Jakey Boy!

I sent a random e-mail to my former foster Jake's mom and not only did she answer but she sent photos! He's doing great. They no longer live in Jacksonville. They are living with her parents and I believe that is in Melbourne FL (I forget).

Here he is with his Uncle (his grandparent's dog)

Snuggled up on his mama

Posing

Someone rudely woke him up

Being a rat terrier is exhausting!

If you want to learn about Jake, just type in Jake and/or Jakey Boy in the search section of my blog.

Jakey Update!

Jake's new mom sent photos! In previous message she said they are getting along well and that he is the perfect dog for her. How great is that!?!?!?! I see the little stinker let him take a head on shot - I had him for months and never got a shot that good because he always turned his head.

Jakey's Last Full Day

Tomorrow I meet Jakey's new mom in Ocala and pass him off to his new life. I wanted to get him ready and have extra time with him today. Jerry & I took all three to the vet for nail trims and then to the dog park for a little fun.

This is Daisey relaxing on the picnic table at the dog park. Today it got to 85. Summer is here!

Then I took Jake to lunch and to Pet Food Warehouse to buy food, treats, & toys - basically his dowry. LOL I wanted to send familiar food to avoid tummy upset right away.

Then I got this crazy idea to take a photo of Jake on a Harley! So, I drove to a Harley dealership and waited till someone came out. This beautiful blond woman was gracious enough hold Jakey on her bik so I could take a photo. How cool is that?

Jake Will Be Going To His FURever Home Soon!

After a few applications Jake finally has an approval! Once the contract is signed and the fee paid he will be traveling to his new home in Jacksonville, FL. CongRATulations Jakey Boy! We will miss him terribly. I so wish his Missy could have been adopted along with him but I guess the important thing is that they both find good homes (she is not yet adoptable due to a skin issue).

Daisey was quite annoyed witht he boys this morning. She wanted to sleep in (with her mama in the bed) but the boys were wide awake, active, and hunry for their breakfast. You can see her bad mood inthis photo where they are barking at the window behind her.

Got them to quiet down for a couple minutes with a new Kong brand toy. I bought this one last week. It has a squeaky ball on one end, an animal head on the other, and a bungie in the middle. Jake likes it and he doesn't like all toys - that's one picky rat terrier. Eddie, on the other hand, believes ALL toys belong to him.

Jake is so hard to photo. He turns his head at the last second, bulges his eyes, or stands his ears straight up. He usually looks like he has just seen a scary movie scene. Add to all that the world's worst photographer ;)

The boys watching the activity in the neighborhood. Foxy Roxy, our last foster, bit the blinds and Eddie has fallen into them a few times so they are a mess. I want to replace that window with one where the blinds are on the inside. Good idea?

Even little Miss Daisey couldn't stay upset for too long. A rat terrier has got to do what a rat terrier was bred to do - be ont he lookout for possible vermin.

Finally got a shot of them playing with the new toy. It's a total set up of course because Eddie can rip that away in seconds. The first shot Jake dropped it when he heard my camera open. Then Eddie pulled him across the room (the ottomon is on rollers) as I tried to take a second shot. But as they say, third time is a charm :)

Eddie finally ran off with the other toy. Jake is enjoying playing alone with an unstuffed Christmas toy from Aunt Michelle.

Finally! A good shot - except for the green eyes of course.

Jakey Boy & Other Rat Tales

We had someone fill out an application for Jake; however, when I corresponded with the person I had reservations about the match because they live on a 75 acres farm and were hoping for a dog that would follow them around the property from barn to porch, etc. More important, they were concerned about his age. Jake is 8 years young. This has me thinking about the value we place, or don't place, on maturity.

When I say "we" I guess I really mean American popular culture. Obviously the value of elders changes by culture, family, geography, etc. I tried to recollect television advertising where a mature American is used without a reference to age. Sure, they play grandparents, people using "geriatric products" such as denture cream or arthritis medication but do they ever just show up as a "plain ole person" who just happens to be senior? The most diversified TV ads that come to mind for me are Stein Mart ads. Can you think of any? There are so many products that I would call generic products (cars, cell phones, food, office supplies, name a thousand more) that don't necessarily need a young, thin, tall person as a representative of the user but, to me, I don't see many of them.

The same is true for Jake. He is a great dog and it is a shame that he is may be seen as less valuable because he is 8. I'm not slaming the people who initially inquired about him because for that one couple (who at least owned up to their hesitation) there may be a dozen others who read his age and moved on without inquiring about him. Well, those folks are missing out on a wonderful pet. He goes potty on demand and goes quickly because he much prefers to be inside the house than out. He's a good watch dog (typical rat terrier trait), very loving and devoted. He is the rare dog that would fit perfectly into an apartment or condo and I truly hope that is where he ends up. Hopefully someone will recognize a wonderful little dog and not place too much value on youth but, instead, quality. Who knows, perhaps someday we will feel the same way about humans. **POOF - I woke up but it was a wonderful dream**

And before I forget my other rat tale, I was elected to the board of directors of Ratbone Rescues!

A Recipe Worth Making, I Promise

I know, I know, I promise a recipe but I just had to share this photo of the boys first. This was a shopping trip to Pet Food Warehouse in St. Pete. Eddie kept starting to lift his leg to mark so the salesperson suggested I put them in the cart. Jakey was a good boy but he had to ride in the cart due to "guilt by association".

OK, the recipe. This recipe is a dessert and it is the easiest thing you will ever make and it's delicious! Plus there is no mixing, no measuring, and limited cookware and utensils! Perfect as a project for kids. Let's get started by preheating your oven to 350 and gathering the following:

a 9" x 13" baking
1 mixing spoon
1 butter knife
a can of crushed pineapple, juice poured off (abt 20 oz)
a can of cherry pie filling (abt 15 oz)
a box of yellow cake mix (dry)
2 sticks of butter, thinly sliced (I only use 1 1/2 sticks)
1/2 - 1 cup of pecans or walnuts (optional)

Here's a photo of the dessert shortly after going into the oven so that you can get an idea of what it will look like after you have assembled it. In this photo the butter has melted so yours, when first assembled, will look just a little different.

Assembly:

I use a glass baking dish and I spray PAM in it first for easier clean up but you can use any type of pan and you don't have to lubricate the dish.

Drain the pineapple then dump it out and spread it around to cover the bottom of the dish. OK if it is not perfectly covered.

Next, spread the cherry pie filling over the pineapple. This is best done by dropping spoonfuls on top them flattening out with the back of your spoon. It may not completely cover the pineapple.

Now open the box of yellow cake mix and pour it on top of the fruit mixture making sure to cover the entire surface - this is no problem because there is plenty of cake mix in one box.

Slice up 1 cup (two sticks) of butter (I actually use only 1 1/2 sticks) and place them all over the top of the "cake" being sure to cover as much of the surface as possible.

Finally, sprinkle chopped nuts on the top (as desired) before placing in a 350 oven for about an hour, until it turns brown on top and you see some cherry bubbling through to the top. A glass dish will take a little less time than a metal one.

This is what it looks like when it is done. (I used a whole cup of pecans in this one but most recipes call for 1/2 cup if at all). Let it sit for a little bit then scoop out while still warm and enjoy. If you refrigerate the leftovers, zap a serving in the microwave for 20 seconds to heat up and soften before serving. Oh, and some of my family members like this with whipped cream or ice cream.

Variations:

omit the pineapple and substitute a chocolate cake mix

omit the pineapple and use apple pie filling & walnuts for something similar to apple crisp
I'm going to try the variation above but with a spice cake next time

use a can of peaches instead of cherry pie fillilng (juice reserved) sprinkled with peach gelatin (dry) and then pour the peach juice mixed with 1/2 cup water on top as the very last step (after the butter) - this will be more like a cobbler

use your imagination! the sky is truly the limit....i'm thinking blueberry pie mix and lemon cake. you think?

New Year's Dinner

I am behind in blogging and will try to catch up - alot has gone on in the last few weeks. Christmas, my birthday, new year's, my dad's passing, and our wedding anniversary. Now I am under the weather and hopefully can use that time to catch up on easy things like downloading my camera ;)

Jerry and Jake show signs of stress on New Year's day. Watching college football and waiting on dinner to be served can take it's toll.

Having been selected as "the chosen one" to attend New Year's dinner at my mom's, Jake was an absolute gentleman. No marking, barking, whining, pacing, begging, or any other annoying doggie behaviors one might see in a more-spoiled doggie (not mentioning any names here); however, he did need to have me in his line of sight at all times. He was so good with my MIL Marge who normally avoids my dogs because they paw her to pet them and it rips her skin. (Don't you just love the aging process? I don't mind getting older but I don't like the changes so far or those to come.)

The crew sitting down for dinner. We had my hubby Jerry, my MIL Marge, my first cousin once removed Erica (in the scrubs because she had to go to work after), my mom Vee, my first cousin Lee (Erica's mom), and of course the world's worst phototographer, me!

My family, and strangers in restaurants, may believe it is wierd but I like to photo plates of food. Granted, I am no food stylist, but I like the documentation of tradition and food is a huge tradition during the holidays for my family. You could probably compare previous year blog posts and see just about the same menu year to year but always lovingly prepared ;)

Other than a day out, here's the real reward for being the chosen one. Luckily, Jake had his dental surgery the day before and had been on antibiotics for several days so I believe he was able to enjoy it.

Fair Warning! Gross Photo Below

I am posting photos to show what my new foster dog Jake has had to endure - terrible dental health. His breath was so bad that when I picked him up in the car I had to crack the windows even though he was riding in the back seat. He also came with his underside completely broken out and a respitory infection likely due to his teeth or possibly an allergy (bad food?)

The first photo is from Monday when I got him. The last photo was taken a little while ago after his dental procedure today. A very nice rescue-friendly dentist did the work for only $250 after my dentist quoted $600 - $900. I only have one photo of new smile because I didn't want to touch his mouth much - he has stitches and lost 8 teeth.

Now that you have made it past the ugly photo, here is the reward........

Aren't they pretty? And his breath is neutral. He's sleeping by me having been under anesthesia today.

Paws Crossed for Jake

My foster dog Jake is going in tomorrow for dental work. On a scale of 1 to 4 with 4 being the worse, his teeth are a 4. He is expected to loose many of them. They have to put him out and his system is already compromised by the infection.

He woke me up at 3am with what seemed like trouble breathing and he scared me. He has a sinus infection and possibly some kennel cough. The vet said one nostril was not "breathing" at all and the other not at full force. He was breathing partially through his mouth. Likely this sinus infection is related to the bad teeth.

Thank you to the rescue friendly vet who is giving us a huge break on the fee.