Boston Going on Boxer

Recently I was asked if I would take a new foster from a Missouri puppy mill that was closed down. Our rescue knew nothing about her, which I'm usually a little sketchy about because I've got my cats and dog to think of first, but I said I would help.

There were probably 20 people involved with getting this dog, Layla, from Kansas City, MO, to Boulder, CO. Our rescue arranged for her to get on a CARE transport (an organization that rents Enterprise vans and transports the dogs between several states regularly). There's at least 6-10 people involved in that. From there a nice lady picked her up at the drop-off point and drove her another half hour to Westminster. From Westminster I picked her up and took her to Boulder.

Everything went smoothly except that I was depending on my GPS to get me to where I had to pick her up. I was already down in Westminster, and when I reached in my glove box to get it, it wasn't there! Turns out my husband took it to California with him and "forgot" to tell me-apparently I was supposed to assume he had it because he had my car right before he left. Right...thanks, hon!

Anyway, Layla must have been waiting to get transported in a foster home, because somehow she is miraculously potty trained, knows just what to do when the car door is opened, and has been a wonderful house guest thus far. She's not afraid of anything and has really kept Bill and the cats on their toes.



This Boston is truly a miniature "Boxer," as she's spunky, loving, devoted, and even does the "Boxer Kidney Beans" (their signature wiggle). She gallops around the house like a horse and just doesn't ever stop moving. She bounces off the back of the couch onto the floor and loves to play "bitey-face" with Bill. This is not your typical mill momma...except for the mange, strange lumps, and udder-like nipples she's got hanging down. (She's on antibiotics and special shampoo, so I'm sure we'll have most of her fixed up shortly).



What a great dog! I just wish she'd settle down a little because her spay stitches are not doing so well (she's got a lump under her stitches that I've learn from the internet is probably an allergic reaction to the stitches or the area is filled with fluid because she WON'T CALM DOWN... And you can forget crating her because she goes crazy with mill flashbacks).

Another Cancer Dog!

This is a very bad month, but I guess we need "bad" sometimes to put the "good" in perspective. For example, I've been stressed out with Happy Tails Books because I switched our shopping cart to Amazon.com, which means people have to sign in to Amazon to check out now, and I have no idea if people don't make it through the process (with our old cart I did know). On the upside, the fees are much lower so I can donate more. Any ideas? What do you think about checking out with Amazon?

Anyway, all of these stresses pale in comparison to the fact that my latest four-hour foster (I was really just holding her for the day) needs to have her leg removed on Tuesday. I've never actually seen a bad mast cell tumor in person before, and I'd hoped I never would. Unfortunately, little Daisy was dumped at the Boulder Humane Society with a huge tumor. There's not much else to do but remove her leg because it's malignant.



I hear it hasn't spread to her lungs yet, and I hope that by removing her leg they can save her from future cancer trouble. She's a really sweet nine-year-old who is a little "too interested" in cats. (That what her paperwork said and it's so true! She bit my cat and made him throw up! He's fine but it was gross.) Please keep Daisy in your thoughts along with Zoye, who is with a great family now, but I still haven't heard the results from her cancer biopsy.

It's been a rough month but we're almost out of it. The Boxer book is about ready for pre-sale, and the German Shepherd book is well on its way. I'm looking forward to receiving stories for our next books which are maybe going to be about Pugs and cats. Yup... February is going to be much better.

Another Happily Ever After

I couldn't wait to get home and post the pictures of Zoye's big adventure today because she's just so darn cute. A few days ago I received an application from a person who had adopted from the rescue I work with in the past. She wanted a younger dog but was taken by Zoye's personality (Zoye is eight). Her family includes herself and her husband and three teenagers - plenty of arms to hold Zoye. They also have a ridgeback, and while Zoye is not much for playing with other dogs, she definitely thrives in their presence. They understand puppy mill dogs, have a high-energy home (which is surprisingly perfect for Zoye), and are experienced with Boston Terriers. What's more, Zoye had six tumors removed last week, and they took her before we even got the pathology results back - they couldn't have been more perfect.



Dylan (my husband) and I love it when we get adopters from Wyoming because we can usually shuttle the dogs up there in the plane. Today started a bit sketchy, as there were clouds and snow over the mountains, but we managed to fly Zoye as far as Laramie (her new family lives in Rock Springs, which is about 3 hours from Laramie). The flight to Laramie was easy, and Zoye just snoozed on my lap the whole way. When we landed, her new family was there to meet us, and they were SO excited. The FBO (fixed base operator - another term for the terminal where we landed) also had a dog, so Zoye had fun playing keep away (or rather, growl when the other dog takes my toy) for awhile. We chatted with the new family, gave them all the instructions they needed, and then we were off on our way home.



The ride home proved a bit more challenging, as clouds were coming in over the mountain. Okay, now you get to find out what a dork I am... I LOVE Star Wars, and I was so excited when my husband let me take the controls and fly us in between the clouds. It was almost as cool as a space battle... Anyway, we made it home safely and all is well, except we are minus one Zoye. I'll miss her to pieces but as I've said before: if she got a good family, we both won; if she stay with me forever, we both won. I didn't really have a preference except for us both to win on this one, and now our home is again open to rehabilitate the next little soul in need.

Sometimes Life IS Unfair

My foster, Zoye, is such a great dog. If you recall, she lived in a cage for the first seven years of her life, then she was released to my rescue and adopted by the WRONG family (I'll keep my adjectives to myself), and then she came into my care three weeks ago. That family told me that they just "had" to keep her locked in the kitchen for the past six months because she couldn't be potty trained, and because of this they couldn't bond with her. Uh...okay...Zoye hasn't had an accident in my house for a week now. That family was missing out on the cutest "Boston Back Scratches" (she loves scratching her back on the couch as she wiggles around) and the most unbelievable loyalty imaginable. Zoye just rocks!

Unfortunately, I found "rocks" on Zoye's underside last week, too. She's got four mammary tumors that are being removed by laser today. After consider different options, like removing the entire mammary chains, we decided this less-invasive surgery would be best. They said she wouldn't bleed much and may not even need stitches. I'm sitting on pins and needles right now, waiting to hear how it went. Please pray for Zoye today - she needs all the support she can get!

Foster Update:
I need a little ray of sunshine today so I thought I would tell you about Craig and Poppi (scroll down if you forget who they are). Craig went to live with a couple in Denver a month ago. He was working on leash aggression which was the only thing I was really concerned about with this couple. They've continued my training with him and he's doing great!

Poppi went to a family with three children. I hadn't seen him around children before he met them and couldn't believe how he "lit up" in their presence. "Kyla who?" He walked right out the door with them and never looked back. It turned out to be a perfect fit, as two weeks later I got a call from the mom, thanking me and telling me how much fun they are having together. I'm so happy these two adoptions have worked out.

Zoyinnng, Zoyinnnng!

Boing-a-Zoyinnng! That's our little Zoye...she goes CRAZY for anything that squeaks, and a puppy we were recently dog-sitting was enjoying playing keep-away. I think both Zoye and Bill slept for two days after the puppy left. You've got to see this video of Zoye and Layla (the puppy) playing together. This dog definitely doesn't act like an eight-year-old!