Day 14 - spruce meadows

So Mom did some volunteering for AARCS on Saturday, she was in their booth at the Spruce Meadows Christmas Market. 
She was gone a long time but she told me it was a long day but was great to get to talk to so many people about adopting rescues, fostering and what AARCS was all about.  She really enjoyed herself and she made some new friends. 
here are the pictures of them.  Meika, Pickles & Pal.
Meika is a 3 month old that when rescued was so dehydrated and starving that you could see every bone.. she has come a long ways and should be up for adoption soon.
Pickles & Pal are 6 weeks old and from a litter of 6, of the cutest puppies ever.  They also should be up on the AARCS website soon. 

  

Day 12 - They have names

OK sorry for the delay, Mom has been pretty busy and lots has happened.  Our new fosters are sooo cute,  I have met Momma now but Mom won't let Tanner or I near the baby.

So after a few days Mom finally named them.. Momma is Lilly Lou and the baby is Poppy.  She was born around Remembrance Day so Mom felt it fitting.

Lilly  is a pretty good mom, she is very curious  of everything and when Mom brings her out she checks around.  Mom was having some problems in that Lilly would not go to the bathroom outside, it was a week until finally Mom said she went pee out side.  Mom did a little happy dance and the next day she did finally pooh.  Another happy dance from mom.
Poppy is getting super chunky as Lilly has lots of milk and with only one puppy it's pretty easy.
This was an interesting weekend.. Mom has been patiently waiting for Poppy's eyes to open and finally on Sunday morning when Mom checked another dance.. wow Mom has been dancing a lot with these fosters...ha ha!!!
So on Friday morning, Lilly jumped the baby gate and wanted to follow Mom.. Mom watched her jump back in and because she had to go to work couldn't fix the problem but she wasn't too worried since she knew that Lilly could go back and forth and she really didn't think she would wander because me and Tanner would be in the basement too  I had not met her yet.
Well when Mom got home it was super obvious that she was visiting us as she did her business in the basement.  We had a great time and her and Tanner are now best buddies.
Mom rigged something else up and it worked for a day then on Sunday she figured out this new barrier.. she is one smart dog.  Mom & Dad had to try something different and put up a board that was at least 4 feet high if not higher.. well Mom had to go out and when she got home..yup another surprise in the basement.  He he, Lilly is a really really good jumper..  So tonight Dad is building a gate that hopefully will work as a more permanent door.

Mom has a few new pictures but when Poppy is a few more days older she will update her picture with her eyes open.. I can't wait to meet her but Mom keeps telling me it will be a long time before that happens.
Lilly comes upstairs when she is going out side and says hi to Tanner and me.. I think I'm starting to like her a little.

Poppy approximately 6 days old

Day 2 - OH MY!

So a quick up date... Kandis was adopted and went to a great home. Mom already got a few updates and she settled in really well and was playing lots and making them laugh.  YEAH!  another success story. 

Well now on to the big news,   Mom told me that she did something big this time.. last night she went to Vets with out me.. (thanks goodness!).  And came home with a young momma and her puppy.
Not a lot is known about them, she was a stray up North and the sad part is that she lost 3 of her puppies.  But one was still strong and healthy so far and they are now both staying with us. 
Mom doesn't have a lot of momma/baby experience but she told Dad she was up for the challenge.

We haven't met her yet, Mom says it will be awhile before we do, she needs to get super settled and feel comfortable in her new environment.

This morning Mom told me how wonderful the new momma is and her baby.  She lets mom touch her and the baby, and she even gave her thank you kisses.. awwwwww.

The Vets told Mom that she is a puppy still herself and they think she is only between 7-9 months old.
So all of this is pretty new to her. 

We only have one picture so far and its not the greatest... momma is still pretty unsure of everything.  Oh and we get to name them both!!!!!!!!! 

Day 15 - Kandis & Roxy

So lots has happened, first I want to talk about Roxy.  On the Friday after we got Kandis we had another AARCS visitor.  Roxy -  a little Miniature Pincher that is up for adoption.  Her foster Mom went away for the weekend so we looked after her.

At first I wasn't sure if she was even a dog, I had never seen a min pin before but after our sniffing it was confirmed.  Roxy was super upset that she was left behind and even started to howl.  It was crazy and I was just about  to join in when she stopped. Oh well, we had fun that weekend. Roxy did everything with us, even came to the off leash dog park.  Mom was pretty proud of her cause it did not take long and she took her leash off and let her run free with us. Mom even said she was surprised at how good she was at the dog park with us.  Roxy loves to run but stayed fairly close and always came when Mom called. 

The only thing I did not like about Roxy is that Mom let her sleep on the bed, I'm not even allowed to do that all night. Mom explained that she was used to that and to help her not be so scared she was allowed. 

Well Roxy is back with her foster Mom and their resident Dog Rupert, you must check out his blog too. Mom says it such a great blog,  rupertswish. and if you are interested in Roxy's profile cause she really needs her own home go here.  AARCS Adoption - Roxy

Now onto Kandis which Mom has decided shes like the name Sadie for her better.  It's been a little confusing around her because of that.  I will continue to call her Kandis so we all know what to look up in the AARCS pages.  AARCS - Kandis
She is officially up for adoption and even has an application, our fingers are crossed.  I am really starting to like her though so will be sad to see her leave.  Now that she is all better from her spay operation she is lots of fun.  Mom & Dad really like her and give her lots of love.  She is a big time cuddlier and seems to get all the good spots on the couch lately.  Mom says she is better than Tanner & I at the dog park and her recall is amazing and never goes far.  She also loves all the other dogs and people she meets.  She loves to go and greet everyone in hopes of getting pets.  She is so cute it usually works pretty good.

Mom wants me to tell you that she does not bark very much and she does a bit of talking to you which she really likes.  We are still working on the house training but its getting better.  This will take time and consistency.  The other thing that is so cute is she loves to play with stuffies but hasn't destroyed them yet.  And I must say Tanner & I have been super good about not stealing them and ripping them to shreds which we like to do. 

The other thing Mom is making me mention is that she is kennel trained and sleeps all night in it without a peep. She is a very calm dog too, while she tries very hard for your attention if she realizes you aren't giving her any will just go entertain herself with either a toy or bone or just sit on the dog bed and watch everything.

Mom and I both know she is going to make someone super happy when they adopt her. 

She must have some terrier as she likes to grab your pant leg or nudges you but corrects really well with it.

We had professional pictures done by Marsha from Marshmallow Pet Photography, what an amazing person.  It was all Mom talked about for days.  here are some pictures of her.

Day 6 - Meet Kandis

Mom & Dad left the house Wednesday night and they were all secretive... I didn't know what was really going on, I was a little upset that I wasn't invited though.
When they came home it was even more secrets, Tanner and I were locked out of the basement and there seemed to be an excitement with Mom.
The next morning I snuck down after mom and from the door window into the basement I saw her with another dog...I was not happy and she took it out side to boot...without me!!!  This must be the Kandis she told me about the other day.
That evening Mom let Tanner and I meet Kandis through the baby gate and she was wagging her tail so Mom decided that one at a time she would let us meet for real.  I did some sniffing, Kandis did some sniffing and all was good.
Mom carried Kandis upstairs to the rest of the house (she is sore still from her spay operation).
She is pretty cute but I'm jealous and not very happy... so I will let Mom fill you in on Kandis's story.

Kandis has just finished her motherly duties and is now ready for her own furever home.  She is not very big but very skinny right now.  All her nutrients went to her puppies so I will give her lots of food and she will fill out quickly I'm sure.
We don't know a lot about this girl other than she was living on her own for who knows how long, but she is super friendly and not afraid of me or my Fiance'.  Doesn't seem to mind the dogs, at the moment everyone is pretty much ignoring each other.  She walk amazing on the leash, no pulling and just walks behind you.
She really wants human interaction which is great, she is just happy to sit beside you and get petted.  Will nose your hand if you stop and will give the sweetest little kisses.  Her tail is always wagging.
She really is a very sweet and gentle dog.
Your guess is as good as mine as to what breed or should I say breeds she is. 

Im Back!!!!!

Wow, it has been a long time.  After Gizmo found her furever home, Mom & Dad decided to take a break as it was coming up camping season.

I will give you a quick up date cause we did do some cool stuff for AARCS over the summer.
I should say Mom & Dad did, but I looked after things at home..
This spring they went out with a bunch of other AARCS volunteers and dropped off dog houses and dog food to some families and dogs that needed some extra love and care.

They said it was quite the experience and was so happy to see so many dogs have warm homes to go into when the weather turns.

Also we got to do a bit of foster sitting on a temporary basis.  We had little Frank, he was a lot of fun and I think Dad really took  a shine to him.  He was a little Shitzu cross with think about 1 year old so he really like to play with me.  He had a bad eye that mom had to put drops in and I guess he was scheduled for surgery.  We had him for the weekend and it was alot of fun.
Frank has since found he furever home.  :)


So on Wednesday we will receive our new Foster, Mom doesn't know much about her other than she has recently had puppies and they are all ready for adoption so now its her turn for some love and find her furever home too. Her name is Kandis. 

Mom is very excited to meet her.  Im a little worried but I'm sure we will all get along just fine.

Also this weekend we will be foster sitting Roxy, she is a little Miniture Pincher and sounds like she is a lot of fun. Roxy is already up for adoption and on the AARCS website so check her out.

Well Mom will post pictures and an update once we have these fosters in our home. 

Cheers,

Kracker


Me & Frank





Day 166 - Gizmo has a new Family!!!

So a lot has happened in the last few weeks. Mom had a few applications for Gizmo. She even took her to an Adopt-A-Thon where people could come and see a bunch of the dogs/puppies and cats that AARCS has up for adoption. Mom said that Gizmo did pretty good considering she has never been in a store or around so much unknown things for her.
The first application didn't work out but Mom wasn't worried, she just told Gizmo that the right family is out there and we have to be patient. Well boy was Mom right.
So on Saturday a family came to visit Gizmo, Dad, son and daughter and I even got to meet them too. At first Dad put Tanner and me downstairs so that Gizmo could get all the attention and they all seemed to really like eachother. Gizmo was giving lots of kisses and the best part was they brough her a new toy and treats. How sweet was that!!! Finally after a bit Mom said that we could come up stairs and meet the family too, I mean we want to give our thumbs up or down since she is our sister. Both Tanner and I really liked them too, I sat very nicely beside the Boy and he gave me lots of pets.
Then Mom and the family took Gizmo for a walk so they could see how she was with J - she is 11 and was so excited about getting a puppy. Well Giz did great, she was a little scared but that is to be expected.
So they really liked her but they also have a cat at home so it was important to make sure everyone in the family got along. On Sunday Mom took Gizmo to their house so she could meet the cat and the Mom.
I guess the first meeting went really well, Gizmo sniffed and actually pointed with her paw (she has never done that before) but the cat just smelt her and went upstairs. So they let Gizmo check out the house and everyone, even the back yard. Which Gizmo told me was awesome.
Some friends came over to see her as well and Gizmo took everything in stride and was very calm. The cat did come downstairs later to again check out Gizmo and there was a bit of hissing which scared her and she ran to the pillow they had on the floor. They all feel that they will be fine and get along no problem once they are used to eachother and sharing the space. Lets face it Cats always rule the house anyway.
So Mom got the official call last night that they definately want to Adopt Gizmo and the plan is to pick her up on Monday, April 9th. So that gives me a week to play with her.
We are all gonig to miss her but we are also super happy she is going to such a fabulous home.

Day 145 - Gizmo is a super star

Part of going up for adoption AARCS sends over a professional photographer to take pictures of all of the great dogs/cat/puppies/kittens. These photographers do this for free with advertising and let me tell you Sheena of Blinking Cow was amazing. If you check out her website go to Community and there is a list of the rescue's she helps out. We are very grateful for this. She also is on Facebook so like her page and its so much fun to see all her new animals. She has given Mom permission to show some of Gizmo's pictures. OK I actually didn't get to meet her since Mom made Tanner and me stay downstairs with Dad so we wouldn't steal the show... he he! I mean I have a lot of cuteness in me too. But Mom showed me the pictures.
Mom & Dad went on vacation with out us and let me tell you, I hate it when I see the suit cases come out. Cause whenever that happens it means we aren't going with them. :(
But the good news is we had S&S&L stay with us and they brought my BFF Cooper with them. We had 10 days of play play play. Gizmo really likes Cooper too so the 3 of us were like the 3 Musketeers. OH Mom is making me apologize cause whenever she leaves me I get kinda upset and I ate a plant, the shoe laces of one of S's shoes and Gizmo & I chewed some makeup brushes we found. OH and we are really sorry for ripping one of her shirts we stole out of the laundry basket. I just can't help myself I get so worried that I'm going to be left again.. OK Mom I said it, hope we are OK again!! :)
We were all very happy when they got home, I could tell they missed us too.
So Gizmo is now 6 months and weighs about 29lbs. That's still smaller than me but she has grown and is a lot taller. But she is still a long ways from Tanner, he he!!! She is also starting to get into trouble. Testing Mom & Dad but they still rave about how good she is.
She is also really sensitive, when they do catch her doing something and tell her "NO" she goes and sulks on her bed and won't even look at them.. what a baby.
Well this is it for updates, we are still patiently waiting for someone to want to adopt Gizmo, I can personally vouch for her.. she is a sweet heart even though she kisses too much.

Day 124 - Up for Adoption

So we have big news, Gizmo went to the Vets on Friday.. I felt so bad for her cause she did not get to eat breakfast. Mom left for work and took Gizmo with her and I guess she dropped her off at the vets to be spayed.

Mom called later that day to check on her and was told she was just waking up (whew we were worried). I guess her heart murmur is still there and stress induced, during the operation it went to a level 3 which is pretty high. But she made and is doing super well. When Mom brought her home she just went to her bed under the computer and slept. She then went into her kennel when we all went to bed.

I guess she woke Mom up at 3 but would not leave the kennel, Mom was worried that she might start to lick her stitches so literally slept on the floor by her kennel to make sure she was ok.

She also was able to eat some food at 3 AM as well. I think that made her feel better. She had a hard time getting comfortable and was not sleeping well so it was a rough night for Mom, but in the morning everyone was acting more like themselves. Gizmo ate a good breakfast and went outside to do her business.

Mom had to go out for a bit so put a cone of shame on her but we decided in her case it was a Cone of Pride.

She actually wasn't bugging her stitches so Mom has not put the cone on again. By Monday she was back to normal and trying to play with me. Mom put a stop to that though and when we went to the dog park Gizmo had to be on the lead to keep her from running and playing too much. I guess she has to do this for at least a week. That's a hard thing to do when you are a dog.

So now that Gizmo has been spayed she is officially up for adoptions. Check out her profile on the AARCS website and tell all your friends about her. She needs a great home. http://www.albertaanimalrescuecrew.com/profile.php?id=1693&sourcePage=adoptions

She is also getting professional pictures taken on Wednesday. Mom is hopeful that the photographer will give her permission to post a pic or two on the blog. So check back later.

Day 116 - Gizmo Update

Hey Everyone,

Again its been a while but really not much has happened lately.

Tanner and Gizmo were under the weather a bit and had a bad cough. Tanner got it first and went to the vets where they gave him a shot and some medicine. Gizmo started coughing a week later and Mom took her to the vets, they felt she was pretty good and just told Mom to give her steam baths and pound her side to help with the Phlegm.
It was pretty funny as Mom started to take Gizmo into the shower every morning with her. They have a big shower with a seat so Gizmo would just sit and take in the steam.. Mom was super impressed that she just sat there and didn't even try to escape. I tell you, I would not have been so good... cause I don't like baths of any type....

The vet also checked out Gizmo's heart and ......(drum roll here) He could not hear a murmur...yipppeeeee. This means that she will go in for her spay soon and then be up for adoption. That part I don't like, cause we are now BFF's and play lots. I will miss her :( So fingers crossed that everything goes well on Feb 17th.


Hey we had a big party at the house on the weekend. Mom & Dad celebrated Valentines and their engagement. Lots of people came over. I don't really like crowds so I would go back and forth from getting pets to hiding under the end table and just watching. Gizmo though did really well and liked all the people.. and Cooper came to visit as well so they played lots and were happy with all the people around.


Well that's about it for now, here are some pictures of Gizmo. One you can see my nose in it.. I don't know why Mom didn't put me in the picture too... the others are of Gizmo cuddled into the blankets.

Day 90 - New Boots

Wow, again lots has happened. Giz got to go on a play date with Sidney, I guess they really didn't want a lot to do with each other other than chase after the ball together but Mom was so happy because I guess Sidney remembered her and came running and jumped in her arms and gave lots of Sidney kisses. Mom was beaming when they came home. I guess she has Uppie ears like Giz, same height but still smaller in size. She is doing super duper good, we are all happy she found the most amazing forever home.
Then a week ago we were at the dog park and mom recognized a puppy from the AARCS website Bonnie. A cute little husky cross with 1 blue 1 brown eye. Well while Mom and Bonnie's foster Mom were talking, Gizmo and Bonnie started to play, this is the first time Gizmo has played with another puppy.. and I mean play they were rolling around wrestling and chasing each other.. I must admit it was fun to watch and it also meant Giz wasn't bugging me so I really like that. Mom was so happy, we walked with Bonnie and her Mom for the whole park so they could play together. It was a great day for Gizmo.
Well the cold weather hit, Dad took us to the park on Sunday but we only did 1 lap cause all of us were doing the little cold feet dance. So the last 2 nights Mom has been busy making boots for all of us. She has always made me boots but they were all full of holes from last year so I needed new ones.

Tanners boots that he had were also full of holes and of course Gizmo didn't have any.
Mom made mine first cause she has the pattern already, then she took one of mine and tried it on Giz, "it fit" so she continued to make some for Giz out of the same color as mine. We have nice dark Purple boots.

Then she had to measure Tanner and make his pattern. She tried them on, well he wasn't too impressed but I know he likes them once we are out in the snow.
Mom also put all 4 on Gizmo to see what she would do and get pictures. it was pretty funny but she actually did really well for a bit then she started to bite at them, so Mom took them off. We get to try them out tonight as its supposed to warm up to the low 20's, much better then the high 20's and into the 30's...brrrrrr that's cold.

Day 83 - Gizmo is getting big

OK, its been super busy with Christmas and everything but really MOM you could have found time to up date the blog. Anyway, wow lots has happened since Sidney left for her new home. Oh and by the way, Mom and Gizmo got to see her on Sunday and she is doing great. Mom was so excited because Sid remembered her and jumped into her arms and gave her lots and lots of kisses.. Mom is so sappy.

OK lets get updated, Gizmo was doing not too bad with out her sister. Nights were fine but during the day is where she had a hard time. She started to get out of the room. It took us a few days to figure it out, she was actually climbing the baby gate. Yikes and that meant I had to tolerate her all day!!!! she did use the paper on the floor though so Mom & Dad were happy about that.

So Mom moved her big wire kennel out into the area where Tanner and I hang out and she put her in that during the day. Well she was able to get out of it too! Dad fixed it though so she couldn't push the ends out. Now she is locked in during the day. I feel sorry for her but Mom says she has to be kennel trained for her new family and it will help with the house training too.

Mom's Parents were visiting before Christmas and they have 2 little dogs, Tara and Peppi. They are OK dogs, pretty much keep to themselves so I was OK with that. Mom had the whole family over on Dec 18 for our BIG Christmas dinner. 15 people and 8 dogs were here. I was a little worried especially since Rocky was coming over and he is not very good with puppies. But you know he did a few lip curls and growls and Gizmo left him alone. We had a great day, I got to play with my BBF Cooper and Gizmo joined in as well. So we had lots of fun that day and everyone had a great time.

We started to take Gizmo to the off leash park with us too and that was interesting. Everyone at the park loves her. She follows Tanner and me all over the place but won't go too far away from Mom and Dad. Mom is really pleased with her recall so far. She comes every time when called, of course sometimes there is a treat if you come right away, other times some great pets. I try to come right away too, but the odd time I'm into a really good smell and just can't leave it.. Mom and Dad get mad at me and put me on the leash when this happens. :(

Between Christmas and New Years, Gizmo went to the vets for her last set of shots. They checked her heart and weighted her. she was around 18lbs then and we think close to 20lbs now. They could still hear the heart murmur but said to them is seemed lighter so that is good news. They will check her at 5 months again.

Look at this great looking pack, after we put of the tree we had to take a picture.

Gizmo, Cooper, Kracker, Tanner

I have also started to play with her a bit, she isn't so bad now that she is a bigger. Just wish she would stop kissing me..yuck!!! We chase each other around the house with keep away and play tug-o-war. She is a lot of fun. Mom says though that she is a little bossy at the park and hasn't figured out that dogs just want to play. So Mom started to take her to some puppy classes and play time. Well the training part Gizmo is super good at it.. but the play part not so good. She really doesn't want to socialize with the other puppies and wants to be more of the play police. She has a hard time with a lot of movement and barks at the other puppies playing. One of the trainers told Mom not to worry but that she obviously has some sort of Herding breed in her... poor mom I think she was in denial with this but it looks like maybe she has a bit of Healer. Yup she definitely tries to heard and nips other dogs to get them to stop or do what she wants. Well that explains a lot, so Mom is now trying to teach her to retrieve as she will need a job to do in the park when she is older. I must admit she is pretty good at it and brings the toy back right away and drops it.

Well this is a long post and Mom says she has to go so to wrap it up. I will make Mom do a better job and we will let you know how Giz is doing and what else we are doing with AARCS.

Cheers everyone,
Kracker