Flint Update and TEAM!

Last week I posted about Flint, nee Charley. I am happy to report that he is on the mend!! As you can tell from the photo he is completely relaxed and at home!

He is back at home and has been spoiled, and is being spoiled. Since he came home on Wednesday his personality has been shinning through even more. We affectionately call him our goof and doofus. He is large and lumbering and goofy and silly, and so sweet I have given up chocolate….. Okay not really but he is a sweet heart.

He is getting curious and playful, it is proving a challenge to keep him from running full speed or trying to go for long hikes while he recovers. So he is compensating by being glued to us, he is always within a couple of feet and usually with his head in our lap.

I want to thank everyone who took the time to read my blog last week and a HUGE Thank you to those who donated.

Team dog rescue is doing such good work, they are taking on medical cases that other rescues cannot. They have currently spent more than $80,000 this year – yes, since January 1 2019 – on the dogs in their care. This includes 2 dogs that were found starved, emansiated and alone, and two – including our Flint – who needed to have kidneys removed and extensive medical care due to worms.

These people are giving it their all and I am asking again that you please donate.

I have never come across a group of more dedicated and caring people. They are all volunteers, not one of them gets paid for this. All the money donated goes right to the care of the dogs!

Let’s help them to save even more lives! https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/26648

Wander Part 3

Our adventure continues with the mountain goat, masquerading as an adorable and handsome feline.

What you see in the photo above is Wander on top of the clean towels in our bathroom. Now to understand this shelf is at a level where I, in all my 5’10 glory, need a step stool to get up too. This cat however just needed  the toilet seat so he could spring up, when ever I see him take on a feat such as that I get the overwhelming urge to start singing ‘ A wonderful thing about Tiggers, are Tiggers a wonderful thing’, and bouncing around the house.

He is always finding new ways to get to new heights, and never ceases to amaze us. We regularly go looking for him to give him cuddles or treats, and always find him in a new place. Always looking as though he was king of the castle, and for such a handsome boy he definitely is.

He unfortunately though has been having some trouble with his teeth again. This started about 5 years ago, and we found our that he has a genetic trait that is possible in any breed of cat, his teeth are being reabsorbed. His body tries to digest them back into himself, and it is very painful. He had his first extraction 5 years ago and then another one a year later, and now we are looking at another one in the coming months. But the first order of business is we need to get him to eat more.

He has always been a lean cat, self administering his food when he wants it. But he is also a picky cat, who can never have more than one scoop of dry food, and one scoop of wet food available to him in separate bowls. Yes separate, just like his two litter boxes, one for no. 1, and one for no.2.

However the plus side is, his tooth is not too bad yet, so we have time. Plus since he and Holly are now being fed in the same room he has been eating a lot more, from her bowls but it is the same food.

At 10 years old our adventurer is showing now signs of slowing down, and we are thrilled. If anything he is showing more signs of being active. He is running around like crazy, usually at about 3 am, and he and Holly have come to a truce.

He is our adorable monster cat, and we are looking forward to delighting you with his antics for at least another 10 years to come!

Holly (Holiday) Part 1

So Holly has proven more difficult to write about than I thought. But I discovered that is because we are still learning who this loving girl is!

She joined our family a year and a half ago, I found her – or should I say she found me – when I went to Pet Value to pick up food for our other kitty, Wander. She was there at Pet Value for adoption, and I walked by and asked to pet her. I was still feeling the loss of my Aurora just a month before, and was looking for comfort.

I didn’t know when I asked if I was allowed to pet her, how much she would come to mean to me. When I stroked her fur she kept leaning into me, and against me. When I tried to leave she grabbed my hand with both front claws and held on. So I stayed and the more I stayed the more I grew attached.

Now when you lose a pet, it is like a part of your heart has been taken away, and nobody – and I mean nobody – can tell you what is the right amount of time for morning their loss. They also cannot tell you when is the right time to fall in love with another animal. When it happens it happens, and it happened that day for me with Holly.

We had already been talking about getting another kitty, preferably a black one, as black or dark coloured pets have the hardest time finding homes. And there she was, just a bundle of love, unsure of what was coming next. She was a year old and had already had a litter of kittens who had been adopted out, and had lived as a barn cat until she was rescued just before giving birth.

I took my husband back to meet her, and we took her home the next day. We kept her in our spare room while she adjusted. But the change in venue proved to be a little overwhelming for her, so she hid under the bed. We had already decided to call her Holly, but it was what happen next that made it the short form for Holiday.

When she was hiding under the bed for the first 3 days she wouldn’t come out, so I lay on the ground beside the bed, just so she could get used to my presence. It was the end of august, and I was feeling stressed and when stressed I listen to the music that always makes me feel better… that’s right Christmas Carols.

So while lying there one day I started to sing ‘Have a Holly Jolly Christmas’, cause I thought it was fun to have her name in the song. She came out from under the bed when I was singing, she came out and let me pet her again. So I did this for a couple of more days, before she was comfortable enough to spend most of her time on the bed, instead of under it. I have never met a cat that loves soft surfaces more than our Holly.

At the time when this was happening, I was thrilled I found a way to bond with her! and to top it off she liked my singing….

It was not until about 6 months ago that I realized she was coming out of hiding to actually shut me up, lol.

ohhh well I guess I will just have to stick with my writing and rescuing, and give up on my singing career. 🙂

Stay tuned for more. . .

Charley

Yesterday, my husband and I met an amazing dog that is currently being fostered through one of my favorite rescue agencies, Team Dog Rescue. His name is Charley, he is a black lab mix, between 8-10 as far as the vets can figure. He was rescued from a northern community and flown to Ontario, where he is being cared for and spoiled by the rescue.

We met him after two weeks going through the application and home visit. I know some of you are saying…. ‘Two Weeks??’. But in truth I am happy with that time, it means that they are being extremely careful, and making sure that their dogs are placed in the right home. It just provides a sense of well-being knowing that they are taking this so seriously.

For those wondering, we have been approved as Charley’s potential adopters. However, we still need to introduce Charley and our current pupper Ashling. Crossing fingers and toes. Charley is an absolute sweet heart and so calm, it was impressive. He just wants to cuddle and absorb all the love.

I was giving him some belly rubs, after we got back from taking him on, what I am calling is the ‘nice to meet you’, walk. He grabbed my hand with his front paws and kept it there, only shifting slightly so all off his belly would get the rubs he desired. It was so adorable and funny. He has the cutest grin, and such warm eyes.

Yesterday my husband and I were trying to keep our hearts protected in case it doesn’t work out with the two dogs. We fully admit this, however by the end of our ‘nice to meet you’ walk, we were already thinking of names. (apparently he doesn’t respond to his currently) So we were listing out names that would fit this goofy, sweetheart. By the time it came for belly rubs we were both fully in love.

Wish us luck as we continue on our adoption journey! Next step introducing the pups on neutral ground!

Stay tuned!

So much love and no where to go

So as I have said before I love to read happy tail stories. The ones where a pet goes home and it is wonderful, they finally have someone to share all of their love with.

Today I found myself drifting from my typical Happy tails to the for adoption page. As I am doing this Wander is curled up on my lap, and Ash is snoring beside me.

I have to say my heart is breaking. There are so many wonderful animals that need homes. I admit it is not always easy, I understand, the time needed sometimes and the persistence.

But if you can find it in you to do that, there is an award that is better than anything else. Them, just as they are, their love and companionship. I cannot tell you how worthwhile it is.

Right now, all I can think is how I wish I had a big enough house to bring them all in and show them how truely and completely they are loved. How I cannot even fathom what might have happened to our Ash if we had not taken the chance on a 10 year old deaf cocker spaniel.

I like to believe there are angels out there, like those that work at the shelters and rescues. Those that will take a chance on those with special needs and seniors, but the fact is it doesn’t always happen.

That breaks my heart.

I do not allow myself to dwell to long on the ‘what ifs’. But I do have an ask of you.

If you are reading this and thinking about getting a pet, or if you miss one or are not sure if it is right for you. Please go to a shelter or contact a rescue. They always need volunteers and donations. Plus the pets there need us, they need their furever home as much as we need them in our homes.

Adoptions save lives!

Chilling at home

So I am sitting here on the couch it is a stormy Monday, I am recovering from a cold, typing this on my phone, and I am completely surrounded by our fur babies. I have our senior girl to my right, our Wander beside her, and Holly on my left (where she can keep an eye on Wander).

And I have to say I have just found my new favorite show to binge on Netflix. It has now (probably because I already watched all the episodes) beat out John Barrowman’s small animal hospital, that takes you into a vet clinic following specific pets as they face the ups and downs.

I am now watching Save our Shelter. Which follows Rocky and Rob as they work with shelters to revamp their locations and business to help more pets get adopted.

I am only on the third episode now but I am loving it. Seeing people working so hard and recognizing that contribution to helping animals just makes my day. But with each episode Rocky sets out to always get one dog adopted before the shelter reopens, and the best part is that they do a FOLLOW UP!!!!

WOOHOOO!!! insert fireworks here. I love the follow up stories. (I mean no surprise, it is what this blog is dedicated too) but the fact that it shows the animals with their forever family, just… Sigh… Best thing ever!!!

Okay I have got to get back to episode 3, but if you need a feel good show in less than 30 minutes. This is the show for you!!

P.s. With this many fur babies Netflix and chill now means they all dog pile onto our laps so we cannot move. We really do mean to do chores, honestly. 😋

Forever in our Hearts

Today I got a belated birthday present from my brother and his wife.

It was the best present, the one that I never knew I needed. Almost two years ago I lost Aurora at the age of 12. She was a grey tabby I adopted when she was about 2. She was my companion for university, and then was there in my wedding day, and saw me through illness and pain.

Today I received the best present and reminder. Today was the first time I have broken into tears when opening a present. Today I didn’t want to put it down. Today reminded me of the love I had for her and her importance, all that she means to me and my family.

“You have left my life but you will never leave my heart”

Each animal we come across and share lives with has a part of our hearts. It is important to remember that just because they cannot be hugged does not mean that they and their love has left.

The Adventures of BK

This Happy-tail comes from my mom-in-law, Mickey.

All through my childhood, our family had always had dogs and cats. In fact, my parents even ran a boarding kennel for a few years, and many of those dogs and cats were invited to share our home too, rather than being kept in their cages. It was a lively household! When I moved away from home, it was a few years before I acquired my first pet. Being a guidance counselor at a big high school meant having my own office, and since the students knew I loved animals, they would occasionally bring in a stray dog or cat who had been hanging around the school. I would keep it in my office for the day and put announcements on, and call the local humane society. By the end of the day, I had always found the owner.

However, one cold morning in January 1978, some students persuaded their bus driver to pull over so that they could pick up a little cat they had seen wandering by the side of the road. They brought him to me, and since he was a young cat, we decided he must be a teenager, since he had come to high school on the bus! We named him BK for Bus Kitty. I did my usual announcements and calls, but no one wanted this little guy. It was a Friday afternoon, and, trying to forget the fact that the lease on my apartment clearly stated “NO PETS”, I brought him home. He was a nice-looking black and white tabby, and he was one of those cats that acted more like a dog – for example, he loved fetching rubber bands. I loved him and he made himself right at home.

At that time, my husband and I had a sailboat that we lived on all summer. BK became Boat Kitty, and he loved the sailing life. There were lots of cubbyholes where he could curl up, and he especially loved stretching out on the canvas awning over the doorway.  I made a special screen that he could push aside which gave him access to the outside when we were anchored. He became very good at catching dragonflies and bringing them into our bed in the early morning!

We took a year off from our jobs and the three of us sailed to the Caribbean Islands for the winter. Unfortunately, the ocean swells made BK seasick (once right in my boots!) but he got his sea legs after a couple of days, and was fine after that. He loved lying on the deck at anchor, watching the birds fly by. Occasionally, he would try to catch one of them and, in his excitement, he would run right off the boat. We kept a fishing net on board for this reason and would haul him out – you can see from the picture that he was not too happy. That only happened a couple of times so I think he was smart enough to learn how to avoid getting soaked.

BK adjusted well to being back home again. He was a cool dude, and brave too. Once a Husky came into our yard, and BK stared the dog down until he turned around and left. He also welcomed other cats and our first dog into the household.

When he was 18, he started to have health problems and we had to make that final visit to the vet. He had quite a life, BK did, and all because some high school students decided to bring him into school with them that day, long ago.

10 days left

As some of you have probably seen on social media November is adopt a senior pet month.

This is a great concept, but I think it is often just filed away somewhere for a later time when life is more settled. I was one of those until we met Ashling. She was 10 when we adopted her.

She has shown us so much love, and care. Not to mention her cute little ways of getting our attention, like pawing at the back of our leg when she thinks we are taking too long with her dinner, or how as of 9:30-10 pm if we are not ready for bed, she is staring at us like ‘come on guys, I’m tired”, or some nights its not even worth it we find her up in bed all tucked in, when we go looking for her.

There is the way that she loves to go for walks, that she forces us to slow down and take in everything around us, or the way she still acts like a puppy sometimes. How she loves to spend time outside usually under a shade tree, or in the garden with me.

Seniors, have so much love to give and care it astounds me even now 2 years later. Seniors have so much love, but it can take them a bit to warm up to you. They most likely have spent a lot of their lives with one family, and now that family is gone. They are confused and only want a safe place with someone to love, and to care for them.

Each moment with them is precious, and not just because they are older but because of what they offer to their families.

One thing I do know is that our home will always be a home to a senior pet, and that it took a very special girl to show us how amazing it can be.

Wander the Wonder Cat – Part 1

Wander is an unique character. He has been in our lives for 6 years.

My husband adopted him just after Christmas. They bonded right away, with Wander trying to climb up my husband to perch on his shoulder, and with that adorable face it was so hard to resist. Little did we know that this was just the beginning of the adventure that we would take with Wander, and how well he lived up to his given name.

Within the year we had the whole apartment baby proofed, and not for a baby but for Wander. His favorite pass time was running into the bathroom and flushing the toilet…. while you were in the shower… seriously.

Shortly after he brought him home, my husband discovered that he was living up to the name he choose. He is very rarely still, and if he is it is on his own terms and for only designated lengths of times, preferably in front of the roaring fire or on a heating vent.  He can climb anything and get into anything, seriously (I am going to be saying that a lot in this blog).

The amount of things that he has taught us, and trained us on. Such as what happens if he does not have 2 litter boxes (one for number 1, and one for number 2) filled with a specific litter then bad, bad things happen.

But he is also the most gorgeous, and sweetest cat that there is… when he wants to be. He is a heat seeking missile, and a really sweet guy, if a little too adventurous at times. He learns so quickly, he won’t chase a laser pointer anymore because after we tried it once he figured out where the evil red dot was coming from and would just sit and stare at us the whole time.

He loves boxes, balls of yarn, and opening any and all cupboards that he can get his little paws on. He turns 10 this year, and he shows no sign of slowing down. But rather finding new ways to keep us on our toes and entertained.

Aurora

Aurora was a domestic grey short-hair who I found while I was away at University. She was 1-2 years old when I found her at the shelter. She knew her mark when she saw me.  I had stopped to peer in at her, she looked me straight in the eye, put her paw through the cage and mewed, in the most pitiful and hopeful way I have ever heard. I was hers.

I picked her up, she purred and cuddled right into my shoulder. It was amazing; I took her home. I booked her a vet appointment for a couple of days later, wanting to give her some time to settle. It was there that I found out that she was most likely pregnant (it is not always an easy thing to tell with cats). I called the shelter to ask about that, and they said I could bring her back to have her kittens, but that they could not guarantee that she would still be there later.

She was my cat, I could not see not having her even after those few short days. So she went to stay with my parents where she could be cared for properly, while I went home to visit on weekends. She bonded with everyone quickly, but she also got sick. She got a cat cold (as it was explained to me), and was not able to produce milk because of it.

She had her kittens 2 weeks early (Cats usually are only pregnant for 2 months before the kittens are born). We stayed up around the clock bringing in hot water bottles, formula, and warm towels to clean the kittens. Unfortunately it was not to be, the kittens born to premature did not make it. It broke all of our hearts.

Aurora got better though, and stayed with me for many years to come. She came back to school with me in the fall having been given a full bill of health. She was my companion and friend. It was the year after I adopted her that I fell ill. For 2 years I was in constant pain. During this time Aurora stayed with me, she always seemed to know my worst days.

When the pain would keep me up at night she was with me, when I tried to write my papers she was there (usually trying to lie on top of my laptops keyboard). My fondest memories is of her every night when I lay in bed, climbing up to lie on the bed next to my pillow, she would then mew until I pet her, and I would fall asleep every night listening to her purr next to me.

The comfort that she gave me through this time was beyond anything that anyone else could do. While others were looking to fix me, or push me to another specialist she was there. There was never anything more comforting than that.

I got better and she remained my companion and friend. When I met my husband, where Winky had growled at him, Aurora climbed on his lap and settled in. She was friends with all the furry animals in our house. My parents dogs (first Shadow, then Winky) and their cats (first Saphira, then Oreo). She was a snuggler, she just knew when someone needed her.

She had a favorite toy that she would carry around with her everywhere. It was a little stuffed dog, that had been on my key chain. She claimed it as hers one day, after finding it in one of my old boxes. She would carry this stuffed dog around with her everywhere, just like it was a kitten. However unlike it was a kitten, when she got bored she would drop it and bat it across the floor so she could chase after it.

She was my cuddle girl. We lost her 18 months ago. She was 12 years old. She was surrounded by those who loved her.

 

Ashling – Part One

Ashling is a 12 year old Cocker Spaniel. She joined us 2, almost 3 years ago. She is my husbands and my first dog together, and her arrival in our home put our cat’s nose firmly out of joint.

We did not set out to find Ashling, in actuality we were at the shelter that night to meet a 5 year old lab. We had both grown up with labs and it had never occurred to us to look at other types of dogs.

I remember seeing Ashling (Ash) online, feeling bad for the senior but moving on to look at other dogs, but that night fate stepped in. In that moment it ensured that we would never look at senior dogs the same way again, no matter what their breed.

When we arrived at the shelter we walked through the dog area looking for the lab. I saw this Ash sitting at the door looking up for anyone who was walking by with a big smile and tail wagging. We read her information, while waiting on the attendant to come back with information about the lab. We found out that the lab was out on a walk, and decided that we would play with the senior dog for a while and give her some attention while we waited. (Can you see where this is going?)

So they brought her into the meeting room where my husband sat on the bench in the room, and I sat down on the floor. She was led into the room, and was a bit confused when the attendant left. But after sniffing around for a minute she came to visit with us.

She walked up to us, did a quick sniff, moved between us, she lay down so she was touching both of us and went to sleep. It was that moment of absolute trust, that we fell in love. It was as if she was saying, finally I am home. She stayed that way for a long time.

We were in love with her in that moment, but we did not know anything about spaniels or deaf dogs. You see Ash had, had such a bad ear infection that she was deaf and when antibiotics could not help they had to perform TECA surgery. This removed her ear canals, but took away the pain of the infection. We decided that we needed to think on it for the night, the adoption counselor gave us her paperwork and we left.

In all my years of being a pet owner, that is my biggest regret. Leaving Ash there for even one more night than was necessary.

That night by the time we got to bed we knew that when adoptions opened the next day that we would be there to get her. I don’t think I slept more than 10 minutes that night, or paid attention to anything going on the next morning while waiting for the shelter to open. It was particularly difficult as we were with my family for a birthday brunch, for me…

When the time came for us to head back to the shelter, we invited the family to come and meet her. We had quite a convoy heading to the shelter that morning. I remember getting there 5 minutes before adoptions opened for the day, with my husband pulling into the space to park, while I clutched the paper work, jumped out of the car and ran all the way to the adoption desk.

All I said as I put the paper work down was “She’s Ours”. Now this may seem a little over dramatic, but when you find the dog that was meant to be part of your life, sometimes the drama doesn’t matter.

That is when the rest of the family caught up with me, and we got to see her again, while my family got to meet her for the first time. We spoke with her adoption coordinator and got to take her home an hour later.  She slept the whole way home that day, or at least until we got to the pet store. There she was taken around like the queen she was and got spoiled with multiple beds, jackets, food bowls, treats, and toys.

Ash is still with us and snoring next to me on the couch while I write this.

To be continued…

Winky

In writing this post I discovered how difficult it is going to be to condense years of companionship and love down to a post.

It is very difficult. So please bear with me.

Winky

About 8 months after we lost our first family dog (Shadow) we met Winky.

My parents and I were at the shelter looking at dogs, and there were some nice ones but none had clicked. To those who have been there, you know what I mean, it is an audible click, it’s when you feel your heart expand to take in another family member. Just when we were doing another pass, there was Winky being brought in from a walk and all you could see was his smile and full body wag. I have a soft spot for all animals and once I saw that smile I insisted that we get to meet him.

Winky was a giant ball of excited, happy energy.  He was a 4-5 year old Australian Sheppard cross, who wanted nothing more than to climb onto your lap. We all fell in love when he picked up a toy from the box and brought it over to play tug of war, and then abandoned the game to try to kiss us all into submission.

Those kisses he showered us with at the shelter, turned out to be an integral part of his personality and heaven help you if you wore shorts or a skirt. Especially walking down the stairs. He considered any exposed skin at his level free game.

It was not always easy sailing though, taking him in the car involved a lot of prep work that involved a thunder jacket, constant reassurance, and rescue remedy. But not just that, at the time my parents had a gas stove and whenever it was turned on he would start acting out, misbehaving, and finding us around the house and barking. However it did not take long to figure out he was doing everything he could to get us to follow him, and when we did he was always trying to lead us outside away from the house. We do not know about his history as he was found as a stray, but there must have been some thing that brought on this fear, but even in his fear he always put our safety first.

He was also incredibly smart, he had us trained up in no time at all. In fact it took us a month to realize that he was conning us into 3-4 meals a day. When he first came home with us he would bring each person his food bowl, and we figured he must be hungry and needed maybe more food then we were giving him, or that one of us was late feeding him. It took a month, but we eventually realized that he had been training us to feed him whenever he brought us his bowl.

And he had put on the weight to prove it.

He was also the best chaperone my parents could have asked for. Whenever a boy came over to hang out he pushed himself between us, and would not allow for any physical contact. When my husband came over for the first time, he even went so far as to growl at him! That did not last long though, and he was soon pushing me out-of-the-way to get to my husband.

He was 14 and surrounded by family when he passed over the rainbow bridge.

Winky showed us that no matter how bad things may have been, or where you came from if you start and end each day with a body wag and love, there is nothing that you can’t do. (I told you it would get cheesy).

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Rescue/Happy Tails

Thanks for checking out my blog.

So this idea is not unique to me but came from a book. I am writing this blog because two years ago my friend sent me a book “Christmas at Battersea”. It is a compilation of rescue animal stories, of those who have loved and lost, and loved again with the help of the rescue and others. I found myself returning to these books, and looking for more, I eventually found “Lost & Found” another book in the collection.

For those that know me, know my love of the written word runs deep. I have the 4 bookshelves, double lined, and still boxes of books to prove it. But these two books are never on my shelf.  They are constantly on my bedside table, along with 5 or so others I am reading. But these have become my light, my guide post. They are an honest, sad, heartwarming, and lovingly told tails of how peoples pets, even those that have passed over the rainbow bridge have affected and opened up their hearts.

They are amazing, these tails of regular people opening their homes, and hearts and doing it again and again restore a persons faith in humanity. But it also leaves you feeling like it is okay, that there can be a happy furever (yes, I went there) home for every animal,  no matter what their origin.

Then I looked around here in Canada, and I could not find any books like it, so I turned to rescue websites, and they are great. But I realized something there too, they are so busy saving all these animals they do not update their stories, sometimes for months on end, and some of them are simply that they found a new home. What I loved about the Battersea books is that they told a story, not just that they found a home but how they grew together, how the families welcomed them and brought each other joy, pain, and love.

My family has always been an advocate of adoption, all of our animals have always been adopted. It is just what it was in our house, to me there was never another way. However, not all of our furry friends came from a shelter, some were rescued by decent people when they were found on their own, abandoned. They have all brought something so unique, those that remained with our family (now greatly extended) and those who were with us only a short time.

So that is my purpose here, is to tell their stories the best that I can. There will be a lot of laughs, some tears (especially mine), and some groans. But I want to share their stories, starting with the stories of those who have touched my life, some briefly but no less precious and some for ages whose time still came far to soon.

However in starting this I realized I needed to lay some ground rules, so here they are:

1. If you have anything negative to say, this is not the blog for you. This is not to judge people, but is rather to share the stories of those who have been a part of our life
2. This is to bring happiness, though there will be some parts, because no matter how you try not all stories are happy all the time
3. This will get cheesy, I will get cheesy, it is going to happen
4. I want to hear from you, If you have a story to share, please message me I would love to hear it. I want to hear about your pet dog, cat, or hamster from when you were 5, or the one you have now and if you let me I would like to tell their and your story

So thank you for taking the time to check out my blog and I hope that you enjoy.

 

Until one has loved an animal a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.  — Anatole France

 

Rescue tails

When rescuing a pet, it can be the most rewarding and frustrating experience. Not with the animal but with their previous life.

I will never forget 3 years ago the first time that our, then 10 year old Ash, believed we were her forever home. It took 6 months for that moment. It took 2 months for her to play, and 2 years to discover her favorite type of toy. We adopted her as a senior, and each of those moments when she came more into herself and trusting of us made me leap for joy, and shed tears of happiness.

As you know 2 weeks ago we added another rescue to our home, Our 9year old Flint. He was nervous and restless for the first week, missing his foster dad and getting used to his new home with us.

On Thursday he took a huge step forward with us and tried to mooch!!!! I know many are saying g ohh you want to train that out of him, but it is the fact that he felt comfortable enough to eye up our food, that warmed our heart, and made us cautious of our dinner.

On the weekend he had another success with sleeping in the car ride up to the cottage for Easter. It was great! And then last night we had the pinnacle of these events. He played, he got excited to be home with us and picked up a toy for the first time since he was rescued!!!! I cried.

Today brings on the difficult part of ownership, this morning our boy started peeing blood. He is still eating or drinking, but it was the most terrifying moment of my life. To see that stopped my heart.

While I write this on my phone I am at the OVC in Guelph, waiting on the dr. Who was going to remove his kidney due to worms on Wednesday, but will now have to decide if it is done today or tomorrow morning.

So we wait, he is not showing signs of being in pain, he is wagging his tail and trying to talk me into a walk around campus. He is still the sweetest boy we have ever met, and are lucky enough to have in our family.

We are even more lucky that he has come from Team dog rescue. A rescue so dedicated that he is on a foster to adopt arrangement with us while they pay for his surgeries, and care. They will not adopt out any animal until they are fully vetted and as healthy as they can be.

Last week Team dog had another rescue from the same area as our flint, undergo the removal of a kidney because of the worms, he is in recovery but it was rough, he had to undergo 2 surgeries. But Team dog will not give up on him (Mitchell) or Flint and neither will we.

So far the surgery’s for Mitchell are over $8,500. I am asking for your help for this amazing rescue. These people who I have been lucky enough to meet. They are a registered charity so please consider donating, all the funds go to their dogs as they are all volunteer.

Please consider donating at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/26648

Flint

So after the teasing yesterday I am happy to say Charley -now Flint- is with us in his new forever home!

I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am. As they got along last weekend at the meet and greet I was very hopeful, but I was not sure what would happen when we got home to her territory.

And nothing happened they sniffed again and then settled in! It was great, I was so relieved and happy I started crying. My poor hubby got concerned, but it was nothing I have inherited a worry gene from my parents lol.

He is a treasure and I am so happy with how things have been going, Flint is still a little wary of the new surroundings but is currently snoring in stereo with our Ash, so I guess he is coming around.

I can’t wait to update everyone in the coming weeks about this new 2 pup adventure we are on. They have already tired each other out today trying to out do each other’s walks.

A special thanks to Terri the adoption coordinator, we would not be here without her help and patience, and to Ross his foster dad, who has spent the last 5 weeks taking such amazing care of this boy.

Thank you to Team dog rescue, what you do brings hope to my heart.

Stay tuned for the many adventures of Ashling and Flint the wonder dogs!!!

P.s. he has already been on 3 walks today accumulating in 2 hours of time lol.

National pets day!

So today while scrolling through Facebook I discovered it is National pet day!

How I didn’t know about this is surprising me. Especially considering my love of all animals!

That today of all days is National pet day, is such a good omen and so perfect for today for my family. Why… Well you will just have to check in later today!

On the meantime please go hug your pets, give them extra pets, treats stay and cuddle just a bit longer today.

If you don’t have a pet yet got to a shelter and sign up to volunteer. All animals need love, and we have it in us to show it to them!!!

So for now, stay happy!!!