Gizmo rocks!!

Gizmo is looking for her forever human. Please see the two previous posts for more details, pictures, and another video. You can send me a message throgh my profile. A widget on the side bar will also take you to our other blog where you will find our profile.

Our foster girl needs a loving home!

I've been actively involved in animal rescue for the past few months. We'll have lot's of stories to share with you soon.

Meet Gizmo, our little foster girl. I pulled her from the shelter thinking she was going to rescue. I decided to foster her because she had kennel cough when I picked her up. She is well now. Her bones, blankie, and toys are packed. She is ready to go to her forever home. She needs a safe place where she will get attention, love, and the security of retirement. If you ever dreamt of a perfect little lap dog that is no trouble whatsoever, Gizmo is your girl.

If we didn't have a house full of dogs already, she would never leave. I cannot keep her; I promised to save her and rehome her.



My name is Gizmo. My name is all I have left of my old life. I'm an 11 yr. old JRT mix that once had a family that held me and spoiled me with treats. My family took me to the shelter and told them that "I tried to bite the grandkids", but my records state I have no bite history. A lady came to save me from an uncertain fate and now I'm looking for my forever home.

I got sick at the shelter, but I took antibiotics and I feel much better now! Kennel cough is a common respiratory infection that many dogs can get in a shelter environment. My foster Mom pushed my medicine down the back of my throat and I didn't bite her! I didn't even try! I didn't fight or squirm either!! You should have seen me at the vet! I was on my best behavior getting shots, my check-up and my nails trimmed!!

My foster home has three cats that don't interest me at all!

I'm also living with five dogs and I'm doing well.

I'm fine in a crate, but I prefer to be in a room when no one is with me. In fact if foster Mom is busy, I just go right back to my bed. Foster Mom let me stay in a room the first few days, but my foster brother let me sleep with him after that! I'm fine in your bed or in my own!!

I'm so easy to care for - you would love me if you knew me!

I'm completely housetrained. I go potty and I'm ready to go back inside. My foster family has 15 steps and I run up them like I'm 2 years old!!

I like to be held and to lie in your lap, but if you can't hold me I'll just find a soft spot to get comfortable.

I don't bark unless other dogs bark first, then I chime in. I do well on a leash and would love to go for walks with you.

I'm affectionate, but not the kissing type. If you speak to me, I'm all ears!

I have many good years ahead of me to love someone new. I've adapted easily to a lot of change recently and I still love everyone.

I like to play "catch the soft toy" and I'll bring it back to you. I can easily run up and down steps and walk on wood or tile floors, but I only weigh 11 lbs so you can carry me if you want to. I'm also very good at sitting with my paws up and begging if I need to go outside or if I'm asking you to pick me up.

I don't do well on hard food. I have my teeth, but it doesn't appear that I've eaten it before. This explains why I lost so much weight in the shelter. (EDIT 6/15) Gizmo actually likes Pedigree dry. She grazes a little in the morning and late afternoon. I guess she wasn't familiar with our premium food - Taste Of The Wild.

Foster Mom thinks it would be better for my to go to a home without children or to a home with teenagers. I don't mind if you kiss me when you are holding me, but it's probably best that no one lean over the top of me.

Foster Mom will discuss adoption with family or friends. She doesn't want me to go back to a shelter again where I could lose my life. Foster Mom would keep me, but her house is full and if she keeps me she won't be able to help other dogs in the future.

If you know someone looking for a small lap dog with good manners, please tell them about me. My health is good and my teeth are good. I'm spayed and up-to-date on my shots. DOB 3/29/1999. Application, home visit, and adoption fee will apply. Transportation can be arranged. Long distance transport is additional cost. I'm worth it!!

One black spot

Tobys ears were bothering him this week. He scratches, cries, and shakes his head. The head shaking is not good because it can cause a hematoma (blood clot) on the ear that could require surgery. Our cat had one once from shaking her head when she got ear mites from our other cat. Lilith was a stray. After a couple of visits the vet and with the use of medication, they always come back.

Toby will lie next to Sam and Sam will lick his ears. I usually stop them because every time Sam licks his ears they start to bother him. I have to hold Toby down for ear drops because he doesn't like his ears or feet messed with. My husband put the drops in his ears and went to bed. Toby didn't want to have anything to do with me after that.

Oh, Come on Tobes, sit with Mommy.



Don't you want to sit with Mommy?



Toby, you don't have to lay over there, come up on the couch with me.



Tobster?



Okay, I'll leave you alone.



That one black spot makes Toby a Tri-colored Jack Russell.

Chloe's health is worsening

Yesterday I had the mobile vet come to give the dogs their annual shots and check-ups. Usually the dogs go to our regular vet, but Darlin’, our rescued stray, needed a heartworm recheck so I decided since I was paying the vet to see Darlin’, I might as well have them all taken care of at home. It sure beat splitting them up in pairs and taking them at two different times. It was very convenient having to only walk out my front door to her mobile unit.

Darlin’ went first. She was fearful as I expected, but she did walk up into the truck alone. She went and cowered on the scale so getting her weight was easy. She weighed in at 47 lbs and is overweight. No surprise, she is inactive and prefers to live her days and nights at my feet. She was 34 lbs one year ago when she saw the vet the first time. At that point I had been feeding her 8 months, six months while living on the streets and two months here at home. She had a lot of exercise while living alone and out in the elements. Now the most exercise she gets is a little time out in the yard and occasionally a good run with Toby, her buddy who she’s bonded with. I knew she was too fat, but 13lbs up was a shock to me! All of the skin that hung below her tummy from having puppies before we met has filled in and is nothing but fat. I’d like for her to lose 10 lbs. She didn’t budge or make a sound during her exam and shots. She is heartworm negative! I had a feeling the results would be good because she no longer has labored breathing. We are thankful.



Toby was next. He had his shots, his teeth examined, and his nails trimmed, as they all did. He does not like his feet or ears messed with. Last week it took 30 minutes of massaging him for me to trim the five longest nails! The technician had to hold him tight as he wiggled and moaned to free himself from her grasp. Every time the vet trimmed off a nail we would say, “Good Boy!” His tail began to wag and it got easier. Her scale weighed him at 14.8 pounds. She was amazed, but he doesn’t have an ounce of fat on him. She commented about how much muscle he has now and how he only weighed 11lbs when she trimmed his nails for me last year. I told her how he had only been out of the pound a month at that time and that we think he was right at a year old. At one year dogs are at adult size, but most dogs are not at adult weight until they are 1 1/2 - 2 years old, under normal diet and circumstances.



Bonnie was very submissive, tail lowered and curled under as much as it could. She didn’t make a sound when she got her shots or her nails trimmed and she trembled like a leaf when I carried her out. Bonnie doesn’t like visiting the vet at all; no amount of sweet talk will get a tail wag out of her. She weighed in at 19 lbs, exactly what she weighed last year. Bonnie could lose 1-2 pounds which won’t be hard now that our weather is warming up.



Sam, the role model and perfect mascot for any mobile vet. He ran up into the truck wagging his tail and greeted the vet and assistant with tail wags and kisses. He went straight to the scale to sniff and his weight was 56.7 lbs! He weighed 48 lbs when we adopted him less than 5 years ago. He did fine with his exam, nail trim, and check-up, but he screamed when she drew blood. Sam will be 10 years old this December. Because of his age she prefers to do a blood test on older dogs to check for early signs of kidney problems or other possible diseases. If the vet had allowed me to hold his leg still instead of letting it dangle, he wouldn’t have pulled back and lost the needle three times. Next year I will hold his leg and she will only have to stick him once! After he had his blood drawn he sat there with his ears flat against his head and looked like a wounded puppy, but he still had it in him to lean over and kiss the technician. You gotta love Sam!



Chloe was last. She ran into the truck excited and ready to meet and greet. Chloe has a collapsed trachea so I talked to the vet about her snorting like a pig when she eats, her frantic breathing when she gets excited, and her teeth because I swear this dog has gum disease for being so young. Chloe had lost two teeth before she was three years old, she has the plaque and tarter of an old dog and her breath is so bad sometimes it will turn your stomach. Last year my vet complimented my dog’s teeth and asking me what I fed them. At the time I questioned whether he had examined them thoroughly because Chloe’s teeth and breath were already bad for a five year old dog. I suppose what I told the vet led her to look further. She asked if she could x-ray Chloe. I thought she was going to see if her trachea was narrowing more. She took x-rays of her chest instead. When she put the x-ray up for me to see, she said, “If I were to just glance at this x-ray, what do you think I would say to myself?” I looked at the x-ray and without a doubt in my mind I knew, “She has an enlarged heart.”





Chloe weighed 24 lbs so she needs to lose 4-5 lbs. I’d like her to have an ultrasound to make sure that her distended stomach is not a fluid build up related issue. Chloe always feels bloated to me, especially after she eats, which has concerned me for the last few years.



So what causes Coronary Heart Disease in Dogs? Some dogs may be predisposed it. Chloe probably is considering her declining heath since she was a year old when we discovered her collapsed trachea. Some research shows low levels of Taurine deficiency may contribute to enlarged heart. I found this website helpful in researching dog food and canine dietary needs, The Dog Food Project.

My dogs eat meat several times a week and eat canned dog food, supposedly a meat food. I checked the label of Predigree and what do you think the first ingredient is? Water! Grains and by-products too. Dogs don’t eat grains naturally. If they lived in the wild they would get their grains from the stomachs of the animals they eat, not by going out and grazing in a wheat field. I have tried a raw meat diet, but I don’t live near a butcher so it’s not something we can afford.

People should feed their dogs what they can afford. I have recently cut down on our dog food expenses by mixing some dry into their dinner. I’m switching to Taste of the Wild Wetlands dry and going to spend the money I would on canned food for five dogs to whole foods and prepare their foods myself. I already boil chicken once a week for them so now I will make enough chicken and ground beef to take the place of their canned food. I’ll probably give them the ground beef raw. I think it would be cheaper for us than to buy the highest quality canned food. I’ll let you know if I can do this. The dogs need to lose weight so a higher protein based diet should help. The only carbohydrates they will get will come from natural occurring starches in sweet potatoes and carrots, maybe some peas. I have more research and reading to do. The vet thinks cutting out on a few treats a day will help with their weight loss. I’ve already been breaking treats in half and my husband understands the importance of doing his part now. He sometimes gives two treats! It’s his fault! ;o)

I’ve checked my records from a year ago and there are some weight discrepancies between the two vet’s scales, but it’s obvious that at least three of the dogs need to lose more than a few pounds. Other than the weight issues and Chloe’s findings, the other dogs were all healthy.

You may have noticed we had some snow last month here in Alabama. It was nice for the dogs, but not so good to me. I took this picture right before I fell down these stairs!



The water in the wood was frozen which made the steps very slick. I managed to break my fall by grabbing the railing. My foot prints were on the bottom two steps so I slipped down 13 of them. I was pretty bruised up. My arm was really bruised from breaking my fall, I guess it slammed into the railing. My butt was black until about a week ago. The worst was the back of both calves hit so hard one still has bruise all the way across the back and is just now turning blue. It is and was quite deep in the muscle. I have a lot to be thankful for since it was no worse than that. Not long after I fell I had my son put up baby gates and we used the downstairs entrance until the temperatures warmed up.

Our area didn't get an inch, other areas had several inches.

What the dogs do when I'm not home

I wanted to get a nanny cam to see what the dogs do when I'm away. My daughter took this picture for me. She and my husband told me that they wait for me by the door. Darlin', our rescued stray, still has fear issues with my family so she waits in her bed in my room. She will greet me with the others when I open the door. This picture makes me heart happy.

Feeding five dogs, with video

Hi Everyone! No, we didn't fall off the face of the earth. Mom has had a lot of work and little free time for posting. She sure takes a lot of pictures though and she made a few videos too. Special Thanks to our furry friends that stopped by to check on us.

Our weather is warming up, although we just went through two full days of rain with cold wind so we slept a lot. You can even see green patches of new grass coming up in our yard, a sure sign that spring is just around the corner.

Mom was able to check in with many of you, but hasn't commented because it took time. She hopes to have more time to blog soon, but she is thankful for her work. We are all do for our annual check-up and shots, plus Mom may have the mobile vet come again to check if Darlin' is free from heartworms. We sure hope so!

The OP Pack gave us our first official blog award! They named us! It's the Showing Some Love Award! Our Mom's heart just swelled up with love! She's a sensitive type and we are still kinda new to dog blogging so that meant a lot to her. Thank you so much Phantom and Thunder for thinking of us and making us feel warm and fuzzy inside as you spread your love throughout dog blog land. We love you both and your Mom!





Please copy the image, save it to your computer, and add it to your blog. We would like to show our love by offering this award to everyone that stops by! Our friends deserve the special attention! That's you!

To kick off a new week and hopefully a few more posts during February, Mom made a video of dinner at our house. Some nights are quieter (a lot quieter) in the kitchen than others, but this is our routine.

In the video Mom was mentioning what she feeds us. She has changed our food since the first of the year. She always free feeds dry, which we graze on a little if we get hungry. You know we don't eat much dry because a 20lb bag of dry lasts almost 6 months. At dinner Mom was feeding us two large cans and one small can of wet food divided up between five dogs, with portions adjusted for the size of each dog.

Mom boils chicken at least once a week. She saves all the broth and tears all of the chicken off the bones. We get chicken and broth over our canned food for dinner, but just a little to enhance the scent and flavor.

Recently our Mom decided to switch things up a bit. She now puts a thin layer of dry in each bowl and pours some broth on top to help moisten it. That has helped to cut back on one large can of food, saving about $38 a month. We'll go through more dry now, but the dry food will go further. We don't mind. We still get the chicken and broth and it adds a little crunch to our meals which is good for our teeth and slows down Sam and Chloe a bit, the two dogs that eat the fastest.

Mom was really disappointed in some beef pizzle she bought last fall. She bought 12 lbs and if you've ever bought pizzle you know how expensive it can be. Well Mom put it in a Tidy Cat plastic container with a lid. Last week she wanted to fill our treat jar and the pizzle smelled awful, more than it usually does. It was full of bugs! They were probably in the pizzle when we got it, not from a bucket in the pantry, we don't have any bugs in there. They were weird looking too, similar to a furry rolly polly. Somebody at the dump may like it, but Mom was disgusted and said that she doesn't care if we're dogs, she's not giving us treats that had bugs!

Here are a couple of videos from dinner time at our house. Watch the mean ole' cat we have slap Toby in the butt! Poor Toby, it happens when he's not looking!

We'll try again tomorrow on the second video, blogger is being difficult.

Post Christmas

Hi Everyone!

Wow! I knew it had been weeks, but just realized it’s been a month since I’ve posted. Between work, my house, the dogs, and family the month has flown by. My husband gave me a new laptop for Christmas and I didn’t put my hands on it until last week! If anyone uses Windows Live mail let me know, I’m a fan of Outlook which is no longer available. I’m totally disappointed about Outlook because I have email folders full of saved emails, links, pictures, recipes, and animal rescues going back more than four years.

The month in review with pictures!

This was the first time I hung stocking on the fireplace. My daughter used glitter glue and put the dog’s initials and a paw print on each. She also fussed because Toby’s had a pattern and looked different than the others. I guess Ill pick up a solid color when I see them next year.



The dogs had a good Christmas. They got lot's of stuffed toys, all of which Toby took within a minute of passing them out. We don't wrap for the dogs because they play while we unwrap our own.



Toby is selfish with toys. I've thought about what it must have been like for him at the pound and it's heartbreaking to think that he had no toys or someone to hold him. His happiness comes from being held or playing with a toy.




Toby came running in the room with this stuffed dog. Apparently he found it in my son's room. If it's stuffed, he thinks he can have it.



Sam spent Christmas guarding the presents.



He got a new tie. I don't think anyone could wear it better than he does.



Toby got a new sweater.



The other dogs don't care for clothes, they are too shy or active.

Azriel spent all of his free time under the tree. I had to wash the tree skirt because there was a large black spot where he slept that was nothing but hair.



This was my favorite Christmas picture. The kids were opening gifts when I noticed the wrapping paper was piling up on top of Bonnie. She didn't seem to care.




Darlin' is a lot more comfortable these days. She even played with toys one night during the Holidays. That's huge for us because she has a hard time relaxing when my family is home.



And she laid in the floor like a dog and had a chew! That was a first for her, usually she has a small one lying next to me on the couch. This one she held between her feet!



Dad took some time off from work through Christmas. Unfortunately it means working around the house. Bonnie is always nearby to assist him.





We visited with my step-son and his wife. Their dog has grown into a real beauty! This is Lucy, a mixed breed they adopted from a rescue group at Pet Smart when she was a few months old. She had to stay outside during dinner because we had family there with a newborn baby and they don't care much for dogs. I think she's awesome looking! They said she stands there and looks in the window every time they have company over, but she lives indoors otherwise.





My husband recieved a Honey Baked Ham for Christmas. I've had Toby close to a year now and he's never been so interested in food. The ham scent must have been calling him.



Toby sits at our table a lot, although usually not during dinner. I thought this was so cute so I took his picture. I put my camera away, my husband wasn't watching and my ham dissapeared from my plate! We'll be watching closely from now on, especially when we have ham!



Toby went to the nursing home. We heard so many stories from elderly people about their dogs. While it was great to see their faces light up with Toby, it was hard because they would tear up telling us about their dogs. One man (not pictured) was sitting in the hall in his wheelchair and started crying so hard as we approached. Later I saw him again with his family and he was fine. I felt sure seeing Toby brought back memories of a dog he had loved.













He spent about three hours there and was worn out on the way home.



We have dog beds throughout our home, two or more in each room. This dog bed is Sams, but everyone seems to favor it because it has a thick mattress. No doubt we'll be getting another soon.











I walked in the kitchen one morning and found Baby like this. I was worried she was sick. She was keeping warm!



An unlikely pair. Two dogs rescued within three weeks of each other have a strong bond.



For some reason Darlin prefers to play at night - after my husband has gone to bed. He tells me he doesn't hear the dogs. I hope so because it can get loud with them rough housing.



Our weather has gotten warmer. Chloe, our Eskie, would lay out in the cold, she prefers cold weather, but Bonnie and Toby shiver. Bonnie has been happier since the warm-up.



Last week I convinced my daughter to transport some pit bull mix puppies going to rescue for me. I had therapy and couldn't make the trip. She called after picking them up and said, "Mom, don't do this to me!" I asked why and she told me that it makes her want to bring them home. I told her she couldn't because I have five, but she helped to save three lives. They were pulled from a high kill shelter and taken to rescue in Florida. I wanted one too!









Transport for rescues is one of the easiest things a person can do for those wanting to help rescued animals. There are cats, ferrets, and even pot belly pigs that need transportation. Sometimes it only takes an hour to drive a leg. If you want to help saves lives, please look up Animal Rescue Transport or get on a mailing list and help save lives without having to commit to a lifetime of care.

I hope everyone has had a good start to the New Year. We wish you all a year of good health, increased wealth, and many happy memories!