SUNDAY AUGUST 25 2002

Helen, the seven-month-old, albino Great Dane pup, who is deaf and nearly blind, loves her new little seeing-eye buddy, Puppy Sweetie!

     Helen, who arrived yesterday afternoon, appeared to accept her new "home" here without a problem - at least during the afternoon.

SATURDAY EVENING UPDATE

     Helen loved all the attention she received from all of us throughout the afternoon (and she received tons of it), and when puppy Sweetie returned from our Adoption Day in Dallas, we put Sweetie in the kennel with Helen, and the two of them got along beautifully.

Sweetie becomes a permanent kennel mate for Helen

     We knew right away that having these two pups together was perfect for both of them and after seeing how happy Helen was with her tiny, playful friend (and how well Sweetie was behaving with Helen) we made the decision that Sweetie would be Helen's kennel mate (and little seeing-eye buddy), and Sweetie will stay with Helen until the day Helen is adopted. Most likely the two will need to be adopted together, as were Stevie, the blind dog, and his seeing-eye buddy, Little Pete. [We found Stevie a little kennel mate, Pete, so Stevie would be happy. They were both adopted together two years later. (See the PREVIOUS WEEKS link below and look at the late August and September 2000 editions for the adoption of Stevie and Pete.] (Helen and Sweetie are in Stevie and Pete's original kennel, by the way, right outside our sliding glass door.)

     Helen and Sweetie have lots of new toys to play with, and they both love the bright pink stuffy toy the best. They've had lots of fun sneaking it away from each other. Sweetie, of course, has the advantage here. She waits until Helen drops the toy. Then she slowly sneaks up behind Helen (or under Helen) and grabs the stuffy pink toy and runs off with it - with Helen in "hot pursuit." It is beautiful to watch them play and very interesting to watch Helen "read" (or "see") what's going on in her world by smell and feel alone. [Later we found out that Helen does see at least light and shadows.]

Helen plays ball!

     During one of my many checks on Helen later in the day, I noticed that she was carrying her new tennis ball around, and then she started playing ball, all by herself! We hurried to get the camera to try and capture her cute behavior on film. Helen would walk with the ball in her mouth and suddenly she tossed it in the air in front of her, then took a few silly, playful steps toward the ball, found it easily by sniffing the ground and picked it up in her mouth and tossed it again! It was so cute to see her play.

All three new arrivals settle in for the night, along with the others

     By 7:00 p.m. [Saturday] all was quiet, and I made the final check (I thought) on the new arrivals. Boxer Kalli was sound asleep in her scoopy hole beneath her porch top. New arrival, sweet Little Max, was curled up in his freshly made scoopy hole beside Melissa and Amber (we are so Glad that the three of these fellas get along) and Helen and her pal, Sweetie, were sleeping rump to rump in their scoopy holes, and this time Sweetie had the stuffy toy beneath her head. All appeared just fine.

You learn how to get to a dog-in-need fast!

     Caring for so many special-needs dogs has been a real learning experience for me, and it didn't take long to realize that in order to get to a dog demanding quick attention fast, such as little old Snowflake when she wakes up in the middle of the night in her kennel in the kitchen and starts fussing to go out to go potty or when any of the outside special-needs dogs require my attention fast, I needed to sleep in my clothes, which really isn't much of a problem. You eat dinner, shower, dress in casuals, and go to bed! Simple. Sometimes you wear your shoes to bed, sometimes not. It depends on if you're expecting interruptions in the night and how fast you can get your shoes on your feet when an emergency hits.

All was quiet -- until 9:00 p.m.! That's when the "Helen Alert" went off!

     I was sound asleep when Bill, who had been up working on dog photos on the computer, woke me saying, "Something is wrong with Helen! You'd better come and look."

     As I mentioned above, Helen and Sweetie are in the kennel that is right next to our trailer. We had originally built this kennel close by especially for Stevie, who was also blind, because we can see the whole kennel from our doorway, and because of Stevie's handicap, we wanted to be able to keep an close watch on him. This is why we chose this same kennel for Helen.

     I was out to the kitchen door in a flash (having gone to sleep with shoes on) and in the light from the trailer I could see Helen frantically pacing back and forth, and then she'd stop and tug at the fence with her teeth. This was not good. As strong as she is she could easily break a tooth (as Misty had done when she tugged at her fence during a bad storm, splitting her tooth, which had to be removed).

     I hurried outside to Helen's kennel and went in to calm her. She was in a state of panic, so I stayed with her for quite a while, reassuring her all was okay, giving her lots of petting and hugging. Then Sweetie woke up and came to join in on the petting, wondering what all the fuss was about.

     When Helen seemed okay, I came back into the house and watched from the glass doorway. The fence tugging continued. Not wanting Helen to think I was rewarding this behavior by coming to pet her after she tugged at the fence, I got a cup of water and every time Helen tugged at the fence, I opened the door and tossed the water toward the big pup, a little of which would land on her nose, which was just enough to startle her, and she'd back away from the fence. I moved a chair to the kitchen right beside the sliding glass door and spent the night in a slouched sitting position where I could easily see what Helen was doing, and when she'd tug at the fence, the water was tossed. Finally Helen gave up and went to lie down beside her little pal, Puppy Sweetie.

SUNDAY MORNING UPDATE

     We'll just continue to keep a close watch on Helen at night to break her of this fence-tugging habit. (Bill is taking a week of vacation from his regular job this coming week to get another newsletter out, so he's volunteered to sit up and watch Helen and Sweetie's kennel while working at his computer, which Bill has positioned right in in the middle of the sliding glass door were he can see Helen's entire kennel.) We're sure it's all just the newness of being away from the home Helen knew and had gotten used to for the last four months, where she had been an inside/outside dog. Now she suddenly has to stay outside all the time in a confined area (even tho it is a big kennel), and she is in new surroundings, which she needs to learn about--new smells and a new routine to fall into. All of this has to be difficult for her. So far she is handling the daytime schedule absolutely beautifully.

We'll make it work with Helen; she just needs time to adjust and we'll get through it. (We may loose more than a little sleep over this, but we'll make it.)

     After a very sleepless night for both Helen and myself, the day has gone beautifully. Helen acts as if she has been here forever, and the two pups have played non-stop all morning. Sweetie playfully grabs onto Helen's legs and Helen turns and puts her whole mouth over Sweetie's head during their playful tussles with one another. The two of them chase each other around and around their kennel and play keep-away with their favorite stuffy toy. They're having a great day.

     We are so thankful that the person found and rescued Helen from the dumpster that day, and we are happy that we are able to help Helen now. She is a very special, loving, wonderful big pup. A big, Gentle Giant. It is unbelievable how well she gets around!

Little Max (we have a Big Max already) is settling in good too

     This adorable dog is a beautiful little Sheltie. His long black and white fur is very tangled, tho, and he needs a good bath and a bit of grooming to remove the mats. We want him to feel just a little bit more at home before we put him through a bath so this will come in a day or too. We did have to put something on him, as well as the other new arrivals, to handle their flea and tick problem.

And the "starving little Boxer," Kalli, is doing well too

     She is not starving anymore. Kalli has a terrific appetite and is gaining weight. Tomorrow morning I'll be taking Kalli to the doctor for a thorough checkup. As soon as the doctor thinks she is healthy enough, she will undergo treatment for heartworms, and later she will be spayed, or in the opposite order, whatever the doctor thinks is best for her.

     One of our dedicated volunteers (and the adopter of pretty Foxhound, Beauty) has offered to take care of all of Kalli's vet expenses. Thank you very, very much, Nina.

THANK THOSE OF YOU WHO SUPPORT OUR HAPPY HOME FOR STRAYS!

     Because of your help and donations to our shelter, we are able to make sure these special needs dogs, and all of the dogs here, receive the medical care they need to get them on the road to recovery. We could not do this without your help.

MONDAY AUGUST 26 2002

A Note from Bill ...

     It's just past midnight (and now officially Monday morning). I'm sitting here in front of my computer, looking beyond the computer screen thru the kitchen sliding-glass door at Helen and Sweetie's kennel, typing this note, and Helen just got up out of her big hay-filled wooden "box" in her and Sweetie's shelter, in which both Helen and Sweetie sleep together, and this beautiful. pure white, deaf and nearly blind Great Dane walked around the kennel, sometimes touching the fence with her nose, sniffing and feeling it, but most often stopping just short of touching the fence. (She can smell the fence, or anything else, as she approaches it, or as it approaches her! It's hard to believe, but Helen has much less trouble navigating than Stevie, who can hear better than any dog I ever knew.) [Later we found out that Helen can at least see light and shadows.]

     After she sniffed around a bit, Helen went over to the grassy end of their kennel and went potty (piddle-only). Then she came back around the back of her wooden shelter, without bumping into anything, and she again "looked around" a little bit (with her nose, but watching her you'd swear it was her eyes [which it was we found out later], and then she went back under her porch top and climbed back into her "box" inside the shelter, which "box" Pat will explain later Monday.

     I also noticed this evening that if you talk to Helen real close to her face, she can feel and smell the breath of your words, so I exaggerated breathing out as I said, "NO BARK!" (when she was barking for attention after bedtime) and "NO TUGGING ON THE FENCE!" (when she was biting and tugging at the fence while Pat was over in the big play yard (the park) with Julie after Julie's six o'clock meal and insulin shot), and along with a little spray of water from a squirter bottle on Helen's nose after a few bitings and tuggings on the fence, in addition to Pat's having tossed sprinkles of water in Helen's direction last night, Helen seems to have learned very quickly not to bite and tug on the fence. ... We hope ... That's why I'm staying up all night (or at least till Pat gets up at about two o'clock this morning).

New arrivals Boxer Kalli and little Sheltie "Little Max" go to the vet for their checkups

     When we arrived at the clinic, the groomer took Little Max to her grooming room to begin working on trying to get the mats brushed out of his thick fur, while he waited for his turn to see the doctor. So Kalli had her check up first.

Kalli's checkup shows she has an infection

     We didn't know that Kalli had been a nursing mother dog until she arrived at our shelter three days ago - last Friday afternoon. The day after she arrived here, Saturday, we noticed swelling in her breasts and became concerned. I had made the appointment already for her to see the veterinarian today (Monday), the earliest I could get her in, and I was glad to have the doctor see her this soon.

     After a careful examination the doctor said that he believes that Kalli's pups were taken away from her before she had time to wean them, and this is what lead to mastitis (inflammation of the breast, or mammary gland) that she now has. The doctor prescribed antibiotics for this problem, and drops for her ears, and he did a skin scraping on the unusual little sore-looking areas on her hips to see if she has ringworm. He also treated her for the infestation of hookworms, which she has, which is the reason she is anemic, so this problem will clear up now, which is good to know. Kalli also weighs 52 pounds now so she is doing a good job of gaining the weight she needs.

     Sweet little Kalli. If she isn't getting better in a few days, I'll take her back to see the doctor again. Once the infection clears up, then we'll see about having her spayed, and then we'll have the heartworm treatment started.

Little Max saw the doctor next, and his report was much better!

     Kalli curled up on the cool tile floor to wait while Little Max saw the doctor. When the groomer brought Little Max in the room he looked Beautiful! The groomer had brushed all the tight mats out of his fur, and his hair was fluffy and mat-free. He looked so much better, even tho he still needed a bath, but that will come next, then more brushing.

     Little Max's checkup turned out to be much better than sick little Kalli's. The little Sheltie weighs about 45 pounds (I need to recheck his weight) and is about three years old, and he appears to be healthy, thank goodness. The doctor took a heartworm test, but we won't know the results of that until tomorrow. We left Max to be neutered, and I'll pick him up tomorrow morning when I take new arrival Helen for her checkup.

New arrival Helen has settled in, finally!

     Last night was her second night here, and there were no problems at all! Helen's kennel is right beside the house, and Bill stayed up all night last night (till I got up), setting up his little "office" right in front of the kitchen sliding-glass door so he could keep a good watch on Helen in her kennel throughout the night (giving me a night of sleep). Bill moved a folding chair into the kitchen and made a desk out of the two large boxes of dog biscuits for his laptop computer to sit on. A cup of coffee on the kennel top beside this little "office station," and he was set to solve any problem that may arise with Helen.

Helen slept the whole night through , except for one time getting up to go potty

     As Bill worked the night away on his computer, Helen slept soundly in her huge hay bed box with her little friend, Sweetie, curled up beside her. They slept peacefully through the whole night, except for the one time Helen got up to go to the bathroom, as Bill describes it in his note. When I got up at 2:00 a.m. this morning to take over my shift, which begins with special care for Snowflake, and diabetic Julie, and house dogs Toby, Blackie and Danny Boy, Bill headed for bed. All was quiet the whole night through, Bill murmured as we passed by each other going our separate ways, Bill to bed and me outside with Snowflake in my arms.

     To see Helen and Sweetie sleeping together in their big hay-bed "box" is beautiful. When we take dogs in sight-unseen, we are never sure of their exact size (like Danny Boy: From what we'd heard about this fellow, we assumed he was a six-month-old Golden Retriever pup, and he turned out to be a five-year-old, 85-pound Retriever/Chow mix!

     Hearing that Helen is a pup about seven months old, weighing about 100 pounds, we knew she would need a BIG BED, because she would be growing even more, so Randy moved in the big "hay-bed box" into her shelter. He had made this big box for big Rottie, Buddy, who weighs in at 125 pounds. Buddy doesn't need it now since he has other sleeping accommodations, so this will be Helen's new bed. It's a half a wood box, no top on it, just a nice big firm box with part of the front cut low so dogs can easily get in and out of it - which would be perfect for Helen.

We put fresh hay in the box and had it all ready, with her shaded top on her kennel, when she arrived

     We must have already said a zillion times how much Helen and Sweetie play together and how much they love each other. This is another reason Helen has settled in so fast. She Knows her little friend is with her all the time.

Helen goes to the big play yard today and gets around beautifully!

     Helen had a ball in the big play yard today. She was out with Sweetie in the early morning, and I took them out again at 5:00 tonight when it was cooler and not sunny. She gets around so well one would hardly know she is nearly sightless. She never once bumped into the trees or the fence line, or the little swimming pool or drinking water bucket. Every time she came within an inch of anything in her way, she'd just move slightly away from the obstacle, and she'd keep on walking, trotting over to me occasionally for a little reassurance that all was well, then off she'd trot again.

     We'll be taking Helen and Sweetie to the big play yard in the early morning and again in the evening because at these times, it is cooler for her and not sunny. She doesn't like to be out in the sun, and it's not good for her (because she is albino, which is why we put shade cloth on top of her kennel).

     In their kennel Helen chases her buddy at full speed up and down their long kennel yard, and then they do figure eights around their shelter, clumping inside their shelter, then out they go again. Sweetie thought she'd be real cute this morning, and to get away from Helen, she climbed on top of the her little dog house, which is placed beside their shelter. Helen quickly found her little friend sitting on top of the house, and Helen wanted to get on top too!

     She is so big, and clumsy tho, like any huge seven-month-old dog is, that she ended up just sitting beside the house resting one big paw on Sweetie's head and the other paw on the house roof. These two are hilarious. By the time I got the camera the two of them were running around again and I missed another "Kodak Moment," as they say in the commercials.

More tomorrow on how Helen's vet visit turns out

     This precious dog will be a wonderful house pet for some lucky person!

TUESDAY AUGUST 27 2002

What a downpour!

     It's been raining hard all day, which makes for a whole lot of kennel work for all our team members as they have to build up the sand along the fence lines of the kennels during severe downpours, which wash the sand away. At one point when lightning began streaking across the dark gray sky very close to our shelter, the dog walks came to a halt, and everyone headed for the office. It's a good thing that Guy, Tina, Trey and Bobby were all here today, because there was major wash-away of sand, and the crew was back at work doing build-up as soon as the lightning moved on.

     Bill and I had to cancel our early morning appointment for Helen to see the vet for her new arrival checkup because of the bad storm, and we rescheduled Helen's appointment for this afternoon.

     By 1:30 p.m. the rain had slowed to a drizzle, and we got ready to go to the vet clinic.

     We would also be picking up Little Max, who had had his new arrival checkup and neuter surgery yesterday.

     Tray and I put the harness on Helen and walked her to the van. (Helen doesn't like leashes around her neck. They seem to frighten her.) She stopped just as we got to the open side doors of the van and let us know that she wasn't going any further. This is a "new" car to Helen, including lots of new smells, and because it's a van, there's a much higher step for her to hop up (or step up) to get into the van, so Tray lifted the big (nearly 100-pound pup) into the back of the van, and I got in and sat on the floor beside her for the ride to the clinic. Bill was our chauffeur.

     When we arrived at the clinic, Helen was just as hesitant about getting out of the van, so after a lot of coaxing failed, we had to lift her out. We know she'll get used to the van, and after a few more trips she'll be hopping in and out without a problem. This is one amazing pup!

Helen's check up shows she's fine

     All the staff at the clinic commented about how pretty Helen is, and they were all surprised at how well she gets around, not being able to see or hear. While we were in the waiting room, Helen walked to the counter (Bill right beside her holding the leash), and she stood up putting her paws on the counter top as if to "look" over the counter to see what was on the other side--just as curious sighted and hearing dogs might do.

     Soon we saw the doctor. He examined Helen's eyes, and after leaving the examination room to confer by phone with the eye specialist in Arlington who had preformed surgery on Julie's eyes when she went blind last year (removing the cataracts from Julie's eyes and implanting artificial lenses, which renewed Julie's sight), our local doctor came back and said the probable prognosis was that nothing could be done to bring Helen vision (beyond what little bit she might be able to see). Both vets agreed that it would be a good idea for us to make an appointment for Helen to see the eye specialist, and the eye specialist said that Helen could accompany Julie on the 9th of September when Julie goes for her routine eye checkup.

     The rest of Helen's examination was fine, and she is old enough to be spayed, so we'll make the appointments for Helen and her little five-month-old pal and kennel companion, Sweetie, to be spayed at the same time so they can also recover together.

     Helen weighed in at 97.2 pounds, and she is about seven months old, the doctor said, and she has more growing to do, he added with a chuckle. What a good report for Helen.

Little Max is fine too

     After the technician brought Little Max to us, we put both dogs in the van (again having to lift a very hesitant Helen), and we were on our way home again. Little Max looks gorgeous! His long, thick (and now clean) black and white fur was beautifully brushed and didn't have one mat in it (which was the main reason we had to have him groomed), and he'd had a much needed bath and smelled so good now! My first thought when we arrived back at the shelter in the continuing rain was that this handsome little dog with his beautiful clean fur was going to get very dirty again, real fast!

Kelli is getting better, thank goodness!

     Kellie's swelling is beginning to go down, and she is back to her bouncy self this afternoon. What a relief!

     But the doctor called us tonight at seven p.m. to say he'd just received the results of Kalli's blood work, and we aren't "out of the woods yet with her." We are just hoping the severe infection continues to get better.

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 28 2002

Another day for vet visits: Dobie to see the doctor for a sudden lump on (swelling of) his jaw, and Jed to see the doctor for a wheezing problem when he barks

Dobie's spider bite

     Dobie woke up this morning with a whopper-size lump on his right cheek at the jaw! It was as big around as a fifty-cent piece and puffed as big as a cotton ball. I thought it could have been caused from some sort of insect bite or a shake bite, and it was the possibility of a snake bite that worried me.

     By 8:00 this morning the swelling was even bigger, so I called the vet clinic and made an emergency appointment to take Dobie, along with Jed, to see the doctor.

     The vet couldn't be absolutely sure what caused the swelling. He assumed it was from some sort of insect bite, or a snake bite, so he gave Dobie an injection for a venom bite. But if the swelling isn't better pretty soon, we're to take Dobie back to the doctor to see if Dobie might have an infected tooth, another possibility, the vet said, that could cause swelling. Then, because it was too hot for Dobie to wait in the van, the vet tech took Dobie to wait in a kennel while Jed was examined.

Jed goes to see the doctor for his upper half, and ends up having surgery on his bottom half

     Jed is the wide, short, stocky, eleven-year-old Chow/mix we brought to our Happy Home for Strays in order to save his life, because he had nowhere else to go when his owner moved out of the country. Jed would have been euthanized if a home hadn't been found for him the day we were contacted, and we took him in.

     This sweet fellow has been wheezing occasionally, which we thought could be caused by allergies, or maybe the damp weather lately could be causing Jed to wheeze, so to make sure, we wanted to doctor to examine the big guy.

     The doctor examined Jed thoroughly. He said the occasional wheezing was most likely due to allergies, but what really concerned the doctor were the two small tumors he found near Jed's anus. The doctor explained what they were (some medical name that I have forgotten now), and he said they needed to be removed before they got bigger. This was sure a shocking bit of news!

     Since Jed was already there, and the doctor could schedule Jed in for the surgery this afternoon, I agreed to have it done now. Jed will stay at the clinic for a day or two, and most likely he can come home this Friday.

Kalli's doing better

     Kalli, whom I wrote about yesterday as being very sick, appears to be feeling better today. The swelling in her breasts has gone down a little, and her appetite is back. She appears to be getting better, thank goodness!

     As I may have already reported, the doctor called me last night at 7:00 p.m. to check on how Kalli was feeling. He also said the results of the blood work came back and show that Kalli "is not out of the woods yet" - she is still very sick, and he went on to explain what blood cells were elevated and lots of medical things, which I understood then, but for me to try and repeat them now would be confusing to all of us!

     We're happy that Kalli is doing okay right now, and she loves all the attention she receives from everyone here.

THURSDAY AUGUST 29 2002

Jed's doing fine after surgery!

Full report on Jed's surgery to come

     The doctor was busy with an emergency when I called this morning, but the receptionist said Jed is doing fine.

"New arrivals" are checked on often throughout the day

     I've been making several checks a day on our three new arrivals since they joined our Happy Home for Strays last Friday and Saturday, and they've all been doing okay. Kalli has been really sick with mastitis, so she has been the only real concern, and I go in to see her quite often throughout the day.

     All three new arrivals have settled in just fine now, and even tho the little Boxer, Kalli, came to us very sick, she's been under our vet's great care since last Monday, and she is beginning to improve. I anticipated there'd be no problems with any of these fellas this afternoon either.

     First I went to Kalli, and she met me at her gate jumping up and down, excited to see me. How wonderful to know that she is feeling so much better now. I went in to visit with her to check the swelling of her breasts, which swelling has gradually been going down as her health continues to improve. Kalli loves attention, and I sat with her talking about the events of the day as I petted her. Then it was time for me to see Great Dane Pup Helen (who is albino, blind and deaf) and her little pal, Sweetie.

Great Dane Pup Helen is also doing just fine

     Helen has adjusted so beautifully it's really hard to believe she has only been with us for five days! I think I've already said all there is about this precious huge pup. She is simply, Precious! She and Sweetie are a great pair, maybe an odd looking pair with seven-month-old Helen weighing 95 pounds and little five-month-old Puppy Sweetie weighing in at 28 pounds. Still, they are just perfect for each other, and they play non-stop all day long (when they're not sleeping in their wetted scoopy holes in the shade. As big as Helen is, she is extremely gentle with her little friend, Sweetie, and Sweetie can "hold her own" with this big, gentle Giant. They sleep together cuddled up to one another in Helen's huge hay-bed and their favorite game is "keep away" with a piece of straw or most often the pink stuffy toy.

Little Max made an unexpected trip to the vet, leaving Straydog at 3:30 this afternoon

     Little Max is an adorable little Sheltie, with thick, long black and white fur. He is a wonderful little dog. He came to our shelter Saturday and moved in with Melissa and Amber and all was well with the third threesome at Straydog. Monday Little Max went for his new arrivals checkup, and I left him for his neuter operation and picked him up on Tuesday, just two days ago. All had been fine with his "operation" until today! When I went in to visit Little Max. I checked his incision and discovered that the fellow has chewed several of his stitches out! Geesh.

     The call to the vet went as expected. "Bring the fellow in now." So, I informed our kennel team members, who were here caring for all the dogs, where I was going and off L'll Max and I went.

The doctor says Max'll probably be okay

     After just a short wait we saw the doctor, and after he took a look at Little Max he seemed to think Max would be okay, but he gave me an E-Collar "just in case" Little Max continued to bother the incision. Also I'm to put some type of terrible tasting spray on the incision to help it heal, and the terrible taste may keep Max from bothering it further.

     Home we came, and I put the spray on Max, and we're hoping he will behave himself tonight.

Pat signs up for Social Security retirement benefits, which she will donate to Straydog Inc.

My Social Security retirement benefits to start coming next month, which will relieve Straydog's financial problems a little bit

     I was 62 and a half years old yesterday, and since I'm not planning on receiving any income from anywhere, there's no reason to wait till I'm 65 and a half, so I went ahead and signed up. The amount I will receive (a little less than $700 per month) will help with our humongous, never-ending vet bill.

FRIDAY AUGUST 30 2002

Jed comes home from clinic okay!

     Jed came thru his surgery just fine, and there've been no problems. The tumors have been sent off to the lab, and we're all hoping they are benign. Julie, who went with me to pick up Jed so she could have her blood sugar level checked, is doing okay too, and the two kennel mates were sure glad to see each other (tho they made the trip home in separate crates in the back of the van).

Little Max hasn't bothered his stitches today

     I just checked on Little Max again at about five p.m., and everything looks fine.

SATURDAY AUGUST 31 2002

Five dogs went to Adoption Day (Melissa, Amber, Dobie, Millie and Dallas), and all five returned

Five dogs to Adoption Day

     Five dogs left Straydog at 9:00 this morning headed for Canine Commissary on Lower Greenville in Dallas along with Guy (the driver), his wife Kim (a volunteer) and our regular caregiver, Brooke. There are also several volunteers who will be waiting for the van to arrive at 11:00, and our group will be there till 3:00 p.m.

Five dogs back home from adoption day

     It was a very slow day at Canine Commissary and that was probably because of the holiday weekend.

     We thank Canine Commissary for having us at their store, and we thank all our wonderful volunteers for giving up their day to help the dogs, giving them each a four-hour window for a possible adoption.

Update on the happenings at our shelter during the day:

     All new arrivals, Helen, Little Max and Kalli are doing fine!

     Kalli's heath is improving every day. She is bouncy and happy, gaining weight and she looks, and feels, so much better now.

     Little Max hasn't bothered the incision from his neuter surgery since we had to take him back to the vet a couple days ago, and he is becoming less shy every day.

     Helen (the nearly blind and totally deaf Great Dane pup) is just plain wonderful! She and Sweetie play constantly in the early morning, snooze all afternoon in their totally shaded kennel during the heat of the day, and they love to play in the park in the early evening when it's cooler and less sunny for Helen, who is also part albino.

     Jed is recovering nicely from the surgery he had earlier this week. He is doing just fine. We should know the results of the biopsies done on the tumors within the next few days.

     All is well.