Saturday, November 5, 2011

An Upside Down World for Jake

In my experience I have found that people give up their pets for the most trivial of reasons.  I have also found that they give them up because they feel they have no other choice.  Financial hardship, working two jobs, Jake alone for about 15 hours a day, and a daughter requiring medical care all contributed to the reasons why Jake's former owner felt like she couldn't keep him.  She had asked everyone she knew if they could take Jake and as a last resort, contacted our county animal shelter.  They were honest with her, and told her that because Jake is 13 years old, he probably would not be adopted and would be euthanized.  They provided her with the rescues number and she contacted them.

This brought me into the picture on Wednesday when I was asked by the rescue if we had room for him.  The owner was getting ready to go out of town, so a quick decision had to be made.  Where Jake lived was practically around the corner from my office, so using that flimsy reason to justify taking him in, I agreed and picked him up after work.  I felt very sad for the owner and we both cried as she said good-bye to him.  I didn't tell her that I was the one who would be caring for Jake, but I did promise to let her know how he was doing.

~Jake's paw~ 
As I mentioned on Thursday, Jake is not the most handsome of Goldens and his care has been neglected.  He is tall, lanky and thin.  His nails are really long and curled under, looking more like talons than nails.  Added to that, there is a problem with his feet and he walks on his wrists. He has a very thin coat and his skin is visible in places including on his tail.  There is also a large cyst over his eye.  

~The trouble maker~
Meeting our crew did not go as smoothly as it has in the past.  For some reason Todd had an issue with Jake. He meets new dogs practically each time he goes to day care, and I can only guess that the problem started because he was crated when I picked up Jake, and couldn't meet him on equal ground.  The 'hostility' from Todd continued even after he was let out of the crate, fed his dinner, and played with.  Of course all of this upset the entire household, making it chaotic and very stressful for everyone.  I finally made Todd a 'Kong' and put him to bed.

Even with Todd out of the picture, Jake continued to be a nervous wreck.  His entire 13 years of life had been turned upside down.  He paced, panted and had several accidents.  Jake had always lived as an only dog, walking on wood floors and not being allowed in the kitchen and never having to do steps.  Our house is full of area rugs, dogs and he has to walk through the kitchen to get outside and down two steps.  You can see why he was so upset and confused about what was happening to him.
~Jake~
Worn out and tired, we all went to bed.  I'm not sure where Jake slept that first night.  But the last couple of days have been better ones, and even Todd has gotten over his issue with him.  We're working on getting Jake to feel more comfortable coming into the kitchen. He's still reluctant to walk on the rugs, and learning the steps is going to take some time. But he comes to us for attention and will sit next to me and and we're seeing tail-wags more and more.  The last two nights he has slept on a blanket next to the bed--I think we're headed in the right direction.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Behind the Scenes

Internet problems returned here at home, but Carl and Verizon are assuring me that after 3 days of a slower than slow connection, it's repaired once again.  Our snow was a short lived event and the warmth of the October sun melted it all on Sunday.  November has taken over, and we're seeing warm temperatures well above freezing during the day.

At the moment, all the dogs seem to be doing well.  The swelling of Jasmine's nose (that resembled Marsha Brady's) is almost back to normal.
~Bubba & Jasmine~
Toby is back to himself which is a huge relief! 
~Toby & Sam (snoozing)~
And Todd has had a good week at daycare...
I know, it does seem a bit of an uneventful week.  But behind the scenes, it hasn't been.  Yesterday I was asked if we would take in another dog.  Time was a bit of an issue and so I said yes. Last evening, I picked up a 13 year old boy named Jake.  Intros and settling in have not gone as smoothly as they have in the past.  He is really stressed and very nervous and confused.  I will post his story and better pictures tomorrow.  Jake is not the most photogenic and he's also not the most 'handsome' of Goldens either.  But he is really a sweet old dog, and he has reminded me that what's in his (or any) heart is what's most important. 
~Jake~

Saturday, October 29, 2011

The First Snow

Old Man Winter made an early arrival in Virginia.  Even though we still have leaves on half the trees  snow is coming down.  Because its been so warm, it's only sticking to the grass.  The sun is to return on Sunday and the snow will no doubt disappear.

There's just something about the first snow of the year.  And there's something about watching a puppy enjoy their first snowfall. Todd of course, loves it and has enjoyed chasing the falling snowflakes.  This morning I took this 20-ish second video of him playing in it for the first time.

We've been out several times playing in the snow and now that my feet and my hands are warmed up, we're going back outside to catch more snowflakes and pictures. 
  Enjoy your day!!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

A Rare Treat

Earlier in the week we were treated to a rare show of the northern-lights. Of course they are not as vivid or as beautiful as when we saw them in Alaska, but it was amazing and a bit of a surprise to be able to see them here in Virginia.  There really is no way a camera can capture the feeling of watching something like this in person.  Mother Nature can really put on a show can't she?
Jasmine is on the mend.  However the injury to her nose got a little infected and she was looking a bit like 'W.C.Fields' with a big round, swollen nose.  Thanks to antibiotics, she's looking a little better today.  Toby also hasn't been feeling well.  I'd hoped it was a 'bad restaurant review,' but I think because its continued for a couple of days and his appetite is waning, there may be something else going on. I'm hoping it's nothing too serious.
~Toby on the left, Jasmine the right~ 
It's a wet day here and the weather forecast mentioned that there might be some snow as colder temperatures and more rain arrives just in time for the weekend.  But for today, I've gotten all my errands done, and look forward to reading your blogs and keeping an eye on the dogs.  I wonder what Charlie is able to keep an eye on?