Yeehaw! Cowgirl is here!

Miss Cowgirl is here! We're still working on changing her name thank god. Can I just tell you how stupid I feel saying her name in public? To add insult to injury I have had 3 different people tell me how cute her name is. Seriously?! I digress. 

Cowgirl is cute as a bug in a rug. She's 10 and an absolute dollface. She's 41.5 pounds ( a far cry from the 60 pounds of pure muscle that was Jack) and very short. She's  a Golden mixed with something else. Something short. Her favorite thing to do is lay around and play dead. I'm serious. Sometimes I forget she's even here. The one challenge (oh yeah like I honestly thought I would get off easy after Jack) is that she is deaf. Not a big deal, until you compound it with the fact that she has never learned a trick. Sooooo that means I'm using my rusty sign language skills from college. Now you kno

w that if you see a lady walking down the street that appears to be both talking to herself AND signing to herself, she is not in fact crazy. It's just me. For the most part Cody was ignoring her, until God decided to go bowling th

is morning at 4am and throw Cody into an apocalyptic fit. So Cowgirl very quietly got up from her bed and walked over to Cody, lic

ked his face and his ears then laid dow

n behind him and put her paw on  his head. Like she was saying, "Chill dude, there's bigger things to worry about." He chilled and we all went back to sleep. Had it not been 4am I would have taken a picture. 

Greatest American Dog Bites

I knew I hated this show before, but now I know why. 

One of the contestants treated her dog inhumanely, and for what? Money. Disgusting.

Greatest American Dog Show Bites: Contestant treats dog inhumanely.

They should be ashamed of themselves. 

Not Funny Today

I don't know whether to cry or scream. It's cases like this that break my tender dog-loving heart. I got an email yesterday with a bio of dog who needs rescue help. (pics at the end of the post) I took one look at his pictures and felt like damning all of mankind to hell. That a human could take a 10 year old sweet baby and throw him out into the wilderness with no food or water and watch as infection slowly overtakes his chest and neck is beyond me. This poor pumpkin has been in so much pain but at the same time is so sweet and loving. I just don't understand the human psyche. What in their minds made that ok? Most importantly, why do we as the dominate species in this world allow this to happen? How can the people in charge of this country not stand up and say, "What the hell? Let's punish people for this!" But they don't.

Don't get me wrong, I see this stuff a lot unfortunately. But this one really gets me. I think it's his eyes and sweet nature. We can't take him in ourselves but I did find a lovely foster home for him to recuperate in. Sadly one of our vets also think he has cancer. Arg. Stories like this sometimes make me question my life in rescue. 

But then you just look into those beautiful eyes and you can just tell that they are saying thank you. 

And you go back for the next one. 

Warning: slightly graphic pics

My neighbor is roofing her house and Cody is in the bathtub

That is the summary of my day yesterday. 

My neighbor is roofing her house and apparently to Cody that means that the world is ending. The pneumatic nail gun going off reminds him of thunder. I came home and I couldn't figure out why he was winding himself into my jeans and cowering in the bathtub and behind the toilet. Sure enough I listened and there it was the unmistakable sound of nail gun/fire. We spent the rest of the entire night with all 4 radios and the TV blaring in an attempt to ward off the shakes and pull Cody out of the bathroom. 

My dog is so strange. 

Of course this is only coupled with the fact that whenever we go outside Cody barks up a storm because our neighbor's house is in a hole and we are on a hill, the roofers are on eye level with us. This means that Cody feels that it is absolutely necessary to scare the poop right out of the Mexican roofers. This of course results in screams followed closely by a blue streak of Spanish cuss words. Embarrassing at the time, but in retrospect very funny. 

Tonight I was excited to see that the roofers were done and we would be treated to a lovely night of comfortable dog and peace and quiet. 

I can dream can't I?

Why am I so nervous??

Man am I nervous. And what for? It's not like I'm in the path of Faye or anything dramatic like that. No. I am nail-biting nervous because I was given 19 choices for our next foster dog and now I'm sitting here second guessing my choice. Arg. This is what having options does to me. It throws me into a whirlwind of second guessing chaos. 

I chose Cowgirl (an awful name I know, we'll be changing that) a 12 year old Golden with arthritis who lives outside and has forever. For those of you who are aware of the climate in MN you know that being outside when it is 30 BELOW ZERO is not so good for the arthritis. I debated forever before I chose her, and now I'm all worried that Cody won't like her, she's too old for him to play with, he's going to pout and hate me forever. (No, I am not projecting my emotions....) I'm sure it will be fine. 

My whining wasn't supposed to be the whole point of this post. The point was supposed to be that we currently have 18 dogs on the waiting list and a ton more waiting in the wings to even be on the list. I swear most of them are either from foreclosures or divorce. I have spent the last 2 1/2 hours swimming in dogs. And not in a good way either. 

Just makes me glad that I have my own fuzzbutt whose space in our house will always be guaranteed. 

My dog can fly.....can yours?

I'm losing a fur-baby tonight.

It's official. Jack was adopted tonight. Coming home to only one dog was by far one of the saddest things I have done in a long time. As a foster mom you always know it's going to happen, but that doesn't seem to matter. Every time I leave a dog behind with their new family, a little part of my heart stays behind. You know there are always other lives out there that need saving but at that moment all you know is that you are leaving one of your babies behind. That sucks. Especially when they look at you with those big eyes, asking you why you are leaving them behind. You know that in a week they will have fully acclimated to their new home and all will be well, but right now it hurts. Bad. 

He has a great new home and one that I am certain will stick this time. They are willing to make all the necessary changes to help him be the successful dog that he can be. He will have a great life. 

Another dog will worm his/her way into my heart, I know that. 

But for now, Cody and I are going to cuddle into Jack's favorite chair and mope a little. Because we can. 

I heart the MN Rescue community

Yesterday was a true example of the awesomeness (yes that is a word) of the MN rescue community and why I love it so much.

I got an email from one of my friends who works on the hotline for one of the rescues. She takes info and helps to coordinate surrenders all over MN, ND, SD, IA, WI. There was a dog in ND that would be shot on the end of its chain in northern ND if we couldn't pull it in 24 hours. (Sick bastards.) We had no volunteers for this rescue up there and she was sure he would be shot. 

I sent an email to a contact of mine in a different rescue and she passed it on to 4 different contacts who passed it on to a couple more and within 45 minutes I had heard from someone who operates a rescue up in that area who was willing to go evaluate and rescue this dog and make room in their own overcrowded shelter until we could find a transport up there. (Whoa run-on sentence...) By 8p yesterday collectively across 3 different states we had saved another life. Awesome. 

Now he is hanging out eating his first full meal in weeks and no longer having to worry about getting his a** kicked by stupid humans. 

I love this job. 

ABC's of the Doggy Mama

Just a Girl...and her dogs tagged me for this meme. So in good blogging collaborative spirit here it is.

Attached or Single - Married, 2 years

Best Friend - T. We've been out of touch for awhile but I still love her like a sister. We bonded over kicking butt as security officers at Valleyfair. After we busted a shoplifting ring of 10 year olds, we were friends for life. 

Cake or Pie - PIE!! I love any and all fruit pies. Blueberry is my all time favorite. I will be putty in anyone's hand for a slice of blueberry pie.

Day of Choice - Saturday. It's the only weekend day where you actually have more to look forward to.

Essential item - my dogs. or really any dog for that matter. A day is never complete with some fuzzy lovin'

Favorite color - red. I even dyed my hair that color. :)

Gummy bears or worms - worms, it's just a little too creepy to eat cuddly little bears

Hometown - Suburb of Minneapolis, MN

Indulgence - Big greasy cheeseburger with extra mayo and seasoned waffle fries. 

January or July - July. It's my birthday month. :)

Kids - 1 fuzzy kid with a revolving door of others. No bi-ped kids yet.

Life isn't complete - without cheeseburgers and mayo. Oh now I'm hungry. Is it really terrible to have cheeseburgers for breakfast?

Marriage date - 8-18-06

Number of brothers/sisters - 2 brothers. 1 old and 1 young

Oranges or apples - apples. Because you can put them in a pie, cake, sauce, tarts, caramel, etc...

Phobias - I'm scared of the dark. Yes I'm 25 and I sleep with a night-light. And I'm totally not ashamed of that. 

Quote - "Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant?? I'm halfway through my fish burger when I realize, I could be eating a slow learner." - Lynda Montgomery

Reasons to Smile - Finally learning that people are reading my blog. I'm not a blogging loner! 

Season of Choice - Fall, I love the fall clothes. I hate summer clothes and it's too cold and too long to like winter in this state. 

Unknown Fact - I'm terrible at any and all puzzles. Word games, crossword, jigsaw, anything. I'm awful.

Vegetable - Cucumbers

Worst habits - getting lost in a book and getting nothing done. 

Xray or Ultrasound - Ultrasound, you get to see cooler pictures.

Your favorite food - cheeseburgers and pie. 

Zodiac - Cancer (depressing isn't it?)

Now I'm off to prep for my brother-in-law's wedding. 

I tag

Simplicity in the Suburbs

Must love dogs and my parakeet

Dogs on Jackman Ave (Lola)

"He slobbers too much"

That was the voicemail I got from C yesterday explaining why they weren't going to take Jack. 

"He slobbers too much."

Come on. Like you couldn't come up with something better??

In case we're keeping count, that would be application 14 that has rejected Jack.

14!

Bottom line: Big Jack is still gracing us with his lovely oversized self.

The boys are going to boarding....why is that such a big deal?

I'm sitting here writing a list of what I need to pack for the boys to go to boarding this weekend (we'll get into why that's pathetic later) and I realize that I am really really nervous and worried about this. Why? Logically I really shouldn't be. They are going to a place that rivals any hotel I have ever been in. They are guaranteed 4-6 hours in the in-ground, chemical free, heated pool and 2 hours on the 46 acre fenced-in property. Not to mention that they get 30 minutes of guaranteed cuddle time as part of their fee. Again, way better than anything I've ever experienced. 

So why the nerves?

I have no idea. But I can tell you that I will be a bundle of worries until after they've been there one night. Then I'll relax. Hopefully. It drives DH crazy. Not to mention that I always try to over-pack for them. I just worry that they won't have enough to keep them busy, Jack will climb out of the 8 foot kennel walls, Cody will go into a deep dark depression or bite a sheltie or something equally dramatic. In all reality I'm sure they will be fine and life will motor forward as usual. (God I hope so.) 

I wonder if it will be like this when I have bi-ped kids? 

I'll update on the boys' adventures on Sunday. (If they haven't been kicked out.....)

"Can I take him for a test drive?"

That is what a man, C, asked me on Monday when he came to look at Jack. He seemed like a really nice man and could be a perfect fit for Big Jack. Of course I'm pretty Jack could sense that this guy might take him away and did his best to look like a comatose piece of Jello. Great. Thanks pal. But back to my story. 

So C and I are chatting and hanging out with Jack in the front yard and all of sudden C goes, "Do you mind if I take him for a test drive and kick the tires a little bit?"

Huh?

I'm sure I looked like such an idiot, because I know I stared at him for a full 30 seconds with my mouth wide open. Seriously? Seriously.

I managed to stutter, "uh, yeah sure. Don't go to far I guess..."

I just sat there in an utter stupor going, Hmmm do I really want to give "my" dog to someone who talks about him like he's buying a used car??? 

He brought him back and said he needed to confer with his wife on the whole thing. He was a bit concerned on whether or not Jack was too laidback. (thanks for the Jack...) In my head I said, "oh buddy, you just wait until he is tearing around your house at 2am trying to play..."

Bottom line: C and his wife may be coming back tonight to check Jack out and see if they want to take him. Still not sure how I feel about it, but we'll see I guess. 

DH asked later if I would be this particular if I was adopting him out. 

I had to think about it. 

My speed demons

We took the boys to a baseball field and let them run around like crazy. Against the rules? Yes. Do I care? Nope. Not when it is the only way to get Big Jack some exercise. Below is the fun that followed.