Doggy Mama

Where have I been?

2009-01-14T09:59:00.000-06:00

Dealing with this

Between T-giving and C-mas we found a pretty little girl who was shot and left for dead in northern MN (that's the tundra for those of you not from here.) The group I work with rallied around her and managed to raise $15,000 for her medical care. The major university in town used experimental surgery to remove portions of her stomach and she is expected to live a hearty fully life. Sweet huh? Because we were picked up on 4 local stations and CNN, it has been CrAzY here for the volunteers.

But since we saved a life, I'm imaging I'll be forgiven right?

Take a look at Miss Orphan Annie, how cute is she?

There is a local car dealership that is donating all of their space for a HUGE party for everyone to meet her, people have been sewing her coats to keep her warm in the sub-zero temps since most of her fur was shaved off, donations have come from as far as TX and NY. It's been a crazy response, but makes me feel so good that for all the crappy people I meet in this line of work that there are some great ones out there.

I like me some challenges....

2009-01-13T09:47:00.003-06:00

...apparently.

First off I want to say belated Happy New Year and all that jazz. Hope the life and the furrys in your lives are treating you well, if not better.

A new guy came to town right before the New Year and let me tell you, this guy puts the Great Jackdini to shame. I have a feeling this guy is going to stretch my dog resources to the max. But hey, if I wanted easy I'd have kids right? Kidding. (I'm gonna get slaughtered by bi-ped moms just for saying that.)

Hawk is 2 years old (I think) yellow lab/Coonhound mix. He was abused as a puppy and then ran away or was dumped and ran wild with a pack of 5 stray dogs in the country for 6-8 months. He was live-trapped and set for euthanasia when he was rescued by his first foster mom in July. Poor guy knows NOTHING about humans. He was with first mom for about 4 months or so and still doesn't trust most humans. He was moved to us in hopes that transferring his bond to another human would at least start to expand his world a bit.

He spent his first 4 days with us hiding in his kennel or behind the couch, which is a pretty tight fit for a 65 pound lab. He is slowly starting to come out of his shell and will now let us pet him and will sit with us on the couch, chair, or bed. But never on the floor. The floor is like hot lava to him, he can't handle being at a level below us. Doorways are a novelty, as are stairs and the fenced in yard. He can't handle the openness, it makes him so nervous he freezes into a dogsicle. You can just forget about putting him on a leash. Believe it or not this is actually leaps and bounds above where he was four months ago.

So here we go again, embarking on a challenge. But I can't help it, it's a compulsion. Pics and funny holiday stories to follow.

Simple math

2008-11-17T16:57:00.002-06:00

1 border collie/lab

6 GIANT frosted cinnamon rolls

2 moved endtables, 1 rearranged couch, and insanity

Will try to post pictures of the carnage later....

Broke the lucky streak

2008-11-12T14:35:00.003-06:00

We've gone three months without a veterinary emergency. Broke that record this week. Dang. We were shooting for 6 months this time, fell short by half.

DH got home and made the call. You know the one.

"Honey? I think Cody ate something."

Crap. "Like what?"

"Well......"

Double crap. Probably the fridge this time. "Oh just tell me."

"8 english muffins plus the packaging. Plastic, cardboard and all."

I'm ashamed to write what went on in my head after that statement.

"That's not too bad. I'll call the vet anyway."

That's right. In my house, 8 english muffins plus the packaging qualifies as not bad.

Kids should be a breeze.

Karina Karina

2008-11-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

Our second foster dog.

Is she not the most gorgeous creature you have ever seen?

The story of the atomic poo....

2008-11-08T13:38:00.001-06:00

Great title huh?

Story is even better.

So remember the "On the count of three, fling the poo" story?

A car was following us the other night again. DH starts joking around and says get ready to fling the poo. He jokingly pulls his arm backwards rather slowly and all of a sudden Cody's poo flies out of the bottom of the bag and hits the front grill of the car.

What does DH do?

He runs with Cowgirl down the nearest alley, leaving me and Cody to defend ourselves against the angry driver.

Awesome.

Turns out Cody's poo (now lovingly referred to as Atomic Poo) ate through the plastic.

How's that for a hidden talent? My dog is so smart.

Snow, Driveways, Puppies and other lovely things....

2008-11-07T13:22:00.004-06:00

Highlights from my month in a deep dark hole.....

1. It snowed today. 2 inches. Which is nothing compared to the 36 inches that South Dakota got. Yeah that's right it's November 7th. Love MN.

2. Cody discovered where we keep all of the high value items (i.e. chocolate, other bad for him things) and learned how to open the child safety lock and drawer and ate them. He survived. Little turd.

3. One of my rescue groups busted a puppy mill and we took in a 2nd foster dog for a grand total of 3 dogs. Nevermind that this little sweetheart had never seen doors, stairs or anything else of a similar nature.

4. Above dog was pregnant. Oh boy.

5. Pregnant dog now a false alarm. Rollercoaster anyone?

6. Cowgirl/Sweets suddenly started peeing EVERYWHERE. Turns out she has a raging bladder infection. Cleared that up much to my carpet's relief.

7. Came home from work one day to find my driveway missing. Yup you heard it. It was MISSING! Called the city. Turns out that there was a problem with the utilities and they had to fix it and by doing so took out my driveway. No big deal ma'am. Oh you're right sir, it's just my DRIVEWAY!

8. Came home a week later and I had a new driveway. Nice in the end, but would a phone call have hurt? I don't think so.

Last but not least, Cowgirl is getting adopted this Saturday! Yipee! I'll do a photo montage later. Because I'm cool (or cheesy pick your adjective) that way.

The good thing about falling into a black hole for a month? I now have a month of wicked stories to share with you. Stay tuned.

What happens when a city girl marries a country boy...

2008-10-08T08:45:00.003-05:00

Cowgirl killed a rabbit and decapitated it the other night. Which is way beyond my animal tolerance level. There was blood and little rabbit organs in the backyard. Naturally Cody wanted a piece of that action. After wrangling the two killing machines I did what any city raised woman would do, I yelled for DH. He comes running out in a panic and looks at me in disbelief when I frantically tell him he needs to get rid of the dead eviscerated rabbit. After realizing that I was serious he went to the garage, got a shovel and a bag and comes back ready to oblige me in my request.

Right before he picks it up he looks at me and goes, "you know at home, this would be considered a quality dinner."

I just gave him a blank stare.

Yup. Totally married a country bumpkin.

I'm back from the black hole that is my life

2008-10-02T20:20:00.002-05:00

My goal of being a multiple times a week blogger officially went bust. Life was such a black hole this last week that it just didn't happen. Working OT at work and working double time at the second job, plus mulitple vet visits and mischief courtesy of my rugrats = blogging hiatus. Oh well, I'm back at that's all that matters....right?

The kids are still doing good. We had a double cancer scare this week which has sped up my aging process. At this rate I'll be dead at 30. Seriously. First Cody developed a fist sized lump on his chest (scary) and he went in to get that looked at. We decided to stick a needle in it (ouch) although he was a really good boy. Negative. Turns out that he was injured when he was in that dog fight last month and it's scar tissue. Dodged a bullet there.

Then Cowgirl starts developing seizures and we figured epilepsy. Vet says the dreaded words "brain cancer." DH and I start talking about whether or not we want to be her hospice parents or if we should put her in the rescue hospice program. Agony, worry abounds. Turns out she they're muscle tremors brought on by a childhood bought with distemper. So basically she just has the shakes like Muhammed Ali. That I can live with.

So now we're back to finding a home and moving forward. Crossing our paws for no more drama.

Couldn't have said it better myself....

2008-09-24T11:04:00.004-05:00

Got an email from my step-mom and had to post this. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Dear Dogs -

The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anythign bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, and try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -- canine or feline attendance is not required.

The proper order is to kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough!

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To all non-pet owners who visit and like to complain about our pets:

1. They live here. You don't.

2. If you don't want hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur"niture.

3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people

4. To you they are an animal. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, and walk on all fours and don't speak clearly.

Big Black Dogs Video

2008-09-23T08:31:00.001-05:00

Check it out. This is an awesome video about the plight of Big Black Dogs in our society. Pass on the info to everyone. Be someone. Save a life.

Big Black Dog Syndrome

I'm proud....

2008-09-21T21:32:00.004-05:00

I'm proud to be the family that everyone refers to as "the dog family" on my block.

I'm proud to be a mom to two fuzzy kids.

I'm proud of the fact that I have more dog beds in my house than I do floor space.

I'm proud that most of my conversations revolve around dogs or dog behaviors or something related.

I'm proud of the fact that my dog can get on the counters.

I'm proud that I consider myself a mom even though I have no bi-peds. Who cares? I still clean up vomit and poo and wake up at all hours of the night for them. Only difference is my kids stay at the age of 4 for about 10 years.

I'm proud that I carry on perfectly reasonable conversations with my dogs.

I'm proud that I am fiercely loyal to their nutritional needs and will homecook their meals if necessary.

I'm proud that I foster and give away a piece of my heart with each dog.

I'm proud to have dog hair all over my house. It adds character.

Most of all I'm proud to a DOGGY MAMA! Without fuzzy creatures in my life, who knows where I'd be?

Rude Awakening

2008-09-17T08:52:00.001-05:00

You know it's time to mow your lawn when your dogs refuse to go in the backyard to do their business....

Maybe I should get on that.

Sharing love....is hard to do

2008-09-14T21:06:00.002-05:00

I know that there are plenty of people out there who have two or more dogs and do just fine with it. I in fact grew up with two dogs. For some reason I have such a hard time with it. Not with the care and the mess and all that stuff. The more the merrier as far as I'm concerned. I have a case of the guilts. A big fat case of the guilts. I always feel like I'm giving love to one more than the other or giving more treats to one. It doesn't help that Cody knows how to play me like a fiddle. I swear that dog knows how to make his eyes look mopey. Scientists say it's impossible. I say HAH! Try living with a spoiled dog. I know it's stupid, but sometimes I feel like I'm giving Cody the shaft for my fosters or vice versa. DH thinks I'm ridiculous and that I'm "projecting." Maybe. Or maybe not. Cody is just so emotionally attached to me and is emotional period. One wrong move and he can be thrown into an emotional fit sometimes. I'd really rather not have to send my dog to the therapist's couch. It's enough that I end up there. They'd REALLY think I was crazy if I started sending my dog too. Balancing the love for more than one dog leaves me in awe of people like Patience who has 9. 9! Now that's courage.

Doesn't get much better than this...

2008-09-14T12:50:00.003-05:00

Cool rainy day, tucked away in my office with a glass of ice tea with a dog on either side keeping my toes warm.

Doesn't get much better than this does it?

"On the count of 3, fling the poo!"

2008-09-12T15:09:00.002-05:00

Above quote courtesy of my husband.

So we are out walking the dogs last night in the dark (because here in the MN it now gets dark at 7, boo) and this car turns the corner behind us. Not a big deal. Well then it slows waaaaay down and pulls to the side of the road and starts to creep right behind us. For a half a block. All of a sudden my big hulking teddy bear of a husband leans over to me and goes, "On the count of three, fling the poo!" (Both dogs had left us "gifts" earlier in the walk.) Needless to say I couldn't keep a straight face and burst out laughing. He was totally serious. The car ended up to be someone looking for on-street parking. I just kept imagining the guy's surprise if twin bags of poo fell on his windshield.

Is that a dog in your pants or are you just happy to see me?

2008-09-07T19:50:00.002-05:00

The furkids and I made a trek to the dog park yesterday and I saw by far the funniest thing I have seen in a long time.

There is this annoying dog named Buddy who frequents the park. I think he's a Basenji, but not sure. He is super smart, but terribly spoiled and if you try to get him to leave you alone he growls and snaps. Awesome.

So this woman enters the dog park, obviously a newbie. She has treats in her pocket, which everyone who is a regular knows is not a good idea. You get 20 furry friends instantly. But I cut her some slack because she's new and it happens. Buddy starts climbing on the picnic table and trying to get in her pants, literally. Then he tries to climb into her open jumbo slurpee cup. That's right I said into. I pushed him off the table for her (he won't growl at me because I spanked him once, now he knows better) and thought all was well. I went back to throwing the ball for the obsessive one and all of sudden I hear this SHRIEK. I turn around and Buddy has jumped into her pocket (she had cargo shorts on) and is eating the treats out of her pocket. Funniest thing I have seen in forever. She starts jumping around with Buddy in her pocket and Buddy is just munching away in her shorts, no big deal.

Best part? Buddy's owner just watched from across the park and laughed.

A 4 day weekend - in bullets

2008-09-03T10:46:00.002-05:00

A weekend in bullets

I walked outside of my house on Saturday to find my beloved dog sitting in the bucket of a construction bobcat. What possessed him to crawl into the construction equipment in my front yard? Lord only knows.
I had my entire front yard ripped to shreds by construction equipment. I now live in a giant mudhole.
I found my foster dog lying in the bottom of a dumpster. Why? Naturally she was hot and decided the best possible place to hang out was in the bottom of a steel dumpster. Naturally.
Cody and I and my mom got caught in a free-falling elevator on a hill with a 200 foot drop at a 60 degree angle. An outside elevator mind you. I don't think I have ever hugged my dog harder in my life.
Went to the MN State Fair. Ate my way through.
Tore the roof off my basement on accident. Whoops.
Put said roof back on my basement.
Went to the cabin and went swimming. In the process discovered that Cowgirl hates water. HATES water.
Changed Cowgirl's name to Sweets. Not real original, but you have to admit it is WAY better than Cowgirl. Besides, she can't hear it.
Drove a Bobcat on a busy street in Minneapolis. Second only to free-falling elevator in terms of scary.
Hit my husband for breaking the mosaic planter in our front yard that was used in our wedding. Twice.
Slept for days.

On another note, thoughts on the whole Sarah Palin sort-of but not really scandal? Gotta admit it's got me conflicted.

Yeehaw! Cowgirl is here!

2008-08-27T20:37:00.003-05:00

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

2008-08-22T21:30:00.002-05:00

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

2008-08-21T14:20:00.003-05:00

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

2008-08-20T21:39:00.002-05:00

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??

2008-08-19T14:42:00.002-05:00

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?

2008-08-14T18:00:00.000-05:00

I'm losing a fur-baby tonight.

2008-08-13T21:30:00.002-05:00

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

2008-08-13T14:33:00.002-05:00

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

2008-08-09T09:43:00.003-05:00

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"

2008-08-07T18:30:00.000-05:00

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?

2008-08-07T15:59:00.002-05:00

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?"

2008-08-06T12:24:00.002-05:00

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

2008-08-02T14:21:00.004-05:00

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.

The sweet taste of success!

2008-07-30T21:00:00.000-05:00

Last night I took the boys swimming and in a fit of trust (where it came from I don't know) I let Jack run into the lake off leash. To my surprise he stayed right where he was supposed to!!! I did a happy dance right there on the shores of the lake, to the enjoyment of the joggers and bikers I'm sure. This was Jack's first successful endeavor off leash. He didn't run away! I about fainted with joy. This is the dog that climbed 8 feet up a utility pole in the backyard in an attempt to get out of the fence. Oh course it helped that he knew I was hiding pepperoni in my pocket, but hey that is a step up from before. He used to know I had hot dogs in my pocket and didn't give a rat's behind, freedom was way cooler in his humble opinion.

We start obedience tomorrow and paws crossed that we'll rock their socks off.

This is a small victory I am logging. Hopefully this will bring us one step closer to finding him a new forever family. Because let's be honest here, if he doesn't get adopted soon I may just end up being a foster failure.

I have a ton of pics of the two of them that I'll load up here soon I promise.

I'm officially legit

2008-07-30T13:58:00.003-05:00

I am now a legitimate blogger. I have added Google Analytics and am now officially keeping track of who/how many visits my blog. Not going to lie, this scares me.

Why?

What if it ends up being true that I really am "talking" to no one?

Oh well, at least I'll still have the dogs. At least until someone with better treats comes by....

Happy Birthday to the most tolerant Man I know.

2008-07-29T08:00:00.001-05:00

This is my other half. Otherwise known as the most patient man I know. For not being a dog person (hah! I changed that pretty quickly) he puts up my with my constant dog chatter, my neuroses about our dogs, the endless parade of dogs that come in and out of the house, and the crazy things I do for our dogs. Through it all, even though secretly he thinks I'm crazy, he is super supportive and let's me do what I want. He even supported our short-lived streak of home-cooking our dog food!

All dog references aside, this man is my lifeline. Without him I would be half the person I am now. He is my rock and my sense of humor. So to avoid being a total sap, without further adieu...... HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY!!! You are now officially in your late 20's. (I love giving him crap for being older!)

A weekend in review

2008-07-28T21:12:00.004-05:00

The boys and I had a pretty good weekend. I finally got everything in order for the wedding shower on Friday. Jack came back on Friday (more on that later). My brother-in-law is getting married in August and I decided to throw her a wedding shower. Traditionally I am awful at throwing parties. I turn into a giant stress machine. No man or dog is safe from my stress-induced tornado.

This was Cody's reaction to my banging around the kitchen during a baking streak of 6 dozen cookies.

My husband just beat haste to the living room in retreat.

But the party went off with a hitch and S (the bride) had an awesome time. I slept for a week. Or at least it felt like a week. Saturday morning we spent tim

e walking and cuddling, glad to have Jack back in our house. Cody kept licking his ears like he was so excited that Jack came back to play. Sunday was DH's birthday and the boys decided it was the best idea to give him a birthday wake-up call by sitting on his head. DH got fried egg sandwiches for breakfast and the boys got cheesy scrambled eggs. All in all a good weekend.

Plus my roses bloomed! This is a big deal for someone who has a brown thumb. I have never grown anything, I may be good with dogs, plants not so much.

Almost Wordless Friday...

2008-07-25T10:51:00.004-05:00

I'm frantically planning a wedding shower for tonight so I will leave you with this instead of my usual witty banter.

Check-up

2008-07-21T16:11:00.000-05:00

My vet calls to check up on us. Monthly. Not because Cody has some life-long illness. Oh no. Because it is so unusual for us to not see the vet at LEAST once a month for some sort of calamity. When they haven't seen us for a month they get worried. I'm not kidding.

The X-ray's from his electric cord incident are framed and hanging in the back room as proof that a dog can truly survive anything. My vet actually thanked me for helping pay for her vacation home.

That makes me just a little sad....

Yesterday's phone call

2008-07-19T23:21:00.000-05:00

Ring. Ring.

Hello?

Hi, this is D from Downtown Dogs.

(oh hell, what now)

I wanted to let you know that Big Jack jumped our 7 foot fence twice. With his no-jump harness on.

(Oh Lord help us)

So, I'm sorry to tell you but Big Jack is no longer allowed to come here for his own safety.

(Oh please don't let me have a nervous breakdown on the phone, please, please, please)

What are our options now?

Long Pause

Well....um......nothing really. He just blew through our last resort.

(Sh*t)

Um....ok.....well thanks, I guess.

And now we're back to square one. Brilliant.

Oh to have a boring life......how nice would that be?

What am I?

2008-07-18T10:04:00.000-05:00

DH just came back last night from a week-long fishing trip in Canada. The boys and I were on our own and did quite well if I do say so myself. We went for 3 mile long walks everyday, they got new raw marrow bones and a couple of trips to DQ for vanilla cones. Now who can complain with a set-up like that? I mean really.

DH got home last night and the boys acted like they hadn't seen him in a hundred million billion years. They smothered him in kisses and cuddles and loves.

All of a sudden I ceased to exist.

Traitors.

Hooray for new headers!

2008-07-17T16:27:00.004-05:00

Check out the header! Thanks to my friend Ryan over at AlphaGraphics who designed it. Props to him. I dig it. Now I feel somewhat professional. Yipee!! Let me know what you think of Codyman's modeling debut.

Cool or Not Cool?

2008-07-17T15:25:00.001-05:00

Cool:

Fore Paws: Border Collie battles geese

Not Cool:

Pets feeling the pain of foreclosure

Big Jack is still with us

2008-07-16T11:00:00.000-05:00

Big Jack, or as we now call him Houdini, is still here. He has now managed to climb our 5 foot chain link fence 6 times, shimmied 8 feet up our utility pole and over our fence, jumped out the car window, and last but not least he broke through a 9 foot wooden privacy fence at his potential adopter's house. Needless to say they no longer wanted him. Oy ve. So 5 weeks and 9 potential families later he's still here. Which if we're being honest I'm ok with, I love him I really do. I am getting a bit tired of his escape tactics however. I'm getting a bit at my wits end as to what exactly I should do with him. So for now we just sit and wait and hope for the right family. DH set a deadline for Christmas. If he's still here by Christmas (Oh god help us if he is) he'll stay here forever. Which just tears me in two directions. I love fostering but if we keep Jack that can no longer happen and that just shoots an arrow in my heart. Then of course I feel guilty because I don't want to kick Jack out just for my own purposes. Arg, the emotions of fostering. Sometimes it sucks.

I remember when I used to like fireworks

2008-07-15T20:16:00.002-05:00

For those of you that have dogs I know you can relate. Up until 3 years ago I loved fireworks. My birthday is the day after the 4th so growing up I always was pretty sure that they were all for me. (What can I say? I thought my birthday was a big deal!) Then Codyman came into my life and now fireworks season has turned our lives into a living hell. Not only has it turned Cody into a quivering mass of nerves but it turns me into that screaming Mom that I always told myself I would never be. You know the one. The one that kills everyone's fun because her precious baby is scared. Yeah, that one. Starting July 1st my neighbors started shooting off the little tiny fireworks you can get at Target. Thus started the longest week of my life. Every time one of those suckers goes off Cody tries to bury himself into my skin. Not to mention the tinkling, cuz that is always a lot of fun. This results in me wanting to yell at every one of my neighbors that they need to have more respect. Which earns me so much respect with my neighbors I'm sure. Then at my mom's cabin he broke through the door to escape the fireworks resulting in the most terrifying 30 minutes of my life. Needless to say, sleep was elusive for a week.

I was talking to DH later and he looked at me wistfully and said, "Do you remember when fireworks were pretty?" *Sigh* I do honey, I do.

Hump Humpity Hump Hump

2008-07-02T11:00:00.000-05:00

I realize I haven't said much about Jack lately. He's still here. More on his rejection streak later. That is a sad story for yet another post. This post is about something different entirely. This post is about an embarrassing need of Jack's. Embarrassing for both of us (at least he'd better be embarrassed). Jack is this overcoming need to.....well.......hump. Indiscriminately of course. Boy dog, girl dog, doesn't matter. Spayed, neutered, doesn't matter either. He is neutered of course so it's not like this is about procreating. A lot of trainers say this is a way to establish dominance within a pack. Which may be true, I'm no expert. In this case I doubt it. He is the most unassuming submissive dog I know. I must admit though that this habit of his is becoming a tad overwhelming.

Case in point:

We went to the dog park yesterday for awhile. He did great at first. Then it went sliding rapidly downhill. I love my neighborhood, I really do. It's a young, hip, urbanish area right outside the city. Lots of people with dogs, which equals lots of judging stares at the always busy dog park. So when Jack started humping all 20 dogs there, it was awkward to say the least. After 30 minutes of running all over the stupid place pulling him off of dogs of all sizes and having my neck reamed for having an "out of control dog" I waved the white flag and headed off for home with my proverbial tail tucked between my legs. Now I'm afraid to even set foot in that park for fear of being burned at the stake.

Hopefully Big Jack will get over this Casanova complex and can sniff butts like every other dog out there. Until then, we're gonna stick with walks...

Rejection is hard

2008-07-01T16:11:00.002-05:00

We have had 5 applications for Jack.

Every one of them has rejected him.

Without even meeting him none the less! They hear the words he needs supervision when outside and they immediately say thanks but no thanks. I think he's about to develop a complex. (Who am I kidding? He's so laid back, like he cares.) It's hard on his foster mom, that's for sure. Because I have time to get to know these babies so well and know their personalities, it's hard when they reject him without even getting a chance to meet him. I know if they did he would win them over immediately. I'm just trying to be honest and set real expectations when I tell them about his escapist tendencies. That's what I'm supposed to do as the FM right? What exactly is the balance between honesty and selective information sharing? Each rejection gets harder and harder. Especially when you look into those big liquid brown eyes that just want love and acceptance. That's all he asks, why can't someone overlook his one fault and give him a chance? I'll tell you one thing. Fostering is not easy on the heart. I'll get more pics of the boys tonight, hopefully.

Crazy header - updated

2008-06-30T22:17:00.002-05:00

I realize that my header is going a little bit insane at the moment. Unfortunately my patience/tolerance for Blogger's shenanigans has expired. I'm going to bed before I do something stupid. I'll fix it tomorrow.

**Update** I fixed it to the best of my ability. I may still through some more photos in there. Give me feedback and let me know what (and how) to change.

I have a snotty dog....

2008-06-30T20:44:00.002-05:00

It's true. My dog is a snot. More specifically he is a toy snot. Of epic proportions. I have never met a dog with more toys in my life. That's what happens when you have 3 sets of grandparents who all have their own separate christmases. Multiple that by six aunts and uncles and the toys abound. (Not to mention that his sweet innocent mother may or may not have an obsession with pet stores...) He's got everything money can buy dog-wise and what does he do? He turns his nose up at everything but the really soft and squishy ones that sound like they are being tortured as the squeaker runs out of air. I cannot even tell you how many trainers/vets/behaviorists have told me to get big tough plastic chewy toys to cut down on his destructive behaviors. They look at me like I'm the idiot because I've been suffering through these vet bills and chaotic life needlessly. Then I mutter the words, "he doesn't like tough toys." They look shocked, stunned even. What dog doesn't like Kongs? Mine. Mine doesn't. Believe me folks, if he liked Kongs or any other chew toy that would cut down on the chaos that is my life, I would have them. All of them. I would probably even get a separate toy box in homage to them. But alas, it's not to be. Why?

Because my dog is a snot.

Random Headline of the week

2008-06-26T10:15:00.002-05:00

I know I haven't written anything original in a week or something atrocious like that, but I found this headline and had to post it. I'll dazzle you with my sparkling wit tonight or maybe tomorrow or maybe when my life stops spinning out of control. I'll get back to you on that.

Animal Shelter euthanizes wrong dog

Seriously?? Do you know how PISSED I would be if someone euthanized Cody because they misread his handwritten name card?? Hell hath no fury like a Doggy Mama protecting her young. Dang.

Just a Girl....and her dogs

2008-06-19T20:00:00.000-05:00

My girl over at Just a Girl...and her dogs is having a hard time. Pop on over and say something encouraging. I know if that happened to me, the next post you'd get would be from jail. But I think she's maybe just a better person than me. It happens.

Big Boy Jack

2008-06-19T12:00:00.002-05:00

We've got a new man in town. I know that I've said that I will blog about this big hunk like 4 times now. Well here it is.

Jack is our 3ish years old black lab from IA. Just in case you do live under a rock, IA has had severe flooding the last week or so and over 2000 animals have been abandoned across Eastern IA. Big Jack was a stray in a shelter that was flooded and they were forced to euthanize their animals. So Big Jack got to go for a

boat ride and car ride and came to hang out with us. (Thanks Kim. C for saving this big lug!)

He and Cody were at odds for awhile but now they just like to play and wrestle uncontrollably. Of course with my weakness for black labs I wanted to keep him, but DH doesn't share the same sentiment. But in the long ru

n that's probably ok. Big Jack is the sweetest, most cuddliest doof that I have ever met. DH calls him a throw rug because he will just toss all 4 legs out on both sides and pass out in the middle of the floor. He did come with two giant ear i

nfections and two water-born diseases from hanging in the flood waters, but those are about his only faults. Aside from being able to climb my 5 foot chain link fence. That story deserves its own post though. Without further adieu....Big Jack!

So happy to be in a home!

If you look closely you can see Cody's foot on the left...

The Dump and Run

2008-06-18T16:01:00.004-05:00

Ok, so I'm sure everyone is guilty of it at one point or another....

You decide to take your dog for a walk and he just pooped so you don't bring a bag. Or you are on a car ride and decide to take an impromptu frolic in a park.

Then it happens. Your dog starts to do the weird squat face. (Or in Cody's case, the squat walk) Here it comes. Crap (literally and figuratively.) Now what are you supposed to do? You have no bag and your dog just crapped all over the park/sidewalk/grass/someone's yard.

My modus operadi? I look around nonchalantly to make sure there aren't too many witnesses and then casually walk away hoping to not draw any attention to myself. In other words I do what the DH has termed "The Dump and Run." I always feel so guilty about it too, like I am the one contributing to the bad rap that dogs get in the city. But what alternative do I have? I may love my dog but I draw the line at using my hands. Gross.

Last weekend my foster Jack and I were on a walk with my friend S when Jack (who just pooped like 10 minutes before at my house) decided now was the time. Of course no bag and we're walking around the BUSIEST lake in the MN. Great. So we nonchalantly looked around and casually walked away. Only to notice that the spot he had chosen to pop a squat was right in front of the sign that said, "Be responsible. Leash and pick up after your pet." Oh the irony.

Happy Birthday little man!

2008-06-12T14:32:00.005-05:00

My Codyman turned 4 yesterday! We had a little birthday party yesterday with him and his 2 "cousins". It was hilarious. DH thought I was crazy, but eh who cares about him anyway? Cody's daycare (that's right, my dog totally goes to daycare) threw him a little party with cake and everything. Like the good overachieving suburban mom that I am I brought doggy treats for everyone. Laugh all you want, but we'll see who's the more popular mom at the end of the day!!

Moooooommmmm!! This hat is stupid....

It's my BIRTHDAY!!

Cody's cousin Sugar trying to get her hat off her head

Overall the birthday was pretty fun. Technically the 11th isn't his birthday (we think) he was a rescue so birth date unknown. But June 11th is the day we got him, so we celebrate Gotcha Day at our house.

We have a new foster dog, pics to follow....

Eating with your dog in MN?? Who knew?

2008-06-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Apparently in the MN it is against the law to eat outside on a restaurant patio with your dog. Judging from how many times Cody and I have met friends at Noodles in Uptown for lunch, I can tell you that I had NO idea that it was even an issue. Well now my sources say that a bill has been proposed for this session to make it legal. (I won't even go into how we're wasting our time debating the legalities of whether or not we can eat with our dogs while there are tens of thousands of dogs dying and suffering abuse in breeding facilities all over this state.)

So I popped over to Pet Central and holy crap. Talk about the raging debate going on. I think my favorite is the person who said that she would rather eat next to a dog than the tons of badly behaved kids out there. I raise my glass in toast to you random commenter.

As long as your dog is well-behaved then why the big deal? Cody lays underneath the table quietly, most of the time so quietly that people don't even know that he is there. I know people are going to say, "But people like you and your dog are the minority!!!" Then give waiters and managers the power to say, "Get out of my restaurant!"

Cody and I have been to a few all dog events at a bar here in town and we have never had a problem with the 50+ dogs that show up.

Bottom line? Let's all eat in peace and harmony people. It's not that hard.

Random Headline of the week

2008-06-09T16:40:00.001-05:00

Teen accused of making porn with dog

To which I say, what is this world coming to??

My Dutchie found a home!

2008-06-09T15:19:00.003-05:00

My beautiful Dutchie found her furever home! This is always a happy yet bittersweet time when this happens.

a. It's happy because she's found a home where she will be loved forever and will never have to know what it is like to be at the end of chain eating off of the ground again.

b. I'm sad because I was beginning to really fall in love with my giant princess.

One of, if not the only, pitfalls to fostering I suppose. Other than that it is something I don't think I will ever give up. (Although ask me in a couple years when I have a two-legged kid running around...) Seeing the pure, unbridled joy of Dutchess running around with her new fur-brother in her fabulous backyard and giant house (I wanted them to adopt me too) brought tears to my eyes. When we went back to the big green Element, we could hear her whining for us. Needless to say DH had to take a few seconds to console me as I drove home with tears in my eyes.

But for all the heartache that fostering gives me, nothing can compare to the feeling of helping a scared furry munch-kin to find their new road in life and never have to worry about pain or loneliness again. That is the greatest gift that I can ever ask for.

Now for the next one....

One Big Shepherd

2008-06-04T10:24:00.000-05:00

That describes Dutchess in a nutshell. 94 pounds of pure German Shepherd/Golden Retriever love. She is all love. If I had a bigger house with a bigger yard she would totally be mine for keeps. Alas it's not to be. Cody has finally decided to give her the time of day. He's such a snot sometimes. I blame his Daddy. Dutchie spent her entire five years on a chain outside so she's learning all kinds of new things. It's really interesting to work with a dog who really has never seen even the most basic of things before. Dog beds were by far the best invention ever in her opinion. Fences were new, raised water dishes, human beds, doorways. She still hasn't quite caught on that doors only open one way. She still waits on the hinge end for the back door to open. Gets hit every time. We spent an hour and 2 slices of cheese trying to teach her about stairs. She made it down 4 of them! That was quite an achievement. Cody just looked at her like, "what is your deal? This is the easiest way to score cheese ever!" We're having a lot of fun with her and learning a lot. It's kind of cool to be able to open a dog's eyes like that and teach her that everything is ok. Although nerve-wracking in a way I suppose. She had her first bath yesterday (boy did she need it), the groomer said she did great! She smells a ton better too, although they sprayed her with a lemonade scented perfume which was a tad funky. Really, lemonade? Who's idea was that? All in all Dutchie is doing great. Now we just need to find her a furever home. Any takers?? :)

PETA's kill rates soar...

2008-06-04T07:39:00.002-05:00

PETA does it again. If you give your money to PETA, be sure you know what it is NOT doing.

Click here for a scary illustration of how many house pets they kill each year. I'll give you a hint...it's 90% of the animals they take in. People for Ethical Treatment of Animals my butt. Try Proud of Euthanizing Tons of Animals instead.

Stand loud and stand proud and support your local no-kill rescue instead.

Want more info? Click here or here

Weather.com and I arelikethis

2008-06-03T22:15:00.002-05:00

Lately I've been feeling like I should get a job at weather.com. Why? It's storm season here in the MN and that means that weather.com is now my homepage at work. We have had thunderstorms the last 5 days here. This means that the H house has all been getting MUCH less sleep than is normal. My life revolves around storm forecasts. All social plans are made with the caveat that if a storm crops up I have to cancel. Which basically makes me as popular as the guy who picks up roadkill. When thunderstorms hit Cody turns into a giant shaking slobbering mess who crawls around on the floor following your feet. The weird thing is that he used to not care a lick, then last year we were on vacation and he was by himself when a HUGE thunderstorm with tornadoes hit the area. Ever since then me and weather.com have been best friends. I am now one of those people that obsessively checks the weather and when it's overcast I stare out the window outside my office praying for it to hold off until I get home. Last weekend a storm with golf ball sized hail hit our house when I was at my other job and I got home three hours after it ended to a bathtub crammed full of dog. All of Sunday I was never without a dog at my side. Ever. We're finally putting that memory behind us three days later. Thank God. So until MN stops getting storms (yeah right) weather.com and I will just have to continue our illicit love affair.

Doggy weekend

2008-06-01T21:23:00.003-05:00

Pics from this weekend...

Surveying his mighty domain

There's a new girl in town!

Who's pretty??

This weekend was pretty ridiculously busy. DH was out of town, I had to work both Sat and Sun at the second job and to top it all off there was a gianormous thunderstorm here which Cody thought was just fabulous. Things with Dutchess are going ok.....but only time will tell. Right now the AC is broken (awesome) so I have two extremely hot and uncomfortable dogs and 1 hot and uncomfortable husband on my hands.

Introducing Ms. Dutchess!!

2008-05-29T15:21:00.004-05:00

She arrives on Sunday, I just wanted to give everyone a quick look at her highness!

She's so pretty!!

It'll be nice to have another lady in the house.

Cool water training trick

2008-05-28T12:00:00.000-05:00

I found this neat water training trick over at Welcome to the Happy Haus. Pretty cool for those of us that have dogs that abhor water and after 4 years still can't swim (that may or may not be me....). So I stole it from Charity and am posting it here. But I don't feel that bad, because she stole it from someone else. :)

She took pieces of hot dog and held them underneath the water to help her newfies get used to putting their faces under the water. Then she laid the hot dog pieces under the water and sent her newfies bobbing for hot dogs! I've got to try this. Cody absolutely HATES water of any kind on his head. Which is random considering his dominant breed is that of a water dog. But hey, I'm not judging. This is the dog that has given himself bladder infections from holding it for 36 hours because it was raining. We finally bought him a rain jacket with a hood so he will go potty when it rains. Any trick to help him acclimate to the water is much much appreciated. So go check Charity's blog and try it out. I promise to post pics or video once I try it out. It's guaranteed for at least a few laughs.

Cody's Brush with Fame

2008-05-27T20:54:00.002-05:00

I mentioned yesterday that Cody had a photo shoot last weekend. It's true, my dog is now officially famous. Kidding. But hey, can't a Doggy Mama be proud of her kid? I was cruising Craigs List for potential rescue dogs like I always do when I spotted an ad looking for black rescue dogs to be spokespeople (spokesdogs?) for a new up and coming awareness site called startseeingblackdogs.org So of course I had to submit pics of the Codymonster, I mean how can a proud Doggy Mama pass that up? It's like waving doughnuts in front of a cop. I heard back from Heather and lo and behold we were picked! Whoop!

Fast forward. I'll admit it, Saturday came and I was a wreck. Knowing Cody's propensity for misbehaving in crowds, I was terrified that Heather was going to look at me like really? You thought HE was well-trained? Thank God everything went fine. Cody fell in love with Heather's dog Sugar and even attracted a crowd with his stunning aquatic acrobatics. People always love watching his water backflips. I'll try to get a video of it this summer for you bloggy friends out there.

The cool thing was I went to the shoot on Saturday terrified and walked away with a nice solid connection in Heather. It turns out that we have the same passions and the same business background. She decided to take her marketing and sales expertise and put it to use helping shelters find new and innovative ways to market black dogs to the potential adopters and therefore reduce the number of black dogs that fall victim to euthanasia. Way cool. Naturally I offered to help whatever way I could. (Again with waving the doughnut in front the cop analogy.) Go check it out, it should be live in late June.

Gettin' a new foster!

2008-05-26T21:11:00.002-05:00

We're getting a new foster! I love getting new fosters, but at the same time I get kind of nervous. I don't really know why, but I just do. They usually go really well. But I'm always worried about if they don't...

She's a pretty GSP named Lucy. She's coming to hang out with us because she doesn't like cats and doesn't like girl dogs. Both of whom I don't have. So we shall see. Pics to come.

Ah Memorial Day...that wonderful long weekend

2008-05-26T20:35:00.003-05:00

Oh the extended weekend. How I love thee. Three day of nothing to do but futz around and spend time with my two boys. This was the first weekend DH had off in 2 months. That in and of itself was awesome. Cody and I spent most of Friday and Saturday digging in the garden. Or more appropriately I was digging and re-planting the garden and Cody was diligently trying to convince me to throw his frisbee over and over and over and over again. Let me tell you, it gets rather difficult to shovel dirt when every 2 minutes a frisbee appears in your dirt pile. After an hour of his desparate attempts to convince me to throw it, he resorted to setting it on my head when I was trying to plant my flowers. Oh the fun never stops. I'll post pics tomorrow.

The other random thing was our participation in a photo shoot for startseeingblackdogs.org.
Cody was selected to be a spokesmodel (spokesdog?) for a new org promoting black dogs and helping shelters out with the resources to adopt out more black dogs. It was interesting to say the least. DH took some photos, I'll post em' later. They really liked it when they figured that Cody will backflip for waves. I'm sure we'll get some gems. Now I can say that it's not just me that thinks he's cute.

Man I feel like this post is boring. Sorry about that. Creativity not flowing tonight. I hope to be wittier tomorrow. We'll have to see about that.

I wanna go outside!

2008-05-22T14:23:00.004-05:00

Sitting here in my cube makes think of this face....

....and how much I would rather be at home playing outside with him. Oh the sun does wonders for my productivity...

Good Morning - yeah right...

2008-05-21T08:09:00.003-05:00

Alarm goes off at 5:30am.

Me: Hrumpf! *hits the snooze button*

Cody: WHOOPEE!! It's time to get up! I know I know let's sit on mommy's head and see if she likes it. *proceeds to sit his butt on daddy's head and put

his feet in mommy's eye sockets*

DH: What the h***??

Me: Argggg. Get off a me! *tries to seal self off under the covers*

Cody: Oooo Oooo they're playing with me. Let's dig mommy out of the covers!! That's fun!! WHOOPEE!!! *starts digging the mommy out from under the covers, simultaneously scratching every spot on her face and pulling out her hair*

Me: *the pleading begins* Cody please let mommy sleep for another 10 minutes. Please!! Mommy is tiiiiired.

Cody: She's talking that means it's time to get up! I know! I'll get so excited I'll make myself sneeze all over her face!! She likes that!! *SNEEZE*

Me: gross bud. I get I get. I'm up.

Good morning to me.

Arg.

Designer Dogs

2008-05-19T10:00:00.002-05:00

I worked an adoption event yesterday and sometimes I swear you see that strangest people out there in this world. Holy cow. I was assigned to collie/sled dog mix named Luke and he was gorgeous. Well this lady approaches me and goes, "Oh is that one of those designer dogs? A Colliedoodle?" First off I have never heard of a colliedoodle, ever. Second of all, there are no such things as designer dogs. Do you really want to know what a labradoodle or goldendoodle or puggle is? It is not a new breed. It is a mutt!! The definition of a mutt is a dog that has more than breed type in its lineage. Hello? That would be a goldendoodle or whatever doodle. It's a glorified mutt! So I tell her no it is not a colliedoodle (?) he's a collie mixed with some sort of sled dog. And then she has the balls to say to me, "I only own purebreds, I have two goldendoodles you know." Oh if only I could have said what I was thinking. Really you have purebreds? Oh gag me with a spoon. Puhlease.

So now I have decided that I too have a purebred. His name is Cody and he is a borderador, border collie lab. Leave me a comment and tell me what you have. It's funny, try it.

This is Luke. He's up for adoption and would love a home!!

Home Visit - The good, the bad, and the ugly

2008-05-18T20:28:00.002-05:00

So the home visit went ok. The lady who came out to see us was pretty nice, although she brought the BIGGEST golden retriever that I have ever seen in my life. Cody took one look at him and then looked at me like, "Mom, why are you bringing a horse to visit me?" He was fairly well behaved, only growled and nipped at Robby (the GR) once. The lady got really nervous but all was well. Personally I think the funniest part was when she asked us what we would do if we came home and our foster dog was standing on the kitchen table. DH and I looked at each other and then looked at her and said, "It happens all the time here...." She looked so shocked. For pete's sake we find him on top of the refrigerator. That's right, ON THE REFRIGERATOR! Now if that doesn't qualify us for doggy foster care, I don't know what does. Once you've walked in the door to your dog's face peering down at you from the top of the fridge, I am pretty sure that you can handle anything.

The strange part was when she decided to walk around our house and point out every little hazard to dogs. Like I don't know that dogs aren't supposed to eat lotion. Please. She even went into my bathroom....that was a tad weird. But other than that it went well. Now that we've cleared that hurdle, it's on to practicing for Cody's upcoming photo shoot. That's right, I'm going to be a stage mom. More on that later...

Home Visits - Will the good kid show up or the bad kid?

2008-05-16T11:14:00.003-05:00

Oh man is it tense over at our house today. We just got notified that our official home visit to be a certified doggy foster home is tomorrow morning. Of course we just happened to be in the middle of a home remodeling project, but hey who am I to complain? Here's the part that makes this mama nervous. They are bringing a 100 lb golden retriever to the house as part of the visit. Cody is not always the most well-behaved when it comes to giant strange dogs invading his territory, in fact a lot of the time he goes into full on sulk mode. What if he tries to growl off the invader, what if he jumps on the tester, what if she looks at us at like "who let you adopt a dog?" Oh man, I really don't want to have the bad kid on the proverbial playground. I suppose one could say this is the downside to being a fully involved Doggy Mama, I feel like I get judged based on the behavior of my Codyman. Oh god what if people think I'm a bad mom because he jumps?? Am I being illogical? Probably. I just can't help it. Oh the neuroses of being a Doggy Mama.... I'll post an update tomorrow. If my head hasn't exploded from the remodeling stress and the stress of trying keep an over-exuberant fuzzbutt from attacking the tester.

My bad-kid.....

Good doggy cake recipe

2008-05-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

If you're like me (and even if you're not) sometimes you like to do something special for your pupper's birthday. I found this recipe for a dog safe cake and it's really easy.

Ingredients:

1 egg

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup cooking oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup honey (optional)

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup whole wheat or white flour

1 tsp baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 6 cup ring mold. (I use a regular cake pan.)

2. Combine the egg, peanut butter, oil, vanilla, honey in a large bowl; blend well. Stir in the carrots and mix thoroughly. Sift together the flour and baking soda and fold into the carrot mixture. Spoon cake batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes; then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.

Dogs love it!

Cody + Kids = War

2008-05-14T11:01:00.002-05:00

This weekend on Mother's Day (couldn't have been more fitting) my Codyman had a breakthrough. A breakthrough that got his momma so excited she cried a little. I'm not ashamed to admit it either. Before I let you in on what exactly got me this excited, let me fill you in on the background of the Cody vs. Kids war.

When we first got Cody 3 years ago, we were hoping to have a typical happy go lucky, easy-going lab mix. You know the kind, good with kids, loves to swim, likes to lounge and loves to play ball. Well we got the last one, but that's about it. The first time my nephews came over, Cody got so agitated he ran around my apartment in circles. Whoops. That progressed to nipping at their ankles when they ran around, which when you're 2 and 4 is all the time. He won't herd anything else, but when it comes to kids oh boy. From there we started barking obsessively at all short humans. If a kid makes a sudden movement, Cody tries to catch them and hold them with teeth. Needless to say this does not go over well with the average parent. He never tried to hurt them, it's just instinct.

This brings me to the milestone. On Sunday my nephews and Codyman played tennis ball nice and sedately for over 2 hours with no one getting nipped!!! This has NEVER happened before. I totally cried. It's one more step in my baby's growth. Now we just need to work on the obsessive barking......all in due time I suppose.

Ode to Doggy Mamas Everywhere

2008-05-11T22:35:00.003-05:00

Here's to you Doggy Mamas! We are the unsung heros in this culture of families with 2.5 children on suburban streets with picket fences. We are the ones who are not afraid of conversations revolving around smushy poops and how to fix them. We are the ones who drop everything to run to the store and buy the best bones our money can buy because our babies "just don't seem happy." It is us who stand outside in the pouring rain at 5:30 in the morning urging our "kids" to go potty. We are the brave souls who venture to the dog park in 20 degrees below zero just so our "kids" can socialize and play ball to their hearts content. Dare I say it, but we are the ones who hand cook our dog's dinner just so they can have the best nutrition.

Some may say that we are obsessed or think we're weird because we don't have "normal" kids. To them I say, "Oh yeah? Have you ever tried to get a urine sample from a dog in your front yard? Didn't think so." They've got nothing on us. We are the few, the proud, the Doggy Mamas.

To all my fellow Doggy Mamas: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! You deserve it.

Thanks to my Codyman for letting me be his all-time Doggy Mama.

Foreclosure crisis - Silent Victims

2008-05-09T12:01:00.002-05:00

I know there have been some news stories about this, but it really didn't hit home until yesterday. One of the groups I work with has been so slammed with incoming dogs, that yesterday we received an email saying that we are going to have to stop taking dogs for the time being. At least 75% of the last 100 dogs we've taken in since January have been surrendered because of home foreclosures or people about to lose their homes.

So I started to do a little research about it and HOLY CRAP this is a HUGE problem. ABC News did a piece on it and man oh man. Not only are shelters getting crammed with dogs and cats, but adoptions are really slow because of the current economic situation. So now the dogs that we are taking in have nowhere to go. This can only mean one thing....euthanasia rates will go up. That is NOT O.K.!!

This is a problem that no one really thinks about but that is well on its way to overwhelming and crushing the rescue community. So if you can, help us out!!

P.S. Cody treed his first squirrel today!

The Great Dog Food Debate

2008-05-07T12:29:00.003-05:00

This is a debate that has been raging in the dog community for ages. What is the best dog food for your dog? The real answer is whatever works best for your dog's health and taste-buds. While I was not "cursed" (I would say blessed, but hey that's just me) with a picky dog, some people do have to spend a fair amount of time finding a dog food that their dog will eat.

For the first year or so that I had Cody I was feeding him Purina One Lamb and Rice. I assumed that because it is the biggest brand of dog food out there that it was good for him and he was getting all of the right nutrition. Au contraire my friends. Purina One is actually a really crappy food, full of corn fillers and fat and overall really hard on the digestive system. Well if that doesn't make you feel like a bad mother right? So off we were on the hunt for good dog food. We've tried a lot of things and finally settled on Nature's Variety. It is an off-shoot of the raw diet. It's all natural meat and veggies with no fillers. It's got double the nutrition and as an added bonus has cut down on Codyman's gas, which if you've even been privy to you know that's a BIG bonus.

Nature's Variety doesn't work for everyone, so below is a list of dog foods that I like:

Solid Gold

Nature's Variety

IAMS

Canidae

Dr. Harvey's

Nutro

There are two downsides to feeding your dog highly nutritious dog food.

1. It costs more...sometimes up to $15 more a month

2. You can't shop at the big box stores (PetSmart, PetCo) because they don't carry these high grade foods.

If you're in MN, try these stores:

Chuck and Don's Pet Food Outlet (they are REALLY good about supporting rescue groups)

Urbanimal (really funky and cool)

Bottom line: Getting new dog food can be a pain, but good nutrition is the best investment you can make in your dog. Believe me, I've seen what even a few weeks without good nutrition can do to a dog, especially if they are still growing.

Constant Battle - Husband vs. Wife

2008-05-06T15:00:00.001-05:00

Almost any female animal rescuer knows my pain. You know what I am talking about... I always want to take on one more and he says hell no! I just can't help it, I love to help any homeless dog no matter the inconvenience or problems they cause in our life. I want to fix them and make them happy and find them a better place to call home. Intellectually I know that I can't save them all, but I sure as hell can try. This is where the conundrum comes in. How do you balance family life and fosters? How do I keep my husband happy and still do what I love? Will it ever stop being a struggle between man and dog? Probably not. But I've got to do what makes me happy and maybe he can get used to it. Wishful thinking I know...

But if fighting with my husband means saving a life, maybe it's worth it.....

Loose Stools - Gross I know...

2008-05-05T21:15:00.001-05:00

I know, it's a heck of a title right? I was talking to some family members this weekend when I was in TX and the subject came up. We're a family of dog lovers, what can I say? I mentioned that 2 tablespoons of canned pumpkin (not the filling, just plain canned pumpkin) in both meals works wonders at firming things up a bit. It surprised me that some people didn't know that. My step-mom said, "Now THAT is something that should go on the blog!" So dear readers, here it is.

If your dog has loose stools, 2 tablespoons of canned pumpkin in both meals for 3-5 days should do the trick.

Disclaimer: This trick is for loose stools, NOT diarrhea. That calls for a different tip entirely. We'll hit on that lovely yet so common subject later.

List of Destruction

2008-05-04T20:17:00.001-05:00

People wonder how I know so much about dogs for having no training. That would be Cody's fault. He has presented every training challenge and scrap of patience in the world. His path of destruction has been spread far and wide. Think I'm kidding? See the (partial) list below.

3 feet of electrical wiring

2 lampshades

Pyrex dish

Statue I received in South Africa

A King size pack of Reese's Peanut Butter Easter Eggs PLUS the wrapping and plastic bag

5 lbs of margarine

20 plastic Easter Eggs full of chocolate (he climbed trees to get those)

2 1/2 lbs of sand out of Lake Pokegema in my DH's hometown

Tin can of green beans (not the beans, just the can)

Jumbo box of Tums

2 lbs of fudge

A cheese cutter from Sweden

At least a dozen loaves of bread

So the bottom line is this: You think YOUR dog has problems? Talk to me. I bet I can give you some advice. There's a pretty good chance that I've been there.

RAGOM Dog MISSING!!

2008-04-30T09:07:00.001-05:00

One of RAGOM's (Retrieve a Golden of MN) dogs has gone missing! She's from a puppy mill and is probably very very scared.

Abby is missing in the Pine River Area about 22 miles from Brainerd in northern MN. Please keep an eye for her and if you find her please notify the police and animal control. They are aware of her status.

A day in the life

2008-04-29T21:06:00.000-05:00

I told you that Cody was beyond normal....below is an excerpt from my life with the craziest dog on four legs.

Ring Ring!

Me: Hello?

DH: We might have a problem...Cody at 3 corn cobs and isn't feeling that well...

Me: Shit

Fast forward an hour

Vet: He's going to need emergency surgery and it will cost you $2,000

Me: Double shit.

Fast forward two hours.

Emergency vet: Well it looks like your dog has just defined 20 years of veterinary science and he will be just fine without surgery. Your dog truly is a miracle.

Me: I need a drink.

Total cost: $250 plus about 3 years off of life span

That ladies and germs is what my life is like every couple of weeks. I have the vet, emergency vet, and ASACP Pet Poison Control Hotline all on speed dial. It's a wonder I'm not gray yet.

Big Black Dog Syndrome

2008-04-28T21:07:00.001-05:00

Check out this article on Big Black Dogs.

It's a good one. Big Black Dog Syndrome is a subject close to my heart as most of you probably know. Black dogs have the highest euthanasia rate out there. They sit in the shelters the longest and often never leave. People pass them for a variety of reasons. Personally, I have a soft spot for all big black dogs. Especially mixes. But what can I say? I'm a sucker for a big fuzzy black face with those liquid brown eyes.

Home Remodeling/Cody's story

2008-04-27T21:18:00.000-05:00

While Cody and I are sitting here listening the sounds of my husband tearing apart my master bedroom closet piece by piece, I thought I would enlighten you dear readers (I assume there's like 3 of you) about the love of my life. That would be the fuzzy face you see on top of this blog.

I grew up with

dogs and have always had a bit of touch with them. I was never very comfortable with people as a kid and thought dogs were way better. Who am I kidding? I still do. Fast forward several years and I've just graduated from college. I made it a grand total of 2 weeks before I broke down and said I need a dog. Of course the whole living on your own and being in an apartment was a bit of a deterrent. My BF at the time (now my DH) was headed out to work on the road for a year and thought it might be nice to leave me with some companionship. So one Saturday morning (June 11, 2005, but who's counting) we se

t off to get the "lay of the land and see what was out there", my DH's words, not mine. We hit a couple different shelters looking for a smaller dog. We finally went

by the Golden Valley HS and asked to see their smaller dogs. The only one they had was not for me. I just started walking down the rows of cages for fun. I saw this big black and white face look up at me with chocolate brown eyes and was in love. Then I read the note on his cage. Euthanasia date: June 10th. I asked the nearest shelter worker why he was still here and she said the vet called in sick on Friday and so Cody got a reprieve. That was all I needed. $220 later and I walked out of there with 50lbs of pure chaos and love.

Now this would be the part where I say we lived happily ever after, but I would totally be lying through my orthodontically straightened teeth. Cody turned

out to be a whole lot chaos that I was not prepared for. Case in point: 4 weeks after adopting him he ate 3 feet of electrical wiring. Why? Your guess is a

s good as mine. I would list all we've been through, but I have a feeling that deserves its own post.

Over the past three years, Cody and I have been through a lot. We've both helped each other to grow up. He's shown me a love that I have never known and helped me overcome a lot of things. I shower him with treats, affectation, and probably have a borderline obsession with his happiness. But you know what? I don't care. People can say what they want. I know that he and I have saved each other and that in my opinion is all that matters.

PetSmart - A journey

2008-04-26T12:37:00.001-05:00

Ok, I know this is my third post today (which puts me pretty squarely in the pathetic category), but I have to rant about my experience at PetSmart today. Codyman and I just got back from a quick turn to restock up on stuffies (the others met a rather tragic fate of disembowelment) and I have one thing to say. IF YOUR KIDS CANNOT CONTROL YOUR DOG, DO NOT LET THEM HANDLE HIM IN A BUSY PUBLIC SPOT. Oy. You would think that it would be common sense. But apparently not.
Cody and had a fairly successful trip to PetSmart and were in the check out line to spend his daddy's hard earned overtime pay, when 2 boys about 7 and 10 coming barreling out of the grooming shop being towed by a giant yellow lab with 2 choke chains on. TWO?! The dog heads straight for Cody's butt. Now Cody likes other dogs, he really does. He just doesn't like it when they are incredibly pushy and stick their noses straight up his butt while he's trying to chew a treat. I pulled Cody aside to avoid any sort of conflict. The boys then continue to let the dog bully mine in line while their mom is chatting up a clerk. Neither she or any of the three clerks say anything about the horrific doggy manners that are happening here. I finally asked the boys to take their dog elsewhere. Of course they looked at me like I was the mean, crabby, dog lady. Nasty side effect I suppose of trying to avoid a doggy conlict in PetSmart. After I was checked out and headed for the door, I saw the same yellow lab trying to mount someone's poor basset hound. Oh yeah, the mom was still chatting....

On a positive note, Cody did let a 10 year old girl pet him without nipping her! That is a BIG deal. More explanation about Codyman's hate for children later. It's a long post.

RIP Max

2008-04-26T07:37:00.000-05:00

One of the foster dogs in our program crossed the Rainbow Bridge on Thursday. He had separation anxiety so bad that he would have to been essentially kept comatose. The more humane choice was to help him over the Rainbow Bridge. This brings up a point to me about SA.

Max was adopted by his orginal family when he was a puppy. Max spent his whole life living with another dog and was never left alone. His doggy buddy suddenly passed away and Max's whole world tipped. He never knew what it was to be alone. Max never knew if he would be safe again, he never knew if his people were coming back because he had never been properly socialized.
Many people think that if they get a second dog, they don't have to spend time to work with them or do the same things they did with their first dog to get them used to living on their own. This is by far one of the worst things you can do. When the first dog crosses over, the second dog doesn't have any of the skills to cope on his own. This can lead to severe separation anxiety and in extreme cases can end in a situation like Max was experiencing. While dogs are pack animals, that doesn't mean that they don't need to learn how to function on their own and learn proper behaviors on their own as well.

Moral of the story: Please socialize your dogs when they're puppies. Honor Max and make sure your dog doesn't have to go through the same terror and anxiety that he did. Take the time to train your dog, it's the best investment you can make.

RIP Max

Adopt me Friday

2008-04-26T07:17:00.000-05:00

Meet Gabe! He's with Happy Hound Rescue. He's about a year, german shorthair pointer, chocolate lab mix. He was on his last day at the pound and he was pulled from the gas chamber at the last minute. Sweet guy who needs a home. Click on the pic if you want to learn more.

Doggy Bloggin' it

2008-04-25T14:32:00.000-05:00

I've officially joined the world of bloggers. Scary place, but hopefully I'll enjoy it. I'm also sort hoping you will as well, but one step at a time I suppose. For those of you that know me, you know that dogs are my obsession. Always have been, always will be. Unlike those ballet lessons in the second grade....short lived interest. After 20 years of boring my entire extended family and all of my friends with my advice and stories revolving around dogs, I thought I would take them to the great wide world and blog em' out. This blog will (hopefully) be chock full of doggy stories, doggy behavior tips, pet peeves (pun intended), and exploits from the doggy rescue world. I also fully intend to have an adoption Friday. Check back every Friday to see who my featured fuzzy face is.

Why do I do this crazy doggy stuff and what is my story you ask? My inspiration for my rescue work and obsession for all things doggy is my beloved four-legged companion Cody. I'll save his life story for another post. Stay tuned!