Cody had his FHO surgery today!

8:00am... Its Cody's big day and he and I are a bit nervous. We are driving to Camino Animal Hospital. I am hopeful that Dr. Frier can complete the surgery today after confirming that his lungs are clear, but I'm concerned about Cody being under for such an extensive procedure after so much trauma. I know that I am going to chew my nails all day...

6:30pm... I just met with Dr. Frier and he has brought me up to speed on today's events. Firstly, before starting the surgery Dr. Frier got a new radiology report to confirm that Cody's lungs were clear and check the disposition of his spine & scapula fractures and damaged vertebrae since the initial report.

Today's radiology report revealed good news about those three matters. Per the new report, the fractures and damaged vertebrae appear stable and should continue improving with forced rest. Dr. Frier will keep a close eye on them over the next few weeks and we will keep out fingers crossed!

Secondly, Dr. Frier removed the splint from Cody's left front elbow and confirmed it had remained in its socket and further splinting was not necessary. Hopefully it will remain stable because there are fewer options for the elbow. More good news for the little guy!

Thirdly, Cody's surgery went as well as could be hoped for. Both hips were treated with FHO procedures. Each incision on the right and left hip is about three inches long. A bi-lateral FHO is grueling but I have been given plenty of pain medication as well as an antibiotic to prevent any infection to keep Cody as comfortable as can be expected given the situation.

I will need to turn him every two to three hours as he cannot turn himself and to keep the incisions healing. I must assist him to bear some weight on his rear legs over the next couple of days as the doctor wants him to begin strengthening those muscles as soon as possible. His recovery will be slower than the usual recovery time for FHO patients because in other cases patients have three good legs and one bad leg but in his case he has three bad legs and one bruised one.

Cody and I will return to Camino Animal Hospital in 48hours to make sure everything is progressing in the right direction. He can have ice chips and if he will eat, a small amount of soft food tonight. I don't know if he will feel like eating at all as he is quite out of it and in pain, but I will try throughout the night and see if he will eat something small at least.

Unexpected return - CoCo Chanel

It was a shock to see CoCo being returned to us today... Once again, she's thin and underweight and even more shy than she was when adopted two months ago... The owner cited CoCo's inability to warm up towards her husband, and even outright aggression towards him...

I have not seen this, and intentionally have left CoCo with my husband for an extended period of time without any issues... While CoCo does not favor men, she will retreat to a safe distance and just watch what is going on around her if there is a male in the room... I do not believe CoCo could ever be aggressive towards anyone (dog or human) unless cornered with no means of escape when frightened.

She stepped back into our home like she'd never left, so our task now is to get some meat back on those bones! I have noticed she is now fearful to eat in front of the other dogs - this is a new behavior that we're working on to remove.

Once again, CoCo follows me around the house throughout the day, and loves 'couch potato-ing' aside of me at night if I'm watching TV, or laying in her favorite doggie bed aside of my computer when I'm working online... She is a gentle and sweet soul, preferring to cuddle up at night on the pillow above my bed on the headboard shelf... She is an exceptionally sweet dog for the right person and/or home situation and/or lifestyle, and we welcomed her back into our home with pleasure!

Jayda - The pin's been taken out

Jayda's pin needed to be pulled out yesterday because it had started to press down and come out on the bottom... It hadn't yet punctured the skin, but would have if not pulled... She's not got the soft cast on for she's got sores now from the bandages... We've had to re-wrap it numerous times since the surgery and are keeping our fingers crossed for good news on August 31st when Dr. Novy looks at it again himself and then makes the determination as to the next step for Jayda.

Getting Cody to surgery ASAP!

Today I spoke to Dr. Frier of Camino Animal Hospital in Thousand Oaks. Last Friday, when Cody was picked up from the emergency pet hospital by his temporary owners, he was taken to Camino Animal Hospital where upon his arrival, Dr. Frier took x-rays and blood work. Having never met Dr. Frier, I wanted to take the time this morning to contact him and talk about his x-rays as well as thank him for donating such extensive time to Cody. In addition to his time, Dr. Frier donated all diagnostic tests and radiology that he preformed that day.

During my call with Dr. Frier, I was saddened to learn that according to his radiology report, Cody also has a fractured scapula, a spinal fracture, and possibly a collapsed vertebrae. How much more can this little guy handle?

Dr. Frier advised that Cody receive his bi-lateral FHO surgery as soon as his lungs permitted. After a thorough discussion, we scheduled Cody for his surgery with Dr. Frier for Monday morning. The morning of his surgery Dr. Frier will confirm that Cody's lungs are clear for surgery. A bi-lateral FHO is a major surgery but a necessary one as Cody can not live with two lame rear legs.

A FHO is a surgical procedure that removes the femoral head and neck from the femur. This surgery is performed to alleviate pain and restore function to the rear legs. It is a salvage procedure, reserved for a condition where pain can not be alleviated in any other way. Unlike most other hip surgeries, the head of the femur is not replaced, but is allowed to heal and develop its own fibrous scar tissue so that the joint is no longer bone−to-bone. The neck of the femur is usually removed at the same time as the head. This prevents the post operative complication of bone rubbing on bone and continued pain.

Dr. Frier has generously offered to donate 50% of his surgical and post-operative veterinary services as well as 100% of Cody's post-operative hydrotherapy sessions. I am extremely touched by the doctor's offer, as we are scrambling to raise the money necessary to provide all the medical care this little guy needs.

Cody - On a lighter note!

Here is Mr. Cody sleeping peacefully in my office all wrapped up in his blankets. He LOVES being covered up and sleeps like a baby when I put some of the blanket under his head as a little pillow (smile).

I discovered today that he also likes to sleep with his eyes covered, it keeps the light out of his precious eyes while I am working! I put his blanket over them this afternoon and he let out a big sigh and went straight to sleep. What a little baby!

Cody - A quick change of plans

Well, that was quicker than expected and very disappointing - the vet re-x-rayed Cody's hips today and both of them have already popped back out of their sockets, therefor the attempt to put them back where they belonged non-surgically was not successful. When I first heard this, I wondered what it all meant... Could he still be fixed? What would we need to do? How much will it cost to help him? What about his lungs? How about his elbow?

I have never dealt with a victim hit by a car before. The touch and go of getting him put back together is an emotional roller coaster. You try to keep him comfortable, pet his tummy so he can relax, be there for him throughout the night when he wants to move and try to hold him up when he needs to go to the bathroom, all while you hope deep inside that he will all be ok in the end and that he will be able to return to a quality of life he deserves... A day like today is a blow to the psyche, but I have to remind myself that he is a little trooper, much stronger than me (smile) and he will prevail as long as we can raise the money to give him the chance to overcome this fight.

Cody will need a bi-lateral FHO (femoral head ostectomy) surgery in order for him to ever walk again which can't be done until his lungs have cleared. In the meantime, the sling hog-ties on his back legs have been removed and we will have to manage his pain with medication. He will continue to be unable to move his back legs for the time being.

On an positive note, according to the x-rays of today, his elbow is still in place. This is VERY important as there are far fewer options to surgically repair an elbow as there are to repair hips. Also, it seems as though some of the blood in Cody's lungs has cleared up as well, so hopefully his internal bruising is beginning to heal.

How will I take care of Cody during the week?

After going back and forth, I decided that it would be best for Cody to be at the vet hospital during the weekdays under their supervision and care while I am at work. I took him there this morning and picked him up this afternoon and brought him home.

Cody has been reluctant to go to the bathroom as he can't get up and move, so their use of a catheter relieved him and minimizes his stress over this. It has also become apparent to me in the last day or so that the pain and anti-inflammatory medication has dampened his appetite significantly as well as his desire to drink, so IV fluids were good for him during the day as well.

As things move along, I can always bring him to work with me and he can sleep near my desk, but I think he could use the extra care during the day right now...

Cody - Back to the vets!

After returning to the vet this morning, doctors decided that it was worth an attempt to put Cody's hips and elbow back into their sockets non-surgically by manipulation. While it is a longshot that this non-surgical intervention will actually work, it is the only option they have until his lungs heal which will then allow for an invasive procedure like a bilateral femoral head ostectomy surgery (which is the removal of the femoral head on each of the rear hips). Given the extent of his damage, the success of this non-surgical procedure is remote but if this option succeeds on even one of his legs then that will be a major victory on his road to recovery.

Under a very light anesthesia, 2 doctors and a tech worked on Cody's limbs until they were finally set back to where they belong. After they were done, his front elbow was splinted in order to keep it in place and his back 2 legs were wrapped in slings/hog-tied (hog-tying is a common practice after hips are put back into their sockets to prevent the dog from moving and allow the muscle tissue to build up around the sockets holding them in place). The chance that all 3 will turn out successful is not very high as the ligaments around the sockets are badly damaged, but the less Cody moves around, the better his chance that any of these will take.

In order to maximize his chance at this succeeding, I am keeping Cody crate rested with no way to move around and his pain medication will keep him rather sedated for the time being. The more he sleeps, the faster the time will pass for him. It will be interesting to see how Cody will urinate and such in his current state, but the vet says he will learn eventually that he has no choice and will go on the pitty pads he lays on. I have lots of bath wipes here for when it happens, and will just have to clean him the best I can to keep him comfortable.

Cody - 1st night with his new foster family

Here is an x-ray of Cody (temporarily known as Ira) taken at the emergency hospital the night he was hit by a car. As you can see in this image of his rear legs, both of his hips had been torn from their sockets.

When I brought Cody home last night it was obvious that he was in a lot of pain. As I suspected, he would not eat, would not drink and could not get comfortable. Cody spent most of the night taking shallow, rapid breaths which worried me... I couldn't tell if this was the result of his pain or a worsening of his lungs. Cody's body temperature was still low (around 98.5 degrees), so I kept him snug and covered, making sure to monitor his temperature hourly throughout the night.

It was hard to watch him like this. This poor little guy had gone through so much. From a plane ride in a cargo hold... from one stranger to another... hit by a car... to a pet ER... and now to another stranger in an unfamiliar place - but even after all he had been through, he still managed to look at you with thankfulness and appreciation for keeping him as warm and comfortable as he could be.

The night that changed Cody's life

It was Thursday night about 11pm and I decided on a whim to go out and get a hamburger. As I was driving down one of the two major streets in Moorpark, I spotted what looked to me from a distance like a garbage bag in the middle of the road.

It was late and dark and I was unsure of what it was so I slowed down. As my headlights approached, I remember seeing the glistening of this little boy's eyes. He was a small, scared little puppy curled up in a ball. I knew right away that this dog had been hit by a car and just could not believe how someone could leave him in the middle of this major street!

I slammed on my breaks, put the car in reverse and as fast as possible jumped out to see how badly he was hurt. Scared and not knowing who I was, he pulled his body to the side of the road. It was clear that he could not move his back legs as he dragged them behind him with blood dripping from his mouth.

I immediately needed help moving this little guy into my car, so I called the Moorpark Police and then another local TLC volunteer to help. As soon as the Moorpark Police arrived, they put cones out to block off oncoming traffic.

Some good Samaritans stopped their cars and helped by providing blankets to keep him warm, then felt his body for obvious breaks before we lifted him. This little puppy was in shock. He laid there still and did not even blink. After we covered him in blankets, we all proceeded to move him into my car, and I along with another TLC volunteer rushed him to a local pet emergency hospital.

We talked to this pup the whole way there. We tried to keep him lucid and aware of his surroundings as we wanted to try to size up the severity of his injuries. It was very hard to do as this dog was just hit by a car, was in shock and we weren't familiar with him. We had to proceed carefully to prevent being bitten. On the way, we phoned the hospital and they were there waiting to take him out of the car as soon as we arrived.

We waited in the waiting room to hear his status. Was he going to die? Was he going to make it? Who does he belong to? How did he get out? How are we going to call his owners and tell them that he is here? All those thoughts run through your mind as you sit and wait for the news.

Within a few minutes, the vet tech came out and apprised us of the situation. This pup was not wearing an identification tag and had no microchip -- therefore we did not have anyone to contact for him. His blood pressure and body temperature were very low, he had blood in his urine and he was hooked up to oxygen and IV's while they ran blood work and x-rays.

As they worked to stabilize him further, they told us that both of Cody's hips were torn from their sockets and that he was in A LOT of pain. They could not identify what the blood was dripping from his mouth and did not yet have the results as to what was going on with his organs.

We went to the back where they were trying to stabilize him. We took a few pictures to hang up around Moorpark where he was found, hoping to get the attention of his owners by the morning. After waiting to hear for about 30 minutes, we left for home to hang these posters while ER continued to perform life-saving treatment on him.

A few hours later we gave a call to check on him. Cody had been hooked up to IV fluids for many hours and despite the catheter they had put in him, he was not urinating. In addition to his dislocated pelvis, now the concern was that he had a perforated bladder. Ultrasounds were being done right away and we had to wait to hear his fate. Feeling heavy hearted, we plugged away at the 50 posters we were hanging throughout the city in the early hours of the morning...

Cody - The Next Morning

Around 5AM Friday morning, we finally had all 50 signs hung and were hopeful we would get a call from Cody's owners sometime during the day. It was at that moment that the phone rang.

It was a woman who found one of our signs while she went out to hang her own. Cody had been given to her the night before by a local resident who had bought him from a breeder in the Midwest a few days earlier. He was shipped by plane to California and upon his arrival, they decided they did not want him and gave him away to her. Cody (then named "Ira"), anxious and afraid of his new environment, escaped from their yard and minutes later was hit by traffic.

I brought his new owner up to speed on what had happened, told her how I found him and gave her the phone number of the pet hospital to call and get more information on how he was doing.

After getting a few hours of sleep, I called the hospital again myself to check on Cody and his progress and they informed me that he had been released to his owner and taken to another facility for further care.

About 4 hours later the phone rang again. It was his current owner of roughly 12 hours. She explained her situation and her inability to provide Cody with the 24 hour care he needed as a result of his hit and run. Even though his vitals were now stable, Cody was in need of further veterinary care and was badly injured... 3 of his legs were torn from their sockets. In order for Cody to live with any quality of life, he would need multiple surgeries giving him movement in his legs again and extensive care and rehabilitation.

His new family asked and TLC Rescue agreed to take possession of Cody in order to give him the treatment he needed and restore his ability to walk.

In order to assess his stability and injuries further, he was then taken to one of the veterinary facilities that TLC uses regularly. We visited with the veterinary staff to further assess Cody's needs and his most immediate medical concerns as well as give him shots of antibiotics and pain medication to relieve his suffering.

It was at that point the medical staff determined that his most immediate medical concern was the increasing fluid building in his lungs that could not be accounted for with certainty. Any surgical procedures on his legs would have to wait until the condition of his lungs were resolved.

Jayda's gone a-visitin' !!!

Yesterday Jayda spent most of the day with her new furever parents, Dawn and John...

I wouldn't consider myself a religious person, but I do consider myself a spiritual one... I am always amazed at people who think God does not exist, because I see examples of his miracles every day in my life... On the way to their house yesterday, I was thinking about how wonderfully God's plan for Jayda has worked out - her leg is on the mend, so many people donated towards the surgery costs that would have put our small rescue under financially, Jayda has won a fantastic home with two awesome furever parents... and the list goes on and on...

I went over Jayda's meds with Dawn, helped Jayda get accustomed to her new digs and where her bed was, etc. before I left their lovely home... As I started to drive away, I was sending a small thank-you towards the heavens for the awesome home and loving arms Jayda will now have... When I looked to my left, I saw a small covey of about 15 small California Quail running in unison up the sidewalk along a hedge in their neighborhood...

Call me odd, but in a suburban area this was an amazing show of native wildlife adapting to our encroachment upon their living areas... It filled my heart with wonder and my eyes with a miraculous sight... Some might call it coincidence, but to me, it was God's way of reaffirming his loving arms and compassion he feels to all of us that try to do the right thing, and how beautiful it can be when we do...

It was an awesome thing to see and I was struck by the visual aspects of it all combined with what I myself had been doing at the very same time! Isn't God and his creatures just so utterly mind-boggling at times?

Jayda did VERY well in her day visit considering it was the longest time she was away from her puppies and their smell... As long as she can smell her puppies, she will continue to produce small quantities of milk even if she's weaned them... So while she was a bit apprehensive when I picked her up in the evening, she had already started to form the bonds with Dawn and John that she has with me... She gets a day today to relax here at the house, and then we are going to repeat the process tomorrow again...

The puppies now have a full set of milk teeth (and collars!!!), so given half a chance with Jayda, they are now causing her more harm than good... Even with full tummies of solid food, they'll suckle at the drop of a hat, so my days are spent more with taking over Jayda's roles as food provider, cleaning up after them (whatever goes in, comes out STINKY!) and comforting Jayda when I won't allow her in with the puppies...

Normally by now, most moms would have totally weaned their pups, but Jayda has been a fantastic mom despite all she's gone through... She's still WOEFULLY thin and I can't wait to see her fill out and her coat grow back in from the surgery... Her next check-up is on the 31st of August and I'm hoping that pin might come out then... Keeping my fingers crossed because she is DEFINITELY tired of that soft cast now!!! :)

So what do you do if you're Elvis?

Well, if you are Elvis and you're at adoptions (supposedly putting your best foot forward to find your own furever home), you'll fall asleep in one of our great volunteer's arms!

Elvis - runnin' with the big dawgs...

Elvis is now 'running with the big dawgs' and as such, has had to learn potty training... For the most part, he's darn good at it... He tags along with Nacho throughout the day (and sleeps with him in a crate at night)...

He's also learned a LOT of canine manners from being rude about eating to going up to a female and trying to nurse... He's still a squirmy little butt, but he's calming down on that aspect as well...

He's still ALL puppy, having destroyed the fake flowery leaves on the cat scratching post outside in one day! I have it there because it attracts the dogs and they'll leg-lift there instead of on my flowers and roses... Something about that post with the bushy leaves on top intrigues him and once he pulls one off, he runs across the yard like he's just stolen the Hope diamond! "DROP IT" is not in Elvis' vocabulary yet, but I keep working on it! What a little goober he is!

Gorgeous has won the hearts of her new furever family!

We took Gorgeous yesterday for a meet & greet along with a home check at the same time... She won the hearts of her new furever parents, who have an adorable little male Chi named "Chewy"... What a pair these two are going to be, and Gorgeous will be adored by her new owners... I full expect to see a fur-collared sweater on her this winter to match her unique and striking looks!

Congratulations, Gorgeous - you deserve the great furever home you are getting!

Update on Xena...

Xena has now been spayed, but she was not been feeling too well for a few days - it took her longer than usual to feel decent after the operation, but I noticed yesterday that she's begun to play again with the other guys...

Xena really was too young to be a mom and wasn't that great of one either... The shelter paperwork might list her as being three years old, but I'd almost bet the house payment that she's not half that in age... She's SO much puppy in so many ways - like she's never been able to truly be a puppy and is now making up for lost time? She's begun playing with toys and she's intensely affectionate with you - at first she was pretty standoffish and because of those gorgeous eyes, you just couldn't seem to connect like you do with most dogs...

She listens well now and quite the lady when eating, sleeping, interacting - very delicate and not rowdy-howdy at all... Even when she plays, she plays like a lady and a puppy combined - does that make any sense? She doesn't care to be wet, nor walk on wet grass, concrete, etc. Very quiet and reserved most of the time, I don't think I've ever heard her bark in fact! But then she gets this wild hair and frolics around in the grass like a newborn colt! She's FAST too... cuts those corners like a well oiled Jag when you least expect it, losing the others in the dust in the daily 'catch me if you can' game they always engage in...

She truly would blossom in a 'pampered pet' environment... She tolerates sweaters and dresses well, but doesn't care to get dirty... What a lady she is!

More progress for Sunshine...

Sunshine has been with me now for over two months and there's been a TON of changes in her life in the past weeks... From being a mom and protector of Gizmo, Sunshine arrived here snarling and unhappy if another dog even came within two feet of her or her puppy...

Although she probably never had to socialize with other dogs to any great extent as a backyard breeder, Sunshine has learned a lot of canine manners from the dogs around her... And she has grown into one absolute sweetheart, still preferring to sleep on my shoulder with her nose underneath my chin at night...

At one time, I felt sure she'd have to find a furever home with no other dogs, but now I no longer hold that opinion... Being spayed has radically changed her personality for the better (like it always does with intact dogs - male or female)... She still doesn't care to be slept upon, but now is willing to sleep with other dogs (as long as she is not at the very BOTTOM of the dog pile... )... She still thoroughly enjoys her morning sunbathing and I love to watch her watch the world around us... I always sit there and wonder what she's thinking about... What level of thinking do dogs actually do? Beyond just watching a butterfly float by her, what is she thinking about that, ya know? She usually has this look of intense concentration and I've caught her watching the TV (National Geographic) with some pretty intense stares...

Quiet by nature, she's joined the 'Teeny Pool' as I call them - the tiny Chihuahuas who are her size or smaller... She has begun play bowing, tail wagging - especially with Scudders and Princess... Something I never thought I'd see...

Beyond just being social creatures by nature, Chihuahuas tend to be clannish and I thought Sunshine was a bit odd initially because she didn't seem to have this trait... I guess it was all a matter of time and trust before she'd develop this unique character trait of this awesome breed!

P.S. She's also grown into being an 'UC' Chi... (undercover Chi)... Preferring to have at least her head (if not her body) under a light blankee to sleep!

Jayda's puppies - new photos and weights

Faith just turned 6 weeks this weekend and she's gotten her first puppy shots, which went fine. She's also 2 lb, 2 oz now and like all four puppies, is just a ball of fluff! They're eating solid food now and are using the pitty pad pretty regularly without too many accidents off of it. Jayda has been a phenomenal mom, but she's ready for these puppies to go on solid foods 100% of the time!



Although Joy looks bigger than the other puppies, she's all fluff and actually only weighs 2 pounds! She's been the quiet one in the litter, preferring to sleep in most mornings, hang out in the afternoons and is usually the last one to the food dish! For being as quiet as she is, the other morning, she found her 'voice'... She was the first one in the litter to do the 'wolf howl' (head back, snout up and howling)... The first time she did it, she stopped, looked about and then thought about it, scared herself and jumped... A few seconds later, she did it again (did she not realize she herself had howled???) and IMMEDIATELY jumped to the side, frightened about the sound she herself created!



Hope continues to be the most photogenic in the litter, always willing to sit and pose for you without moving about too much... She's the cuddler in the crew and at 2 pounds also, she's not opposed to being at the bottom of any puppy dog pile!



Last, but not the least, Justice also weighs 2 pounds now, but she's got double that in attitude!... She's the first to explore a dog dish, first to pounce on any new toy, first to find mom and it appears she's the alpha (so far) in the litter... She's in charge and isn't afraid to let you know it either! Justice is still retaining that darker coloring around her right eye like Petey in the "Little Rascals" and of all the puppies, Justice reminds me the most of her mom (Jayda).

Elvis is back up for adoption.... Sigh...

And what a great furever home he'd earned too! Sadly, Elvis was returned to us on Friday after being adopted for only a week... the new family discovered a huge additional deposit was required on their rental by their landlord if they had a dog, so with a LOT of sadness, they called us and asked if we could take him back...

So Elvis is once again available for adoption...

Scudders - I'm a little old man... smile...

"Scudders" in Norwegian means 'little man' and this name aptly fit Scudders... While the shelter paperwork says he's six years old, our vet believes he's more like ten... He has a luxating patella on one back leg which will eventually require surgery. Scudders' mouth is in poor shape, needing a cleaning and he'll probably lose quite a few teeth once we get that done...

So that's all the bad news... The good news is that his heart is fine and the decay in his mouth has not caused any heart issues that we know of... Even better news is that he is as sweet and friendly as they come, always interested in what is going on around him...

He initially weighed 3 lbs at the shelter, but he's slowly gaining back a bit of the weight he so desperately needs - he's now about 3.5 pounds as a matter of fact... But to give you an idea of just how small he is, I snapped this photo of Scudders and Bella together (Bella now weighs 15 pounds):



Scudders is up-to-date on his shots including rabies, but he still needs to be neutered and then licensed for the County of Ventura.

I've come a LONG way, BABY!

Sometimes I forget how much progress some of these little ones make until I have my camera out and am snapping pictures... I couldn't resist this one of Kimberly on the new steps... Why the 2nd one down and not the top or bottom?... Then the closer I looked at the photo, the more I realized how much progress she's made in size and in health...



Pulled from the shelter with her spinal column and ribs showing down her sides, I wasn't so sure if I could get this little one healthy again... But I guess that's the beauty of blogging about these dogs - you readily can see where they were and how far they've come!

Wonderful news about Jayda...

Jayda had her three-week check-up on Tuesday and Dr. Novy is pleased with her progress so far... There is bone growth at the break, but the pin from the knee to the hip is going to stay in for at least another three weeks just so we can make sure this worked... Dr. Novy described (graphically) the painful surgical process required to stretch the tendons so he could realign the bone fragments... No wonder it was such a LONG surgery!

Dr. Novy decided to leave on the soft cast for another three weeks, but I guess Jayda had had enough of this for I got up yesterday morning at my usual early time (3AM) and found she'd chewed through the cast pieces that went up and over her back... I'm not a nurse or a vet tech, but in the middle of the night/morning, I'm trying to locate something to keep her away from the incision and stitches... I probably did a terrible job if appearances count, but I did manage to cover it all up with gauze and it lasted long enough for their offices to open, get Jayda in there and the area re-dressed...

He decided to remove some of the stitches --- maybe they were getting too tight and that's why she went after them? for she's left the entire area alone since the surgery... Jayda's body is so long that E-collars just don't work on her well... But Dr. Novy re-padded and re-dressed the leg again... We go back the last day of August to see where we're at and what the next step will be...

Jayda's puppies are almost weaned now (they turn 6 weeks on Sunday) and she's not only been an excellent mother throughout all of this, she's been the sweetest little girl ever... Everyone at Valley Vets is impressed with her easy going and pleasant nature... I can't wait to see her true personality once she no longer has a bum leg to tote around, four puppies to feed and worry about, plus a leg she can readily walk on!

But even BETTER news (like this wasn't enough?) is that Jayda has found great furever home parents... I got a voice message and returned the call, got to talking to the lady who asked what would happen to Jayda eventually and ended up stopping by their home with Jayda...

During our visit, Jayda fell asleep on their living room carpet (after John fixed her a tasty snackie of chicken! Oh my!)... When we got ready to leave, Jayda took a few steps, turned around and looked back at Dawn & John, then a few more steps, looked back again... And repeated this several times until we got to the truck to go home...

It was almost if she wanted to stay and didn't really know if she wanted to go with me... Jayda's been my shadow since day one and this was certainly out of the norm for her... Aren't dogs just the most AMAZING creatures??? :)

As long as I have been doing rescue, I don't think any dog's back story touched me more than Jayda's... More than once I've had people see me with Jayda, had already read about her story in the newspaper and expressed outright anger because of what occurred to her at the hands of humans... And when they meet her in person, see how absolutely sweet she is, it makes people even angrier about the whole series of inhumanity she's had to undergo...

Dawn and John came to the check-up appointment this week so they themselves could access what type of prognosis we were facing with Jayda and future rehabilitation/surgery needs... Once Jayda's pups are fully weaned, she will complete her recovery in Dawn's everloving arms and John's big heart... WAY TO GO, JAYDA~!!!

Once again, thank-you to everyone who helped save this dog's leg... It is very humbling to see the large amount of support and humanity being extended to one of God's gentle creatures like this!

Sarah's got a new baby... HUH?

Xena had been doing her very best to not nurse Thor for a few days, so I'd started taking over some of the feedings in an attempt to help out in the weaning process and not let him starve... But milk and food are not the only things these little ones need or want...

On Friday, I had attempted to introduce Thor to Sarah and her baby, Gorgeous... But Sarah would have nothing to do with that... She'd allow Thor and Gorgeous to play together (and had been for some time), but when she came in to nurse, she wanted Thor GONE...

Saturday night, Thor kept me up most of the night... He just wanted to be cuddled and held... He's such a little guy and I could not take the pitiful cries and whines he kept emitting, so back into my arms he'd go...

Smell is a very BIG issue to dogs and most of us humans don't think much about it... So as I sat throughout the night with Thor comforting him, it occurred to me that maybe Thor had too much of his mom's smells still attached to him...

EARLY Sunday morning I gave him a warm bath, dried him off and held him for about an hour... I only wear one brand of perfume and Sarah's very loving with me, so I gave Thor a very small shot of it --- sorta/kinda spray it and then waved him in the air through it briefly...

About 15 minutes later, I tried to introduce Thor once again to Sarah and this time it stuck...



Sarah now is nursing both her baby and Xena's, although both have been readily eating solid foods several times a day now... It's not just the mother's milk - it's more the bonding and cuddling that these little ones need... And while I'm a loving and caring foster mom, there's nothing like the real thing (or as close to it as possible), ya know?

Poor Scooby...

On Saturday, we attempted to foster Scooby with another one of the TLC dogs that was being adopted... True to his nature and form, he did not much more but hide in the bushes in the person's backyard the first night... The first two days I had him as my foster, I didn't see him at all except as he passed by towards going potty outside... By day two I started to get a bit concerned and knowing that he had to be hungry, took a plate of food to him... So I was not surprised he didn't transition over to a change immediately...

Sunday, I went and picked him up and he was SO glad to see me (but then again, I've been his foster since we bailed him out of the shelter too!)... He immediately went around to all of his favorite spots, tail wagging, kisses to his particular buds, headed off to the kibble container and then curled into his favorite sleeping spot like he hadn't slept for DAYS!



Scooby is going to need a VERY special furever home... One that understands the extreme trauma these dogs go through as they journey through the shelter systems (and in Scooby's case, he's had to do it numerous times)... And someone willing to give him the time and space to come back out of his self-imposed prison on his own terms and time frame...

Although Scooby is probably not a puppy mill dog, many of his behaviors are quite common with the puppy mill survivors... For those that actively rescue the puppy mill dogs, the first thing they tell new volunteers is to throw out all the stereotypes of Lassie and other dogs you've interacted with...

Under-socialized --- then born, raised, bred and dying in cages they can barely stand up in, these puppy mill survivors find the outside world frightening and foreign to them...

The general public believe they are doing great things by 'freeing' these dogs, but in fact, confined areas are all these dogs know... Pushing them into huge open spaces and expecting them to act like Lassie under a wide variety of situations just push these dogs further inside themselves...

It is no different for them than it is for us humans - what we don't know, we fear first... But humans can think on a higher plateau than a dog can, so there is one part of us that says if we can overcome our fears, we might eventually one day be free... Puppy mill dogs don't think to this extent... The most they know is that they're scared out of their mind because they've been taken out of the familiar and comforting way of life they've always known...

And when I say I don't think Scooby is a puppy mill survivor, I'm saying this based upon a lot of observation and experience... Puppy mill survivors don't normally wag their tail at you as they listen to you sweet-talking to them... They won't even attempt to reach out at all... Most will avoid eye contact with you whenever possible... It's like the 'lights are on, but no one is home' kind of thing... "If I can't feel, I can't hurt and they can't get to me inside here" kind of mindset thinking...

Scooby's not in that frame of mind... True, the world is a scary place to him... Lots of people cause him to freeze in his 'statue' mode... Adoptions is a scary thing for him to participate in each week... I put the hammock in the Xpen for him and know he'll do his best to not be noticed by all the people that will mill around, staring down at him... And probably pray that someone doesn't want to pick him up... He now knows it will be over soon, another ride in a kennel and then he's home free for another week...

The person that eventually falls in love with Scooby will know that it is going to take a lot of time for Scooby to immediately come when called... They'll have to be content with calling his name and getting that soulful look and tail wag, for that is all that Scooby can render (at least at this time)...

Now that Scooby's been with me for some time, I see him running around outside and queuing up for meal times with the others... I've even seen him sleeping with a bud in a doggie bed... And he follows us to the bedroom each night, content to sleep in a doogie bed on the floor in a corner... This is a LOT of progress for Scooby... He's probably never going to be one of those dogs you see in commercials, running through a meadow chasing after butterflies... Freedom to Scooby is not being shoved into a small confined space, but a space he himself can relax in and sleep without fears... Sometimes that's not such a bad thing, ya know?

Scooby's probably a bonefide canine agoraphobic... Probably had little control over his situation or circumstances in his life... Human contact hurt and there were no means of escape... When I initially fostered him, he shook when I called his name - now I get tail wags... It's not the mountains that you climb in life but the deep valleys you survive, ya know?... And that's how it is for Scooby... He survives the best way he knows how and one day, he'll attempt to climb a hill, but never a mountain - the shelter system and humans created the fears that are his companions... sigh...

New furever homes for Lizzy and Elvis!

Elvis and Lizzy both found their furever homes this week - congratulations to both and their new families!