Wordless Wednesday.

2 years ago today...

We officially adopted Colbert to stay with us in his forever home. He still has his quirks, but the nightly yodeling sessions and occasion 'meows' make it all worth it.

3 years ago we brought home Buela as well...so yes, 2 years in a row I got puppies for Valentines. Last year I got a washing machine.

Home in NH.

I love him too.

We have been in NH for nearly two months now. Everyone has settled in and has lost weight from hopping through snow banks. D is 55% of the way through sub school in CT which will make the dogs happier because he will be home during the week instead of 48 hour stints. (D will be happier to be home as well ;])

So what has happened in the last 3 months you ask?

We officially adopted our 10 year old foster, Oreo, on veterans day, fitting since he used to be an USAF dog and is now a USN dog. We have taken to calling him Grandpa, he grumbles like a grandpa, snores like one, and occasionally smells like one, especially when you play "pull my paw" with him. His foreleg has finally healed from the constant anxiety licking, we are just waiting for fur to grow back, and yes, where his fur is black, so is his skin.


This is my couch; damn kids.

Our drive from SC to NH was 'fun' to say the least. Previous snow storms and the upcoming holiday (we started out Dec 22nd) bogged up traffic. We hit lunch traffic in Philly trying to stop and see one of our esteemed rescue contacts Liz Hathaway.


Colbert and Buela in Lizzie's backyard.

In NJ there was an accident so bad that staties made traffic exit in the middle of nowhere causing us to take Rt 1 across...making what was usually a 2 hour drive into 4. Rush hour on the Geo. Washington Bridge in NYC caused me to add facebook to my phone. We finally made it into town around 1 am, and of course I was going by memory and not looking at signs, which was a bad idea seeing as they had flipped the exit around a few weeks before we showed up, a U-Turn with a stretched F150 hauling a trailer is not fun, nor easy. Needless to say the dogs do not look forward to car rides lately ;).

Digging in snow banks and sniffing under the porch are favorite pass times of Buela. Corona likes to blend in with and tromp around through the thickets. Max likes to catch snow balls. Oreo is in sniffer heaven, and since there isn't a fence he as learned the command "Too Far" I am sure the neighbors have too. Poor little Colbert doesn't want to leave the porch at night because of his light phobia.


Buela after digging to China in the snow.


Max catching sight of something small and prey worthy, I love the color of his coat in the sunset.


Mr Handsome, Jr after his bath at K9 Kaos in Dover, NH.

Everyone who comes over tells us how great and well behaved they all are. Everyone wants to steal Corona and or Max. They also want to see Colbert and win him over, I tell them that Colbert doesn't even come to me someday's but they persist. It is good for him.

The girls went to the vets the other day for boosters and general physicals. All their tests came back perfectly normal, despite Roni needing to shed a few pounds and having a faint heart murmur. The Dr said that she has probably had it her entire life, just no one had caught it.


Her favorite place to be, snuggled in bed on my pillow.

D is on his way home for his weekend leave and will be here at 3:30pm EST. Everyone will be so excited, even me. ;)

2 Weeks.

That is how long Oreo has been with us.

Right before coming to us his allergies flared up again and he now has infections in both ears and his legs and belly are showing pink through his fur. He gets a pill each day as well a supplements in his food and daily ear washings.

He is a very good dog, even if he does have an affinity for checking out Max regularly in the ways that dogs do. He has come to relax and claim a spot on the couch. He keeps to himself usually. However, Buela, who was the most stand offish in the beginning, is now making attempts to befriend him. A hazing period I suppose. In her usual mother hen fashion, she is licking his face and likes to pay attention to his scaly ears and pink toes. I cannot tell if this bothers him or not however.

He does like to do as he pleases, especially when it comes to relinquishing his spot on the bed, couch, or floor to a two legged type. Time will tell.

He doesn't know how to play fetch at all and hates having his photo taken, particularly with a flash. He inhales food and likes to clean other puppies bowls for them.

There was someone interested in him, CACDR&R has contacted them, but nothing has come of it yet. Time will tell.

D calls him a reverse Dalmatian. Oh and the elusive happy face photo has yet to occur. However looking at all the photos of him in the picture viewer...kinda makes you go cross eyed. haha.

Photos from his first day:

Almost a happy face...


Holsteiny goodness...


Buela being her usual charming self.

Hurray!!!

Captives of the kitchen while the carpets were getting cleaned yesterday. Buela on the left, Dixie on the right.















Sweet Nothings, Sweet Nothings...














Adopt ME!

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We took Dixie in to have her 2nd heartworm treatment yesterday. Per Martha's vets advice we asked for another heart worm test prior to the injection. The one done at the office was just barely tinged with the faintest of a blush of color. Our vet, Dr Stephen Jones, who is on the board of the American HeartWorm Association and one of SC Veterinarians of the Year, wanted to call it a negative test. We had more blood drawn from Dixie and it was sent to a lab for confirmation.

We got the results today when we took our FF Colbert in for his rabies vacc.

Dixie is now heartworm NEGATIVE!!!

YAY!!!

Anyone want to adopt a super submissive love bug bluey?

The Cattle Girls.

In person, if you were to casually look at this pic you'd see two happy dogs, in reality Buela is gearing up to bite Dixie in her bratty little sister 'play with me bitch' way. Also note how much alike they look apart from the spot on Dixie's head and the red around Buela's eyes.















Happy Tails to you. With in hours of coming into our house, nothing but zoomies and play fighting.
















What happens after an ACD spends 3+ hours in a car followed by 2+ hours running amock.

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So Dixie immediately blended in and started clapping to the floor to initiate play. No major spats or growling, nothing like when we brought in Bindy. Of course we got the 'Here we go again' death look from Corona, but nothing that wasn't expected.

She truly is a sweet dog, but lacks socialization in the way that the flush of the toilet made her wild eyed and back up. The beep of the microwave made her do that head cock that dogs do when they listen intently. Nail clipping was definitely a chore that I gave up on, as I am going to need a second person to hold her. What a big goober she is.

She has no house manners so that means if you so much as make a clucking noise at a different dog she is right there in your face and bound and determined that she is going to get her 40# body into your lap and you ARE going to give her loves. Demmit. If I have food there is immediately have someone panting in my ear...and it definitely isn't my newlywed husband.

In general she just needs some boundaries and to get through her heart worm meds. Which she starts Tuesday at 10:30 am. She is definitely more than adoptable.

D has taken to calling them the Cattle Girls. You cannot go far with out have them both with you, Buela because she is the velcro dog poster child and Dixie because she is a pro at monkey see monkey do. I have woken up more than a few times in a cattle sandwich, Buela up against my back and Dixie spooned to my front.

There was one night when Buela was getting a little disenchanted with her new shadow, Buela would settle by my head with her usual huff, then Dixie would settle against my back. Buela would get up with another huff and flop against my stomach. Dixie would then flop against my thighs. Buela would get up with another grumble and go back to my shoulder blades. Dixie spooned my back again. Buela huffed again and got off the bed. I fell asleep again after that parade of paws at 2 am.

I'll post on adventures at the vet when we recover from them, apparently last time Dixie went she needed a muzzle and sedatives. We are taking Buela as the good will ambassador as she loves everyone at the vets office.

Wish us luck.

Newbie on the way.

Nope, not Buela.




















That looks like a Buela face though.
















It's Dixie Rose.

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Wednesday I get to drive to Columbia to pick up another foster through Blue Crush Rescue. Her name is Dixie and was an owner surrender due to relocation. A relocation which also means that 2 children no longer have their best friend.

Surely a family pet that is housebroken and altered still young and full of life should be easily adopted right?

Donovan found her posting on AuCaDo under the urgent category and emailed me in regards to her after emailing Chris and Martha from Blue Crush Rescue about her. I called Martha and got the dirt. She will be pulled from the Asheville Shelter Monday and here with us on her lucky day the 13th.

Unfortunately Miss Dixie has heart worm. we have yet to find out how severe a case of heart worm she has, but are looking at 2 to 3 months of permanent quiet time. This should be fun, keeping a 2 year old ACD quiet for 3 months. If you do not know the temperament of an ACD, you shouldn't be purchasing or adopting one. Think of a golden with an attitude and mind of its own, on speed, steroids, and prozac encased in just a 30 - 50 lb body. Trust me, I love my Buela Grace, I wouldn't trade her for the world. Loyal, intelligent, protective, loving, problem solving masterminds of trouble and delight.

Heart worm is a disease that is spread by a mosquito bite and it can only be passed via a bite from an infected mosquito. What happens is an infected dog gets bitten by the mosquito, larval worms in the blood then live in the gut of the mosquito and go through 2 - 3 larval molting stages (instars) then move to the salivary glands of the insect. When the bug bites another dog these larval worms then live in the dogs veins and arteries, going through another 2 or 3 instars before becoming adults and moving to the heart. They can be 6 to 12 inches long and a severe infestation can easily be seen on an ultrasound and looks like spaghetti busting out of the heart.















Treatment involves up to 3 shots of an arsenic based vermicide. The treatment has been likened to chemo for dogs. To avoid the dog going into shock or have embolisms the treatment is dragged out so a few worms die at a time. The cause for keeping the dog quiet is so that pieces of dead worms do not cause a stroke or embolisms in the tiny pulminary veins of the brain or lungs.

How do you prevent heart worm and months of pain and soreness and misery for your pet? Put them on a preventative. A $13 a month beef flavored pill (which all our dogs take like a treat with no problem) versus having to go through the entire treatment process. All of this nonsense could have been avoided.


American Heartworm Society (sad really that there needs to be one of these).

OK, so I am a crappy blogger...

Colbert and his litter sister, Kenya.


A recap:

We adopted Colbert on February 8th. Just in time for Valentines Day. I told Donovan he wasn't allowed to get me a puppy for VD 09 as we adopted Buela VD 07. He told me I'd ruined the surprise.

In late March we took on Colbert's litter mate Kenya. We are fostering her for medical reasons. Pet Helpers old facilities had open air outside kennels with dirt 'floors'. The resident vet refused to fix her cherry eye until she could be kept in a clean condition. It was noticabley pussy with green mucus and infection. That's where D stepped in.

We brought her home and she was a flash back to Colbert in the beginning. No potty manners, no socialization, shied away from human and canine contact. Granted she wasn't as bad as Colbert, but it was still just the same. No corners and nose burying; but she definitely plastered herself as close to whatever wall or furniture was closest.

She had her surgery to correct the cherry eye, but it reverted back. So the vet fixed her up again and this time it held. Her eye still looks different, but is a thousand times better than what it was.

April brought us to another milestone with Colbert. We could just let him outside without having to deal with a leash. Leashing up one dog while letting the others run off is hard, imagine two. We also do not have him wear his collar 24/7 as he was starting to mat underneath. When out someplace that isn't fenced or our backyard then we make sure he at least has a chain on for easier catching.

April was also when D started 12 hr work shifts and Kenya was supposed to go back to Pet Helpers, however due to space and staffing issues, we still have her.

On a non-dog note, May started with a marriage between D & W.

Kenya started out with hoarding rawhides. Not being aggressive about it, just running out into the room and collecting. .

She doesn't run like Colbert did, she would stay in her corner if you went about it the right way. We had issues with Buela 'assisting' with herding Kenya at bed and potty time.

She still eats like it is going out of style, I tell her to breathe, but she hasn't choked yet. If you say "Let's go out" she will usually skulk over to the carpet by the back door. she will sit there and wait for you to put the leash on for her. Something Colbert still won't do.

D and I will wake up often times and find her either sleeping on the bed with us, she was sleeping between us one morning, Corona style, OR she is playing with Buela, the latter has been our alarm clock this week at 5 am. Mmm, the sounds of sparring in the morning.

We have yet to hear her bark, but she does growl in her sleep. It is probably her moose lips rippling over her adorable under bite, but it still makes our other dogs upset.

As long as we don't talk to her or acknowledge her appearance, she will come out and spar with our pack or chew on a rawhide. Her expedited rehabilitation makes us believe that she definitely wasn't as badly abused as Colbert was.

It is now late May and we have slated June 3rd as Kenya's return date to Pet Helpers, this happy news for her, in hopes that she will find her forever home, is tinged with sadness as we have received news of Colbert and Kenya's sister, Sudan. One of the last pups to be adopted (Kenya is now the only one not in a home) Sudan was just as bad as the other 4, unsocialized, scared and scarred. Today or yesterday, Sudan got out of her owners house and was fatally hit by a car. It makes me sad that an innocent puppy spent her entire life afraid of humans and never knew the ability to relax and enjoy a belly rub. But I know that where ever she is, pain doesn't exist, physical or mental.

More to follow.
















One of Kenya's first days, when she wouldn't even look at food never mind inhale it.

















Passed out with her rawhides.
















Stealth mode pictures...
















Learning some leash manners.
















Her ungainly 'I don't wanna snuggle' pose complete with feet stuck straight up in the air.
















My favorite (and accidental!) picture of Miss Kenya Marie.

The Hand

Family Portrait.















Lucky Puppy.


So as posted before, Colbert likes to observe play time with Max and Buela. This morning, as D was wrestling with them Colbert tried to get in on the action. However when D reached out to Colbert he would back off but still huff and bark...with an actual onomatopoeic "woof". It truly was cute. When D was patting Max during this episode, Colbert would come up and sniff at D's hand and arm. But again back away when D reached solely out to Colbert.

Apparently during the afternoon, Colbert got comfortable enough to nearly quasi-play with "The Hand".

Last night.

His bald spot.















Colbert likes to hide under dog beds, especially in corners. That whole ostrich with his head in the sand mentality.
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Yesterday, Colbert went to the vets to be neutered, I was expecting a drugged up, relaxed, and groggy Colbert, much like Buela was back in March. However, he was quite alert, which of course makes sense because his neutering was less traumatic than a hysterectomy. I will let D tell the story about what happened at bed time:

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So the little guy is slowly coming out of his shell. When he's downstairs with the rest of us and we're watching TV he'll constantly travel back and forth between his two favorite safe spots. He doesn't hang out under the dining table much anymore. I think it's him showing his desire the be with the group but not fully ready yet, so this is as close as he can manage.

When I'm on the floor playing with the other dogs he'll come up and join as long as I ignore him. When I say his name or reach out my hand at him, he retreats.

Last night had a strange turn. So it's common for Buela to walk all over us while in bed and often lick our faces until we wake up, so that was my first thought as I awoke to something crawling around my head. But it turned out to be Colbert, and he was burrowing under my pillow. His standard position to take whenever he lies down is to bury his nose under something or in a corner. Because of that he's rubbed off a little patch of hair on his snout. So he was under my pillow, then decided to move over to W's, then back to mine, then on top of W's, then tried to go in reverse on top of mine, until I finally picked him up and placed him beside the bed and the night stand. I took a pillow and laid it on top of him so that he'd have his face buried. And that's how I found him when I got out of bed.

Hopefully this shows that his rehabilitation will progress faster and in abrupt advances rather than imperceptibly slow.

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A question from D's Dad: so does he ever just let you pet him for a while? or does he always move away? how about eye contact?


He avoids eye contact when I kneel down to approach him as he frantically looks around for an escape route. He lets us touch him in that he tolerates it, but I don't know if he's enjoying it( he gets terribly tense and his body will be rock hard- W). Whenever we're petting him it's when he's cornered or while we're holding him, so if he had a way out, he'd take it. Which makes him visiting us while we were sleeping last night all the more unexplainable.

He was panting vigorously the whole time as though we were forcing him into a stressful situation, but nothing made him get on the bed and he even left the bed and then got back up. His behavior is well beyond my interpretive skills. (His body wasn't tense last night when I petted him, he was just hiding under pillows -W) If Cesar (Milan) didn't get already get a torrent of emails, I'd ask him about it.

So many methods I read about online of other people's feral or abused dogs that they've helped are not applicable to Colbert. Those stories I read are of either a domesticated dog who was abused or of taming a feral dog who has never been abused. Colbert is both abused and feral, so it's a doubled level of difficulty. At least he's showing improvement and he gets along well with the other dogs.

Barking!

Colbert sleeping, his bum in in the corner with his tail wrapped up along his body, his head is under the green dog bed.
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Today Colbert barked for the first time, it was while he was playing with his consummate playmate, Buela. It took me a minute, lying in bed at 6 am, trying to figure who that was because it didn't sound like any of the other pups. It makes me so happy that he is relaxed enough to bark and play with them, I just wish he would consider getting closer to us.

Contrary to what I just said, this afternoon he was walking towards me, possibly to flirt with Max or Buela, he got with in a foot of me until I turned my head at the movement. - sigh

At this point in time he has found himself another cubby hole to hide in , he did a ferret double over move to get in there and has buried his head under a dog bed while wedged between the wall and a bookcase(see the above picture). I can hear him sleeping now because he is doing the same huffing and whining that Buela does when she's caught something good while dreaming.

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Sunday night, I brought everyone into our room for bedtime. I also brought the last bits of rawhides from an open bag...I figured 6 or 7 pieces and 4 dogs will work out just right. In about a half hour or so Colbert growled at Buela when she got too close to a rawhide that was a foot from the open crate he likes to lay in. I got up to find Buela a different rawhide to go after, only to realize that all of them were gone. These were 4" x 4" rawhides, even the most anxious, bored, and hungry ACD couldn't have eaten all of them in 30 minutes. So I checked on Colbert to be sure he at least had one and to swipe the one in front of the crate for Buela. That's when I realized that Colbert had retrieved every last rawhide and was hoarding them under the cushion in the crate.

Time will only tell - however I have heard of dogs being in homes for years and still hiding things like food, toys, and anything else that they think will get taken away.

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In the mean time, this is my newest favorite forum: AUCADO.

Day One.

Sitting in D's lap.

D picked up Colbert this afternoon around four. Personally I was expecting a dog that wouldn't even emerge from his crate never mind one that is busily ambling around the house checking everything out.

He has even taken to competitive herding with Buela, neither one knowing what to do with the other. Otherwise there is much time spent holed up in whatever small corner he can find with a wall to press himself against.

Both D and I thought he was bigger than he actually is, he is about the same size as Corona and looks like a mini Max with his spotted purple tongue and fluffy tail. His eyes are all big and owlish. It makes him look like an old man even though he will be just a year old come thanksgiving. It reminds you of just how much he has been through. He reminds me of a little blond bear cub with a curly tail.

He also has found something to click in the kitchen though I cannot find it.

He will stop whatever he is doing and walk away at a quick trot if he notices you looking at him or hears you coming.

Corners and no way out other than past you are not a good thing. However, beyond when D picked him up at Pet Helpers, he shows no signs of aggression, just want for flight from human contact - despite eating out of our hands.

Right now at this very moment, he and Max are facing off, Colbert, with his neck outstretched can just press his nose against Max's. His tail is wagging wildly, and if you're a dog person or know dogs, these are all signs of "play with me!". I will be the first to admit that I am a total mush ball, and to see a dog that I thought was going to be a torturous journey towards normalcy wagging his tail and playing on his first day is miraculous to me.

W

Preparation: T-minus 3 days and counting...

Max, Corona, and Buela.

Thursday marks the day we pick up Colbert, previously known as Zambia, From Pet Helpers on Folly Rd in Charleston.

But first some background on us. D and I (W) live in SC courtesy the USN. We live with our 3 dogs, Corona (chichi mix) , Buela (AuCaDo), and Max (Chow mix).

Corona was an ASPCA dog. Turned in for chewing, barking, whining, digging, and other destructive behavior, we were told to put away our shoes and protect the cabinets and carpets. I immediately told the representative at the ASPCA, she's still just a puppy, that's what they do. We are her 5th and forever home. She is now 2 years old, she may still have minor housebreaking issues and not like strangers, but she is a lovable little cuddle bug. If your lap is available; she is there.

Buela is our only 'breed' dog, and though we are now against people 'shopping' for a dog vs adopting one that surely needs a better life, we wouldn't return her for anything. Still a puppy at nearly 11 months, full of energy due to her breed, she is an active, excitable, endearing ball of fur that seems to live for jumping on us at 6 am, complete with a tongue bath ambush to the face.

Max is another ASPCA rescue. His previous owner, adpoted him from the same shelter we got Corona from. She is also USN and had to report to her ship in CA. We took him in hoping to break him of his fear of discipline. After 6 months with us he has developed into playful fluff ball, has developed a love of fetch and competition in Buela, is a resolute truck dog, and eager assistant in all landscaping projects, which means he just follows D everywhere.

As for D and I, we have been together nearly 3 years come New Years. We are followers of Cesar Milan's teachings, though we know that they will not be useful to us for some time with Colbert. We also believe in proper use of choke chains, micro-chipping, nail clipping, eye cleaning, discipline, love, and fun.

PS: don't know who Stephen Colbert is?