Not a Special Needs Dog-Just a Special Dog

Tote Bags and Bark event!

2010-05-04T00:15:00.002-04:00

Last year, we attended the Bark Heard Around the World event in Syracuse - a national puppymill rescue event. We will be back at the event this year as well! Less than one month to go! My mom and I have been making tote bags to sell for a fundraiser for HUA at the event - with all donations going to HUA. Here are a few of them. Don't mind the wrinkles - I need to iron them! :)

In dog news, since I haven't updated in forever, all things are going well! We found Ranger a new food that he can eat with his very few teeth (he had another dental with another tooth pulled) and he has been eating like a champ! We are still trying to figure out Sharla and her skin issues, but the vet said we've really tried everything that we can. At least she's not really itchy - just red and oily Seborrhea skin. Timmy is doing great - no health problems lately! YEAH! Angel is also doing wonderful - no health problems - YEAH AGAIN! Jigga has some funky skin scabs going on. She started to get them after our last set of foster cat/kittens left our house and it's progressively gotten worse. We had some ointment, but not sure if it's working or not. All in all, things are going great though!

As a reminder - of what the Bark event is all about - Adopt, Don't Shop!

Foster Cat/Kittens - Updated Pics!

2010-01-15T01:06:00.002-05:00

Here are some updated pictures of our foster cat/kittens. They are almost 6 days old (well, most of them - 2 of them are 5 days old)

Kittens!

2010-01-12T11:59:00.005-05:00

Our foster cat, Chantal, had 8 kittens at our house over the weekend. Needless to say, we are running on barely any sleep. The one is not able to latch, so we are up every 1 1/2 - 2 hours feeding that one - depending on when he/she cries. Here are some pics of the new little ones. 20-40% of kittens pass away from Fading Kitten Syndrome, so we are just trying our very best! On another note - PLEASE spay and neuter your pets. PLEASE.

From Fernando

2009-12-31T11:14:00.003-05:00

Timmy is Comfy!

2009-12-08T12:07:00.003-05:00

Looks like Timmy found just the right spot to get comfy. Apparently he doesn't mind having a butt in his face - I guess it keeps him warm haha ;)

Updates!

2009-11-16T01:12:00.004-05:00

It's football season and of course we had to get some Buffalo Bills bandanas for the fur-kids. Here is Ranger in his - you can tell he is beyond excited haha ;)

As a side note, 31 dogs were dumped in a rural location outside of Buffalo. Most likely a miller dumping the dogs on the side of the road. 1 dog was dead, several were pregnant (including dogs most likely in their first heat cycle), some were very scared, and most have medical problems. When will this cycle of greed end?

Me!

2009-10-22T00:12:00.003-04:00

A fellow nestie was designing FREE stick figure drawings - yes at no charge - and here is her wonderful work of me and all my fur-kids! Shout out to tiffandnick! You rock! Oh, and quick note - I actually don't let my cats climb trees and you shouldn't either! :)

Birth Story of Callie - Our Foster!

2009-09-14T00:48:00.009-04:00

We began to foster Callie on 8/31 through the local SPCA. She was found as a stray and she was pregnant when she arrived at the SPCA. Here is her birth story from September 12th!

Callie’s Birth Story:

Yesterday, I decided to check on Josh, who had been working away at his research paper for some time. When I walked in the room, I noticed Callie was under the comforter on our spare bed. When I lifted up the covers, I got a nice little surprise. There was Callie, in a pile of afterbirth and placenta – with one baby kitty! I freaked out – literally. This was it! This was the moment I’ve been reading up on. I guess I had dreams that it would be nice, easy, clean, calm, etc. The babies would come out and that would be that. Boy was I wrong!

Josh and I knew we needed to move her to her nesting box. I realized she had leaked through the sheet and mattress pad – but luckily not onto the mattress! Josh and I grabbed the sheet and mattress pad and picked her up with the kitten and placed them in the nesting/birthing box. A few minutes later, at 2:03 p.m., kitten #2 came into the world! It’s very easy to see a cat having contractions – it looks like their entire body is taking the biggest breath possible. After a few contractions, the babies come out. All her babies were head first, I know feet first is a much more different and difficult situation. #3 arrived at 2:40. Callie was busy tending to her new kittens and was not paying too much attention to number #3. We realized #3 was still halfway in her and was trying to break free from the sack – arms flaring around. Josh and I questioned what to do. My manual said to act fast, as kittens can suffocate and die if not freed from their sack immediately. We decided to assist Callie. We put on our gloves and Josh actually pulled #3 out of Callie and into the nesting box. I got the scissors and cut into the sack, while pulling the kitten from the sack. Let’s just say the scissors weren’t exactly working and I had to get a little aggressive to free the kitten. I think my heart was about to break out of my chest with all the adrenaline! We gave the kitten a quick rub and put the kitten up by Callie’s chest.

Before we knew it, #4 came at 3:07 and #5 at 3:45. #5 was another one that needed assistance. I held the kitten and Josh broke the sack. Soon, #6 came at 4:00. Cats normally eat the placentas and also eat most of the umbilical cord. Both provide nourishment for the mama cat. At one point, we had a blanket over Callie, so she could deliver in peace. I picked up the blanket to find a stretched out umbilical cord in my face and Callie crunching away at it. This was the one time I thought I may throw up, but I held it in. Josh already had one of these moments earlier when he first saw all the blood and got the “birth” smell. Callie cleaned up the cats and continued to nurse them all. We were so happy to have 6 beautiful kittens!

We knew we had to get Callie out of the nasty box that was covered in “birth” (blood, discharge, some bowel movement/waste, etc.) As we began to move kittens into another box for the time being, Callie took one kitten and ran off into another area of the bedroom – of course tracking blood on our bedroom floor. We immediately changed /cleaned the box and put her back with all of her kittens.

As I was petting Callie a while later, I noticed her stomach going up and down again. I thought it was weird. The next thing I know, I watched #7 come out at 7:15. I yelled down to Josh, who came running. Callie was acting like she didn’t even give birth. She didn’t move an inch. I immediately called the SPCA’s emergency number that we had and Josh went and assisted with this birth – pulling the all black cat from the sack. The next thing I know - something else looked to have appeared underneath her. I began freaking out. I had the vet tech on the phone who was walking me through possibilities. She asked me if it looked like a cat, but I said no. It was squishy and hard at the same time. I thought it was an organ (like a kidney), but the vet tech told me an organ would be red in color. She asked me to look for eye sockets and it was at that time, I noticed an eye socket. The vet tech told me it was an “undercooked” baby who did not make it. Essentially, a stillborn. I immediately started crying. I felt awful - like in some way it was my fault. I'm not sure how to even describe the stillborn. The image will remain in my memory forever. The vet tech and I discussed several things and the vet tech asked that we bring the stillborn in asap, so she could determine what caused this. We had to ensure Callie didn’t have a serious infection.

Josh and I put on our strongest faces and managed to get the stillborn out from underneath Callie. At this point, I think we were both fighting back tears. The vet tech asked that we put the stillborn into a bag. I held the bag open while Josh picked up the stillborn and placed the kitten into the bag. He drove the stillborn to the SPCA who confirmed that Callie’s body essentially fought off the baby. Callie had been sick prior to giving birth (upper respiratory infection and tapeworms) and her body thought that baby was an infection, so her body fought it off. The vet tech believed it also had to do with the size of the baby - the stillborn was abnormally large. It was a very tough situation. I knew stillborns could happen, but I did not mentally prepared myself for that. As awful as it sounds, that experience does make me question whether I can do this again. I get tears in my eyes just thinking about seeing that stillborn.

The vet tech also said that the reason Callie had completely given up on baby #7 was because she knew she couldn’t handle another baby. She was overwhelmed with everything. I read online that when cats are feeling like they can’t handle anymore, they simply reject other kittens that may be born.

Josh got home a little later and we decided to go ahead and cut the umbilical cords. Usually, the mama cat eats/cuts the umbilical cord, but this did not happen with two of the kittens. We got the scissors, our gloves, and dental floss. Josh held up the kittens while I tied dental floss one inch from their bellies and cut the umbilical cord of two kittens. I felt like a new dad! Haha. The cord was what I thought it would be – a rougher texture. I did good though – didn’t shake or anything – and all survived!

My mom came over later that night and as we were watching Callie with her kittens, my mom commented how there were actually 8, not 7 kittens that were alive. We recounted about 20 times and sure enough, there were 8 kittens! Apparently, Josh and I don’t know how to count or we totally missed the birth of one of the kittens. My mom helped us change the bedding and clean the box. Soon, all were nursing and Callie was trying to rest.

It was quite an experience to say the least. And yes, I spared you many of the grosser details. In the end, we have 8 beautiful kittens and a wonderful mama cat. 2 are all black, 1 is white and black, and the rest are striped – gray/black/white. The stillborn was white and black. We will soon name them all, but for now, they are known as our precious fosters! The two black ones are very small, so we are constantly putting them back on the nipple - trying to get their weight up.

Today, things are going pretty well. I think I've somewhat recovered from yesterday. I slept in the same room as Callie and her kittens last night. I woke up a few times at kitten cries and put them back with Callie. I'm literally exhausted - both physically and emotionally. For now, we will continue to do what we are doing and that is to ensure Callie and her babies are healthy - and happy!

I’ll end on this note: there are kittens available at your local animal shelter. And, so are adult cats - waiting patiently for their forever homes. Each year, between 4 and 6 million animals are euthanized each year in the United States. Please help be a part of the solution – spay and neuter your pets. Also, remember to Adopt, Don’t Shop! Cats should not have to be put through this birthing process. I saw how difficult it was for Callie and I can not imagine her delivering a litter of 9 kittens, on her own, outside, in the middle of nowhere. Pet overpopulation is a huge issue in this country and we need to step up, do our part, and spay/neuter our pets.

Here are some pics:

If it's not one thing . . . .

2009-08-30T21:26:00.007-04:00

it's another! We finally believe we got to the bottom of Sharla's oily and smelly skin. The vet has diagnosed her with a skin condition called Seborrhea. Seborrhea can be caused by an underactive thyroid, which we found out Sharla does have! Essentially, Sharla started itching like crazy and started to lose all of her hair. It was quite sad!

Since then, she's on two pills every day (one for her underactive thyroid levels and another for Seborrhea) and she has a special shampoo. Is it helping? I'm not sure. I can say her skin is a little less oily and smelly, which is a plus, and her hair loss has seemed to stop (maybe it's because there's not much left to lose). The vet believes Sharla does have a severe form of Seborrhea that will most likely be a lifetime issue that we'll have to deal with and manage.

Anyways, here's Sharla: "Mom, if I give you puppydog eyes, will you take me out of the bathtub?"

Here is Sharla as we started to notice she was losing some of her hair. It got much worse than this, but here is the start of it all.

As a side note - one cause of an underactive thyroid is: bad breeding. Sharla was born in a puppymill, so it's no surprise.

Recently, we also found a bump on her butt. Essentially, it's a tumor . . . on her anus (called Perianal Adenoma). When female dogs are spayed later in life (Sharla was spayed when she came out of the mill - about 7 years old), they can develop these tumors on their anus. For the time being, we've decided not to operate. Operation on this area is one of the most dangerous operations, as it's an extremely sensitive spot for dogs with a lot of muscles in that area. The vet believes it's not anything serious, so we're at a wait and see stance right now - hoping it does not increase in size. Again, all this because she was in a mill for so long. I get angrier and angrier at these millers every day. When will it end? When will the cycle of greed end?

On the Inside of the Recent Nebraska Mill Rescue

2009-08-02T18:23:00.001-04:00

On July 31st, 106 dogs were rescued from mills in Nebraska by Hearts United for Animals. Take a look at the rescue from a rescuers point of view . . . .

* * * * * * * * * *

10:30 a.m.: Arrive at meeting place - an undisclosed location in Nebraska. Need to put crates together to hold the dogs. Had to bring up crates for two vehicles in just the HUA van, so nested them to make sure all would fit.10:50 a.m.: Crates ready and waiting . . . .

11:05 a.m.: First breeder arrives - opens the door to her van and all the little faces peer out. They are 2-3-4 to a crate. This smaller van has 80+ dogs in it. The smell nearly rocks us back, as we crowd around to get these dogs out as quickly as we can. For a solid hour, the volunteers take the dogs and give them the first kind touches they have known, while putting them into separate crates so they don't have to be cramped any longer. They are given kind words, words of endearment and touches - as much as the dogs will allow. Understandably, the dogs all do not want to be touched and aren't sure what the touches mean. A 3 month old puppy, who is sick, is looked at and it is determined that going to an Omaha vet immediately would be best. A husband is called. He comes to the meeting place and collects the puppy to rush to the vet for emergency medical treatment.

12:00 p.m.: First breeder leaves

12:05 p.m.: Second breeder arrives with a much smaller load. These dogs are off-loaded far more quickly and placed into air-conditioned vehicles for the ride to HUA.

The ride to the shelter is punctuated with smells and sounds. There is no smell like mill dogs in a confined vehicle. We travel with it for just over an hour. These dogs, with their heightened sense of smell, live with these smells 24/7. It is enough to turn your stomach, and in fact, meals from drive-thru's are left half-finished.

1:30 p.m.: The caravan arrives at the HUA shelter to an awaiting crew of volunteers and caretakers, along with media. They had a view of us driving in and the view we had of them brought tears to our eyes. There was literally an army of people standing ready to help these precious mill dogs. Dogs who had never known human kindness had so much love being extended to them upon arrival. The vans were off-loaded into the shade where the dogs were taken out, one by one, and given a quick overview. Hugs, gentle touches, and kind words murmured to each dog as they were settled into their air-conditioned spaces where food, water, and soft blankets were awaiting tired and hungry new residents.

Media press:
http://www.kolnkgin.com/home/headlines/52231017.html
http://www.kmtv.com/global/story.asp?s=10829509
http://www.journalstar.com/news/local/article_66bf8dac-7e37-11de-88b1-001cc4c002e0.html

3:00 p.m.: All residents settled in. Many observed sleeping with now-full tummies. It has been a good day for these dogs. Their new life has begun. For 106 dogs, they are now free.

One Day. Two Birthdays.

2009-07-23T13:44:00.012-04:00

On July 20th, we celebrated Timmy's 5th birthday and Sharla's 8th birthday! Of course, we threw a small party and they got to open some presents. Here are some pics:

Timmy opening his present:

Sharla and her present:

Timmy tired from the festivities:

Sharla sniffing her party hat:

Ranger wasn't a big fan of the hat:

We had him try it on anyway:

All in all, I think they had a good time! :) This was Sharla's very first birthday in a home. She spent her other birthdays in a mill and in the rescue. I took video of Timmy opening up his present. I'll post once I upload it.

Ranger's Dental!

2009-07-22T11:33:00.011-04:00

A few weeks ago, Ranger had a dental. I was so nervous the night before - knowing my little 9 1/2 year old guy was going to be put under and have to have a bunch of teeth pulled.

Ranger is a mill dog and has awful teeth. Lack of good nutrition, biting on wire, etc. - his teeth are bad. He had 14 or 16 teeth removed at his first dental. After this dental, it looks like he only has eight teeth left. One side of his mouth - he has no lower teeth. Other side - no upper teeth. A few snaggleteeth here and there. His one leg is one that got caught in the wire cage at the mill - so they were not able to put the IV in that leg. The other leg was developing a type of hot spot/infection, so needless to say, the IV created some problems.

I picked him up from the vets office and he was just so out of it. I was hoping he'd be happy to see me, but he was just so drugged up. The next two weeks were tough. They treated his hot spot area with medication and we were told not to let him touch it for 2 weeks! So, Josh and I actually took turns sleeping in the same room as Ranger to ensure he didn't go after it at night. Well, he bit off his bandage and had to wear an e-collar for 2 weeks! He didn't want to eat anything. After a few days, the only thing he'd eat was home-cooked meals. So, he had some yummy meals with hamburger, chicken, peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, rice, and baby food! He is unable to eat big kibble since it just falls out of his mouth, so he now eats Nature's Variety and seems to be doing well. It's the smallest kibble I've ever seen!

Here are some pics from Ranger's dental journey!

Before pic (Sorry, no after pic):

Here he is at home - after I picked him up. He was so out of it.

He actually didn't mind the e-collar one bit. After a while, he would run when we tried to put it on - but once on, he was fine.

He had an infection in his mouth which caused awful breath. After that dental and losing many teeth, the bad breath is gone. I don't care if he pants in my face anymore! :-) So, despite two weeks of struggles, it was all worth it in the end. He's much healthier and hopefully much happier!

Bark Around the World

2009-06-29T10:36:00.017-04:00

Late last month, Josh and I drove to Syracuse for a national puppymill awareness event (Bark Around the World). On Friday night, there was a candlelight vigil for all the mill dogs who have passed away and for all those waiting to be rescued. It was sad! Many people walking by stopped to ask what was going on and stayed to listen to some stories.

On Saturday, Josh and I set up a table for HUA at the main event and helped to educate people on puppymills. I remember one younger couple practically came running to our table asking if we were "THE" Hearts United. It was funny. Many people knew of HUA, many keep up-to-date on the website, and one couple there even adopted a dog from HUA in the past! It was great to hear such wonderful things about HUA! The vet from Best Friends was also there and released preliminary findings on the research study he's recently done. The findings weren't "suprising" to me, but it will be nice to have research and evidence to back it up

A pit bull rescue group out of the NYC area was there with a Kiss a Bull booth. People lined up to get smothered with kisses from pitties. It was awesome! We were also able to meet Rescue Ink. What an amazing group of guys! Timmy joined us and did a great job! However, he was completely exhausted by the end of the event!!

All in all, it was a great event. We can't wait to attend next year!

Daffy!

2009-06-10T14:26:00.006-04:00

This post is solely for ST. Here is Daffy - the 8 1/2 yr old chihuahua/daschund mix.

Strays in Greece

2009-05-26T21:26:00.033-04:00

We are finally back from Greece - best vacation we've ever been on and we can't wait to go back! The one downside to the trip - there were so many stray animals. Everywhere you turn, there's another animal sleeping in the streets. Another animal looking for food. Another animal either begging for attention or running away. Some of the strays were very skinny, while others were well fed. I did see some bowls of food and water set out in the streets and I can only hope all the strays find their way to those bowls.

Before I get into the main pics, here was a funny poster we found on a hike in Athens. Even though I can't read greek, I'm pretty sure it says to clean up after your pets!

Half way through our trip, I decided to take pictures of some of the stray animals. Here are a few:

One of the dogs at Ancient Agora:

Cats by the Parthenon:

Cats in Oia (Ia):

Caught these fella's sleeping!: (I should note that with most of the strays that were sleeping, we took whatever food we had, usually crackers or peanuts, and put a handful by their mouth or paws, so that when they woke up, they'd get some yummy food)

This dog in Oia (Ia) posed great:

This dog made me laugh:

On our hike with Melba, we came across this doggie (he's to the right of the building):

Sorry for the sideways picture. As we were eating gyros in Fira (in Santorini), this pretty girl sat by us and just stared. Josh gave her some pork from his gyro and I gave her some of the pita from mine. As we were thinking of a name for her, we came up with Gigi (Gigi - Gyros - close enough!)

I'll end with the story of sweet Melba. She really tugged at my heart. Josh and I decided to take a 6.6 mile hike from Imerovigli to Oia (Ia) in Santorini. As we took the first turn from our hotel, I noticed a skinny dog up ahead of us. The dog kept running back and forth in the street, almost getting hit by a truck. We caught up to her and I offered her what food I had - airplane peanuts! She wouldn't take them and ran away when I approached her. As we kept walking, she got up on a ledge. The cliffs in Santorini aren't short by any means. I asked Josh to try to get her down from the ledge and when he went to her, she took to him! She got some friendly pats on the head and even ate peanuts from his hands. Was this a bad idea to feed a stray dog? I wouldn't think so until a few hours later when she wouldn't leave our side!

As we continued on our hike, this sweet girl would run with the people in front of us, come back to us, hike up the hills, etc. As we got to the top of a mountain, I searched my purse for more food. I found a pack of handi-snacks (the crackers and cheese). I got down on one knee and gave her one cracker at a time. She gobbled them up. As I looked at her, I could see her bones and ribcage through her skin. She was so thin. As we continued to talk, I shed some tears. I've never seen such a skinny dog before (besides the husky we saw in Fira) and I had no clue how I could help her. For now, I knew that feeding her and giving her some special attention could only benefit her.

I figured she must be thirsty, so I used the handi-snack container and poured water in it for her. This was most likely one of the first times she's ever drank good clean water. Water in Santorini is not drinkable due to the sulfer from the caldera/volcano. As we continued on our hike, the dog began to stay by our side more. I decided to name her Melba (it was the first name that popped into my head). Melba guided us along the path and we would stop every 10 minutes or so to give her more water. I soon realized we were out of water, which also meant Josh and I had given Melba all of our water and we had none to drink ourselves. Luckily, we came across a stand where we bought some water for ourselves - ok, so it was really for sweet Melba!

She stayed with us until almost the end of our hike. She tracked us down 2 hours later in a restaurant (yes, she came and sat by our table!). As awful as it sounds, the only way to leave her was to, in a sense, sneak away. We hopped on a bus and went back to our hotel. Whenever we were in Oia (Ia) after that day, I always kept a lookout for sweet Melba. Being in Oia (Ia) meant more people, water and food bowls on the street, and some much needed shade.

And now, here are some pictures of Melba:

I think about her every day - wondering where she is, what she is doing. Hoping that someone will invite this sweet skinny girl into their home as a permanent family member. In fact, I wish this for all the strays in Greece. If you are in Greece and are reading this, PLEASE spay and neuter your pets. Right now, it is the only thing that will help control the overpopulation and strays.

#16

2009-05-23T19:16:00.005-04:00

It's official. Ranger was #16 in the mill. I was looking in Ranger's ears today to see if they needed to be cleaned. As I pulled back the fur in his ears, I noticed bright blue dotted markings and realized it was a tattoo from when he was in the puppymill. From the best I can tell, it's #16. My stomach sank. He was once just a number. A number used by a greedy miller in the vicious cycle of greed.

Photo: nixgab flickr

This #16 is now Ranger Alexander (yes, we have middle names for all our fur-kids!). He's a happy boy - happy to be free from the prison on earth where he spent the first 7 1/2 years of his life. Next time you think about buying a dog from a petstore, or from a backyard breeder, please think of #16. Think of Ranger. Think of the hundreds of thousands of dogs who are living the life of misery in puppymills. Adopt, Don't Shop!

No Papers - No Pedigree - No Problem!

2009-05-09T10:51:00.004-04:00

"The American Kennel Club. Although the AKC claims to be devoted to advancing the health of purebred dogs, it typically spends only about 2% of its total yearly income on research towards that end. Moreover, AKC papers do not guarantee the value or health of a puppy. The organization does not try to work with breeders to improve mill conditions, perhaps because breeders pay the AKC millions of dollars in registration fees for purebred dogs each year."
- http://www.lcanimal.org/cmpgn/cmpgn_012.htm

The question - does the AKC "help" puppymills? In my opinion, yes. So many people are after those "papers"(which really don't mean too much these days), and those papers are very easy to get. In order for a puppy to be AKC registered, both of the parents also need to be AKC registered. Let's just say it's pretty easy for a miller to lie about what parents were bred to create these puppies. Plus, being an AKC registered dog in a puppymill could simply mean that the dog will now be bred over and over again for their entire life. Living life in a small wire cage, sitting in their own feces. Providing "papers" to these mill dogs only helps fuel the fire. The misery and greed still continue.

The AKC needs to begin to do inspections. Yes, it would cost a lot of money, but if an individual will not allow an inspection to be done, don't give them papers for their dogs. If the AKC is truly about "advancing the health" of purebred dogs, they should be more concerned about the conditions that these dogs are bred in.

The philosophy I like best: No Papers - No Pedigree - No Problem!

Puppymill Facts

2009-04-30T22:36:00.003-04:00

I've been doing a lot of research lately on puppymills and just thought I'd share a few interesting facts.

1. According to http://www.nowisconsinpuppymills.com, even though the Animal Welfare Act has minimum requirements they try to enforce, there are just over 100 inspectors nationwide. There are over 6,000 licensed facilities (per the HSUS). This does not count unlicensed facilities. You do the math.

2. Puppymills began after WWI. Farmers had lost much of their crops due to the drought and this was an easy way to make money. They used their chicken coops and rabbit hutches to house the dogs. The deplorable conditions in these kennels was one of the reasons why the Animal Welfare Act was enacted. (www.prisonersofgreed.org)

3. Dog auctions are legal in some states. Millers bring the dogs they no longer want and these dogs are auctioned off - back into the cycle of greed. A recent auction in Ohio, to try to make the auction look "better", decided to set a weight and size limit on dogs available at the auction. The dogs had to be 3 years of age or younger. The news coverage would then not catch the older dogs in horrible health conditions. (http://www.nowisconsinpuppymills.com)

These parents of pet store puppies are simply fed and bred. Please: Adopt, Don't Shop!

Hard to Say No

2009-04-26T09:06:00.005-04:00

Timmy woke up from a bad nightmare last night and told me he wanted to talk to me. He told me all about his nightmare.

(flickr.com/photos/fuffer2005/616237930/)

So, Timmy asked me again if he could go with us to Greece when we go in two weeks. It's hard to say no, but I told him he wouldn't be able to go to Greece with us.

#1: Josh and I will be taking a hike from Fira to Oia. Timmy said he wanted to join us, but I think the cliffy terrain might be a little too much for him.

(Photo above from: www.greek-islands.us/santorini/hiking/)

#2: If anything did happen, there is a lot of water. Timmy can't swim.

(Photo above from: http://www.atlantidavillas.net/contact_info_santorini_Oia_Ia_hotels_hotel-en.php)

#3: We'll be visiting the Pantheon/Acropolis in Athens. I don't want any rocks to fall on him.

(Photo above from: www.tripadvisor.com)

#4: Timmy does not speak Greek and if he were ever lost, that might be an issue. Ok, ok. we don't exactly speak Greek either, but we're slowly learning! Efharisto! (Thank you!). As long as we smile and say "thank you" in Greek, I think we should be good. :)

It's hard to say no. Hopefully he forgives me soon!

Weekly Advice

2009-04-26T09:00:00.003-04:00

I Love My Pets!

2009-04-17T13:57:00.010-04:00

My Pets!

Ok, Ok. I know. It's nerdy, but aren't the pictures adorable? And, I swear I found Sharla's paws in that position. I got a new Canon Rebel XSi last year and realized I need to take more pictures. Here are recent pics of the fur-kids. Enjoy! PS-we apparently have an obsession with white-fur animals. Not really-those are just the ones that we were lucky enough to adopt!

Timmy

RangerSharla

Angel

Jigga

Petland Protest: May 9th

2009-04-05T18:03:00.006-04:00

The HSUS has released the date for the next Petland Protest. The date: Saturday, May 9th.

If you haven't yet been to a Petland protest, I strongly encourage you at attend. It's just two hours out of the day and you're able to be the voice of hundreds of thousands of mill dogs across this country who have no voice. In March, HUA helped to organize the rally at the Petland in Omaha. Over 70 people showed up!!! Hopefully, the next one is even better!

For those interested, here is the website: http://www.stoppuppymills.org/petland_rallies.html

These dogs need their voices heard:

Photos courtesy of: HSUS and banpuppymills.org

Life is Good!

2009-04-02T22:46:00.010-04:00

I had an absolutely wonderful week. One of the best in a very long time! My motto for the week: Life is Good!
1) I haven't heard Timmy cry or scream in 4 days! Yes, 4 days! It seems like such a miracle that our baby boy is improving. We got the go ahead from the vet today to reduce his steroids to once a day (instead of twice) and also reduce the narcatics to only two a day (instead of three). Someone mentioned to me that many people would've put Timmy to sleep if he was their dog.
However, there was no way we were going to let Timmy go anywhere without us giving him a chance to fight.

To us, Timmy is a member of our family and we have a responsibility to provide him with a life that gives him hope for healing. I can now only hope that he continues to improve!

2) My best friend and her daughter came over for dinner this week. I'm so happy to be back in NY and to be able to spend time with them!

3) Yesterday was a gorgeous day here and all three dogs got walks. Even Sharla is coming around. After six years in a mill, she's finally learning what a "leash" is and that we won't hurt her. Hopefully she continues to learn to trust us!

4) Josh and I had an amazing dinner tonight! When we moved here, we got a coupon for a free dinner entree at a local restaurant (with no strings attached). We got a lobster/crab bisque dip with pita pieces and chips for an appetizer (we'd never ordinarily order an appetizer). For our main entree's, Josh had haddock and scallops and I had crabcakes. One of the best meals in a very long time!

5) Denise Withee and her attorney were not present for a hearing which they accused people of "accosting" them at a pre-trial hearing (they were trying to get the trial moved to a different jurisdiction). This means, her jury trial is still scheduled to begin on April 22nd! I hope there are 12 animal lovers on that jury :) If not, I just hope people really take a good look at the facts and realize the horrible things that go on in mills across this country.

6) I also just found out that HUA is doing another mill rescue this weekend. How awesome are they?!

What a great week. Life is good.

Bark Around the World

2009-03-31T10:24:00.003-04:00

In May, Josh and I will be attending the Bark Around the World event in Syracuse, NY on behalf of HUA. The Bark event helps to bring awareness to puppymills and is a great opportunity for us to network with other rescue groups. The three main goals of this event are: Education - Awareness - Advocacy. Together, we are the voices of the dogs.

Josh and I are busy trying to think of different things to do for the event. I thought about creating a powerpoint slideshow to show people just some of the hundreds of dogs HUA has rescued. What the mill dogs looked like coming in to the rescue, and what they look like once rehabilitated. Hopefully, we can open some eyes to this cruel industry. Not sure if we can bring our own dogs. If so, we'll probably bring Timmy since I think he's a great example of what happens in mills.

Also, the guys from Rescue Ink will be there! Rescue Ink is a great organization who takes a zero tolerance approach to animal abuse and neglect. They have become role models for many and they are truly helping out animals in need. Below is a picture of some Rescue Ink guys from their MySpace page.

Watch Nightline on Friday!

2009-03-26T11:37:00.003-04:00

Timmy heard a rumor that Nightline was doing a story this Friday night (March 27th) on puppymills. Sure enough, he was right! He wanted me to pass on this information and asked you to watch and see the type of place where he was born. The place where thousands of dogs across this country are prisoned; where they spend their entire lives being abused and neglected.

* * * * *

ABC Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi and investigators from Nightline travel the byways and back roads of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania - visiting numerous puppy mills and filming Main Line Animal Rescue's volunteers as they rescue breeding dogs and puppies from Lancaster County's notorious Amish commercial breeding facilities.

This promises to be a very special program. If you are involved in rescue, advocate on behalf of the millions of puppy mill dogs interned in our nation's commercial dog breeding facilities, or if you just simply love animals, you will not want to miss this.

Sharyn Alfonsi interviewed, on camera, an Amish breeder while touring his facility - a first for network television. With approximately 500 dogs housed on his property, this commercial breeder speaks openly about an industry cloaked in secrecy and suspicion - the cruel factory farming of man's best friend.

PLEASE tell your friends, your family, your coworkers - ABC Nightline investigates puppy mills - this Friday at 11:35 pm (Eastern Standard Time). Please take the time to forward this to all the rescues, shelters, and legislators in your area. It has been almost one year since Oprah's puppy mill show aired. That program received the highest viewer response of any Oprah Show in years. Now we need to spread the word about this very special Nightline. Only by educating as many people as we can, will we be able to help these animals. And after you watch the program, please don't hesitate to contact ABC and Nightline to thank them for casting such a strong light on the plight of our nation's puppy mill dogs.

As Timmy would say of people and puppymills:

"Silence IS Consent"

Update . . . .

2009-03-22T18:22:00.007-04:00

Well, we've got a house full of sick dogs! Ranger and Sharla have something. Both are now on meds but lets just say the past few mornings, we've woken up to some doggie bathroom surprises. Poor things. At least they are active and fun-loving like normal, they just have some bathroom issues.

Timmy on the other hand is making backward progress. Mid-week, he decided to go back to his screaming when he is touched, he cries when he walks, and he just lays around and sleeps. We have no clue what is wrong. As a side note, his bile acid test came back elevated, but not high enough to be a liver shunt. The vet told us to put him back on his meds and switch his food back to the low-protein/low-purine food. Well, he's more awake now and will sometimes walk around, but something is still definently wrong. Poor guy. I can't stand sitting here listening to him cry. I can put a treat in front of him (just out of reach) and he just sits and won't even get up to get it. The vet wants us to call her tomorrow to give her an update on Timmy. Hopefully we get some answers soon!

Despite all the sickness in our house, Josh and I booked our summer vacation today! In May, we'll be going to Athens for about 2 days and then it's off to SANNNNTORINI (Josh and I sing the word Santorini in some weird Italian accent haha) for about 6 days. Santorini is in the Greek Islands.We're so excited! Timmy told me that he wants to go along in our suitcase, but I told him he'd have to stay behind due to the cliffy terrain.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T18:22:00.008-04:00

Timmy says: "Happy St. Patrick's Day!" To help celebrate, here is a list of my top five memories from when Josh and I (along with fifty other UNO college students) celebrated St. Patty's Day in Dublin, Ireland exactly five years ago today.

5. There were more tourists in Dublin on St. Patty's Day than actual Irish people.

4. Everyone really is Irish on St. Patrick's Day.

3. Legend is that all the Georgian doors in Dublin are painted bright and bold different colors because when the Irish are drunk, they are able to find their homes easier.

2. I learned that St. Patrick wasn't even Irish.

1. I firmly believe that you have not celebrated St. Patrick's Day until you've celebrated in the "Emereld Isle" itself. It's quite an experience!

Reasons to Keep Going . . . .

2009-03-10T22:33:00.004-04:00

As a volunteer in animal rescue, I often find myself thinking am I even making a difference? Sometimes, why do I try if people obviously won't change? How can I help educate people who don't care? How can I really make a difference?

Josh and I did our own little fundraiser for HUA last weekend. We sold some coupon books for Community Days at a Bon-ton store here in NY. I didn't expect us to raise much money, but I really wanted to get the word out there about puppymills. Here in NY, puppymills are a hidden evil. The Amish in Ohio and, more recently, Pennslyvania have closed shop and opened up new mills here in Western NY and in the Finger Lakes Region of the state.

We went to the store with plenty of educational material in hand. I brought magazines and brochures from HUA, some flyers on the why people should adopt, not shop, and a flyer I made up which shows the parents of pet store puppies. We were at the store for a little over 2 hours. In that time, we only sold 4 books, and got an additional $8 in donations. However, the most important thing, we educated a lot of people. Ranger came along with us and he did amazing. What a great story for us to tell-he was in a puppymill for almost 7 1/2 years where he was bred time and time and time again. I often find myself asking Ranger if he knows how many kids he has, but he never answers me. On top of that, his front leg was caught in a wire cage at the mill while he was getting attacked and since he did not receive vet care, he now has permanent damage. We also believe he was bebarked in the mill (where millers ram steel rods down the throats of dogs). We told his story to a countless number of individuals, many eager to learn more.

Two people really touched me. A woman and her daughter, who was in high school. They had no idea what puppymills were. After talking to them for about a half hour, they took a ton of magazines, brochures, and flyers to hand out to family members and friends. Needless to say, they are now disgusted by the puppymill industry. Others were interested in what we had to say, but these two really seemed to take it to heart and they promised me that they would help spread the word. We parted with a good-bye and I told them to join the HUA group on Facebook.

Today, I received the following message on Facebook from the daughter.

"Your demonstration was very moving and I hope you guys continue to be active within communities to help spread the word. Good Luck!"

I know, it may not seem like a lot, but this is what keeps me going. This is honestly one of the most touching things someone has ever said to me. I want to keep spreading the word. I need to keep spreading the word. I must keep spreading the word.

Big Test Tomorrow!

2009-03-09T14:26:00.004-04:00

We've had a rough couple of days. In the past 4 days, we've made a trip with Timmy to the animal emergency department, the vet twice and an doggie opthamologist. Timmy suddenly became blind, screaming bone-chilling screams on Thursday night. We were told it was sudden blindness and we prepared for a life with a blind dog (even though he was already going blind and is blind in one eye). The next day, we realized he was able to see, but was having some issues going to the bathroom and was very lethargic. Something didn't seem right.

After another trip to the vet and some bloodwork, turns out he may have a liver shunt. Essentially, blood may not be getting to his liver and is being circumvented around the liver, thus causing his liver to not work properly. One of the symptoms of liver shunts is apparent blindness. The first treatment is a food with low-purine and lower-protein. We've made the switch to half Artemis (which is what he had 1/2 of before) but we've also added half Halo's Spots Stew and cooked rice. Guess what-he's starting to feel better. However, this is only a temporary fix. Other options include surgery to fix the shunt.

Tomorrow is Timmy's bile acid test which will determine protein levels and other acid levels in his blood. If they are high, we will suspect a liver shunt and may do a sonogram just to confirm. If you could, send some good thoughts Timmy's way-he needs them!

Petland Protest

2009-03-04T22:22:00.002-05:00

A nationwide Petland Protest/Demonstration is taking place next Saturday (March 14th) from 1-3 p.m. If interested in demonstrating and being the voices for puppymill dogs across this country that have lost their voice, visit this website and contact the event coordinator for the Petland nearest you. If you are in Nebraska and would like to protest at the Omaha Petland location, let me know and I can give you additional details.

http://stoppuppymills.org/petland_rallies.html

These mill dogs thank you!

What, you've never seen a shakey dog before?

2009-02-26T22:19:00.007-05:00

We get SO many comments about Timmy's neurological condition, so I thought I'd devote a blog post about it. For those that don't know, Timmy has Cerebellar Hypoplasia caused from inbreeding in the puppymill he was at. He shakes nonstop, walks funny, and essentially lacks a cerebellum which controls his cooridnation. He simply has so coordination or motor skills. When he runs, he falls or does somersaults. He is also almost blind in one eye, and is going blind in the other.

Here are some of the comments we've received about Timmy:

1) While at a fundraising event for HUA, a woman said it was a good thing he had his sweater on because it looked like he was so cold because of his shaking.

2) An elderly man while Josh was walking Timmy: "The cement must be too hot for his feet."

3) While I was walking Timmy: "Hey! What's wrong with your dog? Did he hurt his leg?"

4) While at school for a Puppymill Awareness Day event: "Awww, the little guy is so nervous that he's shaking."

5) One of the neighbor girls: "What's wrong with your dog? He walks funny."

6) While walking Timmy at the park: "Oh, he's such a cute little dancer" (this one actually made me laugh because he's quite the dancer with his back legs)

The worst comment I've ever received: "Why would you get a dog like that?" This one struck a nerve. It was from another neighbor girl and I went on to give her a life lesson on how everyone should be treated equally. Other times, we get stares. Rude stares. "What's wrong with your dog?" I want to scream NOTHING, but it provides me with a great opportunity to educate people about puppymills and the scum that run them. One of these days, I'll just say: Haven't you ever seen a shakey dog before?

To us, Timmy's not a special needs dog, he's just a special dog. We know that eventually he will be completely blind, and I'm afraid this may come sooner, rather than later. The other day, I had Timmy on the couch. Josh was calling Timmy's name and Timmy knew Josh was there. However, Timmy just could not see/find Josh and couldn't tell what direction he was in. It broke my heart and Josh and I just sat there in silence. Definently a very sad moment for us.

To end, one of the pictures that makes me laugh every time I see it. Timmy loves to give kisses. So much so that your chin will hurt and be raw when he's done!

Timmy Loves Himself Some Lucky Charms

2009-02-11T19:45:00.005-05:00

OK-I should say he loves himself some off-brand Lucky Charms, that I swear may be better than the real thing! I'm not a fan of crating, so Timmy gets put in our spare room/office when I leave. I came home from the dentist today, only to realize that I had forgot to pick up the off-brand box of lucky charms from the floor.

Timmy had broken into the box, took out the bag, chewed apart more of the box, chewed a hole in the bag, emptied the contents of the bag, proceeded to try to eat the lucky charms and marshmallows, all while stepping and crushing the little charms into pure sugar and small grains. I began to clean up the mess around Timmy and realized I need to take a picture. Here is Timmy with his mess that I had already began cleaning up. Don't mind the pink carpet-I'm sure the 4-yr old who lived here previously enjoyed it :) I just looked at Timmy, gave him a kiss, and told him I loved him haha. The good thing was-it freshened up his breath a little bit!!

Pet Stores

2009-02-08T22:23:00.006-05:00

Your Pet Store Pup

Author Unknown

Cherish your new pet store pup -Stand always by his side.

Mend his ills and give him hugs and lots of fun car rides.

Feed him well and let him run to build his body strong.

Play with him and give him treats. Love him his whole life long.

You’ll soon become his hero. He will not ask you for much.

He’ll trade his lifelong loyalty for your kind word and touch.

Count him among your blessings, as you are his blessing, too,

But then please do just one thing more, when every day is through.

Take time to look into his eyes each night you tuck him in.

I bet you’ll see reflected there, two other pups like him.

They’ve never had a family, soft bed, good food, or fun.

They live life out in a wire box -and never get to run.

They suffer searing heat at times, at others freezing cold,

As weeks and months and years drag by, while they are growing old.

So think about his mom and dad who shine there through his eyes,

And remember all the mill dogs who are paying with their lives.

If they had ever had a chance, they’d have grown up like him, too,

With years of love to give and get before their lives were through.

You’ll never see them face to face -Such miracles are rare -

But pray for your pup’s mom and dad, ‘cause someone ought to care…

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This is Hope. She is the posterchild for puppymills. She came to HUA from a horrible puppymill. I wasn't lucky enough to meet her while volunteering at HUA, but I think about her often. This is what the parents of pet store puppies look like. If you choose to purchase a puppy from a pet store after seeing her picture, then I have no words for you. Please, please, remember Hope when looking into getting a dog. Adopt from a shelter of rescue!

Photo courtesy of www.hua.org

Updates and Josh's Rescue Experience

2009-02-04T23:04:00.006-05:00

Some of the dogs I helped rescue in December are now healthy enough to go up for adoption! Here are a few of them: (photos courtesy of www.hua.org)

Meet Colin:

Here's Powell:

And Tica:

And Tina:

Also-Josh went on his first rescue last week! I'll give you the details that he told me and will try to remember the best I can!

Turns out that another miller joined the miller that was originally supposed to come. I don't think they know the final numbers yet, but probably over 100 dogs were saved!! Josh pulled up and there were several other rescues there to help-which is AWESOME! He said the one miller was exactly what he thought she'd look like. Trash. This time, she let the rescue people do all the handling of the dogs (last time she dropped a dog). Josh said that whenever he went into her van to pull out a dog, he about wanted to hurl. The smell was nothing he'd ever smelled before. Puppymills and mill dogs really have a distinct smell to them and it's so disgusting. Thinking about it makes me want to go hug the porcelin thrown!

Of course all of the crates were crammed pack in the main millers van. In one extra small crate, she had three poodles! This of course caused cage aggression, since they couldn't exactly move.

The miller asked how the cocker spaniel was doing that she gave up last month on the rescue I went on, since she's been "missing" him/her. Did they tell her that the dog is scared to death, bites people and her screams are bone chilling when you touch her? Of course not. They said she's doing wonderfully. You have to say that-and let them know the dogs are thriving now.

The one miller brought dogs from another mill and decided to hold one back (essentially steal) one of the other millers dog to breed him/her. So so sad! She also decided to hold back a shiba inu at her mill that she was supposed to give up. She said she "forgot" to bring him/her. Yeah, sure. There were a few puppies (about 8 weeks old) that were given up and several ones that were no older than 3 or 4 months. This is why it's good the economy is down the drain-the mill puppies aren't selling! No dogs were dropped like last time, so that was good!

The breeds rescued included chihuahuas, daschunds, brussel griffons, vizslas, poodles, yorkies, terriers, wire fox terriers, a Havanese, labs, and more! A couple cats were also rescued (siamese and not sure on the other breed(s)). Could it be the miller is operating a kittymill too? Who knows. Disgusting and disturbing!

At the shelter, Josh helped pull the dogs from the crates. That's when the very poor health of the dogs begin to show. One dog had teeth that were black. Not gray like many puppymill dog teeth-but black. Many with very bad teeth problems, hernias, fistulas (holes in gums), and even a yorkie with deformed legs who couldn't walk. She had a c-section just last week (insert me rolling my eyes here). One very old three-pound poodle was recently shaved, most likely to hide the mats and to ensure the rescuers couldn't document the condition of the dog. There was also a dog who had a disintegrated upper jaw (so essentially no upper jaw).

All in all, Josh said it was a good day and I think and hope he's more passionate about stopping puppymills. He was before, but after experiencing this, he's already talking differently about them. It's amazing how an experience like this can change someone's life so much! Next week, he will be moving here to NY to finally be "home"! He's going to transport a dog to her new home and will meet the new dog-ma in Toledo, Ohio. Josh pretty much rocks.

Hearing stories of puppymills rescues and experiencing one first hand, makes me feel the need to do more. I wrote a letter to the "Steam" section of the Metrosource newspaper and my article was published last Saturday!!! Here is that article:

Mohandas Ghandi once said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

Every year, millions of people unknowingly support puppymills by purchasing puppies from pet stores and backyard breeders. A puppymill is a large-scale dog breeding facility which maximizes profits by cutting corners when it comes to animal care. This results in the needless physical and emotional suffering of hundreds of thousands of dogs.

Dogs spend their entire lives crammed in small cages, standing in their own feces, never touching grass. Many suffer from very severe medical problems, in which they are given no veterinary care. These dogs are not played with, walked, or loved. Inbreeding, cage aggression and abuse are other common occurrences in puppymills. These dogs are bred over and over again. Once they are deemed no longer good for breeding, these dogs are often either killed or auctioned off. The lucky ones will make it to a rescue.

There are many puppy mills across New York that engage in these practices. To ensure you are not supporting this endless cycle of greed, never buy a puppy over the Internet or from a pet store, where 99% of puppies sold are born in puppymills. The best option is to adopt or rescue a dog from a shelter or rescue organization. Or, try www.petfinder.com for a list of available dogs for adoption in the area. To learn more about the puppymill industry, please visit http://www.prisonersofgreed.org/ .

I need to do more to stop puppymills. I want to do more. I'm not sure what else I can do, but I'm going to try my best to stop these hells on earth! They disgust me and I can only hope the stories and pictures disgust you as well.

Please, the next time you want to adopt a dog and bring one into your family, think adoption and rescue. Local shelters and rescue organizations are bulging at the seams and they have some amazing animals! When you purchase a dog from a petstore or from a backyard breeder, you are helping to keep these cycles of greed going. They need to be stopped. Please, do your part. If you aren't interested in adopting a dog, tell your friends about puppymills. Tell your family. These dogs need us. These dogs need you.

Dog Auctions

2009-01-30T16:07:00.002-05:00

More and more people are becomming aware of puppymills, but dog auctions are another part of puppymills. When dogs are "no longer good for breeding", they are usually either killed (usually drowned or shot) or they are sold at dog auctions. At these dog auctions, dogs are sold to the highest bidder and the dogs are then placed into another mill where their misery begins all over again. To get an inside look at dog auctions, check out this video.

Dogs that do not sell at auction are often taken out back and killed. If they are lucky, a rescue organization may be there and ask to take the dog. Or, they may pay a small fee to take the dog. These auctions are done in the summer heat and coldness of the winter where the dogs sit in cages the entire day, often with no food, water, or shelter.

We need to put an end to these dog auctions, and we need to put an end to puppymills. Please, when looking for another dog, watch this video before doing so and choose to adopt, not shop.

Rescue Dogs

2009-01-28T15:52:00.004-05:00

Looks like some of the dogs I helped rescue on the puppymill rescue last month are now being placed up for adoption. Here are two fur-kids we dropped off to the Nebraska Daschund Rescue.

Meet Tootsie (black doxie) and Austin (tan doxie) . Both photos from the NE Daschund Rescue MySpace page.

4 More Days . . .

2009-01-27T21:42:00.008-05:00

Until Josh's life will change. Just four more days until he gets to go on his first puppymill rescue in Nebraska. I was interested in mill rescue before I went on my first one and after seeing what I saw, and experiencing part of it first hand, I know my life has forever been changed. Even though the experience is extremely sad and emotional, I know that there is now hope for these dogs. Hope that they've never experienced before. Hope that they will be nursed back to health. And most of all, hope that they will soon feel loved. I am eager to hear about Josh's experience-the sights, the smells, and everything in between. I know that after this, his life will be forever changed. It may not be an outward change, but an emotional and inside change is guaranteed.

Turning more toward rescue here in NY. I've had the hardest time trying to find a rescue to volunteer for. My requirements can't be that hard-can they? No kill rescue, with a shelter, who works with puppymills. Well, apparently those are hard to come by. However, I'm now in contact with a woman who works with puppymills in Pennslyvania. She's going to e-mail some of her contacts in NY to see what there is. I hope to hear from her soon! Apparently, due to new puppymill laws in PA, many of the Amish are packing up from Pennslyvania and moving to the Finger Lakes region of NY to "open up shop." The only thing I have to say to them is: I'm coming. I don't know when or how. But, I'm coming. This vicious cycle of greed needs to stop.

Day After Day

2009-01-26T20:05:00.005-05:00

Day after day, each one the same,

another year older, a little more lame,

left out in the weather with little protection.

my body is sore and hot with infection,

in the freezing cold or the searing heat,

with nothing but wire beneath swollen feet.

my food bowl is empty, my water dish dry.

What did I do?? please tell me, why?

the litters come and the litters go

where do they take them?I don't know...

is this a bad joke?or a horrible game?

I have no home, not even a name.

no one to love me, no one to care

no one to bathe me and brush my hair

my teeth are rotting, my eyes are encrusted

where are the people to whom I'm entrusted?

I cry every night...so afraid, don't you see?

could this be the life God intended for me?

someone, speak for me, I am losing my will

take me out of this hell, called a Puppymill

-Peggy Wilson 5-24-00

Another Journey

2009-01-25T15:39:00.006-05:00

I've been on a never-ending journey to find the perfect food for Timmy. With his shaking, it's difficult for him to eat his food. When we first brought him home, I cried watching him eat. It's so very sad! Timmy was on Wellness, then Natural Balance, and now I'm switching again.

Yesterday I went to a little mom and pop store in Amherst called Treats Unleashed. All the food there is either grain free, holistic, or organic. Anything they sell in Walmart or Target would never be found in this store. I decided to put Timmy (and Ranger and Sharla) back on Taste of the Wild, which is what they were fed at HUA. According to Dog Food Analysis, this food is top of line and is a 6-star quality food. I got the Prarie Canine formula, which has antioxidants (which are supposed to be excellent for Timmy's condition). I also give Timmy a few scoops of wet food since it makes it easier for him to eat his meals. I decided to go with Artemis canned food. Even though it's only ranked a 4-star, the man at Treats Unleashed said this is one of the best canned meals that there is.

I also ordered the kids some atomic treat balls off of Amazon. Ranger could care less. Sharla is confused and knows there's treats in the ball but doesn't quite know what to do. Timmy loves it. It's cute to see him try to get the treats out. I also got Sharla more tennis balls at the Dollar Tree-3 for $1.00. That should last a day or two :)

Now, for some great news. Josh got word yesterday that he gets to go on a puppymill rescue next Sunday with HUA!!! The same miller I helped rescue dogs from is giving up over 60 dogs (I'm guessing closer to 70 or 80 since they always give up more dogs than what they say). I'm so jealous of him! The rescue experience was one of the most educational and emotional times of my entire life and I'm greatful that Josh will be able to experience it as well. Plus, he gets to help save over 60 dogs from living in pure misery at the hands of a vicious cycle of greed.

Sittin' Pretty!

2009-01-23T10:33:00.003-05:00

Despite his neurological condition, Cerebellar Hypoplasia, Timmy has learned to "sit." It used to take him a good thirty second to get sitting due to his shaking, but he does it almost instantly now. He's so smart. And, now you'll know why they called him "Shakey Timmy" at the rescue.

Click here to see Timmy sittin' pretty!

Flying Dog!

2009-01-16T22:04:00.004-05:00

I uploaded a video of Timmy chasing his new favorite toy. You can check it out here. I love his reaction when I throw the ball-his eyes get so big and he gets so excited!

And, here's a new piture of Timmy. I think he was in the middle of falling over or something-thus his "flying" ears. The white parts of his eyes are pretty much the bad parts of his eyes. He will eventually be blind when he gets older (he's actually almost completely blind in the one eye), but he's doing so great. Whoever would've thought this little guy could survive a puppymill, be rescued from the mill on the day he was scheduled to be shot, be rehabilitated at HUA, and now he's enjoying life in a home!

New Dogs and New Shirt!

2009-01-16T21:20:00.005-05:00

Regarding the post below: Looks like I may be getting one of the shirts from Timmy! Josh didn't tell me which one Timmy got me, but it's coming my way soon :) Maybe I'll wear the shirt, drive to Petland, and walk through their disgusting store?!

On to the two new fur-kids! Ranger and Sharla are such amazing animals. I love getting to know them more and learning what they like and dislike.

Sharla (aka Sharlee-Marlee, Sharla-Marla, Shar-Shar) LOVES tennis balls. Whenever we volunteered at HUA, she always had one in her pen. Well, more like three of four. I have no clue how many tennis balls I've gone through, but she destroys them in a matter of two minutes, but they are her comfort item. The only time she really ever barks is when it's time to eat. Apparently I don't feed her fast enough and she lets me know it! She's still very nervous around me (as is typical with many mill dogs). I'm forcing her to have lap time with me at night. Deep down I know she wants to call me names, but we had a milestone last night-she actually laid her head down on me! Making progress-slowly but surely! She still hates leashes, so our walks consist of walking to the end of the driveway. One day we made it to the neighbors house, but then she sat down and didn't move (it's her normal routine). I took her for a walk one night and she thought it would be cool to just sit in the middle of a puddle-water over her paws. Just chillin'. I miss HUA more than anything, but I have some comfort in Sharla. Our volunteer friend, Mary, is fostering an HUA dog named Pancho and Sharla looks just like him in the face-I love it.

Here is Sharla in the car on the way to NY. I smile every time I look at this picture!

Ranger: (aka Range-Range, Ranger-Panger, Rangie, Grandpa) is so loving. If he could, he'd sit in my lap all day. He's very curious about things. He'll just sit and you can tell he's thinking hard about something. You can tell his age is really setting in as he moves pretty slow. His front left leg was caught in a cage at the puppymill due to cage aggression, so his leg has some pretty bad scarring. He walks with a limp due to it and never likes to put pressure on it. Due to the awful infection in his mouth when he was rescued from the mill, he had to have about sixteen teeth pulled (mostly on the bottom of his mouth). Despite this, he loves to go on walks-we actually go on slight jogs-and he of course loves food and treats (I just need to add water to his food to soften it). He never really barks. I'm pretty sure he's been debarked-another common practice at mills where they ram steel rods down the dogs throats to debark them. If that doesn't make you sick to your stomach, not sure what will. Ranger also reminds me of one of my favorite dogs at HUA, Tierney. They have the exact same nose!

Here's a picture of Ranger. Shiba Inu's are Japanese wolf dogs-I understand where they get the wolf from now!

I honestly think they have cat DNA in them. One day I went to check on them and Sharla was grooming and licking Ranger. It was weird. And Ranger will keep nudging your hand until you pet him-just like a cat! I really hope they are enjoying living here (I always worry about things like that haha). I know I love having them here and love to watch them make progress each day!

Added: 7/14/10. Sharla getting her medicated bath for adult-onset demodectic mange.

Timmy's Wish

2009-01-14T09:57:00.004-05:00

I got my diploma last week and officially have my Masters degree in Legal Studies. Timmy told me he was sad that he didn't get me a graduation gift. He said he really wanted to order one of the two shirts below from this website, but he couldn't move the computer mouse with his paws. I really wish someone (aka Josh), might help Timmy fullfil his wish of getting his dog-ma a graduation gift. Cough cough (black shirt size Large (I think) or Red shirt size Small) cough.

Still up in arms . . . . and an update!

2009-01-14T09:19:00.006-05:00

You know, I'm still up in arms about the whole Obama/Biden thing. I was online today and found this article. If you go to the first video on the right hand side, you will hear Obama speaking in November. He said he'd prefer to get a dog from a shelter, but the problem is that most of them are mutts. Well "Mr. Obama", I want to inform you once again that a labradoodle is a mutt. They are a mixed breed/cross breed. Sorry to rain on your parade. Secondly, over a quarter of dogs in shelters/rescues are purebred dogs. Please pull through for me and get a rescue dog at least, I'm begging. As a side note, I don't like the term "mutt."

On to happier news: Dulcea is doing SO well in her foster home! You can see a video of her here. Next time you want to purchase a dog from a breeder, puppymill or petstore, or the next time you visit Petland, please keep Dulcea in mind.

"Say it ain't so, Joe"

2009-01-12T00:34:00.000-05:00

Well, didn't we just vote in a wonderful duo into the White House (stated with complete sarcasm).

Anyways, I hope you all had a chance to read how Joe Biden recently BOUGHT a 6 week old german sheperd from a "commercial kennel" in Pennslyvania. How wonderful. The lady doesn't even operate the kennel under her own name-uses like a fake name. She currently has 84 dogs on the property and has operated the kennel for over 40 years. Can we say puppymill? Funny thing is, 4 days after Biden adopted the dog, the kennel got cited for not having proper vaccination papers for her adult dogs and for not having records for transactions. You know, she says they were "tossed out on accident." Yeah, OK.

Barack Obama announced today that his family had narrowed their choice of dogs down to two: a portugese water dog and . . . a LABRADOODLE. Seriously? A labradoodle? #1, no responsible breeder would ever breed labradoodles because they aren't even a breed. They are a mutt. Yes, a mix between two dogs-as are: Maltipoo's, Yorkipoos, Cockapoo, Goldendoodle, Poogle, Schnoodle, Sharpoo, etc. Yes, they are all mutts. If you buy one of these from any place other than a rescue/shelter, you are buying from a) a backyard breeder or b) a puppymill. Barack says they are going to try to find a dog from a shelter, but it's as difficult as finding a new Commerce Secretary.

For someone who made fun of McCain for not using the computer (even though McCain has a disability and can't use a computer), I suggest "Mr. Obama" should try to Google the following: Labradoodle rescue. Then, he should go adopt one. Or better yet, just go to a shelter/rescue and get a non-designer mix dog.

Vent over.

Update on Rescue Dog

2009-01-07T17:06:00.000-05:00

Dulcea (the dog in the post below) underwent surgery yesterday. She had such a bad infection in her mouth that went to her eyes, causing extreme pain and blindness. She had both eyes removed yesterday, along with most of her top teeth. She will be spayed once she heals up a little bit from this latest procedure.

Please continue sending good thoughts to Dulcea (which means "Sweet" by the way). Even though she will be blind, she will have the opportunity to be free and enjoy life out of the misery of the puppymill.

My First True Rescue Experience

2009-01-02T22:11:00.001-05:00

Before moving, I really wanted to be able to "rescue" some dogs. I planned to get involved with a rescue here in NY, so I e-mailed some individuals at HUA asking if I could be part of a rescue. They have done so many puppymill rescues and I not only saw it as an opportunity to save dogs, but as an educational opportunity as well.

On December 13th, I met with two workers from HUA and we drove to a town in Nebraska. The miller was going to bring another breeder with her, so they wanted to meet us in the parking lot of a large store on the main street in town. I was so nervous. Would I be able to control my emotions? How did the whole thing go? Do we just take the dogs? Do we say thank you? What will she be driving? Will the dogs be healthy enough to make it to HUA? I really had no clue what to expect.

The miller pulled up in a gray van that was stacked with crates. Actually, you could tell the crates were thrown into the van (literally), since they were sideways, upside down, just thrown in there. I got out of the van and saw the miller for the first time. She looked just as I had pictured. We began to unload all the crates from the HUA van (good thing be brought extra since she decided to give us more than what we thought!). The miller opened her van and began going over paperwork of which dogs we would be taking. Some crates had four dogs in them, while others just had one or two. I heard stories that at the last rescue involving her, she would cram huge dogs into the smallest crates imaginable and the dogs would literally get stuck in the crates. Good thing she was smarter this time. She began to hand the dogs off and we began to put them in the appropriate crates (two other rescues were also there taking dogs). For one dog, the miller warned us that the dog was a biter. Two rescue people put on some big work gloves and managed to somehow get the dog to one of our crates. I was working on getting a dog out of the millers crate and into ours when the worst thing imaginable happened.

As the miller pulled out a small chihuahua from a crate, she dropped the chihuahua, had a little giggle and made the comment "oops, look like that one got away". My heart sank, literally. Myself and the two workers from HUA took off in full speed after the dog. Tears flooded my eyes. One of the HUA workers tried to throw her coat over the dog, but the dog just kept running. I continued to run and then ripped my jacket off. A cop, who thought we were selling dogs, was pulling up when he saw us chasing the dog. He got out of his car and we finally got the dog circled. I approached slowly and I threw my coat on her and she took off again.

It was so cold outside and with the running, I felt like I was having a heart attack. I literally could not breathe, but I knew I had to keep running for this little girl (who at the time we thought was a boy and decided we would call him Forrest Gump). We ran through apartment complexes and fields. I saw the dog a block away and at that time, one of the workers had gone back for the HUA van. I hopped in the van and we rode to the next street where I got out and ran again. I've never ran with such passion in my entire life. I was committed to this dog and wanted her safe.

However, our luck ran out when we couldn't see her any longer. I continued to run, pretty much in circles since I had no clue where I was or where the dog was. We started on about 28th avenue and the last street sign I saw was 42nd avenue. The HUA van pulled up and I got in. I was spitting out the window and was hanging out the window because I simply could not breathe (it was that cold). One of the HUA workers was actually coughing up blood. There was one point where I couldn't stop coughing and tasted blood in my mouth. Even though I couldn't breathe, I didn't care. I was so distraught about losing this dog. Tears again filled my eyes as we rode back to the rescue site.

I got out of the HUA van to notice a famly (a woman and her two children) talking to the miller. It sounded like she wanted to purchase a dog from this woman once they were ready to get a dog. She saw us and I think I gave her the ugliest face you can imagine. I was so ticked at the miller for dropping the dog, just so angry. I was more upset that the dog got away. Then even more upset that this woman wanted to buy a dog from this person. The family soon left when an employee from the Taco Bell across the street came over to ask what was going on. One HUA worker simply said that we were bringing some dogs back to our shelter.

At this point, I began to help load dogs into the HUA van. I pulled two Italian Greyhounds out and put them into HUA crates. They were so tiny, but so adorable! I remember looking over at a white dog in an HUA crate and he was struggling to breathe. It was at this point my emotions began to take over. I couldn't believe the sight of this poor little dog. We immediately put him in the warm HUA van. I told myself that if I ever began to get sad, I needed to immediately remember what this miller did to these dogs. My emotions changed immediately.

As we were finishing up getting a few daschunds and other dogs out, I overheard the miller say that she started with over 400 dogs. She was now down to 200. Her puppies weren't selling and she wanted to just sell her dogs. She said she couldn't make her house payments any longer and whatever someone offered to take all the dogs from her, she would take it. Great news, right? However, I don't know of any rescue that could possibly take in 200 dogs at one time, whom most would be in horrible condition, medically. The miller began to cry about her "babies". I may have had a few eyerolls here and there as I turned my back to her. She decided to give up one dog that apparently she didn't want to give up.

Even though I have very negative feelings toward the miller, I have to have some respect for her. Instead of killing these dogs, like so many millers do, she had the heart to give them to HUA. All in all, I think she gave up around 50 dogs. Yes, that is 50 dogs that are no longer suffering. They are now warm, fed, and loved!

The ride back was tough. I smelled of puppymill (those of you in rescue know exactly what I'm talking about). We made a pit stop at Burger King to grab something to eat and drink-but more importantly to wash up. My clothes reaked of puppymill. One of the HUA workers started off riding in back with the dogs but was getting carsick. So, we switched seats and lets just say I can understand why. From still not being able to breathe, to the stentch, to the long car ride back, it was tough. We made a pit stop in Omaha to drop off three daschunds for the Nebraska Daschund Rescue. While driving back to the shelter one little guy caught my eye. He reminded me of Yves, who is a little dog at HUA that I love. This guy had stained paws, just like Yves (yes, from standing in his own feces for who knows how long). Whenever I would look at him, he would scoot back so he did not have to look at me. I know he's been emotionally damaged, just like many of the mill dogs.

We made it back to HUA and started to unload the dogs. It was then that I realized how bad some of the dogs were healthwise. The two Shiba Inu's had frostbite so bad on their ears, that they were literally missing half their ears! One dog had an infection so bad in her mouth that there was a hole in her gums and you could see up to her nasal cavity (from her mouth). A fourteen year old Yorkie (who was bred all these years) was in pitiful condition. Her bottom jaw had either disintegrated, or she had no teeth, since her tongue hung out of her mouth-there was nothing to keep her tongue in her mouth. Most dogs had disgusting teeth. One dog had gut wrenching screams when pulled from the HUA van and put into a new pen at the shelter. I'll never forget the screams that came from that dog.

All in all, it was an emotional day, but I did better than I thought I would. The workers taught me how to handle the dogs when pulling them from their crates, and I did exactly as I was told. I kept my emotions in check. It was a very educational day that I'm proud to be a part of. I remember I went home that night and cried. I cried for the little dog that got away. I cried for the dogs we rescued with their medical problems. Most of all, I cried for the 200 dogs left in her puppymill and the hundreds of thousands of dogs in puppymills across this country.

Even though I saw sights that I never want to see again, I want to continue to do this. Over 50 dogs were saved on December 13th, can you just imagine how many more are still in puppymills across this country!

I look forward to the upcoming weeks to see how the dogs are doing and what their new names are! I am also looking forward to each of them finding their forever homes!

Remember that dog that got away when the miller dropped her? Well, almost three weeks later, the dog was found! He turned out to be a she and here she is.

She was found near someone's house, laying lifeless. Her temperature was 82 degrees and she is in very poor condition. However, with continued improvement at the current animal control shelter, she will soon make her way to HUA. Please send a few prayers for this little girl! What a Christmas miracle!

So, there it is. My first rescue experience! I know I left out many details, but you get the jist . . . .

Catching Up: Pictures

2008-12-30T19:24:00.004-05:00

We actually took my moms dog trick-or-treating at the neighbors house on Halloween. And yes, she got a treat! Does that make me crazy? If so, that's OK :) Here is McKenna as a pumpkin!

Christmas Poem

2008-12-30T19:04:00.001-05:00

This is how Timmy told me he feels about people who buy dogs as Christmas presents when they aren't ready to be dog owners:

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house,

not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds, the dog in the yard, neither watered nor fed.

Mama in her kerchief, and I in my cap, knew he was cold, but no cares about that;

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Was the dog off his chain and into the trash?

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow gave the luster of mid-day to objects below. When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but Santa Claus - with eyes full of tears. He unchained the dog, once so lively and quick; last year's Christmas present, now skinny and sick.

More rapid than eagles he called the dog's name. And the dog ran to him, despite all his pain;

"Now, Dasher! Dancer! Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! on Cupid! on Donder and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Let's find this dog a home where he'll be loved by all."

I knew in an instant there'd be no gifts this year, for Santa Claus had made one thing clear. The gift of a dog is not just for the season... We'd gotten the pup for all the wrong reasons. In our haste to think of the kids a gift, there was one important thing that we missed. A dog should be family, and cared for the same...you don't give a gift, then put it on a chain.

And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight,

"You weren't given a gift! You were given a life!"

We're expecting . . . .

2008-12-10T15:02:00.000-05:00

2 more dogs!!! What, did you think we finally jumped ship and are expecting kids? No, no. But we are welcoming two more dogs into our family this weekend.

Timmy will have one new sister, Sharla, and a new brother, Ranger.

Meet Sharla: (photo courtesy of the HUA website)

And Ranger: (photo courtesy of the HUA website)

Sharla is 7, is from a puppymill and is still kind of shy. She LOVES tennis balls, to the point where she literally always has one in her mouth. Even when she gets a treat: it's drop tennis ball, eat treat, pick up tennis ball. Needless to say, we've stocked up on them and a nice woman we volunteer with gave the new kids tennis balls for Christmas!!! She was bred over and over again in the puppymill and when her time was up, she was scheduled to be shot. Luckily, she found her way to HUA!!

Ranger is 9 and is also from a puppymill. He's more outgoing and very "chill". He loves to go on walks and is so friendly and playful. He was also bred over and over and was scheduled to be shot. Ranger has some pretty bad scarring on one of his front legs, most likely due to cage aggression, but he doesn't seem to mind anymore.

This will be their first time in a home and we are so excited to be given the opportunity to rescue them. We're also moving to NY this weekend, so it should be a fun trip for all! See where it says North Tonawanda, by Niagara Falls? That is where we'll be!

Making a Difference

2008-11-17T17:57:00.001-05:00

As I volunteer at HUA, I often find myself sad that I'm not able to help more dogs. This weekend when we volunteered, Josh and I made it a point to spend time with every single dog in the small dog room and in the medium dog wing. It took us a while, but every dog that wanted some human love, got it!!!

I try to remind myself that these dogs are at "home" at the shelter and more often than not, the shelter is 100 times better than their previous homes where they may have been neglected, starved, abused, cold, and not loved. I came across this poem today and I intend to remember it each time I go volunteer . . . .

* * * * * * * * * *
The Starfish Story
adapted from The Star Throwerby Loren Eiseley1907 - 1977

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?" The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean.""I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "I made a difference to that one!"

* * * * * * * * * *

For those in California . . .

2008-11-04T16:08:00.000-05:00

Vote YES on Proposition 2!!!

Anyone with an ounce of common sense knows what to vote on this! :)

Imagine spending your entire life cooped up in a cage. Not just any cage, but one that does not even allow you to turn around, or lie down. You're not even allowed to stretch your limbs . . . .

Voting YES on prop 2 will:
*Prevent cruelty of animals and assist with treating them more humanely
*Support family farmers
*Improve our food safety
*Protects additional safeguards in the environment

I'm not here to preach to you but please, if you live in California, do the right thing. Vote YES on prop 2!

About Veal Crates:
"In order to produce veal, calves are taken from their mothers, usually when they’re just hours old. For the four months before they're slaughtered, the calves are typically tethered by their necks in crates too narrow for them to turn around or even lie down comfortably. Prevented from engaging in their natural behaviors or from satisfying basic psychological needs, calves crated for veal suffer immensely, virtually immobilized in filthy, barren confinement."

Help these animals live a more humane life! Please, these animals need your support!

http://www.yesonprop2.com/index.php

I'll always remember . . . .

2008-10-26T01:45:00.001-04:00

Today, Moukos (our neighbor's dog) went to Rainbow Bridge and will be greatly missed.

HEAVEN'S DOGGY-DOOR

My best friend closed his eyes last night, As his head was in my hand.The Doctors said he was in pain, And it was hard for him to stand.

The thoughts that scurried through my head, As I cradled him in my arms.Were of his younger, puppy years, And OH...his many charms.

Today, there was no gentle nudge With an intense "I love you gaze",Only a heart thats filled with tears Remembering our joy filled days.

But an Angel just appeared to me, And he said, "You should cry no more,GOD also loves our canine friends, He's installed a 'doggy-door"!

-Jan Cooper 1995

Protest

2008-10-24T00:59:00.000-04:00

There's only so much you can say about a dog killer like this. 23 dogs lost their lives at the hands of this cold-hearted person.

The story absolutely disgusts me and I really have no words. I will be going to a protest on the day of this woman's trial which is this upcoming Thursday-October 30th. I've been making protest signs for the group I'm going with:

*There's No Excuse for Animal Abuse
*Cruelty is Criminal
*We are the Voices of the Dogs

I hope it's a good turnout but more importantly, I hope we get our message across. What this women did was illegal and she should get the maximum penalty allowed-which is 5 years in prison and $10,000 for each of the five animals that she is facing charges for in Nebraska. She should also be banned from ever owning an animal again.

As the Humane Society Executive Director Laurie Dethloff put it, "We are here today to make sure they have a voice and to let people know this won't be tolerated here."

Trip to the Animal ER

2008-10-24T00:46:00.000-04:00

If you actually read this-sorry for not updating. We've been busy!

The other week I was holding Timmy and noticed his dew claw was broken at the pad. I immediately freaked out since I know if you cut a nail too short, they'll bleed and it can be bad. I'm thinking he caught it on a blanket or something when he was shaking sometime. Anyways, whenever I would even touch his foot, he would start whimpering and I knew if I let him down, the claw would break off completely. I called the Animal ER and they had us bring him in. After about 15 minutes, they brought him back out. They cut his dew claw completely off at the pad (gives me chills to even think about it) and only charged us about half of a normal visit (which was nice of them). Timmy did really well though and within a few hours, he was back to his normal self. Here's a picture of our little guy when we got home . . . .

The vet tech said not to let him eat or get at the bandage. She said he most likely won't do that since the bandage was nasty tasting. Well, apparently Timmy likes gross tasting things haha. He wouldn't stop licking it.

I've noticed lately his one "good" eye is becoming worse. It looks like the white luxated lens part is about 1/4 of his eye now. On the other eye, it's about 3/4 of the way white-colored. I know he'll eventually be blind when he gets older, but I hope this doesn't happen for a while yet.

Happy Puppymill Awareness Day!!

2008-09-20T14:27:00.000-04:00

Today is National Puppymill Awareness Day!! Here's to giving hope to all the poor animals in puppymills . . . we are thinking of you and can only hope that one day you will be free.

For those who don't know what puppymills are, check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEFyU3yWWtU&feature=related

99% of pet store puppies come from places shown in the video. Buying from a pet store only keeps this vicious circle going. Please, adopt from a rescue or shelter.

Puppy Mill Awareness Day!

2008-09-14T01:39:00.001-04:00

This Saturday-September 20th is Puppy Mill Awareness Day! Please give these dogs hope and don't buy dogs from petstores where 99% of the dogs come from puppy mills. I don't feel like shedding tears regarding this subject, so I'll let you do your own research and find out for yourself what these hells on earth, known as puppy mills, are really like.

To read more about puppy mills, click here or here or here.

Timmy begs you: "Adopt, Don't Shop!!"

Bonnie and Clyde

2008-09-09T13:49:00.000-04:00

We may just have the new Bonnie and Clyde on our hands with McKenna and Timmy. They love to get themselves in a little bit a of trouble and they love to be mischevious!!

We have a small tree/shrub in the backyard way back by the fence. McKenna and Timmy now try to corner birds and squirrels in this tree. McKenna will jump at the tree-trying to get the birds and squirrels. Once she achieves her goal, it's Timmy's turn to try to get them. They run back and forth, and back and forth, trying to get these animals. They really get excited when the birds sit on the phone/electric lines. Timmy makes these sounds and I'm afraid people are going to thing I'm doing something mean to him. It's like a weird screeching sound. haha. He just wants those birds!!!

Last week, Josh took Timmy out to do his duty and the neighbors cat was under our deck! Sure enough, Timmy ran, dug under the wood blocking the deck and chased the cat under the deck. However, he then couldn't figure out how to get out-so, Josh had to go in after him. Timmy now gets even more excited when he sees rabbits and has been digging a hole under the fence whenever he sees one. There is now a big rock in his way, but it doesn't stop him. Now, he simply thinks he can make it through the fence by putting his long snout through the fence, but he ends up getting stuck.

We watch these two like hawks but they are so quick in their own ways! I can only hope they don't become the new Bonnie and Clyde . . . .

One day Timmy, one day . . . .

2008-08-28T21:38:00.000-04:00

When we first adopted Timmy, we new that he had a luxated lens in one of his eyes. At his first vet visit, the vet looked at his eyes and determined that he could barely see out of the one eye. Over the two months we've had Timmy, I'm convinced that the one thing he can see out of his one eye is a few shadows. The vet also told us that his other eye had a small luxated lens and that he will most likely eventually become blind.

Well let me tell you, any "troubles" he has with seeing completely disappears when he sees squirrels on his walks. He loves to chase them into trees and will sit at the bottom of the tree looking up at them. He just sits there and shakes, but he won't move. No matter how hard I try to get him to keep going on his walk, he won't. He just stares up at the squirrels. One day Timmy, one day . . . . I know you'll get one!

As a side note, Timmy will now "sit" without a treat! He's a awesome!

"The cement must be hot . . . "

2008-08-21T23:16:00.000-04:00

Josh and I got several comments about Timmy on a weekly basis. "Is he blind?". "Why does he walk like that?". "Does he have a neurological condition?". "What's wrong with him?". "Why does he shake?". "Why would you get a dog like that?". (Yes, a little neighbor girl asked us this-so I had to explain that we need to love everyone and continued to give her a lecture on why we need to treat everyone the same!). The comments normally don't bother me since I enjoy teaching people about his condition and then I usually end up educating them on puppymills. Occassionally, I get frustrated when people start staring at him. I suppose it would be like having a child with a disability. Sometimes I just want to yell-"Don't stare people-there's nothing wrong with him!"

Anyways, Josh took Timmy for a walk yesterday and when passing by the VFW club, an old man said that the cement must be too hot for Timmy because of the way he was walking. (can't you just picture a cute little old man saying that?!). This is probably one of the best comments I've heard! Josh nicely informed him of Timmy's condition and that he just doesn't have the best motor/coordination skills, which is why he walks the way he does. The line made my day though!

As a side note, we were talking to our neighbor tonight (the one Timmy likes) and I saw a rabbit in the yard. I let Timmy down and he went CRAZY! It was so cute. The rabbit ran out of the yard and due to Timmy's poor eyesight, he didn't see him leave-so he just kept running in circles looking for him. What a doll he is!

In the Backyard

2008-08-18T22:45:00.001-04:00

Timmy's favorite things in the backyard are as follows:

1) His "girlfriend" McKenna (A.K.A. McKenna Bean, Kenny, Kenna, Kenny Beanie, Kenna Bean, Ken Ken, etc.)

2) Flowers and grass. He loves to climb into flowers and dig holes in the grass.

3) Belly Rubs!!!

4) Rabbits and Birds! One of these days I'll get some real camera footage of him trying his best to catch rabbits and birds! It's so cute! He tries so hard, but he usually does his whole run, forward somersault, run, fall, etc.

In case I end up in the ER . . .

2008-08-18T22:14:00.000-04:00

you'll know why. Timmy LOVES treats. I started to make homemade treats and he, along with all the other dogs in the neighborhood, just love them. With Timmy's condition, the more excited he gets, the more he starts shaking. So needless to say, I bet you can imagine how excited and shakey he gets when he sees his treats. Due to this, when he tries to get the treats out of my hand, he about takes my whole hand off. He's gotten me a few times, but the pain is immediately taken away just by seeing how happy he is. One of these days I may end up in the ER due to my baby biting off my hand to get his treat, but it will all be worth it :)

As a side note, Timmy has officially bitten through not one, but TWO babygates!! He made two holes in the first one, so I bought a pet babygate off Craigslist. Good thing it was cheap because after about a month, Timmy was finally able to eat through the few inches of wood to break off a spindle. On Friday, Josh and I went to Menards and just bought a sheet of wood and now have that clamped to the little babygate and unless he has some superpowers, there's no way he's getting through a wood plank.

I'll leave you with a picture of Timmy who yes, is now up to two blocks on his walk!! On his very first walk, he passed out in the neighbors yard after 1 block and I had to carry him home. We're so happy for him!

You don't even know what love is . . .

2008-08-18T10:43:00.000-04:00

To the Breeder at the Puppymill where Timmy was born:

Just as an FYI-I don't like you. The woman who helped rescue Timmy from your hell on earth recently called HUA to see how Timmy was doing and to find out if he had been adopted yet. She recounted the story of when her daughter picked up Timmy from your puppymill.

As she pulled up, you had Timmy outside. You said you were going to shoot him that day because "he isn't right in the head and can't breed". Well, Mr. Puppymill Breeder, I believe YOU are the one messed up in the head. Timmy is the way he is because of YOUR poor breeding practices. Your greed is the sole cause for Timmy's condition. Your greed is what makes these poor helpless animals suffer and live miserable lives. Your greed is why puppymills exist all over this country.

As a side note, there really is nothing wrong with Timmy. He's not a special needs dog-he's just a special dog. He's the most loving and fun dog you could ever imagine. He was going on one block walks but now, he has enough energy for two block walks! He LOVES to chase birds and rabbits in the backyard. He loves his 3 warm beds. He is so smart that he even now knows how to "sit"! But, by far, what he loves the most is being loved! He loves to give kisses and to cuddle in the arms of those who love him.

However, you don't even know what "love" is, so I doubt you would ever understand. I can only hope that one day, this country will get its' act together and, through harsh legislation, put you and every other puppymill breeder out of business.

Why is he Shaking?!

2008-08-08T22:41:00.000-04:00

The other day I was in the kitchen and as I looked down, I saw Timmy shaking and immediately said (outloud I might add) "Oh my gosh, what's wrong with Timmy? Why is he shaking?"

I really have nothing to say for my stupidity. I have no clue what I was thinking.

To end, I'll post a pic of our "roasting weiner". Yes, when we take him outside to go to the bathroom, he usually just likes to lay down and roast away in the sun. I only let him lay there for a little while since I don't want him to burn.

Sorry it's sideways, but here's our "roasting weiner" . . .

"How YOU doin'?!?"

2008-07-25T09:31:00.000-04:00

Wellness!

2008-07-25T09:03:00.000-04:00

I've been doing some research on new food for Timmy. In researching his condition, I've read that foods rich in antioxidants can be good for dogs with Cerebellar Hypoplasia (CH). Granted there is no cure for CH, but antioxidants are still good for him (well, they are good for any dog). Anyways, yesterday we went and bought some top of the line food called Wellness, which is rich in antioxidants. Sure it could eventually make us go broke (not really), but as long as it's good for Timmy and he enjoys it, then we'll go broke for him :)

Now starts the process of switching him over to Wellness. I gave him about 2-3 bites of it this morning and he ate it right up!

As a side note, can I please brag about how good Timmy is at taking his medicine? With his virus, we are giving him eye drops and some nasty pill twice a day. We just put the pill in a piece of his wet food and he eats it right up! What a good dog!

He's the big 0-4!

2008-07-22T14:43:00.000-04:00

It was Timmy's 4th birthday on Sunday (July 20th) and so we had a little party. Ok, so my mom and her dog McKenna came down for it. I made cute little hats for Timmy and McKenna. Josh and I got Timmy a bag of Busy Bones. He's had them in the past and loved them, but he's not eating the ones we bought! Timmy went to the vet yesterday and he has a virus, so we're thinking that's why he's not eating them. Anyways, just a picture of our pooped-out-pooch!

And here's one of McKenna. Can you tell she loves her hat?! :)

Meet Timmy!

2008-07-22T14:14:00.002-04:00

We adopted Timmy on May 31st, 2008 from Hearts United for Animals. It's such an amazing organization and we couldn't be happier that they took Timmy in.

Timmy was born in a puppymill. His breeders bred two dapples together and when doing so, there is a 50%+ chance that the double dapples will have gene mutations. These bad breeders in the puppymill bred the dapples anyway and as a result, we now have Timmy!

Timmy was born with a condition called Cerebellar Hypoplasia. In other words, he was born with an underdeveloped cerebellum which affects his motor skills. Due to his condition, he has tremors and often shakes nonstop. This causes him to have trouble walking and eating his food as well. However, when relaxed and at ease, his shaking stops. There is no cure for his condition and he will have this his entire life. Luckily, with Cerebellar Hypoplasia, the condition does not worsen. Timmy is also almost blind in one eye. He has a luxated lens and his other eye is developing one as well. Even with all of his medical issues, Timmy knows no differently. He gets along fairly well and is your every day normal dog-you know the one who loves belly rubs, loves treats, and loves his walks! He is such a special boy and we are so happy HUA rescued our little guy!

He's not a special needs dog, he's just a special dog!