Somewhat Wordless Wednesday

Sometimes people ask why Ziggy hasn't been adopted yet. It could be because he's deaf. More likely it's because he's a pit bull mix. I'm sure it doesn't help that he tries to chew on every person who greets him at an adoption event. But sometimes as I look at Ziggy, I just wonder why other people don't see what a special dog he is. For example, I think these pictures of Ziggy, taken while he was asleep, speak for themselves.  

I'm thinking of making that last picture his profile picture on the adoption website.  If people get tired of looking at little cute fluffy dogs and cats, Ziggy can at least provide a change of pace!   What do you think?

Ziggy Eats like a Bird

A finch, to be exact...

Ziggy decided to pull a bag off of the table, and the bag happened to have bird food in it. Of course he then had to take a bite out of the bag, so when I picked it up a large amount spilled onto the kitchen floor. Ziggy was more than happy to help me out with the cleanup.

Don't worry mom, I've got this...

Uhh... Ziggy - you do know that is bird seed, right?

Huh? Oh okay...

I'll save a little bit for them.

These small black seeds are especially tasty.

Being a conscientious blogger, I allowed Ziggy to continue eating bird seed while I grabbed the camera to take a few pictures, and then a short video.

And by the way, he didn't save any for the birds.

About Me: Ziggy

THE BASICS

1) Name and Age
My name is Ziggy and I am 10 months old.

2) Breed
I am a dog.

3) Nickname(s)
The Zigster, Zig-man, Zig-Zig

4) Where'd ya come from?
St. Louis, Missouri. I was turned into an animal control facility with my sister when we were just puppies. We were gonna be euthanized, whatever that means. I just know it sounded scary and everyone always whispered that word around us. I was deaf, and well, I still am deaf. My mom came and got us and took us to her house. She says she’s not my mom, but she also says I’m going to be adopted. She’s been saying that for seven months now. She’s wrong a lot.


FAVORITES

1) Toy
Anything I can put in my mouth. Especially things that can be chewed up and shredded, like wood and clothing – they make yummy toys.

2) Snack
Ice cubes are my favorite snack in the whole wild world. Did I say that wrong? One time mom dumped a whole entire cooler full of ice on the ground and I just got to lay there and chew and chew as much as I wanted. It was like a dream come true.

3) Human
My mom is the best human in the whole wide world. That’s because she knows how to work the ice cube machine. Other humans with power machinery are a close second.


FUNNY STUFF

1) Worst habit
Mom says it is chewing everything I can get into my mouth. I say if she’d feed me more, I wouldn’t be so hungry all the time.

2) Most embarrassing moment
That would be the time that I made the mistake of looking at Scribbles the cat.

3) Family dynamic
It’s a free-for-all around here – no one is in charge, and we all just do whatever we want. Oh, wait - mom says that isn’t true. But I’m pretty sure it is.

4) Your human's FAVORITE thing about you
Mom loves how I entertain her constantly. She says she likes that I have such a fun, carefree outlook and always just find a way to enjoy life.

About Me: Merlin

THE BASICS

1) Name and Age
My name is Merlin and I am one year old. I had my very first birthday last month. No one remembered. I ignored everyone for a week to let them know how upset I was. No one noticed. On the plus side, my human just looked up my records to find out how old I was and now she feels really guilty about missing my birthday. I bet I get lots of extra treats tonight!

2) Breed
No breeding for me – I’m neutered.

3) Nickname(s)
My human calls me Murray more often than she calls me Merlin. I don’t know why she just didn’t name me Murray to begin with. Sometimes she also calls me Meerlyn and Merthyn. She’s kind of strange.

4) Where'd ya come from?
I came from the same animal control facility that my sister Noelle came from. I was there for a very long time before my human finally came and took me to foster. She fostered Noelle for 9 months before she finally broke down and adopted her. But it only took her 9 days of fostering me before she adopted me. She says I’m very special. But she still forgot my birthday.


FAVORITES

1) Toy
Anything that moves – I am excellent at catching my prey and carrying it around in my mouth. Merlin the Great Hunter is what they should call me.

2) Snack
I like people food the most. Especially corn, chicken, steak, pasta, fish, potatoes, bread, milk, and really almost anything that my human is putting into her mouth.



3) Human
Favorite human? I only have one human. All other humanoids are dangerous! I am a one-human cat and will not remain in the same room as any humanoid except my human.


FUNNY STUFF

1) Worst habit
My human thinks it is trying to eat whatever it is she is eating or drinking. I think that’s not a habit, it’s a pastime.

2) Most embarrassing moment
I got my head stuck in a paper bag yesterday. My human was going to take my picture but she was afraid I would fall off the counter and get hurt so she rescued me instead. Those paper bags are evil.



3) Family dynamic
I am in charge. My human is there to do my bidding. Dogs and other humanoid creatures are dangerous and should be avoided whenever possible.

4) Your human's FAVORITE thing about you
She likes it when I cuddle with her. And her other favorite thing is that I always am waiting at the door to greet her when she gets home from work. I love my human.

About Me: Noelle

THE BASICS

1) Name and Age

I am almost two years old. I have a birthday this month, but I don’t know the exact day. Oh, and my name is Noelle, but mom tells people to call me whatever they want since I can’t hear them anyway.

2) Breed
I am a mutt…. mixed breed…. mongrel…100% All American Dog. I was found picked up as a stray when I was a young puppy, and most people think I’m a pibble (pit bull).


3) Nickname(s)
I have lots of nicknames, which is kind of silly since I’m deaf and can’t hear any of them. Mom calls me Noelle (pronounced No “L”), Knoll-E, Baby Girl, Knoll, and Little One.

4) Where'd ya come from?

St. Charles, Missouri. I was dumped by someone on the streets to fend for myself at only 3 months old. I was taken to an Animal Control facility where my mom found me. She took me home to foster me and I just refused to leave so she finally adopted me.

FAVORITES

1) Toy

Stuffed toys are my favorite – I love to destuff them.

2) Snack
I enjoy snacks that I can play with before eating. Some examples include ice cubes, raw carrots, and Twizzlers. But of course I’ll take some chicken, steak, or cheese over those any day!

3) Human
I really love all humans, but my mom and dad are my favoritest humans in the whole wide world!

FUNNY STUFF

1) Worst habit

Jumping up on tables. Coffee tables, end tables, whatever – just because it is made of glass, I don’t see why I shouldn’t be allowed to stand on it.

2) Most embarrassing moment

I got beat up by a three-legged dog. I don’t like to admit to it, but in my defense, he was a very athletic three-legged dog.

3) Family dynamic
Mom is in charge, then dad, then me. All others, including foster animals, Remi, and Merlin, are expected to follow my commands immediately.


4) Your human's FAVORITE thing about you
Dad’s favorite thing about me is that I like to cuddle. Mom’s favorite thing about me is that I am always so happy to see her.

About Me: Remi

I saw this fun "About Me" questionnaire on several of your blogs (I'm reading, just no time to comment yet!) so I thought it would be fun to fill it out for my pets.  To start off, here are the answers for Remi.

THE BASICS

1) Name and Age

I am four years old. My full name is General J.K. Remington Hammond. No one knows what the J. or the K. stands for. When my mom and dad adopted me, I was one and a half years old, and I came with several personalized items like a personalized dog food container and a personalized bag that said “Remi’s Stuff”, so they decided not to change my name.  I was relieved, since I was sort of used to it by then. 

2) Breed

I am 100% Great Dane, weighing 160 pounds. I have won several awards, ribbons and plaques in local events. Oh, did you think I meant dog shows? No, I prefer the more informal atmosphere of parades and area festivals where I usually win for events like “Tallest Dog”. 

3) Nickname(s)
Usually just “Remi” or “Mr. Remi”, although sometimes mom calls me “Remington” when I’m in trouble.

4) Where'd ya come from?
I don’t know. Mom says it’s probably written on my registration paperwork but she lost it. She says she adopted me from some rescue people in O’Fallon, Missouri where we live, but she doesn’t know where I lived before that, and I don’t remember.  I think it might have been somewhere like Russia or Switzerland, but mom says she thinks it was somewhere in the St. Louis area. 

FAVORITES

1) Toy
I like tug toys the most, as long as there is someone on the other end to tug with me.

2) Snack
I love sliced American cheese. Every time someone comes to the door, mom will get out the cheese and we play a game where I see how long I can ignore the visitor in favor of my favorite snack. I usually win and she runs out of cheese before I go greet the visitor!


3) Human

It used to be dad, but then mom started spending more time with me, so now mom is my favorite. I’m fickle though – whoever gives me the most attention and walks and toy time will be my favorite!

FUNNY STUFF

1) Worst habit
My mom and dad think my worst habit is barking at anything that moves outside. But I say it’s all part of being a good guard dog. That’s what Great Danes were bred for, you know. And I take my job very seriously.

2) Most embarrassing moment
Yesterday my cat brother Merlin got his head stuck in a paper bag. That was pretty embarrassing for him! Oh wait – you want to know MY most embarrassing moment? Sorry, I’m not telling!

3) Family dynamic
Dad is in charge, then mom, then Noelle, then me, then Merlin. It’s good to be King…over the cat.

4) Your human's FAVORITE thing about you
Dad’s favorite thing is that I’m so big – he likes to show me off. Mom’s favorite things are my silky soft ears and my enthusiasm for treats and walks.

Update on my life

Remember me? I’ve missed you guys! I have all sorts of stories to share with you, including a new Ziggy story titled “Ziggy Eats like a Bird”. Can you guess what it’s about? As soon as I get some time to download the pictures, I will tell you! In the meantime, I wanted to give you a quick update on the rest of my life.

I took a brief break from life and went on a family vacation to celebrate my parents’ 40th wedding anniversary. It was wonderful, and I hated to return to real life. Things are a bit stressful with trying to find a place to move, trying to convince family members this will work out, trying to stay positive in spite of everyone’s concerns, and trying to get motivated to start packing. Still life goes on, and the dogs and cats are just happy that I’m back from vacation and they can get back to their regularly scheduled lives. Except for Tripoli my three-legged foster dog. He went to another rescue volunteer’s house while I was gone, and he hasn’t returned yet. He loves it there, and has informed me that his new foster mom (that’s what he calls her – his new foster mom!) is much nicer than I am and he is going to stay there, thank you very much. So I’m not sure when the traitor Tripoli is coming back.

Since I haven’t had time to visit any other blogs, write blog posts, download pictures, or do anything else related to blogging, I decided to share a few of the pictures I’ve received via e-mail recently.

This is “Fonz” – a pibble/basset mix! He loves to snuggle and go for walks, but his favorite thing is rolling around in the grass with his short little legs all spread out, while wiggling to request a belly rub. He’s been at a shelter over four months and is quickly running out of time, so I hope someone can rescue him soon.

This is Rodger – he’s the last of a litter of nine puppies we had available for adoption. He recently went to stay with new foster family and I love the bio they wrote for him. In part it says “I am learning to be a good dog. I recently attended a week of summer camp. Here are my grades: Housetraining A-, crate training A-, clean plate club B, Bath time D-.”

The little white puppy is Sadie. She was adopted from All Paws a few months ago, and is growing quickly! Her new family said she is doing great and loves chewing on her big sister Birdie.







I hopefully will get caught up soon and be able to visit your blogs and share some new posts shortly!

Ziggy likes Coca-Cola

I know this, because he drank three of them yesterday morning. At a time when I mistakenly thought he was safely ensconced in his crate, happily eating breakfast, he was instead roaming the kitchen, looking for something more appetizing than his dog food. While I was in another room scooping litter boxes and giving the prisoners cats their morning rations breakfast, Ziggy was doing this.

And this.

Oh yes, and this.

Fortunately I returned in time to save many of the sodas that were originally in the case. Only three of them were actually opened, although one entire wall of the living room was covered with soda from floor to ceiling. I guess puncture holes from a dog's tooth will do that. Soda had also found its way into the carpet, onto Remi's futon, and on the couch. And quite possibly into Ziggy's stomach.

Remi checked out the spilled soda, but maybe he is a Pepsi fan like me, because he decided not to drink any of it. Although he does seem to enjoy the new Coke-scented aroma of his futon now.

Moving

Thank you all so much for your support! I think I'll have some interesting stories to share as I search for new living arrangements. Since it will take some time to get our house ready to sell, I'm looking to either rent a place or possibly buy a very cheap property. Renting is nice because I'm not locked into a property that I then have to try and sell in a year or two. But it limits me on taking in foster animals during that time, and I've heard too many stories about renters being unexpectedly forced to move when the house they were renting was either foreclosed or sold. So at this point I'm leaving my options open, and checking out both rentals and purchases. Either way I need something very inexpensive since we still have to pay for our house, plus pay for the cost of fixing it up to sell. New carpet, repair drywall, new baseboards and trim, painting - it all adds up quickly! But I don't mind living in a small place as long as there is room for the dogs.

So one option I found was an apartment complex very close to my work that allows dogs and cats, and is extremely cheap for that area (a studio apt is around $500 a month). They even have a dog park on site. So I immediately e-mailed them to find out their breed and weight restrictions. Remember, this is the place that is advertising how pet friendly they are. When I got their response, I couldn't help but laugh. It said "You are more than welcome to have up to 2 pets in your home. To move-in a pet there is a non-refundable fee of $200 under 25 lbs., $400 over 25 lbs (THIS IS PER PET). Additional Pet info: To move in we require vet statements that show breed of dog, full maturity weight, and shots up to date and for cats that they are declawed and spayed or neutered. Ferrets are to be destinked. Our breed restrictions include: No Rottweilers, Dobermans, Chows, Pit Bulls, German Shepherds, Akitas, Alaskan Malamutes, Dalmatians, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Wolf Hybrids (Wolfdog), Mastiffs and Great Danes."

It was interesting to note that they listed Staffordshire Bull Terriers separately than "Pit Bulls", which as you now know are not really a breed at all! I immediately e-mailed them back and said my cat was not declawed and my foster dog is a pit bull mix, so thank you but it would not be a good fit. I also mentioned that while my pit bull mix is not aggressive, my previous foster dog was very aggressive, and I therefore I think they may want to add Pomeranian to their list of banned breeds. :-)

I must admit to you that the last two Pomeranians I fostered were not in the least aggressive - but I have heard of some pretty aggressive Pomeranians! Also my reply could have been worse - I was really tempted to reply with this:  

 

Dear Sir,

 

  Thank you for the information on your apartment complex.  My cat is not declawed, but since you don't have any weight restrictions I will just go ahead and bring both of my dogs instead.  I am relieved that they are not on the list of banned breeds, and look forward to introducing them around the apartment complex. I have enclosed pictures so you can meet them in advance. 

This is my 150 pound Newfoundland named Drool Monster. He does tend to slobber a lot, and fling the slobber around when he gets excited, or when he drinks, or when he plays.  But he's very friendly and really enjoys meeting new people.  I think you'll like him a lot.  You may just want to bring a change of clothes to work every day so whenever we stop by your office, you will be prepared for him.

And this is my Dogo Argentino.  His name is Killer.  I must admit I was a bit worried that he would be banned due to his breed, so I was relieved that only those truly vicious dogs like pit bulls and Dalmatians were on your list.  Killer would never hurt a fly.  Although he is a bit nervous around people who are scared of him because of his looks.  But since you are a pet-friendly facility, I'm sure we won't have any problems at all. 

Thank you, and I can't wait to move in!

Sincerely,

Your Pet-Friendly Future Tenant

Sad news...

Just like Puzzles Puddles, I have my own evil neighbors. They have been badgering the subdivision board to enforce the only two pets per house rule. Of course, many people in our subdivision have more than two pets, but they don't live next to our evil neighbors. So we've been told we have sixty days to get down to only two pets, including both dogs and cats. So I can give up Remi, or Noelle, or Merlin. Or I can move. Guess which one I've decided on.

I don't want to give up any of my animals, and I don't want to keep Merlin locked away in the basement or a windowless room so our neighbors won't notice him sitting in the window. I also don't want to give up fostering, and I don't want to send Ziggy away (until he finds a permanent adoptive home - then, he's outta here!)  Since I'm going to be busy packing and house hunting over the next several weeks, I hope you will be patient and forgive me for not posting very often or for not visiting your blogs. I will try to share some new posts as I can, and will probably re-post a few old posts just so you don't stop visiting and forget about me!
 
I think Ziggy is also worried you will forget about him...

or maybe he's just embarrassed to be wearing a pink leash.

Pibbles

I was going to write this post explaining about how wonderful pit bulls are, and why I went from being afraid of them to deciding they were my favorite breed of dog. But then I got sidetracked. Because a pit bull is not really a breed at all. And just explaining what a pit bull is will take up an entire post! So since I don't want to bore you too much, I will give you the short version, with pictures. I promise to be as accurate as possible, considering that even various experts on the breeds don't all agree. Some experts claim there are several breeds that make up the dogs called pit bulls. Others say three, and others say two. To make it more confusing, there may be several different names for one breed. So after several hours of research and scouring the Internet for information and photos of dogs who have won awards at dog shows for being the best of their breed, I came up with the following synopsis, which may or may not be accurate.

This is an American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT). This is recognized by the United Kennel Club as a real breed, and is definitely one of the breeds that all experts can agree is really a "pit bull".  They have to, since the term "pit bull" is part of the breed name!

This is an American Staffordshire Terrier (AmStaff). These dogs are recognized by the American Kennel Club as a real breed, and is the only other breed that all the experts agree is really a "pit bull". The only difference between the APBT and the AmStaff is the AmStaff was bred more for conformation (dog shows) and the APBT was bred more for working ability. But to be really tricky, some AmStaffs are dual registered as both UKC APBT and AKC AmStaffs.



Chances are, you won't be able to tell the difference between an APBT and an AmStaff - I know I can't.

This is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier - also known as an English Staffordshire Terrier. Some experts do not consider them as "pit bulls". They are recognized by both the AKC and the UKC as a real breed, and they sure look like pit bulls to most people, including those who write up the Breed Specific Legislation laws.  They are generally smaller than APBTs and AmStaffs. 

I'm pretty sure that Momma Mia, one of the All Paws Rescue foster dogs currently available for adoption, is part Staffordshire Bull Terrier. 

This is a Bull Terrier, recognized by both the AKC and UKC. He is not a "pit bull" by most experts definition. It's possible that Noelle has some Bull Terrier in her. Several people have suggested this in the past, but she has only fully accepted the idea now that she learned her friend Mayzie has some Bull Terrier in her.

This is an American Bulldog. Recognized by the UKC, the American Bulldog should not be confused with their French or English counterparts. This is another breed that is considered a "pit bull" by only a few people.



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And then of course there are the mixes. It's no wonder that no one really is clear on what exactly is a "pit bull". So when I take in a foster dog like Ziggy, I tend to call them a pit bull mix, and leave it at that. Because that way everyone either thinks they know exactly what that means, or they know that I'm as confused as the rest of the world, and either way, it's good. Most of you have probably seen this, but if you haven't, here is a fun game to play, to see if you can identify the pit bull in the group: Find The Pit Bull

Casey was Adopted!... and other news

My foster dog Casey was adopted last night.  I got an update from his new mom within a few hours. She reported that Casey quickly settled in after checking out his new home, and he just as quickly made friends with the resident feline.  The cat's name is Noel, and she is 17 years old!  It appears that she is quite friendly with Casey. 

Unless of course the cat is just pretending to like Casey so she can trick him into some sort of mischief later.  You can never really tell with cats.

  

 I felt immediately comfortable with his new mom.  She has a lot of experience with animals, and spoils her pets like crazy.  I think Casey is one very lucky dog, and I am so happy for him.  I knew it was going to be extra hard to let him go, but I feel great about this adoption and couldn't ask for a better home. 

In other exciting news, I do believe that Mira the kitten is making a full recovery, and is going to grow up to be a perfect candidate for the Naughty Kitty Club.  This is partly my fault - I have been spoiling her and granting her every wish, and she has become a bit too accustomed to this treatment.  Dry food is no longer palatable - now it must be the premium canned food to be worth her while.  The food should be given as soon as she is hungry - no waiting for specific meal times.  Play time must come several times a day, and any delays will result in a lot of meowing and complaining.  Affection must be given whenever requested, and will be rewarded with loud purrs.  Cuddle time is required before bed, and is also rewarded with loud purrs.  Overall, she's doing great and I am happy to spoil her for as long as I can - I am just so grateful to have her here. 

Last night I also met with some friends for dinner, and we discussed the most recent breakthroughs in particle physics... oh no, wait.  That's not right. We mostly discussed animals, and I explained about Noelle's Vanishing Spot Disease, and how sometimes I live in my own reality (where I discuss things like particle phsyics and I diagnose fake dog diseases like vanishing spot disease).  I'm not sure why they put up with me, but I'm glad they do.  Noelle's spots have not reappeared, so it is still a mystery as to what caused them in the first place.  Although I think it might have something to do with particle physics. 

Noelle's Vanishing Spots - And A Very Special Contest

First I would like to report that my dog Noelle made a miraculous recovery overnight, and the bumps vanished as quickly as they appeared. Therefore I have now ruled out chicken pox as the cause, and have made a new diagnosis - Noelle has Vanishing Spot Disease. I'm sure the vet will be grateful to me for figuring out the problem. Since I've been unable to find any information about Vanishing Spot Disease on the Internet (can you believe it?! I thought everything was on the Internet!), I will have to let the vet know that we've discovered a new disease in dogs. Maybe Noelle will be written up in veterinary medical journals!

The contest isn't about Noelle's vanishing spots. It's about another doggie -one with amazing brindle furs. Her name is Mayzie, and she is a Mystery Breed Dog. At least she used to be. Then her mom and dad decided to have a Dee-En-Ay test done to find out what kind of breeds make up a Mayzie dog. And they decided to raise money for a rescue group named Mariah's Promise.

This group is doing great things in Denver to save pets and help end Breed Specific Legislation. One unique idea that they are supporting is being headed up by the Oh My Dog Blog. They hope to collect one mile of postcards to send to the Denver mayor, to encourage him to repeal breed specific legislation. Here is the postcard that I sent in (click on it to biggify):

You can find out more about this project at Campaign to End BSL: Operation Denver.

But getting back to Mayzie - she will be donating 50 cents for every guess on the results of her Dee-En-Ay test. You don't even have to be right, and she'll donate anyway! Every person and pet in your household can make a guess of their own. Plus another doggie named Zona offered to match the donations - so that is a total of $1.00 for each guess from a person or doggie or kitty cat. Then to make things even more interesting, JD and Max, two doggies living in the United Kingdom, are offered to donate 50 pence for each guess to their local rescue group known as Dog's Trust. And since Mayzie is one of Noelle's favoritest friends, Noelle has now offered to donate to All Paws Rescue, the rescue group I volunteer with, an amount matching whatever is donated to Mariah's Promise, in honor of Mayzie. She wanted to match the donations from JD and Max also, but I told her I couldn't convert pence into pennies if my life depended on it, so she should stick with matching the U.S. dollar amount. So please, help support rescue dogs in Colorado, the United Kingdom, and Missouri, by visiting Mayzie's blog and making a guess on what breed she is. Tomorrow is the LAST day of the contest, so go guess, right now! Even if you don't have a blog, you can just put in your name and e-mail address, and if you don't want to share your e-mail address, you can put in MY e-mail address and I will keep your prize if you win. Oh, I did mention there were prizes, right? So go already! Click here to guess!  Thank you.