Monday M(C)uteness

It's here again isn't it? That.... Monday. 

So you go to work, why do I need to get out of bed?

Don't we all love Mondays ? No. Well, they will pass like every other bad phase. Good luck to all of you who have Finals this week!

Please see some of Mariah's stunning captures of yesterday's Pittie Party organized by our marvelous Katelyn of Pitbull Worldwide! Remember, most of the pups pictured are up for adoption! Contact Last Hope Rescue FL to adopt them.

Ok, so it wasn't exactly a Mute post. But I had to mention all this adoptable cuteness! So the point is Muoote.

Cutie Cannoli

Cannoli (singular Cannolo) usually have a creamy sweet center and their outside is a pastry crust. But this little Cannoli is creamy and sweet through and through. Look !

A 10 week old baby puppy (yes, I say 'baby puppy') abandoned along with his two siblings,  is now being fostered by my friend. The universe does work in miraculous ways :) But Cannoli still needs his forever home!

What kind of dog is he, you say? I really don't know! A cute one fore sure. When I cuddled, kissed and hugged met him, he seemed to have a lab face with doxin legs but really I am no expert whatsoever. I actually think he is mixed with a little Yoda. Look at those ears!

To see Cannoli's siblings please see a fellow rescue advocate's account of a Doggie Wash event this past Saturday.

You know what the most remarkable thing about this pup was ? It was literally his first day interacting with other dogs and he was so brave amidst two very energized labradanes!


The one (hyphenated) word that comes to mind when I think of him is "chilled-out". He just wanted to nap on the couch. The other two were not behaving their age playful and kept waking the poor baby. Even then, he didn't care, he just watched,  poised on the couch or on one of our laps. There were moments where he sought solace in one of our warm embraces or hid under the table, but wouldn't you too,  if two unknown someones, the size of Shaquille O'Neal were being very prancy around you? (No offense to him, I actually really like him in the Buick ads :) ) Cannoli was well enroute to being very social among these massive beings is all I am trying to convey.

My friend says from what it looks like he has sort of house trained himself. No accidents in the first two days that she has had him. And he seems to be all bladder inside that cuteness since he doesn't really wake her at the crack of dawn even. (A little after maybe..but for a pup of 10 weeks, that is remarkable!)

So hey, you want him? He would complete your family perfectly don't you think ? To give him the perfect permanent home he deserves, please email Last Hope Rescue at lasthoperescuefl@gmail.com.

Puppies of the Humankind

This is all over the internet, but I still don't think it's talked about enough, so I decided to write about it. And I have been meaning to for a while but I guess the topic found it's way into the depths of my subconscious until a little girl, with outstretched arms, and all the love in the world to offer, came charging toward Kahlua yesterday bellowing "Puppppyyyyyyyy". Hmm.. familiar much ?

Kahlua believes, that the solution to all things scary is to hide behind Mom. This makes me one of the more fortunate fur parents. Do you have a dog that would react differently ? How do you deal with such situations?

Children maybe God's gift to mankind, or God in disguise, or little angels or whatever..but the truth is they move unpredictably, at high speeds,  emit loud sounds and are often found zooming around on these loud, strangely shaped monsters with wheels. Heck, they scare me, why wouldn't they scare a dog ?

If you are a parent (the non fur kind), I request you, please, teach your children to respect a dog's space. I know some parents who do a wonderful job of this. Their kids come up to me and say "May I pet the puppy?" first. We take it from there and these kids never, ever, enter his personal space. They even understand that shelter puppies often have fears that we as humans cannot comprehend. I've met kids who time and again have tried to befriend my baby but they do it in baby steps. They accept when he chooses to hide under a table when he sees them. They even feel a little bad, but they still understand. They understand because either they have dogs of their own, or their parents explained  to them to approach with caution, if they must indeed approach and always ask the human first.

On the other hand, I've encountered kids who notice that their bike or the little scooter that they so confidently whizz by on, is scaring my pup, and they choose to come closer and at higher speeds, to gain some sort of silly thrill out of a poor creature's fear. This is when I need to step in and request the child to please wait while we leave the scene and go the opposite way. Who is raising these kids like this ? And why ? (The problem in this situation, in my opinion, is bigger than 'just' thriving on the 'pleasure' of scaring an already scared puppy.)

My point is that an animal's space needs to be respected as much as a human's. Just because we are human does not mean we have some sort of natural right of way. Infact, we have the more complex emotions in place to actually 'yield' right of way to those more in need. Unfortunately, not many people actually think like this and then accidents happen. What would you do if I sat by you, for an hour, and kept jabbing you with a pencil. You'd go Hulk on me, correct ? What would you do if some unfamiliar person came charging at you screaming unintelligible words? That's exactly how a dog feels when his/her personal space is invaded. Let's break the notion that all dogs are natural nannies. We need to recognize that it is not true and children and dogs need to be introduced to each other in a positive environment. The dog needs to associate the child with happiness, and not fear. We respect that there are humans who are scared of dogs. Why can't it be accepted that it can be the other way round too ?


I don't mean to blame anyone or sound like some self righteous animal freak. These are things that I did not know before I adopted Kahlua. So I understand that some people and some kids don't know that they are scaring the dog. And if they did, they would check their actions. Hence the post. I want to talk about this more. I want this to be spoken about more. I want to spread this message as far and as wide as I can. So please help me.. please use the share buttons below this post.. you might just be preventing yet another puppy of the human kind from being hurt, and a puppy of the puppy kind from suffering the consequences.

 

 

Image Credit: http://sassystickers.com/images/yin-yang-pawprint-handprint.jpg

Friday Fleatles: How can I help ?

Today's title is based on one of the Text From Dog jokes. Here it is -

Thank God it's the Fleatles!

Anyway, let's ignore my poor sense of humor for the better of all mankind, and get to talking about today's topic: What are the different ways to help the cause of Rescue ? What can I do ?

The first and most obvious thing is - adopt! But I won't go into detail about this because there are lots avenues where you can get this information. The local animal shelter, rescues in your area, your local radio station are just a few.

The second thing that you probably already know of,  is to foster. I have a lot of acquaintances who do foster and who write about their experiences too. Fostering is great and really means you're saving lives, making space at the shelter, rejuvenating a dog's life (and yours). It is a very selfless deed. Another advantage to fostering, specially for novice pet parents like myself is that it actually allows you to experience the joy of having an animal, and also the responsibility associated with it, without actually making a lifelong commitment. Before some heckles are raised let me make my statement crystal clear - I am not saying fostering is not a commitment. It is a means to allow yourself to actually find out if you are a good pet parent, and if this is what is really good for you and the dog; without there being a case of owner surrender, and all the negative implications it has. In the event that you do actually figure out, that it's not for you, the responsible and adult thing to do is dedicate yourself to finding that forever home (a great one) or a better foster home, and accept gracefully that the time is not right for you.

So now what ? You still want to help the cause, your heart is in the right place - what do you do ? Lots ! Here goes -

Take your time... and give it to them.
Visit your local animal shelter's website and fill out their volunteer application. There is a need for all types of people with all kinds of callings. If you are not really experienced with animals, but are a people's person, you can be a 'greeter'. Are you a great event organizer ? You're needed at adoption events. There is a plethora of options on the website. Usually, the shelter interviews you and takes you through an orientation process. If you factor  even a few hours each week into your routine, you are helping the cause. You're helping the animals find homes.  Time is essential and the clock is ticking, specially for shelter animals. Donating your time, is helping save lives.

Sit Happens
Are you experienced with animals ? Did you do a behavioral training class with your own pup? Can you teach basics like "Sit", "Down", Stay, "Heel" ? Use that knowledge to train a shelter dog. Knowing basic commands will help the dog become more adoptable and find it's home. Show off the dog's skills at adoption events you take it to.You might just be able to find that forever home!

Love that Lens?
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. It is not unheard of, that a great picture has resulted in an adoption. My inspiration behind writing this is Betsy Sasnett. Betsy is a talented photographer who donates huge amounts of time and effort to the cause. She goes out to shelters in the area to photograph adoptable animals and showcases them on her website. You will see Betsy at adoption events, tirelessly taking pictures of people and their pups and donating her proceeds to rescues in need. You can do the same. Check with your local shelter if they need their animals photographed. With today's World Wide Wildfire and the power of the FB Share, you may just save a life!

Do you dabble ?
In web programming? Know a little http ? You can help maintain your shelter's website.

Is your pen mightier than your sword ?
Do you have a way with words? Help write up descriptions of the dogs you help train or simply  those that catch your eye at the shelter. Did they do anything particularly cute?(they always do!) .. write it up with a couple of catchy sentences and unleash it on Facebook.


"Girls I'm going to Harvard!"
"You mean like on vacay ?? Let's all go..ROADTRIP!!"
[I originally just wanted to title this "Roadtrip", but it's my third coffee of the day and a scene from one of my favorite movies "Legally Blonde" popped into my head.. so you had to bear the brunt of the combination. Also, I ain't going to Harvard just yet. *sigh*]
I'm talking about transport. Today, geographical separation is no deterrent (The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman). Rescues can pull urgent dogs from across the country and adoptions can cross state boundaries. You can help get pups from shelter to safety. It's easy! Each trip is divided into multiple legs and each leg is on an average 80 miles long each way. Take a couple of friends (depending on how much four legged cuteness you need to transport).. make a day of it! You get to meet some really nice people.
One place to start is the Compassionate Animal Rescue Team.
Here is some of my precious cargo from some of my trips with my bestie Nandita who shares my craze for canines!

Money for something, and your tax for free
I should stop with the bad titles and the coffee. But hey - donate! All shelters will give you a receipt for that time of year. Itemize it under tax free donations. Most rescues and shelters have wishlists on Amazon or on their website. Put a smile on someone's face and make a few tails wag by shipping a bag of dog food or flea and tick meds. Spring time is puppy time - so keep this in mind. Many shelters will be having some sort of "stuff the crib" type donation now. Contribute!

Confessions of a Shopaholic
Shop to help! Can it get any better than this ? Look for websites that donate part of their proceeds to animal rescue. One such website is the Animal Rescue Website. They have stuff from all over the world. Trust me, if I had a dollar for the number of times something "Made in India" turned up at my doorstep and I laughed (because hey.. i'm Indian.. I don't just laugh at a whole country.), some rescue would be getting a few bags of food today!
Order checks and address labels from the ASPCA. Looking for a Car ? Get a Subaru! They donate part of their proceeds to the ASPCA. All the dogs on their advertisements are adoptables/rescues.

And last but probably the most important
Are you resourceful? Can you network? Can you recognize that someone's need is someone else's superpower? Connect the people. Your strongest resource is the people you know, their strengths and their abilities - you never know when someone can help your cause. Talk to people at events, network, tell them about rescues you've touched upon, share contacts, introduce people to people. Never rule out a person or a possibility. The grapevine is more powerful than you know.


Let me zip it now, but not before I bring to your notice a business, with wonderful people who have several times  helped the cause:

Out U Go
Need a professional and trust worthy pet sitting service ? Reach out to the Elizabeths at Out u Go!  Yes there are two of them, and I'd trust Kahlua's life with them.

Tick-Free Tuesday - End Dog Fighting.

I received this in an email from the ASPCA. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am a strong supporter of the ASPCA. Please help end dog fighting by reading below, donating if you will, and spreading the word.

 

Young puppies bred for fighting are often forced into lives of abuse and neglect. Tethered to short, heavy chains or locked away in tiny cages, they often receive inadequate care and little socialization. They can go for days without food or clean water. They never experience unconditional love. When dog fighting dogs are old enough to fight, many die of blood loss, shock and exhaustion. Others are unceremoniously killed for losing a fight. Even when they’re lucky enough to be rescued, dog fighting victims face a difficult path to recovery. Despite the best efforts of expert rehabilitators, not all dogs rescued from fighting make it. From the very beginning, these dogs are fighting for their lives.

But with your support, we can put an end to dog fighting. The entire ASPCA is deeply committed to saving dogs from fighting. The Blood Sports Unit of our Field Investigations and Response Team helps carry out criminal investigations, providing expertise in large-scale rescues and raids including the Michael Vick case and a Bronx bust less than a year ago.

Our experts provide critical training to animal control officers, police officers and veterinarians across the country to empower them to take action against dog fighters. Behind the scenes, our legal team works to ensure dog fighters face tough consequences, and our government relations staff is pushing hard for tougher dog fighting laws. With your help, the ASPCA can remain a leader in the battle against dog fighting, working to rescue animal victims and prosecute offenders. Help us in our fight to stop this barbaric form of cruelty and all others. Together we can save countless animals from lives of abuse.

Weekend Wags: Another pup? I guess not.

First off let me thank you for reading my posts and humoring my thoughts and all that good stuff. I am elated because Google Analytics shows me I have 250 page views already.

Next, allow me to clarify the title of this post. I want another pup. I want many another pups. But today my Kahlua put his paw down.

We had the most wonderful afternoon at my friend Sheila's house. Sheila is a wonderful human being and a rather brave one, because she is fostering an 11 week old puppy. Her personal dog is a beautiful, wonderful, calm and very affectionate Great Dane named Shadow.

Beautiful, shadow all puppied out!

I say she is brave because an 11 week old puppy is a LOT of work and it's no mean feat fostering one.


Meet Esme, a bundle of love and happiness who was found abandoned alone, and now is being fostered by my lovely friend. She is up for adoption through Last Hope Rescue Florida.

Gosh Kahlua, go home already so I can sleep!

She is one lucky pup to have found such a great foster family, but remember, she wants her forever family. Do you want to be her forever home?

Loving foster mom Sheila, and sweet Esme.

Kahlua & Esme. Esme is great with other dogs, of all shapes and sizes!

Auntie Sheila, I love you!

Esme goes outside to do her business. She is very play motivated. Food and play motivation automatically makes a pup very trainable.

Can you see anything, Shadow? Is she having more fun than us ?

Puppies are addictive. Puppies are little love bundles. So ofcourse I was all over Esme. Now I feel like I was cheating on Kahlua, but come on.. he is affectionate toward other humans too! Sometimes he even forgets about me .. and that is (not) ok.

Look Kahlua, your mom loves ME now! muhahahah!

So, Kahlua's reaction to this puppy love phase of mine, was a loud whine and a very puppy puppy-face. My boy was actually, well I don't really like the word 'jealous' .. let's say.. possessive.

I do honestly believe that pups go through all these emotions just like we do. And how do you explain to them that you love them, unconditionally, even if you can love another pup?  I am not sure you can! Which is why I've reached the conclusion that I probably cannot adopt another pup. (I had an inkling about this when I briefly fostered a dog, but that's a story for another post.) Maybe in the future there can be a family dog, but another dog who is solely mine, like Kahlua is, is probably a ship that has sailed.

And I am ok with that! Why shouldn't he feel this way ? I am the only family he has ever known! I'm the only thing he has to call his own.

Ma, you are obnoxiously embarrasing.

His happiness is way more important to me than my desire to adopt again anytime soon. And who knows, maybe will grow out of it ? (Do they ever grow up?)

Rest Insured

Pet Health Insurance - Should I ? Shouldn't I ? He's just a puppy so he is healthy. Maybe later when he's older and health problems start creeping in.

Yes, all those thoughts crossed my mind too. But in my opinion pet insurance is a must, and the sooner you start, the better. Why ? It is easier to have a decent plan at a decent premium for a healthy pup with no existing issues. Note, Obamacare does not apply to puppies.

I looked into a multitude of options and decided on ASPCA. I pay $20 a month for a $100 deductible and accident and illness coverage.  The per incident limit its $1500 and annual limit is $8000. So, for $240 a year paid monthly, we are insured for upto $8000.   There are options for wellness coverage too, but when I calculated the cost of Kahlua's annual and semiannual exams against the cost of the premiums for that plan, I did not find it beneficial. I urge you to do your own calculation based on what the quote shows for your baby's age, size and general health situation.

ASPCA has been good to us so far. I am a strong supporter of ASPCA. What do you do when you get an envelope in the mailbox with a sad and VERY cute puppy picture inside, equipped with a business reply envelope ? You put a check in it, and send it right across. (It disturbs me that when it is for a human, I don't exactly have the same speedy response.)

She does, she puts checks in them. And puts return address labels with puppy pictures. She does.

Back to insurance. The ease of claim submission, the response time, and the fact that they do not screw you over like my dental insurance did me (rage), make them a good choice. I simply scan and email them the claim with the itemized invoice the vet gave me. In a few weeks, I have an email explaining what they covered, and a check in the mail. (Which, I photograph with my bank's fancay shmancay app, and volia .. chaching on my end!).

It's not 100% coverage, but it is something. I agree that bad incidents happen, and can go upwards from $1500. My paws are crossed that nothing bad happens to my Kahlua, but in the unfortunate event that we do have such an incident, we will be grateful for even that much coverage (for which we paid much less in premiums).

By the grace of the universe, we have not had any major mishaps thus far (please knock on wood for us?).

Please ?

 But my baby is a baby and yes he will come home from daycare with a cough every once in a while, or a puncture wound, or get into something at the park and get a stomach bug.

Expenses add up. Quoting one of those insurance ads on TV, "Chances are, you're not made of money". It's easier to factor $20 into a monthly expense than say $500 as a sudden expense (that will not be reimbursed.. ever) It maybe hard to front that cost but you can beg, borrow (and not steal) and arrange it somehow and pay it back later with the insurance money.

So, do the math, and make the choice!

Mom thinks Angry Bird bandages are a good idea. Is she normal?

Mom, you are awful to take pictures at this painful time in my life.

Adios Comatose

It's been well over three years since I last did this, so I'm sure I've gotten from bad to worse :)
The biggest highlight of my existence in this hiatus has been the adoption of a Lab-something, absolutely mischievous, absolutely sweet, absolutely intelligent and very loving canine child named Kahlua. I recently decided he is a Labradane, if there is something of the sort.

The heart of this blog is our joyride of a life together, and what I learn, everyday from him.
Since blogs are supposed to be the place where one is entirely honest, let me begin by cheating. This first post is from an old Facebook Note. It describes how Kahlua and I found each other, and how I fell in love. It's from a different time in my life, so please bear with the indiscretions in grammar and the like.

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It starts by looking at the local online kennel everyday. It builds into looking at Petfinder everyday, maybe even twice ;) You make notes of the IDs on your iPhone. You decide later that evening that you're not ready. You do this everyday.
Until one day you see a litter of little back lab puppies on the website. Noone adopts the little black ones they say. They are the first to be euthanized at the Animal Shelter.
Little black puppy makes you curious. You drive all the way to Cairo Georgia to meet him. He comes and sits in your lap, cuddling while his sisters are prancing around. Jumping all over you.
"I'll be back Friday to sign the papers", you say. Inside, you're still on the fence. Will I really?
Then he makes the puppy face.
You spend all of next week buying puppy things and making your room safe for the new baby. A crate, a soft bed, loads of chew toys, many many squeaky toys, puppy training pads, flea and tick collar, puppy chow, puppy harness, leash and puppy treats!
You don't sleep all week in anticipation. Puppy comes home on Friday, a little scared, very exhausted and curls up into the warm puppy bed. Puppy snores. You should have slept last week!
The next 2 days are a haze. This puppy is special! He tries not to dirty the house - likes going outside. He escapes his playpen which you had locked securely, scared that he might hurt himself in your absence. He escapes, twice. You say, okay puppy if you are smart enough to escape you deserve to be free - you don't dirty the place and you mostly only chew whats yours :) so mum just needs to be careful that she doesn't leave anything harmful where you might find it!
Puppy is very intelligent! He has also now graduated to making mum scoot over so he can sleep next to her. He is also very sweet - will not disturb his sleeping mother unless absolutely necessary :) Except ofcourse when he is bored, which is when mother has 23 pounds of happy puppy standing on her stomach wagging his tail!
Puppy has the sweetest yawn, and the sweetest puppy eyes. Puppy is a couch potato too, which suits his mom perfectly. Our best time together is watching TV after a hard days work!
Puppy walks his mother too :) He is strong! He discovered a Paw Park where he almost learned 'fetch'. He has some puppy friends. He is shy, yet curious. So does not approach until approached. Sometimes puppy just hides behind his mother.
I love little Pupzilla!

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This was written a couple of days after he came home. I would like to point out, that I have graduated from an iPhone to a real phone. (This debate is for another time ;) and I have another note to paste about it) .
Also, I still call him "Puppy".  I always will.

I hope my first post wasn't too disappointing! Here is a puppy picture of Kahlua to make it better.