To the bridge.....

A sad day last week as it was time to help Bonnie to the bridge. She has been the most wonderful horse and we are so sad. She was 34 years old, blind, deaf, starting to stumble and getting skinnier and skinnier with each passing day. The decision was made as the cold weather is approaching and being as thin as she was (she looked neglected), even the heaviest blanket in the world would not have kept her warm.
Maybe we should have done this sooner...... but the decision is so heart wrenching that my own selfishness took over with not wanting to lose her.

A Foster No More

You may remember that my dear sweet Jet was adopted out just over a month ago. Well, sadly his adoption did not work out for him. I picked him up from Doggie Transport at 3:33 a.m. after his long journey from Rhode Island to Tennessee. We have decided to adopt him as our own, as we couldn't bare to see him go again. I think this puts me one step closer to "crazy dog lady".

Favorite Foto Friday

Every once in a while, I need to mention that I do have 2 wonderful daughters. Here is one of my favorites of KK at soccer. She is able to do this nice little flip with the ball for throw-ins, and a friend of mine caught this great shot.

Another Bunch of Cuteness

New foster pups came to live with me last Tuesday. The sweetest bunch of 7 week old coonhound mix pups ever. Again, another sick bunch pulled from a shelter on their last day. It seems like every pup pulled from a shelter, no matter where, has coccidia & kennel cough. Treasure was in the hospital for 3 days, but she is out now and doing well. Everyday, just when I think they are all starting to look better, someone seeems to have a setback. I have never had 6 pups before, and let me just say that it is a handful! I am sad to think that this will be my last litter of pups for a while. I go back to teaching preschool after Labor Day, and with the girls in school and sports, I simply will not have time to take care of puppies. These puppies need someone home witht them all the time as they can go downhill very quickly. I may just go back to doing an adult dog; who can hang out with my dogs in the backyard and sprawled across the couch.

Shandi

Treasure

Paisley

Sailor

Braden

Nugget

Sad Saturday

I have come to call Saturdays, Sad Saturdays as this is the day of week my heart usually breaks. It is the day my fosters leave for their forever homes. These sweet precious pups who fought so long and hard to survive and become healthy are leaving today for their forever homes. Actually, two are going to foster homes in New England where I expect they will be adopted within a few days. It's that bittersweet feeling.
I will go continue to hug on them now until it is time to go :-(

It's been a while...

Lots has happened since my last post. We have been super busy and just no time to blog. We promise to be better at reading blogs too. My precious pups have long gone to happy forever homes in New England. Each adopter has called or emailed me to let me know that they are totally in love with their pups and how well adjusted each is.

Jet has also found his forever home in Rhode Island. This was a tough one to let go, as we have had him since Jan. 09. I know it is the perfect home for him with 3 boys ages, 1, 4, 7. His new mom now believes me when I said that he was "too good to be true". He mothers the baby and watches over him all the time.

Since then, I have been blessed with 4 new pups that I have had for 4 weeks now. They also came to me pretty sick. There were 13 pups in their litter and 9 died from parvo/coccidia. I did not have them when all that tragedy occured. They were quarantined in the garage for 10 days, but have recovered wonderfully. They have thrived and grown so much. They are at the vet right now to be spayed/neutered.

There mom looks like a basset with short ears, yet only Drew has basset legs. And Peanut is 1/2 the size of everyone else.

Meet:

BELLE

DREW

PEANUT

DOTTIE

Fixin' Day

I know the title of this post sounds like something was broken, but actually, I dropped the pups off at the vet this morning to be nuetered/spayed before they are adopted out. When they came to me 2 weeks ago, they were between 7-9 pounds; today they were 12-13.6 pounds! Yay!

I think that Kylie has been adopted to a wonderful home in New York and will be transported as soon as she recovers from her surgery today.

Please keep them in your purrs & prayers that everything goes well for them during and after surgery.

In Jet's Defense; Holes or Moles?

The post below shows the trenches that Jet has dug in the yard. But in his defense, he only digs where the moles are, which is why they are long thin trenches. After all, he is a coonhound and he has caught 5 moles to date. Let the record show that my husband has caught ZERO! You can tell they are pretty old trenches now and he has not dug in a long time, so I think maybe he has caught them all for now. Jet is the EASIEST dog in the world, and we can't figure out why he has not found his forever home yet (or has he? hmmm....)
With Jet you have to ask yourself, Holes or Moles?

Where did my sweet little angels go?

Our puppies continue to thrive and grow. They have grown from very sick little angels to healthy little monsters in a matter of 2 weeks, and we couldn't be happier about this. Yesterday I could not find my keys anywhere. After searching high and low I decided I would check this little box they like to play in in the garage. The box is taped shut and has a little opening cut in the side like a house. I couldn't believe what the little monsters had in there! 1 soccer cleat, 1 semi chewed flip-flop, some dog toys, my completely chewed sunglasses that I didn't even know were missing & my unchewed keys!
I think it's been a while since we have had babies around the house and we must be more careful about where we set things.
These pups are all about fun now! They love to play with the other dogs and their most favorite thing to do is to play in the trenches that Jet has dug in the backyard.
Are these some big holes or what?

Update & many thanks.

Thank you to all have stopped by to wish our puppies well and to our bloggy friends at Life With Dogs for honoring us with the GOLDEN HYDRANT AWARD. We do not feel worthy as there are so many doing so much for homeless animals in need.

The puppies are doing well and growing stronger everyday. They are now acting crazy like normal healthy puppies should. They are eating prescription diet i/d food and that is suppose to be helping keep their intestinal tracts healthy. I never imagined there would be a day when something as simple as "firm stool" would make me so happy. For 4 days there has been no diarrhea!! Whoopee for healthy pups!

What a difference a few days makes!

Just one week ago these precious pups had a date with death at the "shelter". They were very sickly when they came to stay here just a few days ago. But, they have defied the odds and here they are now, after lots of good food & tons of lovins! You gotta love puppies!
!

ups & downs

The 2 puppies we took in yesterday are doing great. They seem happy & active, they gets lots of special meds to help them gain weight and they love to eat!

This is Tonka:

Kylie:

We received a call this morning that the family with the other 3 could not keep them. We had to say yes, we would take them in. They informed me that one sweet puppy, Socks, was not doing well and was taken to the vet. The vet gave him IV fluids and said that was about all he could do, he just figured his intestinal walls were shot, from the neglect he suffered. He could have stayed at the vet's office, but they were closing early for the holiday and we didn't want him to go to the bridge without a loving arm around him. I took him home, held him in a towel and prayed for a miracle for this little boy, but it wasn't my turn for a miracle and he went to the bridge around noontime. We cried lots of tears for this little boy. I know we can't save them all, but you always think, "is there something else I could have done?" If there was, I still don't know what it is.

The blessing in all of this is the remaining 4 seem to be doing well and I will continue to pray that they recover fully.

Kendall:

Captain:

Poor puppies

These precious boxer mix puppies were on deaths door on Wed. night. One of the original 6 died on that night and the rest were to be euthanized on Thurs. morning, but our rescue found out and fought for them. The shelter didn't want to let them go, but finally relented. They had been at this horrific dirty shelter in very rural TN town for 4 weeks and had been fed Ol' Roy Adult food. They are severely underweight & fighting severe cases of coccidia.

They have now been to the vet and are on meds and a good puppy food to help them. Because cociddia is very contagious amongst puppies, they need to be quarantined from other dogs. We will be taking 2 of the puppies tonight for the next 2 weeks or so until they are healthy, fattened up & nuetered. Then they will be shipped to a rescue in NY state that has volunteered to take them in.

It just infuriates me that a "shelter" who is suppose to be helping the animals can be so cruel. Obviously, someone is just there for a paycheck and has no interest in the well being of these sweet animals.

The mayor of the town has been informed and hopefully there is going to be an investigation into this particular shelter.

Favorite Foto Friday

This is Uncle Marty, he was rescued from a Puppy Mill (blah, yuck, phooey)last June and adopted by our grandparents. He has grown a lot since this picture but it is one of our favorites.

Champions 5/09

KK's team played in a huge soccer tournament this past weekend against some very tough competition. They prevailed in each game; even beating our arch nemesis :) from across the state of TN. They made it to the championship game where the girls won in penalty kicks after two scoreless overtime periods.

Next weekend they play in the State Tournament to make a bid at being State Champions.

My Baby is off to Prom....

Last night I sent my eldest to her Junior Prom. She went with her friend Kyle and 12 other friends in a Stretch Lincoln Navigator and they had a wonderful time. She looked absolutely beautiful (and so grown up) in her sapphire dress with rhinestone straps; from her perfectly pedicured toes to her over sprayed 65 bobby pin updo. I am slightly emotional (leaky eyes, sniff, sniff) so I will leave it at that and show some pictures.

Wordless Wednesday-Bingo; our first furbaby.

Still Loved & Missed. Gone to the Bridge Sept. 15, 2007

Favorite Foto Friday

Lexi's 12 week baby picture.

Beware the vicious pit bull!

Wordless Wednesday (taking advantage of our sleeping Grampie)

Another brush with fame

I think we are ALMOST FAMOUS!
Let me start off by saying we are not celebrity stalkers, it is just one of the perks of living in and around Nashville; celebrities can be seen just about anywhere you go. They choose to live here because most people don't care and they can live a "normal life". Really, for most of you this is completely boring, but if you are one of our tween or teen readers, then you should be interested. First KK touched Keith Urban last summer at his concert and thought she would pass out, then a few weeks ago we were on ESPN2, and now while shopping in our local Kroger Grocery Store, we run into Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers (you may have to have children or watch the Disney Channel to actually know who he is). I thought my 12 year old would be beside herself if she saw one of the Jonas Brothers, but I was totally taken by surprise when my 17 year old walked right up to him with a friend, asked him to take a picture and was completely GIDDY the rest of the day. Actually, that was Sunday and she is still GIDDY GIDDY! If you look at her fingers, it looks like she may have him in the death grip and I feel lucky knowing I didn't have to pry her off of him or have the authorities called. The picture is off of a cell phone so it is not the best, but she loves it.

Happy 7th Birthday Parker!

This post should have went up yesterday, April 16, but we had some technical difficulties yesterday, so here it is.

It was 7 years ago that our sweet Bonnie gave birth to her baby boy Parker. This photo is immediately after he was born and cleaned up and had yet to stand for the first time. This is one of my favorite photos as the mother-baby bond is so heartwarming.

He was somewhat of a late bloomer, but here he is all grown up and learning . He is a big sweetheart and loves to follow us around the pasture. We like to think it is because he loves us, but I really know it is because we usually have a pocket full of yummy treats :-)

Unexpected Fun

Let's be honest, like most parents I enjoy watching soccer when (and only when) a child I know is actually on the field and playing. So, when we were offered free tickets to watch the USA Mens National Team play Trinidad & Tobago in a World Cup qualifing match in Nashville, my first thought was "Thanks, but no Thanks". KK truly wanted to go, so being the "super nice" mom that I am, I agreed, as this opportunity happens only once every umpteen years or so. I couldn't have been more wrong about the entire evening. I have been to many sporting events, and I have never been to one so fun and full of team spirit! The stands were packed and full of fans that have a true love of the game. Even Trinidad & Tobago had a large fun following.

Our select soccer club started the evening off right with a very large tailgate party in the parking lot and the night just kept getting better. We had great seats; 7 rows up from the field right in the corner. We won 3-0 and I was actually into the entire game, not bored for one minute. I was feeding off the crowd!

I must also tell you that our highlight of the evening was seeing ourselves on the Big Screen at LP Field (home of the TN Titans). And don't think for one minute that as soon as we saw ourselves, we didn't call everyone else we knew at the stadium to make sure they saw us too :-)

The game was televised on ESPN2 and some friends of ours were Tivo-ing it when they saw us, so they backed it up, and sent us the picture. No, not the one in the white sweatshirt. I am the nerdy one sitting down right after the second goal, and KK is the goofy looking one with her mouth hanging open. (You would think they could have found a better still frame to send us than this one???)

Moral of the story; Don't knock it, til you try it!

Oh so Cute!! Updated

UPDATE:: BALTO has been adopted and will be leaving with the doggy transport from Tennessee to his new home in Rhode Island on Friday, April 17.
This is Balto, our new foster pup. We still have Jet, but Balto was in a desperate situation and I am on Spring break for the next week, so here he is. He has the prettiest icy green eyes and is just a sweet love. He is about 3 months old, and our best guess is that he is a shepard/husky mix. I don't expect to have him long with a face like this.

We Love You Sandie

I have listened to the song that is playing again and again over the past week since Sandie went to the bridge so unexpectedly. I know the lyrics were intended for our human loved ones, yet to me they seem to apply to any loved one, furry or not. I have shed at least 1 million tears, and I can't yet bring myself to talk about it to anyone as I just fall apart. So this blog is my outlet, please bear with me . Thank you to those who have sent such kind words, they help more than you know.

"Homesick"

You're in a better place, I've heard a thousand times

And at least a thousand times I've rejoiced for you

But the reason why I'm broken, the reason why I cry

Is how long must I wait to be with you

I close my eyes and I see your face

If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place

Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow

I've never been more homesick than now

Help me Lord cause I don't understand your ways

The reason why I wonder if I'll ever know

But, even if you showed me, the hurt would be the same

Cause I'm still here so far away from home

I close my eyes and I see your face

If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place

Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow

I've never been more homesick than now

In Christ, there are no goodbye

And in Christ, there is no end

So I'll hold onto Jesus with all that I have

To see you again

And I close my eyes and I see your face

If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place

Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow

I've never been more homesick than now

Heartbroken

Yesterday, I unexpectedly lost my bestest kittie friend in the whole world, Sandie. My heart is shattered and I type this through a constant stream of tears. Please remember him today. He was such a bright light in our lives who was loved more than he will ever know.

Still waiting for a forever home....

We have had Jethro (or as we like to call him, Jet) as our foster dog for 2 months now. He is handsome, loyal, funny & a very smart 65 pound lapdog :-). There isn't anything I would change about him, except for maybe the digging , but even that doesn't bother me. He is also a dog I would love to keep forever if we didn't have 2 already.


I can't help but wonder everytime I look at him, why he hasn't had one call from a potential adopter. Look at this face, isn't it sweet? I know that these things can take time and we want to find the perfect forever home; but everyday longer it takes, is one more day that I am falling head over heals in love with him!

Wordless Wednesday

All that wet, wet, wet day.....

If you are living anywhere in the southeast, you are probably feeling a little water logged like we are. My poor pups, are sick of me stopping them on a towel, everytime on their way in the house to wipe their paws. I can tell by the way they look at me, with that tilted head kind of look, you know the one right?

This weekend we were lucky enough to attend a soccer tournament in Alabama; the forecast 50's with rain, rain and more rain. I don't think it stopped raining from the time we got there on Fri afternoon, until we left mid-day Sunday. The fields were beautiful when we started the weekend, but with each passing game you could see this turning into the mudbowl! The coach had the girls roll around on the ground during warmups just to get the wetness over with. We slightly deranged parents threw on the ever attractive rain poncho's, threw up the umbrella's and did our best to cheer on the group of 12 year olds. These girls had more fun playing in the semi-cold rain with an extra 5 pounds of soaked soccer gear hanging from their lanky bodies and rolling around in the mud then I have ever seen them have in any other games. The sad part is we have no pictures, but if we did I think these two pictures would say it all:

Soccer Players in the rain:

Soccer Parent's watching in the rain: