Cuckoo For Coco "PUFF"

For the past week and a half we've been dog sitting Coco ... you remember this adorable little guy?  I took a beautiful picture of him when we were at Four Muddy Paws this fall.    He is a beautiful male Pomeranian ... and he's so poofy and cute I can't just call him CoCo.   I have to call him CoCo Puff when I'm talking to him.   Turns out Coco Puff is no poofy puff, in fact he's quite opinionated.  ;)     I heard that at his current foster home he prefers sleeping in bed with his humans.    But, if they move their feet in the slightest and disturb him,  he'll attack their feet!    He just doesn't like his beauty sleep disturbed.   HA   Luckily for me and him, he's able to sleep at the head of the bed with me.    He's a perfect gentleman when he's able to sleep at head level on his "own" side and not get disturbed.   One night, though, I was reading to Joey while he was hanging out in my bed and Coco had a complete freak out moment when someones toes moved.   :)   If I hadn't seen it for myself, I wouldn't have believed his inner demon existed!

When we accepted CoCo from Grace, she warned us that he's "Trash Aggressive" - meaning if he's got  something, even if it's trash don't try and take it out of his mouth!   He's like Oscar the Grouch - once it's his trash, it really is  HIS!!    This sweet little guy ... he really is sweet ... he just likes things a certain way - as in HIS way.   He was adopted out a little bit back but apparently someone went to grab something out of his mouth and he got a little nippy.   So ... he was returned. 
:(   I don't know the family's story but I'm hoping they had small children and were a little nervous of his behavior.    But that incident with CoCo is why small dogs generally don't do very well with small children.    They have very little tolerance for kids without manners.    Many groups will refuse to even adopt a small breed dog to a family with small children, just because of the potential for disaster.    I had a dachshund puppy once for adoption and a lady with a baby contacted me about adopting him.    I told her over the phone that dachshunds are not a good choice for such a small child.   I told her to go look for a mellow, bigger dog like a lab.   But she showed up at PetCo anyway.   When I turned her down, in person, she and her husband were furious with me and started yelling about how I wasted their time and how dare I judge their child.     Now that's the kind of person if the dachshund puppy ever did bite the baby, then they'd handle it worse than most probably. 

One of the disappointing things besides his adoption not working out is that a friend of mine knew someone that wanted to adopt him.    Well, during the time that he was adopted this person adopted another dog and now that we have CoCo back ... she can't adopt him.   ::sigh:: 

I think CoCo would do great in a home with a more mature couple or a single woman.   He definitely seems to appreciate my company more than he does Joey's.    He likes to quietly sit and be pet.   He's not much of a player and he doesn't really interact with the other dogs.   He doesn't snuggle up to them or greet them, but he doesn't act territorial or aggressive to them either.    He seems to be house broken and he LOVES going out in the yard and hanging around to guard the alley.  :)     He doesn't let anyone go unnoticed when he's outside, which I find to be a wonderful trait in a dog. 

Here's hoping CoCo finds a wonderful home soon.   He's only 4 years old but his personality is a little older in my opinion.    As usual, CoCo just needs to find the perfect home.   If Lesa was able to find a home for a little chihuahua that would rather bite someone than look at them I think CoCo has a good chance of finding a wonderful home.    Once he finds his perfect place I'm sure he'll not be as cuckoo of a coco puff. ;)

Chocolate Wine

This is my new tradition on how to survive Christmas.     I used to LOVE Christmas - I couldn't wait until  Thanksgiving day to watch The Macy's Parade and it was my official day to start playing Christmas music which I wouldn't turn off until the 26th.    What happened?   It has become such a pain to face.   When it's just Joey and me, we have so much fun and I love being with him.   On Christmas Eve we had a great snowball fight and I took a cool picture outside.    How does snow make EVERYTHING seem amazing and beautiful?   Even my back yard with a chair turned upside down looks ultra cool. ;)

On Christmas Eve Joey built a fire and I was too impressed.    This is the first year he was in charge of it and he did a better job than his Dad ever has.    Anyone can start a fire if they have have matches, paper and wood.    BUT keeping a fire going ... woah.   My boy has learned so much from boy scouts.    We have a weird location of our fireplace - it's in the basement.     JTK had that fire blazing and I ended up having to change into a short sleeved shirt - it made the temp in our house go up 5 degrees!!    At one point I was upstairs making dressing, cookies, etc and he yelled up to me "Bring a bucket filled with water in case the fire gets out of control." WHAT??  Man, he had the flames huge - I was so proud of him and he was so proud that I was so proud.   What a great kid.


I do love our Tree!!

 One thing that's awful is between Christmas Eve and Christmas I spend A LOT of time with my ex husband and his current wife.    They're very judgemental of me and spend quite a bit of their time whispering to each other.   I end up feeling like an outsider in my own house.    On Christmas Eve they were at my house and she inspected one of my chairs, decided it was too dirty to sit in and proceeded to stand the entire time she was here.   Oh yeah ... she's terrified of dogs.  At least she doesn't scream and hold on to my ex husband any more to save her.    Last year I was instructed by my ex to keep the dogs locked up in a separate area ... screw that.   It's their house too.    TRex isn't the most gracious host, so he can be quite terrifying and obnoxious.     I have to admit, this is one time I don't mind TRex's peculiarities.  hahahaha    This year, we ended up with Joey opening the presents from me before anyone came over so that made things extra fun as well.     As I said, just JTK and I = FUN!!!!   Annoying relatives and ex relatives = BAH HUMBUG!!

If I have my Mom over I'm pretty much a handmaid for the duration of her visit.   And getting her to my house is generally a huge ordeal as well.    Yesterday  my brother was supposed to bring her and she called me and said she wouldn't come because her neighbor hadn't shoveled her walk.   I was like "Have someone else do it" and she told me she threw her shovel away.   Who in their right mind would throw a shovel away?   Oh yeah, my Mom is crazy - she doesn't figure into that question.    So ... I had to call my bro and tell him to go back and get her ass and not to let her say No.     She's very  dramatic and usually cries because she's crazy and acts like she's going to fall over whether is sunny and bright outside or there's snow on the ground.    She's pretty much a hypochondriac that has started to believe her own press. ; )    To get her into my house (mind you, my walk and stairs were 100% clean and dry) it took me, my brother, JTK and my nephew Tristan all working together.    My Mom will hold on to your arm and literally shake it, and she thinks that shows how unbalanced she is.   (Um, Mom, your shaking my arm - it has nothing to do with your legs)   aaarrrggghhh   She spent the night last night and in the middle of the night she hollered at me to get her a cough drop while I was sound asleep.   WTF???   I've said it a million times before, when she's around it's like having two kids and Joey's the more mature of the two.    Oh yeah, TRex ended up biting her accidentally when he lunged for Cooper.    I think TRex is my enforcer for annoying house guests. ; ) 



Whacha need me to do now KIMZ???

Everyone asks me why do I put up with this crap?   Why do I subject myself to the company of people that make me miserable?   It's JTK - he loves his Dad and his loves Grandma.  It's my job at Christmas time to do whatever I can to give him wonderful and happy memories.    It's the price we pay, as Mom's to put up with stuff we hate but our kid's like.    How else can one explain the existence of Barney? ; )

Oh well, today I am alone.   I spent the morning getting some fantastic after Christmas deals and this afternoon I took a 4 hour nap with the doggies.    And now I'm listening to my new Glee CD from JTK  - have you listened to "Blaine's" version of Teenage Dream?   LOVE IT!!!   If you haven't, you must go HERE!!    And I'm drinking this delicious chocolate wine.   woohoo    All is right with the world.  

I did make a successful turkey dinner for the first time in my life - my turkey always sucks.   It's dry and everyone says that's just turkey.    Well I work with a woman from England and she loves Gordon Ramsey.   She told me about this Christmas special he had and a guaranteed way to have a moist turkey .... OMG did it ever work.   First, you must get a fresh bird.   Then, you take the skin on the breast and put spices, butter and olive oil in there.    Cook at the noted temp for 15 minutes, take the turkey out and cover it in BACON.  You're supposed to let it rest for as long as you cook it, which about sent my Mom into a frenzy.   Apparently she hadn't eaten in days ;) and I got a lecture on how she's cooked turkeys all her life, blah, blah blah.     :)     But it was unbelievably moist and delicious.  I am thrilled to know THE secret on turkey baking.   Thank you Gina!!!

Again .... Chocolate Wine is now the answer to all my Christmas Dramas.  ;)

Does it Count if we get the Cat Bed Without THE Cat in it????

Suzie, Tina and Natsumi are notorious about pulling down my cat's bed off my computer desk.    Then ... they proceed to rip the crap out of it.    It annoys me to no end, but I really do think they're vicariously eating my cat through his cat bed.    They're such stinkers!    Who would think two 12 year old dachshunds and a nearly blind cockapoo would be such trouble makers for poor Roscoe??

Now that I've increased Suzie's medicine back to a full tablet of Temaril P a day, she's doing so much better.    I was getting so worried - her breathing was so labored.    I would just hold her in my arms and stroke her and softly tell her to calm down.    That seemed to help her breathing, but it's so scary to hold her when she's like that.    It's a terrible reminder of the poor health she really is in.     I called the vet to make sure about the medication and explained to them the group would not be paying any more of her diagnostic bills.    So he told me if the increase in dosage didn't work, to call back and they'd go another route.   That was a relief to know that there were other ideas without them having to see her and do more tests.     The group continues to cover her medication, but nothing else.    It's so reassuring to have a job and to know that if I really feel Suzie needs an XRay, I can just pay for one myself.    That's what I did with their rabies shots - I just paid for them myself.    I was thinking about getting them a titer ... which I'd never heard of before.   A shot titer is geared to dogs that have had a lifetime of vaccinations and their blood maintains a consistent amount of these vaccines due to the regular administering of them.    It's geared for people who are concerned about overly vaccinating dogs, but also for people with elderly dogs who just don't want to risk a poor side effect on their senior dog.     I called a couple of places and to get a shot titer, it costs about $200 per dog - not taking into account any office visit.      I think I'll wait for my tax refund.  ;)  

I found out another bit of important information about vaccinations in my research.     First of all, the shot titer does not work for a rabies shot - they need that annually.   Nor does it help with bordatella, but in my opinion bordatella is very similar ot the human flu shot.    If you happen to catch the right strain that you were vaccinated for, it works.   If not, you're kind of SOL.    The titer does cover the DHLPP vaccination  (Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parainfluenza, Parvo Vaccine)        It turns out the Leptospirosis can be a very deadly vaccination.     Many vets offices choose to give the DHPP only because of the adverse affects of the "L" portion of the vaccination.     During my investigations into titers, etc, I was in communication with the head of the Gateway Lo-Downs about it and she told me whatever I did to NOT give Suzie and Tina the "L" because dachshunds have a 30% chance of  having an adverse reaction to the vaccine, and couple that with Suzie and Tina's age ... and it could be a recipe for disaster.    One thing I love about volunteering is that I learn so much about dogs and the things about them.  

Today at work we had a Christmas luncheon and the boss even gave out a gift to every employee - it was so thoughtful and nice.    The women all got this amazingly soft and pretty throw from The Pottery Barn and the men either got an antique globe or a BBQ set.    I was so appreciative.   It's funny, some of the people who haven't faced a job loss complained about how the party was too small and they would have rather had $20 in their pocket instead of the gift.    Now that I think about it, it was only the men complaining.   Hmmmm     I, on the other hand, LOVED IT!  :)

Another nice thing my office does is that my direct supervisor contacts Cardinal Glennon every year at Christmas and finds a child that will be in the hospital during the holidays and then she collects money from the office and goes on a shopping spree.    This year the hospital chose an 8 year old boy named Skylar.    He was apparently swimming in a pond this September and contracted an infection that's caused renal failure.     I can't even imagine the horror of the realization - an afternoon of fun turns into a life threatening infection.   Skylar has to have dialysis every other day and since he has a minor amount of function in his kidneys he's not even on a transplant list yet.       Lisa, my supervisor, sent out an office wide email today and let us know how excited he and his Mom were when they visited him in the hospital to give him the gifts.   It really reminded me of the important things in life and how very lucky I really am.    If everyone could all say some prayers for Skylar and his family I know they'd appreciate it.

A Day with Friends

Today was a pretty busy day.    First we met some friends in Kimmswick for a wonderful lunch at The Blue Owl Restaurant and Bakery     Was it ever delicious!   We got there right when they were serving breakfast AND lunch so it was a really hard decision of not only what to have, but which meal.    As usual, JTK and I  always seem to inadvertently step in some $hit  with people.     We had a reservation under the name of "Davis" and we were the first of our group to arrive.   We let them know that but they said give them a minute and they'd check if our party was there and if they weren't, they'd be back to get us a table.    For some reason, once we got to the table the lady realized the rest of our party wasn't there and gave us a lecture on how she's not supposed to seat us until our entire party is there.   I was like, "We can wait - it's no big deal."   But she "allowed" us to stay ... so silly since she wanted to seat us!   THEN after JTK and I were sitting there a few minutes, another lady came in and flipped out that we were at the table.    It turns out there were THREE Davis reservations and we were seated in the wrong table.    The woman was literally "OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO" - very, very distressed.    Not only were there three Davis parties with reservations, but one Davis party specifically asked for the table we were at.   (Really, it was all part of our diabolical plan to send The Blue Owl into a frenzy mwahahaha)  So she went and checked out the solution to this calamity and they moved us to the front.     While the 2nd lady was gone, the other Davis table and I got to talking and even a woman said she noticed I got "tsk tsk tsk" lecture.   It's such a relief when other people notice things or I might start feeling paranoid.    After all this commotion, our other friends started arriving ... little did they know the grief and strife WE saved them from.  haha

We ate and chatted and exchanged our Secret Santa presents.    I think everyone was really happy with what they got and it was a treat to do something like this since I really don't have the chance to do this much anymore.   Again - go to drawnames.com ... if you would normally throw names into a hat and can't do it, you can do it via the Internet.   Genius!!!    After lunch, we went for a little walk - but JTK and I only had time to shop in The Christmas Haus.   I always make sure JTK gets to pick out a special present every year.    It's a great memory I have of my childhood and hopefully it will be for him too someday.   Not so much right now.   ;)   Plus, he always picks the same thing - I had to talk him out of another freakin pug ornament.     He picked out this very pretty deer and I picked out the crazy octopus.  I love getting really unique ornaments ... when I see it, I know which one I want and when I saw this one I fell in love.   Plus, it's purple -  that's just icing on the cake for me.   Or I guess you could say a purple octopus on the Christmas tree instead. ;) 

After our afternoon in Kimmswick, we came home and I had to nap.   I ended up even getting Natsumi to nap with me.    She never sleeps in my bed - she just is so excited to be around a person she can't calm down to fall asleep.   She has to keep nudging, nudging, nudging to get some extra pets and I finally get so frustrated I put her in her dog bed.    But this afternoon, she did great.   Hmmmm what is going on with all these crazy dogs acting normal?     I was tired and woke up 30 mins later than I wanted to, so we headed out the door for our evening festivities late.

Where's JTK and Elizabeth???

Our group director threw a Volunteer Appreciation party in House Springs at a restaurant called  Madabella's.    We got there about 20 mins late, but it ended up being perfect timing.    There was tossed salad, garlic cheese bread, pizza, beverages, AND dessert.   Yummy    JTK and I sat at a table with people we both really like and talk to frequently and easily.   What a fun evening!    One of the volunteers in our group, Joan, is just a wonderful and sweet person.   She's really knowledgeable and she seems to always help out the newbies that come into fostering.    She has grown up sons of her own, so she always makes a special point to kiss, hug and generally embarrass Joe as much as she possible can.    Do you see how red his face is???    Joe absolutely adores Joan and has even given some of  his favorite women in the group valentines.   :) 

To top it off I got to play a game of Ms. Pac Man to show JTK what mad gaming skills I have  ;)    That darn thing was sped up to double!  For all of you arcade folks out there, remember the days that the first level of MPM was sooooooo slow and easy??   Well the first screen on this one was set higher than the apple.   It was nutty, but I still got to the pretzel and ate a bunch of ghosts so Joey might have a little more respect for me.    They also had Galaga which used to be one of my favorite games (along with Tempest!) but arcade games now cost 50 cents instead of a quarter and we ran out of cash.   ::sigh::

We almost didn't go tonight because I don't like being out late on a Sunday night when I have to work on Monday, but Janet and Elizabeth talked me into it yesterday.  I'm really glad they did !! 

Good Times .... Good Times  

It IS a Wonderful Life

Yesterday morning I "warned" JTK that we would be watching "It's a Wonderful Life" that evening and he would not be allowed to be on his netbook OR play any games on his DS.   Of course, I got a couple of "child abuse" comments out of it, but if Joey is warned about something so horrific he can usually handle it.  ;)    I remember never having heard of this movie until I was away at college and a friend asked me to go to her film appreciation class to watch it with her about a week before Christmas break.    The feeling of hope and joy I had after watching that movie is indescribable and I can still recall it over 20 years later.     I wanted to let Joey grow up with this movie, but I had to wait until a good age.    It's a tough sell for a 12 year old boy in 2010 - a black and white movie that revolves around family and friends.      He *was* a little bored at first, but by the end of the movie I received the pronouncement "It IS a GREAT movie."   :)   

Lenny

Yesterday was an all around good day.    We got to the adoption event late because we needed to stop by PetSmart and get a photo of Santa with 3 of our perma dogs.   Of course, taking Hopper and Cooper anywhere together is never a pretty sight.   Cooper has to show the world how tough he is by barking at any dog that gets near him and Hopper has this excruciatingly high pitched bark that he unleashes on the world due to excitement.     They were having trouble with the camera so we had to wait a little longer than usual but we met some nice people in line.    There was a lady that had the cutest, sweetest little long hair chihuahua in the world.    His name was Lenny and he was such a great little dog - he was happy and excited to meet every person and every dog in the store!

You bite his leg, I'll get his hand!

By the time we went in to see Santa, it took about 10 minutes for Cooper and Hopper to stop acting like they'd rather kill Santa than be near him.    It was actually pretty funny.    They had Santa set up in a training area so the door could be closed and Hopper and Cooper were running around in a frenzy - just trying desperately to stay away from the scary man in the red suit.     I wanted Joey to be part of the picture and how it turned out, he absolutely had to.    Cooper was the only one who couldn't be won over by Santa - he wouldn't even accept a treat from him.     I cropped this picture to highlight  Hopper and Cooper exchanging a look of fear and dread.

Then we rushed home, picked up TRex and went to the adoption event.   I have to admit TRex looking freakin hilariously adorable yesterday.   I put what used to be Burton's monster sweater on him and I hadn't realized until yesterday that it's red and green!  Perfect for Christmas attire.    Everyone in our group was commenting on how cute and great TRex is and how they can't believe he hasn't been adopted.      When everyone started talking about that, it reminded me of just how far he's come from his puppy mill days.   He's still a little nutty, but his affectionate and loving side is present more often than his fearful and paranoid side.   He didn't bark or growl at one man yesterday!    Due to his perfect behavior, I decided to go ahead and chance it and take him to a different PetSmart and get a picture of TRex with Santa.     JTK and I had talked about it before but Joey had pointed out how TRex generally hates men and really dislikes men with a trucker hat and beard.     So when Joey pointed out how Santa is a man with a hat AND a beard, I had nixed my plans to get the picture.

TRex with Bells On!

What was so cool during our trip into PetSmart, walking through the store and then leaving - TRex made dozens of people smile.   It was a really nice feeling.  I know I force these dogs into silly outfits, but if it spreads smiles like it did yesterday - there can't be anything wrong with it!

A Christmas Miracle - TRex didn't bite Santa!

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas

Santa and The Doxie Girls

Today I had a Santa picture taken with Suzie and Tina and also visited some light decorations.     I took a picture of Suzie and Tina myself along with the person who took the picture for PetCo but theirs was much better!  I did it for Joey since he loves the old girls so much.    Suzie has been having a very rough time breathing.   She's not panting, but her little chest is heaving and her breaths are very loud.   Even if she's under the covers, you can hear her.   I'm wondering if her medication should be increased back to one pill a day instead half a pill?

Today I realized, probably since I didn't have Joey with me, what a great and easy going dog Tina is and what a little stubborn stinker Suzie is.  :)   Joey usually always has Tina and I have Suzie so I can carry her around or whatever.    Today I had both of them and Suzie would decide she was done walking or didn't want to go a certain direction and she'd just stop whole horse!    Then, I stopped by the adoption event for a while even though I wasn't "officially" there and while I was sitting or standing and visiting with other group members, Suzie would whine and beg to be held non stop.   Meanwhile, Tina was totally laid back and would go where I'd go, didn't fuss a bit, and she'd  just sit quietly at my feet if I was standing up and talking to someone or sitting down.   Oh my gosh - Tina's the angel and Suzie's the devil!  I had always told people that I knew Suzie was the dominant one which everyone was surprised by because of Tina's weight.    Everyone thought she stole the food from Suzie, but UH NO - Suzie let her have it apparently.    It was really an eye opener.    When I told Joey tonight about it he was pretty blase and was like "I told you Tina's a great dog."  :)   And yes, she is.   Here she is getting some belly rubs from my friend Virginia. 

Baby Girl Tina with Virginia

Santa's Magical Kingdom

Tonight we then went to Santa's Magical Kingdom out and Eureka, which we do every year.    This year we were lucky enough to take Janet from our group along.   It's always fun to have a friend along with us!  Joey's at the age that I think he wants to act "too cool for school" so Janet and I were OOHING and AAAHING way more than Joey but he seemed to finally forget he's a jaded Tween.  ;)






The "Magic" Tree

 After we dropped Janet off and visited with her a while, we took a drive downtown and viewed the lights at Anheuser Busch.    We usually do that the night we decorate our tree, but we were a little late this year.    That's one of my favorite things to see - the tree in the center of AB that goes from gold lights, to gold & red, then to red and back to gold again.   I remember when my Dad first showed me I thought it was the most magical thing.   I now have a ritual with Joey where we go around the round about as many times as it took for us to see it change through all the colors multiple times.   I remember when  Joey was little and I figured out I could do that - it's such a small thing.    But the day I realized I could time my trip around the tree just perfectly and keep going around instead of leaving was one of my finest days as a Mother.    Nobody I had ever ridden with had done that so it had never dawned on me that it didn't need to be a fleeting moment.

AB At Night During the Holidays

Today was a really good day and tomorrow will be fun too.   We're lucky to be joining The Gateway Lo-Downs for another dog party.    We are so excited.   Unfortunately, a couple of our friends can't make it but I imagine the two sissies will still have a blast.  :)

Our Tree

Discombobulated

I love that word - unfortunately I have too many opportunities to use it!   Things have been sooooo quiet without Burton and Bonham.   I almost don't know what to do with myself with all the free time I have on my hands not having to go over to my neighbor's yard and get Burton back over here.   I have heard from both of Bonham and Burton's adopters and Burton was sticking to his new human like glue and Bonham had been renamed Rudi - as his new parents pointed out, it's a very good German name.  :)   I think it fits in great with the holiday season too!

I was feeling so proud of myself for having two fosters adopted in two days.    We humans are so weird - we seem to throw competition into the mix about everything.      In the rescue world it comes down to how many foster dogs get adopted, how quickly they get adopted, if they're ever returned and even who has a better adoptive family at the end of the day.    Prior to Burton and Bonham being adopted, I was feeling down and useless to our group because none of my fosters were going anywhere and they just seemed to be costing the group a whole lot of money.     So when Burton and Bonham were adopted I was feeling VERY proud of myself for a few days.     Then I hear through the grapevine that instead of someone being positive about my fosters being adopted right in a row, I was actually "dissed" for having three unadoptable fosters and a comment was even made that "one's about to die."    That's the kind of thing that makes me want to drag TRex along for some perfectly aimed urine streams of his! :)    Anyone who fosters knows that we don't choose dogs that are going to be with us a long time.    But when you foster senior dogs, it happens quite easily.   

I personally don't think Natsumi is unadoptable, she's just nearly blind.   She has had a ton of interest and there is someone out there that will give this sweet girl a wonderful home.   She is not a throw away dog, she did deserve to have her life spared and just because she's with me a little longer than others does not make me or Natsumi worthless or losers.    As for Suzie and Tina - I'm glad I've been able to give them a warm and loving home for the last year.   I'm glad I've been able to bring Joey and Tina together because they have a true human/dog bond.   And I'm glad I've been watching over Suzie making sure she's feeling well.    These two old girls deserve to be here just as much as any other younger dog.

Even though Natsumi hasn't been adopted and nobody adopted Suzie and Tina I like to think of them as amazing ambassadors for our group.   I always dress Suzie and Tina up alike, they're always looking especially cute and Natsumi is always getting tons of attention.    Even if they haven't gone to a forever home, they have brought our group a lot of attention and good will.

There's another awesome thing that's about to happen that's due to them being in our group.   Our group is getting a sizable donation and it's directly in relation to someone having been interested in Suzie and Tina this past summer.   True, the woman was a little high maintenance.   True,  she drove me a little batty because she decided not to adopt Suzie and Tina because she felt they were codependent and encouraging bad behavior in each other.   :)   BUT she nominated our group for the prize and I know she was very fastidious in getting our information and nomination together.    She'd also been with the company for some time and seemed like she was with the "in crowd" with the company.     We had been in the running for a couple of years to get one of these prizes but had never won.    We were just recently notified that we were winning and I think the award ceremony is next Thursday.   I know in my heart of hearts that  we won because this lady and I  corresponded about my two doxie girls.    Of course, not everyone agrees with me.    I can't wait to hear what the gift is!! :)    I wish I could attend the ceremony and take Suzie and Tina with me so they could accept the check.  ;)

A funny ...

A friend of mine, Lesa,  sent me this email to me and it cracked me up .... it's so "inappropriate."  :)

There were probably many, many times this year when

I may have...

Disturbed You,

Troubled You,

Pestered You,

Irritated You,

Bugged You,

Or got on your Nerves!!

So today, I just wanted to tell you…

Suck it up, Cupcake!!

Cause there

AIN'T NO CHANGES

Planned for 2011!!



Talk About Festivus!

Wow we had a seriously festive and Christmas-ey filled weekend.   Yesterday we attended Holiday Magic downtown which is such a blast.    Suzie and Tina ended up subbing for the two doxie boys that were adopted and we also took Natsumi.   Natsumi was a little star - people were asking about her even on Friday!   There were some people seriously interested in her and a couple took my phone number and email address.    One lady was so entranced with her she had her grand daughter come over and take some snapshots on her professional camera.    Someone also emailed me last night who wasn't even at Holiday Magic.    I put this pink bow in her hair and a bow in a dogs hair makes people go nuts!   There was someone filming the festivities and when they came over to our booth I said "Natsumi" in my high pitched voice and she immediately popped up and did her cute "hanging over the XPen" thing.   She was looking so cute and I heard the guys filming  as they were walking away "Now that's your money right there!"   There was a pet parade on the stage and on the way to the stage people kept stopping me so they could pet this teddy bear come to life.    Afterward  it was even worse, I was totally mobbed by people wanting to pet her!!   As Joey told Michel (the other volunteer manning our booth with us) that I was left behind because Natsumi was busy signing autographs for all of her fans. ;)  

JTK and my nephew Tristan went with us.   We had soooo much fun - it's really a cool event.   I heard rumors that starting next year it will be free!    I bought some a couple of Christmas presents, a beautiful dog bed and a wooden decorative bone that says "A spoiled Schnoodle lives here."  I also got two doxie ornaments and had them personalized with Suzie and Tina's names on them.     Michel bought some wonderful inserts for her shoes and JTK and Tristan rode the free rides.    We couldn't have had more fun.   One thing we didn't try out was the indoor skating rink.    Too fun!   We had a great time last year and we've been looking forward to going again for quite a while.

Suzie and Tina were a huge hit too because I dressed them in matching, Holiday dresses.   Who can resist two old dachshunds dressed kind of like Mrs. Claus?     They really do love dressing up.  I think with their previous owner that donning clothes meant a car ride or something similar.    They get SO excited when I put clothes on them and Tina usually RUNS with joy.   Seriously, Tina is one fast little tubby dachshund when she wants to be.     When they were introduced on the stage for the pet parade the emcee asked "Are they really 12?"    They sure are, I always say if it weren't for their grey faces nobody would believe they were as old as they are.

Today we put up our Christmas tree.    We bought it yesterday morning and let it settle before putting the decorations on today.   Joey has grown up so much.   He CARRIED the tree for me and he now regularly puts the angel on top.   It was just a few years ago that he could hardly even reach higher branches to put ornaments on.   ::sigh::    

In with our decorations, I found a great dog hat that I had to put on Cooper.   He hates it - it drives him crazy but doesn't he look cute?   My Mom came over to watch us put up the tree and she brought her dog Foxie Roxie with her.   I put these bells on her legs and her neck and she immediately kicked them off.   My Mom was horrified that I would put anything like that on her sweet and sassy old lady dog!    All dogs should be dressed up from time to time!

It was  a great weekend but I have to admit I'm worn out.   With Bonham and Burton being adopted, going to Holiday Magic and putting up our tree ... wow.   I need to go to work tomorrow to get some rest.  Ha Ha

Burton went to his new home last night

Burton with his Mom

WOW - two dachshund boys adopted in two consecutive nights.     I have to say, I was crazy about the woman who adopted him.     She was very sweet in her emails and her references just raved about her.    Then, last night she had this beautiful necklace that had the photo of her beloved Brandy who had passed away on it.    It was a stunning necklace - it wasn't a photo, but kind of an engraving/transfer on silver.    If anyone wears a necklace with the picture of their dog on it - they're a great person in my book.  :)

Alas, it was a very hard goodbye.  I cried all the way home.    He's got a big personality so his presence will be greatly missed.     As usual, the home he's going to will be better than the home I can provide him.    The Dad of the house is retired and will be home most of the time.   Burton has two playful Westies and a lab to share his life and energy with.     I'm a single Mom with limited resources so he will be very spoiled and not want for anything.  :)

I don't think I'm going to bring a new foster in for a while.    I've gotten way too attached to the last few that got adopted and I think I need an emotional break.   I'm thinking because I didn't have a job and I spent so much time with these dogs is one of the reasons.   Also, everyone knew that Burton was going to be especially hard to say goodbye to.   We had the experience of him being hospitalized for a week and surviving Parvo.     A couple of people had commented to me in the last months or so that an experience like that really creates a bond between you and the foster.     But you know, there's so much need.    A life or death notification might come across my email and I'll have to say yes to another foster right now instead of after the new year.

I know that my job was to literally save Burton's life.   If I hadn't gotten him out of the pound the day I did and didn't get him to the vet when I did, Burton would have never survived.   The amount of joy I have from that knowledge really helps slow the tears.   :)  I played a very important role in Burton's life and he's important in mine.    But part of my job is letting him go to a home where he will be THE dog instead of a foster dog as our director, Ellen, likes to say. 

PPPPPPTTTT to doxie boys!!

Today is Holiday Magic which we will now be taking Suzie and Tine to instead of Burton and Bonham.  :)   Natsumi will also be going and I believe someone might be interested in her.    Wouldn't that be amazing if she were adopted today???    Because of the change in cast of characters, Joey and I had to make sure we bought Christmas outfits for Suzie and Tina last night.    They are going to be so cute!!  I can't wait to get pictures of them.

Oh yeah, TRex is THRILLED that the doxie boys are gone.   He is just running around and playing and telling us to never, ever let any more male dachshunds into the house.  ;)

How'd that happen???

I went to meet one of the families interested in Burton tonight and they decided they wanted to meet Bonham too.    Guess what ??? They adopted Bonham tonight.   I'm a little discombobulated - I was sure they'd want Burton and I was going to have to hold off on making a decision until I met the other interested party tomorrow night.    Bonham is a little love bug and he just cuddled right up to the gentleman (John) and as he said - Bonham chose him.    They already have a rescue female dachshund name Greta so it's a great home.  I love it when dachshunds get adopted into a dachshund home.   They're one breed that really seems to love their own!

Of course, I cried.   I was completely unprepared - I really didn't imagine I'd be adopting a dog out tonight.   But they're a great couple and it makes things easy that Bonham chose them and now the other wonderful applicant may adopt Burton tomorrow night.

What am I going to do without a male dachshund in the house?   What has happened to all my carefully orchestrated plans of having a dachshund infested Christmas?  ;)   ::sigh::   I was thinking about it tonight and it'll just be best if Burton does get adopted tomorrow.   It's like ripping off a band aid - do it quick.   Bonham tonight and Burton tomorrow will decrease my mourning period.

I got a great picture of Saburo tonight and Tara was telling me all sorts of silly antics that he and his fur brother Tankerz are up to.  I love hearing these stories - it gets me through the day.    What was odd, though, is I actually teared up a little.   I hadn't met John and Carolyn with Bonham yet so it wasn't a residual cry from that.   I love Saburo, he's a great dog.   I'm so happy for him and I still miss him a little bit.

EEEEWWWWW

Here's a ridiculous picture of Burton from last night.   Yes, he was in the cat litter box.   Yes, his nose is covered with litter because he was poking around the nasty stuff before I got a chance to scoop it out.    Yes, he's bad to the bone.   And YES I do love my naughty boy Burton!

Happy Birthday Bonham!

According to Bonham's paperwork, he turns 5 today.   Hip Hip Hooray!     The day started with a wonderful rendition of "Happy Birthday To You" and it's ended with Bonham snuggling in Joe's room because he's broken out the electric blanket.   Man, do dogs ever LOVE electric blankets!   They actually have heated dog beds too - I'd love to get one of those.   But with the foster activity in my house, I'd end up with someone marking it and shorting it out.  ;)

It is also my niece's birthday - Happy Birthday Wendy!  I was just figuring it up and had convinced myself I'm wrong, but she's actually 30 years old.    I've always heard you don't feel old until you hear how old other people are getting - with my baby niece being 30, I offically feel old. 

To celebrate Bonham's big day JTK presented him with a bowl full of whipped cream this evening.  A homemade Puppy Latte if you will.    Bonham loved it.   These pictures are so funny - you can see how into it he was.   His tongue looks enormous and he looks so happy.    You can also see the whipped cream smeared all over his face.    Of course, before I could finish taking the picture he did a really good job of cleaning it up.   These pictures do not tell the story of just how messy he looked. 

When people adopt a dog or cat, they generally aren't lucky enough to know their actual birth date.   There's a practice that I love - it's when people celebrate their "Gotcha" day.    Meaning, they celebrate the day they adopted their furry family member and treat it as a birthday.   That is such a great idea - a perfect way to commemorate a very important day and a day worth celebrating.  After all, it's very similar to a birthday since it's the first day of a brand new life.

I have a couple of people interested in Burton.   I can't believe it, but I have two applications on him at once.   It's always difficult to figure out what to do but I do a much better job of letting people know what's going on.    Over the summer, I did an awful job of letting a family know that I had chosen a 2nd application to adopt a dog.    The home was clearly the better home for the particular dog and I just did not want to face telling the woman he wasn't going home with them.    She was really upset and emailed and called our director, etc.   I felt awful and I've learned my lesson.     We are just volunteers, but this is not a glamorous or easy position to be in.   :)   These days I always tell people if there's any other applications out there.    Usually, it really does work itself out on its own.   If I get two applications one of them often change their mind or they don't really like the dog when they meet them, etc.   It's not a very common instance for me to have to really decide what to do.

So far, though, both of these families seem great.   I haven't gotten through the references on my second application  but  the ones I called on the first one were fantastic.   It was funny, I called her sister for a reference and the husband answered and he misunderstood what I was saying.   He thought his wife was trying to adopt a dog and he kept telling me "Oh no, she's not going to adopt a dog"   And I kept saying, "Oh yes she is" because I didn't realize he thought I was talking about his wife.   Once we figured out what the other was talking about, we had a good laugh. 

This weekend is the Holiday Magic event.   It's in downtown St. Louis at the convention center.     We  went   last year for the first time and it was great fun.   I love Christmas and it's really beautifully decorated and filled with a lot of fun stuff to buy and look at.   Purina is there and they have their dog team and we get to have a Puppy Parade showing off our adoptable pets.     Last year one of my fosters was adopted by a convention center employee and so was the foster of one of my friend's.      We had so much fun - Joey and I are really looking forward to it again this year.

Happy Birthday Bonham - let this be the first birthday of many more where you're treasured and pampered  But most importantly, hopefully you'll always be dressed up on your birthday.  :)