Grieving for pets

A week ago today, I lost a dear friend of mine... All of us have gone through this - I am not the first and I will not be the last... And despite knowing that, it does not make the hurt any less hurtful or less painful... 

In fact, all of these three pets to the left have gone across the Rainbow Bridge, but two were mine - Rogaine to the left and Peanut to the right.  Both Peanut and Rogaine were by my side in 2005 when I came very, very close to death and wished it so... Neither one left my side through those long, long months of recovering and now here I am, alone and both of them are gone... 

I have stood at the rescue shop and talked to other folks who have lost their pets... We always have this odd hesitation about discussing this topic for some reason... What do you say?... And how do you do it?  Do we not all broach the subject and wonder if the person is questioning (in their own mind) why we are hurting so deeply over the loss of 'just a dumb dog'?... 

I know I do... 

I have yet to talk about losing Rogaine to lymphosarcoma in 18 days when I did not get that 'look' in a person's eyes... Either they can relate (and do so), instantly telling me how they lost this pet or that pet ~OR~ I can see they don't hold the same value to the loss of a pet's life as dear as I do... 

I would need to take off my shoes and socks to count the number of times I've seen that mental process going in inside their heads... "It's 9 years ago and this woman is STILL getting emotional and choking up over the death of her dog?"... And using my toes and my fingers, I could would need more digits to count the number of times in nine years I have seen 'that' look... 

So how do I even BEGIN to explain this loss of Peanut to anyone?... I know in my head the second we begin living we also begin dying, but my heart wants to know it is not true... 

How do I begin to explain the magnificence of this dog to anyone else?... Or the number of countless times I have watched her 'size up and get right' any new foster I took on... This was a very smart and calculating bitch... And yes, I can say that word, because she was all that and more... 

While Rogaine taught me the meaning of unconditional loyalty and love, Peanut taught me rescue, what a Chihuahua was all about and gave me a focused purpose in my life...  

I promised I would save one dog in his name every month of my life for the rest of my life during Rogaine's last moments, but Peanut taught me to take on the hardest tasks in the worst of times (saving the number one breed dying in the shelter systems when the economy took a dump) and make things better... 

Although I continued to foster for other rescues after losing Rogaine, Peanut forced me to look at the high volume of Chihuahua and Chi mixes in the shelter and ask myself, "Why?  Why must THEY die?  No, Linda... you can make a change and you must...."

And there is just no way to explain these losses to anyone else, nor can I expect others to know how I am feeling...  For those addicted to Facebook or a cell phone, I can explain it in terms of 'imagine no Internet access or a cell phone glued to your hand for the rest of your life'... 

Does that equate it to about the same depth of loss?... No, not really, because neither the Internet nor a cell phone have a beating heart... But for someone who has just dropped and broken their cell phone, they get an inkling of the loss (until the stop at the AT&T or Verizon store)... Close, but not so close... 

And through Peanut's intelligence, she showed me that every dog can be trained... That it does not matter their age... And that each dog 'pays it forward' to other dogs... Something that few humans practice each day of their lives, but a mindset that dogs do all the time... 

Whenever I started fostering a new dog, PeaniePean had this 'walk around' stance she'd do... Tail not quite wagging but erect...  Sniff, sniff, sniff... And if she did not like the way they smelled, you'd see her do that slow wag that showed what her mind processes were doing... She quickly taught me to immediately bathe all shelter dogs, throw away any collar they had on and give them a fresh clean start before introductions to others in my home... 

Peanut was also called "Pean, the Queen" by my family and I because she truly ruled the roost at my house... And she did it simply by command presence, something that few dogs have... 

I LOVE smart female dogs - I can't explain it and I won't apologize for it... She just 'fit' inside my heart like butter over a toasted Thomas' English muffin - through all the nooks and cranies, ya know?... I loved to watch her mind work and I was blessed to have 11 years of this memory... 

So, how do I now fill this huge, huge void in my heart and in my life?... 

I caught myself the other night reaching down for her and about to call her name to put her to bed... Peanut slept in a crate at eye's level aside of my bed... About two years ago at the ripe old age of 15, she stopped being able to hold her bladder throughout the night... Prior to this, she fell asleep every night, curled up aside of my belly... She and I went to sleep as I slowly massaged and patted her from nose to tail... It was almost a ritual at night... 

And when she moved to the crate to sleep (so mom no longer woke up in a wet, cold bed), I would put my hand through the crate bars and do just about the same thing... 

Now I reach at night but there is no Peanie to be rubbed and patted now... 

Is the loss human in scope?... Well, to me it is... At least once a day when I was home, Peanut would do something to make me laugh... She wasn't the kind of dog that did well in the general public in her later years - she had no patience for strangers (although when younger, she did enjoy shopping for fabric for some strange reason!)... But she sure did things that would make me giggle or just think and wonder... 

Will I see a comical but very smart wee one every day in my life again?... Doubtful... Peanut was a 'one of a kind' kind of dog... 

Do I love other dogs?... Sure, there is foster momma love and you love all of your dogs to some degree... But once in a great while, one comes along that is so truly special they carve out a niche in your heart that you know is unique and extremely hard to replace... 

I will not say "Good-bye, Peanut" but just "See you later..... ".

Love, 

Mom

For more of PeaniePean in a Smilebox tribute

Isabella... It is Pitty time!

Despite TLC not really set up for saving the big dogs, in 2013 we made it part of our mission to save at least one Pitty per month throughout the year.  Our most recent save is "Isabella", an absolute magnificent Blue & White Pitty female, approximately 3 years old.

I first spotted Isabella when four of us TLC volunteers went through VCAS volunteer orientation at the Simi Valley facility.  You cannot look at this dog and not appreciate power, intelligence and an overall appreciation of what self esteem is all about.  I was amazed to find that Isabella already had the beginnings of obedience training, but found herself in the shelter system... someone must have loved this dog to give her the basic foundation of a good canine citizen.  I always wish these dogs could talk to tell us their back story and how they ended up the way they did, but for us in rescue, each dog becomes a jigsaw puzzle we slowly put together.

Initially Isabella did not walk well on lead at all - she listened to you, she knew 'Sit' but she had just too, too much high energy on lead.  The TLC volunteers fixed that quickly with a prong collar and dedicated, working walks throughout each day.  BTW, Isabella is potty trained.

Recently I took her out on a walk and once again, I was amazed with Isabella's rapid progress.  I already knew she was a lap dog (or so she thought she was) as I'd been 'lap sitted 60 pounds worth' several weeks ago.  So before we got in the cuddles, we put in the work to earn them.  Beyond 'Sit', Isabella also knows 'Up' (as in up into a car, up onto a bench or sofa, etc.) and rapidly learned 'Off' (the reverse).  If the initial high energy is already spent on the walk, she will do a good 'Stay' for you... not quite a long stay yet, but possible.  We also started working on 'Shake' and Isabella is right-pawed (a sign of intelligence and ALWAYS looked for in guide dogs, therapy dogs, etc.).  However, she is also cross-pawed, so this is NOT the dog for the novice dog owner.  Isabella will blossom under someone's ownership who already knows this breed.  She still needs training and is a cat-chaser we are told.   Isabella still has a LOT of puppy in her and while she does not react to small kids in the rescue shop, she can EASILY knock over small toddlers without intending to.

Of course, even with my own Boxer/Pitty, due to the immense power and strength, in my own opinion none of the Bully breeds should ever be left alone with children and no adult supervision.  Although Isabella is housed with a lot of small dogs at the rescue shop and does not react to them there, she still reacts to other dogs on lead outside.  Again, it is a matter of training and an owner's commitment to the furever life of any adopted dog or cat.

Isabella is spayed, up to dates on her vaccines including rabies, microchipoed and if you are a Ventura County resident, will be licensed prior to adoption.  If you are interested in adopting Isabella, please put in an adoption application online at https://tinylovingcanines.wufoo.com/forms/z7x3k7/

And if Isabella is not the dog of your dreams, the rescue shop does not have it, PLEASE visit our county shelter at either Camarillo or Simi Valley.  You can visit their website at http://www.vcas.us and they now have extended hours (11AM to 6PM at both facilities).

There are SO many pets awaiting their furever home - wouldn't it be a great feeling to know you insured their life by adopting them?

Success Story! RobRoy (now Ludo)

Adam just updated us with some new photos of a puppy he adopted from us recently.  RobRoy (now Ludo) looks like he is grinning in each of the photos.  what gorgeous pup!  He looks SO happy....


From Adam:

"Ludo (formerly Rob Roy) is doing great. He's seven pounds now. He recently went on a trip with us to Arizona and loved it. We're starting to think that the mystery father was Jack Russell Terrier instead of Chihuahua."

May's TLC Volunteer of the Month!

Melissa and Shelby, who Melissa nursed
back to health after being VERY ill

It is with great pleasure I congratulate Melissa Gilmore - TLC's Volunteer of the Month for May, 2014!

I originally met Melissa at the Simi Valley Spay & Neuter Clinic and we got into a conversation... She expressed the desire to get involved in our rescue and shortly thereafter, Melissa joined us a regular volunteer.  

Gravitating towards working in the back, Melissa has rapidly learned our procedures and protocols.  She had to quickly learn how to administer meds, to know when a dog or puppy should be seen by our vet and just basic tough cleaning procedures to prevent cross contamination and sick puppies.

But beyond that and why she is nominated this month?  Melissa consistently goes above and beyond to make sure dogs and puppies are not dying on her watch.

Bottle feeding Liv

Recently we got in a litter of orphaned Kelpie puppies three to four days old.  Bottle-feeding newborns round the clock is an exhausting task to undertake, but three at one time?   I've done it - it is like climbing Mount Everest and back... sleep never ever seems so sweet as when you have been deprived of it for days on end - trust me!

None of these puppies should have survived, but all three did.  Liv, Bosco and Camryn owe their very lives to the care Melissa gave to them.  It won't be long now before this litter will be spayed/neutered and go up for adoption.

And had it not been for yet another dedicated TLC volunteer like Melissa, the world would have missed their gentle spirits and loving natures.

Congratulations, Melissa - you have been a valuable asset to TLC and we deeply appreciate all your hard work and passion!

Update on SnuSnu... (aka Rescue Juice 102)

Time for that magic dose of Rescue Juice that keeps us rescuers going... The moments that tug at our heart strings and regenerates us to keep on fighting the valiant fight for No-Kill in our county... We took an old timer named SnuSnu and having seen our vet, opted to find him a long term foster instead of euthanizing him... So I put out a special plea... 

A kind-hearted Sim Valley resident, Cindi, stepped up and offered to foster SnuSnu... This morning, she came into the rescue shop at Simi Valley Town Center before we opened and met SnuSnu in person... 

The TLC volunteers on shift all have been gushing about the unbelievable interaction between SnuSnu and Cindi this morning... 

And these are folks that have a LOT of hands on experience with dogs... Volunteers who have seen a ton of human interactions and the exchange between dogs and unfamiliar humans they have just met...   

SnuSnu absolutely MELTED into Cindi - the first time we have seen that since we pulled him out of Camarillo shelter... SnuSnu absolutely curled into her body and was truly happy, happy, happy!

THIS is the stuff 'Rescue Juice' is made of... When we save a dog's life and see we made the right decision...

Thank you, Cindi, for opening up your heart and home for this precious little guy!

Thank-you from PandaBear!

Thank you to everyone who came out to the Spaw Day today and helped to raise money for PandaBear's  life-saving surgery!  TLC raised $1,305 prior to yesterday... Then with 6 hours of dog bathing by some very committed (and now wet) volunteers, groomers and bathers, 28 dogs got 'spaw-a-fied'...

She needed $2,000 for her surgery on May 2nd and the Spaw Day brought in $682 - pushing the total to $1,987 collected!

Thank you to EVERYONE who has helped to save this dog's life!  A special thank you goes out to the Simi Valley Town Center Merchants Association and the Center for supporting this effort as well!

Thank you for recycling!

Thank you for gathering up your clean recyclables for TLC.  Today Paul and I sorted through about 3 weeks of recycling and when done, it was about a full truck bed.  Once taken to the recycling center, enough was recouped to save another dog's life!  
$121.48