Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Helping Rat Terrier puppies at a shelter

Here is an article from a blog written by a very nice person.  He makes his home available for puppies that would ordinarily have to live in cages at a shelter while awaiting their "forever home".  He socializes them, feeds and fattens them if they need it, and gives them a loving home to explore (or tear apart) which helps to build good self esteem for the adoptable pups.  Rat Terriers are very much people dogs and these puppies certainly found their "angel" the day he took them home.

Be sure to check out his blog.  He has many stories about puppies he has helped in their journey to their new homes.  This is an amazing fellow!



Returning to the shelterTHE LONG WALK  

The rat terriers have been fattened up, slightly house-broken, and held for hours on end by myself and my friends, all in the name of creating a happy (albeit slightly spoiled) pet. Granted, the moment you put them down they immediately spotted the (a) shiny gum wrapper (b) interesting piece of gravel (c) random bit of trash on the ground, and rushed over to attack and ingest the foreign object. So our constant attention was vital for their survival. And it was also important for the survival of my shoes, a few of which will never be the same.Now I must bid them farewell.I brought the back to the shelter, it was time to move on. When we got out of the car they were very quiet, and stiff.Dogs know.

This has a happy ending of course: both pups had a long list of eager parents ready to snatch them up. Normally I don't know any details about where the dogs go, but this time I found out some details. Sister, whose real name is now Gracie, was adopted by a nice husband and wife who charter day trips on yachts. She zooms around the deck like she owns the place, and she jumped headfirst into the water and learned how to swim. Nancy Boy, whose real name I don't know, was adopted by a nice gay guy who will presumably continue to coddle him and keep his paws from getting dirty, which he hates. It's a perfect match for them both, I'd say.It's tough sending them out on their own.
How was your day, Dan?


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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Satchmo's daily routine

I don't know about any other pet owner, but I feel as if I spend an inordinate amount of my time with my dog--walking him, talking to him, feeding him, rewarding him, petting him, etc.
I was thinking about this as I was rushing home from running errands because I just knew he needed to go outside and I didn't want him to have an accident or to be too uncomfortable.

Here's a normal day for Satchmo:

Get up early and go outside...
about 30 minutes later, go outside for a walk so I can do my "business"
then come inside for my breakfast prepared for me by my loving mom.
Now that my stomach is full, I think a nap is called for!

2 hours later, stare at my mom until she stops whatever she is doing and we go outside
where I sniff and sniff, maybe pee a bit here and there and then lay down in the hot grass to sun while my mom stands by with the sun beaming on her head.

2 hours later, and after a lovely nap, I repeat the above, only this time I keep moving along until I manage to "steal" a pretty good walk without her noticing.

Now I eat a lovely snack prepared for me by my mom and then take a really long nap. Here is where I try to get her to let me get in her lap so I can be comfortable and keep her from being able to do anything else. Oh Heaven!

Now awake, it's outside again to rest in the sunshine and maybe pee a bit here and there.

Here, I usually try to eat some of that dry stuff left out for me, but it is hard to chew and it hurts my teeth, so I only eat part of it and leave the pieces laying all over the carpet in the living room.

Goody, it's now dinner time. Here I get to practice my "prairie dog squat" to be able to see what is for dinner and to let my mom know that I am still here.

After getting pieces of Mom's meal, I am ready to go for another walk. This time I try to keep us out as long as I can, so since Mom is so interested in whether or not I poop, I hold it until she shows signs of giving up on me.

Back home, it's nap time. This time, I scratch and push the pillows on the couch until I make a small fortress in the corner. Here is where I hide myself away and dream sweet dreams for a few hours.

Uh-oh! Mom's yawning and getting up from watching TV. Time for me to go outside before bed. This time, I try to lengthen our outside time, but she drags me in the house. Oh, well.

Now, me and Mom get into bed. I like to take the spot in the exact middle of the bed and scratch and scratch until it feels just right. I don't know why Mom always pushes me out of the spot onto the cold sheets, but I finally give up arguing with her and lie down for the night. I am content because I know that tomorrow is another day and all of this will begin all over! Oh Joy!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

One of the strangest facts about Ratties!

Ratties, or Rat Terriers, are wonderful dogs. They are loving, friendly, and want to please you. That being said, they do have some odd characteristics as a breed and each animal may have its own variation of that characteristic.

As a breed, Ratties are extremely healthy and exuberant! They do not have the bone, joint, heart, or eye problems that seem to plague other breeds. They also are fairly long-lived, with average life span running about 15 years.

On the down side, this breed is prone to allergies--some can become life-threatening. They are exceptionally sensitive to chemicals, perfumes, medications, and insect bites.

My little man is definitely a Rattie in this respect. For him to get his normal shots, I have to first get him treated with Benadryl and steriod injections to prevent his allergy to the medications from killing him.

I first discovered this trait when I tried to put flea medicine on Satchmo as a very young dog. I followed all the vet's instructions for applying the medication down the back of his neck so he could not lick it. Within a minute, Satchmo was running into walls and overall looking like a drunk sailor. He began to breathe really strangely, so I grabbed him up and both of us got into the shower--me fully dressed. I scrubbed and scrubbed him with Ivory soap until his breathing returned to normal.

I am standing in the tub dripping wet holding my dog, who minutes before could hardly breathe, and Satchmo looks up at me like "What happened?". In seconds, he was himself and demanding to be let down so he could run all over the house dripping wet to rub against every section of carpet and every piece of upholstered furniture he could find. He was no worse for wear--I, on the other hand, was a basket case.

To find out more about Rat Terriers and how to take care of them, please follow this link.


Rat Terrier Information


Friday, May 22, 2009

The Little Man has been Sick!


I haven't been able to blog about Mr. Satchmo much. He has been feeling under the weather. I took him to the 24hour vet the other night and he got some pain medicine and muscle relaxants. The vet felt that he was having some intervertebral disc pain because he snapped at her when she was running her thumbs down his spine during his exam.

I don't know about the disc issue, I just thought he was registering his displeasure with the vet. He has been acting really weird though, so maybe he does hurt somewhere. I finally took him to see the vet after he actually jumped into the bathtub and would not come out. The bathtub is not a place he generally goes voluntarily, so this was scary! He took the pills and is now feeling better; he is acting more like himself. I hope that is that.

I hate when he gets sick. I feel so helpless and when you try to tell your vet about what you think, the vet acts like you don't know anything. I tell them I am a nurse and trained to observe and report symptoms, and I live with this dog and know his normals. They just nod and smile and you can tell they totally discount you.

Anyway, the little man seems to be mending well, so hopefully that is that.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

You only think you want a Rattie!

Recently, I was surfing the internet and found this site--"Rat Terriers
What's good about 'em, What's bad abou
t 'em"

As I read this site, I wondered to myself if Satchmo had been visiting the author because he certainly "nailed" my dog. There is not one piece of information on that page that does not describe Satchmo to a "T".

So, if a rat terrier might be in your future, please click over to see if it will be a good fit. Ratties are really not for everyone, even though they are little and cute.

Another thing I thought about today is Satch's babies. Back when he was locked up in the cage for all those weeks, he spent the days at my neice's home while I worked. She carried him outside and carried him back inside while he "did his business" and then she talked to him all day long so he wouldn't get lonely. He looked so pitiful that I guess she decided he needed his own "baby" to be in the cage with him. She got him a Taco Bell Chihuahua that were all the rage at the time. OMG! He loves that thing!!!!


He played with that stuffed dog so much that it stopped talking and had a permanent stain on its back from being in his mouth all the time. When I started travel nursing, we had to pack Baby in the car with us and he played with it when we stopped and spent the night at motels.

One day, I simply could not find Baby!!! It was a MAJOR EMERGENCY!!!!!!!! We looked everywhere. Satch moped around and stopped being himself. I tore the apartment apart looking for that stupid stuffed dog to no avail. Being the good mom that I am, I went online and found another Taco Bell Chihuaha on Ebay. Paid $8.00 for the damn thing plus shipping. Nevertheless, my Satchmo was going to have his Baby.




The exact day that it arrived, I found the first Baby. So, now Satchmo has two Babies and he is so happy!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

This is Satchmo riding in the car. He loves to go riding. He is really very compliant and obedient in the car--amazingly enough, because he is not either compliant or obedient anywhere else!

This is what you will see the entire time you are riding around, unless a big truck happens to pass you--then he barks!

This particular pic is when we were in Berkeley, California. He loved the weather there. He is definitely a Cali-man!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Getting Started...finally!

I have just gotten into this thing called blogging and wanted to have a place to talk about my best friend and constant companion (someplace that will not get me committed or get me crazy looks).

First, let me introduce you to Satchmo. That's a picture of him up in the banner. He is a 10 year old Rat Terrier that has lived with me since he was about 5 weeks old. He started out small enough to be carried in my shirt pocket, which I did during a whole shift at work when I first got him. He currently weighs in at a whopping 13 pounds and stands approximately 12 inches off the ground.

He has quite a few foibles that I have adapted to. First, he has a deformed toe and he HATES for anyone to touch it. When I cut his nails, you will think that I am killing him with all the howling and yelping he does. Second, he is allergic to just about everything. He can't take any shots without first getting Benadryl and steroids. He can't tolerate the flea drops that you put on the back of his neck--he falls over and can't get up when you put it on him. Third, he is always hungry. I mean it. He will never say "NO" to food. I've had him checked and he has no parasites, so that's not the problem. Fourth, his mouth stinks. I have his teeth cleaned fairly regularly, but his mouth still smells like the bottom of a cat box. Fifth, he likes to sit up like a prairie dog and stare at me. It is really cute, and he can sit like that for a very long time.

He also is an escape artist and will scoot out of a crack in the door if an opportunity presents itself. When he was about a year old he did his escape act and dashed out into the road. Since he thinks he is as big as a Great Dane and meaner than a Doberman, and he absolutely has no sense about the world at large, he tangled with a pickup truck and he lost. Oh, that was a horrible day!

He ended up with 5 fractures to his pelvis and spent the next 8 weeks living in a cage. So, as a result of his exuberance and stupidity, he has one back leg that sticks out slightly at a weird angle and his hips cause him some pain when the weather changes (God, do I understand that!).
I was really worried that his prairie dog days were over, but not to worry! He just learned to balance his weight differently so he could still sit up and look at me with his big sad eyes.

I'm sure there are more peculiarities, but I can't think of them right now. I'll just close this posting with this comment. He is a steadfast and true friend; he is really good company; and he makes me laugh. He also wants to go out every 2 hours, so I stay active whether I want to or not.

Enjoy life!

Shirley

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