Dash is back

This is Dash. He was adopted out on Sunday, but the family called and had to return him. They found out that a couple members of the family were very allergic to Dash, and although they tried special shampoos and baths, they were unable to keep him. They were so sad to let him go, and we were so sad that he came back. They said he was a perfect dog while they had him. I love Dash and felt sorry for him that his new home didn't work out. He went from being a homeless dog to having a wonderful home for just a few short days, and I didn't want him to go back to being homeless, so I took him home with me! Makes perfect sense, don't you think? I hope my husband agrees when he gets home. So far Dash is perfectly well behaved, and gets along great with all my other fosters. He is very playful and energetic, and he is having fun (and helping to wear out) Noelle and Emma. Remi is too lazy to run with him for more than a few minutes, but Noelle and Emma tag team him and keep him pretty busy.

In other news, the people who were going to meet Rocky decided to delay getting another dog right now, so I ended up taking him back to another volunteer. Hopefully he will be adopted soon - he's another really good pet - already house-trained and good with other dogs and so friendly.

This weekend is Petsmart's Spring Adopt-a-thon. They're offering incentives like free food and cat litter for pet adoptions, so if you've been thinking about adopting, now is a great time to do it! I'll be up at PetSmart in O'Fallon with Julie (another volunteer) for a few hours on Friday night to try to get a dog or cat adopted, and then back on Saturday with Noelle, Dash, Emma, Marco and Polo to try to get some of them adopted as well! I really, really hope I get someone adopted this weekend!

Crazy Week

It's been a wonderful, but stressful, week. For those of you who want to know more about rescue work, here's a summary of my life over the past week or so...

Tuesday - Took Marco, my foster cat, to the vet for his dental, then on to work. After work, picked up Marco and two shelter dogs (Jose and Renny) from the vet on my way home. Dropped Jose and Renny off at Angie's house (our newest volunteer) so she could take them back to the shelter. Went home to let Remi (my dog) and Noelle (my foster dog) out, then let Remi in and took Noelle with me to pick up foster dog Bella's paperwork from Angela (another volunteer). Then on to PetSmart with Noelle, to meet Rhonda (another volunteer) and her foster dog Bella. We had prearranged to meet some people who were interested in Bella. So we introduced Bella to her new family, and they all fell in love. We had Noelle and Riley (Rhonda's foster dog) with us, hoping one of them would be adopted since it was during the PetSmart Birthday Bash, but it was pretty slow at PetSmart so only Bella went home. Still a very successful day!

Wednesday - After work, some previous adopters came by with their cats - Luckee (who is my previous foster cat Artemis) and Louie (who they didn't get from Heartland but is still a very nice cat). :-) They were going out of town for a few days so I was happy to cat-sit while they were gone. The kids in the family came in so I had to introduce them to Ariel, Anastasia, Aurora and Aladdin, my four foster kittens, and we all had fun playing with them for a few minutes. Then they left, I got Luckee and Louie settled in, and began "foster chores" - feeding/cleaning up after/playing with/petting/etc.

Thursday - After work, I stopped by the vet to pick up three dogs from the shelter - Emma, Riley and Casey. Then I took them all home with me while I did a few foster chores - letting dogs in/out, feeding them, checking on cats, etc. Then an hour later Erica (another new volunteer) came over and we loaded up Casey and Riley. By that time I had introduced Emma to Noelle and Remi, and she did so well, I decided to keep her at my house. She claimed the other dogs at the shelter made fun of her because of how she looked, and I fell for it, so I told her she could stay for just a few days. Of course the other volunteers who work at the shelter have convinced me that she needs to stay longer - so I may end up keeping her until she's adopted - we'll see. Anyway, Erica and I took Riley and Casey back to the shelter with us, and spent several hours there taking care of the dogs and cleaning and so on. The shelter is indoors but has a lot of acerage that is fenced in and the dogs all get to go outside in play groups, so it takes awhile to give everyone a turn. Once we finished there, we took two more dogs home with us (Shawn and Degan) and then I was so happy that Erica took them home with her to spend the night at her house before she took them to the vet in the morning for their vet appointments. That was a long day!

Friday - I don't remember Friday - I think after work I must have just spent it with my dog (Remi) and foster animals (Noelle, Emma, Marco, Polo, Oliver, Aurora, Anastasia, Ariel and Alladin) and temporary visitors (Luckee and Louie), and then gone to bed early. Oh yes, on Thursday I also brought home Oliver, a new cat. I'll introduce him later. :-)

Saturday - I got up early to head to the shelter to pick up dogs. I left all my fosters at home, but filled up my van with shelter dogs Sadie, Taffy, JoJo, Indy, Kate and Bear. Then proceeded to leave the van running with the A/C on for the dogs while helping another volunteer to load up her car, and of course the only dog riding loose in my car stepped on the lock button and locked the doors. Oops. After the locksmith got there, we eventually got back in and made it to PetSmart only 30 minutes late. After adoptions on Saturday, I loaded back up the dogs that weren't adopted and took them back to the shelter, then headed home. Earlier I had snuck out of PetSmart for 45 minutes to go home and check on my animals and let the dogs out, so they didn't have to wait too long. So once I got home, I just had to feed them and do all the foster chores, and then had the evening free!

Sunday - I had planned to make it to church, but overslept so ended up missing it. I did make it to Lori's house (another volunteer) by 10:30am to meet her and pick up dogs. We went to the shelter and got Dash and Heidi, and then met Karen (another volunteer) to get her foster dog Wiggles. Then back to PetSmart where we adopted out Heidi, and did an adoption for Wiggles even though his new mom wasn't quite ready to take him home. Then we did a home visit and adoption for Dash, and after that I took Wiggles back home with me. The rest of Sunday was relaxing, filled with just foster chores and fun with the animals. I took my car in to the mechanic since the A/C wasn't working, and took Remi with me so he could have an extra-long walk home (the repair shop is a couple miles from my house).

Monday - After work, I just did foster chores, ran some errands, and tried to clean my house. I say tried, because I didn't get much done. Oh well. Later I took Wiggles and Emma for a walk back up to the repair shop so we could pick up my car that had been repaired. Wiggles walks really well on leash... Emma, not so much.

Tuesday - After work, I rushed home and got Wiggles and Luckee & Louie, and then took them all up to PetSmart to meet their respective families. While there, I bought more canned kitten food for the kittens, and visited my foster cats who are living in the cages at PetSmart (Whisper, Scribbles, Shiro and Una). Then I went home and did foster chores, and then I headed out to the shelter to take care of the dogs. When I left, I brought home Rocky, a cute little Pointer/Dachshund mix who is meeting some potential adopters tonight (Wednesday).

So that is a pretty typical week for me - maybe a little busier than usual, but there's so much that needs to be done! As you can see above, there are several volunteers who help out, and each one has their own story of things they do for homeless animals every day. There is still a need for more help though, so if you'd like to volunteer, please fill out a volunteer application here. Just think -- less than two years ago, I didn't even know what rescue groups were, had only one dog and no cats in my house, and didn't do much other than go to work, and go home and watch TV or play computer games. I'm so much happier now. :-)

Lots of dog adoptions; Introducing Emma

It was a very busy week with dog adoptions. One of our foster homes has been taking in a LOT of puppies lately, and we're all happy that they're slowly but surely finding homes each week. Kaluah and CJ both were adopted Saturday. Also, one of our adult dogs from the shelter was adopted. Bear is a gorgeous fluffy dog who now has a home with a very nice couple and their other gorgeous fluffy dog that I met on Saturday.

Earlier in the week we had three more dog adoptions. Bella, a favorite of many of the volunteers, found a home. She's a beagle/spaniel mix that was turned in by her owners when they had a baby and didn't have time for her. She's now being spoiled in her new home with lots of love and attention. And Cappy, an older Australian Shepherd mix, also was adopted. He's been fostered by our newest dog foster volunteer, and now he has a new home as well. Also Josie, a sweet bichon friese, was adopted early last week. In addition to all of those dogs, on Sunday we adopted three more! Two of them were dogs I talked about last week. Dash, the Australian Cattle Dog, and Wiggles the beagle both were adopted, as was Heidi, a sweet black lab who was also at the shelter. Wiggles came from another foster home and since his new mom wasn't quite ready to take him home yet, he's staying at my house for a couple of days.

Also at my house is another dog from our shelter named Emma. She is a Newfoundland, and she used to be absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately when we got her from a city pound, she was so matted and dirty that the only way to clean her up was to shave her. So now she's just silly looking (and she's very embarrassed about it too!). But I'm sure she feels much better now that she's clean. She's doing great with Remi and Noelle, and I'm hoping she'll be adopted rather quickly, and that whomever wants her can see past her funny appearance and imagine how she'll look once her hair grows back. :-) Here are some pictures of Emma at the shelter before she was shaved. I'll post her "after" pictures later.

Special Request - Betsy needs help!

This is Betsy...

She loves people. We know she used to have a home... she's house-trained and has been taught manners. She loves attention and petting. She enjoys chew bones too. We don't know what happened to her family. Betsy showed up at someone's house and wouldn't leave. They couldn't keep her, and couldn't find her family, so they asked us to take her in. So that's how Betsy came to our shelter. We found out she was heartworm positive, and we raised the money to treat her. But then she started limping, and our vet determined that she has cancer. It could be bone cancer, or another kind of cancer that has spread to her leg. Either way, the vet determined that its not treatable so they've prescribed medication to keep her comfortable.

Betsy probably only has a few months left to live. No one wants her to spend the last few months of her life in our shelter. She should be in a home, with someone to love her. The problem is that Betsy doesn't do well with cats. And she only does okay with dogs who leave her alone. So how do you find a Heartland volunteer who doesn't have any other animals? People who are in rescue tend to have several dogs, cats, or other assorted animals in their homes already. We all want Betsy to be in a home, but no one has a home where she can peacefully spend the last months of her life. Surely there's someone out there who can open up their home to Betsy, and let her spend her remaining time with them. Heartland will cover her vet bills and provide her pain medication. And did I mention that she's housetrained and very loving? Please consider helping Betsy!

Plethora of dogs

I did not go to Petsmart for adoptions this Saturday, because of my Grandma's 80th birthday party (Happy Birthday, Grandma!). It was a much needed break, but of course by 4:00pm on Saturday I was calling another volunteer who had been there to find out what I missed! It was a typical adoption day - the dogs that are always the most sought-after did well. Puppies and small pure-breed dogs are generally very easy to find homes for. This week the adoptions of three puppies, a Bichon Freise and a Cocker Spaniel were not big surprises. We were all very happy they found homes of course, but it's usually the less sought-after dogs being adopted that we celebrate the most. This week, a dog named Champ was our biggest surprise. Champ is a Miniature Pinscher mix that has been staying at our shelter. He is a very sweet dog by himself, but he found the noise and the other dogs at the shelter to be a bit overwhelming, and he seemed very unhappy there. So it is great news that he has his very own home now.

As fast as we adopt them out, we can never get ahead. Right now we have some wonderful dogs available for adoption. You can read about their stories on our website, but since I only have Noelle at home, and I talk about her all the time, I thought I'd talk about some of my other favorite Heartland dogs who are waiting for homes.

WIGGLES

This is Wiggles - isn't he cute? Before volunteering for Heartland, I was never really a fan of beagles, but after meeting so many of them I have started to really like the breed. Wiggles is one of the best beagles I've met. He is so sweet and loving - and everytime I see him, he is happy to just sit in my lap and be petted.

FRAZIER

This is Frazier. He was found him running loose - he wouldn't put any weight on one leg, and we think he may have been hit by a car. We took him in, and the vet found that Frazier's leg had a serious break that requires surgery to repair. Without Heartland, Frazier would have been put down. He's a young dog, so sweet and affectionate, and has the potential to recover completely and live a full happy life. So the Heartland volunteers made the decision to proceed with the surgery and try to raise the funds to cover the cost. We received a grant from the United Animal Nations to cover part of the cost, but we still need to raise around $400.00 to pay for the rest of the surgery. If you can help with this, please click here to donate.

DEXTER

This is Dexter. He's an Australian Cattle Dog, or Blue Heeler, just like my previous foster dog Tulsa is. He is a funny little guy - he always has this big smile on his face, everytime I see him. Well, almost every time - sometimes at PetSmart he likes to bark at the other dogs, just like Tulsa used to. But Tulsa found a wonderful home so I know that Dexter can too! Australian Cattle Dogs are known to be very intelligent, and Dexter is no exception - he will make a wonderful pet for someone.

DASH

Dash is an Australian Cattle Dog mix - the same breed as Dexter, only Dash is a "red heeler" instead of a "blue heeler". Dash always makes me laugh. Every time I see him, we play a game where he does a play bow, then I do a play bow, then he picks up his favorite toy and runs with it as fast as he can. Then he stops suddenly, and runs back the other way, and I chase him. We both love the game (although I bet I look pretty silly when I'm playing with him). Like most cattle dogs, he has a lot of energy, but he's another dog who is going to make a great pet. Whomever adopts him will be very lucky to have him!

Thanks to Rhonda, another Heartland volunteer, for the great pictures of all of these dogs.

Lucy was adopted!

Lucy was adopted yesterday - my kitten-cleaning assistant is gone! She is no longer available to clean up the kittens after they finish eating, so I have to clean them up myself now. I think the kittens miss Lucy almost as much as I do! :-)

Speaking of kittens, the four kittens are doing great - they are so much fun to play with. My husband jokes that they don't say "meow", they say "pheeuw", and it does sound like that! They are so tiny and pathetic and adorable, and they eat a lot, and create huge messes. I'm enjoying them more every day. They are still eating kitten canned food and KMR (kitten milk replacement) and I'm finally getting the hang of how much to feed them each time. They all like to climb on me and cuddle up on my neck and purr, and I give each one a turn carrying it around the house with me while I do other chores.... I hope I'm not making them dizzy.

All my other fosters are doing well too. Marco and Polo, my fluffly white cats, had an adventure in the basement - they explored down there for a few days until I finally found them and took them back upstairs. They had food and a litter box down there, so I guess they were in no hurry to leave, but I didn't like them having so many hiding places where I couldn't find them. They're in my daughter's bedroom now and spend most of the time watching out the window, cuddled up together. Marco has to have a dental and two teeth removed next week, then they'll be ready for adoption.

Shiro and Una are doing great - they've been going to PetSmart and are on the website but so far no one has shown any interest in them. I was hoping they'd start to come out to the rest of the house but they seem to prefer to hang out by themselves in a back bedroom. Shiro always comes to greet me and get petted but he doesn't like to leave his room. Una doesn't seem to care if I'm there or not, as long as I bring canned food now and then.

My other two cat fosters, Scribbles and Whisper, are still living at PetSmart. I heard from one family who is interested in Scribbles so I'm hoping she gets adopted this weekend! No one seems interested in Whisper - she has been waiting such a long time for a home, so I wish someone would want her.

I'm down to just one dog foster right now! Noelle is doing great, and I think she misses Lucy and Boo, but she still has Remi to play with. I am sure she'll have a new foster dog friend soon, but I'm going to wait awhile before bringing another foster dog home. My husband left today for a three week trip for Army, so I need a few days break to get my house cleaned and get caught up on chores, before I'm ready to add another dog to the family.

Artemis was adopted!; Introducing Ariel, Anastasia, Aurora & Aladdin

I didn't post it earlier, but my foster cat Artie was adopted a couple weeks ago. I visited him in his new home a few days ago, and he is doing great! He has a wonderful family, and another cat named Louie to play with. He has been renamed Luckee, and I think it fits him, since he was lucky to find such a great family.

With the help of some other Heartland volunteers, I've named my new kittens after Disney princesses and princes. Here are some pictures of my newest fosters:

Aurora is a tortoiseshell. I joke about how I am not a fan of tortie's, due to some of them being known for a "tortie attitude", but so far I have to admit that Aurora is my favorite of the bunch!

Ariel is a gray tabby with a white face. She is usually the first one to find the food dish. All of the kittens are eating very well now - they are incredibly messy, but oh so cute!

This is Anastasia - she is the only one that dives headfirst into the food dish and lays in it while she eats. Yuck!

The only boy in the group - this is Aladdin. He is the climber of the bunch - he is the first to climb up to the top of the cat playpen, and often the only one to go up there and sleep on the top shelf while his sisters stay safely on the bottom floor.

Once the kittens are done making such a huge mess while they eat, Lucy, one of my foster dogs, is happy to step in and help with the cleanup. She'll lick the kittens faces through the bars, and they'll push their faces against her tongue to make sure they get all clean. Then everyone is happy!

Boo was adopted!

I miss her a lot, but I'm really glad that Boo found a home with a wonderful family and another dog to play with. They were originally hoping to adopt Noelle, so I took her to meet them on Friday. However, Noelle decided she wasn't crazy about their current dog, so we decided that perhaps Boo would be a better fit. We were all sad that Noelle didn't work out, but it is a great home for any dog so I'm glad that they decided to give Boo a chance instead. And Boo did great with their other dog, so hopefully it will be a perfect fit.

While I was at PetSmart, a family came by and asked if we could help with some kittens they were caring for. The kittens' mother had been killed, so they had been bottle feeding the kittens, and they were finally old enough to begin eating on their own. It's been a long time since I fostered kittens, so of course I had to take them! I will post pictures of them tomorrow!

Introducing Marco and Polo, Update on other fosters

Tonight I took in two new cat fosters - Marco and Polo. They are brothers, around 6 years old, and they are the most beautiful cats I've ever fostered. They are also both very friendly. They remind me of a cat that I had growing up, and I'm crazy about them after only having them for a couple of hours! Marco and Polo have been through a lot in their life, but they've always had each other. So I'll be keeping them both until they can find a home together. Sometimes adult cats are hard to place together - especially when one is special needs (Marco is deaf) but in this case I can't imagine that they'll have a hard time finding a home. Not only are they beautiful, but they are easy-going, and get along with other cats, dogs, and kids. The family who rescued Marco and Polo originally was very sad to give them up, but the son was allergic so they had to find another home for the cats. But then a few years later the second family who adopted them decided they could no longer keep them and they turned them in to a shelter. Fortunately the first owner had microchipped the cats, and when the shelter contacted her, she immediately went and rescued them again. Then she asked for our help to find them a good home. When I got them tonight, she told me that Polo was very athletic. He proved this when I put him in the bathroom while getting his room ready for him. I went in to get him and found him on top of the shower doors! He actually seemed quite comfortable up there. This is Marco on the left, and Polo on the right.




As usual, the camera was out so I had to take pictures of the rest of my fosters. Here is a picture of Una, snuggling among some stuffed animals. She is still a bit shy, but she's starting to come greet me occasionally now.

Here is Shiro. He's always ready to greet me and get attention and petting, and of course canned food!

Here is a picture of Lucy with Boo. I always think its a good sign when the dogs don't mind going in a crate even when they don't have to. It means I'm doing a good job of keeping the crate as a good place to be, instead of somewhere they have to stay when I'm not home. Here Lucy went in and settled down for a nap, and I guess Boo thought that she looked so comfortable, that she decided to go join her!

And for anyone who heard rumors that Lucy was adopted - it's not true, unfortunately.

Here's Boo on the left and Noelle on the right. These two aren't related. But I think Boo is starting to look more like Noelle every day. Poor Boo. :-)

I have a temporary, one night house-guest. He doesn't have a name right now, but I'm calling him Romeo because he likes to give kisses. He's on his way from a shelter to the vet, and then he's going to be adopted tomorrow!

And here are a couple pictures from our Trivia Night. A few of the Silent Auction items...

Trivia Night

Trivia Night Results

Thank you to all of you who made it out to support Heartland at our Spring Trivia Night last Saturday. The event was a lot of fun, and we raised over $4,000! A special thank you to Krystle, one of our previous adopters who organized the event for us. For those of you who attended and didn't get to see the final scores, here they are (Click on the scores to make them larger) :

Trivia Night Reminder

Tomorrow night is our Spring Trivia Night, at the Elks Lodge in Eureka. It's not to late to join us! You can sign up at the door - doors open at 6:00 p.m. and questions begin at 7:00pm. Bring nine friends and get a table ($230), or if you're like me and don't actually have 9 friends, just bring as many people as you want, and we'll seat you at a table with another group (tables of 10). Tickets are $23.00 per person at the door. You don't have to be good at trivia - just have fun and support Heartland in the process! We have a lot of fun silent auction items, and soda and beer are provided. I hope to see you there!