59 and counting....

Last night as I was driving home from adoptions after a very LONG and tiring day (up at 3AM and finally calling it a day at 7PM), I was thinking back about the day... How many other people are as lucky as I am?....

Once a week, I get to spend the day with some of the NICEST people... Old and young, I get to see a lot of ladies (and a few gents) come together without a thought of getting paid, a day FULL of hard work and with no other rewards than knowing they are part of a movement to save puppy and dog lives... Yeah, sure - you can just about always count on people showing up if there is a paycheck involved, but the time and energy these folks give up comes not from anywhere else but their heart....  ♥

Today is my birthday and I am adding one more year to my 'official' age... At 59 years old now, I truly believed I would be retiring from rescue 20 years ago 'cause by now, we as a people would have stopped killing adoptable dogs in our shelters and pounds... But as I was (still) reflecting on growing older, I realized that in less than 4 months from now, our county would have gone No-Kill five (5 - yes - FIVE) years ago...

What an EXCELLENT birthday present to give an 'older-than-dirt' lady... Five years of not killing nine of out of ten dogs that walked through their doors...

Over five years ago, I used to physically sick Monday evenings because I knew the next day (Tuesday) was kill day at Ventura County Animal Services (then known as VCAR)... And that any dog I could not save and get out of there, was a dead dog early Tuesday morning... No matter how many times I'd plead for a foster that week and pray for that dog to be adopted by someone over the weekend, there were some dogs that I absolutely failed despite my very best efforts... Those dog faces are still the ones I see at times in my nightmares...

And five years later?... Monday evenings I no longer get nauseated... I don't FEAR Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays any more... In fact, this past week several of the VCAS and TLC volunteers sat at the same table at Sutter's Mill for a great fundraising dinner... Now, just how SPECIAL this memory is, huh?... Something that no one can take from me and I will have forever as long as I live... Thank-you, Donna and Barry, for committing VCAS to No-Kill in my lifetime!...

My husband and I are not wealthy... We are not even 'comfortable' and live paycheck to paycheck like everyone else does... But the love of dogs and doing rescue has 'paid' us back in memories and unconditional love that even the wealthy billionaires in this country don't have... TLC is fast approaching the 3,000 mark of saves, but what numbers don't show is the special cases and not easily adopted sweethearts that have passed through our hands and onto their own furever homes... That never shows up in statistics but it sure shows up in heartbeats and precious memories...

Yesterday, despite the threat of rain and overcast skies, there was a beacon of hope and promise that came to adoptions... A dog, thrown into an industrial trash compactor (pregnant) to have her litter inside and the first miracle was that no one pushed that button or threw in heavy trash on top of them... Feral, but not aggressive, she would not (or could not) leave the trash compactor and her puppies behind, so that is how she showed up in rescue - when brave souls climbed into the trash and hauled her and her litter out...

Her name is DeMara and we don't know how long she and her litter of pups were in that trash compactor... But when I got her, I could encircle her waist with my two hands, thumb-to-thumb and finger-to-finger... Feral, but not aggressive, she would unwillingly submit to being touched by human hands but by her body language, you could tell it was not something she was comfortable with...

Second miracle came along when her pups were weaning and another foster in TLC stepped up to allow her to dry out and start becoming socialized... Those two months brought this beautiful dog from a skin-and-bones skeleton to a plush and healthy, young adult female... Working with DeMara, she went from a 'void, no personality' dog to a dog that looked with interest at a human... It took two months, but oh my, what a big change....

And the third miracle of this dog's life?... Unexpectedly we had to switch foster homes for DeMara... Most of us in TLC foster but few of us have big dogs... I asked Lydia and her husband, Neil, if they could just foster for two weeks... And the switch occurred last Saturday at adoptions... DeMara sat, 'plastered to the parking lot' at PetSmart as she waited for her new foster mom... New sounds? New people?  New dogs?  DeMara was apprehensive and on edge... But in my mind?... She'd gone eons in change already...

Yesterday, this beautiful dog came back to adoptions... And in just a week? What another unbelievable change~!!!... Her third miracle in her lifetime and one of the sweetest birthday presents I have had... DeMara was no longer plastering herself to the ground, but actually going up to strangers and new dogs she did not know... She came up to me as I was eating my breakfast and allowed me to feed her half of my sandwich - something she had never done before to me despite being her foster mom for 6 weeks... She actually sat at my feet and took my pieces of breakfast sandwich from my hand~!!! ... Gentle, gentle too...

At one point, I had one of those 'heart shudders' you get when you realize just how much of a miracle you are looking at - right in front of you... A dog that had NO chance, nor her pups... To have three miracles in a short amount of time and to come from being feral to being a family dog... 

I willingly gave up most of my sandwich... Maybe at the beginning because I could not believe my eyes... But at the end, because I was SO enjoying the vision of her taking food from my hands...

THESE are the kinds of birthday presents I get, not just once a year, but year round... I listen to folks that work in offices and at companies, complaining about the folks they work with and for... I could not have a better job... It is hard, it is emotionally and physically draining, it pays nothing (and in fact, you pay to have it in numerous ways... smile...), but oh, how lucky, LUCKY I am...

Each day is like Christmas and every week is like having your birthday all over for the non-material 'presents' in memories and heart twitters you get... 

Yes, indeed... I am a VERY LUCKY 'older-than-dirt' lady... 

Hugs,
Linda

P.S.  DeMara at her foster mom's home with Bettie (also a rescued and now adopted homeless dog).  Bettie Davis is a Chihuahua mix with a beautiful personality... DeMara is a Jindo/Shepherd/Lab mix, sitting behind her.

New venue

We have started looking into ways to raise funds to offset the massive amount of vet bills we have, saving canine lives.

We already have the 'Luv My Dog' line of essential oils we create in a medium that you can apply to the back of their neck or at the inside tip of their ear.

In addition, we are going to start carrying unique doggie items for pet owners and lovers... Or to be used as gifts for a pet lover you love.

We will post them on our blog as they are available - use the label 'fundraiser' on the blog cloud to find these items easily.

And now for today's arrival?  Cute little 'heart doggie love' rings have arrived and will be available at our next adoption event for sale!  $6 each... 

Pain & Dogs

Dogs are extremely good at concealing pain from us.  Why do they do this?  As pack animals, not showing their suffering has clear survival benefits. The ancestors of modern dogs would commonly leave behind a member of the pack who was in pain and slowing down the group as a whole.  Each pack member needed the pack to survive, hunt and eat ~~ so without a pack, it was a death sentence.  As a result, dogs have learned to hide their pain very well, despite all the breeding we have done and changing of their genetic make-up.

And as dogs age, just like with us humans, nature takes its course.  Depending on the SIZE (and NOT human years), our canine pets move out of adulthood and into becoming a senior citizen, complete with the issues of growing older. While a large breed dog is considered "old" at 7 or 8 (human) years, smaller sized canines are really "old" until they reach 9 to 12 (human years).  As they change, we should be changing our care of them as well.

Side Note about Seniors: Food for seniors will have a lower fat content and a bit higher in fiber.  Protein levels will remain the same. Once a senior dog, they should be switched to a senior formula food accordingly. A good senior formula will have slightly higher levels of glucosamin, chondroitin,and other elements to support joint function. With many senior Chihuahuas, supplements of Omega 3 fatty acids and Vitamin C are more important than ever. 

We have a great sheet on how to recognize dog pain on our website in the resources section HERE.

Four of out of five large breed dogs over the age of 8 are suffering from some kind of joint pain or arthritis.  With the smaller sized canine breeds, this usually is between the ages of 9 to 12 (human) years.  Fortunately, there are some subtle signs we can look out for:

Top 6 Signs of Canine Osteoarthritis

1. Weight Gain: Obesity is often an indirect sign of arthritis, as dogs become less active due to the pain.
2. Difficulty in getting up to greet you: This is one of the most often cited signals. If your dog usually jumps up to greet you or visitors when they first walk in the door, but suddenly stops this behavior, there may be something wrong.
3. Limping: Often arthritic dogs experience limping right after getting up from lying down. The limp may not last for long, and might only occur a few moments after getting up.
4. Decreased energy: If your dogs overall energy has taken a turn for the worse, they may be feeling the pains of arthritic joints.
5. Irritability: If your dog has become irritable for no apparent reason, they may be suffering from a hidden pain of some kind.
6. Increased licking, biting, or chewing: Pay attention to where your dog is licking or grooming themselves. Excessive or unusual attention in one area of the body might be a result of joint pain.

Sadly, most dogs will be affected at one time or another by osteoarthritis, joint pain, or hip & elbow dysplasia. There are many factors influencing when or how bad the symptoms might be.  In general, the larger the breed of dog, the more likely they are to suffer from joint pain, and the earlier you need to start preventative measures.  

The following breeds in particular are prone to more severe joint problems. Many veterinarians recommend supplementation for these breeds as early as 3 years old: German Shepherds, Goldens, Labs, Rottweilers, Mastiffs, Great Danes, Dachshunds, Newfoundlands and St. Bernards.  In the case of the Dachshund, we humans have bred the spinal column so long to create the confirmation of the dog, we have created a weakness there that requires early supplementation (even if the dog is not large in size).

Many veterinarians recommend supplementing with a high quality glucosamine, MSM, and Chondroitin supplement. In recent years, turmeric has also become a popular ingredient for joint support.  For more information on the use of turmeric, see this piece by Dogs Naturally Magazine.  The dosage of turmeric is 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon per day for every 10 pounds of dog weight ( 1/2 to 1 tsp for a 40 pound dog).  And with anything natural, please don't fall into that mindset of 'if one is good, two must be great and three must be fantastic' we humans are known for.