Am…musings

My Stray Rescue foster duties include sending a profile and pics of the pups for the Web site.

It was tough to photograph the puppies when I first brought them home. They were small, clinging to each other and constantly sleepy:

Three and a half weeks flew by fast, and last night, my wonderful retired neighbor that feeds and takes the pups out around noon every day gently asked if I’d gotten them on the Web site. Although Buster and Paisley were more than ready for their individual close-ups, and I had a good idea of their personalities for the profiles, I just hadn’t gotten around to doing it.

The guilt quickly set in … my neighbor is very kind (she has spent time with Chewy pretty much every day while I’m at work since he was a puppy), but the fosters require a more set schedule and are a lot of work. And speaking of Chewy … he’s the reason I started fostering puppies because he loves playing with other dogs. However, I fostered the first set of puppies when he wasn’t quite one year old. Now, at nearly three, he’s not having quite as much fun. These puppies are also a bit needier and seem to have bonded more with me than the others (Paisley is in my lap as I type)… and Chew is just a smidge jealous.

So I made a huge sacrifice last night , and instead of hand washing dishes (still no dishwasher … because I haven’t quite gotten around to that either), I wrote their profile and took their pics (which was a LOT like herding cats).

Here are their profiles: Paisley (aka Whitesnake) and Buster (aka Poison). (Some of their littermates … Kiss, Bon Jovi, Tesla, Twisted Sister, Guns N Roses … are also on the site.)

And here are a few pics that didn’t make it on the site:

P.S. They went for their second round of shots Monday and each weighed around 13 pounds!

The dishwasher put up a valiant fight after showing signs of an eminent death in October, but took its last breath about a week ago. I’m far from cheap, but hate spending more than necessary so I’m waiting it out for the Presidents’ Day sales this weekend. I’ve never been without a dishwasher so I was a little nervous, but have been pleased to find that dishwashing … like showering and blow drying my hair … is a great time to think.

While washing and thinking last night, I had to giggle at the thought that I was like a 50s housewife washing dishes with yellow rubber gloves and a gin cocktail …

And yelling at the kids …

I also had to give thanks once again for Facebook as I realized the gin cocktail was the result of a tip from my friend Val on a low-sugar adult beverage (she suggested vodka, lime and club soda; I chose gin). Katie suggested the rubber gloves when I lamented about prune-y fingers. And I got an awesome tip from Sandy, who shared she’d been using her broken dishwasher as a drying rack … brilliant, given that you can keep the dishes out of sight while they dry (if I’m washing, I’m certainly not drying!)

Val, Katie and Sandy are three people I likely wouldn’t talk to very regularly at this point in my life, and certainly not about the issues they helped solved for me.

Here’s hoping for a great dishwasher sale this weekend. And while I’ll never love hand washing dishes, I’ll certainly dread it a lot less … I’ll just have to make sure I have rubber gloves and a cocktail.

Last week, I could easily carry both foster puppies from Stray Rescue at one time. They’ve grown so much in just a few days (especially Ms. Paisley, who isn’t so petite any more) that it’s becoming a bit of a struggle.

They are still cute as buttons though.

I did learn they came from a litter of 10 and were living in a run-down abandoned house in North County with their amazing mom … she kept 10 little ones safe and alive even in the horrid conditions and cold temps. They were able to rescue her with the pups and she’s available for adoption too. Here’s the story of their rescue (in the first row of pictures, momma’s on the left and one of their littermates is on the right).

The living on the street thing explains the slight skittishness they had at first, but that’s getting better everyday as they learn to trust and are being schooled on being a house dog by Chewy, who is enjoying them more as they get older (and less annoying … to him).

And even though Buster and Paisley won’t be going to college, they are pretty smart. They still have accidents, but mostly get that they need to potty outside even at less than 10 weeks old.

If you know anyone looking for a puppy, they are each available for adoption. And if you are able and interested, Stray Rescue can always use fosters. (Read the whole story in the link above and here for evidence of the amazing work they do … and to maybe shed a few tears for the ones that were lost.)

As I mentioned in my birthday post, I love to take pleasure in the little things in life. The animals I’ve had … whether it be Chewy or the fosters … absolutely bring me joy, but nothing beats Chewy plus a hose. It doesn’t take long and he’s a wet mess, but it just cracks me up watching him racing around the yard having so much fun. A video would be the best, but until I figure out the video on my camera or download the iPhone app or get a Flip (which I don’t anticipate will be all that soon) these pics capture it fairly well …

So this is a mouthful …. but my neighbor’s girlfriend’s six-year-old nephew is in town for a few days. He’s a cute, smart little boy that caught on fast. He said, “That’s dog’s name is Chewy, except when he’s in trouble. Then is name is Chewbacca.”

Yep. That’s the case. And when he’s really pissing me off, his name is “Chewbacca Morris.” And because in my family, we shorten names for nicknames (mine’s Am), when I’m not at all mad at him (like now … when he’s sitting my lap while I write this post), I call him “Chew.” The good thing: Chewy’s pretty smart too and seem to know all four names.

Of course, he ever comes when I call him, but he’ll at least turn his head for Chew, Chewy, Chewbacca and Chewbacca Morris.

The alternative title for this post was “My Shower With a Cute, Furry Guy,” aka Chewy. He’s a digger. As a puppy, he dug all the time. He was also a great teacher (or ringleader) and usually got the fosters digging. My dad and I’ve filled most of the holes, but he’s found a few and when it rains, he can’t resist.

Unfortunately, it’s been raining A LOT lately. I should have known better … a few days ago, I caught him lightly dipping his paw in a tiny pond that had formed in one of the holes. The look on his face was devious … and joyful. I yelled then and he stopped. But Wednesday evening I was on the phone with a cute (non-furry) guy and not paying much attention to the pooch. Here’s the result …

It’s difficult to tell with his coloring, but that’s mostly mud, not water, on his chin, ears and front legs. And his belly and back legs looked about the same.

After a cocktail with dinner (to keep me from wanting to shoot him), I changed into some grubby clothes and stuck him in the tub. Because he was so mud-caked, the water from the faucet and a plastic cup just weren’t cutting it so Chew and I hit the shower.

For a dog that loves the hose and will stand out in the rain forever, the tub freaks him out and the shower was pure torture. Nor was it my idea of a good time. Plus, grubby clothes or not, his digging is making a mess around my house. So, if anyone has any advice for keeping a dog from digging, I’d welcome it.

I assume everyone’s heard the tongue twister. You know, Fuzzy Wuzzy was bear …

Every time I look at Chewy it comes to mind. For a while, I was calling him Kramer – ala Seinfeld – and this pic still brings that to mind …

But then Fuzzy Wuzzy occurred to me and stuck. I haven’t had him groomed since his unfortunate scalping around the holidays. I think I’m still protesting that scary unattractiveness. Also, his lengthy curly Qs make me smile.

Of course, he does get matted pretty badly, and I haven’t figured out the best way to brush him (plus that takes time and I’ve been swamped). So I’m guessing when I finally take him in, it’ll be another shaving. But for now, I’m enjoying it.

I received a new Myspace message from one of my former foster dogs last week. Yes, I said Myspace message from a foster dog. Her new parents created a page for her when she was a puppy … look at that face.

I love it because it’s fun and creative … and I get to stay up to speed on her with the photos and updates her Mom and Dad post fairly regularly.

It’s been almost a year since I fostered her and her sister (they were my very first Stray Rescue fosters that I foolishly took in a week before Christmas). I’m proud to see she’s grown into a beautiful girl. And if I may say so, she looks like quite the bad ass … at least here.

Maybe not so much here (even though she does look a little pissed).

It’s official … Trooper has a forever home. He’d been on two home visits before and ended up back with me so I was on pins and needles for several weeks. I finally got the “we’re going to adopt him” call last week. Yippee!

After having him for more than four months, I was ready for a break from fostering. There are a lot of dogs in need, but when the adoption wasn’t final, I had a good excuse. Now … not so much. Chewy is also driving me a little crazy (the BIG reason behind me fostering … a playmate for him).

I’m just not sure I’m up for it. Plus, I’m traveling for Thanksgiving and Christmas and finding dog sitters isn’t easy. So I’m thinking it’s not in the cards at the moment. I am thinking about a kitty foster though … not sure what Stray Rescue’s needs are when it comes to cats and whether it’ll solve my Chewy challenge, but it might be a fun change of pace.

A friend showed me this tear-jerker last night.

Lots of people ask me why I foster. Yes, it’s time consuming, messy and breaks my heart a bit when they leave, but my usual response is that it’s rewarding. Not to mention the puppies I usually take in are like crack to me … addictive … I crave the fix of sweet, cuddly goodness, silly antics and unconditional adoration.

But after seeing this video, the longing in these babies’ eyes for their angel … someone to just love them … pretty much says it all (and makes me cry like a baby).

If you’re able, try fostering (in St. Louis, Stray Rescue is always in need and there are similar organizations every where). And if you or anyone you know is looking for a feline or canine addition, please, please, please adopt from a shelter and consider older, less-than-perfect pooches or kitties.