I’ve mentioned before that I love a good collage. Sofia Fox dog art for Z Gallerie is collaged out of maps, which is just sweet.
Popularity: 3% [?]
Tags: art, dog collage, sofia fox, z gallerie
Thank you to Michelle, of Modern Dog Blog, for sharing Petunia’s story. Rescue dogs can teach us so much. The toughest thing about having a dog is having to let them go someday. May Petunia’s kind soul and resilience touch your heart and her memory live on. I hope that she is over the Rainbow Bridge feeling no pain, playing with her doggy friends, eating steak and getting lots of belly rubs.
Written for Pug Rescue of San Diego County’s front page
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Many of you will recognize Petunia from Pug Rescue events and from reading her stories on the website. Petunia came into foster care in August of 2009, after being found wandering by herself in LA. They said “running”, but I assure you, Petunia was not running, she was wandering, hoping to find someone who would feed her. When Petunia showed up at my house, she was a mess. Dirty, chunks of hair hanging off of her from not being brushed in who knows how long, falling down, making all manner of noises – coughing, wheezing, gagging, and choking, and she had a huge tumor growing out of her mouth. And I was pretty sure she was deaf. I did not think she would last very long, as she seemed to be on her very last legs.
I took Petunia in to our wonderful vets at Cuyamaca Animal Hospital, where they diagnosed her withth her spine that caused her back end to be wobbly, but they assured me she was not in any pain and would not get worse. We gave her medicine to help her get over the kennel cough, and she was then scheduled to have her teeth cleaned and have the mass removed from her mouth. kennel cough and a neurological problem wi
Petunia was not love at first sight. I saw a bedraggled little Pug that, quite honestly, wasn’t all that cute. Wall eyed, with a sad little tail, she was no one’s dream dog. It was her spirit, her unending ability to love and be loved that made me fall for this little, broken old dog. Someone else’s throw away became my treasure. Petunia worked her way into the fabric of our family very quickly, never having any problems with the many other dogs that live and are fostered here. Petunia liked pretty much everyone, and if she didn’t, well, then you must be obnoxious. She was endlessly patient with my toddler, accepting awkward hugs and sloppy baby kisses with grace. Petunia did have a hard time getting around, and fell down frequently, knocked off balance by another dog, me, the wind. Yet, she had more dignity in that little body than most humans ever possess. Never one to complain, she’d just get back up and keep going. There is definitely a lesson there somewhere.
Petunia did get adopted in February, and it seemed like a great home. I let her go with a heavy heart, hoping that this would be a wonderful place for her to live out her remaining years. Because that’s what fosters do, we love them until they make their way to their forever homes. Well, Petunia had other ideas, and she came back two weeks later, being too much to care for. I was thrilled to have her home. Here she would stay, being away was so hard on her. She was very depressed when she came home, Petunia had missed her family. It took her a few days to bounce back to her happy little self. It was decided that with her medical issues and care requirements she would become a Forever Foster, and Pug Rescue would be responsible for her medical bills, and she would stay here, with us, where she was comfortable and happy.
Petunia had yet another hurdle, and in April her eye ulcerated. They considered removing it, but at surgery time, managed to save the eye. Eye drops four times a day, wearing a cone, antibiotics, again she approached these new challenges with endless grace. You may have seen her at the May party, riding in her pink stroller with flowers on her cone. Petunia’s eye healed up beautifully, and I was grateful that my little dog with so many disabilities wouldn’t have to learn how to get around with only one eye.
Petunia started having more troubles in late June. The vets thought she had a sinus infection, and treated her accordingly. But even after meds, she was still “off”. I knew my girl wasn’t feeling well. On July 7th, I discovered a mass growing in her mouth, and realized that it was growing into her sinus cavity and putting pressure on her eye. It must have grown fast, because the swelling appeared overnight. I could tell she was in pain, and I knew that this type of tumor could not be operated on, and even if it could, she was telling me she was tired, and done. It broke my heart, but part of loving dogs is taking on the responsibility of letting them go. On July 8th, Petunia died in my arms. Peacefully and gently, surrounded by her family giving her hugs, kisses, and telling her how much we loved her. Not a bad way to go for a little dog that no one wanted.
I miss Petunia every day, even with four dogs of my own, an endless parade of fosters, and a toddler, my house is quieter now. There is no one shuffling along behind me, snoring on my lap at night. There is no one sitting with me while I dry my hair, just hanging out. Petunia was, plain and simple, my friend. And I miss her. I’m so very glad I got to know her. I learned a lot from Petunia. That complaining gets you nowhere so you might as well just get up and keep going, that love really is blind – because when I look at her pictures now, I see a beautiful dog with a lovely soul.
Petunia was, quite literally, saved by Pug Rescue. This is where your money goes, and why we work so hard to raise funds. Without Pug Rescue being there to spring Petunia from the shelter, transport her to a foster home, and take care of her medical expenses; she would have been left at the shelter, and surely been euthanized then. Instead, she got to spend her last year being pampered, loved, and enjoying life as a beloved member of our family. Petunia’s story is not a particularly special one, visit our Strollin’ Seniors page and you will see her story repeated over and over again. Most rescues will not take senior dogs, because they are such a financial burden. Pug Rescue takes them, and takes excellent care of them. There is just something special about being loved by a senior dog. They’ve given so much in their lives, shouldn’t we give back to them when they are older and need us more? Consider adopting a senior Pug, you won’t regret it. If you can’t adopt, consider donating in honor of one of our Strollin’ Seniors. We will all thank you.
Thanks for letting me share my story. Thanks for letting me share my Petunia. Rest easy, my friend. You will always be in my heart.
Petunia ? – 7/8/10
Popularity: 7% [?]
Tags: Cuyamaca Animal Hospital, modern dog blog, petunia, petunia the pug, pug, pug rescue, pug rescue of san diego, rainbow bridge, strollin seniors
Martin is one talented dog. She must have been a tight rope walker in another life. This adorable Labradoodle can balance on about anything…and has. You can see all of her fantastic pictures on her Flickr account.
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Congrats to Sarah! You are the winner of the Taste of the Wild gift pack! I’ll be contacting you by email to get your mailing information.
Thanks again to everyone who entered! I loved hearing feedback and I hope to incorporate a lot of your ideas.
Popularity: 9% [?]
A picture of my grandpa, Floyd Harmon, was featured recently on Fox News’ segment about animals of WWII. He was in the K-9 Corps. and loved dogs. He transported War Dogs from the East to Ft. Robinson, Nebraska and trained dogs and trainers. You can see his picture at about the one minute mark (He’s in uniform and there’s a Collie sitting on a kennel next to him). It was such a surprise to see and it made me miss him so much. See… my love for dogs is in my genes!
Popularity: 6% [?]
Tags: animals in WWII, floyd harmon, fox news, ft. robinson nebraska, k-9 corps
This is Roxy. Roxy belonged to my great friends Mark and Inga. They rescued her a few years ago and love her very much. Unfortunately, they’re one year old son is very allergic to Roxy and they’ve run out of options. I want to help them find Roxy the best home possible. She is a beautiful Catahoula Leopard dog who has a lot of spunk. Here’s more about her from her Petfinder page:
“Roxy is a 3 year old Catahoula who we placed 2 years ago. Roxy’s family is very sad, because they have been forced to place all their pets due to their sons severe allergies. Roxy’s family has done everything they could to try and work through the allergy issues, but their son is getting worse. Roxy is a wonderful dog that deserves a wonderful forever home. If you are interested in her please email us for an adoption application at catahoularescueil@yahoo.com
Roxy is a fabulous dog. She is unilaterally deaf, which means she is deaf in one ear. We have worked with her and she is good at locating where you are calling from. We rarely notice the hearing loss, except when we are in a large open area. We have trained her to stop and look for us. If you give her a wave she will come right over. Roxy can hear you, she just has trouble locating the sound in large open areas. She is loving and wants to spend lots of time snuggling with her owners. We take her to the dog park 5-6 days per week. If you have a large back yard, you might not have to take her to the dog park as often. I would recommend a large back yard. We also go on walks and runs daily. I have trained Roxy to run along side my bike. She is very lazy indoors when she has enough exercise. She loves to be outdoors during the day and sleep on her bed at night. Roxy is crate trained and we will give her new owners her crate. It is a VERY large crate. We recently started leaving her out of the crate at night and when we run errands during the day. Roxy gets along well with cats and other dogs of all sizes. She is a wonderful dog with lots of energy and personality. We started her in agility classes and she responded VERY well. We also have let her try lure coursing and she enjoyed that as well. She is a wonderful dog who would be best suited for a home with a large backyard and an active family. Roxy is good around older children. We need to find Roxy a new family because our son is allergic to her.”
Please pass on Roxy’s information to everyone you know… she is currently being fostered in Milwaukee, WI.
Popularity: 8% [?]
Tags: catahoula leopard dog, petfinder, roxy
Ice cream trucks freak me out. There’s one that occasionally drives down our street playing that creepy music. ICK! Let’s just say that Will will never be allowed to eat ice cream from an ice cream truck… poor deprived child.
Now this doggy ice cream stand is more up my alley! Although I have to say that the last time I gave doggy ice cream to Zoey, she ended up with projectile diarrhea. PROJECTILE. DIARRHEA. So maybe we’ll skip this one too…
Thanks to my friend, Jackie, for finding this adorable video!
Popularity: 6% [?]
Tags: dogs and ice cream, ice cream truck, projectile diarrhea
This past Sunday, Don and I took Will down to the Farmers Market in Aksarben Village to get some produce, walk around and grab a cupcake at Jones Bros Cupcakes. Much to my delight, there were three women who had a stand selling dog treats.
In talking to these wonderful women, I found out that they sell homemade dog treats all year to raise money for the Nebraska Humane Society’s Walk for the Animals. They also do other events like dog washes and Yappytime Canine Playgroups all year to raise additional money that goes towards their Walk for the Animals total to help homeless pets! They raised over $11,500 last year! Simply amazing!
I eagerly purchased some dried sweet potato treats and some dehydrated chicken for my dogs. (They LOVE both by the way). I’ll be going back to the Farmers’ Market this Sunday and I can’t wait to stop by their stand again.
The Yappy Pack inspires me so much. If we all did just a little more, think of the impact we can have in the fight to help homeless dogs! Zoey, Leroy & Stella send lots of doggy kisses to this wonderful group of women (and men) who lovingly give of their time and talents to give back to dogs in need.
If you are in the Omaha area, you can attend a Yappytime Canine Playgroup every Saturday from 10:30-12:30pm at Ralston Vet Clinic on 78th and Harrison.
Popularity: 10% [?]
Tags: homeless dogs, Nebraska Humane Society, walk for the animals, yappy pack, yappytime canine playgroup
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The other day I picked up some flossies for my dogs. I realized that it was a perfect time to condition Zoey, Leroy and Stella to eat their favorite foods while being touched so that they wouldn’t display food aggression. This is especially important given that Will (my 9 month old son) is now all over the place. I don’t want my dogs to start guarding their food or get snippy when they have their favorite treats. This is an exercise I will continue to do with my dogs. I encourage you to try this with your dogs too when they are eating.
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Tags: 101 dog tricks, bright bites, doggiefood.com, giveaway, high-quality dog food, taste of the wild
My dad is turning 60 today. I can’t even comprehend that! I am so blessed to have the parents that I do and my dad is just the best dad I could have ever asked for. He has worked so hard for years and even though he has had a demanding job, he was always there for us growing up. My parents were at every concert, game and performance and even more important, they were always at the dinner table every night.
This summer, my dad retired and I am so happy for him. I can’t wait for him to do whatever he wants to do because he has always sacrificed so much for our family. Dad… you are the greatest and I love seeing you with Will. I appreciate your wisdom, patience, humor, and general outlook on life. We are lucky to have you! Happy Birthday!
Popularity: 16% [?]
Tags: dad, happy 60th birthday
Today I am participating in an event called Blog the Change that is put on by Be the Change for Animals. (Click on either link to learn more). Blog the Change encourages people to blog about an animal cause near and dear to their heart, inspire the involvement of their readership and share that vision with the Be The Change for Animals community! Joined as one we can get more done for animals! I love the concept!
On this Blog the Change day, I want to revisit the idea of Operation Blankets of Love, an organization that I recently profiled. I love the idea of helping shelter dogs stay warm, and feel more relaxed and at home by giving them a blanket. I have been collecting blankets and towels since my birthday and hope to have 100 blankets by the end of July. I also hope to do a similar drive during the holidays.
I want to encourage you all to do the same thing. Everyone has at least one blanket or towel that they no longer need. You can also go to your local thrift store or Goodwill and purchase blankets very inexpensively to donate. You can also find reasonably priced fleece throws at places like Walmart, Gordmans, Kohls, etc. that work perfectly! Just drop them off at your local shelter. It will save that shelter money that they can then use for their other needs such as food and medical supplies. It will also help make dogs more adoptable. When dogs are scared they can seem unfriendly, standoffish or even aggressive. This may deter potential adopters from looking at a dog. Having a blanket to cuddle with, lay down on, or keep warm in can make all the difference in the world.
For you Omaha readers, please contact me at agoutloud@gmail.com if you have blankets and towels to donate. I will gladly pick them up from you! Please comment below to publicly commit to what you are willing to do to help further this cause!
Here are some other great blogs that are participating in today’s Blog the Change!
Popularity: 18% [?]
Tags: be the change for animals, blankets for shelter dogs, blog the change, operation blankets of love, shelter dogs
Will has just started eating “puffs” and let me tell you, Zoey, Leroy and Stella are pretty excited about it. I got a kick out of watching Zoey on our sofa peering anxiously at the puffs, hoping that Will would give her one.
“So close… yet so far away”.
“Yummmmm… makes me lick my chops… Please Will, just one?”
Will thought it was a fun game. He still doesn’t have the greatest hand/eye coordination, but the dogs are ok with that because that means more puffs on the floor for them! Oh the adventures we will have in dog and baby land!
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You may have noticed that I’ve been emphasizing the importance of giving your dogs high quality dog food lately. If you’re looking for foods that would fall into that category, you can reference the LIST that I’ve started. One of the foods you’ll find listed is Taste of the Wild.
Here’s what the Taste of the Wild website says about their products:
“Years of domestication have turned your pets from fierce predator to best friends. However, modern science proves that your dog or cat still share the DNA of the wolf or wild cat. Taste of the Wild™ Brand Dog and Cat food offers your pet a diet dictated by his genes. It provides your pet with the kind of natural, balanced diet that he could find “in the wild.”
Now you can satisfy your dog or cat’s instinctual cravings with Taste of the Wild. Choose from High Prairie Canine with Roasted Bison & Roasted Venison, Pacific Stream Canine with Smoked Salmon, Wetlands Canine with Roasted Fowl and Rocky Mountain Feline with Roasted Venison & Smoked Salmon.
Made with real roasted meats and supplemented with fruits and vegetables, these grain-free formulas provide a superior taste sensation, highly digestible energy and natural antioxidants to support a healthy immune system and overall health. Your pets crave a taste of the wild. Go ahead and give them one.”
I combined the canned food with a little sprinkle of the dry food for Zoey, Leroy and Stella to try. Boy did they love it!
Notice the wild look in Stella’s eyes. She was scarfing her food down!
Stella won the “who can inhale your food the fastest” contest and then tried to steal some of Leroy’s too. Leroy wasn’t having it though…
After taste-testing Taste of the Wild, my dogs wholeheartedly approve and so does this doggy mom!
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Hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend! I’m taking a little break this week. We have family coming and Will is going to be baptized on Sunday. We’ll see you all soon though!
A.G.
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I love this story that I saw this morning on the today show. This poor dog was stuck at the bottom of a canyon… Thank goodness for the kindness of this wonderful man. I love happy endings!
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I don’t know that I enjoy the 4th of July now like I did when I was a kid because I feel bad for all the dogs out there who are terrified of fireworks. Luckily my dogs don’t really care about them, but so many dogs are not only totally freaked out because of fireworks, but can sometimes hurt themselves and be destructive out of fear. Here are some good dog safety tips for the 4th of July from the ASPCA. Stay safe everyone!
For many people, nothing beats lounging in the backyard on the Fourth of July with good friends and family—including the four-legged members of the household. While it may seem like a great idea to reward Rover with scraps from the grill and bring him along to watch fireworks, in reality some festive foods and products can be potentially hazardous to your pets. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center offers the following tips:
- Never leave alcoholic drinks unattended where pets can reach them. Alcoholic beverages have the potential to poison pets. If ingested, the animal could become very intoxicated and weak, severely depressed or could go into a coma. Death from respiratory failure is also a possibility in severe cases.
- Do not apply any sunscreen or insect repellent product to your pet that is not labeled specifically for use on animals. Ingestion of sunscreen products can result in drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst and lethargy. The misuse of insect repellent that contains DEET can lead to neurological problems.
- Always keep matches and lighter fluid out of your pets’ reach. Certain types of matches contain chlorates, which could potentially damage blood cells and result in difficulty breathing—or even kidney disease in severe cases. Lighter fluid can be irritating to skin, and if ingested can produce gastrointestinal irritation and central nervous system depression. If lighter fluid is inhaled, aspiration pneumonia and breathing problems could develop.
- Keep your pets on their normal diet. Any change, even for one meal, can give your pets severe indigestion and diarrhea. This is particularly true for older animals who have more delicate digestive systems and nutritional requirements. And keep in mind that foods such as onions, chocolate, coffee, avocado, grapes & raisins, salt and yeast dough can all be potentially toxic to companion animals.
- Do not put glow jewelry on your pets, or allow them to play with it.While the luminescent substance contained in these products is not highly toxic, excessive drooling and gastrointestinal irritation could still result from ingestions, and intestinal blockage could occur from swallowing large pieces of the plastic containers.
- Keep citronella candles, insect coils and oil products out of reach. Ingestions can produce stomach irritation and possibly even central nervous system depression. If inhaled, the oils could cause aspiration pneumonia in pets.
- Never use fireworks around pets! While exposure to lit fireworks can potentially result in severe burns and/or trauma to the face and paws of curious pets, even unused fireworks can pose a danger. Many types contain potentially toxic substances, including potassium nitrate, arsenic and other heavy metals.
- Loud, crowded fireworks displays are no fun for pets, so please resist the urge to take them to Independence Day festivities. Instead, keep your little guys safe from the noise in a quiet, sheltered and escape-proof area at home.
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Tags: 4th of july, aspca, dog safety tips, fourth of july
Today is my birthday. I’m not one that makes a huge deal out of my birthday usually. I’m actually working today and we’re not going to do anything special until this weekend. This year I just have one birthday wish. I hope that if you’re reading this, you will donate to your local shelter or rescue group. You can donate a blanket or two if you were inspired by the Operation Blankets of Love post. You could buy some fun dog toys for the dogs to be entertained with while they’re waiting for their forever homes. You could give cash so that the shelter can put it toward whatever is most needed. Or, if you don’t feel able to spend money, you can give your time and help clean kennels or walk dogs.
I’m crossing my fingers that you take me up on this… I’d love to hear about what you did/see pictures if you do.
Popularity: 22% [?]
Tags: birthday, birthday wish, donate, operation blankets of love
Please click on this picture and watch the video that Jene from National Mill Dog Rescue has submitted for Oprah’s “Your Own Show” challenge. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE vote for her show by clicking the green vote button. More people need to see what happens to the mothers and fathers of the cute pet store puppies that they’re buying. We MUST stop this puppy mill cycle and a show like this could raise the social consciousness around this issue.
Popularity: 15% [?]
Tags: jene's audition, national mill dog rescue, oprah, oprah's your own show, pet store puppies, puppy mill, your own show
