Foster girls are spayed / My cat is a whore.

The foster girls got spayed today and they are quite pitiful.
Poor babies. I hope they feel better in the morning.

When I picked them up Sandy walked on the leash at a snail's pace.  She was still groggy from the surgery.  After about 3 feet she just stopped. I could see it on her face:  "That's all I got. You'll just have to carry me now." 😂😂😂

Faith walked fine, but didn't get in the car on her own.  She's the one who jumps everywhere so that was a big deal for her.  She's definitely not her normal, energetic, dancing self. And that is ok.  Some rest will do them good.

I have another dog situation right now, but I'm not going to talk yet.  I'd like to wait and see how it pans out first.

On another note my cat just came into heat.  She's showing everyone her coochie.  It's like, "Dude, stop backing it up on me. I'm not the right species. Or sex."  I feel sad for her.  I know it sucks to not be able to get laid when you wanna.  Oh well. She'll be fixed soon.  I was hoping to have her spayed before this happened.  I set up an appointment on Monday for the 20th at the clinic in Irondale.  They're only open one Saturday a month and I just found out.  I made the appointments as soon as I did.  (I can't take off work to drive them there and if I let the volunteers transport for me they will have to stay overnight.
I'm not really ok with that so when I found out that they were opening on a weekend I jumped on it.)  Anyway, I guess I was a few weeks too late. 😑 Darn.

Also, I'm having Natasha spayed then, too.  My whole family is going to be pissed off, but I really don't care.  They all want me to breed her because they want puppies.  And they think I'm stupid not to do it because I could sell the puppies for a chunk.  But no matter how you slice it I just don't believe in selling animals for profit.  And I know from experience that even a purebred pup can land in the shelter.  I am SO not up for contributing to a problem that I fight against.  THAT would just be stupidest thing EVAR.  Also, what if she doesn't even WANT puppies? I'll bet no one ever thinks about that.

Anyway, I'm done for the night. I smell like dogs from driving them around all day.  It is time for a shower.  ❤

PetSmart Today

Today I went to PetSmart to walk the shelter dogs. It was great to see all of the volunteers that I haven't seen... it's the first time I've been in a while. I guess I really slacked off on volunteering in that way over the last year or so, but I've had a lot going on with the house and I really just felt like I needed to rest and take time to enjoy the great things about my life. For what it's worth I was taking a couple of carloads of stuff to donate to the shelter thrift store every couple of weeks and I've had foster dogs, too. I don't feel like I've been a complete quitter. 😝

Anyway, today was a pretty good day for our dogs - 3 were adopted! One that I was walking, Daisy, was one of the lucky ones to find a home. She didn't seem to like kids much... she always barked at them. And then one family came up and they had a young daughter and she didn't bark. Not a peep. She even let the kid hold her! I was absolutely shocked. The parents were like, "We're thinking about getting a dog. We think our daughter is getting old enough to help care for one." They showed her how to hold the dog and how to give her treats. They told her to pet the dog slow and easy and the kid did it. She was wonderful. I was in awe and I told the parents so. I just had to ask if they were from here, which they were. You don't often see that kind of regard for animals from people who are from here. No offense, locals, but that's why we have such a problem with strays. People just don't give a shit. Anyway, I was like, "I don't know how y'all feel about this dog, but I just want to let you know that this is the first child she hasn't barked at today." You know when things just click? I don't care what anyone says - the dog chose them and they chose the dog. It was perfect. You should have seen the cart full of stuff they bought her, too!

One of the other volunteers, Melanie, had a foster dog that had been hit by a car when she found her. With the help of Hope's Rescue the dog is ok. She even underwent heartworm treatment. She was a beautiful collie - she didn't even look like a mixed breed. Shelly was like, "This dog has come a long way from the bloody mess that I met at the vet's office a few months ago." A family drove all the way here from Tennessee to adopt her. Of course, Melanie was happy for the dog, but she had tears in her eyes. She said, "I'm happy for her - she went right to them and didn't even look back." I think every foster parent gets that happy/sad, bittersweet feeling when their dog finally finds their home. It's kind of a tough job; of course you get attached. But also, the shelter brought her a Christmas card from one of her other fosters - it had a nice picture and update. I swear - things like that really make it all worth it.

Speaking of fosters I've heard that little Bug-a-Boo has been in the newspaper back home in Wisconsin. Apparently he goes to work with his new mom at the nursing home and the people there just love him. He is a big goof - I have no doubt in his ability to bring a smile to someone's face. I can't wait to get my copies of the pictures. Luckily for me I work with Bug's aunt so I can get updates on him anytime. 😁

I'm telling you - we have some awesome dogs here. Some of them are a little rough around the edges, but all they need is a little TLC. I haven't met one yet who wasn't worth it.

Grrr... cats.

So I'm pretty angry with Midna right now. She broke one of my mugs and it's irreplaceable. A couple of weeks ago she broke something else of mine that was a gift and this shit is just getting old. Both of the things she's broken have been in the kitchen where I would prefer she never go to begin with (in all fairness my dogs aren't allowed in there, either). I absolutely hate the idea of her coming out of the litter box only to jump up on my kitchen counters or the dining room table. Of course, the first thing she does when she jumps up anywhere is lick her butt and that's just rude. I'm not enjoying myself here. I think I'd be happier if I just sent her away. 😕

It's not like I hate her, but I'm just not attached to her like I am with my dogs. I think she's cute as hell sometimes and I like it when she jumps out of nowhere and "gets" me. Sometimes she's ok to sleep with. I like playing with her toenails. She reminds me a lot of Shadow when she fights nothing or chases her tail. Speaking of Shadow - he loves her. He's totally a cat person. It would break his heart for me to get rid of her. Aside from that I made a commitment to that stupid cat when I decided to keep her. I'm not big on breaking my commitments so I'm not giving up on her just yet. Shit... I mean, sending Twilight back to my mom still haunts me and I was at my wits end with that one and her peeing everywhere. I felt like I had no other options.

Since the living room is pretty much cat-proof I think that's just going to be where she gets to stay. I found a screen online that I'm seriously thinking of installing to keep her out of the kitchen. I don't care how ghetto it is - if I can have my cake and eat it, too, then damn it I will. There's no point in having cake (or pussy, for that matter) if you can't enjoy it. 😂 In all seriousness I have two dog gates up. Why not a cat screen? It's blatantly obvious that I live with animals and I'm ok with that. Anyone who knows me knows what my fur-kids mean to me. I really wouldn't be ok with myself if I didn't try my hardest to make this work.

Anyway, when I got home from work I put a temporary thing up and she hasn't bothered to try and cross it. I would just leave it, but it's a bitch for people to cross, too. So that's not a long-term solution. However, this rolly-screen might be. For $50, I think it's worth a shot. If it can keep her where she needs to be I'd get one for my front door, too. Better to find out it doesn't work by having her in the kitchen than outside. My only worry is that she will claw it up, but I could just put those goofy fake cat nails on her if she tries. Cats are too dignified for that shit. That would show her. 😂

I dunno. When Scooter was a puppy and when I first got Emma they were bad. Scooter would shred anything he could reach and Emma... damn, Emma ripped up the bathroom floor for fucks sake. But those were easy problems to solve: remove things the dogs could chew and put them in a room where there was nothing to get into. Cats are not so easy. They go everywhere. And unless I lock up everything I own it's just out there waiting for her to destroy it. Since I'm not into getting rid of her I could just pack up my stuff and re-arrange my house for her... but FUCK that - this is MY house. I guess my best option for the time being is to restrict her access to most places.

Anyone else get frustrated with cats? I love all animals, but damn, felines have proven to test my patience more than any other creature I've ever lived with. 😖

Quickie - Foster Girls

My house smells like dog pee. BLEGH. I don't like it. The fact alone that I notice it says something. I've been living with a zoo for the past few years, but after a while the smells just smell like home. That may sound gross, but I clean cages every week and I keep the rest of my house pretty tidy. It's not like we live in filth. But the animal smells just lose their smelliness... I imagine much like a smoker's house doesn't smell like smoke to a smoker. I swear - I was going somewhere with this...

OH, yeah. I think I might start crating the foster girls this weekend to try to break them from peeing everywhere. They're not all that bad (I'm sure they pee outside at least some), but if I just let it go, then I'm condoning it. Not only that, but they'll have to be crated after their heartworm treatments and if that freaks them out then it will defeat the purpose - which is to keep them calm. They may as well get used to it now. I kind of hate to do that to them, but for the sake of my nose and their hearts I guess it's probably best.

Quickie - Work

I noticed that I'm blogging more lately. I think it's because I've been going to work earlier and getting off work earlier so I have more free time in the afternoons. Not quite enough to go walking like I want to, but enough that I have time to get my chores and stuff done and still have a few extra minutes to myself.

I've been SUPER busy at work and that's fun. I'm finally nearing the end of a project that I started on over a year ago: LINE SHEETS. Line sheets were meant to make everyone's life easier - except mine, I guess. 😂 We've started and stopped and changed the way we were doing it... then I got close to done and we decided to do price changes so then I had to start over again. We finally found the way that would work best for us and I've learned so much from doing them over and over that it's not taking me forever. SO THAT'S COOL! 😁 (Btw, I am SO not complaining. I love my job. It's fun and I'm constantly learning new things.)

Anyway I've only got handbags and earrings left to do... maybe I can knock out one or both of them this week; I guess we'll just have to see how it fits in among the many other things waiting for me. If not I'm sure I'll have them done and up on our site by next week. And that will be a relief for me. I hate to leave things unfinished and these have been in the works for over a year. I have to say - considering that I had very limited knowledge about photography, Photoshop, and making web pages - these aren't half-bad. 😊 Very basic, I know, but functionality is the purpose here.

Here is a PDF (16MB) of necklaces that I made. (I didn't make the necklaces - the PDF, goofyhead.) 😀 If you like what you see show some love and become a fan on Facebook. My boss would probably love that. 😀

The Foster Doggies

This is Faith (aka Freckles, aka Ginger) (check out that tail action!)

And this is Sandy (The LOWrider, aka Bread)

I am quite aware that those are crappy pictures... my house has fluorescent lighting and I didn't bother trying to adjust my camera. These were taken spur-of-the-moment like. I think their cuteness shines through, though. 😀

So far things are going pretty well. As well as you could expect from dogs who have lived in a shelter for over a year, anyway. They have no house manners and do not know they rules yet, but they are quick learners. Most dogs are. I haven't met many who were not eager to please.

No squabbles over food or anything. They don't ever want to go outside, though. I guess they're still not sure that I will let them back in. But they're catching on. Faith will go out, but immediately tries to run back in. Sandy will run to the door, but stops short. I have to push her out. 😂

Also, they pee in the floor. I bought some dog pads in hopes to make my cleanup easier, but when I put them in the floor they both laid down on them. I could practically hear them thinking "Ooh, this is softer than the concrete!" 😂 I started mopping up the puddles with the pads and then turning them over for them to pee on. Today when I came home one was full, but Sandy was still laid out on the others. She's conked out in the middle of them right now as I type.

I've ordered some more Kuranda dog beds... I was hoping that they would be in this week, but if not I will have them early the next I'm sure. (They have different colors than the last time I ordered so that's SUPER-cool!) I'll be up to 4 beds and 6 dogs. I guess I'm still short two, but that's ok. The beds are big enough for more than one dog.

Faith is a CLOWN. She is too funny. Very energetic - and she can JUMP! Not long after her arrival I found her perched atop the Shop Vac. Over the next day or two she realized that she could jump even higher to sit on the desk. I just wonder how long it will be before she realizes that she can clear the gate... 😳 Other than that she is very submissive which means that she's getting along great with everyone. I've had absolutely no problems out of her.

Sandy, on the other hand has more of a dominant personality. She's humping everyone (yes, females do it, too - to show dominance) and that has caused a few small fights. Once when Natasha decided to break up Emma and Sandy Emma ended up with bit of a bloody nose. Not cool. More recently Sandy is behaving, but Emma reminds her OFTEN who humps who in this house. I think it's finally sinking in.

All in all I'm very happy with the dogs. I think that they are good girls who deserve a nice forever home. It will be great to know that they're going to a shelter that is not so crowded where more homes are available. I hope we make it through the spaying and heartworm treatment without a hitch. While they're here we're going to learn some things. They're going to be the most adoptable dogs up there! 😁 I'm really glad that I've had the opportunity to meet them and help them on their journey. I will try to keep you posted on their progress.

Dogs

I'm just being lazy and hanging out with mine right now. I guess I'll enjoy the peace and quiet of being down to my own 4 for another day or so. My foster doggie, Bug, made the trek to Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago. I hear that he's settling in quite nicely. He lives in a house with a few pugs and a bunch of cats. He like cats toys so he's probably happy about that. 😀 The only thing he has a problem with is the cold... I knew that he wouldn't like it. When the weather got chilly here I had to push him out the door and leave him for a while so that he'd use the bathroom out there instead of inside. The cold is just not his thing. Oh well - better to be in a nice home that only makes you go out occasionally than to be homeless and stuck out in the weather always. Bugs still WINS (although, they did change his name to Dudley). 😂

Anyway after Bug left Shadow and I decided that we'd like to foster another dog so we checked The Animal Shelter's PetFinder page and found one who seemed to need out. She'd been there for over a year and had become withdrawn and sad. Believe it or not a lot of dogs just view the shelter as home and are not unhappy to be there. It's all they know. But some of them just don't do well in that environment - especially not over an extended period. Cara was one of them. We wanted to help her so I contacted the shelter.

That did not go as planned. 😕 Technically, Bug was a part of Hope's Rescue and not The Animal Shelter. The difference between Hope's Rescue and The Animal Shelter is that Hope's Rescue can afford to pay for Heartworm and flea medication for the fostered dog and The Animal Shelter cannot. (Unfortunately, neither can I.) The similarities between the shelter and the rescue is that they are both run by the same person, but they are not related. She started Hope's Rescue before taking on the responsibilities of The Animal Shelter.

So I was bummed out about that. My dogs have a nice big room and a fenced-in yard. They all get plenty of attention and are all pretty well-behaved. I was kind of upset that my finances could really prevent me from helping out. I mean I buy all of that junk for my dogs yearly, but it's a stretch. That's the main reason I'm holding at 4 of my own - I don't want to get in over my head.

Anyway, a few days ago I got a call back from the shelter. The Animal Shelter is working with a shelter up north who will take up to 120 ADOPTABLE dogs per year from us which will greatly help with the overcrowding here. (Up north, they have laws that prevent unwanted litters and animal neglect so they do not have problems like we do. Btw, we're trying to get similar laws passed. We NEED them.) So The Animal Shelter has been picking dogs to go north. Of the first 5 they sent 4 were adopted in the first week. How's that for exciting? 😊 Apparently, though, a few of the one's they'd like to send have Heartworms which prevents them from being "adoptable." That blows.

Fortunately Heartworms are treatable, but depending on how you do it it can be very hard on the dog. The easy way (which is what Bug is going through) is to give them Heartgard or some other preventative treatment so that no new worms will be able to grow. The downside to that is that takes from 18 months - 2 years before the adult Heartworms die so they can still be in there causing damage that whole time. The hard way is to give the dog 2 very painful injections (2 months apart) into the muscles of the back. They will be sore and they will not feel good. Also, you have to keep them quiet and calm for at least 2 weeks after the injections; crating is often recommended. If they get excited and get their heart rate up they can die from a blockage from all of the dead worms or worm eggs. That sounds pretty scary to me. 😟 On the plus side, though, they should be free and clear of Heartworms within 5 months.

Anyway, now I can tell you what I'm trying to tell you. The shelter asked if I'd be interested in fostering dogs while they go through Heartworm treatment. The lady with the heart big enough to run both shelters has generously offered to pay for their flea treatments while they are in my care. SO HELL YEAH! I'll be happy to do it. I'm a little nervous about them going through the treatments since I don't have any experience doing things the hard way, but I'm excited, too. I get to pick up 2 dogs on Saturday. I'm not sure when they will get their first injections, but they need to feel comfortable here before that happens anyway. Whenever my dogs meet new dogs it's always a cause for celebration. 😁

So yeah. More doggies! 😍😍😍