Geez it's cold

 It has been FRIGID here for over a week. Supposed to stay cold for a least another week with maybe 4 to 8 inches of snow this week.

Mom always worries about our feral girl Allie but even more so now. So she went out and ordered a heated cat house that can be plugged in to be put in the garage.

It's made by K&H and made to be outside. It seems pretty sturdy though mom used several HBO words getting it zipped together. It does have a clear flap in the front that mom wonders if she is going to have to remove. 

Since mom isn't leaving the house every day, she doesn't always see Allie. But the food is being eaten and she did see Allie on Friday and she looks ok. 

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Mom spent part of Saturday on the road going another bloodhound. Someone got Hank as a puppy and he spent most of his life on a chain. We this weekend he got a serious upgrade and is heading to NJ to be a search and rescue dog.

weekend report

It was a nice weekend here....nice weather and ot too busy.

Mom did do a transport on Saturday for the bloodhound rescue. Jake and Duke are 18 month old brothers left a high kill shelter. They were not neutered, heartwork positive and had entropian (their eyelids curl in and their eye lashes rub on their corneas). They were good in the car but the cones were pretty big and kept whacking each other and mom.

Cookies? For me?

Marilyn was spayed on Friday and did well. Mom got called that she was done early and picked her up falong with 4 other cats from the rescue. Marilyn is now at one of our rescue partner stores and will hopefully be adopted quickly.

This little girl was one of the pick ups on Friday....Wheat is finally healthy and made weight and went home with her new family on Saturday.

weekend report

Mom ran errands on Saturday morning and then left for a few hours in the afternoon.

This is Pearl. She had previously been adopted and was a "victim" of divorce and a new girlfriend. A couple stepped up to take her as a foster to adopt and mom got to meet them as the final hand off. Pearl is a sweet 6 year old girl and after talking for a few minutes, mom bets this is going to be her new family.

Freedom is in the tower by herself now. She is pretty snotty and mom didn't want Liberty getting sick too. Also, mom was hoping that separating the girls would help with their socialization. Freedom, despite being caught several times per day to have her nose cleaned and be medicated is doing better.

Liberty is now living in the foster space. This is her hanging with Barley. The boys are smaller, but they hold their own and find Liberty pretty fascinating. However, Liberty is still pretty skittish around mom.

Barley and Hops are doing well. Healthy and very social. Mom weighed them and they are just under 2 pounds, so another couple of weeks and they should be ready to go. Which means, based on the clinic schedule the last time mom called, she should schedule these two soon.

Freedom discovered the hammock in the cat tower. She spends most of her time sleeping in it, but will also hang her head over the side. Not sure if it is just comfortable or helps her breathe better.

weekend report

Juniper disapproves of mom's late posting....

Just a quick update. Mom spent the weekend with the kittens but also helped drive another bloodhound for rescue on Sunday morning. Ellie Mae is 11 years old and super sweet....just left behind by someone. She dozed for most of the hour trip with mom and landed safely in a foster home by early Sunday afternoon.

The kittens are all sneezy, so the spay and neuters mom had planned for Cedar, Alder and Juniper for today are being delayed. Silly kittens....it is like they know those words and do it on purpose.

Mom did take those 3 to an adoption event on Sunday afternoon. Juniper freaked out a little at first but relaxed. Alder wasn't too sure about the whole thing but was eventually wrestling his sister and playing with a toy. Cedar was mr social butterfly....until nap time caught up with him. This is the store where Amaryllis is available for adoption but she is SO over kittens that she didn't even look in their direction. MOL

Christmas weekend

Mom left us for the weekend....but Santa Paws found us and left presents in TN. Mom hasn't let us have them yet, but we know she brought them back.

The kid bought this with her own money for mom. So sweet.....

 Our cousin Scooby came out to check out the festivities....

Everyone got something they wanted and then dinner was served. Mom said she had a good time with everyone.

When mom came home on Saturday, she helped transport Gracie Mae for Ontario Bloodhound Rescue. Gracie is 5 years old, was kept just to be bred, never lived inside, and was heartworm positive when rescued. But she is super sweet - though needs to gain some weight. Mom's part of the trip was 3 hours from Lexington KY to our hometown. From there she went to a foster home in PA.

We hope you all had a happy and healthy Christmas.....

We are sending purrs to many many friends in the CB. There are several kitties that are sick. And some ran for the Bridge over the weekend. That makes us sad and we are sending purrs to their families.  And if you have few green papers, Marg had an accident at their house - Joe is one of the donkeys there. Over the weekend coyotes got into the pasture and when he chased them away, he got caught in the fence and was hurt. A YouCaring site has been set up for them. Miss Marg does SO much for everyone in the CB.....

weekend report

Well, there was another hound in the Beetle....

This is Leonard and he was on his way from a boarding facility that helps out OBR to a foster home. He was rescued with his love Lily who went to her home on Saturday as well. But in her case it is hospice....they are both young, but the vet found several tumors in Lily and a nice family decided to take her in to give her as much comfort as possible in her last few months. Leonard however is super sweet and available for adoption - he needs to put on some weight and gain some comfidence, but otherwise is doing great.

Speaking of hounds, remember Nala that mom helped move? She was adopted by her foster mom (in less than an hour after arrival) and is now Clover living with another 6 year old bloodhound named Humphrey. She fits right in and is giving Humphrey a run for his money. :)

Mom took Stoli and Sangria to the Petco for an adoption event on Saturday. There was an open cage, so they didn't come back with her. It is a little quiet with just Daiquiri and Kahlua here now. Hopefully the kitts will get adopted quickly....

Opt to Adopt - Nala & Lexi

Mom got to drive twice this week for Ontario Bloodhound Rescue.  Two bloodhound girls - mother and daughter were rescued from Tennessee and moved to a kennel just west of us until they could be moved to foster care.

Nala is 3 years old and moved Thursday afternoon. She is super sweet. Great getting INTO the car, had to convince her to get OUT. :) Nala turned out to be heartworm positive so she got her first treatment before going to foster in Pennsylvania.

Lexi is 5 years old and moved Saturday to her foster home in Canada. She was also super sweet. She actually was heartworm negative which surprised everyone since Nala was positive. Lexi got right in the car and settled in for a nap.

And update: Lexi is already adopted. Her foster home was one of the head volunteers for OBR. In less than an hour, she posted that Lexi - now Clover - fit in great with their family and their big male bloodhound Humphrey and would be the newest member of their family. :)  Congrats!!

Weekend wrapup....

Well, another weekend, another hound....

Cash spent Saturday on the road going from short term foster in Ohio to long term foster in Canada. He is a BIG boy from what mom says and she almost had to lift him in the car for the leg after her....he sat down and decided he wasn't moving. MOL

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Some bloggers have been talking about a rescue located just north us of called STOP (find them on facebook). We blogged about it too. They are a small group that also provides low cost spay/neuter and vet services. Then there was a fire....the building was destroyed and several cats lost their lives.

But - they have picked themselves back up. They found a building willing to rent to them short term until they can rebuild. They were having an open house on Saturday. Mom had planned to attend but then with Cash moving, she was going to be there anyhow - just earlier. So mom picked up some cleaning supplies (and chocolate) and stopped on her way home.

This cutie is Kennedy. She is there with 2 other kittens about her same age - they will be spayed/neutered on Tuesday and ready to go.

Hanging out in the front window.

They have a nice lobby and in the back several room - a kitchen, surgery room and 3 rooms to keep shyer cats. Mom got to talk to Diana the head of the rescue. She gave mom a tour. She said they normally have about 50 cats in their care and tend to take the most needy ones - needing physical repairs and time to rehab. They did lose some cats to the fire, but the survivors are recovering and some have been adopted (even a couple by the firefighters that showed up to fight the fire).

While insurance covers some things, they are still in need of money to rebuild and get back on their feet. If you can help, please click here. Mom was very impressed with the building, with the condition of the cats and with the people there helping out.

a tail of a hound....

Over three years ago a man (henceforth known as doofus) got a puppy.

The puppy was cute and wrinkly and adorable and loved. And then, as puppies tend to do, she grew. And she grew. And she became the bloodhound she was destined to become. Big and stubborn and loveable and slobbery.

And the doofus decided that she needed to live outside in the back yard.

Then over a year ago the doofus decided the hound was lonely. But, rather than bring her back inside to be a member of the family like she was promised, or finding a rescue willing to rehome her....  the doofus got another hound.

UGH

Fast forward to the beginning of January. The hounds were discovered by a couple who knew about a bloodhound rescue. They reached out to the rescue who agreed to take the dogs. Neither were spayed/neutered. Heaven knows the last time they had seen a vet. We were told the only reason there were no puppies was that the female refused to let the male anywhere near her when she was in heat. (fangs - the ultimate birth control)

So now Fergie and Leroy are safe....  Both dogs moved Saturday from a boarding kennel to foster homes. And in no time (we hope) these dogs will have wonderful homes of their own.

Where they will live INSIDE.
As part of the family.
Loved forever.
And we hope the doofus has learned his lesson and never gets another dog (or any other animal).

and yes....you really CAN fit two dogs in a Beetle  MOL

Random Fridays.....

Mom got an email from our contact with Ontario Bloodhound about two dogs about an hour away from us. Seems that they are left out back and basically ignored. The female is so big she won't fit in the doghouse and has been left to the elements. A local rescuer has been after the people to release them....which they finally did. And then loaded their motorcycles on a travel trailer behind their new truck and took off for Florida (before we even have the dogs). Grrrrrr

 
The female is in foster and the male is being boarded until he can be vetted and then will be moved to a foster home.

And of course, this is the mom we are talking about, there were two cats hanging out at the house too. Both pretty friendly. And mom had one carrier.... She was contemplating the drive back out there this weekend (cause when they got Blu out to get him in the car, the cats both scattered). However, the woman from the local basset rescue that was helping with the boarding kennel stopped by as mom was dropping him off. The lady is on the board of the local humane society...they know about the cats and someone is going out in the next couple of days to pick them both up and bring them to the shelter. thank cod....
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Mom is still working with Cumin. He won't come looking for attention, but at least doesn't run away like mom has cooties or something. We still wish he had a friend, but it is early in the kitten season.

We did learn something interesting about him....when mom picked him up someone said his name was "fed ex". So not keeping that. But mom asked Miss Mona the other day what was up with the name. And it seems the a Fed Ex driver found him and asked at one of the Petco stores where we have adoptable cats about what to do with him and they took him and called the rescue. Cute....
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And in a hilarious moment, mom pulled into the garage late after dropping off the dog on Wednesday night. As she parked, she looked up and.....there was Allie our feral girl. Mom has several spots set up for her to sleep, and now Allie is BUSTED since mom knows her spot.  :)  Oh, and it isn't the nice new shelter with the straw either. MOL

weekend update

First things first....the kittens seem to be holding their own.  Thank Cod!!  Mom had a couple of concerns and decided to reach out to our friends. Miss Connie gave us some great advice about feeding raw and the kitten were switched to that (more on that tomorrow). It will obviously be short term since they will need to go back to the shelter good at some point but for right now it is more important to get food to stick IN their systems instead of run through it. And seriously....could we figure this out soon??? The kitts want out and spend a lot of time yelling about it.

And....Nasa, Hubble and Corona (you know, it occurred to mom over the weekend that she could also have been a member of the beer kittens - MOL) got a bath shower on Sunday morning. It is about trying to keep their poor buns clean. Mom has been using bleach in the bathroom for the last few days and did remark that there seemed to be "less" of a mess on the floor this morning. So hopefully we are making progress.

 "so not funny foster-mom-lady"

Sputnik and Orbit - trying to get away from the wet

(they aren't messy so they managed to avoid the shower)

She also thought their symptoms were familiar...so she did some searching online and it may be Giardia. Which won't show up on a standard test. In the effort of - better safe than sorry - mom is giving the kitts a dose of panacur that will cover that as well.

And....another Saturday, another slobbery dog in the car. :)  Ruger had been adopted and was on his way home. What a super sweet boy. Once he got in the back seat, he kept doing the little kid "I'm not sleeping" thing. Mom thought at one point she would find a big fuzzy pile of goo sleeping in the back seat. His new family emailed the group when he got home last night and said he was running around the backyard playing with his new boy.

The zen of transportation....

We are letting the mom take this one today....

I love doing transports. The selfless reason is that I can be a part of getting an animal either to a foster or to a forever home...but definitely on the road to a better life. The selfish reason is this: I don't have to worry about anything. I pick up the animal and drive from point A to point B and then go home. There is a sense of relaxation to it - peaceful drive for the most part with nothing much to worry about.

And then there are days that seem to be arranged by the Three Stooges.  Saturday was one of those days....

It started Friday. Of all the kittens in foster care with the rescue, the ones from Wednesday that were fixed here are about the only ones ready to be adopted. The head of the rescue is getting tired of dealing with a cranky public that comes in wanting kittens and gets annoyed when there just aren't any. From a rescue standpoint, you know that a loss of adoption isn't a good thing, but you hope maybe, just maybe, this is a sign that spay/neuter is working (though we suspect it may just be the calm before the storm). So I was dealing with "when are the kittens going to be at Petco?"

Saturday morning - I have transport set up with the bloodhounds. YEAH!!! I love those dogs. I get to the hand off spot....and we can't get the dog out of the car. She is so fearful she is barking and growling and snapping. OK - that's new.  A few phone calls later - transport coordinator, head of the rescue and a local vet....it is decided that the first driver will just take her back to where she was being boarded.  Where apparently she jumped out of the car and was beside herself with excitement. oh well....maybe next time  :)

The off to deal with kittens (come back tomorrow for that tail).

Later that evening, a transport run for Cane Corso Rescue. I don't normally do 2 in one day, but don't mind. I met and picked up Mia.

Her new mom and dad were driving from COLORADO to pick her up.

Somewhere along the line I managed to misread an email. I was sure I was meeting the adopters. Apparently there was another leg in the middle. So, the leg before me was running behind due to traffic. I get going and am trying to figure out where I am headed and if there is a better meeting place. I find one and text the adopter. She texts back "IN or OH". I am all... ummmm OH. She then calls me - to say she thinks I am meeting someone else but not them. Awesome - now the adopters think I am nuts. :)  I call the coordinator and we are laughing. While I am talking to her, the phone beeps with an incoming call that I ignore. Liz says she is going to call the woman I am meeting next to let her know about the time. I check my voicemail - it is that woman saying she is early and knows I am running late.....gotta love it.  :)  Melanie was great and Mia ended up with her new mom and dad Saturday night.  I laughed with Liz on the way home and said I was headed home to have a drink and go to bed.

So, no matter the awesome outcomes, some days are all "zen" and some days are just about keeping a sense of humor.

Random Fridays.....

Mom saw the most AWESOME video posted on the bloodhound rescue facebook page. Some of you may remember the transport mom did last July. Two bloodhounds had been bought (and we don't advocate that but a local group was getting video and evidence about puppy mills) from a mill and were being rescued. Mom offered to pick them up from the local group and transport them to the local foster here in Ohio. The rescue let her name them and she picked Edison and Marie. They were so scared. Both moved to long term foster in Canada and then were adopted. Well.....Edison's family adopted another bloodhound named Pearl. And they are playing and love each other and mom got all choked up.

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Tim is usually a big hit with kittens. He tolerates a whole lot more than everyone else around here. Mom calls him Uncle Tim.  Good thing - we will let him distract them. :)

Triscuit was having a good time. Until she got distracted by a piece of carpet off the cat tree (mom says that tree sheds worse than Maestro). And no, mom didn't let her eat it.
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We found a new campaign we want to share with you. One Picture Saves is trying to get people to help get pictures of pets in shelters and make sure you get the "happy" shot.

It is so very true..... which animal would you prefer? The one in the corner of a cage looking terrified or the cute picture of the smiling pet?

The shelter where mom volunteers is VERY lucky to have a professional photographer that volunteers his time to come in. Seriously.....check out this picture of mom's favorite boy there right now named Dragon
  How do you resist that face?????
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And one last thing:  Mom and the kittens will be at the Pet Expo this weekend here in Ohio. If you are nearby, come visit!!! 

da snarky kittens say - come visit - you know you want to...

plan, what plan???

Quick Emma update: Mom got a text this morning. X-ray showed just soft tissue injury to her back leg. No real definitive answers on what is going on her with her when they arrived at the hospital but she seems to be acting better. She is supposed to be on cage rest, so mom is going to talk to the manager at Petco about just taking her back there. Heaven knows she won't get any rest at our house. MOL  (hey Kelly: what kind of climber do you use at Petco - we have tried a couple of different ones and can't find anything that is really tall enough).
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Mom had a plan for Saturday. Pick up the blood hounds, run north. Come back, get lunch. Pick up the cane corso, drive west. Come back, get groceries. Go home watch basketball.

Well, the transports went well, but if you read the post yesterday about Emma, you will know the day didn't go quite as planned. But, we thought we would share the transport part with you.

Charlie and Ellie Mae are headed to Canada. Charlie is going to his foster home and Ellie Mae is headed to a foster-to-adopt home. Charlie was super sweet. Mom doesn't normally crate dogs for transport, but she knew that Charlie didn't know Ellie Mae and worried what would happen in the back seat of a small car.

Ellie Mae was the bloodhound you think about when you think about bloodhounds. Joyful, goofy and wonderful. Mom said she and Ellie Mae had to tango a couple of time to convince Ellie Mae to sit IN THE BACK!!! And Ellie Mae was a kisser....she got mom a couple of times from the back seat. :)

Mom says if she ever gets a dog, it may end up being a bloodhound and she wants one like Ellie Mae. We know her foster-to-adopt family is going to meet her and know they can't live without her.

And then the afternoon was Apollo. He is an 8 month old Cane Corso....weighing in at 65 pounds (mom mumbled something about "puppy my @##"). But he was super sweet and great in the car. And another kisser. Mom was meeting his new mom and dad so got to hand him off on his way home.

Mom will say this - she picked up Apollo at a local vet office. As she got there, another client walked in with a very overweight Malamute. Apparently had an appointment with the groomer. And the appointment had been screwed up and he was getting angry with the receptionist. In the meantime, he let his dog wander all over the lobby. Rachel (with the rescue who also works at the vet office) came out with Apollo and mom asked the guy to grab his dog. His response "she wouldn't hurt a fly". ugh! Rachel said that Apollo was a rescue and we don't know his background. Mom ended up body blocking the Mal so Rachel and Apollo could get out the door. As the dog wandered closer, mom slammed her foot down on the dog's leash. The guy turned and look like he was gonna say something to mom - she said she raised one eyebrow in the "dare you" expression and he never said another word. Makes mom certain that some people should be required to take a quiz before getting a dog.....or an IQ test.

Random Fridays and Dr. Suess

It is amazing....

It's a MIRACLE!!!!

Or, as mom says:

prepare for the apocalypse:

Yes - Emma....the brat kitten....the fungus amung us.....

HAS BEEN SPAYED!!!

(and declared fungus free)
All 5 months and 3 pounds of her

Now, we let everyone know she really is available to be adopted and find her a home of her own!!!
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So, once again, mom missed it....Spay Day was Tuesday and she posted early (darned work) and realized later. But....you guys all know how we feel about that. DO IT EARLY AND OFTEN!!!  (snicker)  Oh, and if you haven't read the post from Tails from the Foster Kittens, you need to...
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What is that sound?

It sounds like a hound.

Or maybe a foghorn....

Do the neighbors complain??

(be sure to click on the link - it will CRACK YOU UP!! Both dogs are available for adoption from OBR)
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We gotted a comment earlier in the week from The cat on my head kitties asked about our successes in adoptions. We got lucky with the boys last weekend - it was a HUGE adoption event sponsored by Petsmart Charities and there was lots of ads on tv and the like. Honestly though, mom goes to Petco once per month for events and normally NOTHING happens. Most of the adoptions from that store are just people walking by the windows and seeing the kitties. This store has the adoption cages right next to the front windows, so everyone can see the kitties as they walk by. Wish we had some wonderful advice, but really.....we aren't that good. :)
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