Laryngitis

Wow it's amazing how many ways I use my voice to communicate with the dogs.    I've been hoarse for weeks and it's gotten progressively worse this past week.   I am at a whisper if I'm lucky and am now on a second set of antibiotics.   I just want to sound like myself again.  :(    Remember how I was raving about the Walgreens Take Care clinic?   Well ... let me revise that a little.   I called this past week to tell them I didn't get any better because that's what the woman who saw me told me to do.      The person I talked to on Tuesday was NOT the person who saw me in person and she started giving me all this "viral" talk which I totally understand.    But  I explained to her that this has been going on a month and it's not improving at all so something should be done.    Her response?   "Well, if it hasn't killed you in a month you'll be fine."   Niiiiiiiiice, huh?

You Won't Like Me When I'm ANGRY

It really sucks to be without a voice.      Especially with my cast of characters, I *really* need my voice.   I need to be able to call Burton in a stern manner as he's running rampant in my neighbors yard.   You know the way he runs willy nilly through her yard he'd probably be a streaker if he were human.    That dog can not get more joy out of running in my neighbor's yard than he can get in anything else in this world.   :)    One day I hope to catch it on video.    Joey thinks he's doing it for me - as a way to annoy my neighbor.    That'd be perfect if I didn't have to walk over to her yard every day and get him.    See the lovely pics with my demon boy begging to be let out of her gate?   The scary thing is .... I had my "red eye correction" on my camera.    He really is a hell hound!!   It's not just Burton that I need special voice tactics with.     I use a crazy high pitched voice for Natsumi ... it gets her attention more than anything in the world.   And, of course, when I'm getting ready to feed the dogs I always say REEEEEEEEXXXXXX in a completely nutty way that he absolutely relates to.  ;)

Monster Burton

I need my voice back and now!!   I'm feeling pretty crummy and won't be able to make it to the adoption event tomorrow.  I'm hoping a somewhat laid back weekend will help me feel better along with the new meds I've been prescribed.   Last night I was coughing so bad I was convincing myself that my throat was swelling up and I was going to suffocate in my sleep.   I don't do too well with being sick.    I was alone with Joey at his Dad's house and I can get a little extra mental when I feel bad.    That's definitely not a good thing for me and those around me HA.    Doncha just love Burton in his Monster sweater?   I changed him into it tonight because he was at his monsterific height.    He jumped on my lap while I was taking a tinkle!!! 

Work is going fantabulous.   I actually know what I'm doing and understand all the jargon, I just have to figure out their procedures.    It's so cool - they have every bit of information anyone would need on their web site.   If I need a form - I can find it on the website.   If I'm not sure what documents are acceptable for a loan approval - it's listed on the website.   If I want to change my direct deposit - IT'S ON THE WEBSITE.  :)    It's really fantastic.    I'm so lucky to have this job.    The only reason I got it is because the day I was fired from my last job I called one of my friends and told her.    We hadn't talked for a couple of months and it's divine intervention that I chose to call her.   She told me she was getting ready to join the work force again and she'd let me know what she heard about.   She'd been able to stay home with her two kids the last few years but with the economy, she was having to go back to work.   Then, a couple of weeks later she called me and let me know she had started a new job and passed my name on to management.     I interviewed in July and they kept me in mind for this last position that opened up.   I am so grateful.    Today I took her in a bottle of Philosophy shower gel.     She really made a huge difference in my life and I hope she knows how grateful I am to her.     Not only did I find a job - but with a solid company, good pay, good benefits and good people.    How the heck did I luck out???  :)   
Oh yeah ... world ... I like to tell this story.    When I was fired from my last job because the company was doing so poorly and they couldn't afford me guess what the owner did shortly after letting me go?   He bought a convertible Cadillac from Ebay with $9,000 cash and went on a family vacation to Greece.    So sad that they were in such dire financial straits, eh?   Isn't that so typical?    blech   I'll just have to be satisfied with the knowledge the universe will teach him a lesson for that behavior somewhere down the line.     I wonder if he has any fancy landscaping that I could let Burton loose in? ;)

What will I do without Harry, Hermione and Ron???

I just purchased my tickets for the Mega Screen showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallos Part 1!!  I am so psyched for this movie.    woohoo      Today I heard a reviewer talking about how "dark" this one is and that beloved characters die and it could be really upsetting to kids.   Um, it could be upsetting to the parents too.   Remember when I read that part in the book to Joe and I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed and couldn't reach for quite a long time?   I take my fictional characters seriously.    :)

Foxie Roxie

Ok, I admit it - I can be a bit diabolical.    But it's ALWAYS for a good cause.  Over a year ago I started fostering this little Pomeranian/chihuahua mix named Foxie Roxie because she looks like a chubby little fox.    She had been returned after having been adopted out 4 years earlier.    Apparently, the woman who adopted her had to move in with her daughter.    Her daughter had a busy life, with lots of guests and visitors popping in.   Well, Foxie Roxie can be a bit of a cranky old lady and she didn't think kindly on these young whipper snappers who came to visit.    Alas, poor little Foxie Roxie was brought back to St. Louis from Iowa as a return.  :(

While she was with me, she was a doll.   She could get a little territorial of a human but she did well with both Joey and I.    Then, one day I thought I heard her pass out in the middle of the night.   By the time I got to her, she was up and around and it appeared that nothing was wrong.   Then, it happened again.  I witnessed it and it was one of the scariest things I've ever seen.    After being diagnosed with an arrhythmia which is an abnormal heart rhythm.     It was then decided she would need to visit a cardiologist and be monitored with an EKG to see exactly what was going on.

At the time, I was working and I knew Foxie needed to be with someone who was home all the time.   I ended up asking my Mom, with every intention of it being a temporary situation.   Foxie had to be monitored for about a month and when she had an episode, there was a protocol that had to be followed while you dialed in to the reporting center.   It was amazingly complicated.     Finally, the put Foxie Roxie on a bunch of medications and said that she needed to stay in a quiet home.    At that time, the couple of people in our group who have quiet homes were full with fosters and there was nowhere for her to go.   So, I asked my Mom if she would foster her for a while.    It was SUCH AN ORDEAL to get her to agree.   You have to know my Mom - she's the side of the family I get my nutjob genes from. ;)

After a while of her staying with my Mom, my brother, Craig, and I noticed there was a marked change in my Mom's disposition and personality.    I always knew that animals were good for people and had frequently tried to get my Mom to adopt another cat, but she couldn't bear the heartbreak of having to say goodbye when their time comes.    Craig and I were amazed at the difference so we conspired to adopt her for Mom under this fabulous program we have with Stray Rescue of St. Louis.    Two of our dogs at a time can be under this "Seniors for Seniors" program which has a special grant set aside for it.    If any senior citizen adopts a senior dog, their vet bills will be covered by Stray Rescue.    That means, a senior citizen that really needs a companion but is on a fixed income can find a loving friend and not worry about medical care for the dog.    At the time we decided Mom needed to adopt Foxie, we used an approved vet on Stray Rescues list.   Now that Stray Rescue has their own vet within their own location, they simply go to their facility.

Today Craig had to take Foxie Roxie because she had a swelling on her jaw and she was given antibiotics and requested a check up in two weeks - all at no cost to my Mom.    This weekend our group is having a special Senior Dog adoption event and Stray Rescue has agreed to cover ALL senior dogs that are adopted by senior humans that are adopted this weekend only.   Isn't that amazing???

My Mom still thinks she's fostering Foxie, which is a little sneaky.    But do you know how some people  refuse to do something that's good for them?   Well, that's how this is so we did it for her.  :)   My brother paid her adoption fee and we take turns getting her to the vet.    Everyone is happy - especially Foxie Roxie and my Mom, two cranky old ladies hanging out at home complaining about the world together.  They're a perfect city dwelling pair - you know how riled up we get when someone takes "our" parking spot on the public street.  Well, now my Mom has Foxie Roxie to bark to the world about the injustice of it all. ;)     If you know someone who would fit this bill, make sure to stop by PetCo in Kirkwood this weekend.     It's one of the best programs in the world to unite people and dogs.      

Old Webster's Holiday Walk

We were fortunate enough today to have a bake sale out in front of Lucky Dog in Old Webster.    This is one of my very favorite dog stores.   It's a dog boutique, but they have such a wide variety of items that you can find something for any budget.    The owner, Beth Fox, is such an amazing lady.    She has been very considerate of our group and is very rescue oriented and always thinking of ways to help her "favorite" rescues in the area.    We're so lucky we're one of them!  :)   Her employee, Boomer, is a great woman too.   She's a total dachshund lover and usually has one or two of her pack with her while she's working.   They're both so helpful and kind to everyone that walks in their doors.    They're the type of people that remember the names of their dog and human customers alike.    As I said, some of the best people on the planet work in that store.       

I could not help but buy this adorable sweater for Burton today.   It needs to get a little cooler, but it's perfect for his little devil personality.   It's handmade wool, and it has the face of a monster on it.    Who else deserves such a cute sweater?   They also had these adorable monkey ones that had hoodies with a monkey face on them, but they didn't have them in our required size.   I was so sad - they were so cute.   BUT Boomer is the one who pointed out the monster sweater for me.   See, told you they're great!                            

The holiday walk was going on from 10-5 and I had the morning shift so I left around 2:00.    But up until  that time, we were doing a booming business.  I wish I had taken my camera with me, but one of our volunteers went all out and baked on her own an entire table's worth of goodies.   She had miniature pumpkin pies, dipped holiday pretzels, and cake balls that looked like suckers.     We also sold hot cider and hot chocolate.   Yummy Yummy Yummy     As I was leaving, a woman that was familiar with our group gave us a $300 check!   Isn't that amazing and generous?   Wow - we were all floored and so grateful.

The holiday walk was a lot of fun.    There's a trolley that takes people between different areas of  Old Webster Groves, there's strolling carolers and if you're lucky you get to see Santa coming down the street.   We had so much fun and I can't wait to hear how much money we made for the dogs.   I was so relieved, the stuff I baked actually sold this time!  Seriously, I've only been successful the last two times in selling the goods I baked.   Before that, I was always bringing my stuff home - how humiliating and depressing. ;)

Here's a Bad Boy Burton update:  I put up some more Prop B signs between my yard and my neighbors and it worked like a charm .... for about 2 hours.    That little bum has found ANOTHER spot to wedge his way through.  I don't know what to do, especially now that it's getting colder and the ground is going to be hard to put stuff into it.    If anyone has any great ideas (besides forcing Burton to wear an e-collar nonstop, which I *have* considered!) please let me know.

Burton ... Bad to WORSE



MWUHAHAHA

He's sooooo sweet

Oh my gosh, what a stinker Burton is.   I should have known I'd jinx  myself.    But since I posted on my blog last night Burton has escaped into my neighbor's yard like a DOZEN times.   I think I've figured out where he's going through and I'll get it blocked tomorrow.    Now I know what he was doing gazing into my neighbor's yard - he was figuring out which opening was the best for escape.    Oh my gosh, he is too ridiculous.   And... during the middle of the night I had to get up and tell him to QUIT BARKING AT ROSCOE!!    Is that just too hilarious?   Totally jinxed myself.   I don't care - he makes me laugh and I love that he has such a love and zest for life.   This little dude knows how lucky he is to be alive so he's not playing it safe.    I know I make him sound like a brat, but he is such a great dog.   He's funny, he's loving, he's cute, he gets along great with people and other dogs (the jury is still out on the cat thing) and he's housebroken.   He is one amazing little dog.

TRex has completely recovered from his neck disk issues.   He's back to his old self, but maybe a little more mellow.  I think it's good for TRex for me to be working so he has some serious alone time to nap in bed all by himself.   It helps center him    Here's a couple of funny pics of TRex.    The first one says it all ... literally!   The next one is how TRex generally spends his evenings - laying on me or leaning on me in some way.   He seems to really like to hang on or over your shoulder and Joey always says "Rex is being a parrot again!" :)    If you look closely in this picture, you can see Joey's finger.   He's actually doing one of Rex's favorite things - he's what we call "pudging" him.    Joey just takes his finger and lightly presses into his fleshy belly and says PUDGE.   TRex loves it and we crack up constantly.   We were at a dog park once and a man mistook TRex for a female because his "pudge" was so low it hid his manly parts and the old guy said he looked like he had udders.   So ever since then, joey will take his finger and thumb and put them on each side of his pudge and yell UDDERS!!  :)   Yep, we do what we can here in middle America to amuse ourselves.

I in my happy place right now

I am not going to an adoption event tomorrow because it's a hectic weekend.   Tomorrow is the first stage of Scouting for Food and Joe is a Boy Scout.   They have to put bags out on the porches all over our neighborhood.    I've helped for many years and it's a lot more complicated than you think - where you can and can't put them and how you must tie them.    :)    Then, he has a merit badge course to try and get his carpentry badge.   And finally tomorrow evening we're going to see Cinematic Titanic which is a live presentation of the MST 3000 series that used to play on Comedy Central.   We've gone a few times and Joey just belly laughs from it.    It's funny, but I get more tickles and grins from seeing how funny he thinks it is.

Bad Boy Burton

Burton has one of the biggest personalities of any dog I've fostered. He is such a little Nutt Butt I can't believe how much he cracks me up. A while back I posted a picture of him sitting on my computer desk in front of my computer. This is a daily occurrence. He MUST lie in the cat's bed and he's decided he MUST drink the cat's water because it happens to be the most delicious water in the entire world. The water happens to also be on my desk, so he's always flying up on my lap to bounce onto the desk. He's like a jealous child where Roscoe is concerned. He has quit barking at Roscoe, though, so maybe they've brokered an uneasy truce. Roscoe shares his bed and water and Burton keeps piped down????

When it's time to eat, I put all the dogs in different rooms. Mostly it's to keep the chubbers and spazs from eating everyone else's food. I feed TRex first - locked away in the bathroom. Then, I feed Burton and Natsumi locked away in my bedroom. Between the time I take the food bowl to the bathrom for TRex and get back to my room with their food, Burton is in a frenzy. I wish I could get it captured on video - but he is literally so excited his jumps become even more enormous than usual. And not only does he jump, but he jumps sideways - back and forth OVER Natsumi. It truly looks like something straight out of a cartoon.

Right after I got my notice from the health department, Bad Boy Burton thought he'd take matters into his own hands and found a way to get into my neighbors yard. I couldn't believe it - it was driving me crazy. That was the ONE thing I felt good about - that my dogs weren't really affecting their life in any way. Because as you know, having a little dog running willy nilly in your yard is comparable to having a zombie outbreak what with all the damage they can do. :) It took me a little bit to find the s I finally had to take my political signs from Prop B - and I got another one too and staked them into the ground and tried to weave one of them through my neighbor's fence to prevent his little opening.

The Grass IS always greener ...

Now, he just sits mournfully right by the fence and contemplates exactly what he would be doing if he could just get his little wiggly body over there. I was able to catch some pictures today and I thought it was so funny. As you can see, he sticks his nose through and looks fairly pitiful. If I were on "friendlier" terms with my neighbor I would have tried going into their yard and taken pictures.

The person who was interested in Burton changed their mind. They wanted a puppy instead ... they told me their son found a bunch of puppies in Wentzville for her. I had a really hard time not responding back with a lecturing email to make sure she met the parents, was allowed on the property where the dogs, etc, etc to make sure it was a reputable breeder. But I chose not to.

I've decided I'm going to just ignore people who annoy me. When people get rude or unreasonable, there's no reason why I should spend my time and energy trying to convince them that they're rude or unreasonable. Not that this particular lady was rude, but I've been dealing with a couple of whack jobs of late so I seem to have a little less patience with people that confuse me.   One thing to remember with a whack job - they're whack jobs to everyone so it's never, ever personal. Well except for my neighbor ....    If they're all not careful, I'll sick Bad Boy Burton on them!

New Beginnings

Demon Dog Burton!  (actually it's just a yawn)

I started my new job yesterday and though I'm in the very early stages, I am beyond happy.    Of course things aren't perfect but when are they?    It's a very big company and I work for a division of this very big company.    A friend of mine advised me after I lost my last job to stop working for these small, private companies.    There are all sorts of laws that don't apply to companies because they have less than 50 employees!     It's pretty funny, but I am thrilled to have an employee NUMBER for the first time in my life and to be situated in the midst of a cubicle jungle.

Right now, I'm a cog in the machine and happy as pie.   I need to be a cog in the machine to support myself, my son and my furry family.      I was talking to a friend that is very unhappy with work and it's all about perspective.    Right now, I am plain grateful to be employed.    I have a lot to learn and the first week is always the hardest - isn't it exhausting not quite knowing what to do?  :)    But the up side, this company is amazingly organized.    They have oodles of information on their website, tons of training events, and support systems in place to help you out.   It's fantastic being the cog in a big machine ... big machines seem to be oiled very well.  ;)    It's a fresh new start.

OOOOOHH  I am so mad at you!!!   (Looka that sneer)

The dogs are doing fairly well with the long hours.   I do feel bad leaving them because I tend to have  dramatic dogs.    Even Bonham has gotten to the point of crying like a baby when we get home.    Isn't it one of the best feelings in the world how excited a dog is to just SEE you?    To just have you around them?    They're great little creatures.   I love them so much.

Someone emailed me about Burton tonight.   DAMN   I have been completely plotting on how to keep him as a guaranteed foster through Christmas.  He just seems like the perfect kind of dog to have around to experience a Christmas tree and mess with all the presents and enjoy all the good food.    Bonham is soooo jealous of Burton.   I know he can tell I have a special "thing" for this guy due to his parvo recovery.   Bonham is a doll too.    Someone pointed out to me this weekend, when you experience something like this with a foster it creates a very strong bond.   And Bonham doesn't like it!  He barks out of jealousy all the time.   It's pretty funny ... Burton is very offended by it though.   :)

I'm tired so I'm sorry if this comes across as discombobulated.    I am very happy and very excited about a brand new future.   It made me think of the very final Calvin and Hobbes strip - I love this.   I used to have the original cut from the Post Dispatch hanging on my fridge before Joey was even born.   But I love feeling like I can look at life like this for right now.     I told you I had to be an optimist at heart to keep fostering!  :)

Good Day To Be a Dog

WOW - so many of our group's dogs were adopted today.    I think there were around 17 dogs finding homes today.   Isn't that amazing?    None of my fosters went to their forever homes, but that's ok.    I actually had quite a few people looking at Bonham and Burton which made me happy.     In my experience, female dachshunds get adopted a lot quicker than male dachshunds.    I guess it's the reputation they have for being markers and just all around "Bad Asses" :)     But Burton is really an excellent dog.    He's so sweet and funny and vivacious AND he's housebroken.    I saw him mark twice - once when I brought him home and once after I brought Bonham home.    That is so typical and nothing to worry about with a male dog.  Burton is an unbelievably sweet dog and will make someone a fantastic companion.  He is adjusting to life in a home instead of 24/7 in a cage and I'm starting to see more of his personality.    He's not housebroken yet, he can't quite get the hang of my steps, and he's not too sure of a leash.   But we're just in our first week so this is nothing out of the ordinary.    Tonight after I read to Joey, I forgot and left Bonham on Joey's bed and I heard this crazy barking and then Joey yelling "Mom, you forgot to let Bonham down!"   So ... Mr. Prince Bonham was demanding to be carried into the next room and to never, ever be forgotten about.    Sounds like he's learning quite well how to be a "home" dachshund.

4 Square Doxies!!

I had my fosters in the ex pen because they do better ... actually Tina tends to get a little nippy with kids if she's in a cage.   And I thought Bonham and Burton would do better with the company since it was their first event.   True to form, Bonham was his high flying self and launched himself over the top of the ex pen repeatedly.    I finally just clipped a leash on him and walked around with him or gave him to Joe to walk around.     He did really well - he was very sweet to people and very well behaved around other dogs.   Bonham was a little attention monger and was very sweet and also very well behaved around all the other dogs.   I was quite proud of my two boys.

Someone I talked to has the Petfinder App on their iPhone and they say they've been keeping track of Burton for a while.    They wanted to hold off on adopting him, though, because they're a young couple and saving up for some other things.  I totally understand that and so I took their information and promised I'd get in touch with them if someone else became interested in him.     They currently have a 2 year old dachshund and I got to see his sweet picture.  

Some of our volunteers coordinated and were able to pick up an amazing donation for our group.   Then, they went to all the effort of organizing and dividing it up into individual boxes for the members.    We got to take a box full of dog goodies home today.   It was packed to the brim full of great things - natures miracle cleaner, dog treats, "poop bags", shampoo, dog perfumes, etc!    I was really wiped out when I got home and mistakenly put the box on the back of our futon in the computer room.   And our "sickly" girl Suzie snagged a bag of treats and was ripping into it when I discovered her!   I divvied it up and these were like nectar to the dog gods - it was these Dingo beef jerky treats.    Goodness, every last dog thought it was delish.    Burton even tried to lick scraps out of Jingle's mouth.   eeeewww :)

Suzie and Tina ... Pretty In Pink

Tonight Joey and I also went to our friend's home - Elisa and Andy.     She hails from Mexico and she prepared an altar to celebrate El Día de los Muertos or day of the dead in Andy's home.   It was really fascinating and we got to learn more about her culture and hear how her family spent this day in Mexico.   The actual day is November 2nd, but due to work and every one's schedules she was kind enough to let the rest of us participate in something special to her.     I would have a picture of her awesome altar, but dear Burton broke my camera at PetCo today during one of his high flying stunts.   But after she's done celebrating, I'll be sure to nab one of her pics off her facebook page.  ;)