Photo essay: the week in review



On Tuesday, while much of south west BC was digging out from under a ton of snow,
 I was going to post a picture of our blue, sunny skies.......



and the flowers still blooming in my garden.......

And Eddie enjoying the half centimetre dusting of snow we did get.......



But my gloating got us all into trouble......



And the wind blew and the snow flew and the temperatures
dropped and dropped and dropped......
Brrrrrrrrrrrr!

In the end, we still only got about 4-6 inches, compared to as much as two feet elsewhere.......

Petey:  H E L P!
Me: Suck it up, Petey.....it's not even up to your elbows!

Eddie LOVED the snow.  I've concluded he is a malamute in sheltie clothing -
he would happily spend all day in the snow, and his favourite pasttime is making
doggy snow angels!

He even catches snowflakes on his tongue!

But last night the temperatures finally rose, the rains came pouring down, and today we are back to two inches of water and mud in the back yard.  And life resumes in our soggy slice of paradise.

Fancy Dudes in Fancy Duds

Eddie and Petey received a present today, courtesy of two members of the herding pawty gang. Deb sent Riley's and Ginger Snap's raincoats (Riley got a new one, and Ginger Snap passed away), and now the Wet Coast can be wet again. Of course, the day they arrive we get snow instead. So Petey thinks his parka might be more appropriate, though Eddie has a built-in parka and is very thankful for the cooler covering of a raincoat to keep his thick handsome fur from getting snowed on.

Eddie:  Ah looks like a SUPERHERO!
Petey:  Ah suppose this is better than yesterday's homeless old man look.  Now ah'm
 a well-dressed homeless old man.

Sadie recognized Riley's and Ginger's scents and was most curious:

What the heck?  You don't look like mah pal Ginger Snap!

Petey also received a little sweater - a preppy boy sweater for which he needs a little private school tie. But I think it must have had girly germs on it, because soon-to-be-neutered Frisky Eddie decided he couldn't leave her him alone and kept trying to do things Petey didn't like. A fifty pound chunky monkey can soon flatten a ten pound little old man. Petey showed some spunk by finally growling and swearing at Eddie, which caused the not-so-brave-even-if-much-bigger boy to back off. And I removed the sweater to end further amorous overtures by His Royal Balls.

Eddie is now completely over his fear of the camera. I have been clicker-training him, and coincidentally discovered the clicker sounds almost identical to the click of my camera. So now, when I try to take photos of Eddie, this is what happens:

Eddie's nose. 
"Hey, where's the treats?"

We'll be practising the "Sit/Wait" routine quite a bit, I do believe.

Petey's vet visit has been postponed until Friday. Sadie collapsed again this morning (my fault, as I went to bed early last night so she didn't get her 11:00 pm feeding), and wasn't stable enough by 8 AM  for me to be comfortable either leaving her or taking her with me, espcially with snow in the forecast and a long drive ahead. I err of the side of caution. Perhaps we'll have better luck on Friday when the appointment is a little later in the morning, and the snow is supposed to have passed through.

Ah hope this snow doesn't get too deep.  A little old blind dog
could get lost in just a few inches!

Oh, and more good news - Coco has found a home! 

LONDON HAS BEEN FOUND!!!!!

London is safe!  I was out for the afternoon after doing a quick sweep of the area this morning, and I came home to the wonderful phone message that London was caught shortly after 1:00 this afternoon. 

After 9 days on the run, and a week without a sighting, she returned to the very same property where she had previously been seen.  Gary and Jill, from Chelco Farms (a border collie rescue), had placed a live trap there last week and the breeder had put toys and blankets smelling of London and her litter mates as well as a tasty dish of food.  Sure enough, as lost dogs often do, she came back to that spot.

She did try to run again, but Gary and Jill's dog, Abby, brought her back in and the breeder, Judy, was also there with one of her dogs, so London made the wise choice to let herself be caught.

As the new owners are currently in Alberta  (don't ask what I think of that), I expect London has gone back home with Judy. 

Thank you to all who helped in this search, and especially to Gary, Jill and Judy.  This girl got safely home because of your commitment.

Your message made my day! Heck, it made my whole month!

We need some balance here!

With all the sad and bad news of the past few days, it's time for a little restful, happy, and even humourous interlude. I'm a firm believer that sanity and survival depend on keeping one's life in balance.

And so....while my friends in the Fraser Valley dig themselves out from many inches of snow.....here are some photos from my island paradise today:

Osborne Bay, with mill in background

No snow, just a bit of frost and some beautiful red seaweed!

Steady Eddie is getting over his fear of the camera!:



Hai!  It's a beautiful morning!


This afternoon we headed back to Stocking Creek Park to search and put up more posters for London, and enjoyed a few minutes drinking in the beauty of the sun streaming down on this waterfall:

Waterfall in sunlight

Back at home, Allie enjoyed the sunshine too:

Allie

I was going through my email, and realized I'd never posted a photo I received a couple of months ago.  Martin, the alpaca I found abandoned on my farm in the Fraser Valley, is clearly enjoying his life with his forever family. His pure joy made me laugh.



Martin and friends get the zoomies


But what made me laugh most of all was a shot I took of foster dog Petey - supposedly to show him enjoying the sunshine. I had pulled a sweater over his tee-shirt as the house was quite cold this morning, but it wasn't until I saw the photo on the computer that I realized he looked like a little old homeless man.

Oh....wait....he IS a little old homeless man.

Who stole mah shopping cart?

What're YOU lookin' at?  Never seen a dog down on his luck?

Balance restored.

Willow needs a home

The Cowichan and District SPCA is trying to find a palliative home (permanent foster or adoption) for Willow, a 12-14 year old super sweet cattle dog whose owners decided they no longer wanted her. Willow has a cancer on her front leg – it is not painful and is not bone cancer, but surgery is not an option so her time is limited. She is affectionate, sweet, a good girl in need of a place to live out her days.

Willow is deaf or somewhat deaf but attentive and tries hard to understand hand signals.  She will be on pain meds for arthritic hips that were once fractured but now healed, and she has just started meds to correct a bit of incontinence. If you can offer her a soft place to rest, please contact the SPCA at 250-746-4646. How can you resist this face?

Some days, like today, I feel completely disheartened and can only question what kind of society we live in that treats its animals so poorly. Coco and Willow, both seniors whose owners dumped them; London and so many other dogs lost, often shortly after being rehomed; rescues and shelters inundated with old dogs, young dogs, dogs with pups, neglected dogs.

Broken Promises Rescue, for whom I am fostering Petey, is also looking for foster and adoptive homes – they have Looey, who is a lovely rotti recovering from surgery who needs a foster or adoptive home ASAP; and they have a purebred Westie whose owners couldn’t be bothered to deal with an untreated skin problem so dumped him, and a little chi with a heart murmer, and an American Cocker Spaniel with four wee pups – fosters or adoptive homes urgently needed.

And, of course, there is the steady stream of dogs and puppies needing help at Turtle Garden’s Rescue. In fact, there are nearly 150 rescue organizations and shelters in B.C. alone listed on Petfinder.com, others on adoptapet.com, some that don’t use either. Most only profile a small percentage of the animals they are dealing with. And, sadly (in my opinion), there are others importing dogs from elsewhere under the name of ‘rescue’ while we are unable to clean up the mess in our own back yard. Each of those dogs takes a space that might have gone to a dog already here.

I am only on the periphery of the rescue and shelter world – I help out a little here, a little there, and yet some days, like today, I find it emotionally overwhelming. I honestly don’t know how those right in the trenches – those dealing with the people who dump their old and faithful companions, those who see the state in which the animals arrive, who pick up the lost dogs whose owners never come looking for them, who investigate the cruelty cases – I honestly don’t know how those in the trenches do it. They have my greatest respect.

That said, please remember that any little thing you do to help – fostering, educating, searching, donating, whatever is within your ability to do – is important. In the big scheme of things it might seem small, but you can bet it is important to the animals that are helped.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." --Ghandi.

No News, and Sad News.

No News:  There have been no sightings of London for the past few days.  We're not giving up - we are still hopeful of finding her, still blanketing the area with posters, and walking the trails daily.  As an aside, this has been good experience for Eddie, who has been accompanying me and is quickly becoming an old pro at car travel, hiking trails, and even waiting patiently in the vehicle while I talk with other searchers.  I took today off, as I had some other things to take care of, but tomorrow Eddie and I will be back at it. I'm just hoping the forecasted snow bypasses us - so far this week it has been quite pleasant out, and snow or rain would certainly make the search more difficult.

"London"
1 year old  lost sheltie
Last seen near Stocking Creek Park, Saltair, Vancouver Island

Sad News:  Sadie's medical tests have confirmed that she has an insulinoma - a tumor of the pancreas.  While in people this is often benign, such is not the case in dogs.  Insulinomas are rare in dogs and nearly always malignant.  As Sadie's liver counts were also elevated, the vet fears it may have already spread - as is often the case by the time a canine insulinoma is diagnosed.

While a younger dog might benefit from surgery, the vet is not recommending it in  12-13 year old Sadie's case - the surgery is very invasive, the 'cure' rate is not high (largely because it has usually already spread), and  recurrances within a year are frequent.  The process of having surgery and being confined in the vets office for several days post-surgery would also be very traumatic for Sadie, who has abandonment issues when kennelled.

There are some drugs that may slow down the overproduction of insulin caused by the insulinoma and slow the growth of the cancer  - they have some nasty side effects and we are still researching and discussing these options.

Sadie in healthier times

Please check back tomorrow for another important post about a dog in need.

A bright moment in a stressful day

It was one of those days.  I was short on sleep because Petey had been restless and barky all night (restless, which meant I couldn't have him on the bed with me in case he wandered off the edge and broke a leg;  barky because he wasn't on the bed with me);  London is still missing; and Sadie's test results still aren't in. 

And then I open my email to see this:

Lucy with her kids
(Photo by HG, used with permission)

And a wonderful, heartwarming, bring-a-smile-to-my-face update from Lucy's mom, Heather.  Lucy was my all-time favourite foster dog, who arrived pregnant with ten puppies and who took my heart with her when she headed for her forever home four months later.  December 31st was the one-year anniversary of her adoption. 



Heather says: 

She quickly became such an integral part of our family that it's hard to imagine her not being here! Kaia adores her to bits, and Darcy almost equally as much (although he's not quite the dog lover that Kaia is ). Lucy is so protective of both kids, it's really amazing to see her mothering instincts at work. Lucy still sleeps at the end of Kaia's bed, every night without fail. As for the cats... well, Coco and Lucy seem to get along fine. Lola, on the other hand, will tolerate Lucy as long as it's at paw's length, ha ha! I have caught them on my bed together, but Lucy is perched on the edge about as far away as she can get but still be on the bed.

Lucy has enjoyed the occasional "doggy spa day" with her buddy Kai. It has become tradition that they both go to the groomer on their "birthday" and then we throw in a few extras here and there when we think they need a bath. Lucy and Kai still enjoy eachother's company... it's quite comical to watch them play.

Lucy also got to meet my brother's dog Angus over the holidays. Angus is a "fully intact" male and Lucy took an instant liking to him. It was borderline embarrassing how she threw herself at him. I guess nature kicked in even though she's not a "whole" woman :)

Oh Lucy, isn't that just like you!  Ever the tease!

But I think my favourite part of the email was this:

At parent/teacher interview day for Kaia, I had the opportunity to look through Kaia's school journal. Nearly every day Kaia either talks about Lucy, or has drawn a picture of her. I think Lucy has a best friend for life in her girl. I'm positive the feeling is mutual.

And sometimes even reluctant spouses can be charmed by floosy, funny, short-legged long-bodied grinning dogs:

All of us love that brown furry... even Scott, who swore we'd never have a dog, has quite the soft spot for Lucy. He complains about her hogging the couch or bed or wherever Lucy has rest her head. Yet he'll never make her move :) . Thank you for helping us complete our family :)

My Lucy has truly become their Lucy, and I couldn't be happier for her. Thank you, Heather, Scott, Kaia and Darcy for making Lucy's life complete.

Quick updates

1. London, the missing sheltie

London is still missing, but the good news is that she has been sighted several times by several people in the same area, and yesterday even entered her crate (which was set up in the yard of a place she had visited) but then spooked and bolted again before she could be enclosed. A system has now been rigged up to close her in from a distance if she returns.

For those helping in the search, the breeder emailed tonight to say she seems to be going up and down between the waterfall area of the park and a few homes on the bank, where they back onto the park (mostly off Knudsen Road and in behind the storage units).

She is a very scared dog right now, but will be getting hungry so hopefully she will soon come out for some tasty treat like warm BBQ chicken.

Please keep her in your thoughts and send positive vibes for her safe return.

Eddie helps in the search

2. Eddie, my new family member

Eddie's leg is much better, so hopefully his lameness was just from either too much walking or some twisting during his prancing around. I rested it for a day or two, did a couple of very short walks, and today took him to the park to help search for London - I figured it was time he got used to travelling in my vehicle (to fun places instead of scary new homes or the vet's office!) and the soft trails of the park would be good walking territory.

But that black box in front of your face still makes me nervous!

While somewhat anxious, overall he seemed to enjoy himself and was amply rewarded with treats. We didn't walk a long way; though we were at the park for about an hour, we spent much of that time just watching from vantage points or talking to other dog walkers. Tonight he is favouring his leg a little, so we'll see how he is tomorrow.

3. Petey, foster dog extraordinaire

Petey is doing well. He objects to my leaving him when he is awake, but he's settled in well and "Il Divo" knows how to wrap me around his little paws. On Monday, I'll be taking him down to Victoria to meet with another vet about his eyes. Please send "NO SNOW" vibes, because I don't want to be driving the Malahat in adverse conditions, and d*mn it's cold out there tonight!

Ah likes mah foster-mama pillow!

4. Sad starving Sadie

 Sadie's test results aren't back yet - at least not the ones we are most interested in - but she is holding her own as long as she is fed every three hours or so, and only taken on very short, very gentle walks.

As I've mentioned before, Sadie has episodes where she suddenly starts staggering like a drunk and then collapses in a heap on the ground. The first episode occured last May, with tests and chest xrays in May and June revealing nothing; however, in August the episodes began again, and have been getting more severe and more frequent since then.

In a stroke of luck, if one can call it that, she collapsed five minutes before the vet arrived for a scheduled appointment last week, and so the vet was able to check her heart and blood pressure while she was having an episode, and both were completely normal - we are now able to rule out a cardiac or circulatory problem. Her blood sugar, however, was dangerously low (1.2), and was still well below the appropriate minimum level a half hour after being fed corn syrup and carbs.

We are waiting for tests that will tell us if she has an insulinoma (tumor on the pancreas which causes overproduction of insulin) or possibly Addison's disease. Please keep her in your thoughts too.

Yeah, an' look how skinny I is despite all those extra meals!

Sleepless in Saltair

There is a very scared lost sheltie in Saltair and a very worried owner in Saltair tonight. (Saltair in a small community just north of here, between Chemainus and Ladysmith, BC). London, aka London Fog, had just recently arrived at her new forever home when she took off last Friday, January 6th.

She has since been spotted in or near Stocking Creek Park (aka Byron Creek Park), behind Byron market, near the daycare at the nearby school, walking down the railway tracks, and in the vicinity of Knudson and Porter Streets which I believe are just north west of the park. She seems to be hanging around the area, but as she is new to the area she would not know how to get back to her new home, and would be at risk to try to make her way back down island to her old home. The area in which she is missing is a combination of woods, trails, creeks, residential and a busy road or two.

If you live in this area, please help look for London. Perhaps take your dogs for a walk at the very beautiful Stocking Creek Park. Most shelties are very initially very shy of strangers, but she may respond to calls of "Cookie, cookie!" or "Let's go, London!" And no doubt she is very hungry by now.

London is a blue merle sheltie, who would look very much like my Eddie but with some tan markings as well. You can see a photo of her at her breeder's website here.

As I haven't yet spoken directly to the current owner, I am reluctant to put his phone number on the web without permission, but there will be posters around the area with the number clearly listed.

Please help London get home safely.

And if you are responsible for rehoming a dog, or if you have recently added a dog to your family, please remember to keep dogs safe in new surroundings.

Ten reasons why I should just go back to bed

1. It is raining.

2. The back yard is thick with mud (see #1), which makes me mad at myself for not having it landscaped properly last year as I had intended.
3. Twelve paws make a big mess (See # 1 and 2)

4. Petey got up when I was playing on the computer and I ignored his barking a bit too long and he peed on the carpet. I hate cleaning the carpet.

Wazn't mah fawlt - Ah tried to tell ya I needed out!

5. It’s a weekend and I’m waiting for test results on Sadie, which means I have to wait at least two more days. (Sadie has been having frequent collapses, and several hundred dollars later we are still trying to figure out what is going on. More about that next week).

6. Sadie threw up on the carpet – my fault, I gave her a treat which didn’t agree with her - which means (a) I have to clean the carpet – again and (b) her meds were also thrown up, completely whole, and (c) I have to try to stuff more food into her as she now has to eat six times a day or collapse (See #5).

Ah don't feel well - I'z goin' back to bed

7. Eddie is not weightbearing on one leg, which has me worried and also means no walk today  - and potentially another vet bill.

8. I haven’t put my Christmas decorations away and as a young child I learned it is BAD LUCK to have them up after the twelfth day of Christmas, which was yesterday or the day before, I think.

9. My house is a disaster, the dirty dishes are piled high, there are mountains of laundry, I’m stressed about money and dogs, I can't take a long hike because I'm tied to the dogs for feedings and pee breaks (see #4 and #6),  and

10. I’m having a bitchy day.

But, of course, I can’t go back to bed because Sadie needs feeding every three hours, and Petey says he wants attention, and Eddie doesn’t know why he isn’t going for a walk so keeps running (hopping – see #5) to the back door expectantly, and besides, going back to bed won’t get the dishes washed, the laundry clean, the decorations put away, or the house tidied.

So I guess I better suck it up and get to work.

Ha ha, Mama, we knows ya luvs us anyway!

Want some hot chocolate?

Coco:  I'll even come with marshmallows! 

Hot Chocolate, Cocoa, same thing. Or, in this case, Coco. Maybe she's Coco-Nut. But she is an 10-11 year old chocolate lab whose family decided they didn't want her any more, so now she's in the care of the SPCA, waiting for a new forever home.

She had an untreated bladder infection which caused her to 'leak', but medications cleared it up. She gets along with other dogs and cats, and like most labs she loves everyone and loves attention. She loves to go for a good walk, but serious hiking would be beyond her - she's not as energetic as she once was. She'd love a quieter house with a comfy couch and a human or two to love.  You won't find a better, sweeter companion than this.

Please spread the word. Contact the Cowichan and District SPCA (250-746-4646) for more information.

Let's find this girl a home. 

Quick update on the newbies

Petey and Eddie are both doing fine. 

Petey continues to putter around the house, barking when he can't find me. He is a snugglebug who loves to lie on my lap while I'm at the computer, and is a lot less annoying than a certain cat who thinks walking across the keyboard while I'm on the computer is entertaining. And since Petey is much smaller than the cat, he doesn't interfere with typing or block my view of the screen. He's also a very polite bedmate, who doesn't wiggle, snore, or hog the covers. I'm sure somewhere out there in blogland is someone just waiting for a snugglebug bedmate to keep them company.

Petey the Perfect Pal

Eddie is doing great! Although I had been told he didn't go on walks as he panics around vehicles, this has not been the case here. Already he is doing the 2 km beachloop with me each morning as well as another evening walk around town. While we don't have a lot of traffic here, he didn't even flinch when the big scary garbage truck stopped right beside us, airbrakes and all, nor when the recycling truck roared by, and regular cars whizzing past on wet roads were no problem - he LOVES his walks! He walks quite well on leash, especially once he gets over the initial excitement of marking every blade of grass and telephone pole.

Eddie's First Beachwalk

So far, the only things he is afraid of are the camera, the flashlight, and the boom of some fireworks that some idiot let off in front of our house when we were in the backyard this evening. But he's a smart dog - he headed right for the back door. And the few fireworks we heard New Year's Eve hadn't bothered him, so I think it was just the proximity of these ones that unnerved him - me, too!

He hasn't shown his playful side here yet, but that will come. My friend Else brought Tess the Pest over for a playdate but Eddie decided Tess was just a bit too boistrous and ran back into the house to hide. Sadie, on the other hand, was delighted to see a familiar face and put her blues aside to have a great game of bitey face and 'catch the zoomy dog' - it was so good to see her happy for a while. She has been so sad without Charley.

Sadie and Tess at play

The monsoons have begun and the backyard is under a couple of inches of water tonight. Send small poodle-sized life jackets. And giant-sized blow dryers. Do you know how much water a very thick-coated sheltie can bring back into the house? We won't talk about the mud. No we won't. Whose bright idea was it to get a dog with a lot of white fur???????

Hello, 2012!

I can’t say I’m sorry to wave goodbye to 2011.  I will gladly boot it out the door.  While it was not the most difficult year of my life, it was certainly one of my saddest. In the last four months alone, I have lost my foster dog Pepper; my friend Char; my sister and closest human friend in the world, Carole; and my beloved old dog Charley.

Pepper

Charley

It was also the year in which we said those sad final goodbyes to my neighbour Buck, my dogsitter Patti, and friends’ dogs Sam and Mara and Gingersnap, and Deb’s cat Jasper, not to forget many other old critters belonging to internet friends and face-to-face friends.

Sam

Mara

Ginger Snap

Jasper
(Photo by Deb Strong)

They were good souls, these dogs, cats, and humans. My life was enriched by having known them.

It wasn’t all sad, last year. There were happy times too, like the month that Sam stayed with me before he passed away, and short term visits from Georgie and my granddog Becky and others. There were dogs who came with their humans, like Becky with my daughter;  Kinley and Logan with Ellen; Taleah and Riley with Deb and Sharon ;  and there were humans who came without dogs, like my longtime friends two-legged Charlie, and Ann and Ken.

Georgie

Becky

Kinley and Logan

Riley

Taleah
(Oh my goodness, she looks so much like Eddie!)

There was foster dog Jessie, and little Dover the Piglet, both of whom found their forever homes. And now there is foster dog Petey, and my newest canine family member, Eddie. And, of course, Sadie and Allie are still here to make me laugh.

Jessie

Dover

Petey

Eddie

Sadie

Allie
(Allie:  "Ah notice she saved the best fer last!!  Heheheheheh")

And there was oh so much more - great times with friends, volunteering at the SPCA and Chemainus theatre, my writers' group and my book club, co-writing the "Crofton Connection" column for the Chemainus Courier with Liz Forbes, and exploring my beautiful island.

I hope that 2012 will hold many more of the good times – more fosters, friends and fun – and less of the sad ones.   I have had a story accepted for publication in a Canadian anthology of animal stories (more about that when I have the contract in my grubby little paw), and I've developed my photography skills and have started making photocards for various rescues and private sales. I've signed up for some walks and hikes with Elder College for the coming year, and can't wait to see and photograph some places I haven't been before. And, of course, Eddie, Sadie and I will have many adventures.  The year ahead is full of possibilities.

So, Hello, 2012. What surprises do you have in store for me?

Happy New Year, everyone.