Drat!! Foiled a Again!

Letting the big group of dogs in en mass this morning, I noted quickly that only one of the young dogs came in. Bug was there, but where was the good puppy, RangoRango???

I put a couple of the loose group in crates to manage the chaos, then quickly popped back outside for a scan and shout for the wayward black bi pup.

"Rango!Rango!"

Silence.

Stillness.

Hmmmm.

Inside I told HM her baby boy was MIA and she quickly went out on the hunt.

"Rango?RAAAAAANGO??"

Silence.

Silence.

"OONA!!!! COME!!!!!!!!!!!"

(Oona? Wait. WHAT?!?!!!)

Quickly counting I see that Oona, too, was MIA. Those appeared to be the only two. Well then!

I opened the door and sure enough. There was Beanie with RangoRango.

It was reported that HM saw Beanie running around up at the barn. Happily there was no livestock loose yet in the back area, so they didn't try to go back there. That just leaves the barn cats to chase and annoy, and those cats well know how to get quickly away from overly-interested unattended dogs, so, the worst they could do was hunt cat poo (which they apparently did very efficiently - grrrrr). Even more happily, Oona's recall is legendary and spectacular (as long as there are no loose cats around) so she promptly came back with RangoRango on her heels.

The escape route was quickly located and blocked off. Ask me not how Oona got thru that little hole, but she did!!! After breakfast they were let back out and OonaBean ran right to the escape route and was annoyed to see it barricaded.

Foiled Again! Drat!

My Bitty

I saw him running along the curb of a 6-lane busy Memphis street in a drizzling rain on a Monday morning. Some dogs just scream "I shouldn't *BE* here!" and that was this little fella. He was clearly frightened, so I stopped to see if he wanted to be caught. He was undecided about me and took off down the road so I hopped in the van and followed him for a 1/2 mile or so. He tired out finally and I found myself squatting in the crosswalk of the less busy street to coerce him to come to me. He would come just within reach but if I tried to touch him, he scurried off about 10 feet and turned and stared to me to see if I could be trusted. After a few minutes of this, in the rain, I decided I was gonna have to nab him unwillingly. He came close and I snatched him up like a kitten. In return for my man-handling, he nipped me. I told him I didn't blame him, and we made friends.

I tried out all sorts of names on him but eventually I hit upon the one he responded to, and he became Bitty the Pomeranian. As far as street urchins go, Bitty was a breeze. He was house-trained, neutered, HW- tho he did have a pronounced heart murmur, he got along with all the big dogs, and when they forgot, he had no problem saying,"Hey! Little dog down here! Watch your feet!". In typical toy dog fashion he picked his friends. He liked you or he didn't. I looked for his owners with no success but didn't try too hard to find a furever home for him. He was easy. And I liked him. But I can tell ya, somebody was missing this little boy!

I have no idea how old he was. I was guessing 5-8 when I found him four years ago, but other friends thought a bit older. No way to tell tho really. It didn't really matter. He slept on my pillow when Stan wasn't hogging it, otherwise he slept on a pillow under the bed. Easy is the word I used to describe him. I wish all dogs were that easy.

About a week ago I noticed he was off his food. Not unusual for him. He self-moderated and often just picked at his food. By Saturday we were at the vet. He was not well. We got some meds and went home and i nursed him, but i don't think any of us had a clue of what was coming. By Sunday night he had quit eating on his own but would eat of I fed him. Monday I started feeding him by syringe every two hours hoping. Tuesday I fed him his breakfast and called the vet while i was out and told him I was going to bring him in, however Bitty had had enough and slept his final sleep.

Bitty was a street dog, but I loved him. He was funny and loving. He went to Missouri to visit my grandpa and great-aunts and was always a gentleman. His horridly undershot jaw and teeth that were at odd angles were always a point of conversation with people, it added to his ugly-cute face and charm! He fancied himself a sheep dog too, like the rest of the gang. He was always itching to get on their side of the fence!

I will miss him in his spot on my pillow at night. :(

Godspeed littlest boy. Tell everyone hello and I'll see you all some day.

Bitty
???? - 11/27/2012

Godspeed Gracie

Just a couple days after Gracie showed back up she disappeared once again. I kept looking every time I drove by. Every time I went in the back yard I glanced over hoping to see her sunning herself in her usual spot.

No such luck.

Friday night I noticed her food and water bowl were gone. I got hopeful that the church people had managed to coax her into the car. This morning I stopped by the church to ask them and got the terrible news that Gracie was dead.

The older lady had come by Wednesday to see her and said she was limping a little and acted like she wasn't feeling well. And most unusually against her normal behavior, she rolled over and allowed the woman to pet her tummy. They came back on Thursday to give her some thanksgiving food and she was not there so they drove around and found her around the corner, dead. We aren't really sure what from. Most likely hit by a car. Whatever the reason I was sad to hear that she never got her forever home. We tried. She just wasn't ever ready to come in.

So. Gracie is at the bridge. I am happy to know that she is, at last, safe. It's not what I had in mind, but it wasn't my decision. Special thanks to Carol for helping me find Brett at DeSoto Animal Rescue Society. And thank you Brett, for being willing to try to help a street dog have a better life.

It's going to take some time for me to get out of the habit if looking over to their yard searching for her. :(. Godspeed Gracie. We tried girl.

Cone of Shame

Haroooooo friends!!! TWIST here!!!!
ROO to you!

Poor me! Poor ROO!!!

Tonite dog-ma noticed I wuz paying speshul attenshen to mah booty. I mean it *IZ* cyoot rite?

Dog-ma sed I haz a hot spot on mah booty. How darez she?!! Mah whole booty iz hotness!! For serious!!!

Mah booty does haz problemness tho. Ouchie. It hurtz!
Dog-ma sez it iz on mah booty an right on mah nub. I haz a nub not a tail. It is part of whut makes mah booty xtra-cyoot! She used teh snippers on mah beyutimus furs an chop chopped it off. (Ah tried to chomp chomp her. It HURTZ!!)

Dog-ma sez the stinky powderyness she sprinkled will help mah whole booty be hotness (tha good kind) again but ah had to lickit off. Yuck!!!

Then dog-ma putted this THING on mah head. She chuckled an sez is teh Cone of Shame. SHAME?!!! Whut did ah do to dezerve such mizzery?!!! It tried to KEEL me! Mah FEETSES don't work. It traps me! Ah knock things an cannot see! Ah cannot MOOVE!!!

Lookit me an this pathetic cone!! Seriousness. One satellite joke an ah will bite yuoz!

Teh good newz iz ah gets ta sleep wif dog-ma tonite! Mah big head fits not in teh crate!!!!

Good nite friends. I sleeps. Finally.

Grace is Back

Last night around 10:00 I drove by the church and saw a dog in the shadows. Actually my first instinct was coyote. We have plenty of them. I pulled into the drive thinking to make sure it kept trotting away from my house (and livestock). After watching for it for a minute, I put my van in reverse and as I cut the wheel I saw her! Deep shadows make it hard for a white dog to hide. And I stopped and got out.

She barked a few times at me and wasn't wagging her tail, but she followed me to the steps. Grace definitely has some trust issues going on. And wherever she has been for two days didn't improve them. I'm wondering if she was caught by someone?

Anyway, this morning she was back in her spot sunning herself. I didn't see her tonight but I know she is around again, so at least can go to sleep without worrying quite as much.

Now the question is how to bring her in.

Someone with the church has been working to gain her trust for three months now. Grace still isn't ready. She will warn if she doesn't want them touching her. But she is a definite project dog. My question is… I don't want grace to have babies. Should I put out a live trap and drug her food, take her in and get her spayed and just see if she can cope with captivity, or spay and release? And wait for her to say she is ready?

Dogs with trust issues are such touchy issues. Guess I will talk with the church folks a bit and see what they are thinking too. Whatever. I'm happy to know she is ok.

Where's Grace???

I have been working for weeks to find a rescue group that could save Grace. Grace is a smaller mixed breed who showed up out here about three or four months ago. Living in the country there are always dogs dumped out here :(

Grace set up residence down the street from me, on the stoop of the church. She slept there. She was always sunning herself out there. I saw her every day and set her good wishes. Every morning as I left my house I would look over and see her sunning and say hi. The church is run down, and has very few members now - probably only about 20, but they are faithful and go every Wednesday and sunday. They and others around have been feeding Grace, making sure she had water. Except for a home of her own, she had a pretty good set up really.

But as winter was approaching and temps were dropping, I knew we needed to get Grace into a more hospitable atmosphere if possible and that's when I found DARS. DeSoto Animal Rescue, and Brett, who said he would take her. We made a plan to catch her except his car went in the shop and it was delayed.

I saw her in her usual morning spot on Saturday sunning herself., and I stopped to tell my neighbor that we were going to catch her tomorrow(Sunday) and get her into a home. He was happy for it. He has been feeding her too, and was concerned about her wintering.

Sunday morning Grace is now missing. She has been there every day for three months. The morning I go to get her and she is gone. I am devastated. If you are at an area shelter please keep an eye out for her. She doesn't trust people and may be having a difficult time if she is in a shelter. I just have a bad feeling about this. Please. Grace slept every day for four months on the stoop of a church, and now she needs our prayers to bring her into safety. If you have any knowledge of this dog, please let me know. I need to find out what happened to Grace.

Important Info - Grace was last seen at Fite road and Rust road just off Hwy 51 north of Memphis, TN. If you know where the DuPont plant is, she was on the other side of the hwy, (north Fite off Watkins, not the other end of Fite by the Motorsports Park ). Please text or call me, Tish, at (901) 628-8474 if you have any information about Grace.

No! Roo!!!! Noooooooooo!!!!!

Haroooooo friends!!! TWIST here!!!! ROO to you!

Mom and I went to the barn this morning with PunkinHead (and you thought I was stuck with a silly name!) and Woo to do extra chores! Rolling a hay bale! Woot Woot! I am the best helper - ever!!! I supervise bale rolling and knot tying. I make sure everything is ship shape!

Then I noticed the sheep. SHEEP!!! And they were being baaaaa-d sheep! They were in the pasture nomnomnom on grass, not right with my mum, as all sheep should be, so i had to remedy that. Quickly! I raced off and brought them home.

When I got back with them mom said ThankRoo, and then had Punkinhead walk them back out!!! (Heeeey. I just brought them TO you!!!).

More knot supervision. More fence patrol and zoom. Off I went to get those baaaad sheep again. My Bo Peep ain't losing our sheep while I'm around!!! Mom isn't really mad at me. It's ok that I want to go get them, and I am nice and bring them all home (my sister is bad and only brings some home). But not me! Not Roo!!!

Another ThankRoo. And again PunkinHead gets to take them back out. Grrrrrr. Then mom puts the leash of shame on me and I have to stay with her. Oh the horrors. A leash!!!

Finally all the knots had been knotted and we were done. The sheep came in on their own! They know better than to try to run from you-know-Roo! (Mon says tho it's because they heard their breakfast being put in their pans). I prefer to think they know I'm gonna go get 'em if they don't behave!

That's what I did this morning.

Yay me! ROO!!!

OUCH!

Perhaps sitting under an oak tree wasn't the best idea on a breezy day during acorn season. I am being pelted!

The Weavers

Together
We weave
A safety net
You and I
Each hand the warp
Each deed the weft
To catch each dog
And bring them to
Safe harbor.
Every dog.
Every time.

Together
We can
Keep these babies safe.
That they never know hunger
Or an unkind face
That their every sleep
Be dreamless
Sweet
That their every waking hour
Be happy
Carefree.

So that no Lappy, Ever,
Sits alone and scared
In a lonely cell
In an overcrowded shelter
Or dies alone
Forgotten
At the hands of a stranger
Because no one came
In time
And said
"I'll take her."

Every dog
Every time
Warp and weft
We are
Powerful strong
Together