A parting of the ways

As of last weekend I, along with many others, have severed my ties with Animal Adoption League. We are committed to continuing rescue work and are considering our options.

A home in record time!

Another neighbor called... this time it was a bassett mix that was found wandering. Could I help? Of course. We searched, but no owner was found for her. We set up a vet appointment to get shots and deworming, and I called my friend Pat who went right to work. Within one day Abby was vetted and a great new home was found for her!

She now lives in a nice part of town with a family that adores her. She stayed a few nights with our neighbor, one night with us and one night with Pat before going to her forever home. That's a lot of shuffling around but she took it all in stride. And boy did it pay off for her!

Good Karma

The coincidences are too compelling to ignore.

On Christmas Eve, I was having a hard time, missing my Noir, feeling sad and lonely. At the same time, in the NC mountains, a couple was walking their son's dog in an area they normally don't go to. Perhaps someone was guiding their steps. A 3 month old puppy approached them, laid down at their feet and began whimpering. Obviously lost or abandoned, they took the little girl back to their vacation home.

They searched for her owners to no avail. Then they contacted a friend to see if it was possible to get her into rescue.

Way leads to way, and my friend Pat was contacted. She thought of me. I was fostering Smoochie, but Pat knew that little cutie would be adopted in a hearbeat. So Saturday morning while I was preparing to take Smoochie to a PetSmart adoption event, the couple who rescued the puppy were sending photos to my phone. Would we consider fostering her when Smoochie goes to a new home? YOU BET!

Smoochie went to her new home Monday evening. Tuesday morning, I met the "mountain puppy's" rescuers at our vet's office. What a nice couple! The puppy was dewormed, got her first shot, and was checked over. Then home with me she went.

We estimate she is 3 months old. That means she was born around the time we found out about Noir's illness.

I think Noir was working from the Rainbow Bridge, guiding this little puppy to us. I know Noir doesn't want me to be sad, and I also know she is a rescuer too. The puppy is a sweet little thing with a striking coat and funny puppy ways. She's very smart. She's made me happy and optimistic again. Casey likes her.

We've named the puppy Karma. She just might be our first "foster failure".

Little Levi

Just after Christmas a neighbor called. Friends of hers were visiting from Georgia, where they had rescued some chihuahua mix puppies. All were adopted out except one, which they had intended to keep. Over the holidays they realized that was not practical, so my neighbor offered to try to help. Would we help her help this puppy? Of course.

When her guests left for home, they left the puppy with my neighbor and she fostered him for a week. She named him Levi. We visited to get some photos. He's a little guy, seems to be mostly chihuahua.

When we took over the fostering duties, we listed him on Petfinder and took him to a PetSmart adoption event. He was everyone's favorite, several families wanted to adopt him, but we decided on a nice family that has young daughters anxious to give our little guy all the love and attention he could ever want.

While he was with us he had a blast playing with Aunt Casey. And here he is in his new home, looking out the door at the snow. He's probably wondering if he can go out and play!

Foster puppy updates: Annie, Smoochie, and another abandoned puppy

Since September I have been consumed with Noir's health, caring for her, worrying about her, taking her to the vets, and finally saying that painful goodbye.

As soon as we found out she was ill, we suspended fostering puppies so we could focus on her. We also didn't want to bring any illnesses into the home that she might be susceptible to.

I have written a blog about every foster we've had, but neglected to talk about Annie. We had her about 10 days, she stayed with us when she came out of the shelter and until her next foster home was ready to take her. Annie was a sweet little girl, a black and brown basset hound. She was hilarious, cute, playful, funny, and a joy to have around. Soon after she moved into fostering with my friend Alex, she was adopted to a great family and now Annie has a little girl all her own. Another happy ending. Aren't those ears something?!

The week before Christmas, 2 weeks after Noir went to the Rainbow Bridge, Jim and I decided it was time to start fostering puppies again. We had heard about 3 little stray puppies, Jack Russell mixes, that needed help. My friend Fara had them, and I offered to help with one of them. She kept the little boys, and I brought home the little girl. She was 4 pounds, skin and bones, full of worms.

Fortunately Fara had taken her to the vets for her first shot and worming, and had given her 2 baths. (Thanks, Fara!!) She seemed to be a JRT/Chihuahua mix... not real zippy like a JRT would be, longer legs like a chihuahua would have. She is as sweet as can be, full of puppy kisses, so we named her Smoochie.

We've had her 10 days, and yesterday took her to an adoption event at PetSmart in Blakeney. A wonderful woman met her, fell in love and applied to adopt her. Today I did the home visit, and tomorrow she'll go home to her new mom and all the love and attention she deserves. She's going to have a great life! As you can see below, she's Santa's favorite!




Saturday my friend Pat got a call from some people who were on holiday in the mountains and came upon an abandoned puppy. She told me about the pup, they texted some photos to me, and Jim and I decided to foster her. Smoochie will leave Monday evening, and the new puppy will move in on Tuesday.

My private Christmas tradition

Many years ago I started a little Christmas tradition. Sometime during the Christmas season, I would turn off the lights except for the Christmas tree and curl up beneath the tree with my dogs and take a nap. When I lived in New York, Spock and Floyd were with me. Since 2002, Noir and Casey were with me.

This December has been rough. Noir left us on December 8th. Much as I have tried, I couldn't find enough Christmas spirit to even think about decorating a tree or shopping for presents. On Wednesday I came home from work to find that Jim had set up a tree and put lights on it.

Later that afternoon Noir's ashes were brought to us and placed in the urn we had purchased. Obviously a very sad afternoon for me, to hold the urn and feel the weight of it, knowing this was how Noir would be with us for the rest of our lives.

Christmas day came and Jim and I spent it at his son's house with his grandson and his son's mom. It was enjoyable, and the nice part for me was Bailey, the son's golden retriever kept coming to me, licking my face and sitting with me. I think she knew I was upset, and was trying to comfort me. Bailey was Noir's first friend when we adopted her, so perhaps she knew her friend was gone. Sometimes I think dogs can sense everything. Maybe she was just thanking me for the toy I brought her. My only Christmas shopping was for her and Casey.

Late in the evening back at home, I remembered my Christmas tradition.

I turned off all the lights except for the tree and carefully took Noir's urn off the mantle and set it on the floor beneath the tree. I laid down on the floor and talked to Noir and wept for a long time. I told her I was ok, that I missed her terribly, but wanted her to run along to the Rainbow Bridge and play with the other dogs, especially Spock and Floyd, and that someday I would come for her and we would be together again. I think I even napped a little, comforted that I could feel her love and feel that she heard me.

Merry Christmas, Noir. You'll always be in my heart.

"I'm Still Here"

Friend, please don't mourn for me
I'm still here, though you don't see
I'm right by your side each night and day
and within your heart I long to stay.

My body is gone but I'm always near.
I'm everything you feel, see or hear.
My spirit is free, but I'll never depart
as long as you keep me alive in your heart.

-Unknown

This was in a greeting card from some neighborhood friends, Lou and Pati. Beautiful card, wonderful friends.

Agony

This photo was taken on November 6th at a Holiday Pet Photos fundraiser. The photo says it all: agony.

My friend Michelle from Phartblossoms was taking the photos and asked me to give Noir a kiss on the head. I did and I broke down, knowing my days with her were numbered. I didn't know then just how small a number we had left.

Today, 3 days after Noir went to the Rainbow Bridge, I am still in pain. My eyes and sinuses burn, my brain can't focus on anything else. I have so much work to do but can't bring myself to even think about it. Hopefully that will change soon.

Meanwhile I miss her in all the little daily things that we take for granted. The clink of her tags as she walked. Waking up in the middle of the night and reaching out to pat her on the head. Now my hand falls on her empty blanket and the ache rips through my heart.

Today Jim and I are talking about taking in a foster dog. Casey is lonesome for her buddy. She walks from room to room looking for her. We can't replace Noir, but we know she would want us to give our love to one who needs us.

The end came much too soon

My sweet Noir was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver three months ago. This week she hadn't eaten for a few days and wasn't drinking. In spite of all the efforts of the wonderful Dr. DeHaan, there was nothing more to do for her but give her a quiet day without shoving things down her throat.

This afternoon she ate and drank a little, then took a blissful nap curled up with me, a memory I will treasure forever. A little after 4PM, Dr Lisa Shaw from Indian Land Animal Hosp came and helped her cross over to the rainbow bridge. Later her body was removed by Marlow and Brown for cremation.

She is gone, never forgotten. She was a rescue, she became a rescuer herself, and I found my inspiration for rescuing and transporting in her.

Please say a little prayer for my sweet girl, that she have only healthy, sunny, fun days at the Rainbow Bridge while she waits for Jim and I to cross over with her. We know we made the right decision for her, but are inconsolable nonetheless.

She is not gone, she has just run ahead to a better place and waits for us there.

Bye-bye Hershmeister

This evening I took our foster "puppy" Hershey on that all-too-familiar ride to his new home. He was restless on the drive over, as though he knew something was up, because his crate was in the car for his new mom and dad to borrow.

Once we got there he was pure unadulterated Hershey. He immediately started to play with his new sister Sadie, and tried to play with his new older sister Jessie. Like the true older sister she sat quietly watching them, and occassionally voiced her disapproval at their rowdy play.

In the short time I was there, Hershey had found every rawhide in the toybox, pulled the stuffing out of one toy, and had a game of tug-of-war with Sadie. He also showed his -ahem- "affection" for her. (Get over yourself, Hershey, you're neutered!)

Ruth and Marc, his new mom and dad, took it all in stride, laughed at him, and corrected him. I'm comfortable that they're going to do just fine with this little ruffian.

In the time I've known and fostered Hershey, he's more than tripled in size. At nine months old, he's just a shade under 75 pounds. He'll probably push 90 or 100 by the time he's done growing.
When I left, I didn't look back to see if he was following me. I imagine tonight he'll be confused and wonder why I sent him away. I hope he will somehow know that Jim and I did the best we could for him, we helped him learn, we gave him a safe place and all the love in our hearts. And now we have turned his life over to Ruth and Marc, and they will give him more love and attention than we could.

Still tonight I will lie awake and sob, hoping that my heart will come to understand what my brain already knows... that this is the right thing, the best thing for him, and his life just became infinitely better because two people liked him enough to adopt him, and will love and care for him for the rest of his life.