Does your dog bite?

How do you respond to the question "Does your dog bite?"
I always tell people that they HAVE teeth, so they CAN bite!  
I honestly don't even understand why people always ask me that question!  
They're dogs!  
Just don't do anything that deserves a bite and you won't be bitten. 


Disclaimer: My dogs have never bitten anyone.  But its not a matter of ability.  

Regret

Before I started fostering, I thought I would get attached to every dog that brought into my home.  I thought it would be absolutely heart wrenching to say good bye to each dog.

But that wasn't the case.

In fact, oftentimes, it was exciting to see them go!  Yes, I was sad, and yes I loved them all.  But,  this meant that I could make my way back to "Doggie Death Row" and find a new soul to save!

That was, until I met Elliott.
Elliott was my love.
To this day, I cannot think about him without wishing I would have never let him go.
This was my first glimpse of Elliott:

The head of the rescue emailed all the volunteers to see if anyone wanted to foster him.
And I was the sucker that agreed.
Elliott got his name, because he looked so pathetic and nasty that he reminded me of ET. I thought it would be mean to name him ET, so ET transposed into Elllllliiiiiotttttt.

I'll be honest.  I have no idea why I agreed to even take him in.  He was a black, male Pit Bull mix and that is one of the hardest combinations of factors to adopt out.  On top of which, he had severely bowed legs from malnutrition and had a nasty case of demodectic mange!
But I went and picked him up anyway.
And I immediately fell in love with him.

Elliott stayed with us for months -- April until August, 2008.  It was by far the LONGEST I ever kept a foster.  He received daily ivermectin injections for the mange, he was on a slew of antibiotics and pills.  He even had to undergo eye surgery for severe bilateral entropion.
This dog was a mess!
Elliott was quickly dubbed with his "Christian name" of Elliott James Stinkbottom, because he smelled so badly from the mange!  He was also often referred to (adoringly) as Smelliott!!
But, this puppy had a sweeter disposition than any I have ever fostered.  He was intelligent, snuggly, he was loving, well-behaved and so calm.  He oftentimes slept in our bed -- much to the chagrin of my husband and the raging jealousy of Hank and Marla!

But, he was so perfect!

I desperately tried to get someone I knew to adopt him.  If I couldn't keep him, I wanted to at least be able to stay in touch.  But that wasn't about to happen.
When the day finally came that I received an outstanding application for him, I was devastated.  He had been with us for so long, I couldn't imagine parting with him!
But the applicant had excellent recommendations from both his vet, his landlord and his neighbors.  He understood his breed and was willing to do further surgeries if necessary.  He was going to give my boy a wonderful home.
I was heartbroken, but I said goodbye.

I had fostered a lot of dogs, but never shed a tear when one found its new home.
I bawled when Elliott left.

A few weeks after Elliott went to live with his new family, I emailed his new owner to get a progress report.  I was devastated to learn that Elliott James Stinkbottom was now called "Nacho".  Yes, as in the Mexican treat.
My sweet, perfect Elliott was now Nacho.
NACHO!!!??!?

I know I did what was best for him.  And I know that because I said goodbye, I was able to foster many more dogs after him.  But, nonetheless, I regret that I let him go.
I sincerely wish I would have found a way to be able to keep Elliott as my own.

Letting him go is my single foster regret.

Elliott, I love you.  I hope you are doing well.

Designer dogs and my gag reflex

Time and time again, as I cruise Petfinder or walk through the rows of kennels at Animal Control, I will come across a dog that didn't mature the way its 'owners' thought it would.  
"My Labradoodle wasn't supposed to shed." "This Puggle was supposed to be smaller than it is." or "This Huskashnoodle didn't keep it's blue eyes."


Gag me now.  


The age of  "Designer breeds" is well upon us and its a bit of a crisis!   I have to vomit a little when I hear the name "Labradoodle," "Cockapoo," "Puggle" or any other oodle, doodle, uggle combination that has been rocketed into our society boasting of a "purer gene pool".  


I'm not going to get in to the biology of breeding two purebred dogs - mainly because I don't know how to create a punnet square on Blogger - but listen up, folks!! There is no way to determine what characteristics puppies will have when you mate two completely different breeds!  You can end up with any combination of the characteristics of the parents!    Oh, and to clue you in, breeding two faulty dogs will not give you healthier offspring!  How do I know that they are faulty?? I know because no responsible owner or breeder of faultless animals would be creating these godawful puppies with godawful names. 


Let me get back to my beef with the name...
Why is it that I have such an issue with these designer names, exactly?  
Surely I couldn't have it out for mutts, could I?
Absolutely not!  I love mutts.  What I hate are unscrupulous breeders and gimmicks!!


The following are a few reasons why I shudder at the mention of an oodle, doodle, or uggle:


Designer dog names perpetuate the misconception that these hybrid dogs are actual breeds. However, these designer breeds are in no way actual breeds and are only produced by irresponsible breeders -- and in many cases puppy mills. By using "designer breed" names and perpetuating the idea that these are real breeds, you are simply encourage people to buy dogs from irresponsible breeders and contribute to the suffering of millions of dogs in this country.


So quit it.


You do not have a Maltipom, you have a Maltese-Pomeranian mix.  Its not a Labradoodle, its a Labrador-Standard Poodle Mix. AND FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, Its not a Puggle, its a Beagle-Pug mix!!  --And and might I add that this is one of the more unfortunate mixes I've seen.

If you must call your Lab/Poodle cross a Labradoodle, knock yourself out, but know that I might just vomit in my mouth.  

RE: Earlier Post about Puppy Mills

She got shut down, y'all.
Shut.down.

Hybrid dogs and my Blood Pressure

I've been wanting to write a post on hybrid dogs for a while now - and my blood pressure is high enough that I think I just need to buckle down and do it.
However, it might be too high, and my panties may be too bunched -- so I am going to calm down a little and revisit this subject in a few days.

It is my goal...

to find somebody to love these dogs.

I recently decided to try and make a video of including some of the images I have taken over the last several months.  Every week I do my best to visit my local Animal Control and volunteer as a photographer. The images I take are used on their Petfinder Website as well as being forwarded to various rescues and animal organizations.
It is such a small thing to volunteer, but it is my goal to raise as much awareness about these animals as possible.  The best way I know how is by photographing them.
Sadly, as I look through the files of my "Death Row Dogs",  I know that far too many of them left Animal Control through the back door -- instead of in the arms of a new, forever family.

So many animals die needlessly in shelters (one approximately every 8 seconds) because of needless breeding and above all: ignorance.
Please be a part of the solution.  Spay and neuter your pets, and remember:
Don't breed or buy while homeless pets die.

Click HERE to view the video.

-Jennifer

Local Puppy Mill

When does it end??  The complete disregard for the animal's welfare is unfathomable.
This woman owns a grooming salon in Bourbonnais near my house
"Magic Touch Grooming".  It is disgusting.

This is a shameless plug

for my friend, Abby.
Abby is an amazing, amazing artist.  We recently commissioned her to do paintings of Hank and Marla.  This is what she gave us:

When I first saw these paintings, I cried.  They are so beautiful, and capture every nuance of their faces and personalities.  They are just amazingly incredible.  They are now hanging in our dining room and every person who sees them just marvels at their exactness.  In fact, more often than not, they think they are photographs!

For Christmas, we once again commissioned her to do a painting.  This time of Jake's parent's dog, Deacon. Deacon is climbing up there in age, and we really wanted to immortalize him in one of her pieces.

This is what she came up with:

Abby can be reached via email at chabby83@hotmail.com, or on her facebook or myspace. She is incredibly reasonable with her pricing - in fact, you should get ahold of her asap before she realizes that she's far too cheap!

Its the Howlidays

Jake and I really enjoy giving back to the community, and one of the ways we like to do it is by helping out our area's homeless animals. A few months ago we did a fundraiser with Razzle Dazzle Doggie Bowtique to benefit the local Animal Control.

The event was a great hit, and they asked us to come back for a holiday, or HOWLiday - if you will - photo fundraiser! This time we decided to give a portion of the proceeds to theCrossroads Shih-Tzu Rescue

We had a great time, and every single available session was quickly booked. Here are a few of the awesome dogs we worked with today:

Thank you everyone for helping us make this event a SMASH hit!

As a reminder, your packages can be picked up from Razzle Dazzle on December 19th. At that time, additional print orders can be made from our website!

Friends

This weekend I took the dogs to my parents house.  They love being able to run around in the field next to their house.
These are some happy dogs:

Hank

Marla

My Mom's dog, Nora.

Faces Like These...

at your local Animal Control:

Some of these dogs lost their homes due to the economy, some were abandoned, some were victims of neglect and abuse.  All need new, loving, forever families

Ooooh, Fundraiser idea...

My friend, Mary came over this evening to do some crafting.
We made these:

Next time I have to come up with a Fundraiser idea, I am totally going to do this.  It was easy and fun and pretty inexpensive.  I think people would buy them - of course, I'd have to come up with another design:)

I am hesitant to yell "Success!" but...

I have not noticed any leakage since Marla's chiropractic adjustment on the 25th.
This could be purely coincidental, because her leaking is not consistent...BUT
I am hopeful that this did help :)

Now if we can only get her kidneys to cooperate...

Top 10

Found this to go along with my thought from yesterday:

Thought of the moment:

Whoever decides it's a good idea to breed their cat or dog should be obligated to go to their local Animal Control and hold however many dogs or cats for euthanasia as were born in the litter.

Maybe people would think twice before letting their animal procreate.

The game plan

So to continue Marla's saga, we have decided to treat her for Glomerulonephritis for 2 months in hopes that it stops the degradation of her kidneys. We are also treating her for the crystals in her urine.

Right now we are not actively addressing the incontinence, but I have an appointment set up with a Canine Chiropractor in 3 weeks - with the thought that an adjustment may correct or at least alleviate some of the pressure on her bladder.

I'm glad that she doesn't act sick. But it may only be a matter of time before I begin noticing effects of the damage.

More on Marla...

I posted earlier about Marla's Kidney issues and raised Microalbumin levels. Monday she went in for a BP reading which came back normal. Dr. Becker believes that she may have Glomerulonethritis which, from what I gathered, is an inflammation of the kidneys.

Dr.Becker would like to either treat her for this condition with meds for 2 months and then recheck her MA levels OR have me go to a kidney specialist who will give me a definitive answer of what is wrong.

I called the Specialists and it costs $1200 for them to run the diagnostics, BUT they will give me a definitive answer//whereas my vet has given me her best guess.

At this time we just cannot afford the $1200 consult and testing, but I hate the idea of the medication not working and having her kidneys damaged further.

I hope my doctor is right and its the condition I can't even pronounce!! I really hate that money is keeping me from being able to give my dog the medical care she deserves :(

A little Background on Ms.Marla Mae

This is a little background on my dog, Marla. I wrote this out for a Petition/Fundraiser our rescue was doing. Her story won, by the way:

In Mid-October 2007, a female brindle Boxer, was dropped off at an Indiana high-kill animal control. The man who dropped her off claimed that he found her as a stray and suggested that she be euthanized.

The little dog was completely emaciated and weighed a mere 14lbs. She was nearly naked from mange, and completely covered in sores from sitting in her own excrement.

Urine burns/pustules on her belly.
Makes me sick!

Her crippled spine was bowed from being forced into a sitting position in a small crate, and she had large calouses along her back from rubbing the top of her confinement. Her front legs were completely bowed out, into the shape of an "L" because of malnutrition and a tight living space. When she walked, her legs bent so that she walked on her carpal pads.

This dog was a total wreck.

The ACO called our rescue immediately telling them that a 4 month old Boxer had been dropped off, and was in pretty rough shape. Upon further inspection, it was determined that this tiny little Boxer was not 4 months old but, in fact, 1-2 years old. Because of her immensely small quarters, combined with improper nutrition the Boxer was unable to grow to her correct size.

The dog was promptly taken to a Veterinarian that works with us.

Here she is at the vet for likely the FIRST time in her entire life.

Look at how far out her paws are! They're completely bowed out!! And her spine is so crooked!!

She was given round the clock treatment, and although it was touch and go for a while, we refused to give up on her and the little Boxer pulled through. As much as she was poked and prodded, this little baby remained sweet and hopeful. She went to live with her foster Mom until she could regain her strength.

Marla at her foster home BEFORE coming to live with me.
Check out the scab on her head!!

Her progress was remarkable. She was adopted, by myself, the third week of November, 2007.

Picking up Marla at her foster Mom's house. Hank is already smitten.

She weighed 21lbs. Hair regrowth was slow, but steady. Her legs straightened almost immediately as well as her back. She simply needed to be able to move, and be given the appropriate nutrition. She made herself at home with a new name, Marla Mae, and a new Boxer brother named, Hank.

Hank and Marla were immediately inseperable.

Today Ms.Marla Mae is weighing in at 47lbs. She is still quite small for a Boxer, but her tiny stature doesn't slow her down at all! She loves every second of her life, and grasps any opportunity to make her Mom smile!

Her love and enthusiasm for life is incomprehensible. No matter how badly she was treated for so long, Marla doesn't hold a grudge against anyone. She loves everybody she meets, and never hesitates to cover you with kisses.

Marla is the joy in my life, and without her our little family would not be complete. We are so lucky to have found her, and are forever blessed that they saved her life. I hope that this rescue is able to continue its mission of placing amazing dogs in loving homes.

Our kids:)

Family Photo (Dec.2007)

Marla last summer at the beach. Living life and loving every minute of it:)

Worried about MY mutt...

My dog, Marla, has incontinence issues and has kidney damage, ie her micro-albumin levels are 5.6 when it should be around 2.something.

Anyways, she was just laying at my feet and I noticed she started to lurch/spasm and this bloodyish brown fluid spattered all over the carpet (gross, I know) . I immediately took her outside and brought a sample cup to catch the urine. The urine looked normal, dark, but not bloody.

Ughh, I am freaking out.

I don't think this is an emergency to go to the e-vet but I will be calling my dr in the morning and bringing in the sample.

I hope its nothing too awful - I am terrified about her going into full on kidney failure.

She is the love of my life.

Adopt says "Mutts"