TWO'S A COMPANY, THREE'S A CROWD

But I've got six, so what does that mean?! That I have an army? Of dogs?

While I was quite sad about Zoe's departure, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I was a little choked up when I was holding her and saying "goodbye" before handing her over to Jessica. There was a moment of sadness when I went inside and sat down, too. The fact that she went to a good home makes it that much easier, though. There's really no need to worry... and I'm sure to get updates on occasion about her!

As Jessica was leaving, she asked me to let her know when I was ready for another one. I told her that I was already ready! Bring it on!

Instead of one... I got three.

K9 Justice League recently rescued nine Pit Bull puppies. Mama Pit Bull was tied to a tree and starving. Jessica and her own mom have been taking care of all nine of the pups since Mama Pit Bull can't leave the shelter due to legal reasons. Plus, the poor girl wasn't really in great shape to be caring for so many children! When Jessica mentioned fostering two or three of the puppies, I confessed to her that I never wanted to have another puppy again. Brody wore me out... of puppies completely. Looking at them and playing with them is a whole other story than actually caring for one. She told me to think about it... and I did.

Surprise, surprise... I took on the challenge. My three bundles of joy arrived early this afternoon, and they've actually been quite kind to me so far! Sheba, Tiana, and Lush are all sleeping soundly as I type... but that will only last so long! They are all females... and all quite cute!

These pups are Pit Bulls, and I've already had to endure the change of tone when people find out what breed they are. It's like they are enthralled with the fact that they are puppies and "Oooo" and "Ahhh" over them, but when I say that they are Pit Bull pups, you get the "Ohhh..." out of most people. Clearly these four-week-old puppies are blood-thirsty, child-eating, vicious dogs. Can't you tell? It's so irritating that they are so misunderstood. I suppose that all we can do is keep trying to educate the public about the truth and hope that the future holds better plans for these amazing animals.

I'm actually dog-sitting right now, so I've got a whopping six dogs in the house! Jackson wants nothing to do with the puppies. Brody thinks that they are absolutely fascinating and can't understand why they don't really want to play with him. It's not that they don't want to play with him, though. He just so happens to be at least ten times the size of these little pups! Rosie loves them and seems to think that she's their mother. Too cute!

I see a long few weeks ahead of me with these girls, but I'm ready for it. I say that now, right? Let's see what I'm saying in a few days when I've cleaned up endless amounts of messes and haven't slept through the night!

I Don't Believe In Fairytales

I just got a text from the rescue saying that Zoe will be going to her new home tomorrow. I swear my heart skipped a beat when I read it. I'm excited for Zoe and the fact that she will finally have a permanent home. But I'm sad, too.

Long story short, it turned out that the test that said she was HW+ wasn't accurate. The blood work came back negative for HW. Thank goodness! Zoe still met with her potential adopters last Saturday, and they loved her. So... off she goes to her new family tomorrow. They have a couple other Shiba Inus, so they are familiar with the breed and everything.

I knew that the time was coming... but it was still kind a shock when Jessica (from the rescue) told me. I'm going to miss the princess! A lot! But thank goodness that she'll live out the rest of her life with a loving family. Just what she deserves after a rough start to life!

Let's just hope that I can hold it together tomorrow when she leaves. At least until the door shuts. Then I can blubber like a baby in private.

Supressed By All My Childish Fears

I believe that I have had Zoe for almost 3 weeks now. She's doing fabulously! She got micro-chipped a little over a week ago and was just spayed yesterday evening. Zoe was tested for heart worm twice when she first came to the rescue. One test was a weak positive and the second was completely negative. Jessica did another test just to be safe last night - and it came up positive. The did the test twice, and she came up HW+ both times.

The fact that she has HW is a bummer, but the fact that he had potential adopters coming to look at her on Saturday makes it even crappier! They live out of town, so it would be hard for them to adopt her and do the HW treatment through the rescue in our area. Jessica said she'd talk to them and get back to me with the details. She's going to need x-rays to see the severity of it all... and then begin treatment.

Aside from all of that, she's doing well. She's doing great with potty-training, loves my dogs and cats, and is really just a good girl. She was so pathetic after being spayed, though! I felt so bad for her. At least she slept really well! The picture I've included was a couple hours after she was spayed. So... we'll just have to wait and see how all of this pans out.

My Sweetest Friend

Zoe is doing well and certainly settling in after being with me for about a week and a half. She did have a couple accidents in her crate... but I kind of blame myself. She doesn't just go to go. She goes because she has to go. If she doesn't get enough time outside or get to go on a long enough walk, she won't hesitate to go inside. She doesn't do it to be bad, though. She just has to go! When you gotta go, you gotta go!

Everyone at the barn adores her. She's adorable! How could you not?! Even my dad and his wife think that she's just precious. My mom, too! They'd really love her if they got to see how playful and entertaining she is when she feels comfortable! She's kind of like me in that sense. She's a different dog when she's in her "comfort zone". Just like me!

I'll admit that I've had a couple bouts of sadness thinking about giving her up to another family. My purpose, however, is to foster many more dogs in the near and far future, so I have no other choice than to let Zoe move on and bring joy to some other person or family. I think the hardest part about it is that I know how anxious she is at first. She's a completely different dog now than she was the first couple days I had her. But... just like she did with me... she'll surely warm up to someone else just as quickly. Of course I'll miss her... but I know she'll go to someone who is just perfect for her.

Out On The Moonlight Floor

All is well in my household of animals. Zoe is doing SO well! She hasn't had a single accident. House-training is going great! I just let her out often and take her for a couple walks. She hasn't gone in her crate at all either, so I've already added some bedding for her to sleep on. Hopefully all will continue to go smoothly!

She's just so shy. She definitely prefers it to be quiet rather than chaotic. But... who can blame her? She was probably never exposed to much outside of her crate as a youngster. I'm hoping that she'll soon find that this world isn't such a scary place and start to enjoy it a little more. She's happy and everything... just uncertain. Heck if she couldn't be any cuter! She's precious. Simply precious.

I love that she's so good with other dogs and cats. Zoe is so well-behaved around them - even if MY OWN aren't as well-behaved around her!

Look On The Bright Side

It's a girl!

It's official. I am now the foster mom of a 6-month-old Shiba Inu. The rescue, K9 Justice League, sent out a message asking if anyone was willing to foster a dog who is having difficulties with house-training. I have hardwood floors, a backyard, and go to school rather than having a job that keeps me away all day... so I offered to take her.

So far, so good. Apparently Zoe spent much of her early life living in a crate and not getting the proper socialization that puppies need. Apparently that specific breed needs a lot of socialization as puppies because they tend to be wary dogs.

Zoe is a GREAT dog. My dog, Brody, was a puppy from hell. He chewed on everything, woke me up multiple times throughout the night, had to go out ALL of the time, made all sorts of messes, had a "nipping" phase, tortured the cats, and pretty much did everything that you'd think that a naughty puppy would do. He's a year-and-a-half now... but still has A LOT of puppy in him. He's not perfectly behaved... but he's much better! Zoe is a DREAM compared to him when he was a pup. She's quiet, doesn't chew on anything, and is pretty much easy squeezy. She is very shy and reserved. Last night was her first night here, and she'd jump at the slightest of noises. I think she's starting to warm up, though, and seems to be coming out of her shell.

As of yet, I haven't had a problem with her going potty in the house. Then again, I've been letting her out into the backyard over and over again... just in case. Lots of walks and lots of going out into the backyard seems to be doing her well. I haven't left her for more than two hours yet, so we'll just have to wait and see.

I think she'll do well here, though. She's a funny dog. So curious about everything around her... but she really just likes to watch. She'll stand outside like a statue just looking at her surroundings for fifteen minutes at a time. You would never know she was a puppy. She reminds me of an old lady in the body of a puppy.

And so the work begins.

The Night Goes By So Very Slow

Jackson had a blast at my friend's house while I was away. I picked him up on Monday, and he was definitely thrilled to see me! Just plan on institutionalizing me when Jackson passes away. I love that dog so much. More than I can put into words! That's for sure! Brody was a superstar at the horse show. He's turning out to be a very good "horse show dog". Just as I had hoped! The kittens did well at my other friend's house. She actually wants to keep them, but I think she's having some issues with her roommate. I told her she can keep them as long as she wants and see how it all works out. If she has to give them back, I'll take them back. She would like to keep them, however, so she's going to hang onto them for a bit until she figures everything out. I saw the other kittens today. I went with my friend to feed her horse, and we saw 4 of 5 kittens and Mama. They are so cute! I actually touched the black one. They are so skittish. They're going to be hard to catch! I'll probably end up having to set traps. Can you tell me why I'm not a millionaire?! I have so many animals to save! I need millions!

I keep having to stop myself from telling K9 Justice League that I can start fostering now... because I can't yet! I just can't wait until I can! I've got to wait for my roommate and her boyfriend and dog to move out first, though. I'm just so excited about finally doing something proactive!