SUNDAY JUNE 9 2002

A most unbelievable day! - It begins with Arthur digging out of his kennel!

     The day had already begun very badly with three employees out (due to one reason or another), leaving us really short-handed. Not good.

     Then around 9:00 Randy's booming voice came over the walkie-talkie loud and clear, "Arthur is loose! I'm by the house! Someone get me a leash!" Within seconds Duane, Bobby and I reached Randy with leashes in hand. Randy was sitting on the ground holding Arthur next to him. This fellow is one mighty strong dog, and he wanted to play!

     "How'd he get out?" was our next question, and as we all walked the fellow back to his kennel, we saw the huge hole he had dug beneath his kennel fence. Randy said that he had just walked a pair of dogs to the play yard when he heard all the dogs barking by Arthur's kennel, and when Randy glanced that way to see what the commotion was about, he saw Arthur headed full speed toward the play yard. Randy hurried out of the play yard and knelt down to grab the big fellow as he tried to fly by. We never make a big thing of an escape. We can never let the dogs think we've lost control.

     When we put Arthur in his kennel, Randy kept Arthur occupied while Duane filled the hole and put several large 18"x18" square cement blocks on top, but we knew this was just a temporary fix. Arthur needed a friend to keep him happy.

Arthur meets pretty, year-old, Retriever-mix Candy!

     The reason Arthur dug out is that he is lonely and needs a friend. He sees all the other pairs of dogs playing happily together, and he needs a companion too. He is out of quarantine now, and we were going to introduce him to one-year-old Retriever-mix Candy later today but figured now (immediately after the escape) would be the best time for the introduction. If the two dogs got along, Candy could go back to Arthur's kennel with him, and he'd have a very playful playmate, and therefore he wouldn't try to get out again. (We've found this to be true with every dog we've rescued. They all need a companion, unless they are extremely dog aggressive and are aggressive toward any and every dog we try to introduce them to.)

     Arthur and Candy were introduced in the park, and they instantly became best friends. How beautiful for both of them. They ran and chased each other all over the park. We gave them about 15 minutes, and then back to Arthur's kennel they both went, and Arthur was so happy! Candy too.

     Little pup Amber is back with Dallas now. Dallas is a quiet, older fellow, but this is good for Amber since she needs to remain quiet for the next few days because of her recent spay surgery.

Corey, new employee, falls and injures his knee!

     After the Arthur incident everything was going along sort of okay (other than being so short-handed) when suddenly we heard Randy's voice over the walkie-talkie: "Man down! Mary's kennel. Hurry!" Geesh, I wondered as I hurried out the door: What does this mean? From the way Randy had said "Man down," it just sounded as if a "man was down in so-and-so's kennel." This happens all the time around here, and I wasn't sure what he meant by it. We've never had a "man down" before.

     But this was serious. Corey, a new employee, had been working in Mary and Michael's kennel, and he tripped and fell hard on his knee. Randy had been walking another set of dogs to the park, and as he passed by Mary's kennel, he saw Corey take the fall.

     We all rushed to Corey's aid and could instantly see that something was definitely wrong with his knee, and that Corey couldn't move. Bill called 911 for an ambulance and it didn't take long before the ambulance and the five EMTs (emergency medical technicians) arrived.

     Corey told us that probably his knee cap had popped out of place, because this had happened to him before years ago when he was riding in a rodeo, so he seemed to know exactly what the problem was, and the EMTs agreed that it was his knee cap.

     The four men and one woman lifted Corey onto the gurney and it took a bit of maneuvering to get the gurney out of the dog kennel. (Bill took some photos.) I was just worried that one of the attendants would slip or trip in one of the many dog holes, and we'd then have another injury to deal with!

     Duane went with Corey to the hospital, and the latest report is that Corey is fine, he has a leg brace on to keep his knee cap in place, and he was released just a few hours after his arrival at the hospital. This was great news to hear. He may even be able to come back to work (with leg brace on) in another few days. We will definitely keep him off kennel duty for a while!

Job interview came to a halt

     It was just shortly after the ambulance arrived and we were in the middle of helping Corey when a perspective employee came for a scheduled job interview. What a scene for a job applicant to walk into--ambulance lights flashing, all of us and five EMTs hovering around one of our employees lying on the ground in a dog kennel.

     I explained to the potential employee what had taken place and asked if he could come back tomorrow--this just wasn't a good time for an interview. Hopefully he will be back. [We never heard from him again.]

Back to a skeleton crew!

     With Corey out now and Duane going to the hospital with Corey we were left with Randy and Bobby and hobbly ol' me to finish up all the dog duties of the day. (Bill was inside updating this website and working on the upcoming newsletter, which we've GOT to get out ASAP, cuz we're running out of money, AND Bill has to pay all the Straydog bills and keep up with all the financial and fund-raising part of this mission, and Bill has only Saturday and Sunday to do the office work that should take a person a five-day workweek to do.

We've got to get more help!

     Guy is out with kidney problems. Tina is out with a sprained ankle (injury incurred at her house). Beth quit due to the hot weather. Corey is out now for possibly a week, and he will be on "light" duty here when he does comes back.

     What else could possibly go wrong today?

Snowflake gets sick!

     As I was walking back to the house, after explaining to the perspective employee to come back tomorrow for the interview, Bill (who was working on this website update and our upcoming newsletter) opened the kitchen door and called to me to "Hurry! Snowflake is throwing up!" For Snowflake to vomit could be a sign that she is very sick again.

     I rushed into the kitchen where Snow stays in a large open kennel that takes up the entire trailer dining area, and I picked Snowflake up. While I held her, Bill removed her messy bedding and put down fresh clean sheets. I gave Snow a natural tummy-soothing remedy and took her outside for a little fresh air. Her bowel movement was good earlier today (always a good sign), so hopefully this is just a case of an upset stomach and will pass. We'll be keeping a very close watch on her.

SUNDAY EVENING:

Arthur and Candy have been having a ball together!

     Arthur is so happy to have his new little playmate in the kennel with him that he has been acting goofy, and extremely playful with her, all day! Candy finally got tired of running all around their big kennel playfully tussling with her new friend and she stretched out in the cool damp sand beneath their porch top to take a snooze. Then we could hear Arthur "talking" to Candy as he danced around her trying to entice her to get up and play with him some more!

     Seeing how happy these two dogs are together is the one bright spot to this very hectic day.

     Maybe tomorrow will be smoother.

MONDAY JUNE 10 2002

Brooke and Tina rescue a baby mockingbird just learning to fly

     It puzzles us that birds build their nests in trees that are in "unsafe" areas for their babies. Why aren't birds born with more of an instinct to protect their young by building their nests away from dangerous situations so that when it's time to coax the kids out of the nest for those first important flying lessons, the parents don't have to worry (too much) about placing their tiny babies in harm's way?

     Building a nest in a tree that stands right in the middle of a huge play yard where 66 dogs and puppies play every day is not really the smartest thing to do! It's not like the birds didn't know the dogs play there, because the birds have been "hanging out" in those trees for years, irritating the heck out of some of the dogs and especially little Emily and her buddy, Pokey.

It's a good thing Caregiver Brooke can run so fast!

     It was about 4:30 this hot, sunny afternoon when Brooke, who was in the play yard with Danny Boy, called us over the walkie-talkie to hurry and help her save a baby bird. Tina was in a nearby kennel taking care of other dogs, and she and I immediately went to help Brooke.

     When we got to the play yard, ("the park") Brooke had caught and was holding onto big, 85-pound Chow/Retriever mix, Danny Boy, who was struggling to get to the baby bird as the little tyke was hopping across the play yard toward the six-foot high, chain link fence. As soon as Tina and I got there, the bird hopped through one of the loops in the fence and headed straight toward Prince and Bailey's kennel close by. Tina was just a tiny bit too far away to catch the bird, so she grabbed the shovel that was leaning against their fence and she plopped the shovel in front of the bird just in time to block his entrance through the fence into Prince and Bailey's kennel, were those two fellas were anxiously awaiting the tiny birdie's arrival!

     Tina then reached down and picked the baby up. The parents were swooping over our heads, making dives toward us the whole time, so they knew where their baby was going as Tina walked out of the shelter grounds and put the baby bird beside the tall grass just outside of our wood fence.

     Now the parents can deal with the challenge of teaching their baby to fly. At least the baby bird is out of the peril of being snapped up by any of our 66 dogs and is protected by the tall grass, and the parents can direct the kid to other trees.

     The problem we still face, however, is that there are two more baby birds in that nest in the tree in the park.

UPDATE on Snowflake

     She is okay! It was just a tummy upset and she is fine now.

TUESDAY JUNE 11 2002

Arthur goes to the vet for a recheck

     Arthur, the big, beautiful black German Shepherd mix, who came to us a couple of weeks ago on Memorial Day, is scheduled to see the doctor this morning for a recheck on his spleen problem. He has been on medication for these two weeks, and now, if the blood test results show that he is okay, we can also go ahead and have him neutered. And while he is under the anesthetic, the doctor will also take x-rays of his hips.

     We're all hoping everything goes well for Arthur!

Update on Arthur's visit to the vet

     It's 9:45 a.m., and Bobby and I just returned from taking Arthur to the clinic. His blood work shows everything to be okay, so the problem with his spleen is better! The doctor said to leave the fellow at the clinic to be neutered, which they will do this afternoon, along with x-raying his hips.

     We owe the clinic nearly $4,000!

Another new hire turns out to be a "No-Call/No-Show"

     The new person who was supposed to start work today is yet another "No-Call/No-Show" person! Can you believe this!? So, it's back to the drawing board once again. What we really need is a big enough grant to be able to pay our kennel team/caregiver employees a descent wage. Then maybe we could find enough good, conscientious people to staff this place properly.

Update on phone call to vet about Arthur's blood test results

     I called the vet at 2:00 this afternoon to see how Arthur was doing and how his hip x-rays turned out, and the answer was just about what I expected. The doctor said that the neuter surgery had gone just fine, but the x-rays show that Arthur has severe hip dysplasia in his left hip, and the doctor added that there are several options we can look into to treat this problem. He felt the best method of treatment for this particular hip problem (for a dog Arthur's age of four years) would be one type of major surgery, which is very expensive, he added, at a cost of about $2,500.

     Our vet will send the x-rays to the specialists at the Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center for a second opinion. We know those doctors really well because we've taken quite a few of these furry fellas to see them, over the years, for second opinions on their bad hips, bad backs and/or bad legs, and the doctors have told us how important surgery was for some of the dogs, and recommended nothing be done for others, which hopefully (especially financially speaking) will be the recommendation for Arthur.

     And we have many dogs here who our vets thought would need hip replacements or other such major surgery, years ago, but these dogs (Teddy, Fritz, Buddy, Betsy and Boomer) are all getting along beautifully, without surgery, because (we and some of our vets believe) of the special diets and supplements we have the dogs on, so this may be an option for sweet Arthur too. The specialists in Dallas will let us know.

Tomorrow Arthur comes home from the clinic

     Arthur's new little kennel mate, Candy, misses him a lot and she will be so glad to see him again! I miss him too. There is just something about the rugged appearance of this beautiful Shepherd mix that worries me, and I feel that something is just not right with his health, and I mean other than hip dysplasia. I didn't know it, but the second doctor at our local clinic felt this way too because of the "rough" appearance of Arthur, and he told me that he had taken another type of blood test to check for other things that could possibly be wrong, but those results came back all okay, he said, adding that Arthur must just need a much longer period of time getting good nourishing food and lots of tender loving care. Arthur will get plenty of that here! No doubt about that.

Another newly hired employee leaves her position here at mid-day on the second day on the job because "It's too hot!"

     Do you believe it?!! At 3:00 p.m. a "new" employee (here just one and a half days) radioed me over the walkie-talkie that she was "leaving because of the heat, and would be back tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. when it is cooler."

     This announcement over the walkie-talkie this afternoon really surprised me. This person, who needed a job, has worked for us before (on and off) in all kinds of weather, so she knew all about the heat of summer when I rehired her, on a "temp" basis.

     Well, I don't think she'll be back tomorrow at nine. She can leave due to the heat (on June 11!), but she won't be back.

7:00 p.m.

     It's time to give Julie her insulin and meal, walk Snowflake and tuck Danny Boy in for the night. Toby and Blackie (our other house fellows) are already sleeping in their special places in the living room/office.

     All the other dogs, the "outsiders," are snoozing in the scoopy holes they've made in the cool damp sand in the freshly watered shady areas of their kennels. We keep the entire dog kennel areas "watered" all day long during the hot months, in order to keep the dogs as cool as we can, and their shady areas are drenched with water many times throughout the day.

     We need a building with air conditioning for the Dogs.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 12 2002

We bring Arthur home from the clinic

     Arthur having recovered from his neuter operation (performed yesterday afternoon) was ready to come home, the doctor said.

     Bobby drove me to the clinic, since my right foot is still in a cast, and while we were waiting for the vet tech to bring Arthur to me, the doctor showed me the x-rays of Arthur's hips and explained the type of surgery he thought might be needed on Arthur's left hip. We'll wait until the specialists in Dallas see the x-rays and hear what they have to say before we make any decisions.

     When we arrived home, Candy and Arthur were thrilled to be back together again.

THURSDAY JUNE 13 2002

I spoke with a veterinary surgeon at DVSC (Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center) about Arthur

     I was hoping that our vet had already emailed Arthur's x-rays to the doctors in Dallas at DVSC, so I called today and spoke with Dr. McDonald, who would probably be handling Arthur's case.

     The doctor said he hadn't seen the x-rays yet, but he asked me lots of questions about this four-year-old Shepherd mix who is now in our care.

     Based on my answers to his questions, which answers were that (1) Arthur shows no signs of limping; (2) Arthur is unbelievably playful and full of energy; (3) Arthur doesn't seem to be hurting anywhere at all; and (4) Arthur's x-rays show no sign of arthritis, Dr. McDonald thought that Arthur may not need to have surgery at all, BUT the doctor advised that he had to see the x-rays first, before coming to any final conclusions. He will call me after he looks at the film. And, of course, depending on the x-rays he may want to schedule an appointment for us so he can examine Arthur.

     We'll keep you posted.

FRIDAY JUNE 14 2002

Kathy comes back from foster care

     Five-month-old, Black Lab/mix, Kathy, was returned to our Happy Home for Strays this morning from her foster care home. Luckily we have kennel space for her now. It's too bad we don't have a little kennel mate to be her companion. Kathy will have to be in the kennel by herself. At her foster care home Kathy had lots of little doggie friends to play with.

     To try and compensate for the sudden change in Kathy's life all of us spent lots of time with her throughout the day today, and she had fun with her new toys, and the huge rawhide chew bone I gave her in the evening seemed to take her mind off of the fact that she was suddenly sleeping outside now, by herself, instead of in the foster care home snuggled up on the couch or bed with her other doggie friends.

Kathy and Amber want to be adopted (separately)

     Kathy and her twin, Amber, are the remaining two of Millie's five puppies. The other three siblings have been adopted, and because Kathy and Amber are such adorable little pups we all felt sure that they would have been adopted by this time too--but it just hasn't happened yet.

     If you would like to adopt Kathy, or Amber, Please Call 903/479-3497.

Kathy, who looks exactly like Amber. Both girls are available for adoption--separately.

SATURDAY JUNE 15 2002

No Adoption Day today

     We are simply too short-handed to be able to make the trip. (More to come if time permits. We're so busy you wouldn't believe it.)

Late Evening Update: Little Puppy Kathy is very lonely

     Kathy has been a lonely little puppy since her return from her foster-care home last Friday morning. We had no playmate for Kathy when she was returned, and she had to be in a kennel all by herself. At first she was happy playing with her new toys and having all of us go into visit her on a frequent schedule to try and keep her occupied and happy, but soon the newness of returning here wore off, and this cute little pup became very unhappy with no playmate to keep her company. She missed her doggie friends at the foster-care home. We could hear Kathy's sad little cries occasionally throughout the day even tho we all visited her as often as we could.

     At 7:00 tonight after I finished taking care of Julie dog, giving her her insulin with her last meal of the day, I heard the soft little wailing cry coming from Kathy's kennel again. Her sadness just about broke my heart, and I went outside to stay with her a while longer. She curled up on my lap and gave me slurpy puppy kisses while I gave her lots of petting and hugs. Kathy desperately needs a doggie friend, but we just didn't have any other single dogs to pair up with her. I finally had to leave Kathy, and I gave her an extra big puppy treat as I kissed her good night.