Sad times and happy tails

Saturday was a great day in many ways.  Kelly and Debbie packed up 28 puppies and 2 adult dogs in our Suburban and headed to Virginia to meet up with a rescue out of New York.  The dogs were from our animal control and our Humane Society.  The Northern states are looking for dogs to adopt out, and we are begging for homes.  It would be great to find more rescues to take these dogs.  I want so much to help some of the other animal control facilities. Many of them have no one, and they are slaughter houses.  Hopefully we will find a network of rescues to help us and the dogs and cats.

Kelly and Debbie arrived at the Humane society at 7AM, and the girls there helped pack crates in the SUV.  I was very concerned about having room for so many, but they made it work, so the doggies could travel in comfort.  It was about a six hour drive; stopping only to check on the dogs.  The group showed up just outside of DC, and the dogs were let out to exercise and go potty, and then they were off to NY.  There were homes waiting for many of them, and foster homes for the others. It was a lot of driving, and such an act of love for the gals to make this trip with no compensation asked for. There are good people in the world!

We were happy to hear that all the dogs arrived safe and sound in NY later that night.  "That's thirty dogs that are out of here and safe," I told Harry that night.  I breathed a sigh of relief.

I was at the pet adoption all day. I was happy to see three college girls show up to help.  I was concerned that there would be little help.  I had Gabe from animal control bring two dogs.  One is Mavis, an adorable hound, and the other dog is, Trigger, a boxer mix who is as sweet as he can be.  When Gabe brought  Trigger in I thought I heard him cough.  We see kennel cough all the time, and it is very contagious, so we can't have the dogs out there until they are treated, or we have a major problem.  Sure enough, he was coming down with a cough, so I had to send him back to get on meds.  I felt so bad for him because he was so happy to be out of there.  "We'll get you out. I promise" I said, as Gabe walked him back to the truck.

Just then a guy walked in with a Pomeranian that he had adopted from us months before.

"I can't keep Binks anymore.  Too many dogs," he said.  He got out today, and we chased him all over the place, and I decided that was it, " he continued.

I was very upset that anyone would bring a dog to us totally unannounced.  We have room for four crates.  That's it. The mall makes the rules, and we do everything we can to comply.  They have been so good to us, and the last thing we need is to lose that spot.

"I have several dogs here, but I'll see what I can do," I said, knowing that my annoyance was showing.
"Are you planning on staying here with him to hold him if need be?" I asked.

The answer was no to that one. I wanted to keep the dog there because I wanted to get him a home.  Another gal had found a sweet little dog on the side of the road a few days before.  She had taken the dog to the vet, and she had called me and asked if we could help her place the dog.  I was happy to help her.  She has fostered for us in the past and has been a huge help to us.  She came in with her dog, Then, about the same time, Alex arrived.

Alex was sporting his new look, after being at the groomer, and you could tell that he was happy and proud. To think that this little guy was so close to the gas chamber just days before made my skin crawl.  Then I thought of the millions that never escape and die such terrible deaths..  I had to shake that thought and be thankful for those we can save.  "You'll get a home today, you handsome dog!" I said, giving him a pat on the head.

Another little brindle puppy arrived with his foster dad.  He was one of six puppies, and he hadn't found a family yet.  He is so darn cute,and I just can't figure out why he is still looking for a home, but I know the perfect home will come along.  One of the college girls scooped him up and started to show him off.

My friend, Anita, that has been fostering Jasmine came out with her.  Jazzy is a beautiful white American Bulldog mix.  She isn't real fond of other dogs, which is typical for that breed.  Jazzy laid in the middle of the mall floor for a while getting all kinds of pets and hugs.  I felt certain that someone would want her.  She is absolutely beautiful!  We are very cautious about who takes our bull dogs.  They can draw the wrong people.  I wanted to be sure that Jazzy had a fenced yard because people think they a Pit bulls, and they shoot them around here.

Molly, a sweet brown dog, came in a bit later with her foster mom.  She is a sweet dog... nothing real special to draw anyone to her.   Just minutes after she arrived, a man and his son walked in and took her out of her crate.  After spending a while with her, he came to me and said,"We're going to adopt her.  She will be given a lot of love."

I was thrilled!  Of all the dogs out there, she was our plain Jane.  He filled out the papers as his little son beamed.  "You're a lucky dog," I said, as I stooped down to hug her.  She came close to being euthanized because of a dog fight the occurred when she was in heat.  She wound up at animal control, and Anita took pity on her.  Now she had a second chance at life, and she was going home.  God is good!

Several people were looking at Alex.  They all disappeared into the mall, and I was hoping that someone would come back and tell us they wanted him.  Finally, a lady came back and said,"I want to foster to adopt this beautiful little man."  We were so happy.  He was so excited when he walked out that door!  Alex was going home!

 Right after they left, the other couple came by that had been looking at him.  They were very disappointed that he was gone, but we try to tell people that if they are interested in a dog they need to act on it.  They are always surprised when the dog they want is gone.  I took their name and phone number just in case Alex comes back, but I hope that he has found his family.

Another woman from  our Belks store came by and fell in love with Binks.  She said she would take him home and see how he did with her other dog.  I know that Binks has been home alone a lot, and has not been totally housebroken, so I am hoping that this works out.  Time will tell.  He is three years old, and I always worry about a dog that age that is not house broken.  It takes a very special person.

A few people offered to foster the puppy, but one of the college girls made up her mind that she wanted to foster him if no one took him.  I knew she loved that little guy, and I felt that he would be in good hands with her if no one took him. That's what happened at the end of the day.  We were all shocked that he didn't get a home, but at least he was safe.

A very nice lady came by and spent a lot of time with Mavis.  I was very worried about this beautiful girl.  She is getting very depressed at animal control.  I asked the lady if there was any way she could foster her.

"Will she be put down?" she asked.

"No, I believe Mavis is safe, but we need the cage for other dogs. She is getting very depressed over there, and she needs to get out," I said hoping that she would have pity on this gentle girl.

"I'll call my husband," she said, and she disappeared in to the mall. There seems to be a black hole in that mall! People tell us that they will be coming back  and they walk in to the mall, and we never see them again.

About an hour later she was back.

"My husband just drove up," she said.

They were a great couple, you could see that right away.  He took Mavis out of her cage, and they took her for a walk.  He was concerned about their other dog, who is also a hound. I could tell that he was pretty apprehensive about all of this, but, after some time, they finally decided to take her home to foster her.  I breathed a sigh of relief.  At least, she was safe for now.  I was so happy that she didn't have to go back to animal control.

My friend's little dog that was found on the road didn't get a home either.  I was surprised.  I felt pretty certain that she would go. She would be a great dog for a retired couple, or a widow. Yogi packed her up and brought her home, but I feel certain that she will get a family soon. "The right person will come along," I told Yogi.  She did a good thing when she picked this little dog up to keep her out of danger. Many people just keep driving.

Jasmine was getting sick of it all by the end of the day, and she began to show it.  She growled and snapped a few times, and that really upset me.  We just can't have that at the adoptions.  She had been perfect all day, but she was done with it all.  I knew exactly how she felt!  When Anita left with her I was so concerned.  I think she may need to find a family off our website because the adoption thing really ticked her off.

I got a message this morning from the lady that took Mavis.

" We are fostering Mavis, and we just love her," the message began.  She is the most loving gentle dog, BUT our dog is having a hard time adjusting. In fact, he went after her a couple of times.  She is such a sweet little dog, and she has such a gentle spirit, but since he is acting like this I wondered if there were any options for her other than animal control...."

My heart sank. When will people learn that this takes time!  I tried to call her back, but I didn't get an answer, and I can only hope that they will give this more time.  Its not easy for children to adjust to a new sibling either, but you don't send the baby back!  When our little Jonah was born a couple of months ago,  our two year old grandson, Xander, watched me closely as I picked the baby up from his bassinet.   After a few minutes he said, "Put him down, Mimi.  His bed is over there."  I'm sure that is exactly how these dog feel!

On the down side, My daughter's dog, Max is fifteen years old, and he is giving out.  He is in kidney failure, and now he has stopped eating.  We have loved this sweet little Westie for so long, and I can't imagine life without him.  Kelly's son, Caleb, had his birthday yesterday, and we were all trying to have a great time and not put a damper on his special day.  My son-in-law, Rob, came in and held Max in his arms the whole time.  We all shed many tears knowing good and well that we will probaly never see Max again this side of heaven.  My heart broke for Kelly because there is no easy way out of this.  You can't stop death.  It comes, and we have to somehow accept it. She is determined that Max needs to die at home. I hope it can happen that way.  She cancelled any plans for Valentine's Day, so she could be with him.  My prayers have been going up all day for Max, Kelly and her family.

Roy is hanging on by a thread.  Debbie is at the vet right now picking up medicine, but I am not optimistic. I really don't think there is any medicine that will cure Roy.  He is old and worn out.  He has been rejected and heartbroken.  I think he has given up.  He is shutting down quickly.  We have two going down at the same time, and everyone has been in tears over these sweet dogs. No one said life was easy.  This is a hard time for all of us involved with these precious dogs. That doesn't stop the phone from ringing with constant problems and many times petty complaints.  People have no idea when they call what we are dealing with.

We rejoice in the good things, and we pray through the bad.  The sad times make us more determined to love more deeply, and the happy tails keep us going.

Bow Wow for now!