HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY HUBBY!

I know this is a dog blog but I just had to wish my hubby, Kevin, a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY today (before the day was over anyway as I sit down 9 minutes before midnight)! I am so grateful that I have found a partner who loves dogs as much as I do (and has picked up almost as many as I have too- lol). It's nice to have someone to share you passion with. Here are a few pictures of his mini birthday party from this past weekend (we always celebrate when his kids visit us).

Kevin with Logan and Hannah- they made him his favorite strawberry cake with strawberry icing (and I must say it was FABULOUS!).

He loves to open presents (I have to hide them at my work because he will actually open them- can't stand surprises!)

As you can probably see, Kevin LOVES his Pittsburgh Steelers!

This is his game face!

I had a zillion meaningful family pictures turned into black and white pics as part of his gift (here are just a few)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY- I LOVE YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY FRIEND JULIE TOO! (Julie has graciously agreed to foster a puppy from Forrest City for a couple weeks!)

HAPPY 3 WEEK BIRTHDAY TO JEWEL'S PRECIOUS PUPS!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JEWEL'S SWEETIES! These babies are exactly 3 weeks old today! It just happens to be my hubby's birthday too (Happy Birthday Baby!) I have been HORRIBLE at updating this blog lately so I apologize for the delay. Tonight, I finally took a few pics of these adorable fur-souls. Jewel is doing such a great job with her puppies. They are all pudgy little things. They are walking around and even using their puppy pads already! Check out their pictures below:

These are the 2 girls- how adorable!

More of the girls!

2 of my favorites (if I had to pick...which is nearly impossible)

I wish I could squeeze in!

LOVE THIS- they are starting to play with each other now- so cute!

Who wouldn't want them?

I love puppies...

She's watching my every move!

Such a rough life!

He's talking to me!

Awww so sweet

Love his little smile (and markings)!

This guy has the prettiest coloring!

This is Lil Runt...not so little anymore!

Jewel has her own spot away from the puppies (which she uses most of the time now, but does go back and forth to feed her babies). We dragged a 10x10 pen into my garage (it has heat/air) the other day and it works great! Oh and exercise pens are a must!

The PUPPY DEN- not the prettiest, but the system works!

NEW PICS OF JEWEL AND PUPPIES!

***UPDATE 10/26/10- several of the pups have at least 1 eye open today-yeah!!! We will take pics of them very soon (soooo exciting). They are butterballs****

Busy weekend but exciting! My twin sis and fellow animal lover, Kelly, and her jack-of-all- trades hubby, Dave (or as she calls him Hubbyball-lol), came down for a visit! My step-daughter, Hannah, was finally here when they came (their weekends are always opposite of when Kelly can come down...) so that was great!

The pups are now 11 days old and just as precious as can be. I cannot wait until their eyes open (should be this week sometime). They are moving around a lot more (commando crawling- lol) and mama Jewel is doing such a great job with them. She has really made a lot of progress in a short time. Jewel enjoys taking breaks outside and is spending a bit more time out of her crate just lounging in her enclosure. Without fail, she will go say "hello" to her buddies Rascal and Spanky on her way out the door and when she comes back in! Oh and her little "squeeks" are so cute. Jewel likes to talk to me and will even let out an occasional howl! Other than a bunch of laundry, they have really been a joy to have...just a fabulous little family.

My hubby took Jewel went to the vet last week and the BEST NEWS is that she is heartworm negative! I figured she would be with her young age, but you never know in this part of the country. Doc put her on a multivitamin for the next week along with an iron supplement. She wants Jewel to get " a little more pep in her" before she can travel. Other than being too thin, her overall health is ok (no parasites detected, etc.). A wonderful pilot, Jeff, from Pilots N Paws has offered to fly this family from Arkansas to their rescue in Kentucky (thanks Amy!) when she is able in a couple of weeks- THANKS JEFF!!! Amanda in Canada has been so wonderful to help arrange transport (thanks so much Amanda)! What a phenomenal life saving program it is- check it out if you aren't familiar with it! http://pilotsnpaws.org/

Now look at this gorgeous girl- she has the most gorgeous eye color (click on the picture for an enlarged view)!

Pile 'O Puppies- who doesn't love this! 3 boys and 2 girls- all completely different colors and markings! I will take more pics next weekend (been trying to leave the puppies alone as much as possible).

Don't you wish you could join them!

Jewel wasn't quite sure what the black thing was that kept pointing at her (my camera of course).

Jewel still enjoys her chicken and rice! Oh and canned food too!

Lil Runt...the most gorgeous silver coat!

Just beautiful...

No it's not a mouse...it's another pup!

She's almost cracking a smile :)

Awww what a good mommy!

Doesn't Jewel just looks so peaceful?!

Who doesn't like puppies...seriously?

Giving Lil Runt a bit extra time with mommy (don't tell the others)!

MOMMA JEWEL AND BABIES ARE SAFE!!!

Update: Lil Momma's new name is.....JEWEL! Thanks everyone for voting- she is definitely deserving of that name!

We just couldn't help it...their picture was posted with Monday being their last day. Kevin came to me in the am and said "go get them". I didn't even say a word about getting them because I know we already have our hands full, so it was nice to know I still have a partner in crime (he is a nut like me- I believe he would have more pups than I would if we had the room!).

Anyway, we met volunteer Alyssa from the Forrest City Area Humane Society (FCAHS) half-way from Forrest City, AR where this baby was found and she is now settling in. Check out her sad picture here...how could we let them die???



Lil' Momma will be named by 5 pm today either Aspen, Jewel, Rain, Gem (Gemmy), or Sapphire (Sapphy) thanks to my friends on Facebook who are voting (there's still time so go vote on my FB page!). Anyway, she was just petrified in the shelter.

She arrived as a stray on October 13th to the Forrest City Animal Shelter and gave birth to 6 babies that very day. Unfortunately, Lil Momma is very young herself (definitely under a year if we had to guess) and likely this is her first litter (and last). She did not break the first baby's sac and he/she sadly didn't make it. Thankfully, Animal Control Officers recognized the problem and helped her with the other 5. I am sure that stress did not help either.

Lil Momma has a rescue in KY that is willing to take her, but we just need to keep her safe and get her stable before she can go. She will be going to the vet tomorrow to make sure she is doing ok as she is not in the greatest shape herself. She is pretty thin and overall a bit weak, but she is improving daily.

Below is a summary of her first few days with us:

Day 1 (Mon): extremely timid; may defecate on herself when you pick her up (did this once when we made the exchange and twice at home); had a much needed bath and de-flead (if that's a word); babies de-flead as much as possible; have to pick her up out of her crate to go outside and inside; ate chicken and rice with some high quality food mixed in (loved it!)


Day 2 (Tues): still timid (been giving her space but talking sweetly to her), but had a few small breakthroughs; wagged her tail and actually came around the corner to see me rather than running the other way outside; eating very well today (3 times- chicken and rice....the miracle food); walked in to her "room" on her own; checked out her new roomies, Rascal and Spanky

Her new roomies, Spanky and Rascal (they have been very welcoming to their new neighbor thankfully)

Day 3 (Wed): huge breakthroughs so far today and it's only noon; Kevin came in from outside around 6:30 am so excited that she ran up to him on the steps wagging her tail; she followed me out to the "big grassy yard" today and pooped (I know...but it was very exciting) and then came over to me wagging her tail and whining; gave me her paw 3 times while she sat in front of me (she's trying to make friends with me or thanking me for the yummy food- lol). At 8 pm, this little sweetie came out of her exercise pen and walked outside on her own- WHOO HOO! She has the cutest little "whine" when she comes closer. I do believe I see more "milk" now too- I guess the good food is helping :)

Can't wait to see how the rest of the the week goes- we will keep everyone posted!

A REAL LIFE LOVE STORY...PUNKIN AND PARDNER

UPDATE 10/24/10:

Just received an update from Binky... Pardner and Punkin are doing well so far. Both are still taking Prednisone and their antibiotics. Pardner has not been the most gracious with sharing food with his girlfriend while on the darn steroids, but poor baby can't help how hungry he feels...don't worry because Binky has it under control!

Binky still has an enormous medical bill that he needs to raise money for. He currently owes $194.00 to his vet and needs to raise $530.00 before their next (and final) heartworm treatment November 28th! PLEASE consider donating any amount so that they can receive the care they need. None of us is rich, but we all have huge hearts and want to help save precious dogs like Pardner and Punkin. If you have older children, maybe they could do a fundraiser for this very worthy couple. You may think that $5 isn't worth donating, but believe me/us, it is a matter of life and death for many. Their Chip-In is below.

UPDATE 10/18/10:

This morning at 8 a.m. both Pardner and Punkin got the Immiticide injections in the lower back muscle. The blood test showed that their PAC cell count is up to 39 so the anemia is being corrected. The next appointment for Punkin is next week for her UTI re evaluation . And Nov 18 th and 19th for their last 2 shots of Immiticide. They are both sore and tired and I have to keep them still so they don't get a pulmonary embolism. So many of you have given but if you can share or donate to reach the goal I would appreciate it so much, we are almost there !! God bless you all! Binky

Punkin and Pardner are probably the most talked about couple right now. This adorable canine couple has been through so much in the past few years, much of which we will never know. Here is a their story summarized by Auntie Connie in WI along with info from Auntie Jennifer in AR (thanks Auntie Annie in MI for the pictures too!):

Pardner and Punkin were found in sweltering heat---abandoned in a house in Eastern Arkansas in the middle of summer. They were left abandoned in a house with 3 other dogs. No food, No water, tons of feces/urine everywhere. The other dogs went through the window...Punkin was about to burst, so she was caught and Pardner stayed by his best friend's side, so he was caught....sweet Punkin was pregnant with his 10 pups. Punkin and Pardner were kept at FCAS (Forrest City Animal Shelter), that place where soooo many other have died.

It was so sad, she was VERY emaciated, the crappy shelter had no air, it was 96 with NO ventilation and she was in labor. We (Jennifer and Alyssa) kept patting her down with cold wash cloths. Two of Punkin's pups died after birth and two others have not made it. The puppies kept crawling into the drain. Nasty...we moved them into a baby pool. It worked, they stayed in that baby pool until they left on transport.

Pardner was just as thin as Punkin but he was so weak and depressed, he just layed there. Wouldn't eat at first. Alyssa took him down to see Punkin and the babies, and it was like he smiled. We made that a daily visit, and he began to eat and sit up and wag the tail a little... he came out of the depression and with being fed daily, he built up some strength. At the end of his holding, they had become our little family...

We had to keep Punkin and the Pups, but Pardner showed a little male on male aggression (which those of us in rescue know that isn't unusual considering the circumstances- unneutered males, girlfriend with babies, horribly frightening environment, etc.) and was very heartworm positive, he still wasn't very healthy...Alyssa fought hard for him, and he got to stay. Usually the heartworm positives and most ALL that show any signs of aggression and 95% of the pits get put down... he was a very lucky one. But, honestly...a few weeks before Binky rescued them, he was in BIG danger again. We were over full and had to send some dogs temporarily to another shelter... he was mentioned for the list. Honestly, no one wants HW positive dogs... but we arranged- rearranged, fostered, adopted, and he was saved again BARELY. Then, like a miracle...Binky rescues them for sure. We all were so happy!

The odds of this family making it out, and making it out together, were next to zero. But, angels looked upon this family and brought them to WI/MI! A harrowing transport and a network of dedicated volunteers fought to bring them north.Now that they're here, we discover all are very, very sick and need treatment to survive! One of Punkin's pups has already died after transport to MI and all pups have been sick for quite some time.

This is the latest from Binky (Punkin and Pardner's forever angel/new daddy):

"Its touch and go for her..she is worse than Pardner, smaller, plus just had babies, she has a uterine infection, we are correcting the dehydration, her heartworm has caused parasitical pneumonia that she coughed blood up..we have her on antibiotics and prednisone and are doing the first HW injection tues, at 8 a.m... Pardner adores her..she is his whole life and purpose..I know that now and for sure."
These two were soooo happy to be reunited FINALLY!


Punkin at the vet getting checked out (she began coughing up phlegm with some blood in it the day before she was supposed to reunite with Pardner...)

Sharing a bagel :)

This is one of Punkin and Parder's favorite places (we can see why)

At North Shores

Parnder relaxing...no more cold concrete floors for you!

How precious is this...we are SAFE!

What Pardner always deserved (and now has thanks to his angel, Binky)!

Pardner has been wonderful with kids too!

One of my favorite pictures so far


As you can see it TAKES A VILLAGE but these two love birds would not be here today without the efforts of so many. EVERYONE made a difference for these two!

If you are on FACEBOOK, you can follow their story by visiting their page :

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pardner-Punkin/135552009827793?ref=share&v=wall#!/pages/Pardner-Punkin/135552009827793

This precious family still has a long way to go. They will likely have more medical bills in the future. We already know Punkin will still need to be spayed after successful heartworm treatment. Please keep this family in your prayers and PLEASE consider donating to their medical care.

http://pardner.chipin.com/pardner-and-punkin-s-vet-care-for-heartworm-anemia-and-life

You can also donate directly Vet by calling 715-339-2605