Mud – The bane of my existence

I used to look forward to the Spring. Then I got a dog. All of a sudden, Spring stopped meaning warm weather and longer days, and it started meaning rain and mud. The more dogs, the more mud in the house – there is a direct correlation. And of course the heavier the dog, the more mud gets tracked in, so having a 160 pound Great Dane is always worse in the Spring.

Even having a dog like Noelle who hates the rain and mud, and will NEVER walk through a mud puddle or voluntarily get dirty, comes with its own issues, since she has to be forced to go out into the rain and much prefers to have a not-so-accidental “accident” inside in order to avoid getting wet. I no longer look forward to the Spring, although there are occasional funny moments. Like last week when my foster dog Buddy decided to take a mud bath. And then all I could think about was when I said I liked Muddy Buddys, I was referring to the Chex snack food recipe and not an actual dog.

This kind of Muddy Buddy = GOOD.

 This kind of Muddy Buddy = NOT SO GOOD.

Oh well, I should be grateful that at least it's not waterproof mascara. 

Kai on Pitter Patter

I fostered Kai last June and July. She was a sweet, wonderful dog, and I fell in love with her immediately. She was shy and scared of new things like going through doorways, or loud noises, or walking on a leash. It took almost two months before we got to the point she would walk all the way around the block without me having to carry her back home! But every day she made small improvements, and by the time she was adopted she was a very different dog than when she came to my house. At first, one of the things she was scared of was cameras. So in most of the pictures I took she looked terrified. Of course I didn't see the point in wasting such adorable pictures, although they didn't do much to help her get adopted. So recently I sent in one of the early pictures I took of her to Pitter Patter - and on Monday, she was featured on their website!

For those of you who don't know, Pitter Patter is a website that features pictures of pit bulls and pit bull mixes with funny captions. You can send them pictures of your dogs (or foster dogs!) and they may choose it to post on their website. They come up with all the captions and they are always amusing!

Below is a short video from last summer of Kai looking happy, and a 2-second clip of Noelle on the end. Noelle likes to jump up onto the hot tub cover, and I just happened to catch her on video trying to jump up and not quite making it. :-)

Baby Kittens

This is Lucy.  She is one of my favorite dogs. 
Yes, I know I have at least two dozen "favorite" dogs.  But Lucy is definitely one of them.

I know the title of this post is Baby Kittens, and we'll get to that. But as a dog blogger, I felt obligated to start out with a picture of a dog. Lucy belongs to a friend of mine who fosters cats. Basically Lucy's mom Barb runs a kitten nursery for homeless kittens/cats. And she recently started a new blog. So I talked her into inviting me over to visit. I told her I could write a blog post about her kittens and let people know about her new blog, but first she had to make me dinner and let me play with the kittens - and she believed me! I'm not above using my blog for personal gain. And Barb is a great cook, and a super nice person. So after a wonderful dinner, I got to visit Lucy and Barb's many foster kittens.

One week old kitten:

One week old kittens with their mom:

One week old kitten being hugged by his mom 

Quick photo of Lucy, so there's no confusion about who I love the most. 

Four week old kitten:

Four week old kittens with their mom:

Four week old kitten being held by his foster mom:

Not only does Barb have one litter of one week old kittens and another litter of four week old kittens, she also has a few older kittens/cats that she is fostering until they can find homes. She is amazing - most if not all of these cats/kittens would have been killed if she hadn't taken them in. Now they will get to grow up in a safe, happy place and when they're old enough they'll be spayed/nuetered and available for adoption. Also the momma cats will be spayed and placed for adoption as well. When you get a chance, please stop by Barb's new blog "Barb's Cats and Quilts" and thank her for the work she is doing to save these kittens and cats. And don't forget to tell Lucy hi too! 

Adoptions!

Some weeks I go to adoption events and none of the foster pets are adopted. Other weeks turn out to be amazing, wonderful, fantastic weeks that make it all worthwhile. Last week has been one of those weeks! First, on Thursday my foster dog Kirsten was adopted to the family that met her a week ago. They live on this wonderful property, have three kids and two other dogs, and Kirsten is going to be sooo spoiled there!    Then Jack/Rolo, the Yellow Lab was adopted from the shelter where he was staying.  I actually ran into his new family at the vet's office last night, and couldn't believe it was actually Jack (now named Bronx).  He looked very good, and oh so happy.  His new family seems very wonderful, and he has another yellow lab just like him for a sibling now!  Then on Saturday not only were three more of the nine puppies adopted (leaving only three still looking for homes!) but also my foster dog Rachel was adopted!!! She went home with a very nice lady who also has another dog.  The lady runs marathons and I think Rachel will make a great running partner for her!  Also on Saturday Buddy went back to his first foster home, so within three days I went from having four foster dogs in the house to only one (Ziggy - of course). The house is quiet, and I miss my fosters, but I'm also enjoying the break. Here is a brief video of what it's like to live with six dogs - four of them less than one year old. Usually noisy and hectic - always entertaining!

How To Be Beyootiful (Guest Post by Noelle)

Well finally Mom said it was my turn to post. I (Noelle) have been waiting impatiently all week (although the chew bones helped), and now I will finally get a chance to tell you about my experiment last week. My human sister Rachael was here visiting recently, and she is one of my Most Favorite People. She is also one of the prettiest human girls I have ever seen, so I decided I wanted to look beyootiful like her. So since I have watched her put on makeup, I thought if I put some on, I too could look beyootiful.

How do I look? I worked really hard on it and tried to get a little bit of the makeup everywhere.

Oops - looks like I got it on the carpet too.  Oh well, I'm sure Mom won't mind - now the carpet is even prettier. 

I asked Rachael what she thought.

She said I did a good job, and then Mom took our picture together.   

But then Mom said that doggies don't wear makeup, so I guess this might be the last time I ever look beyootiful.  Mom said she hopes it is the last time that Rachael leaves her makeup unattended too.

Be The Change Challenge

Recently I discovered BlogPaws - an online gathering place for pet bloggers. They hosted a pet blogger conference earlier this month, and one of the things that came out of the conference was the Be The Change challenge. Basically it encourages pet bloggers and readers all over the world to get involved in making the world better for animals. I love the idea and really want to participate. Of course I'm pretty busy with fostering/adoption events/volunteering, so I've come up with this handy questionnaire to help you identify ways that you can help instead. Aren't you glad you read my blog? I hope you see something on this list that you are willing to try, or that you come up with your own ideas and find a way to Be The Change.


1. Are you bored? Foster a homeless animal.

2. Are you needing more exercise? Volunteer to walk shelter dogs.

3. Are you lonely? Spend some time petting a shelter cat.

4. Are you obsessively neat? Clean cat cages at shelter/adoption center.

5. Are you a good photographer? Offer to take pictures of pets waiting for adoption.

6. Do you want to be a dog trainer? Work with shelter dogs to provide basic training.

7. Are you good with people? Offer to answer phones/return calls for shelter/rescue group.

8. Do you like to shop? Check out your local shelter/rescue group's wish list and purchase supplies to donate.

9. Do you like to eat? Provide dog/cat food to area shelters/rescues/food banks.

10. Are you outgoing? Assist your local rescue group with fundraisers.

11. Do you like money? Assist your local rescue group with grant writing.

12. Are you bored only on weekends? Assist your local rescue group with off-site adoption events.

13. Are you ready to add a new pet to your household? Adopt from a rescue or shelter.

14. Are you good at creating websites? Contact your local rescue groups to see if they need assistance.

15. Do you have a job? Skip a week of eating out and donate the money you save to an area rescue/shelter.

Okay, I just checked my checklist and realize I totally failed. I am currently doing numbers 1, 5, 10, 11, 12 and 14. But if my questionnaire was accurate, instead I should be doing numbers 2, 3, 6, 9 and 15. WOW - I am not doing anything I should be, and I'm doing a bunch of things I shouldn't be. Or else my questionnaire is a total failure. Oh well. Please share your ideas on which numbers on the checklist you like, and any other ideas you have to Be The Change!

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. 

My Foster Brother Ziggy (Guest Post by Noelle)

Hello my furiends. Noelle here. Today was supposed to be Ziggy's turn to post, but when Mom asked him if he wanted a turn to write a blog post, he said "Huh?" "Whaa?" And then he started chewing on her shoelaces, so she said I could write the post for him. I'm still not quite clear on why the fosters get to write their own posts before Remi and I do, but whenever I ask Mom, she just gives me a chew bone instead of answering, so I really don't mind so much.
So since this post is supposed to be Ziggy's turn, let me tell you a little bit about my foster brother. He's quite a handsome fella, although Mom says that is all he has going for him.

I quite admire his ability to disregard all commands, requests, instructions, and rules, and just live his life without regard for anyone or anything around him. To me, he embodies the concept of freedom. Freedom to enjoy life as it is meant to be enjoyed. No rules to follow. No people to please. No future to be concerned with. Ziggy lives for the moment, and not only does he not worry about the consequences of his actions, but he doesn't even understand that there are consequences. That, my furiends, is freedom.

The Zigster, as he is known, loves to chew. He is a chewing machine. He shredded Mom's barstool while she was sitting on it yesterday, and she didn't even realize it.  She had sprayed it liberally with some no-chew spray, and she thought it was working.  Obviously not. 

I am in awe of his chewing talent. And Mom says he has nothing going for him other than his looks. Boy is she wrong. Not only can he chew up anything, but he does it faster than any dog I've ever met. If there is ever a chewing contest, I'd bet my entire supply of chew bones that the Zigster would win. My foster brother is amazing. I could be quite happy without the constant stream of dogs coming in and out of my house, but in Ziggy's case, I must say I'm a better dog for having known him.

The Best Toy Ever (Guest Post by Buddy the Foster Dog)

Did you know that there are these things called Kongs, that are filled with food and treats?! They are SO YUMMY! And sometimes they even have CHEESE inside. Where have these things been all my life? Speaking of my life - I'm Buddy, and I'm a vagabond. I've lived with four different families so far, and I'm only four months old. The nice lady who I'm living with this week said that I could tell you about me today. But first let me say, that if you haven't seen some of these Kongs, you should ask your people to go get some for you right away. Yummmmmm. Okay, where was I. Right - my life. I started out with my brother Freckles and some other puppies. The people we lived with took the other puppies away, and then when just me and Freckles were left, they took us to a place called a shelter. It was scary there, but we had food and water and a safe place to stay.

Then my second family came and got me and took me to their house. They said I was their foster dog, and that I could live with them until I found a furever family. It was fun there. I got lots of attention from the littlest people. Then one day we went to a big store and I saw Freckles again, and I met some new people - my third family. I thought they might be my furever family when they took me home with them. I lived there for a week but they had a doggie that didn't like me very much. They finally said that I wasn't going to work out since their doggie was so unhappy, so they brought me back to the big store, where the nice lady who was with Freckles at the big store last time met me and took me home. She said my second family can't get me yet, but I get to go back to them on Saturday.

So in the meantime, I'm living with my fourth family, and the nice lady says I'm becoming a world traveler. She said Freckles is already at his furever family and she hopes I will find mine soon. In the meantime, I am having fun playing with the other dogs here. And enjoying the most awesomest toy ever - especially when the nice lady puts cheese in it!

There are a lot of other doggies here. I think the nice lady keeps getting confused because now there are three of us white doggies at once and she said that Ziggy and Noelle and I all look alike and it is hard to tell us apart. Even Noelle was confused when I came here because she seemed to think I was Ziggy at first. But Ziggy is lots bigger than me, and he's much faster at getting his Kong cleaned out. Did I mention that Kongs are the bestest toy invention ever? And now I see the nice lady is getting some more of them filled up with yummy food, so I have to go. Bye bye.

My Life as a Dog Foster. (Guest Post by Rachel the Foster Dog)

Dog Foster Mom is always talking about what her life is like. But let's be honest - you don't read this blog because of her - you read it because of US - the dogs and cats who live with her. She's just the typist/photographer. Yet over and over she posts about her life instead of our lives. So today since she's whining about being too tired and busy to blog, I, Rachel the Foster Dog, am going to tell you about MY life. What its REALLY like to be a foster dog. And I have to tell ya, it ain't all that great. Sure, my sister Kirsten thinks life is a bowl of dog biscuits. But that's only because she's naive. She doesn't know how bad off she really has it. I mean come on, do you really think sharing with a bunch of other dogs and cats is easy? It's not. And then, on the weekends, Foster Mom makes us go to this giant store where all these strangers come by with their people and want to sniff us. How rude. And when I bark at them to let them know that their presence is NOT appreciated, Foster Mom gets upset and tells me to be nice. As if. Look at what she did to my sister Kirsten.

That's right - she put her in a CAGE! And she makes me go in a cage too, and even covers it up when she says I bark too much. Does she think that I won't know those other dogs are there? She's not too smart sometimes. But don't worry, I'm working on training her. Once she learns that other dogs make me bark, she won't make me to go the pet store anymore, and she won't bring home any new dogs. And then my life will be so much better. I can put up with Remi and Noelle. Remi isn't a bad chap - he takes up a lot of room, but other than that I like him okay. And Noelle has some very good characteristics - she really has her mom and dad trained, so I think I can learn a lot from her. Ziggy is another story though - the sooner she can get rid of him, the better. He is T-R-O-U-B-L-E! But back to me - I am NOT happy about being a foster dog. I even heard someone say that me and Kirsten would be better off being apart! I was shocked. I am the Girl In Charge around here, and Kirsten NEEDS me. Without me, she'd probably be happy with just dog kibble and belly rubs. She doesn't know how to stand up for what she wants - she is always just trying to please people. I know enough to hold out for the really good stuff - like cheese. Never make it too easy for your people, or they will be training YOU instead of the other way around. Uh oh - I hear Foster Mom's car. Apparently she was out picking up something called a "Return". Yet another thing that takes her away from important things like paying attention to ME.

OH NO! Remi and Noelle were watching out the window, and they said the "Return" is another DOG! I have GOT to get Foster Mom trained soon - this is getting ridiculous. 

Our Fabulous Weekend (A Guest Post by Kirsten the Foster Dog)

Hi everyone, its Kirsten here.  Our foster mom is exhausted from a busy weekend, so she's letting us foster pets post this week so she can take a break.  This is me: 

I am here to tell you about our Fabulous Weekend. It was amazing - we had so much fun!!  On Saturday morning we got up early and went to Petco - this gigantic store with lots of fun things to sniff and people to greet.  We stayed there for hours and hours.  Me and my sister Rachel were there, and our foster brother Ziggy, and lots of other dogs and even some cats!  Some nice people came and met me, but then they ended up spending a lot of time with my friend Daisy.  This is Daisy:

Then those people left, and a little while later, our foster mom said it was time to go.  I thought we had to go back home, but instead, we went to a different store called PetSmart.  I was so excited.  There were even MORE people at that store, and lots and lots of doggies.  Rachel was kind of scared of the other doggies and she kept barking at them, but I thought it was fun to meet so many new friends.  We stayed there for a long time, and finally our foster mom said it was time to go home.  So I helped her pack up the car and all the crates and supplies, and then we all went back home.  When we got home she put Ziggy and me and Rachel in the backyard while she unloaded the car, but I knew she'd need my help, so I squeeeezed through the fence and went out to help her.  Then Rachel squeeeeezed through the fence behind me, but instead of helping, she ran off to bark at the neighbor's doggy.  Foster Mom didn't seem very happy about that.  But she was sure happy to see me!  She clapped her hands and called me and ran inside with me - but then she left me inside and ran right back out to get Rachel.  I guess she didn't realize I just wanted to help her.  Anyway, once she came back with Rachel, she told us it was nap time.  So that was the end of our fun on Saturday.

However, Sunday was even BETTER!  We went BACK to PetSmart.  Foster Mom left Ziggy at home because she said she couldn't handle PetSmart with TWO difficult dogs two days in a row.  She couldn't decide if she should leave Ziggy or Rachel at home.  I was just glad she wasn't considering leaving me at home - adoption events are the best thing EVER!   So we went to PetSmart and Rachel barked at all the other dogs that went by.  Sometimes I helped her, because I do like to do whatever my sister does - but the rest of the time I did my best to get belly rubs.  This is how I do it.  I spot a friendly person, and I do this:

And then this

And then this

And almost every time they stop and give me a belly rub!  It's just GREAT! 

Those people who had met Daisy on Saturday came back on Sunday and 'dopted her!  So everyone was very happy for her.  Also there were NINE little puppies there looking for homes and three of them got 'dopted too - so everyone was happy 'bout that too.  I met some nice people on Sunday and Foster Mom said they want to 'dopt me too!  So she's going to take me out to their house to meet them later this week and maybe I'll get 'dopted and live with them forever and ever. 

Another rescue

An e-mail came from a previous adopter, telling us about a dog that needed help.  The dog had been abandoned by its owners and taken up residence at a neighbor's house.  The neighbors were unable to keep him, and he was in danger of being shot (an all too common method to get rid of unwanted dogs in rural areas around here with no animal control).   We wanted to help, but there are always too many dogs and not enough available foster homes.  Fortunately one of our volunteers made arrangements to get him into an area shelter temporarily until he could be adopted or we had an opening in a foster home.  And so I drove out after work one night and met the family that had been taking care of him, and brought him home with me for the night.   

 I called him Jack, in honor of another Yellow Lab named Jack who has his own blog.  My past experiences with labs have always included a lot of wild behavior.  So I figured since I already have three fosters who like to engage in wild puppy behavior, it would be easy to take Jack to the shelter in the morning where I knew he would be very well cared for.  

But Jack surprised me.  He is probably only a year or two old, but he wasn't wild at all.  He rode calmly on the front seat next to me for the 45 minute drive home.  He waited calmly in the garage while I went inside to get him some food and water.  Then he ate dinner, and relaxed in the grass in the front yard while I went back inside to take care of the other animals.  He never barked or made a sound.  He was affectionate and loving.  He spent the night in Rachael's room with her and the cats and was just about perfect.  I could hardly bear to take him to the shelter the next morning.  If I knew he'd been vaccinated, I probably would have kept him as another foster.  But I have to be careful who I foster right now since Ziggy was sick and he could have left some dangerous germs behind for unvaccinated dogs.  So I dropped him off at the shelter the next morning, with strict instructions pleas to keep me informed on how he did. 

Jack has now been named Rolo, and I'm pretty sure he will be adopted rather quickly.  He's getting a lot of love and affection from shelter workers and volunteers, and tomorrow he goes to his first off-site adoption event.  It'll be at a different location than I will be with Ziggy, Rachel and Kirsten, so I won't get to see him, but I really hope he finds his forever home.  It's a far cry from almost being shot.  Sometimes people question why so many volunteers do this, day after day, without pay, and with all of the hassle and heartache that can come along with rescue.  But this is why.  Each one we save makes it all worthwhile.

Ziggy's Fan Club

A friend of mine recently suggested that if I really want to find my foster dog Ziggy a home, I should probably talk a little bit nicer about him on my blog. Well, I really do want to find him a home, but I just can't keep the Ziggy stories to myself.  He's a menace, I tell you.  Well, maybe not a menace.  But definitely a challenge.  And he's too entertaining to not talk about.  Plus his new adopters, if he ever gets any, will quickly find that out for themselves.  So I have to be honest and make sure they know what they're getting into. 

Several people on here have mentioned that they like Ziggy - a lot - so I thought maybe if I start his own fan club, he'd be the only foster dog in the area with a fan club of his own.  Surely THAT would make up for some of my Ziggy stories... wouldn't it?  Before you answer that, I have to tell you my latest Ziggy story.

The other day, instead of putting Ziggy in his crate while I was at work, I left him in an exercise pen.  It's kind of like an indoor big wire kennel without a top, and it gives him more room to move around.  However, the door was bent and while I was gone, Ziggy made his escape.  And did this to the blinds.

Yeah, I'm not sure a fan club is going to help make up for that.  But somehow sharing all the damages that my fosters do with you makes me feel better. He also got into the cats' room and ate all of their food and most of their toys. 

Ziggy doesn't mean to cause harm to anyone or anything - he just likes to chew.  Everything.  Yesterday I snapped this picture of my stepdaughter Rachael with Ziggy. 

Look closely and you can see he is chewing on her hand.  I didn't notice at the time or I would have stopped him.  I am finally starting to make some progress on teaching him that people are not for chewing (we've only been working on it for four months - he's very tenacious!)  Sigh.  Please check out Ziggy's Fan Page and leave a comment if you'd like to become a fan.  I promise not to let him visit. 

It's Virgil Day!

My friend Amy at the House of Cats is holding a commentathon today. For every comment left on her blog from now until midnight, she will donate 25 cents to Cat Guardians, which is a no-kill cat shelter. Please stop by and say "Hi!" to Virgil, her cat whose picture is on the Cute Overload cat calendar today.

Puppies Galore

Last Saturday the rescue group I volunteer with had two puppies adopted (Freckles and Buddy).  In the same day, we also took in ten new puppies, not including my two five-month-old foster pups.  Sadly, there is no shortage of puppies needing homes in our area.  On the plus side, this means I get to post lots of puppy pictures today!

This happy puppy is Daisy.  At the same time as I was talking to Freckles' adopters about him, I noticed one of our other volunteers talking to a guy with another puppy.  Next thing I knew, the guy was signing the puppy over to us.  I didn't hear the whole story, but I am glad that one of our foster families was able to fit in this sweet girl and she'll never have to know what her life would have become if she'd ended up at a shelter.

The next nine puppies are all from the same litter.  And one foster mom took home all nine of them.  The same foster mom that is still fostering the infamous wall-eating dog Duke.  She's crazy, I tell you, and I'm so glad that she is, because these puppies were going to be shot if we couldn't take them. 

I love these puppies.  They're having a blast in their foster home - running all over and throwing wild parties.  These are nine very lucky puppies to end up where they did, thanks to many different volunteers who made calls on their behalf, and transported them to us, and thanks to a wonderful, Most Awesome foster mom who does more than I can imagine to save dogs and give them a happy life while they're waiting to be adopted.  Hopefully we'll have lots of people wanting to adopt some very cute puppies very soon!

Ziggy mows the grass

Last Saturday my husband mowed the front and back yard while I was at PetSmart, and Ziggy helped.  He said Ziggy followed him back and forth across the yard as he made each pass.  I'm not sure how exactly that helped, but I'm pretty sure Ziggy thought he was helping. 

He even has the green feet to prove it.  For those of you who don't have grass to mow, allow me to explain.  For some reason, the cut grass will turn your feet green.  Just like getting a grass stain from falling down and sliding in the grass (which happens when an untrained dog who weighs more than you pulls you off your feet and drags you across the yard to make new friends...not that I know from personal experience...since Remi would never do such a thing to me...), it's the same concept.  So when I got home from PetSmart last Saturday, I found this:

And I immediately thought "oh, it's too bad that St. Patrick's Day is over!"  Then I went and got my camera and took a few photos. 

Yep, all four feet are now green. 

Of course, it doesn't keep him from doing anything important.  He just looks kind of silly to me. 

I do love this dog.  But for those of you who have suggested that perhaps I might keep him, all I can say is no, No, and NO!  Did that sound too emphatic?  I just want to be clear.  I am very eager for someone else to discover the joy and the trauma that Ziggy will bring to their life.  I have too many other deaf dogs to help, and Noelle already took my only available "forever dog" spot.  So as much as I appreciate Ziggy for constantly providing me with blog material, I will be very happy once he finds his forever home.

Introducing Rachel and Kirsten

My stepdaughter Rachael is visiting this week from her home in Alabama.  So when she met my two newest foster dogs, I asked her for help in naming them.  She immediately began calling one of them Rachel (spelled differently than her own name, per her instructions).  Then my niece Kirsten called and said she was coming over to visit Rachael, so we decided to name the second puppy after her.  That's how these two newest foster puppies got their names.

Rachel and Kirsten came from another rescue group down in Southern Missouri.  They don't have a lot of adoptions there since it is a rural area for the most part, so when we get the chance, we try to help out by taking in some of their dogs.  These two are so cute that I can't imagine they'll take long to find homes.  And as a bonus, they are super-sweet and very "clean".  Some puppies are what we call "dirty" - they go to the bathroom in their kennel, then they walk in it, then they roll in it, then they spread it around as much as possible.  It's just so much fun to clean up after "dirty" puppies.  But some puppies are "clean" - they go in one spot, very neatly, and make sure to avoid that spot.  Even better, they hold it for as long as possible to wait until they get outside instead of just going when and where they need to.  "Clean" puppies are very easy to housetrain.  I'm very happy that Rachel and Kirsten are not only sweet and cute, but they are also "clean", and therefore a breeze to clean up after.  I have to keep them in a quarantine area for a few days just to make sure they don't get sick from anything they were exposed to previously, so its nice to let them stay together in a big kennel/ex-pen all day and not have a huge mess to clean up when I get home from work each evening. 

 The brindle puppy is Rachel.  She is a little bit more shy than her sister.  Both of the girls are encountering a lot of new things that they probably never saw before.  A lot of cars and big trucks driving by the yard.  People out walking their dogs on leashes.  It's a whole different world here in suburbia.  But they're adjusting well so far. 

The tan puppy is Kirsten.  The rescue who sent them to us had listed them as Corgi mixes.  I'm not sure what breeds they may be.  I need to come up with two breeds for their listing on the website - so I'll probably stick with Corgi for one.... what other breeds do you see in them?  I know it's hard to tell in a picture.  They're both small - at around 5 months old, they are only 15 pounds each.

What's with all the voting?

More and more sites are offering money to groups who get the most votes.  There are different companies and organizations getting in on the newest way to garner publicity, and PepsiCo is no exception.  They are giving away $1.3 MILLION dollars each month to various organizations.  That's a lot of money!  I don't really see anything wrong with this - I'd rather they gave a portion of their marketing budget directly to the organizations in need instead of to the radio and TV stations and marketing companies.  But I also usually don't share these types of voting requests because it is just one worthy organization competing against another... and in the end, whether the animals in Texas or Missouri are helped, its still animals being helped. 

However in this case I'm making an exception, because in this case the animals are competing against things like providing motivation for high school students to improve in school, or producing and publishing 10 minute plays written by young writers, or driving drunk people and their cars home.  I'm not saying these aren't worthy causes, but I would rather that Pepsi give their money to an animal welfare organization. 

Especially one like North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue in North Carolina.  Their old location was wiped out by a flood, and they need funds to build a new permanent shelter for the dogs.  From everything I've heard and read about this rescue, they do a great job, and really deserve our votes.  So please, join me in voting every day for NMAR to win a $50,000 grant from Pepsi.  They have to be in the top 10 by the end of the month (right now they are in 24th place).  You do have to register once with Pepsi, but they won't send you junk mail unless you ask them to.  And then you can vote every day until April 30th to help them win.  You can also tell others through a widget on your blog, or through Facebook.  And if you're busy, you can give your e-mail address to NMAR and let them create the account and vote for you by proxy.  See how convenient it is to be a part of changing the world?  If every doggie and kitty reader out there would ask their mom and dad to go vote, and tell their dog and cat friends, we could really make a difference for a lot of dogs who need our help.  Check out the links below for more information.

Vote Here: http://www.refresheverything.com/northmecklenburganimalrescue  (You have to click "Vote for this Idea", then sign in, then make sure to click "Vote for this Idea" AGAIN or you won't have actually voted!)  You can vote once each day. 

Read about NMAR on the PBRC (Pit Bull Rescue Central) blog: http://pitbullrescuecentral.blogspot.com/2010/04/have-you-voted-for-gubbys-rescue-today.html

NMAR's Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vote-For-North-Mecklenburg-Animal-Rescue-to-win-50K-for-Homeless-Dogs/108356965862632?v=wall

Introducing Chloe The Great....

Disclaimer: Our lawnmower was broken.  With the recent rain we've had, our backyard suddenly turned into a jungle.  Please don't judge me because of the height of the grass in the following pictures.  The day after these pictures were taken, we bought a new lawnmower and the backyard is back to being just a backyard.  You will see this in tomorrow's pictures.  So please, pretend this isn't my backyard - pretend it's a park with a terrible groundskeeping service.  Then we'll both be happy.  Thank you.

Last Saturday there was a Great Dane at one of our adoption events.  Her name is Chloe, and she was very skinny. 

I like Great Danes.  I have to, since I own one.  It's like a rule.  So I inquired about fostering Chloe.  She was staying at an area shelter, but she wasn't eating very well.  So they let me take her home.  And honestly, I immediately thought I made a bad decision.  Because Chloe has some issues. 

In the first 24 hours after I brought her home, Chloe barked for at least 9 of those hours.  She may have barked the entire time I was at work too - I'm not sure.  She also ate an entire bag of potato chips. (Hey, I was doing my part to fatten her up!)  She had multiple bouts of diarrhea. (I'm sure it wasn't the potato chips...right?)  She was scared of the other dogs, and she was scared of being left alone.  She paced constantly and wouldn't eat wet or dry dog food.  She was not having an easy time adjusting to being in a new home. 

Fortunately I have the best husband in the world when it comes to dog-dog introductions.  He helped Chloe and Noelle meet each other and when I got home from work the next day, Chloe was getting along great with all of the dogs (Remi, Noelle, Ziggy and Freckles).  Wow - I was super-impressed.  I was also very relieved because it meant she wouldn't bark all night since she was able to be in the room with us.  So suddenly things were looking up.  

Over the next few days, we worked with Chloe to try to find the magic combination that would cause her to eat.  Some days it was dry food with wet food mixed in.  Other days that didn't work, but plain dry food on the floor without a bowl would work.  Some days she'd eat from my hand and other days she wouldn't. But overall, I felt satisfied that she was getting enough nutrition and would eventually gain weight. 

Soon it was Saturday, and time for another PetSmart adoption event.  I took Chloe and Freckles, and Freckles quickly found his forever home.  A few hours into the adoption event, a couple arrived.  They had been volunteers for a dog transport, to get a dog from its temporary home to a new rescue group or adoptive home several states away.  The couple lived in Kansas City, and they had heard about Chloe from another transport volunteer who is also an All Paws Rescue volunteer.  So they visited with Chloe, and decided to make her a part of their family!  

Wow - both of my foster dogs adopted in the same day.  And both of them I had less than a week!  And both of them went to families that I really liked, and felt like they would be a perfect fit.  It was an amazing day. 

But don't worry - I'm not really back to Ziggy as my only foster dog.  About three hours after I left PetSmart, two new foster dogs showed up at my house.  I'll tell you about them tomorrow.