lifeinflux

Travel Plans 2011

// February 17th, 2011 // 2 Comments » // Featured Post

I read through my travel wish list last night and realized that while this may be the Year of the Rabbit per the Chinese calendar, for me it is year of the Dog. Bringing nine dogs into my life (and my house) has really upended my travel plans for the months of January and February. Keeping one or two puppies will really change the way I travel over the course of this year. Leaving Jays in charge of two little Bears and one big Bear is a lot to ask of an ex-husband. And while Jays is pretty chill about taking care of my babies, all of whom he loves and who love him, leaving him with that kind of responsibility every time I take off and travel for work or pleasure is neither fair nor right. And frankly, it may shape my decision to bring a puppy or two into my life. Sure, Jays does not travel like Drue does (and neither of them are anywhere close to the amount of travel I do) but I try not to take advantage of him being at home so much. There is also the additional cost of raising multiple dogs including vet bills, food and boarding. So while I think everyone (except Drue) agrees that A puppy would be good, I’m waffling on the practicality of having two puppies in the house and the HUGE responsibilities that come with having to train them separately, feed them separately and basically ensure they bond to me as their alpha rather than each other. Sure, it can be done. But I require time away for sanity’s sake and my photography assignments are slowly taking me away from the Bay Area so I need to ensure I can travel for fun and for my job and two puppies could make that very difficult. So there you go. That said, we have really bonded with both Marzi (Marsican) and Rascal (Grizzly) and the thought of choosing between the two feels nigh to impossible. So there you go.

Drue decided that we should just take the dogs with us when we travel; you know, like Paris Hilton does. After Googling every image of Paris and her dogs, I reminded Drue that at this point, our eight week old puppies could eat all of Paris’ miniature chihuahuas and still be hungry. When Drue informed me that puppies aren’t cannibals I considered discussing their recent poop eating habits and decided not to go there since she would go into her poop!=other dogs talk and I don’t need to hear that lecture twice. Instead I pointed out that at 4 and 1/2 pounds, Panda is already bigger than one of Paris’ pooches. After some quiet reflection and a half hour watching Nickelodeon, Drue informed me that mini chihuahuas aren’t so much dogs as accessories. I immediately agreed and hope that ends this entire discussion for good because I am having nightmares about lugging a full-sized Rascal through customs in my purse. Make that dragging him in a duffle, through customs, across the floor. That puppy has paws the size of salad plates.

Looking over my wish list, I recognize that travel is out until house training and puppy obedience training is complete, no matter how many puppies we have in the house. This means no snowboarding, no Portland trip, no Spring Break trip and no trip to Canada in May. Since visiting Canada will happen in 2011, I have to rework the travel schedule since China is pretty much a GO for the fall. We’re also tackling the idea of traveling as a family during the Christmas holiday. Short of dragging my Mom out here or us flying east and enduring 2 weeks of misery thanks to our allergies, we are pretty much alone for the holidays. We also are to the point where we purchase almost everything we want or need over the course of the year minus a few really special wants that my family covers during the holidays. This year was our big house purchases Christmas but if you asked me to give you a short list of things I want or need, all that would be on it at the moment is socks. As a family we decided we would prefer purchasing gifts for the family at Christmas and then spending our family Christmas cash on a trip to someplace fun. So we’re researching a Bear/house sitter we can start working with now and are looking through travel magazines, travel websites and the like to determine where we want to go for the Christmas holidays.

So, all I know is we’ll be traveling to San Diego this summer, I’ll be going to China in the fall, to Alabama for Thanksgiving and we’re off someplace fun and hopefully, warm, for Christmas. Somewhere in all of this I am heading to Toronto and Drue and I are going to try to find a weekend a month to head off and have our girl time once I get the dogs trained (so okay… in about 4-5 months). The good news is that, since the puppies require us to be close to home, we’re making a list of all the fun things to see and do in the Bay Area and points within an hour’s drive and trust me, that list is HUGE. Now to decide upon a camera I love in order to completely capture all these fun day trips and the puppies as they continue to grow…

Sleep achieved! Day 12 (Sunday)

// February 1st, 2011 // No Comments » // Featured Post

Rascal (with food on his head), Duncan, Carter, Smokey and Bella nosh out

Monday dawned and Jays and I were as exhausted as we’ve ever been. Leaving Sunny out in the kitchen with the puppies is hard on her, no one sleeps (including us people) and we’re all starting to suffer for it immensely. We made enormous progress with her in that she responds to no and stops howling. But we were determined to find a way for everyone to sleep the night so we moved on to suggestion number 3 and prayed this would be the solution that fixed all our problems. For those of you at home keeping count, suggestion number 1 was free feeding Sunny and the puppies, separating Sunny from the puppies at night by putting Sunny in the crate and leaving the puppies and their food out. Free feeding all the dogs was not successful because 1) it gave Sunny too many calories what with the puppy food, supplement and canned food (she’s ready to be on dry puppy food alone); 2) Sunny started competing with her own puppies for the food; 3) Sunny stopped letting them nurse because she could not get away from them; and 4) Sunny howled for the food (and to go poop) all night long therefore no one slept (Saturday night). Suggestion number 2 was free feeding the puppies and Sunny all day and then removing the food and letting Sunny be out in the kitchen with them all night long to nurse them and attend to them. This did not work because 1) the puppies were gorging themselves on food all day; 2) the puppies were not getting stimulated by their Mom and therefore were lethargic and not following their proper feed/nurse/poop/play/sleep/poop/feed/nurse… cycle; and 3) Sunny tried to break out of the kitchen all night long to escape from the puppies therefore no one slept all night (Sunday).

Monday we put the puppies and Sunny on an alternate feeding cycle and started taking Sunny for regular walks. So while Sunny was out for an early morning walk, the puppies were fed until they were done with the food. They pooped, I picked up papers and when Sunny returned they were playing. Of course, they immediately stopped playing when Sunny came into the kitchen and started nursing. But she let them because she had a nice break. We removed the puppy food and gave Sunny her dry food in her bowl and after an hour or two out with them, playing, we let her back in her crate for a few hours to rest. The puppies slept too until around 12:30 whereupon we started the pooping/feeding/nursing/play cycle all over again until they collapsed to rest around 1:30. At 2:00 we fed Sunny her dry food, let the puppies play on her and she stayed out of the crate with them until around 5. At 5, Sunny went for her walk and the puppies were fed again. They nursed upon her return and then Sunny ate her final bowl of food for the day. The puppies and Sunny played until around 8:00 when the puppies collapsed again. At 10:30 Sunny went out for her last walk, the puppies were given their final meal of the day and then given access to Sunny to nurse one final time. After they played for 45 minutes, we put them in their designated Rubbermaid, washed down the entire kitchen, changed out the bedding, made sure everyone had fresh water, locked Sunny in her pen and turned out the light. 30 minutes later the entire household was in bed and everyone slept until the puppies started whining for food around 5:45 AM this morning.

SUCCESS! Let’s hope we can repeat this tonight. If so, I think we have a winning plan!

A few people have asked how Mimir and Kodi Bear are doing and if they are getting lost in the shuffle. Nope. Big Bear sleeps in my bed (mmm warm feet), gets up around 7 (he has to have his beauty sleep, you know), eats at his usual time of 7:30, walks Drue to school and heads to Philz for a treat and a bowl of water to get his 2 miler in and then spends the day asleep at my feet or on the bed. We play ball at least once. Drue plays ball with him when she gets home from school. He has dinner at his usual time of 5:30 and goes to bed at 10:30 when he decides to put himself to bed. He is lacking his usual evening perambulation because I’m usually swamped in puppy business around his usual night walk time but he’s handling it pretty well. What confuses him is his lack of access to the kitchen and to these cool little creatures in there. Sometimes we’ll find him at the kitchen gate mewling and keening at the puppies. Sunny ignores him but the puppies find him fascinating and cock their little heads and look at him as if to say “who ARE you, massive furry giant?!?” Mimir’s routine has not changed. She sleeps with Drue every night, per usual, eats and uses her litter box as she likes, and sleeps at my feet all morning in the sun spot only to move to my window at 1:45 and then to Drue’s bed at 3:30. She’s such a sun worshiper. If there is no sun that day, you can find her buried in Drue’s covers. At night after we eat, she comes out for a romp and some play and snuggle time before we have to head in to manage the puppies whereupon she snuggles in with Drue for a good night’s sleep. Man is her life tough or what? Meemsy has jumped into the kitchen a few times to check out the puppies. So far they’ve managed to bum rush her twice and if I could stop laughing long enough to hold the camera straight, I’d record it for you. It takes a few hours for her to puff down but in my opinion, it helps keep her young and feisty.

Panda in Decline

Our one sad note is Panda. She continues to decline dramatically. She refuses to eat puppy food, supplemental gel, or canned food. She won’t eat the puppy mush or take Esbilac. She wants all her nutrition from nursing. In a vain attempt to help her, we put her in the crate with Sunny and she spent the day nursing or cuddling against Sunny. Finally around 6:30, Sunny got tired of having Panda all over her and growled at her which sent Panda into the corner for a few hours. We debated whether or not to leave Panda with Sunny all night, reached out to our friends who came to our aid in the last 48 hours and asked for advice. Resoundingly and across the board we were told to leave it alone. Anything extra we do is motivating Panda to not eat. We have to leave her alone, treat her the same as her litter mates and she will either start eating or decline rapidly. By Monday night she was not eating; however, she had nursed enough to find some pep and play with her litter maters. We’ll have to see what day 13 brings. We’ve decided if we have one more day of her not eating, we’re going to have to let her go. The thought of her being put to sleep is devastating but watching her suffer is worse. So far, she seems okay. She’s declining, yes; but, she’s not in pain. So we will see what today brings and hope and pray. And tomorrow… well tomorrow will come soon enough and Day 14 may bring about a devastating but necessary decision. Time will tell.

Puppy Steps Forward – Days 7 and 8 (Tuesday and Wednesday)

// January 27th, 2011 // 3 Comments » // Featured Post

Drue holding Rascal with Smokey and Bella

Drue’s face says it all. We love, love, LOVE our puppies (and Sunny, too)!!! Tuesday dawned clear with perfect weather and Sunny took full advantage on her morning stroll around the front yard. Yes, that’s right. Our sweet girl has stopped rushing out, pottying and heading straight back in. She’s actually taking her time, smelling around the yard and using the bathroom out in the yard (as opposed to hiding behind bushes, scared). That was really our only big win on Tuesday as Sunny and the babies spent most of the day sleeping and recovering from Monday’s vet trip. Even when the puppies were up and playing, they were a little sluggish most of the day and Sunny took advantage of it to sleep most of the day away. We finally got them up around 2 and encouraged everyone to eat, Sunny included. However, only five of the puppies ate a good amount; the three smalls (Panda, Carter and Butch) nursed as opposed to eating the mushy puppy food. According to the research, this is perfectly normal so we’re not worrying for now. When Sunny had her evening meal, the puppies were up after sleeping all day and wired for sound. I had my hands full with end of day to-do’s and Jason was out running errands (and buying a new, even bigger and better steam cleaner for the floors – go OCD!) so Drue helped me out by going in the kitchen and playing with the puppies. At one point, when I glanced in, she had puppies pulling at her pants’ legs, puppies pulling on her shirt, puppies piling in her lap and everyone was yipping and barking. Oh yes, didn’t I mention that? The puppies have found their voices and each one has a distinctive bark, yip, whine or call. And boy do they love to use their voices! They even make little yips, groans and grunts in their sleep! If a few of them are “talking” I can tell who is who. When all eight get going, it’s just a whole lot of puppy noise but oh, it’s so cute! All of their “I’m hurt” squeals sound the same but as they get bigger – and rougher – Sunny steps in from time to time if the action moves from playing to all out brawl. Wednesday was a better day for the puppies in that all eight were active and playing during much of the day. They played so hard Wednesday as if to make up for Tuesday and all slept well. I’ve seen all eight kick, flex and yip in their sleep which is fantastic and shows neurological and muscular growth. Some move more than others. Rascal, Smokey, Butch, Carter and Bella are definitely the five who have grown the most physically and mentally. Duncan, Panda and Shadow still nurse and rely on Sunny or me to give them the stimulus the other puppies find from each other. Right now, my assumption is that they are just our late bloomers and if they don’t show marked improvement by our vet appointment on the 14th, we’ll discuss it then and figure out our next steps. Wednesday night, between running errands, taking Drue to volleyball AND then going to Drue’s Science Fair (well Jays and Drue did… I ran more errands), I left the dogs in the pen and did not unlatch the gate. Sunny figured out how to get out but boy did we have some angry puppies when we finally got home. On Wednesday, Jason took Sunny out twice while Bear was in the house. Bear is showing mild curiosity towards Sunny but the aggression has died off as best we can see. Still, we are both trying to reclaim some of our lives and got a little careless in doing so. We’ll have to watch that more closely in the future. However, so far, so good and we’re going to try adding in workouts a couple of days next week. We’ve also gone from takeout for two meals a day down to takeout for one meal a day. I’ve even been able to get in the kitchen and make Drue breakfast most mornings. So while our errors on Wednesday felt like a small step back for Jays and I, we recognize that we, like the puppies, are allowed those backward steps from time to time.

Panda tries to eat Carter's tail

Also, on Wednesday, after trying to impose a feeding schedule on the puppies, we realized that, right now, we just need to make sure that there is food available to Sunny and the puppies in order to give Sunny a break from nursing AND to ensure the puppies are getting their nutritional needs met. I’ve been charting their eating times, play times and sleeping times again now that all eight are eating the mushy puppy food and nursing occasionally. I still think we will settle on a 6:30 AM; 2:00 PM and 10:00 PM eating schedule once all eight puppies are eating more than they are nursing simply because it is an even feeding cycle AND it allows us to meet our work, school, activity and social obligations and needs. But until our three holdouts – Duncan, Panda and Shadow – transition over where they are eating as much as they are nursing, it is better to free feed to keep everyone growing and healthy. Sunny is regulating her own food intake which is very UN-lab of her. However, she has more of a cattle dog body and look/feel (except for her eyes and eyebrows – that is ALL lab). As the puppies nurse less, she eats less. Her water intake is high and the puppies are starting to drink water as well. Nature and nurture are both running their proper course and we are confident that all eight will be weaned by week eight with no problems. Sunny is no longer skin and bones, either. All the good food, occasional treats and TLC have finally started making a difference. You can no longer see her hip bones and she has a nice layer of padding over her ribs. I figure another five pounds and she’ll be perfect. Then we will start addressing the sad condition of her coat, although, that has made a bit of a comeback as well. The puppies are starting to play harder and faster now and have discovered each others paws, tails and personal bits. The occasional fight breaks out (I’m looking at you, Carter) as the puppies try to figure out who is dominant and they occasionally hurt each other. Sunny occasionally has to step in and is desperate for time away from them. Unfortunately, until her parasites clear up and she gets her shots, she cannot be out in the house or back yard. So we’ve started penning up the puppies for a little while each day to give Sunny a needed break. As she continues to show interest in the outside world – and continues to trust us – the plan is to encourage her to take small walks with us. So far, she has been resistant to leaving the front yard. We’re hoping with time – and as she continues to look for ways to get breaks from her eight babies – we’ll be able to convince her that fresh air and exercise are just what the doctor ordered!

Rascal noshing on puppy food mush

As the puppies start eating more solid food, and now that all eight have been dewormed, they are transitioning from soft mushy poops to small solid poops. It took until Wednesday night for all eight to reach that point but now that they are here, Sunny has stopped cleaning up after them. To start them on the right foot for house training – and to ensure they don’t soil their bedding – we’re taking up the training pads as soon as we see them soiled and replace them with clean pads. This ensures they don’t step in, play in or try to eat their poop and keeps the bedding and kitchen cleaner overall. All puppies get pets and praises for using their papers and we’re slowly leaving small areas uncovered and moving puppies to the papers for them to do their business. This Sunday, I’m going to try to designate a play/food area vs a pooping area and spend Sunday afternoon in the kitchen gently teaching the puppies where to go vs. where to play. Nature’s Orange cleaner has been a lifesaver budget-wise, sanity wise and has enabled me to continue using my kitchen to prepare food in. And thanks to the lack of chemicals, it does not tear up the skin on my hands since I scrub the kitchen floor, cabinets, appliances and counters down several times a day.

The puppies are 4 weeks as of Wednesday which means we only have four weeks to go. To be perfectly honest, I want the puppies to go to people I know and trust. The thought of just sending them out there into the ether with no updates or contact much less the knowledge that they will be well cared for is something I’m not prepared to face. I recognize logically that I may not be able to adopt them out to people I know… but the hope is still there nonetheless. I don’t know how people who foster ongoing or run rescues can manage not to get attached and just hope and trust that the people they allow to adopt – because really, background checks only get you so far – are going to care for these dogs and love them as much as you do. And that part, more than anything else, is the one thing that holds me back from saying we’ll foster again. At this point we love all nine of these dogs so much. And while we recognize there is no way we can care for all nine of them ongoing, letting them go is going to be very hard for all of us. Well okay… maybe it won’t be hard for Kodi Bear and Mimir but for Jays, Drue and I, it feels unimaginably difficult to let these babies go. Logically we accept what will happen in a few weeks. Getting our hearts to align with our minds is going to take longer than that, I think.

Feedings and 1st Vet Visit – Days 5 and 6 (Sunday and Monday)

// January 26th, 2011 // No Comments » // Featured Post

Rascal ponders the aluminum pan

Sunday morning marked our fourth night of limited sleep and I was desperate to figure out how to switch Sunny’s and the puppies up time from 2 to 5 in the morning to 2 to 5 in the afternoon. We decided to take the leap and put the puppies and Sunny on a schedule and, after confirming with the vet that we could add Esbilac to their diets, decided to add a feeding or two to their normal day.  We decided to watch Sunny and see if she was showing any signs that she could use a break (or two) from feeding eight little mouths and use that as our cue to step in and offer an alternative.     As exhausted as we were after being up at 2:15, 3:45 and 5:15 with Sunny, we were elated to see that most of the puppies were leaving the pen to potty on the training pads and made an official decision to only coop them up (door to pen closed) when we were changing out the puppy pads and scrubbing down the kitchen.     Jays ran out to get some breakfast while Drue and I played with the puppies and wore them out.   We needed them sleeping as much as possible because we had a HUGE task upon us that required immediate resolution.   Friday night,  Jays discovered white fuzzy stuff on the ceiling of the garage.  Our dryer is not properly vented and in good weather (which we have 90% of the time), there are no issues.  However, the combination of back to back laundry (we’re up to 4 loads a day) and all the rain from the last two months created the perfect wet, warm environment mold needs to grow and flourish and we knew we had to address the issue immediately.  Not only is it a general health hazard for us and the animals, we use the garage loft to store our holiday items, suitcases and extra baking supplies.   Any thoughts of having a pleasant, semi-relaxing weekend went out the window.

Sunny, Carter, Duncan and Shadow contemplate the aluminum plate

Once the puppies passed out, Jason and I went outside to pull every item from the garage. Not only was the loft full but we had the entire floor of the garage filled with freecycle items that needed to go. By the time we pulled everything out and separated it into three piles (stay, recycle and freecycle), it was time to head in and feed the puppies (around 2 PM). Sunny needed to go out which means we lost our opportunity to feed them as the puppies latched on to her the moment she returned to the kitchen. We agreed to try, try again that evening since she was willingly to feed them and decided to set her feeding time back to 9:30 instead of 11:30 and to feed the puppies right after at 10.  We did put a clean aluminum pie plate (our feeding bowl of choice for 8 mouths) in the kitchen and spent a few moments taking pictures of the puppies smelling it, attacking it and moving it around.  In between brief breaks to play with Bear, help Drue with her Science Fair Project and board, walk Sunny, feed Sunny and Bear (5:30) and run out and eat dinner (7:00), we managed to get the entire garage emptied, all of the items freecycled and the roof of the garage sprayed with vinegar to combat the mold. After dinner, we helped Drue finish her board and get her to bed while the garage aired out thanks to four or five fans. We dragged all the keeper items back in to the floor of the garage, finished a few loads of laundry and then collapsed on the living room sofa, exhausted.   Drue spent her Sunday fetching items (and many bottles of water) for Jason and me and finishing her project.  However, the bulk of her Sunday had her in the kitchen with the puppies, playing with them and loving on them in between their long naps. We ran into one issue at 9:30 when I took Sunny out for her walk which showed me how far Sunny has come in trusting the family. We were outside and Sunny was doing her business when a woman in a van pulled up to pick up a freecycle item. She approached me to chat and I was polite, saying hello, and asking her to not approach Sunny as she was a rescue and scared of people. The woman immediately responded with “oh I foster cats. It’s okay.” and tried to approach Sunny again. Sunny immediately cowered behind me. I moved Sunny by the door and away from the woman and started asking her about her cats, in an attempt to have her focus off Sunny. After a few minutes of hearing her talk about all the cats in her life, I told her I needed to get Sunny inside and back to her puppies and asked if she would please go stand by her van so I could take Sunny in through the garage. She did not move; instead she kept talking and asking to pet Sunny. I finally had to tell her point blank to please get her things and leave so I could take care of my dog. It was ridiculous, especially given how obviously scared Sunny was. The woman looked at me for a moment, told me that because she was a witch, cats were obviously the only animal who could handle the power of her aura and moved over to her van to start loading freecycle items. I was finally able to take Sunny back in and calmed her down. Next time, I think I’ll skip straight to rude if someone does not respect my dog and let us care for her the way we know how. Seriously.

Sunny, Panda, Bella, Carter, Smokey, Butch, Rascal, and Duncan

By this point, it was time to feed the puppies. Sunny had been gone awhile so they were eager to nurse. I quickly made up the Esbilac and we put down the two pans. Sunny immediately approached the first pan and started lapping up the pablum mixture; the puppies watched her for a moment and quickly followed her example. Rascal and Shadow figured out that Esbilac was fun to walk through and some of the puppies started nudging their siblings into the pans in an attempt to get them out of their way. A pan and a half of Esbilac was consumed by all and we deemed the feeding a complete success! All the puppies went to Sunny to get a quick drink from their Mommy and this gave me time to clean out their pen, exchange their bedding and get their toys cleaned. We let Sunny back into the pen and immediately closed it off so we could wash and cuddle each puppy. And boy did they need the bath! Esbilac was dripping from paws, tails, ears and noses, not to mention the streaks of Esbilac drying into their coats. I cuddled each puppy, bathed him or her, dried them and then handed them off to Jason for additional cuddles before he placed them in the pen. After all eight puppies were washed and cuddled and asleep, we scrubbed down the kitchen, lay out new pads and pulled Sunny’s food in the hopes of limiting the middle of the night bathroom trips.   We then opened the pen door and hoped for the best as we had yet to give them carte blanche access to the kitchen over night.   A few puppies were still playing in the pen but most had settled down.  It was 11 PM and Jays and I were so tired we could barely move.  Between caring for the puppies, getting them on a schedule, adjusting Sunny’s feeding times, helping Drue with her project, cleaning out the garage and our first feeding of the puppies, we were completely wiped out.    My last remarks to Sunny as we turned off the light were a plea to just give me five straight hours of sleep.   And boy, did she deliver!

Smokey (left side), Bella, Carter, Rascal on top of Shadow, Butch, Duncan (center) and Panda (right side)

Monday, I woke up at 2 and again at 4 for a brief moment to listen for Sunny. When I did not hear anything, I immediately fell back asleep. I woke at 5:45 after 6 hours and 45 minutes of wonderful, blissful sleep and woke up to find puppies playing and Sunny peaceful. After making sure Panda did not eat Carter’s tail off (but first documenting it) and weeding through the swarm of puppies trying to eat my toes, I took Sunny out. We had another successful feeding that morning and after cleaning up the kitchen and getting Drue to school, it was time to get all nine dogs to the vet for their first check-up. Our immediate concerns were getting Sunny to trust that we weren’t taking her somewhere in the car and leaving her. The second was how we were going to get eight puppies safely to the vet! Jason packed the puppies up in a tall box lined with training pads and I coaxed Sunny to the car after moving her bed to the back. It took awhile but we took our time getting the dogs into the car, and then getting them to the vet. We have a wonderful vet practice where we take Kodi Bear and Mimir  and were confident that they would work with us to make Sunny as comfortable as possible. Two hours later, after a few tests, weighing and deworming all the dogs, many treats and lots of cuddles, the puppies walked out with a clean bill of health and Sunny walked out with medication to treat intestinal parasites, including tapeworm. A few hours later we got the call – Sunny is heartworm free! – and Jason and I both breathed a sigh of relief. Vaccinations and Sunny’s check-up are scheduled for three weeks (Valentine’s Day) and we were given permission to move the puppies to Esbilac 2nd Step and, if all went well, to soft puppy food 24 hours later. Home again and everyone crashed for a few hours. Sunny woke up hungry at 5:00 and after feeding her, I had the “pleasure” of getting her to take her medication. If ever a dog was going to bite someone, it would be while some person’s hand is down their throat forcing two pills down. But Sunny didn’t. Sure she fought me and did not want her pills (even coated with peanut butter) but we got them in her. The puppies received Esbilac 2nd step that evening at 10 PM and after a change of bedding and puppy pads, puppy baths and cuddles, the day ended with everyone, including the people in the house, were asleep by 11:00.

Good night, puppies.

Discovering Their Personalities – Day 4 (Saturday)

// January 24th, 2011 // No Comments » // Featured Post

Rascal sleeping

Day 4 went by at a rate of speed unseen since Drue was that age. Whew! But the last few days have been such fun (and so much hard work) and Sunny and the puppies are doing amazingly well. Day 4 started early as Sunny, who has a horrible case of tapeworm (and god knows what else), woke me at 3:15 to take her outside. Jays was a total trooper, taking her out while I corralled puppies and cleaned up their papers. At 5:30, Sunny was back up again, asking to go out and out we went. You have to understand, this is the thankless part of taking these babies in. I can handle the ongoing baths, checking Sunny to ensure she does not have mastitis, the hours of puppy snuggles (cause that is so hard) and all the clean up involved. I have no problem working inside my kitchen, sitting on a training pad, talking to Sunny while typing up reports or writing code. I can even take waking up every 2-3 hours to take Sunny out and check on the puppies. But Sunny’s poops are a whole different level and proof that we absolutely love this dog. Until you’ve smelled the poop of a dog that has worms, and picked up poop crawling with them, you have no idea of the gagging and nastiness involved in this task. And then you have to spray down the area and water it which has turned our front yard into a mud bath. But we do it (and Jays does it more than anyone) and while yes, we are fighting down the nausea every single time, we are also committed to Sunny and her babies entirely. We are also committed to Bear and keeping him healthy and until she’s free and clear of worms, turning her loose into the backyard is a no-no. So we do what we have to do to ensure everyone is taken care of and healthy.

Sun Bear (Sunny) and Panda

After a few hours of sleep, Saturday started bright and early. Drue had volleyball practice and then we had hair appointments. There were a number of errands to run (Costco, Pet Smart, Pet Depot, Target) for the puppies but we also wanted to spend as much time as possible getting to know them. Day 2 and 3 I charted their schedule and we were eager to see if we could figure out the final patterns in the chaos. But we also have lives and Bear and Meemsy to care for so Jays took Drue to volleyball and then cleaned out Meemsy’s litter box and closet. I took Kodi Bear outside and played ball with him. Weekends are always a challenge to get KB’s walks in and this weekend was no different (but we snuck in 2!!!). Once Kodi was ready for his morning nap, I sat in the pen with the puppies and played with them for an hour. Once everyone was worn out and Sunny had received her first and second breakfast (the dog is obviously part hobbit), I ran out to get my hair cut and then to run errands with Drue and Jays.    By the time we got home at 3:30, most of the day had passed and the puppies had slept an enormous chunk of it.   Sunny went outside and then ate a late lunch.  During my pen and kitchen cleanup, I realized that there were more pee and poop spots on the pad than on their bedding.  Bear in mind days 1-3 we were changing bedding every few hours.  By end of day 2, the more precocious puppies had learned to get out of the pen on their own and by the end of day 3, all of them were in and out with reckless abandon.    Jays and I decided to open the gate that night after Sunny’s late night (or early morning) poop session and see if keeping the door open made a difference.    Once all the dogs needs were attended to, we sat in the clean kitchen and played with the puppies.    Four of our pups had names by Friday – these were the four who figured out how to get out of the pen, started playing with the toys, and figured out that the training pads were where they should pee and poop.     Carter and Duncan, two twins (except for their colors) in every way were named immediately by Drue.   I named Panda, the puppy who from moment one decided Jays, Drue and I were HERS and baby Bella was named by Drue, our resident Twilight fan.   Rascal was originally named Twinkie by Drue because he and Panda look alike except for one distinctive mark.  Panda’s tail looks like it was dipped in white ink.    But then we realized on Saturday (day 4), that 1) Twinkie is a boy and 2) Twinkie is in constant trouble.  So by Saturday, Twinkie became Rascal.    Our little odd ball puppy – he looks more like a boxer than a lab/cattle dog mix – was deemed Butch by Jays after we observed his John Wayne walk and his ability to get into a mess of puppies and sort the situation out.   We then had to address our two look alike black puppies.   Drue decided one had to be named Shadow (the girl) and it made perfect sense for the other to be Smokey (the boy).

Bella, Duncan, Carter, Smokey, Shadow and Rascal

After playing with the puppies, finalizing their names based on looks and personalities and marking down all this information in our puppy notebook, it was time for Sunny to eat again. The puppies nursed and then collapsed so we could eat dinner, clean up the house, stow our purchases and spend some time with Kodi Bear and Meemsy. Once we got Drue to bed, Jays and I were back in the pen and I was clipping puppy claws. Jays and I discussed and decided that we would spend time some one-on-one time each day with each puppy, using their name with them while petting them and also be sure to praise any puppy by name and with some petting when we saw them pooping and peeing on the paper. Panda, Carter and Butch already come when called by name but the others just sort of wander near when they want a pet. We also decided to encourage them to use their training pads and not go to the bathroom in their pen. After cutting eight puppies times four paws each and Jays snuggling with each and every one of them, they were wiped out and so were we. Day 4 ended with a HUGE Sunny success. She came to me willingly for head rubs and then asked to go outside. I was thrilled and it seemed a great ending to the day. At 11 PM we changed out the bedding and put mom and pups to bed, scrubbed the kitchen floor and laid out new training pads and then headed off to do laundry and collapse ourselves. All in all, it was a great day!

A Call to Action – Days 1-3 (Wednesday through Friday)

// January 22nd, 2011 // No Comments » // Featured Post

Sometimes, life presents you opportunities where you either step up and be the person you’ve told yourself you want to be or you find or make excuses and use that to justify why you didn’t step up. Roughly two weeks ago, I was presented with that opportunity when I found a urgent posting on Craigslist in the pets section. I immediately opened it because, frankly, I was curious. A picture of a scared, little girl with her puppies immediately appeared on screen. I read through the posting, realized that she and her puppies were in immediate danger of being put down and called Jason. We separately thought about it. We’re busy people; I have a growing business, and Jason consults. We have social activities, networking, hobbies and other activities that keep us jumping. Drue is into volleyball, swim lessons, cello and school. We have a dog and a cat that also factor into this. Walking Kodi and playing with Kodi and playing with Mimir and keeping both animals healthy, happy and taken care of consumes a portion of our day. What would adding nine dogs into the mix do to all of that?

So we discussed it and realized that, logically, there was not a single reason why we should do this. Another family would step up, right? But what if they didn’t? And what would Drue’s vote be knowing that she would have to give up weekends in Tahoe and a February trip to Seattle? So we asked her and Drue’s immediate response was what Jason and I kept coming back to: we have to do this. We have to offer a place in our home, our hearts and provide them love and shelter and nurturing. So I contacted the person via Craigslist and in less than two weeks, they were here. We had a box of 100 training pads, one pen, a box of Drue’s old linens, ten towels purchased from Ikea and a can of Esbilac and a can of Step 2 Esbilac, sixteen articles from the Internet and, like idiots, we thought we were ready.

This smelly, ragtag little group of mom and puppies arrived on Wednesday and immediately the work began. Mom and puppies immediately got baths, which they desperately needed, and then they all nursed before collapsing on clean bedding in the sleeping pen. The miracle is that this little girl has somehow cared for her puppies through neglect and abandonment, a flooded shelter, a kill shelter, a week in a bathtub, a long drive from south of Los Angeles to the Bay Area and the puppies are in good shape. The mother, whom we named Sunny (Sun Bear) after the first few hours, is a mess. Hair has fallen out in patches around her tail, she suffers horribly from tapeworm, she’s scared of everyone and everything and she honestly thinks everyone in this entire world is going to do her wrong. And yet, for all of that, she’s genuinely sweet and even tempered. Even after getting here, being bathed (and she was so encrusted with dirt and feces, that had to be an unpleasant experience for her), she allowed me to handle her puppies, sit near them while they nursed, and eventually came out to where I was to eat and drink. After a few hours, she let me pet her. Next was Jason’s turn and Sunny allowed him to handle the puppies and even smelled his hand and let him pet her. Drue, while not trusted immediately with the puppies, has finally been allowed to pick up and play with them after the first two days.

Taking Sunny outside to potty has definitely been a challenge. She does not want to leave her puppies and for the first day, she did not want to go anywhere with Jason or I. We decided not to scold her; rather, I simply head in to the affected area with Natural Orange spray and new pads and clean up the mess. Our constant interaction has been “good girl, Sunny” or “good mommy, Sunny”. When she is near us and does not shy away, we offer our hand and pet her if allowed. It’s been totally positive in every way even when I’m gagging over picking up adult, wormy poop and scrubbing the floor for the millionth time. At the end of our first day, we had an ah-ha moment when Sunny actually approached me for a moment and allowed me to put on her leash. The lovely lady who first saved her from the kill shelter and then transported her up here from southern California would pull Sunny to make her go where she wanted; and, for the few days Sunny was with her, living in her bathtub and getting love and affection for maybe the first time ever, she wore her leash constantly. Jays and I discussed it and, after much research on the web, decided we would only put on her leash when she allowed us to and would coax her rather than pull her. So it was a huge win when Sunny approached and allowed me to put the leash on her. It was an even bigger win when, after five minutes of “let’s go outside to potty” and “you’re SUCH a good girl!”, I was able to coax her out the door and into the front yard to do her business. Sure it was coaxing forward, a retreat and then another few steps the entire way and yes, it was pee, poop and back in to her babies. But with a dog who has been taught in every way that people are not to be trusted, this was a huge victory and I took it!

Day 2 was a step back as Sunny refused the leash all day and stayed in the pen until hunger and thirst drove her from it. She peed twice on the training pads and pooped on her brand new bed. So we cleaned and made sure Sunny had food and water, told her she was a good girl constantly and checked in on them in between a few hours of work. Jason and I went in and played with the puppies quite a lot and even Drue got a few hours in once she was home from school. The end result was that by the morning of day 3 (yesterday), all the puppies would have identifiable personalities and names and Sunny would finally allow both Jason and I to leash her and take her outside. Day 2 and 3 were days of constant observation for me and at one point I would even work in the pen for a few hours in order to understand the schedule Sunny had the puppies on. We also created a master schedule of my, Jason’s, and Drue’s activities and I’ve been filling in the puppies’ and Sunny’s schedule in order to figure out when we should feed them, bathe them, change their pads, let them sleep, etc. Right now, the schedule is an unidentifiable mess to the uninitiated but there are patterns in the chaos and I intend to take full advantage of them this afternoon when we start helping Sunny to feed the puppies. Weighing them, feeding them, clipping their claws and feeding them should absolutely exhaust them today and allow everyone (including Sunny!) to have a nice, peaceful night’s sleep tonight. We shall see!

And just as it takes a village to raise a child, it took a village to save these precious animals. Thank you, Rae, for saving Sunny and her puppies lives, giving up your bathtub, driving them 600 miles, sleeping in your van with them overnight, helping us bathe them and get to know them and showing Sunny that people can be good. And thank YOU Joanne for posting their pictures, working so diligently to get these babies to us and trusting us with their lives. I think the lesson here is sometimes doing the right thing is its own reward and a blessing in disguise. And after a childhood spent living from kindness to kindness and people reaching out to me over the last 19 years helping me recover from that childhood, it was time to start paying all that love and goodness forward. All I know for sure, is Sunny is home (and maybe one of the puppies, too!) and each day will bring more fun, more mess, and more adventure! Stay tuned!