I didn’t put the puppies in my room last night because they were sound asleep on a pillow, and when I woke up at 4 am to go to the bathroom, I found this:
Who needs a feather bed and a down comforter with the fat snoring human when you have this?
by John Cole| 67 Comments
This post is in: Dog Blogging, Pet Rescue
I didn’t put the puppies in my room last night because they were sound asleep on a pillow, and when I woke up at 4 am to go to the bathroom, I found this:
Who needs a feather bed and a down comforter with the fat snoring human when you have this?
This post is in: Dog Blogging, Pet Rescue
From commentor Prometheus Shrugged:
Nya, a 10-month-old beagle, labrador mix, was rescued from the Humane Society of Imperial County on January 10, 2015. This scrawny puppy had been overlooked at the shelter for two months and needed a rescue to save her. We took one look at Nya’s protruding ribs and knew we needed to help. Nya was placed in a loving foster home where our first step was to put on some much needed weight. Despite being parasite free, Nya proved to be a very picky eater – almost to the point of being anorexic. Her blood work looked normal, leaving us perplexed. Our goal was to find a food, any food, that Nya would eat.
On February 20, 2015, Nya was rushed to Veterinary Specialty Hospital after she went into respiratory arrest after a larger-than-normal meal. Chest X-rays revealed that Nya had a diaphragmatic hernia – a small hole in her diaphragm that allowed her liver, stomach, and small intestines to migrate into her chest cavity. Her food-filled stomach was pressing on her heart and lungs, causing a rapid heart rate and labored breathing. Our vets believe the hernia was congenital, since Nya has no injuries that indicate the condition was caused by trauma. Dr. Fryer performed a flawless surgery the following day and for the first time in our care, Nya’s lungs were able to fully expand in her chest cavity!
We have been fostering dogs for “The Rescued Dog” here in San Diego for a couple of years, and Nya, is, hands down, the sweetest dog I’ve ever been around. She loves all humans unconditionally and has been great with the other pets in our house (AKA our “foster failures”). The surgery, though expensive, seems to have been a success. Assuming she heals properly, and regardless of any fundraising, she should soon be adoptable.
She would make an ideal companion for anyone wanting or needing a little love and affection–i.e. approximately everybody. I would be happy to provide more details to anyone who might be interested. We’ve had her for more than a month now, and I took all the non-hospital photos on the webpage (the obligatory “dogs making the bed” shot should look familiar). So I have a reasonable sense of her personality. As I said, unadulterated sweetness.
As far as I can tell, most rescue operations seem to be noble organizations, and “The Rescued Dog” is no exception. (I’m not affiliated with them in any way other than providing a foster home.) Their strategy is to go to the rapid (5-day) kill shelters throughout Southern California and rescue the ones that seem most adoptable. They pay for all medical expenses prior to adoption (including spaying/neutering, vaccinations, and, occasionally, major medical expenses such as Nya’s) and then make the adoption process as painless as possible. Their track record for choosing the most affectionate dogs has thus far been impeccable. However, like most rescue organizations, they do operate on a shoestring budget; not surprisingly, vet bills like Nya’s totally wipe them out.
Poor girl, I’m guessing she’s been a ‘picky eater’ because a full stomach was so uncomfortable for her. If you can, please spread the word (Facebook, etc.). And if you’re interested in giving Nya a permanent home, or know someone who might be, leave a comment or contact me (click on my name in the right-hand column or annelaurie at verizon dot net).
by John Cole| 47 Comments
This post is in: Dog Blogging, Pet Rescue
No pics- been a long day. The past few days, Ginger has been drinking an extraordinary amount of water and having “mistakes” on the carpet, and this morning her nose was a dry and rough as a pumice stone. I took her to the vet, and my suspicions were confirmed and she is diabetic. She is staying over night to get her blood sugar levels stabilized and to get hydrated, and tomorrow I will pick her up and learn how to give her insulin shots twice daily.
Another day in paradise.
by John Cole| 75 Comments
This post is in: Dog Blogging, Pet Rescue
Five dogs and a cat is fun, but it is a lot of work. So between bored with the political scene and the ugliness and being up to my armpits in tootsie roll sized puppy shit, I stepped away from the blog for a little bit.
The puppies are really growing, and really starting to have their personalities come through. Ginger has the parenting skills of a turnip and wants NOTHING to do with her puppies anymore, Rosie and Lily don’t want much to do with them, with Rosie getting bitchy because she is arthritic and doesn’t want puppies bumping into her, and Lily is jealous, so she gets her little nose out of joint, so the slack has been picked up by Steve.
And he has been a champ. They love playing with him, and they’ll bum rush him from both sides and he’ll just flop over on his side and let them attack him while he bats at them. He never ever uses any claws, and really is a gentle giant. They also love their nap times with his floofiness, and he is quite content to let them curl up next to him and take advantage of his girth and his winter coat.
Last night, Steve was actually grooming Lovey. They were both sitting on Shawn’s lap, and Lovey rolled over on her back and Steve licked and cleaned her from head to toe. It was really adorable, and they of course stopped as soon as I got the camera.
The puppies are constantly playing and getting into everything. I caught Thurston chewing on a hershey dark chocolate wrapper, and no one has had a candy bar of that kind in this house for at least six months, so I have no idea where the hell he found it. I went out and did some things this morning, and when I came back, took a nap. I just hung my pants on the knob of my bed, and went to sleep (all five dogs have to be in my room during naptime because otherwise I am getting up every 5 minutes to let one in until everyone is inside, so I just parade them all in before I even try to sleep). When I woke up, I found them on the floor with Lovey and Thurston sleeping on them. Shooed them off my britches, put them on, and the little bastards had chewed a softball sized hole in the ass of them. More rags for cleaning, I guess.
Both are quite independent, but Lovey is more of a pack follower than Thurston. If Lily and Rosie are sleeping, she goes and lies next to them and models them. Thurston is more content to just do his own thing, and we find him in all sorts of odd places sleeping by himself. Probably precisely where he collapsed after his latest burst of energy.
by John Cole| 82 Comments
This post is in: Dog Blogging, Pet Rescue
Took Ginger to get groomed today, went away for a couple hours, came back, and found this animal that I didn’t even recognize:
Apparently her coat was so bad after years of neglect that he tried to brush her out after the bath, but her hair kept coming out in clumps, so he just shaved her. I have no idea if this is what she is suposed to look like, but this is what she looks like now.
I took her to a friend who loves poodles, and she almost took Ginger away from me, because she was gushing over how adorable she looked, and I said “I dunno- looks like a rubber chicken to me.” The important thing is that she feels better, and she is much friskier.
Without her hair, she is so damned teeny tiny. I have no idea how she birthed these pups. Here she is next to her five and a half week old puppies:
And here is my best attempt at a family photo:
At any rate, she is completely ignoring her puppies, so I think as soon as she gets her stiches out next week we are going to work on placing her in her forever home. I need to get in touch with Mary G. and see if she can get the home inspection by a pet rescue in her area and if that is still an option. Figure I will keep the pups for a couple more weeks until they are housebroken and because I don’t want to give away the two of them just yet.
This post is in: Cat Blogging, Pet Rescue
From commentor Johannes:
I’m writing again on behalf of the group of volunteers that run the cat colonies at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Back after Hurricane Sandy, the Balloon Juice community supported the repair work that has kept the colonies flourishing these past two years, and helped us find a home for Sanders, the sweet cat with one eye. We’re hoping that the blog can help once again.
Attached is a photo of a cat we call Morticia. Morticia, who is about six years old, has always been friendly — visiting with her was one of the perks of the volunteers’ work at the Navy Yard — but recently we brought her to the vet to have an upper respiratory infection treated. She’s fine now, and she is FeLV/FIV negative. She has a cataract in one eye, and is blind in that eye, which makes continued outdoor life dangerous for her. Before and after her vet visit, she was kept at one of the volunteers’ home, and we realized that she is a house cat at heart. Even friendly ferals often aren’t, but Morticia is serene, companionable, and is even okay with other cats. We’re hoping to find a good home for her; she;’s indoors right now, and loving it, but she’s in what can only be a temporary home.
Morticia would make a happy home happier, and her purrs will more than earn her keep.
As anyone who’s had the privilege to live with one can tell you, tortoiseshell cats are the best. If you’re interested in giving Morticia a permanent home, or know someone who might be, leave a message in the comments below or email me (click on my name in the right-hand column, or annelaurie at verizon dot net), and I’ll put you in touch.
This post is in: Dog Blogging, Pet Rescue
My office assistant Lovey sound asleep on my arm while I work:
Naptime is quite a procedure these days.
Rosie is underneath the covers, Ginger is underneath the bed hiding from her puppies, and I am relegated to about a quarter of the bed. The puppies are now to the stage where they bitch if they are not included with the other dogs, so they are now napping in the bed. I’m going to start crate training them this week, with set hours (10pm bedtime, 7 am wakeup) so it will be easier on their forever home families.
No pics of Ginger because she is not feeling very sociable, as she is still recovering from her surgery and a little tired. Plus, the puppies keep tryingto nurse and she simply has no milk left, so she is avoiding them. I had to cancel her appointment today and we will go to the doggie spa on Monday.
As soon as I can get it on video, I will have some puppies on Steve sparring action. He is such a champ- so gentle with them. Just lies on the ground and baps at them as they attack him, and he never uses claws. When he gets tired, he stands up and shakes them off and climbs his cat tree.
My Open Thread Brings all the Pups to the YardPost + Comments (141)