Category: New Guests

Jasper’s Hair Club

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I want to fix broken things, well, broken dogs. I’m not terribly handy, but when it comes to dogs, I want to help the ones that seem to need it the most. I love to help dogs like Jasper. Jasper entered an overcrowded, rural animal shelter a perfect mess. He was matted with feces, had severe skin issues, appeared to have rickets, was malnourished, and he was hunched over, almost unable to stand upright. His legs and feet appeared deformed. The wonderful women at the Ouachita Parish Animal Shelter in Louisiana shelter took Jasper home and they got him to a vet the next day.

Look at him. I fell in love.

He lost a lot of that cute fluff before he got healthy.

Jasper had Demodex mange (or demodectic mange, aka puppy mange, aka red mange). Mange is a skin disease in mammals caused by parasitic mites. Mange is a word that makes most people shudder. Mites crawling all over your pet is pretty gross. These mites are present in very small amounts on the hair follicles of almost all dogs. In young puppies, mites spread from contact with mom. Don’t worry, these mites are host adapted, they are not transmitted or shared through various animal types or people. It is not contagious to other dogs or to people.

Mange typically causes hair loss and the formation of scabs and lesions. The two most common types of mite that affect dogs are Demodex and Sarcoptes.

Demodex is most common in puppies, senior dogs, or immune compromised dogs. Puppies do not have fully developed immune systems and they are unable to keep the demodectic mites in check.  Any time the immune system is compromised, the mites can get the upper hand.

Early signs of Demodex appear around the eyes, mouth and forepaws and can include redness, scaling, and patchy hair loss. In severe cases it can result in major hair loss. Demodex is easily diagnosed with a skin scrape test. The vet takes a scalpel blade, scrapes the skin down to a specific layer, then mixes the contents with oil and examines it under the microscope.

Sarcoptic mange, also knows as scabies, a word that makes my skin crawl, is very different from Demodex.  It is VERY itchy, and it IS contagious to other animals and to people. Sarcoptes mites are difficult to detect on a skin scrape test.  If your dog is intensely itchy all of the sudden, contact your veterinarian immediately. (I’m so thankful that we have not seen Sarcoptic mange in any of our rescues!)

I am grateful that Take Paws Rescue lets me pull the tough cases from the shelter. They take more time and resources, but they deserve happily ever after! Helping Jasper heal has been a joy.

Jasper’s Demodex has been treated with oral medications and many, many medicated baths. The poor boy was uncomfortable and itchy. He would wake us up in the night with his scratching. He was always the 1st dog awake, which causes a chain reaction. It was sort of like having a newborn. We certainly got less sleep.

We kept him in pajamas, socks, and a cone to keep him from hurting himself while scratching and biting at his skin. It was cute, and practical. He handled it like a boss.

Demodex itself is not generally itchy, unless it is severe and the skin is infected. Dogs with Demodex also develop secondary bacterial infections. Jasper did. We treated him with low dose prednisone and antibiotics and even more medicated baths.

For 6 weeks, Jasper has had baths at least 2 times a week with medicated shampoo and about 10 minutes of massage before rinsing. He has been very calm and patient. I think it felt good for him. After the bath, I used a lice comb to removed all of the dead mites, mite waste, and dead skin. That took 20-30 minutes. He was relatively patient for that part too. It just takes time to heal from this. Jasper has been great.

Jasper also had lime-sulpher dips weekly for a month. Lime-super dip is a sulfurated lime solution which kills mites and other parasites (most commonly ringworm, mange, and lice) and also works against fungi and bacteria. It turns the dog yellow and smells like rotten eggs,  but it is easy to use, extremely effective and its affordable. The yellow (and the smell) gradually fade as it dries.

See? Pretty!

This was the worst of it. Yep, it got worse, before he got better.

Boosting the immune system is the first step to avoid and fight demodex. An easy way to lift the immune function is to make sure your dog gets a very healthy diet with plenty of meat protein, Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, while also limiting grains and carbs. Jasper was on a special diet that included eggs, ground beef, cream cheese, flax seeds, peanut butter, salmon, plain yogurt, extra probiotics and anchovy oil.  He also got massages with almond oil and neem oil at bedtime (so the other dogs wouldn’t lick it all off of him). He smelled like Italian salad dressing. Neem oil is a naturally occurring pesticide found in seeds from the neem tree. It is a potent antifungal, antipyretic, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. It can be used in small amounts mixed with a carrier oil like coconut or almond oil.

Jasper has thrived on his special diet and is now looking healthy and eating plain, high quality kibble, with only small additions of fish, fish oil, or yogurt, which I add to all of the dogs’ meals occasionally. His hair has grown back nicely and he is looking soooo much better! He feet are slightly deformed, probably a congenital condition made worse by his extremely poor condition and malnutrition. We call him muppet. He gets around just fine and those feet do not cause him any problems at all. In fact, I do not even notice it anymore.

Jasper loves his foster dog family and is great with children. We are so excited that he is ready to find a forever home of his own!!

Look how handsome he is! Those eyes are just incredible.

Jasper is available for adoption from Take Paws Rescue. 

 

Nobody Likes Going to the Dentist

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Tell your kids to go brush their teeth. Trust me. Just do it. If they decline, show them this. (Scroll down to photos below.)

Ok. Do you brush your dog’s teeth?

I admit, I don’t. I’m a good dog Mom. I am. I absolutely DO NOT brush 6 to 8 dog’s teeth daily, or weekly, or at all. I just don’t. I really hope that my kids are actually brushing their damn teeth when they say they have. That is enough of a battle. What I DO is give my dogs very healthy dog food. I NEVER feed them people food, (ok, I use some all beef hotdogs to give pills, and very occasionally I give the dogs frozen peanut butter Kongs, but that’s it).

February is Canine Dental Health month. Woo! How important is a dog’s oral hygiene? And why am I writing this in January? We have a new guest, a senior, and she had the most awful breath. I mean really bad. You could smell her breath within 5 feet of her, poor thing. It was bad. Cora was living outside with two other dogs for three years after her owner died.

The neighbors fed them.*  What they fed them – who knows? But Cora isn’t at all thin. Unfortunately, her mouth was a mess. An actual stinking mess.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, if you don’t want your dog to smell, and who does, their oral hygiene is quite important. Bad breath makes cuddling less fun, but did you know that canine dental problems can actually have major adverse health impacts? The toxins from periodontal disease are absorbed into a dog’s blood stream. As the kidneys, liver, and brain filter the blood, small infections occur. These can become life-threatening infections, causing permanent and even fatal heart, liver, and kidney disease.

Whether or not you brush your dog’s teeth (and hey, good for you if you do, because most of us don’t), you should have a look inside your dog’s mouth every once in a while. If you notice any of these signs of dental problems, you need to visit the vet:
  • Bad breath
  • Change in eating/chewing habits
  • Pawing at the face or mouth
  • Depression
  • Excessive drooling
  • Misaligned/missing teeth
  • Discolored, broken, missing/crooked teeth
  • Red, swollen, painful or bleeding gums
  • Yellowish-brown crust along the gum line
  • Bumps or growths in the mouth

Your dog should have his teeth checked by a professional every six to twelve months.

Cora had to have almost all of her teeth extracted. 27 I believe. She was in bad shape. These are pictures from my amazing vet. You can’t see how bad it is until the teeth come out. Look how much of the damage was well below the surface. Yuck.

GROSS, right?

PREVENTION is so important! Addressing problems when they are minor is key to your dog’s overall health and longevity. Most pet insurance policies won’t pay out for dental treatment, so delaying can be costly.

What to do?

Brushing your dog’s teeth is best, but needs to be done daily to be truly effective. Alternatively, for the busy and the lazy, like myself, it’s really easy to give them treats that help remove tartar and plaque build up and also help with that bad breath. We use these and these.

What you feed your dog is very important to your their overall health. Generally, a good quality dry kibble is better than soft food, which is more likely to stick to you dog’s teeth and cause tooth decay. You can also provide natural treats. Most dogs like the taste of apples. Chewing on fresh, crisp apple slices helps remove bacteria and food particles from teeth. Just no seeds, there are bad, (tiny bit of arsenic). Fresh carrots and celery are also good bacteria removers. Good luck with the celery, not a hit at my house.

Adding a little dollop of plain yogurt with live active cultures to your dog’s daily kibble is beneficial. Probiotics are great for their tummies, but yogurt can reduce odor causing hydrogen sulfide in your dog’s mouth and also help destroy the bacteria that cause plaque and tartar.
Recommended Daily Intake of  plain, nothing added yogurt:
  • Small size dogs – 1 tsp to 1 tbs
  • Medium size dogs – 1/8 cup
  • Large dogs – 1/3 cup
  • Extra large dogs – 1/2 cup

Miss Cora is home, resting, and is already feeling so much better without her teeth. We will be giving her soft foods for a few weeks and antibiotics. She is going to be such a happy girl! Now we just need to find her forever family!

*All three senior dogs are rescued and in foster homes. Let me know if you are interested in adopting!

 

Backyard breeding

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When you think puppy, you think happy things, right? Puppies are soft, and playful, and adorable. Most of us would never think of anyone mistreating a puppy.

This 9 week old puppy has had a rough start in life. He has been rescued from an outdoor kennel in freezing, filthy conditions. His brothers and his parents have been sold by a profit motivated backyard breeder. Because of the tenacity of several rescue women, this puppy was saved and will be adopted to a wonderful forever home through Take Paws Rescue. I have seen evidence that his brothers are both in safe homes. Unfortunately, I have no idea where his parents ended up.

He is an Anatolian Shepherd, a large Turkish breed that protects livestock. I lived in Turkmenistan for 2 years and learned a few Turkish names. This boy, while he is with me, will be Naciye. In Turkish it means saved and being secured; saved from hell and deserving heaven. It is pronounced (NAH-jee-uh), but the last syllable is very slight, so NAH-jee. Naciye was happy to have a bath and got the bad smell off. He loves being bundled in warm, soft blankets.

At 9 weeks old and already 21lbs, this is going to be a really big dog! He could reach 130-150lbs easily.

I learned about Naciye from the woman that went to buy a puppy and discovered and documented the deplorable conditions that these dogs were living in. She (and many others) have called the authorities and reported this. As far as we have seen, nothing has been done. Shockingly, this is legal and within the owners rights because these dogs have been “provided shelter”. Look at this photo. This is legal. It makes me sick that this is the case.

It makes me feel really good to know that these particular puppies are safe and warm right now, but this is part of a much larger problem – backyard breeding.

If you are looking to add a dog to your family, rescue one, or at least research and check out the breeder thoroughly. Backyard breeding (anyone who deliberately breeds for profit, or has a litter by negligent accident and then gives away or sells the puppies), is the single greatest cause of the pet overpopulation. Backyard breeders, and people who buy dogs from backyard breeders, are perpetuating a crisis that is being cruelly  “managed” through euthanization.

Although it is appalling to me that anyone would keep puppies, or any dogs, in these conditions, it is worse that because these dogs are poorly bred, unsocialized, and tend to require more medical care than most owners, shelters and rescues can afford, all too many of these dogs will be euthanized. These backyard breeders all too often end up with more dogs than they can properly care for, and then the authorities seize the dogs and take them to overcrowded shelters, or else, as with our recent foster-Lab, Maddie, the breeder dumps a large group of them at the shelter. If there isn’t space, if there aren’t adopters and fosters, they are put down.

Worse, most of the dogs being euthanized in the shelters day after day are are actually young and healthy, adoptable dogs. Even puppies are put to sleep. I’ve seen estimates that the majority of euthanized dogs are under 12 months old. The problem is simple. There are too many dogs and there are too few homes. The majority of killing could easily be prevented by spaying and neutering our pets.

Euthanasia is the single largest cause of death for dogs in the U.S. & the only way to stop the needless killing of dogs is to stop the needless breeding of them.  

 

 

YOU CAN'T IGNORE HOW AVOIDABLE THIS IS. 

SPAY & NEUTER. 

This puppy is happy to be safe, inside and warm, well fed, and dewormed. (He doesn’t understand that last one, but he sure feels better.) Naciye has several interested adopters. He will be neutered at 6 months old by people who love dogs and care enough to not be part of the problem.

Maddie’s Tale: Life as a Breeding Dog

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Meet Maddie. She is our newest guest, and she has a story to tell. (It has a happy ending….)

Maddie asks you to close your eyes and imagine your beloved dog living his or her entire life in a small cage with little or no human companionship, without toys or treats, without soft, warm beds or any of the comforts that we all give to our pets. Imagine they are living outside, without ever feeling grass under their feet, and it’s hot, or it’s cold, it’s raining, or it’s snowing. Concrete. Mud. Dirty water. Imagine your dog living like this with little or no hope of ever becoming a beloved family pet.  Imagine they are bred repeatedly until they can no longer reproduce, and then they are destroyed or discarded. Until last week, this was Maddie’s so-called life.

This is life for many breeding dogs.

Breeding dogs can spend their entire lives confined in cages without sufficient protection from heat, cold, rain, or snow. Many live in dirty, unsanitary conditions. Mothers  are bred every heat cycle and then disposed of when they can no longer produce. All of the caged dogs pictured in this post were surrendered to a small Louisiana animal shelter by a breeder who was “downsizing”. There were 16 dogs thrown away. The youngest were 1 year olds and the oldest was between 13 and 14 years of age. Some of them have untreated heartworms. Only the oldest dog had a name. It is not clear if the breeder had even bothered to name these dogs, or if she just couldn’t be bothered to put their names on the surrender forms. Oh, by the way, this breeder is AKC licensed. I think we have a problem.

Maddie knows what you might be thinking, not all breeders are bad. I would never support such a breeder. Of course not, but how many are bad? How many are really awful, and how would you even know about dogs like Maddie?

Breeders must be regulated, right? There must be rules to keep awful treatment of dogs from happening, right? Well, guess what?

Keeping breeding dogs in these deplorable conditions is legal.

The only way to stop it, short of changing the laws and pushing for real and consistent enforcement, is by refusing to buy the puppies that keep these breeders in business.

There are an estimated 10,000 puppy mills (both licensed and unlicensed) in the US with more than 2 million puppies bred each year. At the same time, an estimated 1.2 million dogs are euthanized in shelters annually. See: Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) 2014 Puppy Mill Facts and Figures report (available here) and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Pet Statistics (link here).

Any backyard or large scale breeder with five or more breeding females is legally required to be licensed with the US Department of Agriculture. The USDA regulates commercial dog breeding and is responsible for enforcing the standards governing the care of dogs in commercial breeding facilities as set forth in the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA), but just because a breeder is USDA licensed/government inspected doesn’t mean much. These are still puppy mills, housing tens to hundreds of breeding dogs in small cages for the duration of their useful breeding lives. This is legal under USDA regulations. In fact, USDA regulations require only minimal standards of food, water and shelter.

The AWA and the derivative USDA regulations and enforcement are not sufficient to protect dogs in commercial breeding facilities, because AWA’s standards are too undefined to ensure humane care and treatment, and the USDA is not appropriately resourced to enforce its own regulations under the law.

What is allowed under the AWA? 

According to The Puppy Mill Project, many of the AWA’s requirements are vague and require only minimal standards in housing and care of breeding dogs. Worse, the the AWA leaves it up to the profit-motivated breeders to determine what constitutes an adequate level of care for the dogs.  There is no limit placed on the number of dogs allowed and no minimum requirement for the number of staff that must be available to care for the dogs. The dogs may be caged 24 hours a day for their entire lives, confined in spaces only six inches larger than their bodies, (not including the tail), only being removed to be bred.  Breeding females at the first and every subsequent heat cycle is permitted. Dogs may be kept in stacked cages, and may be forced to relieve themselves in their cages. Wire or mesh flooring is allowed. Human interaction with the dogs is not required, and unwanted animals may be killed, sold, or as these dogs in the photographs were, dumped at the local animal shelter.

This is where Maddie lived.

Thanks to many concerned volunteers and rescue organizations, Maddie and the other dogs you see here are now in rescue foster homes.

  

 

These kind of places breed puppies for profit with no concern for health or temperament. Puppies are often taken early from their mothers and sold, to minimize costs and maximize profits, and they can develop health and behavioral problems as a result. Any money spent on veterinary care, quality food, shelter, or staff to care for the dogs cuts into the breeder’s bottom line. If breeding dogs receive veterinary care, it is often done by the untrained breeders themselves to cut costs. There is no guarantee that these breeders will go to the expense of providing humane euthanasia when they are done using these dogs.

 

The USDA is overburdened, understaffed, inspections are infrequent, and USDA inspectors have a record of leniency towards commercial breeders. There are reportedly hundreds of USDA-licensed breeders in operation with long lists of violations of these minimal standards, but it is rare for the USDA to revoke a commercial breeder’s license or fine a breeder that has repeated violations on record. (USDA report available here.)

— You can visit the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s compilation of state animal laws available here.

Wait, what about the responsible – reputable breeders?

There are some. Responsible breeders breed only a small number of dogs, they likely are often too small to require USDA-licensure. Responsible breeders are knowledgeable about their breeds’ genetic and health issues. They test and screen their breeding dogs to try to improve the breed stock and ensure healthy puppies. They care about their dogs as much as they care about the profit of their small business.

Responsible breeders take proper care of their breeding dogs and puppies, providing appropriate food, water, shelter, sanitary living conditions and veterinary care for all of their animals. They invite buyers to meet the breeding parents and see their living conditions.

Interested in buying from a breeder? If at all possible, you want to meet your puppy’s mother and father to in order judge their potential temperament and health. If the dam and sire are healthy and have nice temperaments, your puppy probably will too. If the breeder hesitates to let you meet the breeding pair or to see where they are living, be cautious. Think about where Maddie came from: I found her breeder’s website, and it looked legitimate. It didn’t show the photos of the poor kennel conditions I shared with you above.

I am in touch with several of the fosters of those breeding dogs pictured above. These are male and female dogs who are living inside of a home for the first time in their lives. So, they aren’t house trained. They don’t know how to go up and down stairs. They are not used to human interaction and shy away from being touched. They have no idea what to do with toys or treats, let alone how to interact with other dogs or humans. They don’t really even know how to play yet. They are terrified. They tend to stay in one small area of the house and have to be carried in and out. They don’t know to relieve themselves on the grass, they do it on concrete. That is what they are used to. Some of the males have untreated heartworms. Now, let me ask you a question: do you want to buy a $1,000 puppy born from one of these dogs?

Before you decide, let me explain that how breeders raise puppies before they go to their new families has a strong influence on the puppy’s temperament. Responsible breeders make sure that mothers are bred a limited amount of times and receive appropriate veterinary care. Responsible breeders properly socialize their puppies and ensure that puppies are with their mothers for an adequate amount of time in the crucial early weeks of mental and physical development. Puppies learn a lot about healthy social interaction from their littermates and mother. Behavioral science tells us that the most valuable time for a puppy to learn from its environment is from birth to 16 weeks. Without positive experiences during this key development window, a dog can develop negative behaviors: aggression, destructive behaviors, fear and anxiety around humans and other dogs. These behaviors can be lifelong and may be difficult to change. If breeding mothers are unhealthy and/or depressed, they are unable to give their puppies what they need. Their puppies can have major behavioral issues. Maybe they haven’t met many people and dogs and weren’t handled much. They might have difficulty adapting to their new homes. Without early social interaction, a dog will remain uncomfortable with human interaction, can be anxious, and will be more likely to respond aggressively towards a human.

If you were thinking about ordering a puppy online, maybe put your wallet away. Responsible breeders do not sell their puppies over the Internet to just anyone. You would be much better off visiting a breeder near you. Ask to see the dam and the sire of your puppy. See how they interact with your breeder. Are they friendly and healthy looking? Ask questions.

A good breeder will be asking potential buyers lots of questions because they only place their puppies in safe and appropriate homes. The breeder should ask you if you’ve ever owned a dog, about your family, and who will be the primary caregiver of the puppy. They should be accessible and open with their contact information, references from previous buyers, and, if you can’t visit, photos of the puppy with its mother and its living conditions. If you are shelling out a lot of money for a purebred dog, you can and should ask to see certification that both parents of your puppy have been genetically tested for breed-related problems. Do your homework.

You can check the USDA inspection record of a particular breeder on the USDA website. I found instructions via http://www.thepuppymillproject.org/puppy-mill-faqs/ 

What about the American Kennel Club (AKC)? What does it mean if the breeder assures me that my puppy is registered or has papers?

Don’t be fooled into thinking that legal, licensed breeders with registration papers are a guarantee of a healthy puppy. American Kennel Club (AKC) or registration papers do not mean much with respect to the quality or conditions of the breeding of a dog. It is simply a record of a puppy’s parents and certifies that both parents were of the same breed. Registration papers do nothing to ensure that an individual puppy (or the breeding parents) are healthy or free of genetic defects (orthopedic, eye or heart problems), or that they were raised in a humane, clean environment. No one requires breeders to be knowledgeable about their breed, to health-test their breeding stock, or to socialize their puppies. USDA regulations don’t even address socialization or the health, temperament or quality of the breeding parents.

Besides, puppy mills routinely sell puppies with papers from various kennel clubs and kennel clubs have a long history of supporting the commercial dog breeding industry while opposing legislation that would improve conditions for dogs living in puppy mills, even making profits registering and then selling puppy mill dogs. You can read more here. A New York Times exposé into the AKC’s inspection program revealed that many AKC certified breeders subjected their dogs to puppy mill-like conditions.

So, the rescue people are against breeders, but, if the breeders stop, won’t there be a puppy shortage? Nope. Again, there are millions of dogs in shelters and rescues in need of homes, including puppies!  Seriously, there are endless puppies. There are thousands of puppies available every day on Petfinder.com. I just got a request to some foster 6 week old lab puppies – a dozen of them were just dumped at a shelter (and puppies do not do well in a shelter. They have no immune system. It’s awful.)

Some people argue that there is no such a thing as a “responsible” breeder because they are merely adding to the overpopulation problem. Breeder puppies take homes away from animals that are waiting in shelters, animals that are being euthanized because there are not enough homes for them. ASPCA estimates that  1.2 million dogs are euthanized in shelters every year for lack of space, resources, and willing adoptive homes. Even worse, the Humane Society of the United States estimates that 4 to 5 million dogs are put down every year, and only 5% of those for medical reasons. Why? There are no homes for them.

Purebred Dogs vs. Mutts

Why do you want a purebred dog? People are willing to pay exorbitant amounts for a purebred dog, expecting that their puppy has been raised in a clean and nurturing environment and will grow up to have a friendly disposition and minimal health problems. As far as behavior and disposition go, there really is no way to tell. It’s dependent on the individual dog and its environment. Many people believe that purebreds are healthier. Though they may have a known lineage, it’s not true that they are healthier. Mixed breed dogs tend to have less inherited genetic health problems and purebred dogs actually tend to have more health problems. Reputable breeders will provide genetic health testing to make sure your dog is not likely to carry any inherited genetic problems. Again, responsible breeders are concerned with the betterment of the breed. However, purebred dogs might be inbred. Intentional breeding for positive traits may unintentionally exacerbate negative traits. Profit usually wins out in these things.

The shelter dog is often perceived as unpredictable and/or inferior to one that is bought from a breeder. Keep in mind that even though some dogs are relinquished to shelters because of a problem behavior, most are surrendered due to a change in the family situation. The ones that have behavior problems usually just need a bit of training. If owners would train their dogs to behave (and their children to behave), our shelters would be emptier. And if it makes you sad to think of seeing all of the homeless dogs at the shelter, remember how happy it makes them to see and interact with people! You might be surprised.

Animal shelters charge adoption fees. Isn’t that the same as buying an animal?

Still want a purebred dog? Be aware that buying a puppy from a breeder can be expensive, and you will be responsible for all its vetting.

Shelter adoption fees cover the cost of food, medicine, spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, microchipping. Your money is going to help animals. When you give your money to breeders, they use it to breed,  and sadly all too often, abuse more animals. When you give it to a rescue group or shelter, it goes to save more homeless animals.

The cost of adopting from a shelter is much lower than the cost of purchasing a puppy from a breeder. If you get your dog from a rescue, they will already have all of their vetting completed, including a microchip and spay or neuter, and may even be house and crate trained. The rescue or foster will be able to tell you all about the dog’s personality (so, no surprises when you bring the dog home). And rescue groups will generally take the dog back if it is not a good match. They are interested in finding the best home for the dog and the best dog for each adopter.

Any type of animal you’re looking for can be found at animal shelters and rescues, just waiting to be adopted. Like Maddie!

 

Why Choose a Rescue Dog? 

When you rescue a dog, you are saving two lives – the life of the dog you adopt and the space that opens up for another dog in the shelter or rescue. The love and gratitude you will receive from a shelter dog is unlike any other. If you follow my blog or my social media, you can see that. You may not know exactly what breed the dog you pick is mixed with, but DNA tests are widely available, and kind of fun. I have a great rescue dog that is a Lab, Chow, Dachshund, English Bulldog mix! (Thank you Wisdom Panel!)

This is Bailey.

 

I’m so happy that Maddie is here with us. She is very happy to have a home with us, until she finds her forever home. Her whole body wags with joy. She has learned how to use the stairs and the soft dog beds. She likes too be warm and dry at night. She loves to play with my lab Pen. She likes to be around people and dogs.

Maddie is 9 years old, she worked for a breeder. She is retired now and thoroughly enjoying it.

Maddie will be spayed and available for adoption through NOLA Lab Rescue. Four other labs from Maddie’s breeder are also available through NOLA Lab Rescue.

 

 

 

 

Christmas Hope

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Recently, my 10 year old daughter was asked, what do you want for Christmas? –A puppy! she replied.  The thing is, I’m not sure if she was serious, or if she has mastered the adult sarcasm in the family. We have had over thirty dogs here in the last year, and most of them would count as a puppy. We’ve even had a few of the newly weaned, just taken from the momma dog type. We love puppies. I tell people: they are a total pain in the ass. Because they are. They are untrained pee machines. But I’m like the puppy-grandma, I get to love on them and cuddle on them for a short time, all the while knowing we will be sending them on to a forever home soon, making another family very happy. Knowing they are temporary changes your attitude about the rough parts. Maybe the reason that I am good at fostering and letting go is that I have changed countries, continents, jobs, schools, and friends so often that my mantra is: I can handle anything, because soon enough everything will change and I’ll be starting over. You would be amazed at what you can deal with if you maintain this attitude. Pretty much everything in life is temporary in one way or another, so appreciate the good parts, the bad parts will pass.

I hope we will be lucky enough to foster some tiny puppies over the Christmas holiday.  The fact that grandparents are asking about Christmas gifts reminds me that I really need to stop procrastinating Christmas planning. This year we are having a very modest Christmas. I am seriously on a minimalist mission to get rid of stuff. Having a house with 6 to 8 dogs and their cages and dog beds is making me very happy, but all of the life clutter around them is stressing me out. What is the point of amassing more stuff?

I’m not a total Scrooge. I have a bad habit of overdoing gifts for my family. I love giving people things that make them happy! My family is getting harder and harder to shop for though. Now that the kids are 10 and 13, they just aren’t into toys. Ask them what they want and you get a blank stare, or nothing; my son actually said nothing. I think it’s great. I’m super happy that they aren’t materialistic to the point of having detailed lists. I still want to find them a gift that makes them smile though. Maybe our gift should actually be giving. Maybe it will make them smile if I give them each a gift card, and we go to the store and buy toys and treats to deliver to the homeless animals at the shelter, and toys and clothes for kids in need.

I want all the dogs for Christmas! If you’ve followed my blog, you know that I love beautiful dogs. I would like to foster one of every shape and size, I would like to love on them and cuddle them, photograph them, and send them happily off to their forever families. I want a St. Bernard and a Berner and miniature Dachshund. I love them all. I love the mutts too. My dog Bailey is a weird mix of Chow, Lab, Dachshund and English Bulldog. He’s funny looking. I think he’s beautiful. Ollie is a Chihuahua mixed with so many things that the DNA test was inconclusive. He’s funny looking too, like a hound/Greyhound.

 

My latest fosters are both beautiful. Otis is a gorgeous full blooded chocolate Labrador Retriever who is is only with us a very short time. He has an adopter ready for him.

The other new foster is Hope. I have no idea what breed mix Hope is. She looks like a herding type dog. She is a beautiful white. You wouldn’t look at her and see any kind of perfection. Hope was born partially deaf and partially blind. She has a milky, glass eye. She can see some movement. I’m not sure how well she can hear. Hope has spent her life living in an outside pen. Otis, on the other hand, is well trained and healthy and has been an inside dog. Hope is afraid just being inside of the house. It feels strange to her, the hardwood floors, the cushions. I’m happy to give Otis a place to stay between families. He knocked over a rambunctious toddler and was given up. That sucks, but this boy has lived a pretty good life. Hope hasn’t. She is kind of a mess. She has bad scars where dogs have attacked her. She needs to have several fractured teeth extracted. She has heartworms that have gone untreated.

Hope needs a forever family. First, she needs to learn to be an inside dog. She needs to learn to trust people again. She needs some serious decompression time. I’m so glad that Hope is with us for the holidays. I can’t think of a better way to spend Christmas than loving on her. She is so very beautiful to me. I told Hope that her bad parts have passed, they are behind her. The good part of life starts here and now.

 

Maybe I think they are ALL beautiful? That’s because of the joy they bring me. Look at that beautiful smile on Hope’s face as she hugs my daughter. I’m glad that I’m giving this sort of a life to my children. I’m proud of the way that they have stepped up and take responsibility for our many four-legged guests.

I have been given so much in life. I grew up in a nice house in nice neighborhood, and I’ve never been hungry or cold. I’ve been safe, coddled even. (Thank you Mom and Dad!) Now that I am all grown up and settled in a warm, safe home of my own, now that I have two healthy, wonderful children, and I have travelled all over the world, now I want to give more than I receive. That’s why I love rescue. These dogs give me so much day after day, that it’s hard to believe that I am actually  giving more than I receive. I think that’s why I am drawn to dogs like Tres and Hope. Dogs that have big needs, needs that I think I can meet. It feels really good to help them.

Still thinking about what my modest family Christmas is going to look like. I’ve ordered blankets and durable dog chew toys to take to the shelter with the kids. Of course, the freak snow days came and went and the blankets have not arrived yet. Ugh. Waiting…In the meantime, I’m not totally preachy and unmaterialistic…..I’ve come across these cute pillows. These all made me smile. Perhaps you have someone in your life who needs a gift like these? (You know, if they can’t rescue a puppy for some reason.)

ASPCA Pillows

https://www.pbteen.com/shop/girls-bedding/teen-decorative-pillows/

How cute are these?

 

 

I dare you not to smile at some of these…

Happy Holidays! I am very hopeful for a wonderful New Year, and many, many more guests at The Cecchine Hotel for Dogs.

There’s a Place for Us

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Rita Hayworth loved Marlon Brando so much that it almost killed her. During their torrid 8 year affair, she suffered his philandering, his emotional abuse, and a botched abortion. Keeping that in mind, I am not a fan of Brando. I recently pulled two gorgeous 1 year old dogs from the shelter named Brando and Rita Hayworth. It is unclear if they are siblings or just pack mates. They were surrendered together when their owner passed away just before Thanksgiving. They were scared and depressed and not adjusting to the shelter. Who can blame them?

Another foster that I know had just asked me to keep a look out for a young yellow lab female for her. Voila, Rita appeared. The shelter thought that Rita had recently had a litter of puppies, it appeared that she was leaking milk. The man that surrendered her said there were no puppies. It seemed suspicious. Rita seemed sad. So did Brando

.

Rita was picked up by her foster-fail momma and I kept Brando here. He wasn’t answering to that name. He completely ignored it, so I began to call him Teddy. He looks just like an enormous Teddy Bear. Rita has become Roo. It turns out that this girl did not have a litter of puppies. When taken to the vet to be checked over and spayed, we discovered that she had a massive Uterine infection. Poor girl was feeling miserable. Thank God we got her taken care of. Had she remained in the shelter, the infection would have spread and it could have been much worse for her. She is now in her forever home and healing nicely.

In the meantime, everyone is falling in love with Teddy, with the exception of my foster Artie, who would rather Teddy leave us. These two do not get along. Teddy went almost immediately into a wonderful adoptive home with a woman and the 15 year old dog that she rescued after it was thrown from a moving vehicle. I did the home visit and little, senior Sophie seemed cautious, but friendly towards Teddy. I think she was fine with him until she realized that he was staying, and not just there for a visit. Little Sophie went on a hunger strike in protest and was hiding in the crate all day, and although the woman loved Teddy and he was completely calm, after several days of this, we decided that it was too much stress for Sophie. Teddy came back home with me. We always want every member of the family to be onboard with an adoption.

Teddy is still sad. His tail wags, we cuddle, but he is sad. That’s why I had an idea. Roo’s foster fail momma said that she would be interested in a playmate for Roo. What better than to reunite Teddy and Roo? At the shelter, they brought her to him when he was depressed and it cheered him up. So, paws crossed, Teddy will go to Roo’s new home tonight and I’m hoping for a 2nd foster fail. If not, there is plenty of interest in Teddy, but I think they would heal better together. What if Rita Hayworth and Brando had a second chance at happily ever after?

It would make a good story…

 

 

Home is where Henry is

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Today was the day. I woke up at o-dark-thirty, grabbed a large coffee, put Henry in a harness and we headed out towards Jackson, MS. His rescue has a volunteer transport lined up and he needed to be dropped off at the vet for his health certificate. Henry, who has been with us since last March, and was not successfully adopted, would be going to a new foster home in California.

I’m still not sure why this darling beagle was not adopted. One look at those big brown eyes and he owned me.

Its nearly a 3 hour drive to Jackson. I only made it an hour. Henry, who loves car rides and and stands on his hind paws with the wind in his face, was curled into a tight ball in the back seat, whining. I told him I loved him and he was going on a long trip to a new home. He whimpered. I swear that they understand what is happening. Maybe they don’t understand my words, but they understand my emotions. He knew. His favorite stuffed Moose was on the back seat next to him. He looked at it. Looked at me. He knew it shouldn’t be there. He alternated between quiet and whining. I rolled down the windows. He stayed curled in a ball.

I recently drove Tres all of the way to Ohio, and I didn’t cry until I had handed him over and got back into the car. I knew he was going to a good home. He was happy the whole trip. This wasn’t like that. Henry was scared. I was crying. I was crying enough that I had to pull over. I was crying enough that I had to call my husband. I had to turn around and drive Henry home. He is home. We love him and he is staying. It wasn’t planned. I thought I could say goodbye. He couldn’t. I couldn’t.

A lot of people say that they can’t foster because they would want to keep them all. I was ready to let Henry go. He was nearly adopted in New Orleans. It didn’t work out, but it was a good home. I would have been happy for him, happy for the family. I can do that. It just wan’t meant to be with Henry. He was meant to be with us. We got home and he was so happy. The other dogs were so happy to see him! So, now I have four permanent residents. Pen, Ollie, Bailey & Henry.

That was all before 9am…

Meet Artie! Artie is a highly unexpected guest, (because I am getting Brando on Thursday afternoon).

Mr Artie was abandoned and found himself at the Jefferson Parish Animal Shelter. He was rescued to a foster home a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, his little foster brother vetoed him (and picked a fight), and Artie vetoed apartment life. He is active, and needs a yard to run around in. Artie needed a place to stay, immediately. So, here he is. I have chased him with a camera all day. He was in constant motion. Anxious, but happy to run and play. Tonight, he is cuddled up on the couch with my husband. Calm. He is playful, and gentle, and loves car rides and being outside. Artie is a 4 year old Springer Spaniel/Collie mix. He is very sweet with my kids. He will sit for a treat. I don’t know how this darling lost his family, but he deserves only the best in life. He is 50 lbs of fluff and love.

The Cecchine Hotel for Dogs is full again, just the way we like it.

I may never go to the bathroom alone again…

 

 

A Refuge From the Storm

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I joke with people that I am learning Louisiana geography through animal rescue. It’s true. I have driven all over rural southern Louisiana to visit animal shelters and spring dogs from doggy jails. A few weeks ago I drove up to Folsom, Louisiana, which is about an hour north of New Orleans.  It was a lovely day for a drive across the lake. Fun fact: with a length of 24 miles, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is the world’s longest bridge over water. I have driven it many times this year while taking Tres, my former tripod foster, to his specialized physical therapy sessions. (If you have ever driven it in driving rain with very low visibility, you will know why I strongly prefer these sunny, clear days.)

Why Folsom? Prior to Hurricane Harvey, all of the Take Paws Rescue animals were housed in volunteer foster homes like mine. Last August, Take Paws Rescue,  partnered with The Inner Pup of New Orleans (TIPNO), to convert a 5,000 square-foot workshop on a 17 acre residential homestead in Folsom, LA into a temporary home for dogs that have been rescued from the flooded shelters of Hurricane Harvey in St. Landry, Vermillion and Iberia Parishes of Louisiana, as well as flooded areas of Texas. Originally purchased as a refuge from city life for the Goldring family (the founders of TIPNO) and their personal dogs, the family generously offered the space for immediate rescue use after Harvey. The heartbreaking truth is that already over crowded shelters would have to euthanize animals in order to make room unless rescues and adopters stepped in to take the animals.  Sadly, in this region, there are always more animals in need than there are rescues and resources to save them. Rescue organizations outside of the immediate area also offered to host these displaced companions if they had space, but this was insufficient to meet the overwhelming and immediate demand.

 

Why are there so many dogs in need? Sadly, as many as eighty percent of dogs in rescue shelters in Louisiana are euthanized.  This kill rate is one of the highest in the United States and unfortunately represents the culture of how supposed companion animals are regarded in the U.S. South. In search of longer-term solutions to pet overpopulation, Take Paws Rescue is partnered with TIPNO, whose mission is to create a network of accessible, affordable resources, enlightened attitudes, and accountability so that families embrace pets, and to end the cycle of abuse, neglect and overpopulation through community education and prevention programs.

In the short–term, Take Paws moves animals into foster and forever homes as quickly as possible, but there are always more dogs in need than there are open foster homes. The TIPNO Takes Paws refuge allows us to save the lives of more animals by pulling them out of overcrowded and underfunded animal shelters, getting them all necessary veterinary care, spaying and neutering, and listing them for adoption with fully vetted applicants. The refuge is a wonderful facility with plenty of room for the dogs to run and play outside. It is a place to heal on the way to their forever homes!

Look who I met at Folsom, Buddy and Boss, our latest guests at The Cecchine Hotel for dogs. Since August of 2017, the TIPNO Takes Paws refuge has housed 175 dogs and going forward we expect to house as many as 30 to 40 dogs per month. We believe it is important to maintain a surge capacity so that we will be ready for the next natural disaster emergency that our region will inevitably face.

Our team has many volunteers, but the demand to provide the best care for these displaced pets is nearly overwhelming. As well as fostering, I am currently seeking grants and writing funding proposals for for the TIPNO Takes Paws Refuge.

To help as many pets as we can, we are in need of: 

-A bathing station for pets – and a bathroom for the people staff!

-A vehicle to safely move animals to and from veterinary care, which is vital to them being healthy enough to be adopted

-Medical supplies(including heartworm and flea and tick protection) and funding for veterinary care

-Pet food (We go through at least 20 bags of dog food every month), treats, and toys

-Cleaning supplies

-Bedding and blankets to keep the pets safe and comfortable, as well as heaters and fans

 

We always need more short-term fosters:  http://takepawsrescue.org/foster/

 

Want to DONATE to Take Paws Rescue (via Paypal)?

or you can send checks to:

The Inner Pup of New Orleans
 5208 magazine Street, Suite 357
 New Orleans, LA 70115

I will happily accept donated items and drive them to our pups in need in Folsom. 
Just get in touch with me at: daniellececchine@icloud.com

BOTH GROUPS ARE 501C3 NONPROFITS AND YOUR DONATION IS TAX DEDUCTIBLE

 

Boss (black and white) and Buddy(brown and white) are both doing really well. Boss has found his forever home and Buddy (with his free hugs) has found his way into my heart. He will be tough to say farewell to.

Buddy is currently accepting applications for a lifetime of free hugs at: http://takepawsrescue.org/adopt/

 

ADOPT DON’T SHOP

But wait – there’s more: Bella & Millie & Zoe

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I saw this picture on a shelter website and I fell in love. It happens that way.

So, I contacted the rescue, and then I contacted the shelter manager. And, you know how when you are shopping on Amazon, they recommend other items? If you like that, you’ll love this!  Well, the shelter manager was quick to let me know that this darling came in with two others, probably siblings. Rescuers don’t like to leave family behind. If we take puppies, we take mom. If we take one puppy, we also take its siblings. I was ready to take two of the three girls if I could find a foster for the third, and then we hit a snag. Another rescue that I work with had just pulled a mama and her litter of pups from this same shelter and they had kennel cough. Kennel cough is highly contagious. It is treatable, but dangerous in puppies. Left untreated, it can become pneumonia. One of the rescued puppies that had it was being hospitalized.  An outbreak of kennel cough at the shelter. This was a problem.

If you take your dog to boarding or daycare they require a bordatella vaccination because of the easy contagion. All of my dogs are vaccinated.  Just like the flu shot that we all get every year, the bordatella vaccine doesn’t cover all of the strands of kennel cough, just the two most common ones. After the giardia outbreaks of the past summer, and the joys and expense of treating every dog here for it, I am being cautious. Mya has a suppressed immune system and I am particularly concerned about exposing her. I ended up pulling the little black one, Bella, from the shelter and leaving the other two behind. I had only found 1 foster willing to deal with a quarantine situation. Bella was the sickest and most stressed in the shelter. She has a little cough. The vet tech working at the shelter said that all three dogs had tested positive for heartworm, and Bella was highly positive, so I got her out first. I asked if they were treating the 3 for kennel cough or heartworm. No, she said. We don’t have the funding for meds and we don’t give them anything unless it gets really bad. So, every dog that is brought in is given a bordatella vaccination, but thats it. They are all exposed, and not treated. It breaks my heart.

I spent a week begging for fosters for the other two. The problem is, there are just so many dogs in need, and never enough fosters. Taking in a contagious dog isn’t an easy thing. I understand. But I wasn’t going to give up on these puppies. I share my fostering stories constantly, and introvert that I am, I ask total strangers if they would like to become fosters. It has been such an amazing positive experience for me. If you show interest, I ask if you want to try it. I followed up with a woman who commented on a Facebook post about these puppies. I talked with my waitress who was really enthusiastic about fostering one of them. Unfortunately, they both said they would love to, and then didn’t fill out the necessary application to become a foster. In the meantime, I felt awful about leaving the other two dogs behind. Really awful. I finally got to the point where I couldn’t just leave them there. I had an interested adopter for one and a potential foster for one and so I went and got them both. I’m so glad that I did! There have been a few coughs and sneezes, but nothing bad. They are all three house and crate trained and as sweet as can be. They all have adopters lined up. Best news is, we took them to the vet this morning to get spayed and I asked them to repeat the heartworm test – all 3 came back negative! I am overwhelmingly happy about this!!! Best news ever!

These 3 puppies were lost, or thrown away, and then locked up in puppy prison. I am so happy to be able to get them out and into forever homes. They are going to make three families very happy! The is why I rescue. I spread love.

Look at them now.

Goodbye puppies, Goodbye things

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Things have been, well, crazy. There are a lot of things, and well, we need fewer things. I’m thinking about minimalism. Not hardcore, nearly empty house, bare white wall minimalism, but living with less. I used to move into a new country and new house every couple of years. With every move, I sorted the entire household and decided what to give away. Packing and unpacking is a lot of work. You never want to unpack something and say, why did I keep this? We accumulate so much stuff in our homes. My life feels cluttered. We have bought a house in New Orleans, settled down, and there is no big move on the horizon. I need to start getting rid of stuff that isn’t important, isn’t necessary, and isn’t bringing me joy.

Dogs are not stuff; they are family. But foster dogs are a temporary joy. They come and they go. Of the 26 fosters so far, we have had two that have been here a long time. Tres: almost 6 months, through surgery and rehab, and Henry: 8 months through heartworm treatment. These two are both healthy now and ready to move on. It isn’t going to be easy to say goodbye, but it is time. We just can’t keep them all.

Henry has an amazing local adopter! When I pulled him from the shelter last March, I had no idea that he would be with us so long, or that he would be the one that sleeps next to my bed at night. He is our longest staying guest, and not because he isn’t wonderful, but because he needed to get through heartworm treatment before his rescue would let him be adopted. He is a great dog. I have loved every ambling walk and every car ride with Henry. He slows me  down. In a good way. Thanks for teaching every puppy to howl Henry. Love you!

 

I recently got home from a 1,600-mile road trip to get our second longest staying guest, Tres, to Ohio, so that he could be transported on to Ontario. He is having a great time with his new foster family, and has met his potential adopters. (They have a foster that doesn’t get along with big dogs, and a couple of pugs who got along with Tres just fine.) We had several applications for Tres locally, but none of them were the right fit. I think he will make a great Canadian! It has been a wonderful experience, watching him get stronger week by week. Tres was dealt a really rough hand, and his tail never stopped wagging. Whenever I am tempted to feel sorry for myself, I think of Tres, who never did. He deserves a wonderful family!

We lived a little on the edge at The Cecchine Hotel for Dogs this past summer. Eight or nine dogs at once is a pretty big commitment. At several points, I joked about there being a thin line between myself and a dog hoarder. When I look back and realize how many dogs we had as guests this summer (Tres, Lucy, Bernie, Sasha, Nola, Whit, Bruce, Cocoa, Murray, Rocky, Marshall, Lewis, and, of course Pen, Ollie, and Bailey) my first thought is what were we thinking?  I mean, I would do it all again, don’t get me wrong. There was a BIG need because of hurricanes in surrounding states and communities, and we worked hard and we made it work. We also narrowly missed a hurricane. We were lucky. That would NOT have been particularly easy to get through. As we were closing the hurricane shutters and getting ready to shelter in place, I thought of all of our stuff in this house. How much of it would I really miss if I lost it all? Have you ever thought about that? With the Texas and Florida floods and the California wildfires, people are losing everything. It makes me think about things.

I had a unique overseas experience years ago, before I had dogs. My family was nearly evacuated from Turkmenistan when their crazy dictator died unexpectedly and it was unclear if there would be a peaceful succession. The plan was – you leave your house with the expectation that you may never be able to return. You can’t take much. What do you take? I realized that there are documents and paperwork that are hard to replace, and there are photographs that I would grab, and that was about it. All of the rest of my household was completely replaceable. Its all just stuff.

Maybe we shouldn’t have so much stuff?

We might think that the more we have, the happier we might be. It doesn’t work that way. The more we have, the busier we are. The more we have, the more important we think we are. Perhaps, the more we have, the crazier we are.

So, I’m slowing down. I’m learning not to take on too many things. But, of course, I got back from my road trip and I had previously committed to springing a dog from a shelter. I had been watching him for weeks, hoping he would be adopted, and he wasn’t. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Thai is a 1-year-old brindle dachshund-mix. He was a stray. Poor little guy was stuck in the shelter for almost a month. I think I chose well. He is great. He was super nervous when we picked him up. I took Anna with me, so that she could sit with him in the back seat for the hour-long drive home. That worked really well. He cuddled her and kept licking her face all of the way home. He was nervous when we got home, so we brought the dogs out into the yard one by one to meet him. (We know that we are overwhelming as a pack.) The only way that I can describe it is that he bounced and ran all over the yard gleefully for hours. Thai wasn’t fond of his first outdoor bath though. It took several attempts to get him through that. He smells better now. Much better.

Thai fits right in here. He is just slightly smaller than Bailey, and bigger than Mya. He’s about 30lbs. He was not neutered, and because the universe conspires to create cute puppies, Mya went into heat upon his arrival. (Mya will be spayed, but we are waiting for her to complete her heartworm treatment and be completely healthy before we subject her to surgery.) Thai went straight to the vet to be neutered. Sorry buddy.

We should have a little sign:
 Welcome to The Cecchine Hotel for Dogs, no balls allowed

So, even Thai is getting rid of something (his reproductive capacity), because the world just doesn’t need more dogs that need homes. Sadly, we have too many of those. The good news is, as soon as I posted Thai’s picture, an amazing couple fell in love with him and they are adopting him this weekend! Yay Thai! You hit the jackpot with your new family and we are so happy for you!

Thai was foster #26. That is a lot of dogs.

I have too many of lots of things. The more things I have, the more things there are that get dog hair on them. Seriously….dog hair is insidious. It.gets.everywhere.

While all of the dogs are asleep (and their hair temporarily stays put on the dog beds), I’m going to be boxing up some things to be donated. While I’m doing it, I’m thinking about what things mean the most to me, my husband and my kids, my photographs and memories, my writing, and Pen, Ollie, Bailey, Henry, Mya, and Thai – the current pack. This is all that I need to be happy. I love my beautiful, old home, and my banana trees, and my books…I’m thinking about keeping only what is really useful and important to me. Goodbye, things.

Hmmmm….Maybe would should get a tiny house and a TV deal? TINY HOTEL FOR DOGS? …on the beach!

Nah…

I just need to slow down, and clear out the mess, the noise, the extra, unnecessary details of life.

This is all I really need, right here:

Oh, and since Henry and Thai are heading out to happily ever after, of course I am getting more fosters, because that’s why I do this, and that’s what softens the blow. I miss them all when they leave our little hotel,  but I smile because their departure is making room for more that need to be saved.

Can I be more of a minimalist and have 6 dogs here? I think so. Its all about remembering what is important. I think that is why I take so many photographs of my family and our dogs. It makes me slow down and hold onto the beautiful moments, and all of the messy, hilarious ones. I don’t ever want to forget.  I just want to hold on to the moment.