Welcoming the year 2012

The year 2011 was not the best year for most people. Depressing news one after another I many times asked myself "how are we supposed to keep going?" "How long can we last?" "What happens if we can't manage to stay afloat?"

I look at my kids and get scared. I look at my dogs and cats and feel pressured.

I know our time is limited so make the most of it.
Enjoy life while you can.

I think about it and feel like I am getting pulled in so many different directions I don't know how to put priorities in order.
I have a feeling I will live with this dilemma until the very last moment.

Will I feel relieved then?

I have all the positive expectations for the new year...with a bit of uncertainty attached to them.
The idea of new year gives everybody a equal chance to start afresh....I really hope it's going to be a good one.

 

Christmas at animal shelter

Very often when I have time, I check websites of animal shelters and look at the lists of their adoptable pets. The same depressing lists.


SEAACA is a shelter I got my dog Ginger from.
When I went to look for a dog to adopt, their cages were all full and each one seemed to have at least 5 dogs in it.
There were so many dogs and I remember thinking,

It's impossible to choose one dog out of all these dogs....

Because they all looked equally beautiful,....and sad.

Ginger caught my eyes because she had a look of a beautiful red fox, and looked so reserved. She cuddled up in the back of the cage and whenever there were motions outside her cage, she huddled with the others behind the bars and looked out worriedly.
So skinny. I don't know what but something told me to meet her in person. I asked one of the workers at the shelter to get her out of the cage. I probably spent 10 mins with her, and that was it.




Ginger has gained 15 lbs after I adopted her

 What divides the fate of the animals there?
The rest of the dogs I didn't chose that day. How many of them had gotten out of there with new owners? Or had been found by their owners? What happened to the rest?

I look at these pictures on the adoptable pets list, and get amazed how there are always so many of them listed there.
Why isn't the list getting shorter?
Haven't people been better educated about taking care of their pets for some time now?
What for are the rescue groups working so hard to get animals out of the shelters and try to adopt them out??
Why do breeders still exist?
Why are the animals still sold in pet stores?

I get overwhelmed by the same questions over and over when I see those faces on the websites.
Hasn't  "make the world a better place" been a slogan for all of us?

Today I noticed pictures of a bunch of German Shepherd puppies on SEAACA's website.

This one looks just like Anko.
There are 6 of them.
Will they all make it out of there?
Or will they spend their first Christmas in a shelter cage?

Anko was a "backyard dog" a little over a year ago

 

Greg got adopted!

This actually happened back in September. I haven't updated the blog since earlier so here I am, posting a happy entry for the record.

Greg was adopted by a family that already owns to other poodles. Greg will not be lonely for sure!



Here he is (far right). Looking so cute and clean with his new hair-cut.

I have heard now his name is Benny. To us he will always be Greg and we will never forget him.
I miss him so much. Don't get me wrong I am very happy for him now that he is living in a permanent home with two friends of his kind. What I mean is that this was my first real encounter with a poodle. And I was so amazed by Greg's entertaining nature. Now I notice poodles in the streets and in somebody's yard all the time.... Funny I used even avoid small dogs, (I guess mainly because I had seen them pee on my feet and try to mate with my arm) now I notice Chihuahuas and Poodles and they makes me smile.

I haven't fostered after Greg. I think I was a little exhausted after Greg. Physically because he was peeing everywhere in the house when he first arrived, he wasn't potty-trained. Most rescue dogs aren't, I think. They were never given proper care or love. We can't blame them but when you open your home to these guys, that means you would need lots of spray cleaners and paper towels.
Greg got to go outside most of the time at the end, however a few months of accidents finally took its toll and my house was stinky!
I was tired and wanted to breathe fresh air in my home. I decided to take a break from fostering and clean the house.

Now I think my house smells much better and I feel better too.
I started thinking again  - Having another cute face like this around wouldn't hurt. Even if it means putting your furniture and carpets at risk of another urine coating....  

Congratulations, Greg! Be happy!!

Greg - the Miniature Poodle

It's been about 2 months since Greg (AKA J.P.) came to our house.
He has made tremendous progress in every way, and now it feels like he belong to us.
The matter of the fact is, we can't keep him. Greg needs to find a fabulous forever home!

So here we go.
Greg is actually a "Miniature Poodle" although the video titles say toy-poodle.



<Greg's Profile>

• 1-2 years old
• Weighs about 14 lbs
• Healthy
• Happy and plays a lot
• Very affectionate
• Potty - When he first came to us, he wasn't potty trained at all, and was literally going everywhere. As I have my own bigger dogs, I take them outside for the bathroom. Greg learned the process gradually, and now he goes outside 90% of the time. He still sometimes has an accident, but you are expected to have to do a little cleaning if you have a pet, so this shouldn't be a big problem. I am confident that he can learn to go outside if the house has a doggy-door or access to outside freely. I'm sure he can even be trained to go on the toilet sheets if the owner knows how to train - unfortunately I don't. 
• Very smart and learns commands fast
• Loves walks
• Gets along with my two dogs
• Likes to chase my cats - Greg wants to play but because he is rough, it bothers the cats. One of my cats is always such a sport, and he teases Greg and plays with him often
• Barks at noises from outside
• Barks at strangers coming into the house
• Barks at other dogs during walk

I think this is about all I can think of right now.

Personally I find Greg so funny and lovable.
I never knew poodles before, and am surprised to learn how much fun they are. There is so much interaction with them, as if you can talk with them.
I even secretly decided when I'm older, after my two current dogs, to get a poodle for my pet.

Greg is adoptable through ICARE Dog Rescue. He attends ICARE's adoption events on weekends so check out the dates on ICARE's website.

Please also e-mail me if you want to meet him at my house. We live in Cypress, Orange County.

We got a poodie!!!

Hi. It's been a while...
Soon after our Jack got adopted, we got another cutie.
This time it's a miniature poodle!

Jean Pier (J.P.)

His name is Jean Pier, J.P. for short although we call him Greg or Greggy (my kids named him).
Greg is a super happy fella, still young (about 1 year old), loves to play and loves being around people.
He is super affectionate and great with kids. I often find my kids and Greg engaged in a serious tag or tug-of-war.

He was much fluffier when he first came to us about a month ago (Yes, it's been a while since we got him...) but we trimmed him because he looked too hot in his curly long hair.

Greg with long hair!

Now  he looks nice and cool although there are some spots that look uneven.... well, not to worry it will grow back in no time!

I will try to put together his profile next time!

Jack got adopted!!

Our Jack finally found a forever home!

We had him for over 4 months, and we were always wondering why nobody had discovered him. Jack was such a good dog. And finally, one day somebody with a magical eye, saw him.

We miss Jack so much. We are wishing him a happy new life with a wonderful family.

Good job, Jack! Take care of yourself!

We will never forget your happy smiles!

And please don't forget us....

WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Jack and his forever family

Thank you for finding Jack!

There are many other dogs who still haven't found their forever families, and are waiting to be found by someone.

Check out ICARE's adoptable animals.

Find your forever LOVE.

Jack the Chihuahua - enjoy walks

Jack has learned the routines with us and now knows all the signs and sounds, and can figure out what's happening or where we are going.

I take my dogs out for a walk daily, and Jack knows when we are just about to get out of the car and start walking.
He anxiously whines and begs me to let him out! And I love the sound Jack makes when he whines.



Well, yes, it's a typical Chihuahua whining sound, but isn't it cute?

Jack also enjoys chasing my dogs when they are charging in the field. And this is the only time he barks loud and continuously - chasing after my other dogs.



Aren't they wild?
I love watching them when they run like crazy!

Jack is a super cute male Chihuaha. He is up for adoption and looknig for a home.

Please read his profile and e-mail me if you are interested or if you have any question!