Tank, a Rescue

This is Tank. I found him on July 4, 2011. We had had days of thunderstorms and scorching heat. He had no food, he was drinking green water from a 5 gallon bucket. If you look at the top picture, you can see the heavy chain that was used to tether him 24/7. The mud around him was inches deep. His ears were fly bitten so badly, they were just big open wounds. We pulled him and took him to the shelter, where he spent six months before leaving for a foster home. Being an American Pit Bull Terrier or APBT mix is one of the things that keeps dogs from being fostered or adopted. Too many people believe the bullshit.

 Tank is doing great in his foster home. I knew he would. He was always such a well mannered dog with such a sweet heart. While he's waiting for his forever home, he's being spoiled by my lovely friend Megan. If you're ever looking for a great dog, please consider adopting a shelter dog.

Monday Monday

I'm ready to start my herbs inside! I have a bunch of 2 liter soda bottles that will be hung in a sunny window. I'll be recycling *and* showing my 3 year old the root growth. However, I am not just going on up to The Big Box Store to buy my seeds, I'm buying non gmo, non Monsanto affiliated seeds. They are nearly impossible to find. I did find a garden/ farm center here in the city that carries Livingston seeds, but it doesn't open until March. The lovely people at Livingston are, however, sending me 3 free packets of the herbs of my choice, just to hold me over.  #how to treat customers

I wanted something a little more sophisticated....

I went to Upcycle Exchange in search of origami paper. People donate arts & crafts supplies, which are sold on a pay-as-you-wish system. There was no origami paper, but I bought some vintage maps, which can be used for some origami. I ended up buying it from the craft store, which is exactly what I didn't want to do. Anyway, I will soon have a flock of cranes hanging from my ceiling.

Conrad & Kieran

Conrad's biggest problem when walking is OTHER DOGS. I thought he was dog aggressive until a trainer assessed him, now we know he is just terribly rude and doesn't know how to meet dogs. I've tried high value treats while making him sit when he sees another dog, I've tried saving feeding time until walks and feeding him in the presence of another dog, there's a LIST of things I've tried. This evening I put a Thundershirt on him and took him for a walk, and it was AHmazing. He would lunge and bark, and he had a very aggressive appearance. After the dog was out of sight, he would continue barking, and be very anxious.  But this Thundershirt made such a difference. He saw the dog, he sat down, looked at me, and I began giving him lots of verbal praise and high value treats. I am so proud of his progress.

Bringing Home Dogs

This is Abby. When my youngest dog passed away, R said he would find the perfect dog for me. He picked her off of the street, running in a pack of four dogs. She would not come to him willingly, like the other three, he had to trap her. I watched the video, and it broke my heart. She had a length of barbed wire intertwined with her collar, and duct tape wrapped around her paws. There were deep gouges in her back legs from having been bound with wire. I assume this was from forced breeding, not being used as bait, as there were no other injuries. She spent a week or so being vetted and decompressing, and then I brought her home. It took her a little while to be 'okay'. She was depressed and subdued for several weeks. A friend of mine who does Reiki massages gave her some sessions, and it really did help. After the first session, she was like a different dog, open and cheerful and play bowing.

D.U. was her pack mate, and was not doing well in the shelter without Abby. It seemed like he knew she lived with me. He would sniff me with more interest than he sniffed anyone else, and he stayed focused on me when I was around. So I brought him home. He is, and always has been, a very outgoing and cheerful dog. But when I brought him home and he saw Abby? I thought he would explode with joy.

This is my whole pack. They've come a long way since their rescues, but I won't lie, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. They're all a little particular about people, and Conrad (in the middle) really needs to be socialized with other dogs. They know their obedience commands, have learned to jump through a hoop, Abby and D.U. run on the treadmill in the basement.

DogStuff, GardenStuff,

This is Marini, a two year old shepherd mix. He has some anxiety issues to work on, and needs to learn his basic obedience. So tomorrow, that is what I'll start working on. I had a lot of success with the last dog I worked on. From the first class to the last class, she was a different dog. She started out with absolutely zero interest in me or in learning, but by the last class? OMG. She was amazing: engaging and charming and knew all of her obedience commands. Potential adopters love to see a dog that makes eye contact and can sit! lay down! shake hands! etc. THIS is what I want to help Marini accomplish.
*note: all of the dogs at the shelter have strange names

I worked with two dogs that I have ALWAYS been terrified of. This is a big deal for me! A chow, who had his warning growl trained out of him by someone who didn't understand it was preferable to have a growl before the bite than just a bite out of nowhere....and then a very large Saint Bernard/ Boxer mix that had some fear aggression issues. I just thought of them as puppies and went for it.








I've started planning my garden for this year. Last year's garden started out pretty well, but it turned into a disaster full of weeds. Also, the summer was unusually harsh where I live. I got some eggplants and tomatoes, but not much else. My seeds will come from Botanical Interests, because they are non gmo and not affiliated in any way with Monsanto. I'll need to do a  lot of things differently this year, I'm hoping I can carve out the time to have a proper garden, and even jar & freeze stuff.

Anyway! Big plans!

Conrad

This is Conrad. He's an American Pit Bull Terrier Mix, probably about 2 years old. He came to us in June of last year as a temporary foster so there would be some room freed up in the vet clinic. Conrad had been dragged behind a car, and beaten with a board (according to the call in). He had numerous abrasions down one side of his body, and his paws were like hamburger meat. 

He was a shivery mess the first time I met him in the vet clinic. We took him out of his kennel and put him on the floor so we could meet. His tail thumped and I knew we would be great friends. I carried all 50+ pounds of him to my van, and brought him home. After a couple of days, he was able to get up and walk around, he followed me through the house while I did housework, touching his nose to my hand every so often. It didn't take long for me to fall in love with him and decide to keep him. 

Before I started in rescue work, I was always uncomfortable around pit bulls. Being around them all day every day and teaching them that not all people want to hurt them, seeing them grow to be *almost* as amazing as they were meant to be (they need their forever homes to fulfill their potential), I have changed my mind. Pit bulls aren't scary, the hype about them isn't true. They are so smart, so eager to learn and to please. 

Conrad? He knows all of his obedience commands. He also jumps through hoops and loves to hang out with my kids. When my 3 year old is napping on the couch, Conrad will sleep next to him. When I walk him, he is protective of me. Should someone approach me in the wrong way (it happens, I live in the city) he guards me. He is always friendly otherwise.....Conrad and every other American Pit Bull Terrier mix I work with every day have completely changed my mind about these dogs. 

Dogs

There is no happiness like having a pack of dogs.