Pupdate: Shiva!

Thought I'd give a quick pupdate on Shiva, now named Ayla. She's doing great with her foster mom, who says Ayla makes a wonderful companion. They enjoy the outdoors together and Ayla loves hiking just as much as her mom does. They spend a lot of time outdoors adventuring together on trails and taking in the fresh air and scenic views. Ayla also enjoys going to the local dog park and playing with dogs big and small. I'm so glad to hear that all of our hard work socializing her with our pack paid off! It seems our diligence took a firm hold and that she's really well-behaved. Her mom says she cracks up watching her toss toys in the air for herself and play soccer with tennis balls. She still favors her leg on and off again, but the vet says it will improve with more time. Ayla's mom also reports that she's learning to not chase the cats and is attending obedience school. Pretty pawsome if you ask me! I'm thrilled that she's living the good life and is well-matched to her mommy. Thanks, Tammy, for the photos and pupdate. Paws up for Ayla!

Calling All Chi Lovers: Chihuahua Party!

In this edition of The Crazy Dog Lady, I'm going to tell you all about today's adventure at the dog park. Mr. Flea went to a Chihuahua party! Drew found a meetup group called South Bay Chihuahua Meetup that holds a monthly Chi party at Ed Levin Dog Park in Milpitas. It's the second Saturday of each month, weather permitting. Today is a gorgeous day so we took our Chi, Flea, and had a blast. I was a little nervous that Flea might not be well-behaved enough, but he fit right in with all the other crazy Chis. It was fantastic! There were Chis and Chi mixes of all shapes, sizes, colors, and ages. Some were teeny tiny, others (like Flea) were medium to larger sized. Some were young and others nearing fossilization. Some had on rockin' outfits and accessories, others just brought their sassy personalities. My personal favorite was an ancient 2-3 pound cutie who had on one-piece pajamas (butt-flap style, except no butt-flap necessary). There was an adorable long-haired dapple Chi named Milkshake and her sibling French Fry. And I can't forget to mention the oh-so-teeny-and-timid Nugget and her pink tshirt. There's even a pair named Rat and Brat who are having a birthday party next month! 

A handful of party-goers (including Flea) showing off

Flea was in hog heaven. He spent most of the time sniffing and marking the fenced perimeter. Occasionally he'd have a little stand-off with another feisty Chi, but all in good fun! Butts were sniffed, tails were wagged, dirt and grass were kicked, and everyone was in their ferocious glory. I am SO proud of Flea and super excited that he had such a great time. If you're in the South Bay area, find us on Meetup and come out next month if you want to witness a real spectacle! It's a great way to socialize your Chi without having to worry about their feisty antics being misunderstood. It's also super entertaining and a nice way to meet new people!

Somebody is all played out...

Katie & Suri: Your Daily Dose of Adorable

Hold still while I get ya, Mama!

We likes to snuggles

Hey everyone! Just thought I'd write a little post letting you all know that Katie and Suri are doing great. Suri's learning new dog things every single day. She's barking, play bowing, climbing stairs, going down the stairs, and today she even did the dirt-scratching kick after she went potty! I'm having a blast watching her figure everything out. Mama Katie's really enjoying being a house dog. She got to go to lunch with me and Aunt Chrissy on Monday. We sat out on the patio and she soaked in the sunshine. She's a super sweet girl who I thought really deserved a little break from her puppy. Nothing too new to report, just that they're doing very well. Mostly, I just need an excuse to post a bunch of pictures and videos. Enjoy!

Pups on the Go

A couple of other DeKalb County AC volunteers and I took a few adoptable dogs to Hodgepodge Coffee House for a mini adoption event today. Hodgepodge is a super cool local coffee/pastry/art shop run by some wonderful people who are passionate about pets. If you're local, be sure to stop by and grab some serious coffee, delicious scones, and Jamaican empanadas. Check them out here: https://www.facebook.com/hodgepodgecoffee?fref=ts 

Although nobody got adopted today, we had a GREAT time crashing their parking lot and hanging out with some awesome DeKalb pups. There was a steady flow of Hodgepodge customers oohing and aahing over the pups. The dogs are always mega glad to get as much fresh air and socialization as possible, so it was a day well spent. Check out the picture collages from today to see just how much fun Kimchi, George, and Emily had hanging out together. If you'd like to fill out an adoption application for any of them, please email jsmartinez@dekalbcountyga.gov or stop by the shelter at 845 Camp Road, Decatur, GA 30032. You can also check out their Petfinder pages below. We hope to do another adoption day at Hodgepodge again sometime soon, so help us spread the word by telling your friends! We owe a HUGE thanks to the folks at Hodgepodge for being such gracious hosts. You guys ROCK! 


Kimchi's Petfinder page: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/26037542 
George's Petfinder page: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/26371953
Emily's Petfinder page: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/26366182

Oliver Goes on Vacation

A few weeks ago, we went to the mountains for what I'm going to call Oliver's very first vacation. Everyone thinks it's likely that Oliver belonged to someone in his previous life, which might explain why he's so darn well-behaved, but somewhere along the way he wound up leading a rough life full of nothing but neglect. So I'm going to go out on a speculative limb and say that I don't think he's ever had the luxury of going on vacation before. Maybe I'm wrong and Ollie had someone who loved him very much before he ended up at the shelter, but in any case it had at the very least been a long time since he'd had a good old fashioned getaway. So, needless to say, Mr. Olls enjoyed the dickens out of our little trip to the cabin. Sometimes even a good routine can become stressful; we're all too familiar with the "daily grind" concept. It was great to see Oliver and everyone else truly kick back and relax for a while. I think 5 days in the mountains is equivalent to 100 years worth of healing for the soul. Ollie seemed to agree.

The dogs spent most of their time snoozing in different spots and enjoying the mountain air from the safety of the screened porches. They hiked Amicalola Falls with us, barked at a group of white-tailed deer in the driveway, searched for yummy morsels dropped behind the grill, and tried toasted marshmallows straight from the fire. A good time was had by all.

 

Oliver gets some fresh air...

Now that Oliver is feeling so much better, we enjoy taking him out for nature walks. He has been with us to Stone Mountain, Amicalola Falls, Mason Mill Park, and Sweetwater Creek. Sweetwater is our favorite because of the beautiful scenery. While it's only a 30 minute drive, it makes us feel as though we've escaped the grind of the city completely. There are several trails to choose from and breathtaking views to enjoy. The dogs just love it. I am proud to report that Oliver recently completed a 7 mile hike with us at Sweetwater Creek! He even led the pack most of the time! He did great; I'm so glad to see him able to be more mobile. Of course, it was a very sleepy car ride back to Atlanta afterward.                          

                         

An Update on Oliver's Progress

It's been a week since we received the final word on Oliver's condition and I am happy to report that our lovable guy seems to be in better spirits. He's doing well on the carprofen (anti-inflammatory) so far. Right now he's taking two 55mg tablets per day, but we're hoping to eventually get him down to half of that for the long run. We picked up some great hip & joint health treats for him at AARF Pet Central made by the folks at Pet Naturals Vermont. He takes these twice each day.

Mr. Oliver is lucky enough to have a guardian angel. She is a wonderful person who has taken a special interest in Ollie and has helped make sure he is getting the best care possible. Oliver's friend sponsored him for three months and donated an arsenal of joint care supplies. Thanks to her, Ollie has a ready supply of Adequan, an expensive drug that helps protect the cartilage and keep it healthy. She even took the time to stop by my office and show me how to administer the Adequan injections properly.

Oliver didn't even seem to notice when I gave him his first shot last week. Today will be his second. He gets them once a week for the first month, then once a month after that. He is such a good boy and I am thrilled by the progress he's made already. His personality is brighter and he has more energy, indicating that his medicines and supplements have reduced his pain significantly. Oliver even felt well enough to go for a hike this past weekend. He did very well keeping up with everyone and I'm looking forward to continue helping him build his strength. We'll take it slow and monitor his progress closely. For now, we are all just so happy to see how much he's perked up already. Check out how happy he looks riding with the windows down in the morning sunshine...thanks to everyone who has helped him get to this point!

Oliver: 4 Weeks

Today is a huge milestone for Oliver: it's been 4 weeks since the start of Ollie's HW treatment and he is doing great! In celebration of this, this morning we took Ollie for a leisurely walk around the lake at Stone Mountain. Considering the time he's spent recovering and the time he was at animal control, this was probably the first real walk Oliver's had in over a year. Needless to say, he loved every minute of it. He's a great walking partner and behaves very well when other dogs passed by on the trail. Now that he's out of the critical recovery period, we can start slowly helping him rebuild his strength. He's in excellent spirits and we can tell that he's looking forward to more exercise and social time.

Oliver has let more of his personality show since he's been feeling better, but he is still very much the laidback mellow guy I described in my earlier post. He had his 30 day treatment today, which is just an orally administered drug that will finish off the baby heartworms and eggs. He was an excellent patient and we couldn't be more pleased with how well he's doing. In just two more weeks, Oliver will be able to start looking for a forever home!