Adopt Sasha the Sheltie in PA

We keep looking to rescue another Sheltie, but all have been located well beyond our distance range. After seeing this little girl's story I had to post it to see if it would draw attention to see if someone in the area might be interested. I'm also going to post her information on a Sheltie site to see if anyone can help. Her story story like so many is sad. I'd like to believe she is lost and someone will come and claim her before she finds her forever home, but they seem to thinks she's been stolen and/or dumped. She's so adorable and believe me if I was in range I'd be applying. She looks so much like a smaller Bailey it almost took my breath away. They believe she is around 2, good with dogs and kids. She is spayed and up to date on her vaccines.

Not being from the area I know nothing about this rescue. Hopefully, getting the word out will help her either get home or find a new home. You can find out more about her at the LaMancha Animal Rescue here.

Paws in the Park

We didn't get to write about Paws in the Park last week, but Mom wanted to make sure she posted this week. It rained the whole time we were there, but we finished the walk and we visited all the vendors while we were there. The weather wasn't great for pictures, but Mom had to get one of the Dachshund Kissing Booth fundraiser.

Katy reached another level of achievement at this walk. Each year she's shown more independence and boldness. The first year she went she spent the whole walk tucked into Bailey's side for protection. Each year she's gotten a bit bolder, heading out at the head of the pack sometimes at a run, but then about half way through she suddenly seems to realize she's not with Bailey and drops back to finish the walk at a more leisurely pace.

This year despite the cold wet weather she headed out with one of her favorite extended family members at a run. They paused at the halfway mark where we normally take pictures, but the weather was too wet and dreary for pictures so we encouraged them to keep going. Katy quickly took the lead and for the first time crossed the end line first without Bailey at her side. This is just a charity walk not designed to be a race or a run, but for Katy she's had this desire to get there first for some time. She and her handler have been in discussions for training and strategies for the longer Whisker Walk coming in June. It is a longer walk and she will have to see if she has the stamina to stay at the head of the pack for the entire walk.

Bailey struggled with the cold and we've decided Mom will sit out the longer walk with him as he's taking it slower these days. On the upside, Dog Dad located a massage therapist at the fair that might work for helping Bailey with some of his challenges. We also found a bone vendor and got some awesome bully sticks to take home.

For the first time ever we met a family of Shelties. The tiny puppy almost made Mom rethink her ideas on getting a dog past those puppy years. He was one giant fur ball and oh so cute. This family had a collection of Sheltie colors, which again you don't see often.

One thing I felt bad about was every where we went when someone had a Purebred dog they felt the need to whisper that they went to a breeder to get the dog, as if it was a crime. One of the woman,a breed foster Mom felt the need to explain she has things she wants to train her dogs to do and prefers to choose them as pups for specific characteristics and then raise them to ensure she gets the behaviors she wants. I told her she should feel no compulsion to apologize. She clearly isn't using a puppy mill to get the quality of dogs she wants. She gives back to the community by fostering and volunteering to stand in the freezing rain to help these animals find homes with people like myself that may be OK not starting with a puppy. She looked amazed. I suspect she doesn't hear that often.

I love these events because they are great ways to spend time meeting other dog owners. As I said I rarely meet other Sheltie owners except at events like these. It is always fun. At this event I tried to connect a breed rescue with a dog blogger that I thought would be a good match. The rescue representative sounded interested in linking to the site to provide more information to people who want to adopt large breed dogs. It is a great way to meet local shelters and rescues. I was disappointed that the local Collie rescue wasn't present this year as I was tempted to talk to them to see if they have any ideas about what to do with the Bailey and Katy situation. Sadly, they didn't have a table this year and I don't see them listed yet for the Whisker Walk either. However, despite the rain there were lots of people at the shelter/rescue tables making connections and that is how we can promote rescue.

That being said one of the disappointments I had was the anti-puppy mill group focused on ending puppy mills which is great, but the focus is still on shaming those who don't go to shelters. I just can't support that attitude. I am for ending puppy mills. However, the best way to end them is to teach people about all their responsible choices, not just your preferred choice. There is a disconnect between reality and dreams. In the dream world everyone would find their ideal dog at the local shelter and there would be no homeless dogs. In the real world people have lots of reasons why they want a purebred dog from a breeder. That is for another article on another day.

Friday Flowers: Pansies

Over Patriots Day weekend Mom was starting to feel a need to get the veggie gardens started. It was too early, but she and DOg Dad went to look. They picked up some dirt, Mom says it's special dirt, some herbs to grow indoors and then they discovered these beautiful pansies.

Dog Dad wasn't sure they'd survive the cold, but they thrived despite the cold and Mom is enjoying her barrel of pansies.

Bailey's Green Bone

Bailey's never been a huge fan of plastic or rubber toys unless they were balls. Periodically he will be gifted with a package of toys that include rubber or plastic toys and we usually weed them out because they never get played with and just take up room. This bone some how cleared the purge at Christmas and wound up in the dogs' toy box where it spent its day lonely and unwanted.

Then came Easter and a little one was digging through the toy box to find a toy he thought was appropriate for Bailey to play with because he found the ball boring. He found the bone. I'm not sure what attracted him to the bone. Perhaps it was the bright green color and the idea that dogs like to play with bones. However, he proceeded to throw the bone and Bailey brought it back to him each and every time. That night after all the kids had left we found the bone on Bailey's mat. It hasn't left there since. He even managed to hide it when the rescue dog was here so he didn't lose it. It has become his favorite snuggle toy.

Recently we had the brother of the original little one who discovered the bone stop by the house. He too played with bone and sure enough when he left Bailey curled up with the bone and protected it carefully. I suspect we now have a bone ritual with a toy that is more like a teddy bear than an actual chew toy.

Friday Flowers

Friday flowers is back. We discovered these pretty tulips while out exploring the yard.

Paws in the Park Wayside Inn Sudbury, MA

Hi folks it is time for the annual Paws in the Park sponsored by Save a Dog this Sunday May 1 from 10-3. If you live in the Massachusetts area there is no better time to visit the beautiful historic Wayside Inn area in Sudbury and help raise money for animal shelters in the area.

Along with a beautiful short walk for you and the dogs there are also lots of fun activities for dogs, children, and adults. Our dogs love shopping there and the vendors always have something new to discover. Many local shelters have booths to raise awareness and funds for their local shelters as well.

Come out and join the fun on Sunday. For more information please visit their website here.

Update

We haven't been around and it after a few inquires it seemed like it was time to come back and talk about it. Bailey is fine, but changed by what happened as are all of us.

We heard about an available Sheltie right before Easter weekend. We went down to meet the dog the weekend after Easter and brought him home. While I haven't written to her, I can only thank Dachshund Nola's Mom for sharing her rescue experiences because it helped me think through what we were experiencing and to understand we couldn't accept what had happened. Perhaps sharing this may help others who have to make tough decisions when rescuing or encourage rescues to be more honest in what they tell potential adopters.

The one hard fast rule we had when approaching another rescue dog was that the dog had to be compatible with the two we had, no exceptions. We won't accept an aggressive dog. We were lied to and feel betrayed and after almost a month still angry. It is one thing not to know a history of a dog and make a bad placement. It is another to know a dog has problems and not disclose those issues to a prospective owner, thinking perhaps they will deal with it and not bring the dog back.

We had looked on the website and had seen several younger, very tempting dogs that were clearly labeled as not being able to be adopted with other dogs, in homes with other male dogs, male owners, etc. Not all dogs are listed on the website, the policy has always been that they will call people with applications on file with a match first. So, we had some confidence when we got the call that we would be getting a dog that was compatible with a male and female dog, since this dog hadn't been listed and they screened applications for compatibility. He was older than we'd hoped for, but we were willing to adopt a senior if he was a good match for our other two and we'd not have to deal with aggression issue.

Sadly, this was not the case and they knew it before they ever contacted us. This is what has taken me so long to calm down enough to write about is the anger and frustration this caused. None of this would have happened if honesty had been at the center of this adoption discussion. The dog had come in with a female and they were adopted separately. This we only discovered because two names were listed on the dog's adoption folder. This in itself is not unusual. Sadly, it is hard to find homes for one senior. Finding someone who can take on the challenge of two senior dogs can be insurmountable. However, in this case placing them together was never considered. We only discovered the full story after returning the dog. He had been very aggressive towards his female housemate and it was determined she would be happier away from him. Who thought placing him with another female was a good idea!!!!

I do take some of the blame I didn't listen to my gut. This is an important message I think all of us need to understand. There is a profound difference between doubts and a gut instinct that is telling you something is wrong. I had some questions when we got Katy because we were going in blind with her. They provided little background information on her. However, she didn't show any signs of aggression, more of shyness and fear. I had concerns, but I wasn't feeling that gut instinct, more mentally trying to figure out how we'd work around her challenges. With this dog it was different. My gut was screaming at me we were making a mistake when we were signing the paperwork for this dog. While I told myself I'd had the same concerns when we'd picked up Katy, I knew I was lying to myself. This situation was very different. We should have walked away.

When we brought him home he attacked Bailey and attempted the same behaviors with Katy that I found out later he had used on his previous housemate. His triggers were not consistent. He could be fine about something and then lose it. We quickly had to keep the dogs separate and that was not a workable solution to living with multiple dogs in the same home. In trying to locate some information about his previous housemate to see if that would give us some clues under her adoption notice, I found his had already been posted. While we'd never been given his adoption write up, here it was clearly posted on the adoption page. He was supposed to be an only dog as he didn't like to share attention with other dogs. At that point he had already been added to Katy's yearly vet appointment and I hoped perhaps the Vet could tell me what was causing this change in behavior since the foster indicated he'd been great around other dogs. After reading that notice I cut and pasted it into an email and sent a notice stating we were enforcing the contract and returning the dog within the two week trial period.

The one positive I walk away from this experience with is I believe he is more ready for life in a single animal home. He has been appropriately groomed (don't get me started on that), the Vet discovered he has arthritis in both knees so that can be treated. I hope we have demonstrated he should be an only dog as the original adoption notice indicated. That was one of the most frustrating things to discover. I think he would actually be a great only dog. Someone had taken the time to teach him commands, so that would be a plus for someone who wanted a dog that was trained. For someone who wanted a devoted dog, he's your dog. He just isn't going to be a dog you want in a home with other animals. This is why I haven't used his name or discussed where he came from in this post. My hope is he does find that single dog home where he and his new owners will be happy.

Before anyone mentions it I am aware that rescues are run on an all volunteer basis. It is hard work and believe me I more than appreciate the hard work, love and effort that brought us Katy and Bailey. This mistake is one that I'm hearing about all too often. This was not a matter of not knowing the dog had issues. This was a failure to inform. Had we been told the dog was aggressive, we'd never have brought him home. Talking to other adopters I've heard far too many stories of people not being informed of dogs having previously being returned for issues of aggression, or other serious issues that can impact a successful adoption. Clearly no dog is ever perfect, but knowing as much as you can about a dog you are thinking of adopting helps one make an informed choice and is likely to result in permanent home.

I am not sure where we go forward from here. This failed rescue weighs heavily on all of us. It did some damage not just physically, but emotionally to Bailey and Katy. Bailey and Katy grew apart while he was here because he bullied both of them. Thankfully, after they were sure he was gone, they seem to have resumed their relationship. Bailey however, is weaker than he was before. He has less energy and confidence and that only increases my guilt.

My DH and I also felt hugely guilty about giving up on the rescue, but our Vet really pushed home the damage being done to Bailey and that helped reinforce the choice to return him. I've never felt a moment of concern or doubt about the safety of letting Bailey and Katy roam freely in the house together. Sure they get into doggy mischief, but I never question that they'd hurt each other. I never had a moment of peace with the rescue here. The only time I knew that all dogs were safe was when he was crated, the other two were outside, or he was outside and they were inside. I will not live that way.

As I said, I'm not sure where this leaves us. We are still in the same situation we were before with Katy. Bailey is our miracle dog and according to the Vet is doing well against all odds. However, when the time comes she will not be happy as an only dog and I'm going to have to find a solution that brings another Sheltie or perhaps a Collie into the family. How that happens I don't know. I was always 100% sure it was going to be a rescue situation. Now I don't know where we go from here.

Service Dog Etiquette

While not wordless, I waited until Wednesday to post this in the hope of engaging Blogville in an effort to get the word out about behavior around service dogs. For years, we've discussed how to educate the public about approaching strange dogs, to make our own dogs safer. However, recently the topic of service dogs and strangers has become more personal as my niece has been struggling with the issue since getting her service dog, Darcy, pictured here. She was a rescue, who she had trained to be her service dog. While more people are getting service dogs, the public is still relatively unaware of how to behave around a working dog. This has made her life challenging, as people don't seem to understand the basic etiquette for service dogs. I hope we in Blogville can work towards changing that.

I believe we have made a difference in educating people about how to interact safely with our pet dogs. I think we can turn that towards educating the public about safely interacting with an ever growing number of service dogs. The range of jobs service dogs perform is growing. While the public seems to recognize the physical services dogs can perform, dogs are also being trained in medical detection and assistance, as well as in mental health capacities. When these dogs are in public, they are working dogs. It is important that people understand the different roles played by pet and service dog.

There is an important distinction between working professional and pet dog. Sadly not just children, but adults need to be reminded that service dogs are providing valuable assistance and distracting them from the work they do is irresponsible. While the dogs are trained to ignore distractions, the effort involved with ignoring those distractions is effort not being put towards the tasks assigned to the dog. The damage caused can range from minor annoyances to major issues. The ultimate goal is for service dogs to be no more of an interest to the public than a wheel chair or a cane. The fact that the dog is alive and cuter than most medical devises shouldn't mean people can't control themselves and act responsibly.

Think of the dog as a dentist working with a drill. Would you want someone walking into the dentist's office as he/she is drilling your teeth distracting him/her while the drill is doing critical work? That is the image to keep in mind when you see a dog working. You don't know what the dog's tasks are and how failure to achieve those tasks could impact the person.

Humans are curious by nature. However, it is important to remember is that it isn't our job to know what the diagnosis is that the dog is trained to manage unless the person wants us to know. You may see a stranger in a wheel chair, walking with a cane or walker, but how many of you feel you have a right to ask why he/she needs that medical device? How did he/she get one? How much did it cost? How long did he/she have to wait to get one? While dogs are not inanimate objects, they are medically prescribed and you have no more rights to ask a stranger why they have a service dog than why they have a medical device. As I said humans are curious, it doesn't mean we need to be rude. Some people are more than happy to discuss the dog with you. However, what if anything they wish to discuss is up to the individual.

As you may have noticed, I told you my niece has a service dog, but not why. That is her story to tell. When and who she chooses to share that with is her business. She was kind enough to share her pictures with me for this story. While she was willing to share more of her story, I chose not to for this article. It is enough to know she has a medical prescription for a service dog. Beyond that, there is no need to know, unless she chooses to share it with people. At some point, I may write another blog about Darcy and do that.

I think it is also important to know a person isn't necessarily being mean or rude if he/she chooses not to interact with you while out with the service dog. Some people are very enthusiastic and willing to talk about their experiences with the service dog. Others have a dog because it is the only way that person leaves the house and gets to his/her daily tasks. Like anything else people fall on a spectrum. Not everyone feels education and advocacy is one of his/her daily goals. Just because you see a dog, it doesn't mean it is the duty of that person to educate you or your child on the duties of the dog or give a show of what the dog can do. A working dog is not an entertainer; it is present to care for the person assigned to it. Don't take it personally. If you want to learn more about service animals there are plenty of ways to educate yourself and your children, random strangers are generally not the best option.

One thing not required by all states, but I do think helps the public is when services dogs are identified as such. If you notice in these pictures, Darcy is vested. Depending on the situation, the vest allows her to wear different patches to help the public be more aware of her job. While I can understand those with service animals may feel this is restrictive, it is a non-verbal message that identifies the dog as a working dog. While this won't work on all, as education becomes more wide spread about the work of service animals, being able to identify one should make it easier for those with working dogs to be left alone. It also makes for fewer questions when animals are entering areas where only service dogs are allowed, pets are not. It is a small price to pay to help create more awareness and tolerance for service dogs.

I know I'm preaching to the choir in Blogville, however, it is our mission to go beyond our borders to get the word out to others about this issue. The number of service dogs is increasing and the lack of knowledge about how to interact with them in public is creating challenges for those who need the animals to be focused on work and not be distracted by the uniformed and the curious. I don't think the vast majority of people mean to do harm, they just don't understand the harm they do. That is where we can make a difference through education and advocacy.

Wordless Wednesday: The Bunny Dances!!

Mom came home from the Eye Vet and had new glasses and since she stopped at the mall on the way home to get new glasses decided to bring home this fellow for Easter. Mom doesn't do video but he sings an Egg song and dances. It is rather bizarre, but Mom loves it and is convinced it will be a hit at the annual Easter Egg hunt.

Good News at the Vet

We thank all of you for your prayers and good wishes. We took Bailey to the Vet yesterday, yes on his birthday because of his refusal to eat his kibble, his continuing issues with diarrhea, his inability to sleep through the night, and his overall discomfort made trying to get an appointment sooner rather than later important. We'd been in contact with his Vet by phone, but this seemed like a visit was needed.

She continues to believe this is IBS not Lymphoma based on his symptoms and his overall health. She believes the Lymphoma test might have been a false positive based on the fact he's not followed the course of a dog who has Lymphoma and hasn't received chemo. This was such a relief, I felt the world had been lifted from my shoulders. She gave him some additional meds and he's back on beef and rice for a bit until we can get his stomach settled, but she really believes we can manage this and it isn't a sign that Lymphoma is emerging. Once his stomach settles again, we'll have to see where we go with a feeding program that will keep the weight and muscle growth he got back after starting the prescription kibble.

Not the birthday he was hoping for, but I feel like it's Christmas folks.

Happy 13th Birthday Bailey

This is a post I was never sure I was going to get to make. Last fall we struggled with the possibility that Bailey might have Lymphoma and the prognosis was not good. We did not expect him to see Halloween, let alone celebrate his birthday.

His Vet currently thinks his diagnosis might have been a false positive. He's regained the weight he lost and shown no additional signs of Lymphoma. That being said he has started to struggle with his food again. There could be a thousand reasons, but we ask for all your prayers as we celebrate his big day.

I truly can't believe it has been almost 13 years since we picked up this bundle of joy from his foster Mom. He was such a bundle of energy, there was not a piece of paper safe in the house. Even from his crate he could find ways to pull paper into his crate to shred. Even today, we don't leave the house unless his access to trash is restricted. That boy has a paper habit that while dulled with age, can still stir at any time. Although, with all fairness, Katy seems to be responsible for much of that destruction today.

Happy Birthday, Bailey. It was truly a blessed day when we found you at New England Sheltie and brought you home. You have changed our lives in so many wonderful ways. Enjoy your birthday treats and bones before Katy steals them all.

Wordless Wednesday: Signs of Spring

The crocus have arrived.

The Easter Toys are Out

Mom finally returned our Easter Toys from the evil attic.

Happy Leap Year!

We are leaping into the celebration.

Once Upon a Time Blog Hop

Once upon a time there was a younger son of a King named Bailey. His father's kingdom was not a prosperous one, so he was sent off to be a knight in another kingdom. However, there to his dismay a human child was born and Prince Bailey was told he would have to leave and find another Kingdom to serve. He was fortunate to find a very kind group who helped displaced Sheltie Knights find new kingdoms with lots of squirrels needing to be tended. There he was placed in a temporary foster Kingdom with a woman who taught him lots of skills a Sheltie knight would need to be successful in a new kingdom.

Soon Prince Bailey was introduced to a new King and Queen who were in need of a Sheltie knight to take charge of their backyard. He ruled fairly and wisely. He even eventually learned to stop chewing on everything in the house, although paper continued to be a life long temptation. He practiced his herding skills on his toys and made friends every where he went.

The King and Queen noticing he was rather lonely decided it was time to find him a Princess and contacted the person in charge of finding misplaced princes and princesses new homes. They found a beautiful princess they felt would love to come and live in Prince Bailey's kingdom. Now Prince Bailey didn't know quite what to make of this talk of a Princess. After all the King and Queen had weird ways of telling silly stories to amuse themselves. For instance, they would joke about a trip to the groomers as a trip to the spa, implying some kind of luxury retreat. The groomers were no luxury outing. Just what did they mean by him getting a Princess to share his realm with and did he really want to share?

The day arrived and the King and Queen loaded up the carriage to go to the Kingdom of CT to make a royal visit. Bailey loved royal visits so he was quite excited until he arrived at his destination. This couldn't be, for this was the place where he had been abandoned by his first King and Queen. It couldn't be happening again. All was well in his kingdom. He was sure his King and Queen loved him and were pleased with him.

The King and Queen were puzzled. They had been certain he'd wanted a friend to come and live at the house. This reaction seemed odd. Then they realized while they had never been to this location before, Bailey had for this was the arrival spot for all Sheltie's displaced from their Kingdoms. Their beloved Prince did not realize he was not staying, but bringing home another to his realm. No reassurances would comfort him. He spent the entire visit scared. Even the site of his beautiful Princess Katy was not enough to relax him. Sure she was a beauty, but not worth losing his kingdom over.

Then something surprising happened, the King and Queen rose to leave and motioned for Bailey to follow them. He wasn't being abandoned after all. Wonders of wonders, the beautiful Princess Katy seemed to be following as well. With some encouragement from the King she hopped into the car and snuggled right in beside him. His princess was coming with him!!!

We can certainly say they lived happily ever after.

Join the hop here.

Wordless Wednesday: Sun Bathing in the Snow

Protecting Mr. Magoo

This is not a sponsored post. We have been hunting stores for Multipet talking toys since Bailey got his first one years ago. After about the fifth time the "Oh No Magoo you've done it again who hoo" goes off again I question my logic, but Bailey loves these toys. Don't get me started on the giggling Koala that one is creepy.

DH managed to capture this picture over the weekend of Bailey protecting Magoo with his body. Not sure what the threat was, but he obviously felt strongly about him.

Wordless Wednesday: When’s the Kickoff

Dog Adoption and Children

As many of you may know we are on a list with a Sheltie Rescue to add another Sheltie to our family. As we've been going through this process several family and friends have also been working with different rescues to look for a new companion for their families. All shelters and rescues have their own rules and restrictions. Some go across the whole rescue, others are dog specific. One that has struck me recently is the raising of the age restrictions for children when adopting. We don't have children, so this doesn't effect us, however, it does effect others we know who want to adopt. It is also concerning because it has the potential to turn away people who would otherwise considering adopting from a shelter/rescue rather than looking at a breeder.

I am going to use the terms shelter/rescue interchangeably for this post. For this post the mission statement of rescuing dogs and placing them in forever homes is the same. The methods used for the points I'm trying to make are not as important as they might be in other discussions.

Now, I will say I can see why rescues have some issues with children and rescues. Bailey is a prime example of what can happen in families who don't understand the challenges of children and puppies. My understanding of Bailey's back story is he was purchased from a breeder as a puppy at the time the couple had a baby at home. I suspect the couple thought having the dog and baby grow up together would be a great idea. Having the equivalent of two babies at home proved to be too hard and Bailey was turned in to New England Sheltie Rescue. That being said I've also known several couples with young dogs and babies who still have the dog well past the baby years. I doubt it was easy, but they also had experience with dogs and knew the challenges that would come with a dog who had needs similar to a young child and a human baby totally dependent on parents for its needs.

One of the things that has disturbed me recently, as I've looked at listings for myself and family members is seeing the child age restrictions on dogs available for adoption. Some are clearly a result of screenings and those while sad are hopefully accurate and done to make sure that the dogs will be in a healthy and stable environment. You don't want a dog who will react or bite children and then face the consequences of an action that could have been predicted and prevented. However, recently I saw a shelter with a statement across the board that they will not adopt to homes with children under 12!!! It doesn't mention any dog specifically, just any home. Another I looked at stated no adoptions to homes with children under 10. I find it hard to believe that every dog brought into an all breed rescue, which these two were, is dangerous to all children. Others seem to be more reasonable and deal with a case by case basis, one had a restriction of age six for children.

My issue honestly is that I am constantly reading articles stating we need to push people to adopt, not buy from breeders. One of the largest pools of people who want dogs are families with kids. If we exclude them, those who can afford it will turn to breeders.

I do understand that for the rescues their first obligation is to the dogs. They need to find homes that are safe, stable, and secure for their dogs. Homes with children can be risky. While children can provoke a dog, harm a dog, and create problems for a dog, the dog ultimately ends up being responsible for any negative interactions.

However, there are families who can and do take in dogs and do very well with them. Not all children are monsters as these restrictions imply. Some dogs love kids and shouldn't be prevented from having the opportunity to be a family dog because there is a risk involved. There have to be some better options for screening potential adopters.

While many rescues are requiring obedience classes, perhaps prior to adopting families need to do some dog safety classes with their children. Parents could learn some of the dangers their little ones pose for the dogs and some techniques for preventing these negative interactions. One of the best ways to prevent negative interactions between dogs and kids is to anticipate them and decide how to prevent them from happening. Even if you have owned a dog before, owning a dog with children can be a very different concept. As an adult you interact very differently with a dog than kids do and seeing how to change those interactions to a safer atmosphere could save an adoption from failing. Those who have adopted since having kids could perhaps just do a screening.

Another thing I think would help are more community activities that promote healthy interactions between dogs and kids. Even if a child never owns a dog, knowing how to interact with one appropriately could cut down on injuries to dogs and kids both. At the various fund raising adoption events we attend every year in the kids area, having activities that teach, encourage, and remind kids how to behave with and around dogs could be very helpful not just for potential adopters but for kids who live around dogs. I can't tell you how many times I've had to instruct parents and children how not to grab my dog's face or tail. Thankfully, Bailey and Katy are very sweet dogs, but I am hyper vigilant when children are near because lots of kids don't know how to treat a dog. I can see why this would make rescues nervous, but education is the solution, not exclusion. Kids who grow up with rescue dogs are at least inclined to think about the idea when they are old enough to afford one.

I also know that rescues have a great deal on their plates. Adding more is not easy. However, excluding a large population of adopters does not make the process any easier. Children and dogs can make a placement more challenging, but it can also change lives. Dogs can be an important part of childhood. They can also make a rescue dogs life.

I guess my point with this long winded post is education not exclusion. Rescues are always going to have some dogs that have specific exclusions, not being with other dogs, cats, children, etc. It is important for a successful placement that these exclusions be made. However, I find it hard to believe that the majority of rescue dogs can't handle children. There have to be ways to better prepare families for the challenges of managing dogs and kids under the same roof so that all survive and thrive.

Bailey Keeps On Suprising Us All

Mom got a shock the other day while snuggling with Bailey. She found a lump on his tummy. She's been waiting to find tumors. After all everyone told her they'd come. Bailey had made it through Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, even New Years, and then there were lumps. His annual appointment, which nobody thought he'd ever need was just a few days away, so Mom worked to calm her fears knowing the Vet would have answers then.

Poor Bailey had to endure 5 needles Saturday. Not only did he have a lump on his tummy, but the vet found two others. The vet aspirated all three lumps and Bailey went on to endure the shot for rabies and the blood draw for heart worm. To add insult to injury he also had the meds up the nose for kennel cough. It was not an easy day. The vet being the amazing vet she is, did the tests right then and we got results right away rather than having to wait until Tuesday when regular office hours resumed. The growths were similar but different to growths Bailey had before. They are not tumors but fatty deposits. She measured them and noted them in his chart to keep track of any future growth of them. However, Bailey still shows no signs of Lymphoma. He has even gained another 1/2 pound since his last weigh in. He's almost to his goal weight and we are cutting back on the steroids again.

Bailey may turn 13 in March. Mom's Baby Boy may actually be a teenager. That was something we hadn't even considered when this all hit in the fall. We ask for your continued prayers.

Happy New Year

We are finally getting things back to normal after Mom and Dad got us off schedule at Christmas. We did get our big Christmas celebration in on Boxing Day. Santa did come and we have pics we will share later this week when Mom finds them. Mom and Dad also had one of our favorite sheep visit for a New Year's celebration.

Mostly we've been busy taking care of Mom and Dad. They are feeling better, but it's been so busy that it we have to make sure they rest. You have no idea what kind of trouble they can get into.

We hope you all are having a wonderful start to the New Year.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! We hope you all have a wonderful day with family and friends.

Twas the Night Before Christmas

Twas the Night Before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a tree squirrel. Now you know we have a problem. It's Christmas Eve, this house starts getting moving in the early hours of the morning to prepare for the crowds that start arriving about now. Yet nobody is moving. It's way too quiet. In fact it's been quiet for days. You see, Mom let a bug in the house.

Oh not those creepy crawly ones that you can step on or call the bug guys to kill. Hey, we've bought those into the house and it hasn't killed a Christmas Eve party. Mom got a stomach bug on Tuesday and it wiped her out. Dog Dad nursed her back to health and we thought we still might get to have our party only to discover Dog Dad had the bug this morning so the party is off.

The parents are a little down, in 16 years they haven't missed throwing a Christmas Eve party. Not even one during a year the basement got flooded. This is the first they've had to cancel and it's bumming them out just a bit.

Mom and Dad assure us Santa will still find our stockings and all will be well. However, we have to wait to see the grandparents and all the little sheep will have to wait to get their presents until Dog Dad is feeling better.

Mom was finally up and moving today so she snapped her traditional Christmas Eve pic of us in front of the Christmas Tree. Something she usually does in advance and preposts, but at least she got it done before Christmas. Yesterday that was looking questionable.

This is Mom's first new tree. She ordered it during the tree sales right before Christmas last year. It arrived right before Christmas, too late for Christmas, but perfect for this year. The tree she'd inherited from her Mom just barely made it through the Christmas take down of decorations. When Dog Dad is feeling better she's hoping he can get the whole tree with his camera. This was the best she could do with what she had.

We hope Santa is good to all of you this evening.

Card Wreath is Full

Thanks to a pile of cards that arrived yesterday, our second card wreath is full. The card wreath has slots that will accept more cards so if your card is on the way it will have room. The point is there won't be any holes in the wreath as Christmas arrives.

It is much harder to get a shot of this card wreath because it is located in a hallway. Mom did her best, but she couldn't quite get all the cards in and she apologizes.

We are trying to be really good as we wait for Santa to come. It seems like it's taking forever. Dad's parents arrived on Saturday and Mom's Mom is coming to the state today. That means lots of goodies on Christmas Eve, even before Santa comes.

Monday Mischief: Santa Take 2

We always get multiple shots to choose from when we go to visit Santa and this year Mom just couldn't resist getting more than one shot of us visiting the big guy. She of course chose the one with Katy sticking out her tongue at Santa for the Christmas Card, after all how often are you going to get that shot. However, this shot just said while Bailey was trying to demonstrate how good he was for Santa, Katy had mischief in mind.

Some good news from Bailey. He had his weigh in with the Vet Saturday, no visit, and is up 3 pounds so he is just under 3 pounds his normal weight now. This is huge. It has been a real miracle. Those prayers really are working. We went from thinking he wouldn't be here at Halloween and not including his name on the Christmas card list to having him regaining weight and chasing Katy like a much younger dog. Don't know where this will lead, but this has been the greatest Christmas gift we could have asked for and received, a wonderful Christmas season with Bailey.

Thankful Thursday: It's Getting Close

We have much to be thankful for today.

First we won Oz's Petsmart Contest found here and have a $25 gift card to spend on goodies. The big brown truck showed up yesterday to deliver our prize. Sadly, we only heard the bell and didn't get our cookie from the driver.

Second, as you can see our first card wreath is full and the second one is starting to fill up as well. Mom has had a few entries, but as you could expect most of them are our friends.

Third, Bailey is supposed to be going in for a weigh in on Saturday and we hope to get good news that his weight has gone up with his new diet. His face looks fuller and his body feels less bony, but that's all subjective. We hope to have some data that what we believe is good news is real.

Lastly, it's hard to believe, but a week from tonight our family will gather together and have our big Christmas Eve celebration at our house. We are looking forward to seeing Dog's Dad's parents who we only see once a year now, as well as Grandma who will be traveling from PA and lots and lots of local relatives. Mom and Dad still have lots to do to get ready, but we can't wait to see everyone.

Thankful Thursday: Christmas Prep Continues

Mom is making progress on getting ready for Christmas. Dog Dad picked up our Christmas cards last night and Mom worked on addressing them until she ran out of stamps. Not giving anything away, but Dog Dad says this is the best card ever because of Katy. As for the lack of stamps, never fear, Dog Dad picked up today when he mailed the huge stack Mom finished yesterday.

Dog Dad suggested making use of the flower boxes on our deck, so they went out searching for something to put in them last night. We are hoping the birds will discourage the squirrels.

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Toys are Back

Dog Dad braved the attic to bring back our Christmas toys. Mom boxes all our holiday toys after each holiday and returns them to us the next year. It's like finding old friends.

Blog Paws is hosting the Hop here.

Monday Mischief: The Christmas Card Wreath

Well it was a busy but productive weekend. Mom and Dad finally got into Christmas mode.

Friday they left us home and took the great niece and nephews to the Christmas tree lighting. The little ones got to visit with Santa who arrived on a fire engine to open the festivities. We didn't get to go because it was incredibly crowded.

Saturday we finally got to see Santa at the Baypath Rescue fundraiser. Can you believe it Santa remembered us!! With all the dogs he sees we didn't expect he'd remember us. I guess he doesn't see many Shelties and who knew Santa has a thing for Shelties. Santa even remembered to rub Katy's side so she stopped being scared. We got to our picture taken with Santa and then we got to go shopping in the store that hosted the event. We found lots of cool toys to suggest for Santa toys and we also pointed out some bully sticks that might be interesting.

Mom and Dad finally got our card wreaths put up and the first one only has our cards in it so far. I suspect we'll fill the first one before Mom even gets one card in it.

They also got the tree up this weekend so the holiday decorations are coming along. Next weekend we are helping one of the great nephews celebrate his birthday. We love birthday parties because Dog Dad always gets us cookies to celebrate with the birthday child. The tradition is the birthday kid gives us the cookies before he/she has birthday cake. We don't get bakery cookies often so we are looking forward to it.

Happy Chanukah to all our friends celebrating. We hope the holiday is filled with joy, happiness, and wonderful memories as you celebrate with family and friends.

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Terrific Tuesday: The Christmas Cards are Arriving

Yesterday our box was filled with Christmas cards and Dog Dad hasn't even dragged our card wreaths out of the attic yet!!! We are so thankful to our Blogville friends and look forward to decorating our wreath with all their wonderful cards.

We actually had a much better picture of all our wonderful cards, but Mom quickly realized all the addresses were showing and decided that wasn't such a good idea.

Monday Mischief: Putting out the Holly Buckets

Mom was quite excited when she moved here to find she had Holly bushes in her own front yard. Oddly they seem to have the best berries in the summer, not the winter as all the fake Holly she's used over the years assured her she'd find. However, this year has been so warm that the bush is very berriful and Dog Dad decided the day after Thanksgiving would be a great day to do its winter trim.

The weather was very tropical for New England on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Mom was out in a short sleeved shirt and her sandals. She hates putting shoes on when its muddy. Mom loves putting out the Holly buckets full of Holly and ornaments to decorate the front yard. She and Dog Dad just never have done the whole Christmas light thing, but she does enjoy having something outside. A few years ago Santa's elves found their way home. Other outdoor decorations have not survived the brutal snow storms, so Mom recruited a gnome planter to help. She may be checking out some outdoor sales to see what she can locate.

We were very helpful supervising and making sure nobody got hurt while working with the pointy Holly.

Mom helped us send out all our digital Christmas cards this weekend to those who requested e-cards and to all those living outside the United States. We have an appointment with Santa on Saturday and hope to get our paper cards made up after that so we can get the rest of the list mailed.

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Happy Thanksgiving

We wish all our friends in Blogville a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving. Mom preposted this since she and Dog Dad will be busy hosting Thanksgiving for family.

Mom was truly thankful to be able to take this picture of Bailey happily stealing all the Thanksgiving toys. Katy happily stole them back later for those of you concerned. It has been a special gift and we are cherishing every moment.

Wordless Wednesday: Our First Christmas Card

Our first card arrived on Saturday from Reilly and Denny the Cowspot Dogs. We are putting it in a safe place until the Christmas Card wreaths come out some time after this weekend when Dog Dad bravely enters the attic and digs out the Christmas decorations. The only card we've sent out so far was a Hanukkah card. We are waiting until we see Santa on December 5th to get our Christmas cards made. Then we'll do a mail blast to get our cards out for the Blogville card exchange, family, friends, etc.

Blog Paws is hosting the Hop here.

Monday Mischief: Holding on to the Leaves

How can Dog Dad take away all these fun comfy leaves?

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Thankful Thursday: Bailey's Vet Visit

Bailey went to the Vet on Tuesday to have a check up and see where things are at with his Lymphoma. You see according to his diagnosis he wasn't supposed to be here much past the beginning of Oct. Halloween came and went and he is still chasing Katy around and eating all his meals. He looks like a skeleton, but a pretty healthy one by all accounts. So, we decided it was time to talk to his vet and see what else we could do to make him comfortable.

She quite frankly is shocked. Our Vet is not someone who tends to get excited and exaggerate, but she used the word miracle. She doesn't want to give us false hope, but he is not progressing in the way you'd expect a dog with Lymphoma, not getting chemo, to progress. That doesn't mean the signs won't come, but everything says they should be here now. Seeing him doing this well is a miracle. While he's lost muscle weight, he still is the weight at which he was diagnosed. She was stunned to find him still playing, eating, having regular stool, and frankly living his life to the fullest. She isn't sure what to make of it, but she did suggest we focus on trying to put some weight on without risking him starting to vomit. Vomiting would be a very bad sign. So we increased his beef and rice and he's getting between meals vet recommended kibble, which so far he's been able to keep down and he hasn't turned his nose up after one meal, which was a previous problem.

She debated reducing his steroids, but at this point she didn't want to ruin what is working. He's already on a reduced dosage from his original plan.

Each extra day has been a miracle. Bailey loves Halloween and we thought that would be our Blessing, getting to watch him greet the kids one last time. However, he's continuing to fight. We don't know how long this miracle will last, but there is a good chance with Thanksgiving so close that Bailey will get in his favorite tradition of watching the football games on the couch and getting lots of attention from extended family. Being even more optimistic we booked a visit with Santa for a dog charity fundraiser for December 5th and included Bailey on the list for the photographer. There will be no issue changing to Katy, so it seemed a safe risk.

The Vet gave us credit, but honestly I credit Katy. She has evolved so much since Bailey got sick. She has always been close to him, but now she takes so much more responsibility for their relationship. She will curl up and rest with him when he is really tired. However, she will poke and prod him until he plays with her when she thinks he's just being a cranky old guy. She'll steal his bones or a toy, knowing he can't resist stealing them back and thus keeps him interested in life. She finds things to explore outside and insists he will help. If anyone has provided Bailey with the will to live and to fight Katy has been at the heart of it all. She is not going to let him go without a fight.

We thank all of you for your prayers and good wishes. We certainly have benefited from them. We ask that you continue them as we would love to keep Bailey with us through Christmas and as long after that as God is willing. We are making the most of each day and perhaps that is the blessing in all of this.

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Wordless Wednesday: Entertaining the Parents

Um..OK Dad you wanted me to do what with the ball?

Blog Paws is hosting the Hop here.