Farewell, Miss Jinny!

A true Georgia girl at heart

Transport Time!

Our sweet Miss Jinny left on transport today. She's heading for New York to find her forever home through Perfect Pets Rescue. Jinny came such a long way during the short two months we had her. She endured a really tough dental, survived the throes of heartworm treatment, kicked both a skin infection and a GI virus, underwent surgery to cut out two ingrown dewclaws, AND tolerated some pretty intense grooming sessions as we cut all the awful mats out of her fur and brushed her back to her full Collie glory. Out of all our fosters so far, Jinny was in the worst shape (even rougher than Oliver). This gal is a trooper! Now she's on a bus to New York where she'll start fresh. Jinny is free to leave all the neglect she suffered behind.

Hey, whatcha doin?

Looking alert and perky

Check out that sassy tail!

We finally started to see Jinny's personality peek through during the last week we had her. She's still definitely a very low-key girl, but there is a little sassiness that's been waiting to come out. With all the issues she had to recover from, it's no wonder she needed a few weeks to open up. For most of the time she spent with us, Jinny didn't even have the energy to pick herself up off the floor and go outside more than twice a day. She obviously did not feel well at all. Over the past week, we saw Jinny transform from a lifeless doorstop to a spunky lass. She got up off the living room rug! She began to carry her tail up in the air and even wag it a bit! She gained interest in food (hers and ours)! She trotted over to us for a head scratchings and belly rubs! We were so happy to see her feeling that much better. Miss J is such a good girl. She's about as easy as dogs can possibly be. Whoever ends up with her is a very lucky person. I hope they realize what a gentle gem she is. Good luck, Jinny!

HUGE thanks to everyone at Perfect Pets Rescue and The Veterinary Clinic in Marietta for helping restore Jinny to full health and happiness. If you'd like to donate to PPR so they can keep helping others like Jinny, please click here: http://www.perfectpetsrescue.org/donations-and-how-you-can-help.html

UPDATE: Jinny's adopted! Woohoo! Congratulations and BEST of luck to you, sweet girl!

Jinny Goes to the Vet

This is how Jinny spends most of her time

Now that Jinny is recovered from her spay surgery, we took her to the vet to evaluate the next step in preparing her for adoption. After talking through some of the issues we've noticed over the past two weeks, the vet decided that it's best for Jinny to postpone her heartworm treatment for a couple more weeks. Jinny has a couple of bad teeth that need to come out and a piece of her gum has grown down around a rotten back molar. This causes Jinny a lot of discomfort and difficulty eating. The vet said her belly irritation is a staph infection that looks like it came from licking razor burn around her spay incision. Poor girl. She'll be on antibiotics for that. Her ingrown dewclaws healed very nicely.

One of a few broken/rotten teeth

A full dental (which requires general anesthesia) and heartworm shots all in one weekend would tax Jinny's system too much. So, we'll get the teeth taken care of and get rid of any infection before taking her back for heartworm treatment. Jinny should feel much better in a couple of weeks without those painful teeth and that itchy skin infection. We ought to see her energy level and personality pick up a bit. She's been wanting to do nothing but lie on the living room rug 24/7. I'd feel junky too with rotten teeth and a fever. It will be wonderful to see her perk up a little! We'll keep you posted on her progress...she still has a few hurdles to clear before she's ready for her trip to New York.

Get well soon, Jinny!



Update on Jinny!

Hey everyone! Thought I'd hammer out a quick little update on our girl, Jinny. She's settling in rather well. She hasn't had a single potty accident, not ONE! She sleeps perfectly through the night with her crate door open (sometimes she likes to lay inside it, other times she just sleeps on the floor next to it). She usually spends all day just laying quietly on the living room rug. She seems to like Bunkin and Oliver quite a bit. Bunkin is convinced she's his fluffy Collie girlfriend.

We haven't had a female dog since little Cindy Lou back in December, so I forgot how much they

seem to even out the doggy dynamics in our house. With all of our boys, things tend to stay fairly rowdy. Jinny is completely unfazed. She's like, "Whatever, boys. I do not have time for your crazy games. I'll just sit here next to the air purifier and enjoy this nice breeze while you all bound around like a bunch of fools." Oddly enough, the boys tend to do less bounding around since Jinny's been with us. She never protests or gets snippy with anyone, but she does seem to demand a certain level of order. Everyone just kind of falls into place around her. Even Pickles, who LOVES to play (oftentimes roughly) with other dogs, hasn't jumped on her once. They all respect her space and just go about their own merry ways. Fine by me!

Slowly but surely, Jinny's beginning to show a little more personality. The first few days we had her, she just laid around and hardly wanted to move. I'm sure it was mostly because of her recent spay (she's had to wear the comfy cone because she's been licking at it a lot), but you could just tell she really needed time to decompress and regain her energy after leaving the shelter. It's a very overwhelming process and each of our fosters has dealt with it differently. When my alarm clock goes off each day, my dogs go bananas. Totally nutso. They spring into action, jump all over me, lick my face like crazy, bark like mad, and cry cry CRY until I finally sit up. See, alarm clock = breakfast. During this morning ritual, Jinny just kind of sits back and looks like what the heck are they making all this racket for...some of us are trying to sleep! Then something exciting happened yesterday: when my alarm clock went off and all the other dogs did their usual batty routine, I sat up to find Jinny standing alert in front of the bed and happily wiggling her butt. She was downright jolly! As soon as I opened the bedroom door, she bolted out with everyone else and did a very brief breakfast dance before deciding that was enough exertion for one day. It made me so happy to see her face brighten, even for just a few minutes. I love watching all of our fosters come out of their shells. It's such a rewarding process (even though sometimes ya wish they'd go back into their shells, just a little!).

Jinny gets a little more comfortable each day. Her toes look MUCH better and her coat is beautiful now that she's had a bath and two weeks of regular brushing. Jinny will go to the vet for her heartworm treatment shots soon. She'll stay the weekend at the vet's office, but once we pick her up I'll be sure to write a blog post all about how she's doing. Check out the video of her and the rest of my crew enjoying their bones from Park Pet Supply. Paws up for Jinny's progress!



Introducing Jinny, the Fairest Lass in all the Land

Jinny's intake photo at animal control

Another photo from AC

Meet sassy Miss Jinny, our newest foster gal! Jinny is a 5 (ish) year old rough coated Collie / Sheltie mix who weighs about 40 pounds. She's super sweet, very quiet, ever so polite, and just a really good girl. A DeKalb County animal control officer picked Jinny up as a stray in Doraville on June 9th. The shelter has been at max capacity recently and poor Jinny never made it into the relative safety of the adoptions ward. We pulled her from the main ward for Perfect Pets Rescue yesterday.

Drew grooming Jinny on Day 1

Jinny's poor dewclaws post trimming

Drew picked her name and prefers it spelled with a "J" instead of the conventional "G". I don't think it's ever taken us quite this long to name a dog before, but we wanted to take our time picking something feminine that suited her personality well. Jinny is short for Virginia, which means fair maiden. This seems to fit her nicely. 

What a lovely lady!

Jinny resting on Day 1

Jinny tested positive for heartworms, which means we'll have her for 3-4 months while she undergoes treatment. After that, she'll board the FODA transport bus and head up to PPR in Poughkeepsie, New York to await her forever home. She also had badly ingrown dewclaws; the claws grew so long that they wrapped around and pierced her toe pads. The shelter vet clipped them to an appropriate length while Jinny wasunder anesthesia for her spay procedure. They'll be swollen and sore for a while, but will heal with time and a little antibiotic assistance. Drew spent a good bit of time gently cutting mats out of her coat and washing away the dirt with a damp cloth, as she can't have a full bath until her spay incision fully heals. After that, she got a good thorough brushing. Her coat looks worlds better now and she's feeling much more comfortable without all those awful mats pulling her skin.

Bunkies & Jinny

Jinny appears to be completely housebroken. She also sleeps quietly in her crate at night and will retreat to it for afternoon naps when she needs a moment to herself. She doesn't mind the other dogs at all. Bunkin seems to think we brought Jinny home just for him. They are in collie mix heaven together (see photos). We are so happy to have Jinny in our home. It is an honor to help her on her journey toward forever.

Perfect Pets Rescue (PPR) is a wonderful group that pulls countless dogs from DeKalb County Animal Services and other area shelters. They make sure their foster dogs have everything they need. PPR really rocked the house this weekend when they pulled a small breed dog with NINE puppies, a staff & fan favorite Australian Kelpie named Sushi, and getting the ball rolling on an adorable young pup ALL in addition to placing Jinny with us. Paws big time UP for PPR! If you'd like to donate to PPR so they can continue their awesome work, please visit this page: http://www.perfectpetsrescue.org/donations-and-how-you-can-help.html

Happy Tail: Cowboy Cody!

My new Mom!

It's official: Cowboy (now Cody) is adopted and settling into his forever home with his wonderful new mom! Drew and I are so grateful to the folks at DeKalb County Animal Services, Friends of DeKalb Animals, See Spot Rescued, and K9dergarten for helping Cowsy find the forever home he deserves. Most of all, we are so happy for his new mom because she adopted the sweetest, most moo-riffic, cow-tastic buddy ever!

Heading home!

Walking into forever

I've got to admit: Cowboy was the best foster we've had so far and he may very well be the best we ever have. He was better behaved than most of our own dogs. He felt like one of our own dogs. Putting him on the FODA bus was hard, for sure, but I didn't struggle with it too badly. Seeing his adoption photos yesterday made it REAL. He's gone. He's not our Cow anymore. He has a new mom and a new home. I cried my eyes out. I thought to myself, how ridiculous am I? Cowboy has an amazing future ahead of him and here I am feeling all sad. I didn't expect this weird emotional response at all. So, I went to sleep and woke up this morning feeling much better knowing that Cowboy slept in a comfy home with someone who truly loves him. I looked at his pictures again and he looks SO happy. I reminded myself that we let him go so we can keep helping more. He wasn't ever really "ours"; we were just a stepping stone on his way to forever. And yeah, coming to grips with that hurts a little bit, sure. But that's ok! It's what we signed up for and it's all worth it to know he is safe, comfortable, happy, and loved. He will always be in our hearts (and on my Facebook news feed, I'm sure!).

Cowboy being goofy at K9dergarten

I made great friends at K9dergarten!

Happy dance in the background

So please enjoy these pictures of Cowboy with his new mommy (posted with her permission) and his time playing happily at K9dergarten leading up to his adoption. And thanks for letting me share my emotional mini-struggle. It always helps to write it out and face it for what it is: another step forward on this awesome journey! Congratulations, Cowboy Cody! May you and your forever mom build the happiest of friendships together! We'll miss you, Moo Man!

If you're in the Jersey City area and are looking for a fantastic doggy daycare, please check out K9dergarten at http://www.k9dergarten.com or on Facebook. These folks took GREAT care of Cowboy Cody and one of our other fosters, Barkley, while they waited for their forever homes. You can see in the pictures just how much fun Cow had hanging out with his K9 buddies every day! Every afternoon at 4:00 sharp, K9dergarten posts an album on Facebook full of pictures of all their daycare pups hanging out. It's an awesome way to see what your pup is up to while you're at work! A special shout out is due to Warren, a K9 staff member who really made sure Cowboy enjoyed every minute of his days at K9. Thanks and PAWS UP for Cowboy Cody's happy tail!

Cowboy's Journey Continues: Adopt Me!

Cowboy made it safely to See Spot Rescued in Jersey City last weekend. He had a grooming

session and then met his pre-approved adopters right after his arrival. Unfortunately, they decided they aren't quite ready for a dog after all. So, Cowboy is stuck in limbo.

Thankfully, all of SSR's dogs wait for their forever homes at an awesome doggy daycare place called K9dergarten. So Cowboy's not in a kennel environment or anything like that. He's getting to run, play, and have a blast all day long. The first week transported rescue dogs are at K9dergarten, they hang out in a separate daycare area just as a small group. This helps them get used to the free roam concept and the new environment before being integrated into the main daycare pack. The folks at K9dergarten upload a giant album of daycare pictures every single afternoon. I can't wait to see how much fun Cowboy is having once he gets to play with everyone!

Cowsy had a professional photo session with SSR's doggy photog, Jenna Teti. She did a fabulous job and her photos show just how handsome our Moo Man really is. I've included her photos in this post along with some shots from Cow's first day at K9dergarten. You can see him running with Baxter, Brody, & Astro. We miss him TONS, but it's wonderful to see he's well taken care of and to know he's happy.

PLEASE share this post as much as possible so we can help Cowboy's forever family find him sooner rather than later! While I know he's having a blast at K9dergarten, I want nothing more than to see him find the people he so deserves. Help us make sure Cowboy doesn't fall through the cracks; share, share, share! If you're in the Jersey City area and interested in filling out an adoption application for Cowboy, please email seespotrescued@gmail.com for more information. He's dreaming of finally finding his forever home!

Goodbye, Cowboy

Day 1 with Cowboy

Farewell Family Photo

It's official: Cowboy is on his way to Jersey City! Tomorrow he will finally get to meet his forever family thanks to See Spot Rescued and Friends of DeKalb Animals. Drew and I watched him board the FODA van this afternoon along with several other awesome foster families who said their goodbyes as well. No tears yet for either of us, but I know they will flow later tonight. I feel the usual fracture in my heart that comes with saying goodbye to a beloved foster, but it's SO worth it to know Cows has a wonderful future waiting for him.

We had Cowboy for three months to the day. Out of all our foster dogs so far, his departure left the most noticeable void. While it's nice to be back down to four dogs, it feels a little quiet. Cowboy wasn't at all rowdy, but we definitely feel his absence. He's such an awesome dog. I'm super excited to see his adoption pictures and hear how he does with his new family. The FODA van will arrive in NJ tomorrow and Cowboy is scheduled to meet his new family three hours afterward. Of course, I will post a happy tails update with photos from SSR.


I don't really have too much to say, oddly enough. It's different this time around...I feel bittersweet, but at peace. Cowsy will be missed around here, no doubt, but it's his time and we are so happy for him. Pickles will miss his incredibly patient playmate and Oliver will miss his laid back buddy. Bunkin and Flea will surely miss Cows once they realize it's now up to them to entertain Pickles 24/7. I'm sure when we turn out the lights tonight it will feel eerily quiet with his giant crate standing empty in our bedroom. We'll miss hearing his "moo" noises as he drifts off to sleep, stretches, rolls over, etc. We'll miss his big long poker face and his dashing good looks, but most of all we'll miss his heart. Ok, now I'm tearing up a little. We love you, Cowboy! You'll always be our #1 Moo Man Pokey Face!

Cowboy: 30 Day Update

Exciting progress: as of yesterday, Cowboy is 30 days into his heartworm treatment! I gave him his oral dose of ivermectin, which will kill off any remaining heartworm eggs and larvae. Over the next two weeks, he can begin gradually increasing his activity level. After that, he'll be able to go back to normal. We've had Cowboy for six weeks now; he's such a good boy. We just love him. As transport time draws nearer than ever, we're beginning to get a bit melancholy at the thought of saying goodbye to this handsome boy. Although it'll be difficult, I'm super excited to see what his future has in store! 

 
In other news, I found an old embedded collar scar around Cowboy's neck. Because he has heartworms, I imagine he grew up outside either chained or with a collar that became too small as he grew bigger. His scar is covered by fluffy fur and only runs around the top half of his neck. It's super sad to think of Cowboy in pain with a collar cutting a deep wound in his neck, but he's happy and almost completely healthy now.

Cowboy's become a pro at snuggling. He's a first class mush-mallow. Check out all these pictures and short video of him soaking in the love. Please try to ignore me in the video; it shows how relaxed, gentle, and loving Cowboy is. He'll gladly let you rub his ears and belly, grab his face, pretty much manhandle him however you want as long as there's a good hug in it for him! We'll have Cowboy for about three more weeks before he goes on transport to NJ. I'm most concerned about how Oliver will do once he's gone. Old Hound and Pokey Nose are best friends. Stay tuned for the conclusion of Cowboy's journey!