Forest Update

Forest update August 12, 2013    Forest is doing great! He is fitting in wonderfully with all, even Maury the cat, they are buddies.  Joey (Black and White Cocker) has come out of his depression in a short time of getting to know Forest, now they are in-separable.  We all love Forest, I fixed our backyard gate that accesses the golf course and we all started evening walks on the course, of course Forest can’t wait and anticipates the trek all afternoon.  Here are a few pics, Dano and Jeannie.

Dandee is adopted & an update

DANDEE ADOPTED JULY 27, 2013 

As you can imagine Dandy and I have been having a ball. He has been coming along very well. He is still slow to trust people right off the bat but mostly he seems to warm up to people within the first half hour or less depending. Everyone I have introduced him to has been very kind, patient and affectionate with him.

He gets along perfectly well with the other two dogs. I think Abby and him got into a little tiff right behind us yesterday morning but we couldn't tell who started what and neither were hurt or still upset. Not entirely sure what that was about. He has tried to charge the chickens a few times. Only if one is separated from the rest. He will also make bluff charges through the fence. As far as we have seen he hasn't tried to put one in his mouth, but the other day, all three of the dogs cornered one of the hens against the back door. I was in the back room when that happened and opened the door to see what was what and all three dogs looked guilty but the chicken was fine. I think they were having fun together, being mischievous. I told them NO and they all backed up into the yard and laid down like they were in timeout, but not in real trouble. I haven't seen them do that again since, so hopefully no worries.

I think the most difficult thing for Dandee is that my hours are really strange to him. However due to the heat down here, he seems to prefer my schedule to the one's of the other dogs. I take Dandee out in the early mornings and at sunset and he loves it. He is very good on the leash and continues to improve. Before when we walked by houses that has barking dogs, he would nearly stop in his tracks and would cower. Now he still looks unsure and a little afraid but he keeps walking and stays to my side.

I think overall, Dandee seems to trust my judgment and consequently is comfortable wherever and whenever he senses that I am at ease. He also seems to mimic my attitude. If we are walking and I get a weird feeling and get on the alert, he follows suit or if people are being loud or gesturing quickly but I am still calm or happy, he continues to play with the other dogs or hang out like he was.

He is very adaptable and very easy going. He is alright with just hanging out in the yard, around the house, or wherever we be.     Iris

Denim is adopted & an update

DENIM ADOPTED AUGUST 3, 2013

Denim is a blue heeler that now has his own home with a mom and a dad and a little girl.  What a life for him.

We made it home with no problem.  He is getting along very well with our other dog, Marla just gave him a bath.  He loved it, very good dog!  Thank you  Byrle

Greetings Denim is a very special dog.  He is fitting in very well, first couple days, he showed me all the holes under my fence. Lol    We have fixed all of our security issues now, hehehe.    He just seems to bloom a little more as he is getting used to us and his new home.    All my visitors comment on how sweet and gentle he seems.    We are very glad we found him

Johnny is adopted

JOHNNY ADOPTED JULY 19, 2013  I am adding a couple of pictures of Johnny as the runt of the litter as well as one with Lulu on his adoption day.

Johnny came to us with a litter of puppies.  He was the runt and didn’t thrive so Laurie and Brad decided to keep him here at FFAA.  Brad made Johnny special meals and eventually he blossomed.  He is now a normal size dog and one of our most balanced dogs.  Whenever we get puppies in, he enjoys taking care of them.  When the puppies move on by adoption or move on to Colorado for adoption, Johnny misses them and looks around for them.  One of my personal stories about Johnny is that I used to hold him on my shoulder because he was so small.  Then when he grew he would come and put his paws in my lap and ask to get on my shoulder.  He’s way too big for that.  Here is an update from  Johnny, Bob and Lulu.   

From Johnny,    We finally made it here to Las Cruces -- Well really it's Dona Ana. Got in about 10 last night. Bob & Lulu showed my all around the place. They ate some hamburgers and even gave me one. I think it was midnight before we all went to sleep. Bob fixed me a bed in the bedroom. I think by the smells on it, it belonged to another dog, but didn't really care much as I was tired. Slept good all night, got up with Bob at about 6:30 this morning and looked around my new place. You know, all my friends are back there and I don't see a lot of dogs here -- yet. Bob says they are here I will just have to wait to meet them. I'm looking forward to it.

Bob says we need to keep going, but, just wanted to drop all of you a quick note to let everyone there now all is well with me. Say hi for me to all my friends and I will write more later.    Love,   Johnny

 P.S.   Bob & Lulu also say hi -- More later --

Roscoe is available

ROSCOE IS A VERY HANDSOME puppy about 5 months old here in the summer of 2013. He is gentle
natured, but smart and willing. Roscoe has a very sensible personality, he is not a whiner or a barker but he is very attentive. He is getting along very well with the other dogs here at Fur and Feather, he is still a little overwhelmed by the masses so he is surely not a tough guy at all. Roscoe will be ready to go on or after July 20th, after we have had a chance to neuter him and get him fully ready for his new home. This is a beautiful and very likable little pup, he currently weighs in at about 25 lbs. His adoption fee is $110.00 and that will include his neuter, shots, worming and a microchip. Make an appointment to come and meet Roscoe, this is a great dog.

More on Mandy the Kuvasz

We have been having some great weather and enjoying the flowers when we are out.  I finally got some good shots of the dogs in the wildflowers of the meadow that we frequently walk in.  Usually they want to keep on going but they were tired and happy to rest in the shade for a bit.  They definitely are attached to each other now more than ever and Drake pays close attention to where Mandy is so he can follow her much of the time.  Of course, that thick German shepherd head of his often means he simply follows his nose and he wanders ahead or off course.  It is easier to get him back with Mandy because she will often go towards him and he will then turn to follow her.  Her recall is great most of the time and all she needs is a word or a quick beep (sound) only to bring her running.  After all she has to guard her wards (us.)  :-)

I have no idea what caused Mandy to sit down with the lavender and under the fence.  She came running down the hill and just plopped there.  She does seem to love the lavender that lines the driveway though.  She was going to graze on it when it first started blooming!  I know it is edible but I stopped her anyway, not sure that it  makes a good diet addition to a Kuvasz.

Hope all is well - - Rhea

Ella’s adoption story from LeAnn

You hit my weakness in asking me to talk about my dogs.  They're my favorite subject :)  I can imagine Ella feeling us coming.  We adopted her in a whirlwind of pieces of a puzzle coming together.  We saw her picture 7 days before picking her up, and confirmed the adoption just a few days before picking her up.  There seemed to be a lot of energy bringing her toward us, and I would believe she could feel it happening.  Her story in our family actually started 2 years before she came to live with us though.
My first dog as an adult was a white german shepherd.  I adopted her as a 2 year-old adult from a bad home.  She was the absolute, undying love of my life.  She lived to 15 years-old and was a lymphoma survivor (16 months in remission at the time of her passing).  I miss her every day. When I lost her in April 2011, I felt the pull to adopt an older dog instead of puppies in the future.  At the time we still had 4 other dogs, including one older dog we took in when she was abandoned by our neighbors.  Over time, we lost that girl and added the pit bull puppy my husband and I had been dying for.  In January of this year, the girl that was originally my husband's dog before our marriage passed away suddenly from cancer.  It was an insidious one that didn't give any indication it was there until it was too late, so we had no treatment options.  The same day we found out she was sick we had to let her go. 
Suddenly we were down to a very manageable 3 dogs, but all boys.  The absence of an older adult female was palpable.  A month after losing Honeydog, the urge to find an older female became strong again.  I wanted a shepherd or shepherd mix.  I still miss my girl every day.  I had filled out an extensive application with the white german shepherd rescue of phoenix, and particularly said I wanted to help a dog who was unlikely to be helped by someone else.  As a veterinarian, I've developed a HUGE soft spot for elderly dogs.  They are the sweetest, most loving creatures in the world.  My husband was searching for the website through which I had applied, and typed in the search terms "german shepherd rescue" which brought up the adopt-a-pet website.  Ella was featured there.  Not only was she an older girl, with a beautiful smile, she seemed to be exactly the kind of dog that would appreciate a loving home, but may be unlikely to find it since she had a "handicap" (ha!).  She also happens to look exactly like the mixture of my girl, Hopper, and my husband's girl, Honeydog.  I've attached pictures of them so you can see what I mean.  Not only did the random internet search bring us to Ella instead of where we started, but the weather was forecast to have a nasty storm the day we drove 5 hours from Flagstaff to Pie Town to pick her up.  Ominous grey clouds followed us the whole drive, but we never hit one drop of precipitation until after we were back home. 
Ella is by no means a handicapped or elderly dog.  If no one knew better, one would think she was 5 years old.  Without looking at x-rays, you'd never believe the arthritis she's battling.  When she first came to live with us, I carried her up the stairs to our bedroom at night, and down to the living room in the morning.  After the first week I gave up, because I would go up or down right after moving her to find her following me back down or back up on her own.  We also have a large backyard that is flat at the bottom, but sloped up a hill.  The very first weekend she roamed the whole yard checking it out, hill and all.  Her favorite place to sit is on the ottoman at the foot of our chair, and she climbs up on the bed at every opportunity.  She puts up with our very playful and exuberant pit bull with great patience.  She's incredibly loyal to me, and I have faith that she would go to the end of the world to take care of me if she thought it necessary.  Fortunately, the situation has been me taking care of her instead.  I ran a full blood panel on her when I first got her, making sure all her organs were healthy, no valley fever, and no tick fever were present.  I also took x-rays of all her limbs.  She does actually have one good leg.  :)  I took x-rays of her chest to check for heart disease and cancer.  She came up healthy across the board.  She received injections to help her remaining cartilage stay healthy, received acupuncture and laser therapy.  Now she is maintained on glucosamine, fish oil, anti-inflammatory medications and pain relievers.  She's also pretty itchy, so she eats a hypoallergenic (fish-based) food and gets Claritin every day for seasonal allergies.  Those seem to help.  Just last week she got her teeth cleaned so we don't create heart disease from bacteria in the blood stream.
She's a pushy old broad :)  She will bulldoze over the other dogs to get onto my lap or snuggle in the bed.  She has no qualms about asking for what she wants, and acts as though any attention is a gift from heaven.  I've never seen such a happy dog.  She's truly amazing.  I've used her as a story of hope and inspiration for friends and clients about no matter how many times life puts you down, or how long you have to wait, eventually things can still come your way. 
I've attached several pictures.  I'm not sure if the first 4 are working.  If not, I'd be more than happy to send them again. 
I will always be impressed that Fur & Feather invested such a large sum of money in a single animal.  I know how hard that must be to make the decision between investing a lot of funds in saving one animal or less money to save several.  In this case, the return on investment (amazing quality of life and a long life) have been incredibly worth it.  I am really happy to have Ella here and I think she is equally happy to be here.  I know she had food and shelter and nice people around her at Fur and Feather.  The one thing that couldn't be given in that situation was a large amount of attention from a human that didn't have to be shared with dozens of other dogs.  Even sharing with 3 butthead boys in my house is far less sharing than she did there.  No matter where I am, she's always no more than 2 feet from me.  I have faith she will be at my feet and on my heels for several years still. 
Cheers,
LeAnn

Bobbi is adopted

Bobbi was adopted on 3 July and moved to Cloudcroft.  After only a few minutes she fell in love with her new
family.  Will post updates as we receive them.  We wish them many happy years together!

Buddy & Ginger Update

Hello Fur and Feather folks!  
I am the woman who was lucky enough to take Buddy and Ginger (then Pumkin) off your hands in 2010.  They are doing great - we feel we won the dog lottery!  If you recall, you all couldn't get Ginger over about 27 lbs no matter what you tried.  Now that she has had 2+ years of less than 99 playmates to play with constantly, she has put on weight (in fact, my vet just told me she weighs 42 lbs and needs to shave off about 4 or 5 lbs).  Buddy has come out

of his shell and I get told regularly that I should train him to be a service dog because he is so gentle and approachable. Over the last year he has blown the ACLs in BOTH knees and he just had the first of 2 surgeries.  What a long recovery process, but it will be worth it to see him and Ginger running around together again!  

One more reason we feel we won the dog lottery is how amazing Buddy and  Ginger are with my dad. The reason we moved to Colorado is because my dad has Alzheimer's and aphasia which means in addition to the dimension, he only speaks in gibberish, making it extremely difficult for most beings to understand him.  But not the doggies! They have regular " conversations" with him all the time.  In the picture below you can see the affection between Ginger my dad. Yeah, we totally won the dog lottery!
Thanks,  

Kasey

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