What We Know About Leo

Thank you all for taking a moment and sharing the loss of Gino. I really miss him, and miss having an outdoor cat. In the coming months, when the time is right, we'll see about maybe adding another.

In all that's been happening, I've not mentioned, that after two weeks, new arrival Leo, has settled in nicely. He's getting along really well with all the dogs, and the cats too.

Here's what we know about Leo ...

• He countersurfs
• He begs at the table
• He wants to sleep on the bed
• He loves treats so much so that he got into the treat bag of the girl who comes to trim nails
• He has great eye-mouth coordination to catch those treats
• He loves mealtimes
• He doesn't come when called - When he knows you want him to come with you, when you reach for his collar, just as you get within inches of him, he'll playfully run off
• He likes everyone (mostly women)
• He is afraid of storms (like so many goldens)
• He is always smiling and wagging his tail
• He is always ready for the next fun thing to happen

We think Leo is perfect! And in the weeks ahead, he'll be available for adoption via the Golden Retriever Rescue.  

Leo will be a great addition to someone's home who will also love his fun and easy going personality and nature as much as we do!  

Good-Bye to Outdoor Kitty, Gino

The first day of this week ended on a sad note for us as we said good-bye today to our outdoor kitty Gino. His appetite was all but gone, and he began hiding from us, and not coming back inside. The diagnosis was liver failure. There was nothing that could be done.

Gino came to us exactly 2 years and 2 days ago after someone moved away leaving their 8ish cats behind -- The "Loudoun Community Cat Coalition" trapped them all, vetted and re-homed them, and through what can only be described as serendipity he found his way to us.

~The first day we met "the cat with no name"~

At first Gino was strictly an outdoor cat.

But his six month plan to come inside came in a little ahead of schedule. It took him only about 4 months to find a spot inside the house and on the table.

It did take him a little longer to learn to trust the dogs, who in turn got over their fear of him.

Gino truly became part of our lives and household.

For a cat that was supposed to be feral, Gino was a gentle soul.  And when I held him and he purred, on my worst days, it was a great comfort. He was a good friend and good company wherever he happened to be.

Near the end our driveway, where the mowing ends, and the grass grows tall, was Gino's favorite spot. He spent hours there, watching birds, and whatever else crossed his path, and soaking up the sun.

It only seemed right to make it his final resting place.

God speed to our very first "outdoor kitty" who has a place all his very own inside our hearts. We will really miss him.

George Returns to Golden Pines

Saturday was the day I arranged to get George picked up from Paul's brother. I really wanted to make it easy for the brother, so I drove over an hour to get there, to an area of Maryland that I'd never been to before.

~Sykesville Maryland~

George was happy to see me, and wouldn't stop barking. In fact, for the first 20 minutes of our drive home, all he did was bark and shove his head under my arm. It was really good to see him!  ...not so much to hear him though.

Unfortunately, about 20 minutes into our drive home, I had car/van trouble again. It was the same issue I'd had in February.  Not knowing the area, thankfully I was able to make it to a shopping center, I'd passed on my way to pick up George, where I was able to safely park. Having done this before, and because we have an "extended warranty" I called and a tow truck to take my van to a dealership closer to home was arranged.

~Here we go again....~

I will fast forward through the snags caused by the (less than competent) man I had initially spoken to, because the next person on the phone was totally sympathetic, and helpful (she could hear George barking) and she solved those issues for me. Carl and the tow truck showed up at about the same time and six hours later, we were safely home. What an afternoon!

I read recently that dogs have associative memory, remembering people, places, and experiences based on their associations they have with them. I totally believe that. George has settled right back in, even remembering where he used to eat, and I'm so glad to report that he's not barking much at all.

So, whatever is ahead for George -- Lab Rescue has said they'll help to find him a new home if needed -- George is going to be just fine. 

Welcome back George!

We'll See What Happens

It has been a bit of a strange and mixed bag of a week. I'm not even sure where to begin exactly.

Maybe I'll start with tonight, and work my way back with to the real news of the day.

This evening, for some reason, our outdoor kitty Gino won't come back inside the garage. We tried for over an hour to catch him, so we could shut the door to keep him safe overnight, but he won't come to us and keeps running off. I'm wondering if something maybe scared him?

Work at the office continues to slow down. But I'm still asked to be there all day. We have two emergency patients to see on Thursday. With no patients scheduled on Wednesday, I took Max in with me to the office. He was fun company, and the girl at the front desk, who is a real animal lover gave Max lots of extra attention which he soaked up.

While I was at work, I got a phone call from Paul. You'll remember him as the owner of Abe and George, the Barkalot Brothers. You''ll also remember that Lab Rescue returned them to him in January and Abe passed away in February. Well, Paul is back in the hospital. I'm not sure of the details, (but it's not COVID), and he wants to GIVE me George. He said he's no longer able to care for him because George was becoming more and more "mobility challenged" and along with being hospitalized a few times, it's just to hard for him to give George the care he needs.  Of course I agreed to take him back.

~The day the Barkalots were returned to Paul~

Paul's brother called me last evening, and we're going to try and arrange something for this weekend or early next week. And with that, can I just say I had a feeling that might happen? Of course, I didn't and hoped it wouldn't. But I kept the door and communication with Paul open just in case because I wanted to make sure that Abe and George were safe.

~George~

We'll see what happens.