For all of you who hear about my fur kids, here are pics to give faces to the names. Their bios are now below the following section; but, at this point, they've all been upgraded to permanent residents/family.
All of these were posted in the spring of 2011; since then, Ginger lost her fight with what turned out to be hemangiosarcoma, on 07/04/2011; Buddy got out and got into some type of poison, dying in my arms on 12/21/2011; and, Blue got out on 03/23/2012 and is presumed dead.
Kira is a yellow Lab, who's been here since mid-Jan. 2002. When she showed up under my mobile home, during a thunder and lightning storm (yes, in Jan. - Okla. can have some weird weather...), she was somewhere between 6 and 8 weeks old. I live off of a gravel road; and, she looked as though she had been tossed out of the window of a car driving about as fast as the driver could go on such a road. She was SO skinned up, was covered in fleas, and had lost all of her puppy fat. As if all that wasn't enough, her nose has a permanent bend to it, as if she had landed on her nose. Had it not been for the storm driving her under my trailer, she probably wouldn't have survived for long. In all probability, she'd have either died from exposure; or, a coyote would've had her for a quick snack. She's getting to be a bit of an "old lady" now; but, she still loves chasing a tennis ball - she just can't do it for hours on end, the way she used to. Obviously, she's a permanent resident out here.
That's Aries in the background; and, Ginger's butt in the foreground.
That's Aries in the background; and, Ginger's butt in the foreground.
Athena (who likes to pose; or, who can't quite figure out what the camera is) and Eddie. Buddy's lurking in the background.
Athena and her brother, Aries, were abandoned near Shawnee mall when they were about 4 or 5 months old. My best guess is that they were the last 2 pups of a litter; and, whoever had their mom got tired of trying to find homes for them. They were only supposed to be here for about a month; since, a fellow wanted them; but, was in the process of moving. THEN, the May 10, 2010 tornado happened... The place he was going to buy was destroyed; and, he moved into a mobile home park, instead. Athena is part black Lab and part ? - I'm guessing either black and tan hound or Rottweiler, by her markings. She's REALLY scared on men; and, VERY bonded with her brother; so, in all likelihood, they'll wind up being permanents. If she and her brother were to be adopted, it would have to be together; and, it would have to be with people who understood (and could gently deal with) her fear of men. I would also have to be certain that she wouldn't be discarded in the event of a "That dog goes or I go...." ultimatum. After being here about a year, she's FINALLY letting my ex pet her; and, (most of the time) doesn't bark (and bark, and bark,....) at the other guys who come out here. She's also getting to the point where I can get her into the car without it being a major fight. (She's figuring out that getting into the car results in a ROUND TRIP, instead of a one-way trip.)
Eddie was "the next in line" to be killed at the pound when a friend of mine mistook him for a dog of mine who had gone missing. I couldn't walk away and leave him there to die; so, I took him home in the hopes of finding him a good home. He had been so abused that it took 4 months to get him to a point where he didn't jump and cower whenever someone moved their hand or foot too quickly. By then, he'd pretty well imbedded himself into the pack. I suspect that he's a descendant of Mack, who "got around" quite a bit before I could afford to get him neutered. His markings are almost identical. Unlike Mack, Eddies appears to have some Golden Retriever in him; and, he weighs about 110 pounds. UNDER THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES, I'd consider letting him be adopted; BUT, it would have to be to the right people and the right situation.
More on Buddy below.
Athena and her brother, Aries, were abandoned near Shawnee mall when they were about 4 or 5 months old. My best guess is that they were the last 2 pups of a litter; and, whoever had their mom got tired of trying to find homes for them. They were only supposed to be here for about a month; since, a fellow wanted them; but, was in the process of moving. THEN, the May 10, 2010 tornado happened... The place he was going to buy was destroyed; and, he moved into a mobile home park, instead. Athena is part black Lab and part ? - I'm guessing either black and tan hound or Rottweiler, by her markings. She's REALLY scared on men; and, VERY bonded with her brother; so, in all likelihood, they'll wind up being permanents. If she and her brother were to be adopted, it would have to be together; and, it would have to be with people who understood (and could gently deal with) her fear of men. I would also have to be certain that she wouldn't be discarded in the event of a "That dog goes or I go...." ultimatum. After being here about a year, she's FINALLY letting my ex pet her; and, (most of the time) doesn't bark (and bark, and bark,....) at the other guys who come out here. She's also getting to the point where I can get her into the car without it being a major fight. (She's figuring out that getting into the car results in a ROUND TRIP, instead of a one-way trip.)
Eddie was "the next in line" to be killed at the pound when a friend of mine mistook him for a dog of mine who had gone missing. I couldn't walk away and leave him there to die; so, I took him home in the hopes of finding him a good home. He had been so abused that it took 4 months to get him to a point where he didn't jump and cower whenever someone moved their hand or foot too quickly. By then, he'd pretty well imbedded himself into the pack. I suspect that he's a descendant of Mack, who "got around" quite a bit before I could afford to get him neutered. His markings are almost identical. Unlike Mack, Eddies appears to have some Golden Retriever in him; and, he weighs about 110 pounds. UNDER THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES, I'd consider letting him be adopted; BUT, it would have to be to the right people and the right situation.
More on Buddy below.
Buddy, Wally, and Blue in the background.
Buddy's mom was a puggle and his dad was an American bull dog (NOT a pit bull!!!) He's an EXTREMELY sweet dog; and, an "attention hound." Technically, he's a foster; but, he's been here since he "took up residence" here in the fall of '07. At that time, he was very emmaciated; and, had heartworms. (Both of which are no longer the case.) While I WOULD consider allowing him to be adopted, it would be under very stringent conditions. I'd rather let him live out his life here than to let him go into a situation where he'd be at risk of something bad happening to him; since, not only could he be mistaken for a pit bull; but, he's also a roamer, an escape artist, and enjoys chasing.
Wally was found abandonded in the parking lot of the Seminole Wal-Mart. He was literally skin, bones, and ticks. I suspect that he was a "forclosure dog." He showed none of the signs of having been mistreated prior to being abandoned; but, for a long time, he went nuts whenever I'd start to get in the car to go somewhere. If I put him in the car and took him with me, he was fine. If he was a year old then, it wasn't by much... He's such a sweet little guy that he quickly wormed his way into our hearts. Even though it isn't as bad as it used to be, he still has fairly severe separation anxiety; and, I really don't feel he'd adapt well to a new home.
More on Blue below.
Buddy's mom was a puggle and his dad was an American bull dog (NOT a pit bull!!!) He's an EXTREMELY sweet dog; and, an "attention hound." Technically, he's a foster; but, he's been here since he "took up residence" here in the fall of '07. At that time, he was very emmaciated; and, had heartworms. (Both of which are no longer the case.) While I WOULD consider allowing him to be adopted, it would be under very stringent conditions. I'd rather let him live out his life here than to let him go into a situation where he'd be at risk of something bad happening to him; since, not only could he be mistaken for a pit bull; but, he's also a roamer, an escape artist, and enjoys chasing.
Wally was found abandonded in the parking lot of the Seminole Wal-Mart. He was literally skin, bones, and ticks. I suspect that he was a "forclosure dog." He showed none of the signs of having been mistreated prior to being abandoned; but, for a long time, he went nuts whenever I'd start to get in the car to go somewhere. If I put him in the car and took him with me, he was fine. If he was a year old then, it wasn't by much... He's such a sweet little guy that he quickly wormed his way into our hearts. Even though it isn't as bad as it used to be, he still has fairly severe separation anxiety; and, I really don't feel he'd adapt well to a new home.
More on Blue below.
Blue's mom was a puggle; and, I suspect that Buddy was his dad. His mom, "Sweetheart," showed up and had 7 puppies in one of my storage trailers. She was skin, bones, and nipples. One of the pups died the next day. Five were adopted; then, Sweetheart got adopted. He's also a really sweet dog; but, like Buddy, a roamer, an escape artist, a chaser, and too easily mistaken for a pit bull. Like Buddy, even though I'd consider allowing him to be adopted into the RIGHT situation, his being adopted would be under VERY stringent conditions...
Buddy and Ginger, with Aries in the background and Wally in the foreground.
Ginger is a Lab/Setter mix, who took up residence out here sometime between Sept. 5th and 21st, 2005, while I was away and Mack and Kira were staying with a friend of mine. My guess was that she was between 5 and 6 months old. Like Eddie, it took a long time for her to feel safe around humans. She's a permanent. She recently made me a believer in colloidal silver! On April 7, 2011, she started acting really strangely. She had been pretty mopey for several days; but, I hadn't been able to identify any specific problem, other than her seeming to have a sore right hind leg. I couldn't find any evidence of a break or specific tenderness; so, I had just been keeping an eye on her. By dawn of April 8th, she was totally blind in both eyes; and, even with my acting as a "seeing eye person," she could barely walk. I beat the vet to his office that morning. He thought she'd already lost her right eye; and, would quite likely lose her left eye. She was one VERY sick gal!!! My vet gave her a shot, some antibiotic pills, and some eye drops; but, was NOT optimistic regarding her prognosis... I made an emergency trip to a town about 2 hours away, to get the .9999 silver wires I needed to make colloidal silver; and, started dosing her (and her eyes) with it when we got back home. (I also used the stuff I got from the vet; but, as I said, the vet had NOT been optimistic.) The results were nothing short of miraculous!!! By the following Friday, she was back to normal. This pic was taken on the evening of April 13th, while her left eye was still improving. I'm now totally sold on the benefits of colloidal silver!!! Also, between fleas, ticks, and swimming in the ponds, everyone DID have a pink tint to the whites of their eyes. Since I started adding colloidal silver to their water bucket, that's no longer the case. I'm also working on making stills to make cedar oil and peppermint oil, to try to come up with a safer, more effective, flea and tick preventative than the spot-ons I've used in the past. With ticks so bad so early in the season, it's looking like I might have to buy the first round of essential oils; but, on my budget, I need to be making my own after that.
Ginger is a Lab/Setter mix, who took up residence out here sometime between Sept. 5th and 21st, 2005, while I was away and Mack and Kira were staying with a friend of mine. My guess was that she was between 5 and 6 months old. Like Eddie, it took a long time for her to feel safe around humans. She's a permanent. She recently made me a believer in colloidal silver! On April 7, 2011, she started acting really strangely. She had been pretty mopey for several days; but, I hadn't been able to identify any specific problem, other than her seeming to have a sore right hind leg. I couldn't find any evidence of a break or specific tenderness; so, I had just been keeping an eye on her. By dawn of April 8th, she was totally blind in both eyes; and, even with my acting as a "seeing eye person," she could barely walk. I beat the vet to his office that morning. He thought she'd already lost her right eye; and, would quite likely lose her left eye. She was one VERY sick gal!!! My vet gave her a shot, some antibiotic pills, and some eye drops; but, was NOT optimistic regarding her prognosis... I made an emergency trip to a town about 2 hours away, to get the .9999 silver wires I needed to make colloidal silver; and, started dosing her (and her eyes) with it when we got back home. (I also used the stuff I got from the vet; but, as I said, the vet had NOT been optimistic.) The results were nothing short of miraculous!!! By the following Friday, she was back to normal. This pic was taken on the evening of April 13th, while her left eye was still improving. I'm now totally sold on the benefits of colloidal silver!!! Also, between fleas, ticks, and swimming in the ponds, everyone DID have a pink tint to the whites of their eyes. Since I started adding colloidal silver to their water bucket, that's no longer the case. I'm also working on making stills to make cedar oil and peppermint oil, to try to come up with a safer, more effective, flea and tick preventative than the spot-ons I've used in the past. With ticks so bad so early in the season, it's looking like I might have to buy the first round of essential oils; but, on my budget, I need to be making my own after that.
A better pic of Ginger, showing the remaining inflamation of her left eye on the evening of April 13th. By the evening of April 15th, the inflammation was totally gone. BTW, her right eye is fine; but, that's a LONG story......
Athena seems fascinated with the camera. :)
Athena seems fascinated with the camera. :)
A dog conference.....
On the right are Honey and Aries. Honey came here with Buddy, shortly after Sweetheart; and, it was apparent that they knew each other. (Actually, a month or so earlier, I had to break up a 6 dog fight in my living room, after Kira, Mack, and Ginger had caught Buddy, Honey, and Sweetheart sneaking in to raid the food bucket. After that, I had started leaving food outside; but, they were very skitish about coming around to eat, even outside after getting jumped by my crew. It was only out of total desperation that they started risking even the outside food.) Honey was EXTREMELY skittish; and, it took about 2 months before I could even get close to her. She has demodectic mange (the non-contagious; but, almost impossible to get rid of variety); and, after going into a bad bacterial infection, sho wound up too weak to run away. I was able to catch her, get her into quarantine, and treat her. After a month in quarantine, she had decided that she could trust me; and, that this was a pretty nice place to be. (LOL, Bottomless food buckets helped, I'm sure...) She's a REALLY sweet dog; and, I'm making progress with her mange; but, I doubt if she'll ever be totally rid of it. I have heard that the cedar oil/peppermint oil might help; and, the colloidal silver might take enough pressure off of her compromised immune system to make more progress. At least she hasn't had a major flare in over a year; and, she has a good quality of life. She was BADLY infected with heartworms when she came here; and, the treatment was really hard on her; so, part of her improvement might be related to her immune system slowly recovering from the heartworm treatment. I don't consider her adoptable; since, realisticly, there just aren't a lot of people who would be willing to take on her problems.
Unlike Athena, Aries is extroverted and gregarious. He'd be a good search and rescue dog; since, he thinks he needs to investigate everything....
On the right are Honey and Aries. Honey came here with Buddy, shortly after Sweetheart; and, it was apparent that they knew each other. (Actually, a month or so earlier, I had to break up a 6 dog fight in my living room, after Kira, Mack, and Ginger had caught Buddy, Honey, and Sweetheart sneaking in to raid the food bucket. After that, I had started leaving food outside; but, they were very skitish about coming around to eat, even outside after getting jumped by my crew. It was only out of total desperation that they started risking even the outside food.) Honey was EXTREMELY skittish; and, it took about 2 months before I could even get close to her. She has demodectic mange (the non-contagious; but, almost impossible to get rid of variety); and, after going into a bad bacterial infection, sho wound up too weak to run away. I was able to catch her, get her into quarantine, and treat her. After a month in quarantine, she had decided that she could trust me; and, that this was a pretty nice place to be. (LOL, Bottomless food buckets helped, I'm sure...) She's a REALLY sweet dog; and, I'm making progress with her mange; but, I doubt if she'll ever be totally rid of it. I have heard that the cedar oil/peppermint oil might help; and, the colloidal silver might take enough pressure off of her compromised immune system to make more progress. At least she hasn't had a major flare in over a year; and, she has a good quality of life. She was BADLY infected with heartworms when she came here; and, the treatment was really hard on her; so, part of her improvement might be related to her immune system slowly recovering from the heartworm treatment. I don't consider her adoptable; since, realisticly, there just aren't a lot of people who would be willing to take on her problems.
Unlike Athena, Aries is extroverted and gregarious. He'd be a good search and rescue dog; since, he thinks he needs to investigate everything....
Mack's a Lab/hound mix, who's been here since April '03; and, he's a permanent. An idiot had gotten him for her 3 and 4 year old kids, put him in a postage stamp sized back yard with no toys and no attention), and was feeding him only once a day. THEN, this (insert a long string of expellatives!!!) blamed him for him playing too rough with her children, tearing up her yard, and climbing the fence to go through her neighbors garbage cans at any opportunity!!! A friend of mine attempted to rescue him before he wound up at the pound; but, she wound up sending him before he could get back to get him. We were under the impression that animal control had just gone ahead and taken him; so, I headed to the pound "loaded for bear," to confront the animal control officer about doing so. (This was before I knew him and knew that he's actually a really good guy, who always did everything he could to avoid killing animals; and, who has now managed to get the place "no kill.") Anyway... After being assured that Mack would be living outside of the city limits, he just gave him to me. Puppy had been having a "very hard day" when I first met him; and, they had to drag him out to the waiting room - with his 4 legs going in 4 different directions. He was already 70 pounds, at 11 months old! I spent the 1st half hour in the floor with him, cuddling him while he trembled in terror. He's come a lonnnngggg way since then!
A little bit better pic of Mack; but, unlike Athena, Mack tends to be a bit camera shy.
Another pic of Honey, munching on a bone. If anyone in the vicinity of Seminole, OK area has a "connection" for beef bones; or, will be getting a cow butchered (and doesn't want the bones), PLEASE contact me at: [email protected] My last "bone connection" went out of business; and, it REALLY increased my dog food bill. Fresh meat is better for them, too.
I suspect that she might be part coyote.
I suspect that she might be part coyote.
With the exception of about 2 years back in the early 80's, I've always had at least one dog ever since I was 5 years old. I used to think that 3 was my absolute limit; and, if anyone had told me that I'd EVER have TEN, I'd have told them that they were out of their mind! That was before I lived out in the boonies - where scumbags dump dogs... I can't stand to see a dog starve or be mistreated, though; so, when they show up, I do what I can to find their people if they seem lost (and not abused); then, if no one claims them, I try to find them a good home. Unfortunately, with the economy the way it is, abandonments are way up; and, adoptions are WAY down. My requirements for adoption are pretty strict; since, there's no point in adopting them to someone who won't take really good care of them and treat them as full-fledged members of the family. I HAVE been able to get quite a few such homes; but, generally, they have been the smaller dogs who've shown up; and, a few larger dogs, who were younger and who didn't have to be rehabilitated from abuse. The frustrating thing is that most of them were probably dumped by folks who make more in a week or so than I do in a month!!! I get by on a just over $700/mo. in disabilty stipend; and, I average about $250/mo. off of the top of that to cover dog food, heartworm preventative, worm meds, shots as needed, occassional vet bills, etc. If anyone would like to make a small donation towards a bag of dog food, etc., it certainly wouldn't be turned away. My PayPal address is [email protected] I have a PayPal debit card, which I can use at Atwood's, Shawnee Feed, etc. Even though adding this was an after-thought, any such donations would be useful and appreciated. If you're leary of that; and, you're able to do so, please donate to your local reduced cost spay and neuter program, to help reduce the number of homeless pets who are slaughtered by the thousands in (so called) "shelters." At the very least, PLEASE, get your next pet off of the "death row" of your local "shelter." It seems that most folks assume that "there's something wrong with a dog from the pound;" or, one who was abandoned. ACTUALLY, at least 99 times out of 100, the fault was on the 2-legged side of the equation. They bring home a puppy because "it looks SO cute...." and they don't have a clue just how much time, attention, patience, and love it takes to raise that "little ball of fur" through adolescence and into the kind of adult who's easy to live with. Instead, they treat them like they would either a toy or lawn furniture, with little to no regard for the puppy's needs. When they quit being so "cute," they're ready to discard them the way they would a stuffed toy that had been washed one time too many... When that happens, most are too lazy to even find them a good home. Instead, they either abandon them at the pound; or, as I run into all too often, they leave them along side some back country road. As bad as the fate is for too many "shelter" dogs, the ones who are dumped out in the country face an even worse one: If they don't get hit by a car the day they're dumped, by nightfall they can easily wind up getting torn to pieces by coyotes. If they survive the 1st 24 hours, they still have to find food, water, and shelter... The days of "some farmer taking them in" are LONG GONE, IF they ever really existed! Most people out in the country consider a hungry (often starving) stray to be one thing - a PREDITOR to their chickens, goats, calves, etc.; and, they shoot them on sight!!! If the poor dog is "lucky," they'll be a good shot. If not, the dog is only wounded; and, left to a slow and painful death. (Or, a quicker and painful death when a pack of coyotes finds him or her and rips them apart!) Bottom line: If you wouldn't put a young child into a situation, don't put a dog in that situation!!!
Here are a few other things you can do to help:
1) Spay and neuter your pets! If your pet has a litter before you're able to do so, NEVER advertise "free to a good home." (There are scumbags out there who work those ads to collect dogs to sell for research and to use them as bait to train fighting dogs.) You can make the puppy itself "free;" but, contingent upon the person adopting them paying for shots, heartworm preventative, and the spay/neuter of the pup. Doing so not only runs off the scumbags; but, also, weeds out the folks who are unable or unwilling to take proper care of the pup. Besides, how much value do MOST people assign to anything they get for free???
2) Do NOT support the puppy mill industry by buying from them! Aside from the deplorable conditions that most of these pups are coming out of, they're notorious for inbreeding. You can get a MUCH healthier and well-adjusted dog from the pound.
3) When adopting, understand that different types of dogs have different energy levels; and, that ALL dogs need not only physical exercise; but, mental stimulation, as well. The old adage of: "A tired puppy is a good puppy; an exhausted puppy is a great puppy; a bored puppy is TROUBLE!!!" applies to adult dogs, as well.
4) Understand that dogs are pack animals; and, they need their human family to be their "pack." This includes there being a set pack heirarchy. A good "alpha" is NEVER an abusive tyrant. A dog responds best to firm, consistent, LOVING training. If you're unable to control yourself, why should a dog respect you as his or her pack leader???
5) Have an emergency plan in place for your fur-kids, just as you would for 2-legged kids. In case of a disaster, go where ever you have to in order to be able to keep them with you. Do NOT leave your fur-kids behind if you have to evacuate!!! (Would you leave your 2 year old child behind?????)
6) If you have to move, have the same attitude about your dog that you'd have about your kids: If they aren't welcome, they don't deserve my money!
7) If you lose your job; and, things are tight, your furkids deserve the same consideration that your 2-legged kids would get. Too often, pets are "the first thing to go" in such situations. Do whatever it takes to keep your family together - INCLUDING your furkids!!! Believe it or not, there are a LOT of things we mistake for necessities, which are really only luxuries. We don't NEED things like cable TV, brand new clothes, brand named groceries, the types of vehicles that have payments, nights "out on the town," etc. If you'd slash it out of the budget to keep your 2-legged kids alive, do it to keep your 4-legged kids alive! I've NEVER been anything close to "affluent;" but, like any leader worthy of the title, I've always made sure that the needs of those who followed me were taken care of before my own, even when doing so has required me to swallow my pride. During the 2 years that I had to fight Social Security, I had 3 dogs. Sometimes I had to share with them what I'd gotten from a food pantry. Other times, I had to mix oatmeal with the meat and cheese from thrown out hamburgers, raided from a McDonald's dumpster. There were even a couple of times that I had to resort to "working a sign" that said "NO CASH ACCEPTED - ONLY DOG FOOD!" on a corner across from a store. They ate whether I did or not; and, even though that was a REALLY tough 2 years, what I lost in pride back then, I gained back in true self-respect.
8) When entering into a new relationship, if that person wants you to get rid of your dog, treat that as a MAJOR "red flag." If they try to mistreat your dog, it's VERY likely that "you're next." If your dog doesn't like a person, there's a pretty good chance that he or she is picking up on something that you're not. Even though they CAN be wrong, they tend to be MUCH better at picking up ill intent than humans are.
9) When the time comes for that "final trip to the vet," have the strength of character to stay with him or her to the very end, comforting and soothing them, even though your heart is breaking...