A Not So Good Day for "Longtime Groomer"

Last Friday it was Todd, Charlie and Max's turn to be groomed. Like so many of us, they were well past due for a good haircut. It was good to see "Longtime Groomer" and I'm glad that she's able to open her shop again.

Unfortunately, it didn't end all that well. "Longtime Groomer" said that Todd seemed nervous when he was unable to see Max or Charlie. And, in a moment when he couldn't see them, Todd tried to jump off the grooming table. When she quickly grabbed him, he bit her.  Oooohhhhh nooooooo.....

Of course, I could not feel any worse about this!  But if there is one good to come out of this, and trust me, it takes a lot to find a good point, it's that the single bite was on her forearm, and not her hand. "Longtime Groomer" was as understanding and as forgiving as she could possibly be, and of course I appreciated that.

When I called a couple of days later to check on how she was healing, we decided that Todd may have been out of sorts because she was wearing a mask the entire time. Not that any dog should ever bite anyone - But I'd noticed that Todd was a bit unnerved and leery around me when I'd had a mask on a few days before and he was a little nervous when we arrived at "Longtime Groomers" that morning. So, that may be what led up to the bite, I just don't know.

We'll have time to figure it out though. The three of them won't be due to go back to be groomed until at least September. Plenty of time to worry about next time, right?

A New Co-star at Golden Pines

Even though I'm back to finally working only 3 days a week, the last couple of weeks have been fully charged with a lot going on.

~Todd, always a star, and always  fully charged!!~

My last post mentioned about my going out of town overnight. It came about when a friend in Kentucky was trying to find a home for a stray cat. I am really missing having an outdoor kitty and with a few days off work, along with just wanting to get away, I considered a 3 day round-trip to Kentucky to get this cat.

Okay, I'll agree, it was probably not my best idea. And just to help validate to my inner self what a crazy idea it was, I had that nagging feeling (again) that it wasn't something I should do. And for whatever reason, I said something to a "very cool and fun longtime friend" in North Carolina who by the way, just happens to have her own, non-profit, cat rescue.  So, can you see where this led me?

Yes, it took me to North Carolina instead of Kentucky to get a cat from Cool and fun Friend, G.

I stayed overnight in the small town in Virginia where Todd came from - and also the home of Lynn, of Rocky Creek Scotties. Unfortunately in these crazy times, I wasn't able to see her. Hopefully we'll get that chance in the months ahead.

Cool and fun Friend, G and I met around Winston-Salem, North Carolina in a shopping center parking lot. After more than 10 years, it was wonderful to see her again and it would have been even nicer to be able to sit down and just catch up. But again, these crazy times kept us from doing that. However, her great company via phone on the drive home was almost as good.

~Winston-Salem, North Carolina~

So, without further delay, please welcome Gerry to Golden Pines.

~Gerry's first photo~

He's a young cat, that was a stray, and a lady that he had picked for his very own, was moving. She had an outside dog, that he seemed to get along with, so that was a big plus.

~A photo from Gerry's first life~

Our plan was to have Gerry live outside, as Gino had done. But after nearly 2 weeks, he's adjusting nicely to living inside - And trust me, he has a pretty strong opinion about being outside - So I've decided to just let Gerry, our newest co-star in a big cast of characters, decide how and where he wants to live at Golden Pines.

Thank-you again "cool & fun friend, G" for your friendship, for all you did to for Gerry and to get him to us!! 

YOU All Were Right!

As I prepare for a quick overnight trip today, that I'll tell you about next time, I wanted to give you an update on Leo.

I appreciated your thoughts about the path that Leo should take to his forever home. Those of you that reluctantly thought that Family #3 was the best choice for him, were right. They WERE the family that I had chosen for Leo. Personally, I liked them very much. They are a really nice, fun couple and I know they are a good home. But I will confess, that I had a nagging feeling that I couldn't quite get rid of. Even as I talked about "being sure" about the decision, deep inside, I knew, but wouldn't admit, that I was trying to convince myself.

Leo has a storm phobia. We knew about this from his previous family, and it was discussed at length with every family interested in him. One of the reasons I chose "Family #3" was because they felt confident with being able to manage it. However, on Thursday night, we had a pretty bad storm that included thunder and lighting, and it gave me an unvarnished view of how Leo reacts during them. He was pawing at me, digging at corners as he tried to get into the smallest of spaces, and pacing and panting. Nothing and I mean nothing I could do, or did, consoled or reassured him. Once the medication that he takes for them started to work, he settled down and we were both able to get a little rest.

I told Family #3 about what had happened. And I received an e-mail that said:

Thank you for being honest in your evaluation of Leo's fear.  We spent a good part of the day talking about this and we have decided that we are not able to manage him.  We didn't understand the full extent of his fear.  We thought it could be managed with a thunder vest and comfort from a human.  Our experience with pets with anxiety has been that human touch calmed him down enough to rest and sleep. We are concerned about what will happen should a storm come up while we are away.  At this time of COVID of course we aren't away much but at some point this will end and we will occasionally be away for several hours. We are sorry and we want you to know that we made this decision with heavy hearts.  We do feel that this would not be a good fit for us thereby not being a good fit for Leo.  He is a sweet boy who needs the right home.  

Looking back on all of this, it's all been a reminder to pay attention and listen to that inner voice, and even listen to YOU the readers of this blog.

So, where does this take us? We are lucky to have great support from the rescue and resources to tap into. With that, I'm feeling optimistic that we can find something that will help Leo going forward through this "stormy season."

Thank-you for cheering Leo on.  

Two Adoptions

Thank you all for your thoughts about the path that Leo should take. You've helped more than you'll ever know.  By the weekend, I'll have an update about his new forever home.

Until them, I want to tell you about two of our Lab Fosters, who have found their own forever homes in the last couple of weeks.

To start, remember the nearly 15 year old girl, Maya who came to us in early March? I didn't write much about her. She was mostly in the background, just going with the flow. A true gem, and I never thought that there would be anyone that would want to adopt her because of her age. Wrong! 

~Maya on the day we met, March 11, 2020~

Two retired police officers who live not too far from me, did. With 2 other Labs, Retired Police Lady had a dream of adopting a senior girl, and Maya was perfect, and they were perfect for her. So, she left us almost 3 weeks ago. Of course I miss having her with us. But she's doing really well, and has settled in nicely into her new life with her new family.

~Maya at her new home~ 

This brings us to our foster girl Hannah, who came to us in February. She was a stray from a West Virginia shelter. When she was turned over to Lab Rescue it was discovered that she is heartworm positive and has multiple mammary tumors. After her medical needs were addressed we were hoping that despite that she is "hospice" someone would fall in love and want to adopt her.

~Hannah, on the day we met~

It turns out, that someone did, and that was us. We have officially adopted Hannah. Sure, there were calls from other people interested in adopting Hannah. But I managed to talk them out of her for one reason or another. I realized that I was doing it because my heart wasn't in placing her. Given how I feel about Hannah, along with her health, I just didn't think it was fair for her to make a change. So, Hannah is ours. And she is Lab-Rescue-Foster-Fail number 5 in 5 years. I couldn't be happier.