Losing

After the recent house offer fell through, I received some more bad news. The subdivision will not allow me any more time to keep the foster animals, so they all must go. Only Remi and Noelle can stay. I am losing all of my fosters as well as my own cat. Rudy and Tripoli will go back to the original foster homes they came from. My cat Merlin will go to live with my parents. Ziggy may be going to a temporary foster home. And Gretchen loses the most. She has been at a shelter for almost a month now, and can't stay much longer since she is having trouble in the shelter environment. Since I have no idea when I'll be able to take her, and we haven't been able to find another foster home for her, she will lose her life. 

I am also worried about Ziggy. There is one person who offered a temporary foster home for him, but it may be several months before I am able to move and take him back, and if he doesn't work out at that foster home, he will have limited options. He is not an easy dog, and he would probably not do well in a shelter or boarding situation long-term. Long-term foster homes are in high demand and the few people I know who are willing to take on a deaf chewy pit bull are already full or have other pets that make it a bad fit. I am not giving up on him, and hopefully he will work out in his termporary foster home, but I admit I am concerned. One of my rescue friends already offered to help with boarding costs if needed. I live in the metro St. Louis area, and there are a lot of boarding facilities here. I am thinking perhaps he can just stay at one boarding facility until he is kicked out, and then sent on to the next one. Kind of like a rich kid who continually gets kicked out of all the boarding schools he attends. It's an option. If it comes to that I may be taking up a collection to pay for his tuition boarding fees. For now I will hope he is on his best behavior in his temporary foster home! The house search continues, and in the meantime I am blessed to have so many friends who are willing to step in and help however they can. Special thank yous to Bev, Chuck, Heather, Linda, Mom and Dad, for all you've done and all you've offered to do to help in this awful situation!

Update on my fosters

I decided it was time for another update on my fosters, so I you someone can keep track of who is at my house and why. In addition to my two dogs (Remi and Noelle) and one cat (Merlin), I have the following foster pets:

Ziggy - A deaf pit bull mix who has lived with me since December, when I rescued him from being euthanized at a shelter. Ziggy just turned one year old. He hasn't yet outgrown his puppy chewing stage, but he is slowly making progress. Ziggy is a comedian - he is always doing something silly to make me laugh. He is house-trained but can't be trusted alone in the house unsupervised because he is sure to get in some sort of trouble, whether it's stealing food from the counter, drinking a beer, or chewing up furniture or blinds. He is a one-dog wrecking machine, and I constantly threaten to send him to another foster home, but really I love him and will have a very hard time letting him go once he gets adopted. He has learned a lot of hand signs and is one of the smartest dogs I've worked with recently.

Tripoli - A German Shepherd/Aussie mix who has been in foster care since May of 2009. I took him to my house a few months ago because his foster mom wasn't able to get him to adoptions. We had hoped if he could go to some adoption events, someone would quickly adopt him. After all, he's practically perfect. He is around 3 years old, and has wonderful house manners, and gets along with dogs, cats, and kids! What more could anyone ask for? You might think that there are a lot of perfect dogs like Tripoli out there, but he's extra special because he only has three legs. This makes him lighter on his feet, and therefore faster and able to jump higher than other dogs. It's true - he can outrun and outjump all of the other dogs.

Rudy - A cat. I believe he's been in foster care for a couple of years now. I've had him since February, and I've finally trained him to not try to sneak out the door anymore. Okay not really - I think he really just doesn't try to sneak out the door because he's tired of the dogs chasing him all the time. He has given up escaping his prison and now is beginning to demand to be transferred back to a previous prison foster home. We're currently in negotiations. I've offered him his own room at the new house with canned food twice a week if he stops complaining, but he's holding out for something better!




And those are my only foster pets! I believe this is the shortest foster list I will have for a Very Long Time. I am constantly looking around the house for another dog or cat, thinking I forgot someone, but I didn't! I had to stop taking any new pets in until I get moved, so at least for the rest of this month, I will not be taking in anyone new. But as soon as I move, I'll go get Gretchen.

I also realized that I've been very lax in updating what has been happening with my foster pets, so here is an update for a few of my previous fosters in case you were wondering about them. Mia, the brown tabby cat who had been staying up at one of our adoption locations was adopted. Victoria the shy cat is being fostered by another volunteer who is working with her to hopefully make her more adoptable. Simon and Sampson  who were out on a trial adoption are now permanently adopted. And Lucas, now named Elwood, was also adopted out with Jake, another cat from the same rescue. Also my foster dog Bosco is currently out on a trial adoption! I am holding his spot open - he still has some house-training issues - but his new dad says he's going to keep working with him until Bosco figures it out, so hopefully this will be a permanent placement.  I also took in one more cat - another return - named Bugsy.  Then I immediately shipped him off to another foster home.  I will hopefully get him back once I move, but then Rudy might have to share his private room, and I'm not sure that's going to be acceptable to him.

Outnumbered

Noelle and I are outnumbered. We're just two girls, having to live with seven boys. It's tough, I tell you. Here's a quick summary of who we have to put up with:

Dave - Male - Adult Human - Entertains himself with violent video games, violent movies, and cleaning his multiple guns after target practice. He claims he's trying to keep his "Expert" status as a sniper in the Army. I think he just has too much testosterone.

Remi - Male - Adult Great Dane - Barks at everyone and everything. Claims he is doing his duty as a watchdog and protecting the females of the house. I think he just has too much testosterone.

Ziggy - Male - Juvenile Dog - Enjoys wrestling matches, chewing on everything in sight, and creating large messes for the females in the house to clean up. Claims he's just a guy trying to have a good time. I think he just has too much testosterone.

Bosco - Male - Juvenile Dog - Enjoys wrestling matches, and humping other dogs. Claims he's got too much testosterone. Even though he's been neutered, I agree.

Tripoli - Male - Adult Shepherd Mix - Enjoys shedding. Okay, maybe he doesn't enjoy it, but he does a lot of it. Perhaps its caused by too much testosterone.

Rudy - Male - Adult Cat - Constantly complains of feeling trapped. Wants freedom to go outside and flirt with the female cats. Definitely caused by too much testosterone.

Merlin - Male - Juvenile Cat - Eats everything in sight, much like a teenage boy. Never seems to be full. Claims he needs more canned cat food. I think he is lying.









And okay, all of these cats and dogs have been neutered, but still. They're boys, they act like boys, and Noelle and I are outnumbered. I have a right to complain about it. Especially since I have another male cat coming back tomorrow. Where are all the girl dogs and cats? How did I end up with all male fosters?

I think tonight Noelle and I are going to have to have a Girl's Night Out. We'll put on makeup, and watch a movie where nothing blows up, and put up a big sign that says "No Boys Allowed!!"

Second Class Citizens (Guest Post by Rudy the Foster Cat)

The female warden has relinquished her blog post to me, captive #65. She calls me Rudy, but of course that's not my real name. I explained to the female warden that my full name, Sir Percyvale Rudolph Katar Sparhawk Oreo von Reuss, was what I preferred to be called, but as usual she ignored me. The other 64 feline captives that have been in this prison before me have left behind notes, so I realize that the cruel and unusual punishment that is carried out by the wardens here is directed at all feline prisoners. While the dogs here are waited on hand and foot, the felines are left to fend for themselves.  We're usually fed only dry bland kibble, and some of the other prisioners have become so desperate for something better that they have broken into the puppy food just for variety! 

 We either have to stay in one small bedroom, or risk being chased by one of the many dogs here. Even the high places where the dogs cannot reach us aren't safe.  If the male warden sees us on the countertops - a place we have every right to be - he yells loudly and threatens us with bodily harm. I try every day to escape from this horrible place, but so far all attempts have been unsuccessful.

My only hope is that someday I will be freed like many of the previous captives have been. My friend Merlin has been told he is doomed to live out his life in this prison, but the rest of us are scheduled to be released as soon as we can find some servants to provide for our every need. I must survive until that happens. 

Update on my Fosters

Once again it's time for an update on the current foster pets at my house.  These pets are all available for adoption, so if you see one you like, let's talk!

Ziggy is a seven month old American Pit Bull Terrier mix.  He is deaf, and he is silly, and he is sometimes demanding, and sometimes sweet.  He is mostly lazy, and prefers the indoors to being outside.  He likes to chew anything he can - especially if he's not supposed to chew it.  Shoelaces are a favorite of his.  He barks a lot when he wants something, and his favorite place to lay is at the top of the stairs, unless he has something to chew, in which case he prefers to lay on the couch.  His favorite place to hide when playing is under the futon where the other dogs can't reach him. 

Simon is Sampson's brother.  He is possibly visually impaired, although he doesn't act like it.  He is one of the sweetest foster cats I have.  He loves to cuddle and get affection.  Occasionally he chases the other cats, but most of the time he just watches the rest of the action. 

Sampson is Simon's brother.  He claims he is Simon's Seeing Eye Cat, but I don't usually see them anywhere together, so I have my doubts about that.  Sampson is very sweet when he wants to be, but sometimes he likes to pick on the other cats.  He can be a bit of a bully, quite honestly.  But when it comes to people, he's the most affectionate cat of the bunch. 

Scribbles - The long-timer.  She is sweet, but only on her terms.  If you try to make her do something she doesn't want - like get in a cat carrier to go to PetSmart for an adoption event - she may very well scratch you and bite you.  Not that it gets her out of going.  It just means I have to call in reinforcements (in this case, my husband Dave) to get her into the crate.  Then once she gets back home, she comes around purring and being all affectionate, just so I forgive her for the scratches she gave me that morning.  Hmph. 

Rudy is an interesting cat.  He is affectionate, but he'd rather rub against my legs than sit on my lap.  He likes to sit by the window and watch what is going on outside.  If I let him, he'd go out and see for himself.  He does okay with other cats and with dogs, but he's kind of a loner.  So he'd probably be perfectly happy as an only cat. 

Victoria - This beautiful girl is one of my favorite cats.  She's shy and won't come very close to me, but if I go to her, she'll let me pet her and she'll roll over and start purring.  She needs to get more used to people before she is ready for adoption, so I want to take her to adoption events each week to help her get used to the noise and the people.  But she finds the very best hiding places in the house, and so far I've only been able to find her and take her to one event.  Of course if anyone wants a cat who is very beautiful and very easy to care for, she's the one for you.  You may never know she's there - but at least she isn't constantly following you around and asking for attention like the rest of the cats at my house! :-)

Mia came into rescue when her owners moved and left her behind.  A neighbor took her in and cared for her, but couldn't keep her because her dog was trying to eat her.  So I took her home, and she's been living at my house for the past month - until yesterday.  Yesterday she got to go up to the adoption center at our vet's office!  So I am hopeful that someone will see her there and want to adopt her soon.  She is front declawed, and very sweet and affectionate, so I hope it won't take her long to find a home. 

So those are all of my foster pets as of today.  Well, except for Butterscotch.  I'll tell you about him tomorrow!

Foster Cats Plus One

Dogs make sense to me.  Cats, not so much.  But I like cats anyway, and I somehow always seem to have two or three foster cats.  Or four...five...  Okay fine, right now I have seven foster cats.  But in my defense, I only have one cat of my own.  The rest I am doing my best to get rid of.  I mean, to adopt out.  Into loving, permanent homes of course.  But in the meantime, they're living in my house, and they seem to have plotted together to take over.  They now outnumber the dogs and humans combined, and they're taking advantage of it.  One will jump into the pantry while I'm pulling another one out.  Or one will sneak into the closet while another one is distracting me elsewhere.  Two of them pretend to fight so I walk away from my dinner and a third one steals food from my plate.  One of them terrorizes a dog (guess which cat?) while another one drinks the milk in my glass.  They are seriously plotting against me, I know it.  But I love them anyway. 

Simon pretended to be blind so I would feel sorry for him and take him and his seeing eye cat brother Sampson home.  The longer he's at my house, the more I realize that he can see just fine.  He runs all over the house, chasing the other cats around furniture and over couches - even when the furniture was recently moved!  He doesn't even bother pretending to be blind anymore.  . 

This guy is my own cat Merlin.  He's the worst of the group.  He pretends to be all sweet and affectionate, and sleeps on my pillow next to me every night, to lull me into complacency.  But he is the worst food thief I've ever met.  Even when I'm sitting there eating, he will try to steal the food right from my plate.  Not only does he blatantly take things that he knows he is not allowed, but then he acts all nonchalant about it - at least dogs will look guilty when they steal food they know they shouldn't have.  Not Merlin.

This is one of my newest foster cats.  Her name is Victoria, and she's the only good cat in the group.  But even she has her own way of tormenting me.  She is a little bit feral (wild) and doesn't quite trust people yet.  So most of the time she just keeps her distance from me.  We're working on this, and I've gotten to where I can take her picture without her hiding under furniture (see below).  But she manages to find the best hiding places in the house when it comes time to go to the vet.  I haven't been able to find her hiding places yet, but she's made me spend hours looking for her - truly a great way to drive me crazy. 

This is Victoria and Sampson, the seeing eye cat.  I tried to use Sampson as a detective to help me find Victoria's hiding spot.  I figured since he's a well-trained, official seeing eye cat (not really), he should have skills in tracking and search and rescue as well.  But no luck - he refused to locate his friend.  The dogs were no help either, but that didn't surprise me.  You just can't count on animals to help you out when it comes to vet visits. 

Update on my Pets

Yep, it's that time again.  Time for you to catch up on what all animals are at my house, and what they've been up to lately.  First are my own pets...

Remi - a four year old Harlequin Great Dane.  We adopted him when he was one and a half.  He'd already been through several obedience classes, and came to us well trained.  He gets along great with other dogs, and lets the cats walk all over him (literally).  He is my dog and prefers to be with me as much as he can.  Until 8pm which is his bedtime.  Then he goes and waits to be let into the bedroom so he can go to sleep.  I don't know how he knows what time it is, but he always knows. 

Noelle - Totally a Daddy's girl.  She follows Dave around the house, and he lets her get away with anything she wants.  She is the most loyal, loving dog I've ever met.  She loves to cuddle, and loves to show how much she loves us.  Lately she's taken to climbing up onto my lap while I type on the computer.  All 60 pounds of her.  And of course I let her, because I love her too. 

Merlin - The last official member of the family.  I am crazy about this cat, and Dave is going crazy because of this cat.  It's a nice balance, I think.  I let Merlin get away with anything he wants, and Merlin thinks he owns the house.  He meows to get attention or to have a door opened for him.  He jumps on counters and steals people food.  He follows me around and sleeps on my pillow at night.  And I encourage him in all of it.  I love this cat.   





Now for the foster animals... in order of arrival at my house. 

Scribbles - arrived Jan 2009. This is Her Fluffiness when she takes on one of the dogs.  Scribbles eventually got tired of living in our spare bedroom and has joined the rest of the family.  She now usually hangs out in the living room or the kitchen.  And what is great is if any of the dogs decides to bother one of the other cats, Scribbles jumps to their defense.  And ALL the dogs keep their distance from Scribs!

Simon and Sampson - arrived Dec 2009. These two have made themselves at home.  Usually one or the other is sitting on my lap, and they both enjoy drooling and then rubbing their face on my face.  Someone told me its a sign of affection in cats.  Its one I could do without.  But I am glad they like me.

Ziggy - Arrived Dec 2009.  Ziggy has improved greatly since I brought him home.  He gets along well with all the other dogs, and loves to wrestle with them.  All those possessive behaviors he exhibited when I first brought him home are gone, and other than being so mouthy, he's turning into a very good dog.  Which means he is sure to get adopted soon.  Because as soon as I get them trained, they get adopted and I have to start over again.  It's the curse of a foster mom.

Rudy - Arrived February 2010.  This is my newest foster cat.  He kept trying to sneak out the door at his previous foster home, so I offered to let him come to my house.  Three or four large dogs trying to come in or go out whenever I open the door have prepared me to handle door-darting cats.  Rudy is a sweet cat.  He's very affectionate and seems to be fitting right in. 

And that's it right now for fosters!  Only one dog and four cats - its like a vacation at my house!  Duke the Beagle/Coonhound is still at my friend's house.  He's still doing well, and up to his usual antics (more on that later).  Babette the Persian cat went to stay at PetSmart, and she appears pleased with the change in environment.  I am hoping to take Kermit the Heartland dog home, but have to wait for approval from his shelter caretakers.  So my next foster dog is probably going to be Emma's sister, named Shadow.  Another black lab - hopefully this one doesn't mind baths so much!

A cat named "meow"

My 6-year-old niece came over to vist the other night. She fell in love with Rudy when I first got him several months ago, and so when I found out I was going to be dog-sitting, I knew she would want to visit him. And once again I received the request "Pleease keep him until I turn 16?!", because her mom and dad have told her she can get a dog when she turns 16. Although I hate to ever tell her no, in this case I had to tell her that Rudy would be better off in a home with someone who didn't work full-time. It was great to have her visit, and she also suggested while she was there that we rename one of my foster cats. Montelle, my newest foster cat, is very vocal - he spends a lot of time saying "meow" as loud as possible, to request that I come pay attention to him. He'd be happy to come find me for attention if there weren't so many dogs around! But anyway he was being his usual vocal self while my niece was there, and she suggested we should name him "Meow", because then "He can say his own name!". So now Montelle's new nickname is Meow.

Meow also has a new amazing trick - he can act like a hat! He does this by getting a running start while I'm sitting at the kitchen table, and jumping directly from the floor to my shoulders, and on top of my head. He then just hangs out there, until I pull him down. The first time he did this, I was very confused - how'd I get a cat that came out of nowhere on the top of my head?! Now I'm getting used to it, and between him and Doobie, it's very difficult to get any work done on my home computer. But I really don't mind - its nice to see him start to come out of the cat room to visit more often.

Tonight is Noelle's next training session - I am anxious to begin! She has been very popular recently - we've received several inquiries and applications on her. Unfortunately none of them have a fenced yard, and its too dangerous to ever let her off-leash without a fence. Just imagine taking any puppy outside.... they like to chase things! Most of them, including Noelle, will chase a rabbit, or a squirrel, or a blowing leaf. And since you can't clap your hands or call her name and have her stop and turn around, she would end up following something right into a street. And since she can't hear a car coming, she would be in very great danger. So, I've had to turn down some really good applicants, which I hate to do. But I know eventually someone will come along who wants to adopt her and has a fenced yard.

I'm looking forward to going to the Pawsitively Purrfect Painting Party at the Painted Pot on Sunday. I have never been - and my family can attest that I am pretty awful at art. But I still think it'll be a lot of fun - especially if they let me bring in Remi! They say you can bring a pet, but since Remi is more often compared to a pony than a dog, he may be too big. :-) It sounds like a lot of fun though, and a great way to raise money for Heartland. Here are the details of the fundraiser:

Pawsitively Purrfect Painting Party
Sunday November 16th 12PM-4PM
The Painted Pot
Get a jump on making a personalized holiday gift or decoration and let your pets help! Come in and your pet's painted paw can decorate an ornament, picture frame or personalized pet bowls! If you don't want to bring your pet, you're still welcome and Heartland will get your studio fees as a donation! So bring a friend and enjoy the afternoon!

Hope to see you there!

Introducing Joy and Montelle

Yesterday I went to see Sammy, the pit bull puppy at animal control, and found out they had just released him to another rescue group. This was great news, because the family who was interested in him didn't show up, and I know the group he went to will make sure he goes to a good home.
So after I left the shelter, I went up to PetSmart - because it was Saturday and I can't stay away! One of the dog fosters was there with dogs for adoption. She recently took in several puppies to foster, and I know they are a LOT of work. I thought about offering to take in some of those puppies, but I didn't think I could handle that (plus, my husband would kill me). :-) So I offered to take Joy, one of her other foster dogs right now, to hopefully lighten her load a little bit. I fell in love with Joy after visiting her in her foster home several weeks ago. She was this great puppy with a lot of energy who was very shy! She was afraid to come to me and would run and hide behind the bushes. Her foster mom has been working with her a lot, and Joy has improved so much. Now she is not shy at all, and she's been crate-trained, and is a joy to foster. (get it? I amuse myself.) :-) Anyway, here is my newest foster dog Joy:

She's so sweet - I just love her. She is having a great time playing with Noelle. And she does well with Remi too. Here is Joy and Remi, my own dog. Well, that's his head, anyway... he looks kind of silly since you can't really see his body. :-)

Since I had the camera out, I took some more pictures of Noelle too.

And here are all three dogs (Remi, Noelle and Joy) playing together. I like having one black dog, one white dog, and one black and white dog - its very symmetrical. :-)

I know they look like they're trying to kill each other, but really no dogs were harmed in the making of these photographs - they're just playing!

Also, here is a picture of Rudy, my current house-guest. He is just staying for a week while his foster mom is gone. He is doing so well - he likes to sit in my lap and cuddle all the time. I'm sure he'll be glad to get back to his foster home though, because Noelle keeps trying to play with him and he does not appreciate that.

While I was at PetSmart I also asked one of the other cat fosters if I could have another cat to foster. I really like getting cats from someone who already fosters them because that way they have already been to the vet and had everything done for them. They can just come and live at my house until they get adopted, which gives extra space to the original foster home, and also sometimes gives us more information on that foster cat and how they do with dogs, if they didn't have dogs in their original foster home. So anyway, Jeana let me take home one of her fosters, a cat named Montelle. I believe he was part of a litter that was originally named after various talk show hosts. He is a really pretty all black cat, and he is very affectionate. He even gives me hugs! But he's still not too sure about the dogs, so he's spending most of his time in the cat room, complaining (meowing) loudly about having to live in a house with dogs! He's starting to come out occasionally now so hopefully within a few days he will be more comfortable. Here is a picture of Montelle. He had a cold when he was younger, so one of his eyes is a little runny, but it doesn't seem to cause him any problems, and it doesn't require any special care. It might make him harder to adopt out, but then again it might not, since it makes him different, and that can draw in people like me who want to give the special ones good homes. :-)

And finally, here's my last foster - Doobie. He is doing very well - he got used to all the dogs, and sleeps on my pillow every night! He is so funny because he snores, but it sounds more like he's singing, or humming, than snoring. He's a very musical kitty, I guess. He also doesn't meow like most cats - he opens his mouth and you can kind of see him saying "meow" but all that comes out is a very quiet squeak - its very cute.

Update on Noelle and Rudy

Noelle just completed her first obedience class! It was more of an evaluation actually. The trainer, from Positive Paws Pet Training (http://www.positivepawstraining.com/) was very nice and I'm really looking forward to working with her. Next week we start our first official class of the four week program.

It has been really quiet with no other fosters except Noelle and Doobie right now. But not for long - one of my old fosters is coming back to visit for a week! Rudy (previously named Ray - sorry Mom, I know you hate when their names change) is a Pekingese that came from a breeder several months ago. He has some problems with his eyes, and so he has been in foster care ever since we took him in. I had him at my house for a short time, but couldn't devote the time he needed to care for his eyes, so another Heartland volunteer took him home. She has been caring for him and spoiling him rotten. :-) I am going to get to keep him for a week while she is out of town, and I can't wait to see him again!

Also I will be missing the adoption event at PetSmart on Saturday because I'm going to see about another dog who needs help. Sammy is a pit bull puppy at a municipal shelter who is almost out of time. I first saw him at the shelter several weeks ago when I got Noelle. He was such a sweet dog, and he looked at me and did this little happy dance, and I fell in love. I hated to leave him behind, but I had too many other fosters at the time and couldn't take him. Now that some of my fosters have been adopted, I'm hoping to foster Sammy if he still needs it. He had a family interested in him and they are going to visit him Saturday morning, so if that works out he won't need me. But if they don't adopt and he is out of time, I will probably bring him back home with me on Saturday.

Update, HHS Video

First, a quick update on my fosters. Ray, my foster Pekingese, went to another foster home, since my husband thinks four foster dogs is too many. :-( I really miss Ray, but I'm glad he's at my friends house - I know she'll take great care of him! Thanks Donna! Noah, Samantha and Vala all went to PetSmart this week, but none of them were adopted. It was a very disappointing week, since we had 10 dogs at PetSmart and NONE of them found homes on Saturday. I did have some people interested in adopting Noah, and they sound perfect for him, so I hope they call and decide to adopt him. This would be very helpful since I got some bad news recently - one of my old fosters, Selena, is being returned. You may remember her, if you ever visit PetSmart. She was a Heartland dog for a very long time before she was adopted. Her new family adopted her a few months ago but decided with a new baby that they just don't have the time to devote to her that she needs. So she'll be coming back to my house later this week and trying to find another home. I also took in one more litter of kittens, since due to the flood they were out of room and out of time at a kill shelter. They are adorable - and so small compared to my other litter of kittens. I will post more about them later. They will hereafter be referred to as my flood kittens, so I can tell them apart from the kittens I already had. The ones I already had (Taffy, Blaze and Monkee) went to PetSmart but did not get adopted either on Saturday. I hope to get them on the website this week and maybe someone will see them online and want to adopt them!

I have now been fostering for Heartland for eight months. It doesn't seem near that long. I have met some amazing people, and made many new friends in the process. Most importantly, I have found so much joy in helping animals that don't have anyone else. I've been doing this less than a year, but many of the Heartland volunteers have been doing this for years and years. Some of the people who started Heartland ten years ago are still rescuing animals today. I am amazed by their dedication. They spend their time, money and energy to save animals, and none of them get paid in any way except in doggie kisses and kitty purrs. They don't ask for recognition, but they deserve it. They've saved so many animals during the past 10 years. Click here to see a short video to recognize the contributions of the Heartland volunteers. This is only a small number of many of the animals that would not be here today if it were not for Heartland Humane Society.

This is what happens when my husband leaves town...

My husband is in the Army Reserves, and he had to go to Virginia for two weeks for military training. When he left, we had one foster - Vala. When he gets back next weekend, he's going to find seven fosters. Oops. I'm not sure how it happened really. It doesn't seem like that many, until they're all running loose around the house and I realize how outnumbered I really am! I thought Vala was getting adopted, so I took home Samantha again (see previous posts for pictures and info on her). I also brought home a little Pekingese - he was taken in from a backyard breeder, and has very poor vision, so the vet named him Ray. We're trying to get his eyes to heal a little bit, and now he's just so happy to be somewhere clean and where he's well taken care of. He is a very friendly little guy - he follows me all around the house and yard. But anyway, Vala ended up not getting adopted, so right now I have Vala, Samantha, Noah, Ray, and my own dog Remi. And I also have my cat George and my three foster kittens - Taffy, Blaze and Monkee. Overall, the house is a bit nuts when they're all running around together. But fortunately they all get along very well. The scariest part is that its starting to seem normal to me to have nine animals running around like they own the place. I guess my husband will be home soon to bring me back to reality. Because honestly, having all these animals IS a lot of work - but I LOVE it. I love holding the kittens and listening to them purr, or walking in the room and having Sam or Vala run up to me to see who can get petted first. I like going out to get the mail and having Ray follow me to the mailbox and back with this big grin on his face. I'm going to be really sad when I have to find somewhere else for any of them to go, once he gets home. I just hope one or two finds their forever home this week - and if not, maybe someone will come along and want to try fostering?! If you want to foster Ray though, keep in mind that my six-year-old niece has asked me to save him until she turns 16 - that's when her parents told her she could get a dog. Talk about a long-term foster! :-)