How Rocko came into our lives

Along came a phone call on a late Wednesday night. It was AA Small Animal Emergency Clinic on the line. I said to myself what the heck does Remi's work want with her at this time of night? It was 10pm, and we were tucked into bed tightly ready for a long night rest. This phone call would forever change our life.

I do not recall the specifics but it went something like this... The emergency clinic called to see if we could help with a boxer who was in some bad shape. Bad shape you say? Normally, if an animal at the clinic is in bad shape euthanasia is common. However, that was not the case. A male boxer came in with a clean broken jaw, and the owner at the time could not afford his Vet bill to repair the damage to this poor guy. They were given the option of euthanasia or surrendering him to a rescue or a family to cover his hospital fees. Surrender it was. AA had placed the call to Remi, as the knew she worked with a small animal rescue out of Morehead, KY also known as STAR.

We made the phone call to STAR asking if they knew of any boxer rescues in the area that would be willing to help out. There were a few prospects but nothing seemed solid. At this time, we knew something needed to be done but no one knew exactly what to do. The next day, STAR was our answer. They agreed to cover the cost of the surgery if we were to do the grunt work. And then the journey began.

I mean, could we really say no to this guy?

We picked the Boxer up from the clinic and brought him back home until we could meet with a Vet who would later do his surgery. The moment I picked up this boxer, my heart had melted and I was in love. This poor guy was in so much pain it was unbearable. I stayed up all night, loving on him so he knew that someone cared.

Poor man at our house :(

Two days later, we brought him down to Lexington, KY to North Lexington Veterinary Clinic where we met with Dr. Hume. He was the answer to our prayers, and had agreed to the surgery. In the early morning of the third day we drove back down to Lexington for his surgery. Dr. Hume was so nice, he allowed Remi and I to sit in on the surgery, where we were able to photograph and video tape the entire 3 hours.  It was a pretty awesome experience, and we were glad to be there.

Being examined before surgery

I think he was ready!

A few weeks after his surgery, we brought him out with us to Cave Run Lake.  He didn't go in the water of course, but he liked walking around the trails with us!

Oh the dog bowl that we've been searching for! We went through so many to find one that he could eat out of with the contraption on his face.  

Bat dog! :)

After 12 loong weeks, he was ready to get his 13 pins removed!  While he was under, he was neutered and had a gastropexy so it was a very rough day for him.  At the end of the day when we picked him up, he looked like this...

This face says it all!!

He had gone through a lot in such a short time but he was a trooper during the whole thing.  He is such a wonderful dog and we are so happy to have him in our lives.  We could not have been more lucky to have a dog so calm, housebroken, does well off the leash, gets along with ALL animals (yes, Remi's roommate had a ferret he played with), actually listens (can't say that for all my animals!), and shows us love whenever possible!

Nowadays, he likes to do what he does best...

 ...SLEEP!

...and beg for treats! :)

So that's the story of Rocko!

Fluff-a-nutter

For those that own a Husky or a double coated dog, understands the amount of fur that they shed on a daily basis.  It is a constant battle against the fur balls.  Now that it's winter, Juno is shedding like a maniac.  Chunks of fur was left behind from where Juno walks, lays, etc.  After a few days of dealing with fur floating around, stuck to couches, beds, and the floor, it was time to tackle the fur.

Juno before her brushing

 Wait...is that all from me? 

 Yup, ok it is. 

Happy girl after being brushed! It only took about 30 mins!!

Introducing Justice

I promised a girlfriend for Dewie the day I got him, but I promised an orange tabby female.  I knew how rare it is to find a female orange tabby so I guess that was kind of mean.  Adam had moved in with me while I was attending Vet Tech school in Morehead, KY in March 2010.

A month before Adam moved in, a stray came to my back door and was whining to come inside.
At the time, I had an intact female German Shepherd (that was in heat!) I was watching for a friend of mine, my room mates dog, and a foster puppy in the house.

I frantically put everyone away so I could bring this poor dog into my house so I could figure out what to do.  I had to go to class in 20 minutes so yes, I was freaking out!!

 But, I brought him in and called the local pound because I had no room for him :(

I gave him some treats, then locked him in my bathroom since that was the only room I had available!

The dog warden couldn't pick him up until later so I drove him to the pound after I got back from class, PRAYING that he wouldn't destroy the bathroom.  When I came back, he was just sleeping on the blanket I 

gave him.

So...a month after he was at the pound, the rescue, STAR, called me to tell me that he was on the put to sleep list because he is about 6 years old and older dogs rarely get adopted.  Adam and I went to go pick him up and brought him to another shelter in Lexington, where he would have a much better chance.  He was a sweet boy so I'm sure he passed the temperament test!  We would have fostered him but Adam was really allergic to him :(  When we went to go drop him off, Adam wanted to go look at some kitties.  There, we saw Justice, the car alarm.  She's called the car alarm because when Adam would go up to her cage, she would chirp like a car alarm.  She sure put on a show and won us over.  We put an application in, thought about it for a few days, and decided to take her home.

 Justice and Dewie love each other! :)

Cuddle buddies? I think so!

The humane society actually had named her Justice.  It fit her so well that we didn't change it!  At first, she didn't want anything to do with us at home.  Occasionally, she would let us pet her and she would like it! haha.  Her favorite toy is a ball with a bell in it so she can chase it around the house at 3am and meow as LOUD as she can throughout the night.  About a couple of months ago, she finally started becoming a lap cat.   She's certainly much more independent than Dewie but she's coming around now and is needy when there's food around!

The Story of Dewie

Dewie, "aka Mista!" is my 3 year old orange tabby that came into my life in July of 2009 when I used to work at the Small Animal Emergency Clinic down in Lexington, KY.  I've fostered many cats and bottle fed many kittens prior to Dewie and never kept any of them.  He was brought in as a "feral" cat that was attacked by a dog or cat.  The people who brought him in wanted to euthanize him because he was just a stray and didn't want to take financial responsibility for him.  Well, our vet refused to euthanize him because he was perfectly healthy, the wounds were easily treatable, and he was sweet as can be!  It was funny because when he came into the treatment area, he was wrapped in a towel to prevent him from biting us, especially since he was supposed to be feral.  But as soon as we realized that he wasn't showing any signs of aggression, we unwrapped him and started talking to him.  He immediately started purring and let us clip and clean the wounded area without any sedation.  Brave man!!

Dewie had an abscess under his chin, bite wounds between his shoulder blades, and on his right hind.

The only bad thing about working at a vet clinic is, there's always an animal that is either going to be surrendered or put to sleep because of financial problems.  I knew one day I would be a sucker and say yes in taking an animal but who knew it would be with him! But you know what, it was the best decision I ever made!  He is my world and I couldn't have asked for a better cat.  It worked out perfect since I was moving to a new place by myself and he was there to keep me company.  So we started a new adventure together, just the two of us...Wellll ok, we started our adventure after I came back from my Hawaii trip that I was leaving for the next day!

Dewie and my 12 year old dog, April Lala :)  My parents stole her from me when I went to college!! (still upset about it!)

Yes, he has the cone of shame on!

I still needed a name for him when I came back from my trip.  I was going to find a cool Hawaiian name for him while I was there, but nothing seemed right.  My vet, Dianne, who had been taking care of him for me while I was gone had been calling him Mellow Yellow.  I said, "I don't really like Mellow Yellow as much as I like Mountain Dew!" So that's how he got his name, Dewie! Creative, huh?

Such a handsome man! 

 He's upset that his bowl is empty...he used to be 10 pounds when I first adopted him...

 Sitting on top of the food bin.  Typical Dewie!

 He loves that small crate he barely fits in!

Dewie playing with the strings on the blinds...he rolled off shortly after this picture was taken! haha

A few months later, my friend bought me a book called "Dewey- the small-town library cat who touched the world".  Who would have thought that there would be a book about an orange tabby named Dewey!! I knew then that it was meant to be! :)

Happy tails

Mariah was a stray brought into the pound in Morehead, KY with her 5 puppies (3 males, 2 females).  Since Pit bulls have such a hard time finding homes down south, we agreed to take the 5 puppies and find them homes up here in the New England area.  We had the rescue, STAR, transport all of them up here along with a couple other pit bulls that have been looking for their forever home.  Mariah went to a rescue called S.P.A.R.E in Greenfield, MA, Coconut and 2 of Mariah's pups (the 2 females) went to a rescue in Maine, and the 3 male puppies, Ciera, and Koa (RIP) came home with us.

Here's a picture of Mariah and her pups:

Last week, we adopted out one of Mariah's pups.  We got an update on him today and he's doing soo great!!  His new name is Oreo, and weighs 12 lbs! He loves to cuddle up with his new buddy!

                               

His new family (look at the little Giraffe he's snuggling!!)

Today, another one of Mariah's puppies went to his forever home!  His new name is Harvick, after Kevin Harvick! He's already adjusting to his new home and he has another dog, Buster, a 5 year old brindle pittie mix to play with. Yay! :)  I'm sure we will be seeing him every once in a while since it's Adam's friend that adopted him!

New daddy, Mark

Harvick in his new bed...(looks like he's already chewed on it!)

The third puppy has a home waiting for him.  Unfortunately, he isn't feeling too well right now so we brought him into the Vet today.  He's staying there overnight and we will be visiting him tomorrow morning to see how he's doing.  Once he's feeling better, he will be going to his new home.  We will keep you all posted!!

In loving memory of Koa

Our precious little Koa went to heaven today.  For the short time we had her, we showed her how much she was loved and let her know that she wasn't alone.  I know it was hard for her when she was separated by her mother and her 8 other siblings but we had plenty of kids (aka animals) to keep her company.  She was rowdy and loud on her first 2 nights of being here, but that's pretty common for most puppies being in their new home.  All she wanted to do when she was out of her crate was to climb onto our couch and be snuggled, which we allowed.  She was diagnosed with Canine Distemper but it didn't make any sense, seeing as her symptoms did not match.  She initially decreased in her appetite, then was vomiting, and had diarrhea.  We spoke with another vet and he believes that it was parvo, even though she tested negative for it.  With distemper, it's more common to see upper respiratory symptoms first rather than GI problems.  While she was hospitalized, she developed pneumonia which she really couldn't fight off even with the treatment she was receiving.  Although she got her first vaccination, we know that it's doesn't 100% protect her from the virus.  She was the runt of the litter and she unfortunately couldn't win this fight.  We are just glad that she is no longer suffering and that we were there for her till the end.  We miss her dearly and wish we could have done more for her.  Rest In Peace little Koa.  You will be forever loved.

The Rainbow Bridge Poem

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.

There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.

There is plenty of food, water, and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance.

His bright eyes are intent; his eager body quivers.

Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again.  The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together...

Author unknown

New addition(s) to the family!

Last Saturday, we picked up our new dogs, Ciera and Koa, who had traveled all the way up to VT from Morehead, KY! A big thanks to STAR rescue and Heather, Wayne, and Jordan for giving Ciera a chance to find a home with us!  Ciera is a female, black and white pittie mix and Koa is a female brindle pit mix puppy that's about 7 weeks old.  We were super excited and nervous at the same time because we weren't sure if Ciera would like us.  Her foster in KY had told us that she was scared of strangers so we just hoped for the best.  When we first saw her, she was scared but had the courage to come up to us.  Later that night, it was like she had lived here her whole life! (She even got to sleep with us in our bed on her first night! shh...don't tell anyone!)

Ciera had been waiting for her forever home for 5 months and we loved her the minute we saw her! We couldn't have asked for a better behaved dog to add to our family.  Ciera and our boxer, Rocko, are best friends and they LOVE to snuggle :)

Our Husky, Juno, on the other hand wasn't sure what the make of the new additions to the family.  She likes to be the dominant female in the house and gave Ciera and Koa the "stink eye" for the first day or so.  But now, she's finally warming up!

Juno is really focused on that new toy of hers (well, Ciera's toy that she sniped!)

All the cat's don't seem to mind her either, which is great! Justice is the best cat to dog test on! She doesn't have a care in the world!

Now, about Koa.  She is such a cuddle bug it's ridiculous!  The first thing she did was cuddle up next to her new daddy Rocko!

Then, cuddled between Ciera and Rocko...

She's so smart that she's pretty much potty trained!  She didn't have an accident in her crate on the second night so we were very excited about that!  We expected a poop party like the first night! lol

We are really happy to give an adult dog a home and have it actually work out with no problems!  It's hard finding a dog that all our animals would accept and Ciera and Koa were perfect for the family! :)