Straydog, our Happy Home for Strays
(The hexagon is the "Big Play Yard," which we usually refer to as "the park")
Straydog is a "lifeboat" for rescued dogs. A vacant spot in a kennel is an empty seat in our "lifeboat," so please, if you're interested in adopting a dog, see our "Dogs for Adoption" links below, or call to inquire about dogs you may have seen recent photos of but who may not yet be included in our "Dogs for Adoption" links. And please continue to support us. We will continue to row this "lifeboat" to shore, dropping off rescued dogs into the arms of good adopters, and we will continue to fill the space left vacant by each adopted dog with another desperate homeless dog for as long as we can hold on (financially). We believe that our example (and the example of all other no-kill shelters) must be publicized in order to wake people up and make them aware of the necessity to SPAY and NEUTER their pets so that homeless dog-rescue "lifeboats" will no longer be necessary. (Ditto for cats!)
If you would like to help with our ever-growing vet bill, donations can be sent directly to:
Pat Arnold's Daily Dog Log
SUNDAY MARCH 23 2003
A nice, quiet, routine day today
This has been a rather calm, quiet day. No emergencies have come up with the dogs here, and I didn't go anywhere, so no more dogs or pups have been found. Even the weather has been perfect--70 degrees and sunny with light winds.
Tomorrow I'll go to the clinic to see how Leo is. We took him to see the doctor last Friday because of vomiting and not eating. The doctor wanted to keep a watch on him this weekend, and now, hopefully the doctor will know what the problem may have been.
And we have to take a few other dogs in for various reasons, and I'll probably be able to bring new arrival, Nikki, home. Her kennel is all ready for her.
I think the list of those going to (and/or coming from) the clinic (plus medicines to pick up) is as follows:
(1) Misty: Take for allergy injection
(2) Puppies Tina and Terry: Take for second puppy vaccinations
(3) Kimberly (new arrival pup): Treatment for mange and pickup meds
(4) Katie: Get heart medication for her
(5) Champ: Get his special food
(6) Duke: Find out results of the test on his stool sample I took to clinic on Friday
(7) Julie: Take both of her two types of insulin for Dr. Morton to mix
(8) Nikki: New arrival Pit Bull, just spayed. Can she come home?
(9) Leo: How is he and can he come home?
Maybe if I print out this list, I won't forget anything or anybody tomorrow!
New mother dog, Rosie, and her eight little puppies are doing beautifully
Black Lab, Rosie, is a wonderful mother. She takes great care of her babies and being a young mother she loves to play with their little puppy toys too.
Her children are about five weeks old now. The three girls, Tiffany, Gizmo, and Star, along with Rosie's sons, Pebbles, Benny, Rudy, Ricky and Rex, are growing fast!
In order to give Mother Rosie a much needed break from her lively litter following her around all day long, we've rigged up a sliding, one-foot-tall "fence board" to separate one half of Rosie's kennel from the other half, which when "closed" divides the kennel in two to give Rosie a little time to herself. If she chooses to jump the low board to rest in the separated area, away from the kids, she has the option to do so. She can easily jump back again, whenever she wants. With the kids being too little to jump, or climb over, Rosie can snooze in peace while her little ones tussle around on "their half" of the kennel. In the evening we take away the fence-board making the kennel one big area again.
Repeated
from yesterday ...
Pam Mitchell calls with sad news about Papa Dog (of the Tenison Golf Course family of strays)
We were so heartbroken with the news on our voice mail this morning that the father dog (known as Papa Dog) had been hit and killed by a car yesterday evening. Jesse-Bear's sibling, known as Lucy, is still on the loose, and Pam will continue to try to rescue her.
Pam Mitchell, who has been trying for months to rescue this family of dogs, and whom we have helped on several rescue missions, said that she was going through her evening ritual which included a search-check of the remaining two dogs' favorite hiding places trying to find Papa and Lucy to make sure they were okay. She spotted Lucy by Samuel Blvd. and then she looked up to see Papa Dog begin to cross the busy street, which he often did as he scavenged for food on the other side, but this time Papa Dog didn't make it across. He was tragically hit by oncoming traffic.
Papa Dog dies in Pam's arms
The driver of the car didn't stop to offer his aid, but Pam was there and ran to try and help Papa Dog as he lay dying. Pam said his injuries were so severe that he died just moments later as she held him in her arms.
I'm sure this was the saddest moment in Pam's life. She had wanted so much to help this frightened dog, and she had tried so hard to win his trust. She wanted so much to be able to pet him and show him that there were people who wanted to love him and care for him and give him a wonderful home. But sometimes, as hard as we try, it just doesn't happen.
Pam and friends will have Papa Dog cremated and his ashes will be brought to our Happy Home for Strays and will be placed in our little grave yard along side the graves of Danny Boy, Davey, Sparky, Bo Honey, Kitty and Arf plus Shannon's cat, StrayCat.
We're hoping that another rescue mission will be planned soon for the capture/rescue of the remaining member of this family of strays, Jesse-Bear's sibling.
Rainbow Bridge
Quite a while ago upon the passing of one of the fellas we were caring for here at our Happy Home for Strays someone sent us (and we published in a newsletter and on this website) a short piece called The Rainbow Bridge. The author is unknown. I couldn't find the version we published earlier so I asked via email to some friends if anyone had a copy of the piece, and one friend (and supporter) emailed back the the version we published yesterday. Today we received via email another version:
*Pat Arnold's Daily Dog Log
LAST WEEK:
*Photo Pages and Videos
LAST WEEK:
(1) Davey (and Heather) in the park on Sunday, March 16, 2003
*MPEG Video: Davey plays dog ball in the Big Play Yard Monday (3/17/03)
(2) Cassie and Blind Chocolate Chubs stretched out asleep in their kennel
(3) Jesse-Bear plays in his kennel pool with a baseball cap
*MPEG Video of Jesse playing in his kennel pool with a baseball cap
WEEK BEFORE LAST:
(1) Blind Pup Chubs is introduced to Corky (3/9/03)
(2) Blind Pup Chubs wants his sister to come back
*MPEG Video: Corky and Cassie tussle while Blind Chubs sits "on the sidelines"
(3) Corky loves to be held as he helps Pat at the computer (3/9/03)
(4) Blind Freckles (who has no eyes) visits vet for eye socket infection (3/10/03
(5) Allie (Alice) and Sally (from Tenison Golf Course) get new arrivals checkups (3/10/03)
(6) Tina and Terry (the two Aussie pups) play in their pool (3/10/03)
(7) Alice and Sally inspect their new kennel (3/11/03)
(8) Corky meets Brigitte in the Big Play Yard (3/12/03)
(9) Corky and Brigitte in the Big Play Yard, continued
(10) Old Davey isn't doing too well (3/13/03)
(11) Trying to get Old Davey to eat his meal with his pills (3/14/03)
(12) Steve and Linda Hoppes visit our Happy Home for Strays (3/15/03)
(13) Rover and Happy receive a visit from possible adopters (3/15/03)
(14) Corky moves in with Brigitte; Joel wheels the dog food to the house (3/15/03)
THREE WEEKS AGO:
(1) Jesse continues to keep his distance from Pat
(3) Sick Mama Dog Laura is examined Monday.
(4) Steve and Carol Reeder bring us two homeless pups they found in the road
(5) Mama Dog Laura comes from the clinic to our shelter
(6) Mama Dog Laura inspects her new kennel and lets Pat pet her
(7) Mama Dog Laura continues to let Pat pet her as she looks around
(8) Mama Dog Laura finally reunites with her son, Jesse-Bear
MPEG Video: Jesse-Bear reunites with his mother, Mama Dog Laura
(9) Terry, Tina and Corky arrive and meet each other in the puppy kennel
(10) The three new pups arrive and meet each other, continued
(11) Mama Dog Laura has her first meal at Straydog, as does Pup Terry.
*Adoption Day Saturday, March 29 - Canine Commissary on Lower Greenville Avenue in Dallas
*Our Dogs for Adoption - Volunteer Shannon's page
*Our Mission & How We Got Started
*"Goodbye, Danny Boy." - An example of the only acceptable use of euthanasia
*Click here for continuation of our homepage