HAPPY HOWL-O-WEEN!!

Her expression says it all.

She isn't moving.

She is a ladybug statue.

If she could, she'd be giving Angela the middle finger. We received this in the mail a couple days ago from Angela. Of course, as soon as I opened the package I had to put the costume on and send a photo to Angela. But, since Halloween was still a couple days away, she didn't know there would be a photo shoot again today. Although we had some good laughs, Bug was not pleased then and she's not pleased now. 

Meet Andy

Andy came into the rescue about a week ago. His 80 year old owner was tripped up by one of his canine sibling's leashes and he fell and broke his pelvis. His Doc told him "no more dogs." I'm sure he must be very sad, this would be the ideal time for him to have companionship and dog love. He is being cared for by his daughter, and upon meeting her for the doggy exchange, I could tell she was a bit stressed taking care of her farm and her dad, plus his dogs. She handed over Andy and two Cocker Spaniels.

Cocker Spaniel Rescue of New England contacted us to see if we could take Andy, as they are not Schnauzer experienced. I agreed to foster him and to take the other two for the afternoon until a foster mom from their rescue was available to meet with me and grab them.

I haven't had a foster dog since Otis left in January. Angela and I were in the process of dissolving the rescue for a few different reasons but have figured out that we are able to keep it going on a case by case basis. The break was nice, having multiple dogs and the things that were going on in my life was creating a lot of stress. Otis was with me for 10 months with other dogs coming and going and although he was a good dog, he was dog aggressive and an alert barker, and he alerted me a lot. All of this added to other life stresses made me cranky. So, the break was appreciated, but....

....a couple months ago I started to get the itch. It's been lovely having only Little Bug, much easier, and she's so portable. But, camp and vacations came to an end and I started to peruse Craigslist to see if there were any dogs that needed me. It's very frustrating seeing dogs for free on Craigslist, I don't want them getting into the wrong hands so those are the ones I was looking for, or the ones that a fee was asked for but had been posted for quite some time.

Oftentimes, in regard to the 'free' ads, we in rescue will contact the owner of the ad and suggest that they ask for a fee of at least $50, preferably $100. This helps to deter those who do not have the best interest of the dog at heart. Typically it is theorized that if a 'bad' person, (i.e. someone that is going to mistreat, sell to a testing facility, or use as dog bait, etc.) has to pay for a dog, they won't get it and will seek out the free ones.

On top of it, I've been looking for a dog for R.'s mom. It's been a few months since she lost her Toy Poodle, Peaches, and she wants another dog. A female. Small. Non-shedding. A Miniature Schnauzer.  She loves Little Bug. We did get her to agree to a small female, no matter the breed, as female Schnauzers don't drop by too often. So, I've been perusing CL off and on.

When I got the call about Andy, R. and I thought that maybe his mom would accept a male. He sounded great. Even-keeled, relaxed, 'an old soul.' Well, he's nervous, whiney, overly cautious and has separation anxiety. LOL He is vocal with his emotions and actually screams when excited, especially when R. gets home. I've been redirecting to help him stay calm and now that he is getting more comfortable being here, he is showing signs of less anxiety, but the high pitch voice is just part of who he is.

When I first brought the three dogs home, I took Lily out of the car first. Each were in their separate crates and when Lily exited the car...Andy SCREAMED...for a couple minutes. He was so distraught. Then a couple hours later when I took her out of the house, he SCREAMED again. I think it's safe to say he was a bit attached to her. Broke my heart, but I knew he'd get used to the new surroundings in due time. He would do well with someone that can dote on him, give him some training because he has had none, and be home a lot.

In the meantime, he gets love and affection and plenty of sofa time here. He's a sweet boy that loves to be loved and cuddled. He falls right into it and becomes part of it. He plays with his toys and he and Bug have been seen figuring out to play with each other. That's nice for Bug, she hasn't had a playmate since Hanzie died a year ago. He was a whiney boy, too, it drove me nuts, but he was a lover and I miss him a lot.

I Had a Visitor

...and his name is Rex.

I didn't know his name was Rex when he showed up in my front yard. Little Bug was barking while looking out the window so I took a peek, and there was this handsome boy. I opened the door and invited him in. He was happy to come in for a visit. I put him out in the backyard and called the Police for Animal Control. He seemed pretty non-plussed about being at a stranger's house. 

A policman came and took him away, but not before asking if I would want him if they couldn't find his home. His tags were barely readable because it was obvious he enjoyed chomping on them. We could make out a town (which is 20 miles away from me) and a tag number. I definitely did not want him to be put down, so I said I would take him and find him a home. I told him I am involved in dog rescue and that actually, I have a friend's Aunt that is looking for a dog like Rex. I'm assuming they moved at some point to my town, but I do not know as no information was left with the card. 

So I how did I find out his name you ask? 

I went out to run some errands and came home to this beautiful bouquet and card on my doorstep. The card thanked me for taking care of Rex, then the Mom that penned the card, thanked me another three times. It was signed by her and her two daughters. Two dozen roses with a few that look like to be tropicals mixed in. This was intentional effort, time taken out to show appreciation. This dog is truly loved. I did what a person should do. That's all. I'm sure Rex was happy to see his family, I'm happy that they were reunited. My heart was deeply touched by their love for their dog, and the gift of a sweet thank you. 

HEYYYYYY!

I figured I'd come back on the scene by giving you a laugh....

this is what happens when you don't hang onto the cover of the blender when you're taking it off. It even reached behind the juicer into the back corner. Ugh. But, I can say in the spirit of the season, the color works. Unfortunately, this mix includes canned salmon (P.U.) and carrots, which makes extra work getting up the fibrous bits. I think inventing a mini wet/dry vac for the kitchen is in order. 

If you're wondering what the heck I could be making into puree with salmon and carrots that would taste good....wonder no more. It's not for the humans that live here, it's for this cute little canine.