We're All Connected. Somehow.

I want to begin this introduction...this sad tale...from the get go. I want you guys to know how MUCH this wee one has been through. You guys know how long winded I can be, so...well, stick it out. It's a good ending...well, it's not the end, really. Let's say is a GREAT start.

About 6 months ago or so, a little dog was delivered to my mother by the supposed 'owners'. The little dog resembled the same breed as two of my mom's dogs...so, they must have thought she'd say, 'Heck, what's one more!?'

The dog was HORRIBLY matted. I would say that it had NEVER seen a groomer in it's entire life...a bath, even! Now, she looked thousands times better than Scotty (now Meatball), but she still looked rugged. Your typical stray Shih Tzu mix.

Well, our acre is shared by two families (me and my mom) and combined...we had 6 dogs. One of those dogs is Tad, obviously. I mean, sometimes I send him to the shelter to be straightened out...but, you know. ;) (I AM TOTALLY KIDDING FOR THOSE THAT HONESTLY THINK I AM SERIOUS!)

We were working on a proper introduction with the littles, my mom's three, and chaos ensued. The dog that was dropped off flipped out and made a run for it. My mom took off after it. I ran inside for a leash, my truck keys, and by the time I was outside and in the road...they were gone. That dog was trucking! I drove the neighborhood trying to...at least find my mom. I mean, the poor woman might croak just walking to the stop sign at the end of the road...much less chasing a terrified little dog through a neighborhood.

I assumed after about 30 minutes she had keeled over (my mom, not the dog) and rolled into the ditch. So, now the hunt was on for my mom...people come first (SOMETIMES) and then animals. I finally found my mom...red in the face, dripping in sweat, and ultimately...overheating. I pulled up next to her and said something along the lines of, 'Hey, streetwalker...how much?' We have a relationship like that. ;) Hahaha.

She got in and explained that the dog had run all the way back home. Talk about loyalty! She said the people have tried to give her away to SEVERAL people in the neighborhood over the past few months and she keeps running back to their house. They can't afford her care (grooming, vet, etc). They don't want her. They leave her outside and basically just feed her...she is treated...somewhat like a feral cat. They just feed it and hope it goes away on it's own, sort of thing.

We cleared out conscious with 'at least we tried'...and went about our lives.

Fast forward a few weeks...the little dog appears at random places throughout the neighborhood...running...running fast. Almost in a panic. She appears to ALWAYS be trying to figure out how to get back to what she felt like was 'home'.

She's always matted each time I see her, and every time I stop and get out...she stops, looks at me, wags her tail...then takes off running looking for home. (At this point, I have no idea where home was...but, I knew my mom did...so we could get her back there, if needed.)

Now, pause on that thought. Let me tell you a little about what has been happening in my world during this time.

Walker is dying. He was diagnosed a year ago with primary pulmonary adenocarcinoma. In a nutshell, he has the kind of lung cancer that smoker's get. He is failing fast these past few months...and I mean FAST. No muscle mass, no appetite, he is...falling...fast. It is heart breaking...very heartbreaking. Five short years with this boy, who prefers everyone else, isn't enough. But, that's the nature of the beast...the nature of rescue. You don't know what you're going to get. Forrest Gump calls that a 'box of chocolates'.

Chica, my soul dog, who is ABSOLUTELY not allowed to die...EVER, has become 98% deaf. She was diagnosed with a Grade 2 Heart Murmur, that we've opted not to treat yet. However...let's face it...she's not invincible, no matter what I tell myself. She will die, too...sometime...maybe I've got 30 more years, I hope! ;)

So, let's add a twist...we have a lifetime puppy, Tad, who is CHAOS and going stir-crazy in this old folk's home. He can't stand no one wanting to play, always being snapped out by the old fogies, and they smell weird...stocked full to the top with medicines...I mean, come on...we've stuck a teenager in a room of 80 year olds. (There are some pretty rad older folks out there, no doubt! ...but, Tad is like...'I'm way too cool for this...come on!').

So...the hunt began for something to 'save'. Not a replacement...but...a potential friend, for Tad. I don't handle death well...so, is this my subconscious wanting to 'replace' quickly? Could be. The brain is weird. Amazing, but weird. I wanted it to be something I had 'ties' to. Not something I walked into the shelter for, or posted a 'want ad' for, etc. I wanted to be connected...I'm weird about connections.

So, I filled out an adoption application for a dog 'connected' to me to maybe be inducted into the Crew de Chaos. I am waiting to meet that little fella.

Now, let's combine my world with the little stray shih tzu I started talking about.

I took my boyfriend, Louis, to the zoo for his birthday. As I am turning off my road, I nearly run the shih tzu over. She is beige...well, sort of...I think she's supposed to be white? Blonde? She's like...road colored. I nearly killed it. I stopped...we opened our windows to talk to her...but she kept running...guess where? Yep. She was running home.

We continued about our day. Zoo was fun, yaddah yaddah.

So, remember how I mentioned I was weird about connections? Why...when I am looking online for potential inductees...does this one appear...AGAIN...and nearly get run over...by ME!?

World works in mysterious ways, doesn't it?

For the past three or four days, I leave the neighborhood and come home a different way. Why? ...to look for this shih tzu. I knew that my mom knew where she lived, but I didn't.

I finally spot her...tonight. I stop immediately, and get out. I got out so fast, the little dog flipped out and ran up a driveway she was in front of.

So, this must be home, right?

I kept talking to the pooch. Baby talk, right...dogs LOVE baby talk. Hahaha. Well, not this little dear...she was wagging her tail, but no way was she going to move her legs in my direction.

Around this time, a woman pulled up beside me. She rolled down her window and said that the dog lives here, well...correction...she said, 'It lives in the road right here. She doesn't go in or anything.' She told me that the 'owner' has been giving her away regularly, but she always comes back. (Remember this...it will come into play shortly.)

Someone screamed at the dog to 'shut up' from inside the house...and I gave her one last chance to come with me. She wasn't moving...and was getting yelled at, so I left. No reason for me to make her get in THAT much trouble. :/

I drive home and walk over to my mom's casa, remember...we share an acre (well, half now...but, that's not important). I tell her we're going for a ride. I want her to go with me to talk to these people.

We arrive and I want to describe this place to you. Before I do, I am VERY understanding. People struggle. Life is hard. Heck, life for me is hard...and I don't even have it that bad! Imagine a box home, the yard is FULL of toys...trash...strollers, car seats, I mean...stuff EVERYWHERE. No fence (which, isn't all that surprising...I live in the National Forest). Just...really, really...beat up, struggling little place.

As we try to find the front door to this place, we can hear children screaming and playing inside. A dachshund is barking nonstop at us from the window, too. One is yelling at us through the window, and then after a few minutes of us asking if their mother was home, someone starts screaming for 'Mom'.

Mom comes out, and her appearance isn't important, but let's leave it at...it was fitting, for the environment. She was very nice and friendly, and we asked if they were still looking for a home for the little dog.

Her son comes out, and when the mother said they were, the little boy grabs her by her tail to hold her in place, and then picks her up and shoves her in my direction. He did this in a way, not to be mean, but that he was not taught differently. He was very kind and happy, too. They seemed like very nice and real people. I liked that.

She explained that (remember what I said about the dog always coming back to the same place) her brother in law came out with his dogs for a family BBQ. She said, he drove off...and then texted her saying he couldn't afford the dogs. She was...livid. She told him she has 'x' amount of kids and can't afford dogs either. It is my impression that 'Layla' (as the BIL named her) goes back to the same place waiting for her family of 6 years to...magically show back up. Unfortunately, that day will...never come.

Mom has good intentions, no doubt. She has been trying to find a proper home for the little dog (whom they call 'Gus'), who isn't allowed in, and simply gets fed. She is who brought my mom the dog about 6 months ago. She's trying, as best she knows how, she's trying. She knows the dog needs groomed and she knows it needs vaccines, she just can't afford it. She told me a LOT about the dog.

She said she went with her husband and brother in law to pick out the dog from the breeder. She's about 6 years old and is spayed. She wanted what's best for her, but she knows that it is not her. She told me that when she goes inside, you yell 'GET' and she goes back out. She explained that she was very sweet, but timid. She said she's a good little dog, but she keeps running back home each time she gets given to someone else in the neighborhood. She told me that if it didn't work out with my dogs, to just drop her back off at the end of their driveway, and she understands.

I can tell you right now that that isn't going to happen. She will stay with me for now until she is able to be adopted...or...kept. :/

So, with all that being said...I would like to formally introduce her. (I apologize for the crummy picture; we were more worried about getting her taken care of than photographing.)

...please welcome, ...erm...this...to the Crew de Chaos.

Buns' Update

Initially, her name was to be Jane Doe...but, that just doesn't flow as easily as 'Buns!' when she's running at full speed through the clinic and you nearly die from blunt force trauma while dodging and trying not to Hulk stomp her. That's just a small update, though.

This thing is going to be jam packed with a LOT of Buns updates!

1. Name change. We covered that. Phew!

2. The EYE. Ugh. The eye...it's a sore subject, literally, if you ask her. It's still there. It's about 1/2 the size as her 'living' eye, and it is most likely dead. It does move, but I believe that to be the muscles surrounding it that move it around. It's very red, very cloudy, and very creepy. She mostly keeps her eye lids closed on that side, and we scoop out the 'infection' every couple of days. Gross, I know.

3. The JAW. Well...she had her teeth filed and clipped that one time, and come to find out I was quoted by a receptionist about $20 for this procedure, incorrectly. It's actually about $600 or so for the procedure. O.o ...I about died. Her teeth were trimmed and that was that, however...we still need to address her back molars. They are being ground down (by Buns) into points because of the way her jaw is aligned. It hasn't fused...and she still has full range of motion with it. She grooms, eats carrots, and continues to munch on her own pellets and any dog/cat food she can find at the clinic. Strange little mammal.

4. Diet. She is eating well. No mush needed and she has no trouble with pellets or other hard veggies and fruits. Strawberries are her favorite. Zucchini can rot in a lava filled compost hole. If you asked her, that's what she'd say.

5. Activity. She is VERY active during the day. She runs all over the clinic sometimes. If a cat is in her way, she'll push them out of the way. Buns is Queen Buns, at the clinic. Unless Ilene is around. Ilene is ALWAYS queen. However, at home...she rarely steps out of her travel crate. She relaxes completely in it, but opts not to walk around my house. If I take her out, and place her elsewhere...she makes her way back to her crate/kennel. She's happy there. *shrugs*

6. Medicine and Upkeep. She gets a strong oral antibiotic in the evenings now, as well as an oral pain medication. She gets an antibiotic eye ointment, that she is...MOST supportive of... :/ ...I hope you got my sarcasm. But, she gets that eye ointment two-three times a day. The minute you put it in...she digs it out, little bunny turd. Her medicine costs roughly $120 every 5-6 weeks, depending on how crafty I am at stretching it.

All in all, she is completely rotten and is never 'caged'. She is a free roam wild wildebeast who has no tolerance for feet or cats in her way. Her motto? 'Buns' way or the highway.'

Our Options

I wanted to get the bunny healthy enough to have her eye surgically removed. I wanted to fix her, find her an amazing home where she could live happily ever after, and never have to suffer the cruelty of some humans again. ...that is what I wanted for her. Not for me. Not for you. For her. She deserved at least that.

Unfortunately, I can't give her that...I mean, I can...and I will...and I have...but, it isn't as long as I had hoped for her.

As you know, her eye socket is shattered...absolutely demolished. They eye, within that socket, needs to be surgically removed as it is a constant source of infection for her body. However, the area we were most concerned about was her jaw. I got the news a few days ago and it was...heartbreaking, to say the very least.

She has a fracture, from what I can understand, in the 'hinge' of her jaw on the right side. This is why her teeth don't line up. How she eats hard pellets and hard food is absolutely a mystery...anything to survive; animals are such amazing beings.

So, how do we fix that? Unfortunately, the only fix for this type of fracture is...to put it plainly, not recommended by any specialist that has seen her case thus far. It would be an incredibly risky surgery and would require complete removal of the mandible (the entire lower jaw bone). She would only be allowed to eat mush and would need to be sedated every two months to have her teeth filed down to avoid abscesses and other dental problems resulting from the surgery. This would have to be done by a specialist and would likely cost a few grand.

If we opt to not remove the mandible (which I have decided we are not doing), we have a few options.

Option 1 : Euthanasia. The final kindness. Her face is smashed, she took a serious blow to the face, and we should just end the suffering.

Option 2 : She eats. She explores. She grooms. She's on pain medication and antibiotics and is an otherwise completely normal bunny. Leave her be. No surgery, keep her maintained on medication until either the infection is no longer kept under wraps with the antibiotics or until the jaw bone fuses (through the healing process) and her jaw locks. (This will happen if the mandible is not removed. There is no way around it.)

Option 3 : Same as Option 2, however...we gather up about $700 (currently her account is $500 short) and remove the eye, do nothing for the jaw, but simply remove the eye. We get the infection under wraps, but cross our fingers that it will be a long time for the jaw to fuse. I cannot give a 'time frame' for how long until that happens. Could be weeks...months...could be a few years. There is also a high possibility that she would not make it through surgery. Rabbits are delicate and sensitive to anesthesia; surgery to remove the eye may kill her, even with an experienced rabbit doctor. If she survives surgery, she will still need to be sedated every two - three months to have her molars ground down, as her jaw does/will not meet and therefore her teeth are/will not stay filed down.

Where am I sitting...? Option 2, honestly. I cannot cut her short...not just yet. Not today. She has been shorted once before by a human; I won't be the second so soon. Crazy weird things happen in the animal world every day. I'm not saying her jaw isn't going to lock, it will...it absolutely will. But, what if it goes on another year or so? ...of course, this doesn't take into consideration the filing of the teeth...I would like to cross that bridge then, if we get to it.

I am not made of money. I do a job that I love and wouldn't trade for the world, but it doesn't pay very much. I have my own problems...my own worries...other animals who require in-depth special care. Take that into consideration if you decide to tell me that I am horrible for not rushing her to a specialist right now. If you would like to donate a few grand to do a surgery that she will likely not wake up from, be my guest. She has everything she needs; and she is living a heck of a lot better life than what I imagine she had.

I hope that with the information provided, you guys can make educated decisions on what you think I should do. I am torn between Option 1 and Option 2, but am certainly leading more towards Option 2. Thoughts?

THE Bunny

Have you seen the new critter filling up Tad's Facebook page? If not, no worries...you're about to learn all about her and her story.

Last Friday, a picture came across my personal news feed from the county shelter director. A bunny had come into the shelter earlier in the day that had severe trauma to the right side of it's face. The 'finder' said they found the bunny in a field this way. The shelter vet, I believe, popped the bunny's eye back into the socket for the time being, as is usual care for this sort of thing.

Regardless, the bunny needed out...fast. This shelter is mainly for dogs and cats, not exotics. I messaged her and said I could be there as soon as I left the clinic to pick it up. We did some back and forth messaging, and she told me someone would wait for me.

I arrived to the shelter about 10-15 minutes after closing, and sure enough, a lady was waiting for me. You rock, Barbara. I apologized, of course, but let's be honest...I'll be late for my own funeral. I just can't help it. It's horrible, I know.

She gave me some antibiotic drops for the bunny's eye that the shelter vet prescribed, but we still had concerns about the severity of the trauma. Throughout the night, the bunny's breathing got progressively worse. It was hard, it was labored, it was loud...like a dog going through the end stages of heart failure. She definitely had some bleeding into her chest that was affecting her breathing. Whatever hit her...hit her HARD. I felt that for sure, she would die overnight. She was constantly seeping blood from her face and her breathing...it just would not let up.

She remained in a dark room, in a warm box, until the morning. The less stress on her the better for her junky lungs. I went to check on her and sure enough, she was still kicking.

Once I arrived to work on Saturday morning, I started messaging an exotics vet who I worked for in the past. I explained the situation and sent pictures and we talked about the best options for the bunny. She had me get some prescriptions to hold the bunny over until she could see her on Monday. We gave her SubQ fluids (fluids underneath the skin) to keep her hydrated, antibiotics, pain medication, and eye ointment. The swelling was so severe that she could not close her eye to keep it lubricated.

We were set for the weekend. I had to be in Dallas that evening and the next day, so...we loaded up the bun's medications and off we went. She had SubQ fluids in the Bucee's parking lot and I'm quite sure we got about 10 'WTF!?' looks.

Throughout the weekend, we struggled to get her to eat. She seemed interested in fresh vegetables, but she would pick it up and chew and chew and chew and it would just fall right back out. Every piece she picked up came out exactly the way it went in. No chew marks, no pieces missing. This is a big deal...pretty serious. If a bunny does not eat, their gut will stop moving and they will die. Just like that. She's more apt to die from the stopped gut than from the trauma to her face at this point. She has peed, hasn't pooped...and isn't eating. We had a problem on our hands.

We discussed baby food, Critical Care (even though I couldn't find a single vet in the Dallas area that was open and carried it), and even talked about smashing rabbit pellets in water and syringing it to her. A light bulb went off about this time, late Saturday night. We could puree the vegetables and syringe those down. She had no trouble swallowing medications, so surely this would work, right?


I had set down our little bun to refill the syringe with mush. In the few seconds she was on the ground, she found the bowl of mush and attacked it. She was so hungry...she was slurping up the green mush like she'd never eaten before. We tossed the syringe, poured the mush into a bowl, and viola...we have an eating bunny!

While, this gets food in her belly...it is not enough roughage to get her gut cleared out and moving regularly. The next few times we made the mush, we added hay to it...she needs roughage. We noticed though, she would stop eating when she came to a hay pieces. She would pick them up...spit them out. She simply can't get anything solid chewed small enough to swallow...even though it could be life or death at this point.

Monday rolls around and we're finally at our appointment with the exotics vet. She explains some pretty serious concerns regarding her jaw and facial bones. She also prescribes new medicine and explains that we need to keep the bunny on anti-inflammatories AND antibiotics for at least a month. In the mean time, we need to figure out what's wrong with her jaw and face. She is more worried about her jaw than her eye, as removing the eye will be less traumatic than if she requires any kind of bone surgery for her jaw. If we're going to put her under anesthesia, we want to be as prepared as possible.

Tuesday morning, we take some xrays and send them to a board certified radiologist. Her eye socket is annihilated...absolutely destroyed. If you look at the photo to the right, I have highlighted the eye socket area. Compare it to the left side of her face to see what 'normal' is.

The radiologist didn't really say anything about her jaw and possible breaks there, unfortunately. It is also possible that we weren't able to get proper views as we didn't want to sedate the bun for her rads. I sent the rads and the report to the exotics vet as soon as I got them back, and she's been busy looking at them and into fixes and trying to figure out the next step.

There's the bunny's medical end. How is she otherwise? What is she like? Are you keeping her?  What happened to her? Does she have a name? What does Tad thing? Do you need anything? Tons of questions hurled at me, and I try very hard to answer them...if I've missed some, I don't mean to.

The bunny is very sweet, very patient considering her face is basically smashed. She's quiet, calm, and extremely soft. I've never felt a bunny quite as soft as her.

I am not sure if I'm keeping her, currently she is under Tad's account at the clinic until we can get her sorted and get her on the right track to a healthy and happy start. I don't want the added stress of finding a suitable home for her right now while we're stressed about getting her well.

In the beginning we felt like maybe she'd been hit by a car/tractor or something. However, the more we thought about it...typically, when bunnies get hit by something like that...they are flattened. Rarely survive, and she doesn't seem to have enough trauma for something that big to hit her. Our bunny merely has a smashed face on the right side and a displaced jaw currently. A car or big tractor seem unlikely. Considering her symptoms and the xrays, I do believe she's been kicked. Intentional? I don't know...but definitely a hard blow to the face.

Currently, she doesn't have a name. You guys know me...she can't have anything common and it has to be just...spectacular! We're still working on a name.

Tad likes her. He thinks she smells weird, but he certainly loves putting his nose in her fur. I don't blame him...she's crazy soft!



In time, she will need a few things that I am am able to provide for her. A fancy house, bunny toys, and other bunny things...but, currently...she has everything she needs. My only concern is her medications and potential surgery. In the beginning, she had some donations and those enabled us to get the best of the best for her at the time. Her xrays, her doctor visit, and prescriptions. However, we are still looking at the eye needing to be removed and whatever her jaw needs. IF you would like to help out in that aspect, please click the donate link below.

 

The reason for the PayPal and not calling the clinic is because the bunny's vet is not here at this clinic. She see's a vet in a different town as Dr. Holliday doesn't see bunnies.

It's Peanut, Butter, and Jelly Time!

When I first met Peanut, Butter, and Jelly...I knew I could not keep them. I knew that I would have a hard time finding them homes, and I knew that I would need help placing these tiny babies with a rescue and/or permanent homes.

Before I accepted them, I called a good friend who is very seasoned with this sort of thing (and this breed!) and she agreed that we could take them on.

During their stay with me, Butter was adopted and promptly returned. (See the initial PB&J blog entry.) Butter remained with me, and her sisters for another week. On Wednesday, a tragedy happened. Something so horrible that we, as dog owners and lovers, NEVER want to happen...let alone witness.

One of my co-workers recently adopted her first dog from another co-worker. He was an older dog, had been found by her after being hit by a car. He was never claimed, and so the dog was vaccinated, neutered, microchipped...the whole 9 yards. During this time, the co-worker (who ended up adopting him) wanted to foster him because she adored him. Things were set in motion, and Oswald went to live with her. A few weeks had passed and they'd placed him in puppy training classes (even though he is already an adult dog) and then she also had another trainer enlisted to help Oswald learn perimeters. He was notorious for clearing fences and getting to the road; hence why he was likely hit by a car earlier before he was found. Minutes before his second training session, Oswald was in the front yard (leashed) doing his business. Something caught his eye, and he broke free. Long story short, he was hit...again. Only this time, for good. We fought hard to save him, but we were unsuccessful.

The co-worker (both, honestly) were devastated. It was her first dog. Her first dog that was her sole responsibility. It was truly a horrible situation and she is suffering so.

Her mother advised adopting one of the puppies. Not to replace Oswald, but to keep her busy and in time, perhaps bond with a puppy as she had with Oswald. I recommended they take the puppies home for a weekend. Just try them out, play with them, even if they aren't interested in adopting, they would at least have some good puppy therapy to recover from their recent loss.

Jelly, Peanut, Jack, & Butter

The puppies settled in nicely over the course of the weekend. They met many farm animals, other dogs, all kinds of new people. They were pretty tired by nightfall.

The first puppy the family decided on keeping was Peanut. They loved how cuddly she was and of course, she IS adorable.

Why stop at one?! They also decided to keep Jelly, too. They loved that she was going to be MASSIVE and that she was a total personality. So personable and also ridiculously adorable, though I may be a bit biased. ;)

Once their final decision was made, I headed out to pick up the remaining puppy, Butter.

I felt bad for Butter. She was the first to go, the one everyone said they wanted when they saw the litter, but here she is again...returned. It sounds like I'm condemning my co-worker's choices, I'm totally not.

I am thankful that they were able and willing to adopt two puppies. I think they'll be pleased with their pair and this also means we'll get to keep up with them as they grow.

Peanut & Jelly

Once I had Butter back, I called to my rescue-friend. She was happy that she was only getting one puppy, too. We always like to hear of positive adoptions! By this time, Butter's life has spun in a crazy criss-cross-circle thing, and she had some stress vomiting on Saturday. By Sunday evening, that was gone, but she still had some stress diarrhea. The rescue-friend was okay with this, and I explained that Butter was covered as far as costs, thanks to her support group on Tad's page. (Seriously, thank you guys for everything...seriously.)

When we arrived with Butter, she met a few new puppies, but they were a bit much for her right away. It's best to let Butter acclimate to the new foster parents first. We set Butter up with a nice big happy kennel that would be all her own, and went over a few important things before saying our good-byes and heading out.

I got word yesterday evening that Butter made a new best friend, a little white pibble puppy about her size, and that she was doing well.

So, what happens to Butter? Butter is STILL available for adoption through me. However, she still doesn't have a permanent home. We are working towards getting baby Butter in with a rescue group either here in Texas or farther North to get her better exposure and a better guarantee on her life-long care.

I am sad for her, I am. Her whole world has just gone crazy. But, I know that in the end she will have a great home and all this stress on her and on us will be worth it.

If you, or anyone you know, is interested in adopting Butter, please have them contact me and I will get you in touch with her new foster mom, who is WAY better at finding suitable homes than I am. tiffanydieringer@gmail.com

In case you forgot, this one is Butter... 

Butter, after being returned the first time.

Meet Little Orphan Annie-Arnold

We have a very good client at the clinic who we have developed quite a relationship with. He and his wife are amazing people and such an inspiration.

To give you a taste, they feed cats in the woods. He was turned the mower on, and ran over a kitten (hold on...it's not too bad, keep reading...) even after checking to ensure the mower was clear as usual. The tiny kitten was rushed in, and we saved her leg. He kept this wild hellion of a feral kitten contained while she went through her treatments for her broken bones. She is now a 'house cat'. He found a kitten in the woods surrounding their home that had been picked up by a hungry bird. He rushed her in. Unfortunately, she could not be saved. But, we peacefully comforted her until the end. He found another cat that had been hit by a car. He couldn't leave the cat, but knew he couldn't 'own' the cat with all the ferals they try to maintain.This cat needed almost immediate surgery and a leg amputation. They paid for half of the amputation, even after we accepted the kitten into our adoption program at the clinic. Then, they felt so terrible about how much of the money we'd be out (which we ALWAYS are with these types of 'rescues'). They came and adopted him a few weeks after healing.

They are..amazing. They can't save them all. They can't do it all. But, they do everything they can...and that is enough.

Fast forward to about a week to a week and a half ago. He comes running into the clinic with a barely 3 week old kitten screaming bloody murder. He said he just found her in his wheel well at Wal-mart. Now, their luck with cats/kittens...mama cat could have known a softie when she saw one and placed the kitten there at Wal-mart...or the kitten had been placed their by mama cat at his house and the kitten made it all the way to Wal-mart. Either is likely, is possible, and has happened before.

Either way, we accepted the baby into our program. I bottle fed her every few hours, but was scared to introduce her formerly to the group. Kittens are tricky little critters. Fading Kitten Syndrome is hard and it's so heartbreaking. I wanted to ensure that she would have the best possible chance before introducing her to you guys.

She's been thriving. Playing, running, eating dry food now (does not like canned...period.). So, meet Little Orphan Annie/Arnold.

What's with her name, you ask? Well, the thing about kittens is that as they grow...so do their parts...obviously. When she first came in as an itty bitty baby, we believed she was a boy. Then we felt like she was a girl for a few days...and so on and so forth. We feel like with a name of 'Little Oprhan Annie-Arnold'...you can't really go wrong?

Peanut, Butter, and Jelly

Peanut - Day found, after one meal.

Before I begin, I want to tell you how these puppies came to be. (I realized I haven't yet posted them here on the blog. I must remind you...Tad's FB really is the BEST way to keep up with the daily happenings of all that is Tad and his friends.)

Three weeks ago, a woman entered the clinic with three pibble puppies in her arms. She explained that they were trying to eat her goose eggs in her cow pasture. They were starving. You could see their little bones...it just wasn't fair for the babies.

What a crappy start, you know?

I took them in. I called up a good trustworthy rescue friend who offered to help me with placing the babies. I told her that I could hang onto them for a bit, but because of Tad...it wasn't ideal.

For two weeks, we kept the Itty Bitty Pittie Committee at the clinic. We treated them for various parasites, started their puppy shots, and putting weight on them. We took them out in public a few times. We even took to them to a pet store in a shopping cart where they were held by every single person who walked into the little shop. They were ADORED. We knew we wouldn't have a hard time finding them a home. For as many against-pibble people, there are exactly as many for-pibble people.

We didn't have to wait long for the first baby to go. Little Butter, she was adorable. She was sweet, playful, and super cuddly. The woman interested in adopting her has her own dog training business, and explained that she would like Butter to be an 'advocate for her breed'. She wanted her to be at social events and to be a spokes-doggy. We thought this was an exceptional placement. We were super excited. I mean, there couldn't have been a better sounding home.

Side note: Do not ask for this person's business name. I will not share it. This is not about that. This is about the puppies.

Butter - Two weeks after being found.

The woman seemed to be in love. Butter seemed to be just what she'd been searching for. We had no reason to believe this would not work out. We'd heard good things about her previously from trusted sources.

She paid Butter's adoption fee (non-refundable). But, then she never showed back up for Butter. No calls, no show until the next afternoon. She explained what had happened that it was an honest mistake, and we sent Butter to her new home. It was bittersweet.

A week later, we received a call that it just wasn't going to work. She explained that Butter cries all the time. She said that she has anxiety in the car and that she's taken her on 15 different social events/outings. We were told Butter pees all over herself and is just way too timid and shy for what she wants.

Can we first remember that we are discussing a 10 week old puppy? A puppy who was previously dumped in a cow pasture and starving to death three weeks ago. A puppy that has NEVER been without her litter mates. A puppy who has no idea who you are or what you want her to be. A puppy who is a normal abandoned puppy.

I wanted to believe that she had legitimately tried. But, in 7 days, that is not enough. You didn't try. You threw a dog into the lifestyle you wanted it to live and it doesn't work that way. We were told that 'within a couple of days you can tell a dog's temperament' when we explained that she is just a puppy and all of this trainable. Nothing is permanent in a 10 week old puppy. NOTHING.

I am angry, of course. I mean...what kind of 'training' situation, causes a puppy to pee all over itself when it's NEVER done that before. But, I must also remember that I don't know 'every single detail'. Therefore, if I did not witness it with my own eyes or hear it with my own ears, I will keep details and my personal opinion of this situation aside to the best of my ability. All that matters is that Butter is back with her sisters, and is available for adoption...again.

She did not fail her first home. It failed her.

Oh, and because I didn't include a picture of Jelly...can't leave out the Queen Bee. ;)

Jelly - Two weeks after being found.