Straydog, our Happy Home for Strays
(The hexagon is "The Big Play Yard," which we usually refer to as "the park")
(Photo taken May 2002)
Bill Arnold's Daily Straydog Log
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21 2003
Today it's been raining a slow rain most of the day
Normal routine and schedule were followed, and all the dogs had a good day, tho all of our caregivers/kennel helpers were soaked by the end of their shifts.
Erin's report from yesterday on the adoption of Bella
Volunteer Pat Seward had known of my mom and our shelter since reading the first newspaper article about Straydog in March of 1997 in The Dallas Morning News. She started reading the website updates after another little piece about our shelter was published a couple years later (also in The Dallas Morning News). "Your mom was a saint," Pat Seward said. After reading the last article about Mom this past June 3rd, Pat Seward began volunteering on Adoption Days.
So, being a volunteer Saturday morning Pat Seward was in an excellent position to adopt Bella before anyone else saw her. (She was calling the beautiful puppy, Bella-Bear at the store.) Pat fell in love with Bella through reading about her and seeing her on our website, and she'd called us a few days ago to see if we could make a home visit this weekend.
Pat Seward and her husband have two other dogs, one is another rescue from Operation Kindness named Charlie, and the other is Molly, a dog who finally was caught in a field by Pat's house, after three weeks of feeding (and chasing).
Molly and Bella got along right away, but Charlie is timid and a little territorial around all other dogs. Pat's husband knew that he had to comfort Charlie and take things very slowly, so he pet and talked to Charlie for quite awhile while Bella paced the other side of the fence. Charlie never growled or barked at Bella, but he sure gave her some dirty looks!
All three of us spent time walking all three dogs together then. They sniffed each other a lot, and were fine together in the back yard.
When in the front flower garden, Bella got in a few licks of Charlie's ear and he did snap back at her. We were prepared for this with leashes and harnesses on all three dogs, so there wasn't a problem.
All three dogs did fine in the house together too, though we didn't want to take Charlie's leash and harness off just yet. He didn't growl at all at Bella, but continued to throw a few 'sneers' her way in between his tail wagging and getting pets.
Both Pat and her husband were in love with Bella, and they have a way to separate the dogs until Charlie comes around fully, so we thought it would work. Pat left her husband and Bella with a cool drink and doggie biscuits. They were outside where he could be walking his new pup and playing with her in their large yard while Pat drove me back to Petsmart to finish the paperwork and purchase some things for Bella.
Pat's husband, Greg, called a couple of times while we were were driving back to PetsMart (and after we got back to the store) to say what a fun time Bella was having with a cow hoof, and to ask Pat where the baby gate was.
All sounded very fine and dandy, and we look forward to hearing updates on Bella, the Great Pyrenees puppy, once a stray dog, who has now become a very, very lucky dog!
Email from Pat Seward, who adopted Bella at Saturday Adoption Day at PetsMart
Hey, Erin,
Gosh, what a wonderful and tiring day! After getting home and playing with all the pups, we then gave them a bath. Bella first and my gosh that pup is white now! She is absolutely beautiful (Bella means "Beautiful" in Italian as you told me.) I will be sending photos on Monday. About 4:00 Molly and Bella were out alone in the back yard, and they starting playing. And run and run they did! Great bonding time by themselves without Charlie. Then we went for a walk around the neighborhood where our friends live and all the girl kiddos (seven total) swamped us. Bella, of course, was the big hit. Bella is so gentle with and tolerant of children. The walk for all three pups was for further bonding, and it worked. As soon as we got home, Charlie's temperament changed, and they started wrestling and running and tumbling with no snarls. They have bonded, and so has Molly bonded with Bella. I am so thankful to Straydog and to God that Bella and our pups have been brought together and will live in harmony. Bella also went "swimming" and did pretty good (we're having our second lesson tomorrow), but she got in two times after her lesson by herself (only on the first step) to drink water. Bella is never in the back yard without one of us watching, believe me. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to have and love Bella. She is so happy, and the photos I send you on Monday will prove it.
Pat, Greg, Charlie, Molly and Bella Babe Seward
Yesterday
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Straydog UPDATE posted SATURDAY 9/20/03 at ~8:10 p.m. CT
Bill Arnold's Daily Straydog Log
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 20 2003
Two versions of the newspaper article on Neal Fort and his Great Dane, Helen, were published today:
A man with a French accent calls
I was at Adoption Day in Plano, but Juany, who stayed at Straydog to oversee operations while I was gone, got a call from someone with a French accent, who Juany said was in tears after reading the stories about Helen on this website, and the man said he thought we were doing wonderful work here at Straydog and would send a contribution. I figure it had to be someone from Montreal.
Bella was adopted at Saturday Adoption Day at PetsMart
See story in the Sunday Update.
*Bill Arnold's Daily Straydog Log
LAST WEEK
* With Veronica's adoption Saturday Amigo is left alone in their kennel;
* Scotty and Daisy spend Scotty's park playtime together [PHOTOS];
* Julie's blood sugar level is high again;
* Mid afternoon we find that Daisy has a small opening in her stitched incision;
* Heartworm Pill Day [PHOTOS];
* Newsletter still in the works;
* Julie's begun scratching the place on her eyelid from where the tumor was removed;
* Bobby has his (hopefully) final checkup Thursday at Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center.
* Julie goes to the eye specialist in Arlington [PHOTOS];
* Bear comes back from the groomer; Juany had taken him early this morning [PHOTOS];
* Tomorrow I take Bobby to the the Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center [PHOTO].
* Bobby goes to the Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center for his final checkup [PHOTOS]
* Today was another big vet visit day for Straydog--Heather, Julie, Daisy and Angel;
* PHOTO of Bella and Purdis on their shelter roof.
WEEK BEFORE LAST
* Lots of mixing and matching of kennel mates after yesterday's two (new) adoptions [PHOTOS]
* A prospective adopter comes to see Mandy [PHOTO];
* Blackie's not feeling well today;
* Our over-night guy, Randy Hopkins, will arrive at nine p.m., thank God!
* Blackie got sick yesterday evening, vomiting several times [OLD PHOTO OF BLACKIE];
* Both Big Boy and Julie accompany Blackie to the clinic for blood tests,
* Blackie seems totally well today, but Julie's a bit lethargic;
* I took three dogs to the clinic this morning (instead of working on the newsletter) [PHOTOS];
* Last evening Charlie and Jana came as scheduled to work with Chubs and Cassie [PHOTOS];
* A new arrival we've named Daisy runs up to Randy in the middle of the night;
* Daisy goes to the vet clinic [PHOTOS];
* Prince goes to the groomer again thanks to Ofelia's generous donation [PHOTOS].
* It rained all night last night and half of today [PHOTOS];
* Veronica was adopted today [PHOTOS];
* Pepsi, who was adopted last week, was renamed Ramsey.
*Adoption Day Saturday, September 27th - PetsMart on Central at Parker in Plano (Texas)
*Our Dogs for Adoption - Shannon's page
*Our Mission & How We Got Started
*"Goodbye, Danny Boy." - An example of the only acceptable use of euthanasia
*When a dog rescuer approaches Rainbow Bridge
If you would like to help with our ever-growing vet bill, donations can be sent directly to:
*Click here for continuation of our homepage with no changes to the continuation in several weeks
