The right dog

Kane napping. We've sen him sleep like this a couple of times.

Happy Boy!

Kane has fit into our home as if he has always lived here. When we arrived at the rescue, we could see him back in his kennel excitedly wagging his tale. The volunteer brought him out to us and he acted like we were old friends. It was like he was thinking "What took you so long to get here?" I filled out the paper work and then it was time to go. As soon as the car door was opened, he just hopped in and curled up. We had a 3 hour drive home and he slept the whole way. We weren't sure how Stella would react to him initially. She usually switches between being afraid of new dogs and wanting to be sure they know she is the boss and generally takes a couple of days to accept them. She immediately started sniffing and following Kane around as he explored the house and just seemed excited to have a new friend. Other than not wanting to share her rawhide (to which Kane has no interest in), they act like old buddies. We left them alone today while we did a couple of errands and they just napped the whole time. We were prepared to have to take some time for Kane to get adjusted and to get to know us but instead he has settled right in.

Kane is the biggest lover and very laid back. He's happy to go along with anything. We took a short walk before the rain came. He was happy. We all just hung out inside this evening and were lazy. He was happy. He is also very, very quiet. He hasn't barked, whined, cried, yipped or anything. I even rang the doorbell to see if he would react. Not a peep. Stella rarely barks inside but she is very vocal otherwise. Always grunting and groaning. Domi had her own set of funny sounds too.

We have asked Kane if he would like his own blog and he is considering it. He can't decide what to call it if he does so we will have to wait and see what he decides. Hopefully he will have an answer for us soon.

He's home.....

Pics to come soon.....here's one for now. He's too excited to be still.

And the suspense goes on...

Well, Kane is 3 hours away and my plan yesterday was to take off work early to go meet him and hopefully bring him home. Unfortunately life, as it is good at doing, got in the way and I wasn't able to get there. As I was laying in bed last night listening to the rain, I was thinking about Kane and feeling bad that my family was all nestled warm in our beds while he is outside. He's been at the shelter for a couple of weeks now and is probably starting to give up hope of his lady coming to take him back home. I can't imagine how that must feel, to have had the love of one person since a pup and a warm home and then to be somewhere new, living outside with just a doghouse for shelter. Especially for a Border Collie who are happiest when they have that one person to focus on and please.

The shelter will be closed on Thursday and Friday so I'm hoping that I will be able to make it there on Saturday. I have such a strong feeling about Kane, much like I did about Domi. I just think that he is the right dog for us and that we are the right people for him.

***********I do just want to add one bit before anyone starts thinking too awful of Kane's past owner. The shelter told me that that she was older woman and unable to keep him (I'm not sure if it was a health issue or not). She tried for a few weeks to find him a new home herself before the people where he is at now took him in. She was very worried about him going to a city shelter. He is in a no kill facility now and while they keep the dogs outside, they do have shelter and are in a place that cares about them. They are completely vaccinated and on heart worm prevention unlike the shelter that had Shy Girl.********************

Holding our breath......

Could he be the one?



I'll find out tomorrow.

A gift....

Today, among the bills and the junk mail was the most precious thing I think I've ever received in my mailbox. An envelope addressed to Domi, all the way from Singapore.....


.............from the Musketeers!!!! I had forgotten about her prize for being Miss Beauty in their contest. What was inside brought tears to my eyes and could not have been a more perfect prize.



I had known that a collar was one of the things she had won since they had asked me about the size and pattern I would like. The painting was a complete surprise and so wonderful. The artist captured Domi's expression and eyes so perfect. Everytime I look at it, the tears just start flowing and I feel like Domi is with me again.

Stella loves the treats. I tried to get a photo of her enjoying them but since she is such a wiggler, they were all a blur. This is my favorite one. I finally got her mostly to be still, but if you look at her tail, you'll see that she couldn't quite do it.




Thank you Musketeers!!!!! Words can never express how much this meant to me today.

Help Snickers

I just discovered a poor pup who needs the love and positive thoughts that Domi received so many. I don't know if there is too many who still check in on Domi's blog but just in case I know she would want me to help spread the word. The following was taken directly from Miss Snickers blog.

As you may know

Miss Snickers is struggling

Mightily

Along with her family.

(The best place to keep up with updates

is her Gussie’s blog.)

Last night looked as if it might have been her last.

This morning she rebounded with improved symptoms.

She is far from out of the woods

But she and her family

Including her gentle and loving brother Butchy

Have been granted another day.

We can’t help but believe

that part of the improvement is because of

The support and love that have surrounded her

From all around the world

Thanks to the linked paws

Of her blogging friends.

The Power of the Paw

We are asking everyone to set your alarms

And at exactly 11:00 PM GMT on Saturday 14 Nov 09

(Go to this link to find what time that is for you)

5:00 PM Saturday evening in Iowa

as Snickers' family sits down to eat

Turn toward them (in the central USA)

And join together in a silent minute

Of prayer, meditation, contemplation, reflection

Whatever feels right to you.

Followed by whatever means of communication

You choose.

Arrooing

Barking

Howling

Yipping

Yapping

Wooing

Meowing

Mewing

Purring

To wish and send Miss Snickers and her family

whatever is in your hearts

That will help them feel the Love and Support

They need right now.

Personally, we’ll be praying for a Miracle.

Then

Blow a Kiss

and send your Love and Prayers and Best Wishes

to Miss Snickers and her Family

and they will feel their arrival

in the breeze.

OK?

We believe it will help.

And we'll do anything in our power right now

To help.

Love,

Jake, Fergi, MomaSally and NinaGirl

Not this time....

I'm back home but without the dog. Shy Girl was as sweet as could be and I could have easily brought her home but......there were some issues. The shelter that had her does not do any vaccinating, testing, spaying or use preventatives (heartworm, flea, etc). It was so tempting to bring her home and I almost did but I started thinking what I could be getting myself into. For all I know I could end up with a pregnant, heartworm positive dog with worms that needed a fortune in medical care. If we weren't still paying off Domi's medical bills and I didn't have Stella who I refuse to take the risk of infecting with anything, I might have gone for it just to get her out of there and know that she would be in a good home.

We are still thinking about Kiedis and Kitty (if only we could agree on one) and I will keep looking around. There isn't a rush for us.

Oh dear.....

As if I weren't having a hard enough time thinking about Kiedis and Kitty (Bridget has been adopted), I would have to find this dog. The day I walked into the shelter and saw Domi for the first time, this is what what she looked like. So sad.....and the fact that this dog looks so much like Domi.......my heart is telling me to go there right now. All my coworkers are telling me to go too.

I guess from the advice I've already gotten about following my heart.....you all would agree.

Tough decision

On Saturday we went to a shelter in our state that had received some of the Border Collies that were removed in the Tennessee puppy mill raid. If you haven't heard about that, you can read about it here. I've seen several photos of the dogs and the condition they were in. Absolutely horrible.

They have 4 Border Collies left of the ones received and our hearts were breaking looking at them. We stayed there for a while and visited with 3 of them. We went with the intention of possibly adopting one but realized this called for a big discussion and lots of thinking. None of these dogs have had any training or socializing. Kitty, the one that pulls my heart the most seems to be afraid to leave the her kennel. She stays in the back corner, curled up in a tight little ball with as much of her body as she can fit under her bed. I've never seen a dog so shut down. Kiedis, the one that Domi's Boy can't get out of his head, is a bigger than average boy. We are wondering if he also has some lab. He isn't quite as withdrawn as Kitty but he also seems to not know how to enjoy being a dog. He at least appreciates affection and I think wants to be able to love. The third one is Bridget. She is the most "normal" of them and fortunately is in a foster home. She is very affectionate and can't get enough attention. She also is very interested in everything around her. Her only problems is that she has had no training and will need a home that can make sure to focus her high-energy in a positive direction. The fourth dog is Fly. While a sweet and cute boy, we eliminated him from the list because his problems seem more than what we can take on and we don't think he would be good for Stella.

While we hate saying no to bringing any of these dogs into our lives and home, we really need to think about what bringing one in will mean, for both us and the dog. We both work full time so do we really have the time available that it will take to properly train and socialize one of these dogs? And what about Stella? While I know she is lonely during the day, is this the right "friend" for her? Expenses are another factor. The dogs have all been vaccinated and fixed by the shelter but they've been malnourished for a long time (resulting in some teeth needing removed). Will this cause any future health problems? Neither of us are sure if we can emotionally or financially take care of another long term illness after our battle with Domi's cancer. The shelter is a 3 hour drive from us so we aren't able to spend time getting to know these dogs as much as we like. I'm considering driving up later this week to meet them again and go from there.

If anyone has had experience rescuing a dog that has come from a similar environment, I would love to hear to hear about it. The good and bad.

~Domi's Girl