Today is About Jaycee

Jaycee is still available for adoption via Lab Rescue. We've had a few inquiries, but so far, after 230 days with us, there's been no one that's a real match for her. 

Someone interested in adopting Jaycee came yesterday to meet her. I liked them very much, and Jaycee seemed to like them too. Unfortunately, their timing isn't right. They have two trips planned that are for more than two weeks before the end of November - Along with that, they didn't feel that 'love connection' for Jaycee, only sympathy for the life she's led.

~Perspective adopter walking Jaycee~

Yes, Jaycee is a dog that knew nothing about 'real-life,' except for giving birth to puppies before she came to us. And yes, she has had a lot to learn and has learned a lot since she's been with us. She has a bit of a quirky personality, and can be a little reactive with people that she should know she can trust - like our dog-walker, and my brother - We've tried to figure it out, but not being there when she reacts by barking and growling makes that impossible because when we are here and they're around, she's fine. I think it has to do with her not feeling safe and secure because with me and Carl, she couldn't any more affectionate, relaxed and happy too. 

~Ree and Jaycee, my kitchen helpers~

Jaycee is great with the other dogs and cats and is good in the house. Her 'safe place' is a moveable wire ex-pen to stay in when we're not home and to sleep in at night. She prefers to not sleep on a dog bed, and so we've put in a rug, a sheet, and she also has a dog-bed cover to curl up on. I have had to grin at her more than once because she appears to have a favorite cover and will drag it into the ex-pen with her if I try to change it.

We even did a little test after it was washed. We laid out two covers, same fabric, just different colors. The one on the left is the one that Jaycee prefers. 

It didn't take long before Jaycee pulled the cover into the ex-pen with her. She is clearly a dog that knows what she wants. ❤

THANK YOU  for stopping by today - I know I am so far behind on posting and reading blogs and I will post more of our news in the next day or so. 

**Happy Halloween from Daisy, who says she's a Princess, and doesn't want to be a pirate in a hand-me-down costume for Halloween!**  😊

However if you give her a ball to go with it. . . 

Behind Closed Doors

It's true you never really know what goes on behind closed doors. But at my house sometimes you can hear it. 

This was as I was leaving yesterday. Not as many voices as in previous years, but still a pretty good chorus. 🥰

Ree's Sneakiness

Our days start pretty early at our house. By about 5 o'clock in the morning, the lights are on as we get ready for a workday. However on the weekends and with the colder mornings it's so nice to sleep in a little longer. Most of the dogs let us do that - All except one... Ree. 

In the past couple of months, by 5 AM, Ree is awake and she starts to get antsy, whining, scratching, pacing from up and down on my side of the bed. Even if I don't open my eyes and pretend I am asleep she keeps making noise. 

Of course I thought that she needed to be let outside. So, I'd get up, and of course I'd be followed by one or two of the other dogs who were happy to be let out - I'll note here that Todd is usually sleeping in. 

But in getting the dogs out, feeding the cats, I don't go back to bed, I stay up and get the day started. And so I'm not sure when I finally noticed that Ree doesn't want to be let outside. What Ree wants is my place in bed. 

~On the bed - Ree's favorite place anytime of the day~

That affectionate, un-co-operative, playful, independent, never-shy, life of the party, laid back girl is pretty sneaky.  And I fell for that sneakiness. ❤

Breathing a Little Easier

I have needed a break from everything. I think that the loss of George was the tipping point. I found myself enveloped in a sadness that is overwhelming. Even now, in these quiet moments, it's hard to not let it consume me. I just keep going. I have and had to. A few days after our good-bye to George, Carl left to visit family, leaving me alone with the dogs, who remind me every day that they are still here, and they still need me. Life somehow goes on. 

To keep me focused and dialed into reality, I've worked on a couple of my days off because my counterpart at work and another co-worker are not feeling well. They are both back to work, Carl has returned and I'm feeling optimistic that my life will return to its regular programming this week.

~Daisy makes every day better~

One thing that has kept me focused off myself is Todd. He's had problems breathing through his nose and has been having bouts of 'reverse sneezing.' It began at his last vet visit, when he was put into a crate in my van that had been stored in the barn. Carl had rinsed it off, but I did notice that there was still some 'barn debris' left on it. The sneezing started that day. 

~The day the sneezing started, with Jake & Daisy~

Concerned of course, I read that the sneezing typically resolves itself, so I didn't get too worried. Especially when it wasn't happening every day. But that sneeze turned into a cough and started to affect his breathing, and so we were back at the vet last week.

One of Todd's sinuses is blocked, so the vet prescribed antibiotics and he is breathing easier. But my vet and I agree that there is a slight infection that is probably caused by something lodged in his sinus. So, I've made an appointment for him with a veterinarian specializing in Internal Medicine to have his sinus 'scoped.' Given how and when it started, I'm hoping that if it is something that he inhaled into that big Scottie nose of his, that it will maybe dislodge before his appointment next month. Paws crossed.