Be Everywhere!

So Dave says I've been falling behind on my posts in a major way.... so with that kick up the back side I have dragged my "lazy" backside off the floor where i had positioned my self between puppy Kodi and grouchy Loki so i could "supervise" any "interaction"... but first let me tell you about my schedule.
My ferrets have been ESCAPING!!! they have been in the same space for over a year now and I have never had a problem so I have never had to make any changes... then Flash (white) was found doing a balancing act on the wall that runs all the way down the street.
Found where she was getting out... a hole too small for Enzo (brown) and fixed it. Problem solved...

A couple weeks later Enzo is no where to be found and after frantic searching I peer over the wall into the neighbors yard to see him trying his hardest to climb back to me... after a little breaking and entering I managed to get him back. though he had dug up most of their plant pots in the process... couldn't figure out how he got out.... and he seemed to stop so I grew lax.

Neighbors alerted me to my ferret on the wall, and as soon as I put him down he climbed straight back up... Busted Enzo!

then the lecture about how I should have been watching him began and how they could only go out if they were "closely" supervised... yes boss.

In the mean time I am up at 6am every morning to attend to the pitiful whinge-bag in my kitchen.. no, not Dave.. at this time he is already out on the morning walk with Loki and Duffy (give the man his credit where credit is due). Kodi needs rushed out side for his morning ablutions then fed then entertained till he is tired enough to go back to sleep which gives me enough time to eat and dress then it's off to work with Kodi and Duffy in tow.

After a non stop morning, Lunch hour consists of me eating in a hurry so I can take Duffy into the Fields for his walk and then taking Kodi out for some socialization and exercise before going back to the grind of non stop work till five when I pack up the pups and head home.

Once home I feed the little ones and put him to bed before picking up Loki from the in-laws and taking him and Duffy for their evening walk, by the time I get home Dave is cooking supper (bless his soul) which gives me time to "supervise my ferrets" then eat and then the puppy is up and HYPER.... after an Hour of play and eat and poop I put him back to bed... whew!

So now I have 1 precious hour before I have to wake the puppy and see to it he is fed, watered, pooed, peed, and tired before I can collapse on my bed at 10.30pm. On top of this I have websites to update, a charity party to help plan, a social life (HA!), and a marriage. I was going to rant and rave about how I am expected to be everywhere at once, how I am supposed to shadow the puppies and ferrets every move and also have consideration for poor Loki's depression over his house being terrorized by Kodi-zilla.... but I am to tired.

Update: This pic was taken right after his scab had come away, since then it has healed amazingly fast. Kodi saw the vet today and they are impressed with how well is sores are healing and even gave him his 1st injection which means his time with us is short. In 2 weeks time he will be put up for adoption and find himself a new home.

The face that belies a MONSTER!

We're finding that our little house guest Kodi has quite the attitude for a puppy who is a matter of weeks old.

Duffy is still for the most part enjoying his time with Kodi, even if he's getting a bit of a taste of what he give Loki most of the time. He's finding the backs of his legs and his ears are getting given little or no respect as Kodi gives a surprise bite now and again.

Going over older photographs I have found some of the very first shots we took of Loki before we adopted him. Considering he was over a year old when we adopted him he's still grown and changed in shape quite considerably.

Not another foster puppy!

I have a few points before we start.

1: Yes this one will live!

2: No we are not keeping it! NO! We're not!

A dog walker in Newcastle came across a bundle of cubby fluff about half the size of a house cat but with a bit more meat on his stubby bones, who had an unfortunate wound on the top of his little head. They brought it to a local vet who gave it a nice monk-esk hair style, cleaned the wound and passed it on to the RSPCA. So the unnamed puppy arrived at Westfarm Kennels where it spent a night waiting for staff to come in the following day.

Tuesday morning, I took a call from Jaime starting with "Its another one of those days... where I ask you if I can bring home another helpless animal"... I was already compiling a list in my head of reasons not to have another, squeaking, clawing, smelling, biting, sleep depriving kitten in the house. Only to be told of the puppy... and being a sucker for a dog hard luck story, home the puppy came on Tuesday night, on the condition, Jaime was on pee and poo duty.

Various names were put forward for the puppy most of which related to his less than flattering looks, but Kodi (short for Kodiak Bear) was settled on as it seemed quite appropriate for his chunky stature.

Kodi is sleeping through the night in a crate in the kitchen, going to work with Jaime during the day and when he's home in the evening he's the most stressful thing in Loki's life. Duffy on the other hand is fascinated, he is keen to play with the puppy but we have to be careful not to let him get to rough, Duffy is a fan of batting with his front paws and the last thing Kodi needs is another bump on the head.

What would you do?

Its not something I've really contemplated before but, what would you do if you saw someone appearing to abuse a dog?  How would you react?

Its the first time for me and I don't know if my reaction was right or wrong.  I won't go in to detail of the incident but my reaction was to shout once I'd seen what was going on and the face to face confront the individual while making a note of registration plates from their car and physical descriptions before reporting all details to the RSPCA once I got home.  I would confess part of me wanted to give them a taste of what I'd just seen them do, but having my own dogs with me kept me from being more irresponsable and I wanting to make sure that the incident had not cause them any distress.

Ok my rant is over... on to something a little different... which I'm sure Jaime will be blogging more about in the days to come.

We're updating again!!

We've haven't been updating for a little while, mainly because we have been lazy.  All thats changed, thanks to a having quite a few dog related matters to write about and a little pestering encouragement from an individual... you know who you are ;)

Sunday 31st May 2009 - The K9 Academy Sponsored Dog Walk. 

Thirty owners and dogs set out on the walk from Seaton Sluice to Tynemouth Priory.

In costumes ranging from Cowboys to Cruella de Vils.  The weather was very much on our side and I'm pleased to say almost everyone managed to make it the 6 miles to the Priory.

Some of the benefits of doing a walk like this are to help make people aware of the club and help raise funds for new equipment and development.  The only down side was the side effects from a stomach bug needing me to lenghten my own personal walk a little with frequent pit stops.

Death and Daffodils

It's with a Heavy heart i start this Blog.
My Darling Sickly little puppy passed away, But i wanted to share her story all the same.

She came in with her skin and bone mother and 9 other skinny flea and worm infested siblings (there had been 11 but one had died before they arrived) from a house that could not be bothered to care for or feed them anymore and wanted rid of them.She was only 1/2 the size of any of the other puppies and the vet they had seen had discovered a Heart murmur and suggested she be put to sleep so she wouldn't be an unnecessary burden on her already struggling mother. It was decided to see if she would make it on her own. When she arrived at work she was desperately dehydrated and anemic and we cursed the vets for not putting her on a drip to give her a helping hand.

It was clear there and then that she would not survive the night without an intervention. So she came home with me. 4 days we spent together.... and a few times it looked like she had lost the will to live, only to start eating again and regain her strength, even following Duffy around and imitating play. 3 nights of getting up to feed her every 1-2 hours, making sure her watter bottle was warm or just comforting her when she was lonely.

On the 4th night she seemed well in herself, she had been with her mom and littler mates all day feeding and sleeping with them so i decided it was time to let her go. She would be happier with her family. It was a risk, but i had given her the head start in life she deserved... People had starved her mother to the point where she was unable to feed her own pups, so it was only fair that People right that wrong.

The next morning i checked on her first thing and i looked for her in the crush of brindle puppies who ran up to greet me, and it was with a sense of dread that i saw her still form still curled on the bed... Lifeless. She had died in her sleep.
I Could have done things differently, i could have kept her home longer, but looking back.... i still would have made the same choice to let her stay with her mom. It seemed right.

As one life goes out all around me new life springs up... In the fields the lambs are appearing, the birds are finished with their courtship and are now busily building homes to hold their chicks. Any day now i expect to see baby Bunnies on the grassy verges and the warren hills...

And the DAFFODILS are EVERYWHERE Bringing that longed for splash of color and the feeling that spring is on it's merry way. The promise of sun and of green trees and butterflies and bumblebees.

And i cant help Smiling as i pass their happy bobbing heads.

In summary, it has taken us ages to catch up on the sleep and energy we lost during the adventure of Crufts, but now that we are finally waking out of the sleepwalk our life has turned into the last few weeks it seems we are walking into a whole new world that brings great hope that summer and all the great things that come with it is just around the corner.

Special Dogs

Walking the halls of Crufts was for the most part a maze of stalls selling all sorts of toys, equipment, food and services. Thrown in at certain places were stalls with information on subjects such as working dogs (such as Police dogs) and charities.

Many of the charities were big names and worthy causes. The likes of Guide Dogs and Battersea Dogs and Cats Home were present, however it was a couple of smaller charities which stood out for me.

Support Dogs - http://www.support-dogs.org.uk/

They train dogs to meet the specific needs of individuals with disabilities. Teaching dogs to perform tasks such as open and close doors, load the washing machine, help getting dressed, carrying or retrieving items, raising the alarm and even contacting ambulance services should the need arise and many many others, dependant on disability of the person they are to support. I really like the idea of a dog providing someone with not only companionship but also so much help.

Cancer and Bio-Detection Dogs - http://cancerdogs.co.uk/

I believe this to be a relatively new organisation, but what they do is truly fascinating. They research into the use of dogs to detect human diseases and medical conditions. Using the canine sense of smell to detect disorders in their infancy to assist in swift treatment. The dogs olfactory sense is as much as 100,000 time better than a human and has been used by people for centuries for tracking and detection. In this time where we use technological solutions to every problem, we seem to over look abilities that are available to us historically and from the natural world.

On the subject of special dogs, this morning we wait to see how our little sickly puppy turns out after a night with her mother.