New Foster Keeps Us Busy!

Meet Bolton Blue! He's our new foster and available through Ratbone Rescues. He's keeping us VERY busy because he's young and very energetic. Wow, we're old.

This photo is a rare one of the three of them sitting together. It's a miracle really.

Last Christmas

I just realize that I didn't post our annual Christmas doggie portrait last year. That's probably because I was almost finished crocheting Christmas scarves for the annual photo when I learned Declan was coming back to us - I had to make one more at the last minute. So, better late than never.

2017 has been a tough year for so many people that I know. We had to make the ultimate decision for both Declan and Diamond this year. We are hoping that 2018 is a kinder, gentler year.

Responsible Pet Owner

This woman has survived a 9.0 earthquake, a deadly tsunami, a nuclear disaster, home is gone, she is hungry and now cold but she still has her dog. This photo brings tears to my eyes and joy to my heart.

Those of us involved in dog rescue have heard it all and frankly, most of the time people's reasons for "getting rid" of their dog sound more like excuses to unburden themselves (and burden shelters and rescues) than unworkable issues. Let me share a few: moving, divorce, having a baby, grew big or not a puppy anymore, kids aren't playing with it, new house, boyfriend/girlfriend doesn't like dogs.......believe me, the list goes on and on.

PLEASE, PLEASE if you are considering getting a dog, do it for the long haul. Don't keep a dog through it's "good" years and then toss it out at the first signs of aging. It sees you as part of it's family and will grieve (if it even survives the shelter). By the way, many shelters kill owner surrenders dogs right away because they only have the resources to hold so many dogs and those are the strays whose owner might be looking for them. Dropping your dog off in a "rich" neighborhood doesn't mean ti will be adopted by a good family - it means it will likely starve on it's own.

If you can't say for certain that you are committed to that dog through it's entire life span, PLEASE consider a goldfish, a hampster, or something that won't live 9 - 20 years and consider you it's family.

Vickie

How I Spent My Friday Night

I believe I had a GREAT Friday night! First I fed and walked my:

Then I finally finished making my St. Patrick's Day wreaths. I kept procrastining the finish because I'm not crazy about them. I didn't care for many of the doo-dads available - I didn't want beer jugs on my wreath, LOL.

And finally I finished off the night by playing Wii. I did very well at the bowling training game where it keeps adding more pins - first frame is 10 pins and they increase up to 91 pins!. See the scorekeeper thingy in the upper left of the photo? The check marks indicates strikes. Just one more frame to go........

And STIKE on the last frame! I got all 91 pins down. It was my night.

Made It Myself Monday

Do you remember these vests? I made a bunch of vests/harnesses and donated some to an online friend's fundraiser in Wisconsin, sold one, and listed a couple in my etsy store. Well, the pasta vest picture above went to a dog named NOODLES! How cool is that? The best part is that Noodles mamma sent a photo! See below:

Meet Noodles wearing a noodles vest! Isn't she lovely? Her mamma says they had a laugh when a stranger asked her name and the stranger cracked a smile as she realized Noodles was wearing noodles and then asked which came first - the dog or the vest. Noodles's daddy told the stranger that they got the vest and waited 3 years to find a dog named Noodles. LOL!

Great Buys for Doggies at Target

I stopped at Target on the way home tonight and in that special value area in the front, they had a section of 2/$5 dog items relating to winter and/or Christmas. There were GREAT values in there. This means that despite student loan payment begining shortly, I will be able to participate in being a secret Santa for a couple of homless foster dogs. Yippee!!!

I don't normally use my blog to promote a retail giant like Target but hey, when you see a HUGE value you just gotta share it!

One More Dog Vest

I finished the last vest tonight for an online friend's fund raiser. Since her event will be about a week before Halloween, she chose a Halloween fabric. Initially I was just going to use the orange belt web for the D ring but it looked so orange! So I sewed a gingham ribbon down the center to break up that orange. It might have been OK orange but anyone who knows me well knows that I have an aversion to the color orange. Sorry for the lousy photography - it's just me! LOL

Made It Myself Monday

I now have all 8 vests sewn together but had to stop for more supplies. I should have them completed, velcro and all, by the end of the week. And, with timely similarity, I happened to find a bag of fabric I purchased a year ago last October when I first made dog harness/vests. So now I have some Halloween, chili peppers, Americana, and a few more designs for making more! We'll see - I may just get sick of them and put them aside for another two years!

I've had this dog fabric awhile having brought it from Kodiak I believe. Never found the right use for it but this is perfect, don't ya think? The wine fabric is a very nice fabric- beautiful colors, a nice hand, and great to work with.

These are my last two of this group. Six are oging to an online friend for a fundraiser and I guess I will list the last two in my new Etsy store. Wish me luck for the motivation to continue with at least a few more because I've made another committment, LOL.

Oh! I almost forgot. We had a little nail clipping accident last night that got pretty scary. It took us over a half hour to get Daisey's nail to stop bleeding. I was a little freaked out. Jerry and I worked on her with one of those stick things for when you cut yourself shaving. I held her in my arms, rubbed her belly and whispered quietly to her to keep her calm while he worked the paw. She was falling asleep through the ordeal! Then it hit me that perhaps she was passing out or weak from the loss of blood! She is so my baby and I worry about her needlessly. At one point I thought of going out at 10pm at night to get her a steak to avoid anemia. I even went as far as to figure out that I could one at the Super Target or order from Sam Seltzer's Steakhouse which isn't far from my house. I was thinking of ordering a big Porterhouse, extra rare, to go. I'm a nervous mommy I guess.

I Didn't Get Dressed Today

Before you think of me as a lazy slob today, I'll show you what I did instead. I was just too busy to get dressed! By the time I took a break, it was almost time to get my jammies on again.

I constructed 4 dog vests today. I still need to addt he velcro closures but am waiting until I have all the vests done so that I can place the velcro to create different sizes. The top two vests are smaller and made from a beatiful fish print (I wish you could see the real color) and one of a pasta fabric. I thought novelty fabric would be eye catching at the fund raiser.
The next two are black backgrounds - one with golf equipment and one with Jelly Bellys. How fun is that? Black background, black thread, and black velcro makes for a challenge at times. I have 3 or 4 more vests to do. I will show them later. (I made more than needed for the fundraiser so she could choose the best ones).

Then, when I got my fill of sewing, I started the photo editing and transfer for future quilt blocks. The one above is my Daisey. She's so sweet!

This is a dog being publicized through Ratbone. His name is Smokey. I thought he was quite handsome.

Finally this is Teddy. How sweet is that face? Poor fella probably didn't expect to find himself homeless.

Me and My Daisey

Jerry took this photo of me and my Daisey tonight. I think we look quite a bit alike - both with white face and red hair. What do you think? Do you look like your dog? Let's see those photos!

Eddie & The Toy Box

This is the dog's toy box with everything they "own". It's not often you see if like this because Eddie usually pulls toys out as I try to put them in. Any attention given to a toy, such as picking it up, suddenly makes it desireable even if it had previously been ignored for weeks.

I was trying to sort through the toys and pull out the ones they don't play with and the ones they mutilated by removing the squeeky, destuffing, and chewing off eyes and arms but, as you can see, Eddie had to take over.

Look at this sad lot above and below. Missing parts, flat, and dirty. Hard to believe that white goose gets washed about once a week. Seems he just loves to take it outside and leave it after it is freshly laundered then, when it gets dirty again, he brings it into the house for play.

Wjen I first got Eddie from Ratbone I was told that in temporary care he "does not seem to know what toys are". Daisey used to play with toys she but doesn't stand a chance now. Eddie thinks they are all his except for the Wubba that she guards. Interestingly, she taught him how to desqueek and destuff. These rat terriers are quick learners and they learn from each other.

Ratbone Rescue Dogs

These dogs are all in the foster care of Ratbone Rescues. Click here to go to the web site for more information on these and other Rat Terriers in need.

Sugar
4-month-old Sugar was dropped off by her owners in a California shelter with a note saying to please put her to sleep because her leg was broken and cost too much to fix. With the shelter full and no money for vet care, Ratbone stepped in and got Sugar seen by a vet and flown to an open fosterhome in Washington. She has had a X-ray of the shattered leg and is wearing a brace and being carefully monitored. She currently has has good blood flow to her toes and no pain, and she is walking and running happily. Sugar has long legs but is very tiny, at just 6 lbs



Joker
Joker is 100% a total goofball! He is capable of surprising you and making you laugh on a daily basis. He came to Ratbone after four years with his former adoptive family, who became too busy for him and could no longer provide the attention he craves. Joker is house trained and crate trained. He is about 5 years old and a muscular boy at 15 pounds. He loves to sit on your lap, go for walks, play outside, play with squeak toys, and he even likes baths! He just adores attention and laps it right up. Joker is being fostered in Maryland.


Mae West
May West is an affectionate, smart, and quirky Rattie girl who knows many obedience commands. She is about 5 years old and weighs 17 lbs. She prefers to be in a small dog pack—just one other calm dog or else an "only child." May doesn’t like to be without her human and will call out for you to come back. She does well being crated while her folks are at work and keeps a clean crate. She's an expert doggie door user or would do fine without one if kept on a schedule. May has learned many obedience commands: sit, down, stay, leave it, spin, reverse, and catch, as well as how to jump agility jumps! She is very food motivated and has an amazing desire to always learn more, so she would do well with someone who'd like to continue her training in obedience or agility. Mae West is fostered in Georgia.


Sorley
Sorley’s name is Old Norse for “the summer traveler” and that’s exactly what he is. He had been found as a stray near the Georgia/Tennessee border. A shelter worker contacted Ratbone, who brought him to his foster home in southeast Georgia. He is a 1-year-old, tri-colored mini Rat Terrier weighing 14 lbs. He is good with children and ignores the foster family’s cat. Sorley is being fostered in Georgia.


Gidge
Gidge is a wee little 10-lb., 5-year-old Rattie with lots of personality and affections to share. She is mostly housetrained with only an occasional accident, and crate trained. She knows several basic verbal commands, but needs some practice walking on a leash. This active girl loves the outdoors and enjoys runs and walks, but indoors is content to nap or snuggle on a lap. Gidge resides in Massachuettes.

Dog Days

Back to school this week, thus the fewer blog posts. Christmas tree is still up - trying to convince friends and family that I am Russian Orthodox (Orthodox celebrate Christmas on Jan 7th :)

Tonight, after a Red Lobster dinner with mom, I'm watching a new show on National Geographic called "Dog Town" - informative but disturbing. The kind of show where you have to concentrate on the good outcomes. Ironically, I was doing my volunteer job for Ratbone Rescues (http://www.ratbonerescues.com/) while watching.

Ratbone is a non-profit rescue group that rescues and rehomes abandoned Rat Terriers. Many rescue groups work locally but Ratbone is a network of rescuers, foster homes, drivers, and other volunteers all over the country (ok, not in AK or HI). While it is more economical to adopt out dogs in their foster area, Ratbone will do transports to ensure that the right dog gets to the right home.

One of my volunteer jobs with Ratbone is as a pet publicist. I update our pet information with Petfinder, an all-breed, national, internet-based pet rescue venue where different groups can advertise dogs needing homes. If you or someone you know are looking for a best friend, please check out http://www.petfinder.com/

Remember to spay & neuter and put us out of business!

Photo is of a Ratbone dog looking for a home - how handsome is he????