Saving What You Love

I’m not sure if my dogs saved my life, but they definitely gave me life. I now pass that on how I can by fostering and transporting coonhounds. This video was put together by one of the volunteers for The American Black and Tan Coonhound Rescue. It recognizes the breed that I have come to love that is so misunderstood in our country. Please share this video with your friends. Oh, and watch close-Grannie has a cameo with my girls!!

 

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Meet Eddie!

So, it turns out Molly loves to play. More than my Daisy can hope to keep up with. So, I got together with a friend of mine and we decided to have her bring one of her six month old foster puppies over for a play date. They had fun running back and forth chasing toys and playing together.

Eddie is a total doll! He is a typical six month old puppy. He is happy and playful and energetic. He loves to chew and he loves people! He has started learning basic obedience. He is also great with kids.

Eddie and his two sisters, Abby and Bitty, are up for adoption in Savannah, GA through Solace Pit Bull Rescue.

Blog Paws is less than two weeks away! I am getting so excited. I know many of my readers are going and I hope to meet all of you!

It’s a blog hop….

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Everyone, Meet Riley Beau!

So…yes, if you read my tags-I am now a foster mom to another coonhound! I wasn’t going to foster right now. Life is a mess crazy chaos interesting until October, but who could say no to this sweet boy? I’m fostering for the American Black and Tan Coonhound Rescue, which is where I adopted Daisy.

So, a little about Riley. He is almost 9 years old and was owned by the same woman his whole life. She adopted him as a puppy from a rural shelter but passed away recently. Riley is NO fan of cats so the lady’s surviving family wasn’t able to keep him. I figured an older dog who has already lived in a house would probably be ok with my busy work schedule right now, and I was right-Riley is doing great.

Riley is a very sweet, and very spoiled guy. It is obvious he was very loved by his former owner and I think he pretty much got what he wanted when he wanted it. We are working on him learning to wait on things (he has a tendency to demand bay if I take too long for his liking). He has pretty good house manners overall although he will counter surf if given the opportunity. The only thing he loves to destroy is his toys, oh yeah, and Daisy’s toys too. LOL He loves a kong even if it’s stuffed with just plain kibble and will play and chew on an empty one.

Riley gets along with other dogs. I was so worried about he and Bella would get along but it’s mostly pretty good. She was super bitchy the first few days, raising her lip and growling if he came within 3 feet of her. Riley gave her the time she needed and didn’t push too hard to be her friend and now they get along just fine! Daisy has taught him that there doesn’t have to be a squirrel in the tree in order for you to bay at it. They run out together and check on the trees and make sure the back yard doesn’t have any furry intruders. Riley LOVES kids! He will start “playing” by asking for a belly rub but if you want, it can end up in a good wrestling match.

Although its obvious Riley has lived in a home he doesn’t have much formal obedience. He knows “sit”. Yep, that is his long list of known commands. Right now, I don’t mind that since his house manners are good and he doesn’t pull on the leash much or jump on me. Right now we are mostly working on the demand baying. It happens when he wants in or out of the house. It also happens if I’m getting ready to go. He stays in the hall and looks forward to his kong when I leave, so much that he starts telling everyone. He’s learning that he has to be quiet before he gets the kong. In two weeks he has learned that after meals, he can stay quiet in his crate until everyone is done. He used to just stand and bay at me wanting to get out because he was finished. Don’t get the wrong idea…overall Riley is actually a pretty quiet guy.

The one thing I LOVE is Riley is a snuggler!! Daisy will cuddle if she is in the mood but Riley is always in the mood!! He also likes to sit on the couch with me at night and hold my hand. It makes it hard to type, but I love it anyway.

If you know anyone looking for a great family dog let them know about Riley! He really has the best mix of calm inside/play outside and is past both the crazy puppy stages and stubborn teenager phase. The rescue is also able to coordinate transport. Here is the link to his adoption page: Rileys Page

I Want to "Help"

Today’s message goes out to all those who work in animal rescue. I read your blogs and hear the stories and continue to be surprised at how people act. So…

 

Thank you. Not just for the animals. Honestly, thank you for dealing with all the crap that humans put on you. The ones who did things that made the pets end up in your care and those who say they care and want to help but only if you jump through their hoops.

 

I read an exchange recently that just left me going “Huh?” If you want to help, just help! Why do people have to put tags and conditions on things? Find an organization you trust, who has a similar vision you do, then let them do what they do best! Since I don’t work in rescue, it was just odd to be privy first hand to the conversation for once.

Backstory: A rescue was able to pull a sick dog from a kill shelter just in time (why is it always just in time these days?) The new foster mom was pretty excited and updating those who had interest in the story that the dog was indeed safe. Although I can’t remember the exact words it went something like this:

Rescue mom: Yay We were able to pull this sweet girl from the shelter! She has mange and unfortunately has heartworms. She is very underweight but safe.

Citizen: Oh! This is great news! I would like to donate some food for her.

Rescue mom: Well, the easiest way to donate to the rescue is through our paypal link on the website.

Citizen: But I want to donate food.

Rescue mom: Well, we are a network of foster homes and she is several states away from you. She is going to have quite a few medical bills the rescue would appreciate you donating to her care.

Citizen: Oh, well, I do have my own 3 dogs. Money is tight (blah blah blah-excuses).

Now, At this point I could understand, perhaps the helpful citizen gets a huge discount on dog food. So for them, it might be super easy and affordable to donate when they felt close to this pup’s story BUT it continues…..

Citizen: So, is she going to start heartworm treatment? What kind? I might want to donate.

Rescue mom: Well, right now we are going to work on helping her gain some weight and treat her mange. She isn’t healthy enough to go through heartworm treatment at this time. But she is going to have a lot of vet bills with the ear infection the vet found, her mange and her spay.

Citizen: Well, can you do the slow kill treatment for the heartworms? I would like to donate towards that treatment, as long as it isn’t the harsher injections.

Rescue mom: We don’t know what method will be chosen right now, but perhaps you could check back in a month or two when she is healthier?

 

OK, really? It is just me or were their way to many terms and conditions for this “help” the citizen was offering? I mean, if you don’t agree with heartworm injection treatment and you have the money, say it’s for the mange, or the ear infection. Or better yet, just be happy one more dog was saved from a kill shelter and is getting healthy and ready for a forever home! You either have the money to donate, or you don’t. Which is it?