Puppies, Six Weeks Old

I had a draft ready to post today with updates on all the happenings going on around here, I am so far behind, and promised many of you I would catch you all up to date. Well, then this happened, new puppy photos, and I just couldn't put off sharing their photos. My update will come later in the week.

For now, enjoy the puppies. They are six weeks old. Annie is in there somewhere!

Say Awwwww!

The Border Collie puppies are now five weeks old. They are all so precious.

Puppy Breath

Hello to all my blog friends. Time has passed by so quickly, I hadn't realized I have been absent for so long. I have many updates to write about, emails to answer, phone calls to return, my apologies. I will get to those this week.

Hubby and I have decided it is time to add another puppy to the family. It has been very difficult after losing Jake. As much as we both love German Shepherds, we know in our hearts, we don't want another German Shepherd, we just want Jake, and that is not going to happen. Our house is full of Aussies, and Jarie... being the sweetest German Shepherd, will always be our very special girl; so we still have a German Shepherd. We have now decided it is time to add a Border Collie into the mix!

Without delaying this any further, let me introduce you to our future pup. Photos were taken by the breeder at 3 weeks old. A litter of five girls. We won't know which one will be coming home to us for a few more weeks, but they are all adorable! She will be coming home in mid May.

I can almost smell the Puppy Breath!!

Introducing Wicket

This is the new boy, or perhaps I should say ONE of the new boys I am working on. He is the one I mentioned in my last post that is not feral, but rather a stray, most likely dumped.

He has been here for a couple months now. When he first showed up he was wearing a collar, and the tag was very visible from a distance. I am unable to get close enough with all that hair he has to see if he lost the collar or just the tag.



He is very scared, and does not seem to be very street smart. He is finally coming as close as 10 feet to me, but not close enough to pet. He will watch and wait for me to put the wet food out for the other ferals on the back patio, and as I walk away he will come up and eat along with the others.



Unfortunately when he sees Karl or Storm, he panics, screams the most terrifying scream. I can actually recognize his yowling while I am inside the house, he has such a distinctive and unique sound. I have worked with hundreds of ferals and strays through the years, but I must admit, I have never heard the type of sound and panic that comes from this boy.

I am hoping to trap him this weekend. I am still not sure what I am going to do with him. I really do not want to release him to live outside as a feral. Knowing he had a collar once, tells me he is tame, he is just scared. If I can work with him, I will attempt to foster him until he will be ready for adoption.

He is such a magnificent boy.




The cats are keeping me quite busy lately. It was calm and quiet around here for awhile; I miss those days. We have many strays, perhaps some born feral, as I have spotted three young cats, possibly around 6 months old hanging in and around my shelter.

Busy days ahead!

Cat Trapping

Remember *The* Karl?! Aw, I really love this boy. He reminds me a lot of BT. A big, strong feral tom cat, who really, deep down is just a pile of mush that wants a home to call his own, and feel safe.

Finally got him trapped this past Sunday for his neuter. He had some pretty nasty battle wounds behind his ears, and neck. The vet shaved , cleaned, medicated and ear tipped him as planned.

We couldn't just let Karl take a trip without his partner in crime, so yes, we also trapped the Linx Point, which my husband so dearly named Storm.

Isn't that just an adorable face!

Storm was not too happy in the trap, as you can see in the photos the newspaper was shredded within minutes.

He also had wounds that needed cared for by the vet, and also an eye infection. Both boys were quite easy to trap. I originally set out the traps Saturday evening, without success. The only ones I kept trapping were the other cats in my existing colony. Sunday early morning I reset the traps with little hope, but within 10 minutes of each other, they both didn't hesitate to walk in.

We didn't get them back home until late, so they had to sleep in the traps overnight, until I could release them Monday morning. If any of you reading have ever been involved in TNR and releasing a feral, then you know the feeling you get, when you open that trap to release them. A feeling I can't really explain comes over you. Here is a cat you have never come close to touching, a cat born feral, terrified of humans. As a caretaker you build a special bond with these cats, a different sort of bond and relationship that you would with a normal household pet. They want to trust you, but they don't, and not trusting is what, for the most part, keeps them safe. We have this understanding. As they ran out of the traps, they jumped on the wall, stopped, turned, and just looked at me, then at their surroundings, then back at me, then they knew, they were home.

I have another kitten similar to Lacee who has shown up, I am now working on trapping. I also have a stray, that most likely was dumped, and causing quite a bit of ruckus around here. Those two are my next priority.

So many things have been keeping me away from blogging. Eventually, I hope, things will settle some. Until then, hope all is well with all my blog friends.

Happy New Year

2009 has gone by so fast, I try to look back and think of all I have accomplished. It had been a trying and difficult year. 2008 and 2007 wasn't any better, I am thinking, three times is quite enough, so 2010 should be a good year!

I have had some heartbreaking losses, pet and human alike. I have made new friends, stayed in touch with old friends, surrounded myself with more positive people, and kept myself away from the negative ones.

I have made great friends here in blog land, and appreciate the kind comments you leave, the friendly emails, and the phone conversations. Many of you here have become extended family. I thank each one of you for such kindness, and putting up with some of my many rants.

I thought I would end the year with everyone in my household healthy and happy. Wishful thinking on my part. Hubby is sick with a bad head cold, so lots of resting for him this weekend.

Lacee is having some trouble with her throat. We knew this would happen as she grew, as the shoelace she was hung with had done some damage, so keeping a close eye on her eating and swallowing ability is a must right now, then we will determine what the next step will be.

Oscar is doing well. He is losing weight, not a good sign, but he is happy and content, and that is all I want. As long as he is happy and pain free, then so am I.

Bandit has injured his leg, and we are waiting for an appointment with his vet to determine if he has an ACL tear. He is on strict rest in his crate, and only potty breaks on leash. He must remain quiet and calm, which means we also need to keep all the dogs quiet and calm, not always an easy task.

I don't make New Year resolutions, I never have, as I feel they are too easy to break. I will leave you all with just a few words.

Don't compare your life to others, you have no idea what kind of journey they have or had to get where they are today, or how their journey continues.
Don't have negative thoughts. Invest your energy in the positive moments of every day.
Smile and laugh more. Remember, smiling and laughing is contagious, so pass it around. Try to make someone smile everyday.
Dream more while you are awake, and always believe those dreams are a possibility.
You are in charge of your own happiness, so Be Happy.

Best wishes to everyone and Happy New Year!
Always Dream and Always Believe.

Merry Christmas

I posted this photo last Christmas, but since I am such a sentimental fool, and Jake and Princess are no longer with us, I thought, why not, they still deserve their blog time, even if it is just in a photo.

I have contemplated on what to write about for weeks, and have had many instances where I would tell myself "I have to remember to write about this", but, the correct words just are not there.

Christmas time is such an emotional time for me, and most likely for many reading this blog. I hope many find the true spirit of Christmas, within your hearts. Christmas is about generosity, but not so much of giving of material things, but giving of your time. Please find the time to spend with family, friends, and those near and dear to you. We often get caught up in our own hectic lives, and tend to forget or take the time to be with those we care most about.

We don't know what tomorrow will bring, we don't know if this will be our last Christmas with family and friends. Don't wait until it is too late. Pick up the phone and call that special friend or family member, and let them know you were thinking of them today.

Try to see the goodness in others, even in a perfect stranger. Lend out a helping hand this holiday season. Find forgiveness, offer a warm embrace, a gentle smile, and a little of your time.

Merry Christmas!