Ten-a-city

I've been thinking a lot about weeds, and bugs. Strange, huh? You wouldn't think there would be much to admire about them, but there is. They are pesky, irritating, invasive, nasty, thorny and creepy. But when you get right down to it, I have to admire their tenacity. Ten-a-city....stick-to-it-iveness. They don't give up. They keep coming back, they are dedicated. If I had a dime for every fly that has bitten me lately, and two for every time I've cursed their existence, I'd be a wealthy woman. If I had a nickel for every weed that has germinated in my garden/yard/flower pot...I'd could give Bill Gates a run for his money. A weedy run, but a run just the same. So where are we going with this? It's a lesson in tenacity. When good people suffer from illness and accidents, when dogs get lost when they should be enjoying their forever homes, when all the news seems bad we must remember the weeds. When our faith is wobbly and our hopes get dashed, we must remember the fly. Sometimes we are overwhelmed and discouraged. We forget the milestones we reach, the dogs we've saved, the lives we've touched. So maybe, just maybe a seed of faith will grow and a bite of energy will spring forth. And, maybe we'll see things in a new way.

It Takes a Village

It takes a village to save a dog.  So here's to the rescues, the pilots, the foster homes, the bosses, the staff members, the puppy nanny, the adoptive homes.  

For the record, kudos to my boss for letting me bring Chukar to work with me this week.  Kudos to my staff for putting up with him.  It was tough, I know.  In an adorable puppy breath sort of way.  For the record, no poo hit the floor in the flower shop this week. 

Thank you to the shelter in KC that saved him, the pilot who flew him to Omaha, the family who kept him overnight the first night, the volunteer who drove him half way to us. Thank you to the college student who took him out twice a day so he'd be happy at the shop.  My kids never had a nanny, but this foster dog did.  Thanks to the family that lent us the x-pen and the vet clinic who shared a crate.

Thank you to Reno for the 5 o'clock am potty forays into the dark.  I had to wake Reno up, but he took him.  That works for me.  Surprisingly, Chukar's new home is about 7 miles away from us.  That makes us neighbors!  Gotta love that.  The miracle of the internet found us a local home for this guy.  

Maybe you have gotten my point.  It takes a village...and I'm proud you are my village.  Proud to be part of the village.  We saved a life.  Well done.

Cutie Patootie

God made puppies and children so stinkin cute as a method of preservation.  It's true.  They are adorable, irresistible and ornery.  Wait, am I talking puppies, children or spouses here?

Everyone says "awww, they are so cute, I wish they'd stay little like that forever". Thankfully it doesn't work that way.  Cute only goes so far without the grace of maturity.  It takes a while to get there.  Who of us isn't learning and growing?  

This little guy won't last long as a foster.  So we seize the moments of puppy breath, silly antics and soft cuddles.  All the while ignoring the razor sharp teeth and multitude of things he has yet to learn.  We pray for a wonderful forever home and a long life of joy for him.  Come to think of it we pray for those very things for our self and our loved ones.

For the record, we named him Chukar.  Naturally the usual suggestions came up...Sooner, Boomer, Boomer Sooner...I sense a trend here.  But we went with Chukar.  Seemed like a good name for a bird dog. Many don't know a Chukar is a game bird.   For a puppy his age life is a game, so fitting in that respect too.  

I love him when he's sleeping, and playing, but not so much when he climbs through the fence.  With a face like that I'll forgive him and ponder how it's possible to be so cute.   

Puppy Breath

Who doesn't love puppies??  Puppy antics, puppy cuddling, puppy breath. Sometimes you just need a puppy fix.

So...we'll be getting ours next week.  I'll be the first to say, dang puppies are a lot of work.  Which is why I also say I love those seniors.  Reno, however, adores puppies. So I know when I suggest fostering a puppy, he'll always say yes.  And, then, I'll question our sanity.  

Puppies are a short-term adventure in fostering.  He'll just get in, get settled and will be off to a forever home. Now, Layla, Mick and Addy don't know he's coming next week.  Mick thinks there is enough chaos around here with Addy & Layla.  Sometimes we need to stir things up...and what better way than with a puppy.

My only worry is the nothing else will get done while he's here.  The lawn mower will sit still, the projects will get shelved, cleaning will wait. However, the camera will get a work out!  As will little puppy teeth.  

We're lucky we can do this.  The resident pups will think they're lucky when he leaves.  And the pup?  He's already a lucky dog because he's begun his journey to a forever home.   

Going and Coming

For the first time we had a foster adopted and then returned.  After all the dogs that have gone through here we were probably due.  When you think of it that was probably the one possible scenario we hadn't experienced.  We've had them get adopted, get sick, get lost (and found), we adopted two our self, we did hospice for another.  We have a little list of ones we wish we'd kept.  We have a list of ones that we were clueless with, and ones too smart for their own good.

But this time we had one leave and less than a week later come back.  It was cause for great reflection.  How did we goof up?  All signs looked good.  But in the end it was not a workable situation for either the dog or the adopter.  In the end returning her was the best possible outcome.  

It doesn't mean we were wrong in placing her, although we will approach placing her in a different manner.  It doesn't mean the home she went to wasn't a good potential home for a dog.  Just not this dog.

We felt awful.  We considered and reconsidered our approach to her placement. Some dynamics are just impossible to see without experiencing them.   It wasn't right, and because of that she came back.

I think, no, I know she is grateful.  Gratitude has softened her, funny as that sounds. Just like it softens us.  Her forever home will find her, and until then, she is part of our pack.

  

Ticks and Other Creepy Crawlies

I surmised, when we moved to the country, that I would need to learn to live in harmony with the critters that came with the territory.  Boy was I right.  Some, like the people we meet in life, are easy to live with.  The hawks and bald eagles we have seen have been awesome.  The deer and pheasant, always a welcome sight. The wood ducks on the river, definitely reason to pause and admire.  

But, and there is always a but...the ticks make my skin crawl and the mice, in spite of a slight cuteness, creep me out as well.  However, the dogs have no aversion to either of these country critters.  Thankfully, I think, they have only brought ticks inside.  Although that is creepy enough.  

I think perhaps Addy was a cat in another life time as she is an amazing mouser. Hoping I've not insulted her talent by comparing her to a cat. Remind me to add that to her adoption profile. Twice today I've had to take mice away from the dogs.  May I just say ewwwwww.  Every time I have to do that I swear a City Girl Alert is sounded.  It's gross and disgusting...but I manage to complete the task at hand. 

It's part and parcel of rural life.  So I do it, then wash my hands and wonder how long my scalp will itch.  Again the dogs set a better standard for acceptance.  For them, it's just another day in paradise.  For me?  It's a bit of the ickies, but this too shall pass.

I'll Get You My Pretty...

I used to think when we left the house that the dogs settled in and napped the day away.  Quiet, peaceful puppies.  Gentle snoring.  Dreams of dog bones raining from the sky.  It's beginning to dawn on me this may not be the case. 

Each day when we come home the dogs go bonkers.  Barking, yelping, growling, whining, vocalizing, exclamations of canine energy.  Yes, they are exited to see us, but it is more than that. 

Layla and Addy's crates face each other.  I think they talk smack to each other all day long.  Layla probably starts with "hey bitch, you are just here temporary" to which Addy reply's "just you wait, I'm gonna take you down as soon as I get out." "Well" says Layla, "I'm skinny, so take that".  "You saying I'm fat?  I'm full figured, it's the lab in me" replies Addy.  Several times a day I imagine Mick ambles through and smirks "Ha!  Only the bad dogs have to be crated."  He knows that the slow dog is the last one out the door.  Addy will be on Layla's heels so he stays out of the melee.  All day they long they poke at each other until we roll in weary from a day at work.  

Watch out when you open those crates.  Explosions of four footed energy burst out and it's game on. For the two girls that is.  For Mick it's the sweet relief of watering the bushes and staying out of the way.  Crazy canine shenanigans.  All because someone said "I'll get you my pretty".