Austen went to the Pretty Parlor and now he is so cute!

Well, Austen's hair had gotten so long on his face that he could not see anymore. He also smelled to high heaven, so we took him today to get bathed and clipped. He also got his nails trimmed and painted. He cannot stand it and has been chewing the polish off since coming home.

The funniest thing about this was the "report card" that was sent with him home. He got good marks for his temperament, but he got "needs improvement" for following directions. I think it really says: We had some trouble with his feet!

Anyway, here are some pictures I took when he got home.

 He does look better I think.

He went directly to his comfort spot under the table and began to chew off the nail polish!

This is his way of telling me he had a really bad day!  Don't you just feel sorry for him?

Trouble in the life of my two dogs!

Here is a quick post about an incident we had yesterday.  I took the two boys out as I usually do.  We were on our way up to the mailbox to check the mail and drop off some letters in the slot.  As we were about to cross the parking lot toward the office, my left knee just buckled and Austen picked that exact moment to pull to the end of his leash, after wrapping my other ankle up in it.  Needless to say, I went down on the asphalt like a sack of potatoes.  I hit my hip and shoulder and rolled over onto my back.  Got a fairly big gash cut out of my toe and some nasty abrasions on my right knee.

As I lay there taking inventory to see if anything was broken, both my boys came running up to me and started licking me in the face.  It was then that I realized that even in falling, I had not ever let go of the leashes.  That's a good thing, because Satchmo will be gone with the wind if he has a chance.

Once I determined that I was not broken, I realized that I was laying in a huge grease puddle and everything I had on was now soaked with motor oil.  Great.  I had a terrible night and went to get checked out today, but I learned my lesson and will be walking these two young men separately for a while!

Here is another photo of Austen after the haircutting fiasco.  He finally let me take his picture, but he still looks ridiculous!

Austen still needs a haircut!

I have tried and tried to clip this foster dog's face and feet.  All to no avail.  He is more adept than I and he squirms out of my grasp and runs off to hide.  All I have really done is to make his situation worse.  I finally broke down and asked my neighbor, who clips his own dog, if he would help me.  I'll let you know how that goes, but I have some reservations.  I think this dog will outwit both of us.

About the cats--both are still alive and well.  They show up every morning to eat and get fresh water.  The largest one, I call it KT, is very curious about us and he/she has started to let me scratch his/her head.  I even got to pick that one up very, very briefly.  These little kittens hardly weigh a pound.  I have simply got to get them caught and taken to the vet.  With summer coming, I need to get them immunized and neutered/spayed.  I also want to have something done to help them with fleas.  Since they hang out on my porch, I don't want the little jumping bugs to decide to jump on into my house.

I'll just have to continue to be patient and if I can get the one to let me hold him/her, maybe I can get the other into a trap and then take them both together.  More to follow.......

Help me save Jessica.

This is a plea to save a little rattie out in California.  She is in dire need of a foster or forever home before her elderly owner succumbs to pancreatic cancer and she ends up at the pound.  If you, or anyone you know can help this lovely little one, please, please contact Patti whose email is listed at the end of this post.

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This little dog is looking for a home quickly or will be brought to the pound.  She is a rat terrier and weights about 12 to 15 lbs at most.  She is a bit shy at first, but warms up quickly.  She was potty trained, but now will use newspapers and would probably catch on quickly again to go outside and do her business.  She is learning to walk on a leash because she always had the backyard to use.  She is also great with other dogs, but not sure on cats.  Her neighbors are trying to help rehome the dog and they can't keep her so they are just trying to help her. If you aren't interested in her please forward it onto your friends and e-mail list   The owner was 83 yrs old yesterday and has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given about a month to live.  Jessica (the dog) was kept mostly in a kenneled cage we think because the women was just a little too old to handle a young pup.  She loves to run the yard and play.  She is a spayed 2 ½ yr old dog.   If interested in taking her please contact Patti 818-717-8575 or patti@pattirussell.com

Satchmo is going to the Vet on Wednesday--Oh boy!

Well, I finally broke down and made the appointment for my little man to go get his teeth cleaned.  He has started not wanting to eat crunchy foods, which usually means trouble.  The last time that happened, he lost 9 teeth with the cleaning.  Anyway, I am mildly excited because he will have the growth on his foreleg removed at the same time.  I am so happy because that growth is really worrying me.  It is ugly and is still growing.  He won't stop bothering it, either, so the hair around it is constantly wet and grey and looks disgusting!

So, wish us luck--we want this to go smoothly so my little man can get back up to snuff soon!

Here is the latest on the Foster Dog situation:  I think that Austen will be staying with me indefinitely.  My sister is really attached to him and I think my neighbor wants to give him to her for Christmas.  I'll let you know when I find out.  It's okay with me either way, but he does need some additional training if he is to stay here.  Also, he needs to go to the vet for some Prozac to deal with his separation anxiety!

Christmas is upon us, but let's not forget our treasured pets or the unloved animals out in the world.  If everyone would do something good for just one stray, the world would be a much nicer place.  For my part, I am feeding two beautiful feral black kittens who seem to be living on my front porch.  Hopefully, in the near future I will be able to capture them and get them neutered and get their shots--then I will let them return back to my porch. 

Our foster dog is healing nicely!

We took Austen to get all of his shots and then we took him to be neutered.  It seemed irresponsible to not do this for him, even though his real mom was not terribly excited about it.  She thinks he is SO cute and should be allowed to breed, but when you see how many homeless animals there are all over the world, it doesn't seem quite right.  Anyway, we did it and he is finally all healed.  I don't really think he cares one way or another because he has not acted any differently.

But now he is a legal and healthy pet.  My sister is really campaigning for us to keep this dog.  I don't think it will happen, but if it does then that would be fine.  My little man is slowly adapting to having Austen around and they have begun to have spurts of real play-time in the mornings.  I think this is really good for my Satchmo.  He was getting so old and crotchety.  Now he at least is being more active.

Anyway, here are some pictures of Austen in his lovely collar (that lasted about as long as it took to take the pictures).  He obviously hates it and the look on his face says, "Hurry up and take the picture so I can pull this thing off me!"

Now we are looking into some grooming for him because he is getting pretty shabby looking.  He has poodle hair and doesn't shed, so that means he will need to be clipped.  Great!

Dog Problems

I came home today from work only to discover that the foster dog had eaten my shoes and destroyed my blinds in the living room window. Since these particular blinds are about 80" across, I hate to think what they will cost me to replace. The shoes will be cheap compared, I think.

The new dog's name is Austen and he just went to the vet last week to get shots and wormed. He is a mess. As soon as I can, I hope to get him in to the "beauty parlor" for a shampoo and cut since he can barely see with all that curly hair in his eyes.

I don't know what got into him today. This is the first time I have had any issues with him since he came to visit us. My Satchmo is not acting crazy and seems resigned to having a "friend" living in HIS house. He has even let Austen play with some of him toys--just not Baby!

Foster-dog Competition!

Okay, we have a dilemma at our house. It seems that the current economic downturn has affected us, but in a more positive way than my neighbor. Due to the death of her husband and caring for her invalid mother, my neighbor--who is a very wonderful and giving individual--has been unable to obtain regular work. With the passing of her mother in June, she began looking in earnest for a job. Now, this is a well-educated woman with 2 master's degrees and who has been a director at a youth shelter for pregnant girls. She cares deeply for others and never complains about her current situation. I used to see her up at 6AM out walking the dog so she could go to the Workforce Center to look for a job. She did this daily for months until she had exhausted her unemployment benefits, and had racked up over 100 applications and interviews. She finally succumbed to depression and a sense of worthlessness caused by being unable to find work. She couldn't even find a job a Walmart or McDonalds because she was "over qualified".

Well, the bottom line is that she was evicted from the apartment next door to me this week and is now homeless and living on the streets. My heart is broken, I cannot think of anything so horrible. When she left, she timidly asked me to take care of her little dog so she wouldn't have to lose him too. She initially was planning to take him to the Humane Society, but I don't think another loss was something she could bear. I, of course, agreed to foster Austen until she gets back on her feet and can come reclaim him. He is a Malti-Poo (sorry for the spelling) and adorable. He is about 1 year old.

So, to the story of this post. He and Satchmo are trying to make friends, he is trying more than Satch, but Satch is an old man and rather grumpy. Anyway, we now are a two dog household and I'm not sure how my little man will adapt. I have to say that Austen is delightful. He is quiet, he is gentle, he minds well, and he is sort of housebroken. He seems to be settling in well. The only thing I see is he is also an escape artist and I seem to be having to chase him down and bring him back home frequently. I am working on this as we speak.

I will let you know how this turns out, please pray for my neighbor. She is now one of those statistics we hear about on the nightly news. Now when I hear about the economy, those stories have a face. I am sad and angry and I miss my friend next door.