY!!!!!!!!! 

In my (not so) humble opinion, people that justify these excuses for dumping their problems on society shouldn't be allow to have dogs. Someone couldn't take the time to train (Yes, sorry folks, TRAIN, they don't come out of the womb sitting pretty and laying down on command) and properly care for their dog, they dump them at the nearest shelter because it's "best" for them. No, it's not. Best for them is that your irresponsible ass didn't get a puppy in the first place. Best for them would be better breeding practices and more affordable medical care and spay/neuters. Best for them would be a lock down of BYB and puppy mills. That's what would be "best for them."  

Sorry for the rant, but I go out of my way to make sure that the environment I provide for my dogs is nurturing, healthy, and stimulating for them. I don't distinguish care between my dog and my fosters, they all get the best I can provide. I limit what I can take in to what I know I can comfortably afford and give them individual attention they need. It pains me that I can't save them all, but I can do what I can, and hope that I can make at least a little difference. 

#3750 Roscoe is at the vet!!!

Well, I dropped Roscoe off this morning for his neuter! He was very excited, but I'm pretty sure it's because he didn't know exactly why he was there... LOL!
He did manage to chew through half the leash in the car... I thought he was being too quiet back there...

My mom is bringing him to me after work, so I'll have more then. :)

#3750 Days Seven and Eight and Nine

I'd apologize for the technology blackout this weekend, but it was nice and refreshing... and I won't apologize for the nice weekend I had. :)

So the mutts and I had a very exciting weekend! I think they know it's an awesomely special day (weekends) b/c I go out of my way not to leave the house as much as possible. Of course there's the regular errands, like getting groceries, but I try to do that in one sweep and then I'm home, and it's play time for me and my pups!

I did add a hair appointment, and one other (huge) errand. I finally bit the bullet and got a washer and dryer! Big save on the leaving the house errands! Not that you care, but I am the happiest girl on earth! I know three dog beds, five dog blankets, and a whole bunch of other things that are getting washed this weekend! :)

Roscoe is doing great. I have pictures that I will upload later. He's just the cutest little cuddle bug! I say little, but he's huge, I'll get a new official weight Thursday, as I'm sure he's gained a couple pounds... At least he seems heavier every time he tries to crush me on the couch, lol! Thursday is creeping up a lot faster than I thought it would. Poor boy. I'm gonna make him a hamburger patty to console the loss of his little soldiers.

Pictures soon!

#3750 Day Six

Well, folks, it happened... Dahnke shocked my pants off. Not only did she get cuddly with our new arrival last night, but this morning... This morning she PLAYED with him. Amazing, I know.

Roscoe is doing VERY well. He's a very quick study, he has stopped jumping up, and hasn't put his paws up on the table since the first time. He definitely craves a lot of attention though. He likes to get up and lay down on you and squirm around a lot until he's comfortable. Hopefully, the weather has some breaks in it this weekend, I'd like to get him out and start working with him on leashed walks. He's stopped pulling so much in the yard, but potty trips are different than a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood.

I still need to get my letters printed out and start sending donation requests out for the GOBR Boxer Bash Fundraiser. This will be my first year going, and I'm pretty excited to be helping out. There's a database to send the letters to, and I'm encouraged to send them to new businesses, but I don't have to first clue where to start. I'll sit down and brainstorm after I have done my bills this weekend... to do, to do, to do!

Requesting Pawsitive Thoughts and Prayers

This is Hadley, she was my foster for the last few months before she went home. After eating (and passing)  some of her bandages, she went home and was able to have someone watch her and keep her from chewing her foot (she had a tumor removed from her foot). Today she went back to the vet because she still isn't eating. I just got off the phone with M, Hadley's Mommy, and I hear she's already doing better. :) Pawsitive thoughts and prayers to Hadley and M for a full recovery :)

#3750 Day Four and Five

Where to start?...

I'm back to Roscoe, Tony just doesn't fit him like Roscoe does. Also, it's a big plus that he responds to Roscoe, and in a positive manor. I scheduled his neuter for next week, and thanks to my Mom, I won't have to try to finagle time off work. I can drop him off before hand, and she's going to pick him up for me and bring him to me when I get off work... It's a huge help to me. His neuter is the last thing standing between him and adoption through GOBR. It's really going to be hard to see him go, it's only been five days and he's already left a paw print on my heart. I still have to do his write up for PetFinder...

Outside of a scuffle that I'm sure Dahnke started with Roscoe last night while I was in the bathroom (see what happens when I lock the door!?) Last night was rather uneventful. I did get a couple more pictures which have been updated accordingly in my blog and with the group. In case you are wondering, the scuffle was resolved with my trusted squirt bottle followed by a ten minute cooling off period in their crates. I had them all out for the remainder of the evening without any problems. I'm just going to have to keep an eye on Dahnke. She's absolutely fine with Medwin. Never harmed a hair on his furry little butt. (And he pesters her CONSTANTLY). But this is why I'm recommending her to a single pet household. She would be happiest in a house with just her and her person...

Dahnke's back story is a post all it's own. I'll share that one later.

#3750 Day Three (and Morning Four)

Well, I guess we're back to Tony... That's what his official file says... Once his furever parents  find him, they are probably going to change it anyways... To Spot, or Fluffy, or Bingo... 'Sigh'

Spot/Fluffy/Bingo/Tony/Roscoe/Sidney Shelter Dog/#3750 did very well yesterday. He and Medwin played almost all evening. (Until Medwin tuckered him out) Medwin is like the Energizer Bunny... He wore out Dahnke (per usual) and Tony (I have to get used to calling him that). I find it very amusing.

You see, Tony was picked up by a passerby who found him playing by the side of the interstate in southern Ohio. This person decided that they liked his friendly, larger than life personality and took him home. Turns out, Tony was a bit much for this person to handle. I didn't get any details, but this is common with boxers, as they can be *ahem* a bit energetic.

So it makes me laugh that my little Medwin tuckers out these dogs that other people just "can't handle their energy." Because then the tired pups crawl up on the couch and cuddle up with me and try to bury their heads to hide from Medwin who is still going strong tossing toys and running after them by himself... He will come up and cuddle too, once he's bored of playing by himself.

Anyways, Tony really is a good boy, a little horny (scheduling his neuter today, poor boy) but all around an absolute joy in the house. He's already better on a leash, is now waiting for me to go through doors first, and is working on his table/counter surfing. (a squirt bottle is this lady's best friend!) He got his last dose of Panacur today, so no more struggle with that until round two in four weeks...