www.Straydog.org UPDATE posted SUNDAY 1/4/04 at ~8:14 p.m. ct usa

Bill Arnold's Daily Straydog Log

SUNDAY JANUARY 4 2004

Sasha's back from her week-long visit at the trainer's home

     Here's a write-up on Sasha that Kristi, the trainer, send back to Straydog along with this beautiful Golden Retriever:

EVALUATION:

(1) Sasha needs to be in a home that is used to having large dogs inside and out.

(2) I do not recommend putting Sasha in a home with small dogs or children under the age of six due to her size.

(3) Sasha is great with kids, loves attention and thinks she's a lap dog.

(4) Sasha loves to put her feet in the water bucket when she drinks.

(5) A pool or water trough for the summer is highly recommended for this dog.

(6) Sasha is a people dog; tho she's non-aggressive, she doesn't really want to play with other dogs; she just ignores them.

 

Our caregivers say Sasha's behavior is much improved

     "Wow! Sasha doesn't jump up on us like she used to!" was a comment from one of the caregivers. Others said Sasha is a lot calmer now.

Later, Erin calls to report that Kristi says she'd like to come work with all our dogs as a volunteer

     Sasha needs more training, and Kristi volunteered to work with caregivers at Straydog, showing us all how to work with Sasha and any of the other dogs with behavioral problems. She's planning to come during the day this coming Saturday, so we'll get a lot of photos and comments on the dogs and do an extensive report on it Saturday night and in the Sunday update.

The cold front roared across Straydog this morning just before noon

     Caregivers and kennel helpers scrambled for their jackets and rain slickers just before the downpour hit. Luckily the rain didn't last very long, but the temperature has continued to drop throughout the rest of the day. In those first few moments just before noon the wind direction switched suddenly from the south to the northwest, and the temperature dropped from 70 degrees to 48 degrees almost immediately.

     Special thanks to those who have called in and/or emailed in credit card donations. All we have to have is the card number, the name on the card, the expiration date and the billing address. It is really simple, and we don't pay a very high fee for this Internet credit card service. After going to the credit card service website, I type in my organization name and password, and once in, I plug in the information the contributor has given to me, and the Internet credit card people transfer the donation instantaneously into Straydog's bank account, which is Straydog's operating fund, which is Straydog's only fund. Thanks to everyone who is helping us!

*SUNDAY UPDATES: Headlines Linking to the Last 226 Consecutive Sunday Updates of our Straydog website, which is also updated nightly before ~9:00 Central Time U.S.A. (Links to all previous daily updates are now at the bottom of this homepage.)

  If you would like to help with our ever-growing vet bill, donations can be sent directly to:

*Article in newspapers across Canada on September 20, 2003 about the Montreal Alouettes' Neal Fort and his Great Dane, Helen, whom the Forts adopted from Straydog in December 2002.

* The Neal Fort articles upped our readership! Every bit of media exposure gives us a boost!

     We really want to thank Neal a lot for getting Straydog and our website address mentioned. Every mention on broadcast TV and radio and every mention in print is a potentially big step and always increases our audience.

Email with photo of Helen and Winston sent by Darla Fort on October 21, 2003

Dear Bill,

Just wanted to share this picture with you (and the crew) of Helen and Winston. Their relationship is truly unique and beautiful to watch. It's getting very chilly here in Montreal and we are anxious to head back to Texas. The dogs have a brand new house and humongous backyard (fully fenced of course) waiting for them. We picked a lot with no trees in the back so Helen has an open field of grass to run freely. Hope all is well there; we think of you everyday.

Much love,

The Forts

A nice letter (accompanied by a nice donation) from Kurt Delloch in Canada (sent Nov '03)

Dear Bill Arnold:

My wife and I enjoy and have often visited your website since first hearing of it while watching a TSN football game (Neal Fort Story) back in September. This sanctuary you and your wife created and you continue to devote yourself to is truly inspiring. It is at this time of year (Nov-Dec) that we normally scrape together some cash and make a small donation to our local SPCA, which is where we have always gone for our family pet. This year we have managed a donation for your shelter as well, as your efforts are too admirable to ignore. ... Peace.

Sincerely,

Kurt Delloch

We at Straydog thank Kurt and his wife very much for the letter and donation!

*Bill Arnold's Daily Straydog Log

CURRENT WEEK

SUNDAY December 28 2003:

* Rainy and chilly all day, and neither man nor dog liked it;

* Another email from the lady who rescued the dog with the broken jaw;

MONDAY December 29 2003:

* Email from Sasha's volunteer trainer, who's keeping Sasha at her home for the week [PHOTO];

* Marsha's rescued dog does need jaw surgery, and Gayle and her husband, Jim, who are donating the funds to cover Ojay's ear surgeries, have offered to cover the cost of this operation, and we all thank them very, very much!

TUESDAY December 30 2003:

* Three of our special-case dogs (Fritz, Champ and Big Boy) visit Dr. Reeves in Tyler (Texas) [PHOTOS]

WEDNESDAY December 31 2003:

* Next to the Fourth of July, tonight could be the worst night of the year for the dogs.

THURSDAY January 1 2003:

* After studying the x-rays and examining the dog with the fractured jaw, Dr. Wilkens said surgery is not necessary;

* Email from Marsha, the rescuer;

* The fireworks didn't end till after midnight New Year's Eve, petrifying many of the dogs;

* Big Boy and his kennel mate, Lisa-Lisa, reacted in a different way to the fireworks [PHOTOS];

* An email with a suggestion for Sasha from Mary Anne.

FRIDAY January 2 2004:

* I left Straydog at noon today to attend my father's 95th birthday party [PHOTOS].

SATURDAY January 3 2004:

* No Adoption Day today;

* A warm but mostly cloudy day at Straydog, and Teddy Bear enjoyed it [PHOTO & VIDEO]

 

 

LAST WEEK

SUNDAY December 21 2003:

* Weather has been great today, and tonight it's going to be in the 50s;

* Sasha tears up the bottom of her kennel fence and gets loose--for a minute;

* Ojay and Jeannie spend their nights in their "hospital kennel," in the same ward with Tom the feral cat, and the two dogs spend nice days out in the little puppy kennel [PHOTOS].

MONDAY December 22 2003:

* The cyst in Rover's ear will have to be removed, says Dr. Morton [PHOTOS TO COME];

* Teddy Bear (like Rover) is another one of Pat's original rescues, and Teddy was feeling great today;

* Teddy's probably going to be a sanctuary dog for the duration [PHOTOS TO COME].

TUESDAY December 23 2003:

* Rover had his surgery about noon today, and we picked him up at 5:30 p.m. [PHOTOS TO COME];

* Randy Hopkins, the overnight man, reports at 8:40 p.m. that Rover's waking up;

* Long-time supporters, Tom and Rhonda Grisak, and their son, Jason, came to visit today, bringing a big box of goodies for the dogs [PHOTOS TO COME].

WEDNESDAY December 24 2003:

* Rover's doing great today [LOTS OF PHOTOS];

THURSDAY December 25 2003, CHRISTMAS:

* Everything is okay here at Straydog, but it was a difficult day for me.

FRIDAY December 26 2003:

* A dog who was hit by a car needs help;

* Ojay gets his stitches taken out by our local vet [PHOTOS]

SATURDAY December 27 2003:

* No adoptions today at PetsMart, but Sasha goes to spend a week with the PetsMart trainer;

* An email to Erin from the woman (whose name is Marsha) who rescued the dog who had been hit by a car (see yesterday's update);

* At Straydog we're all trying to figure out just how much we can help in this situation.

 

WEEK BEFORE LAST

SUNDAY December 14 2003:

Erin's Report on yesterday's Adoption Day:

* Kelsey finds a wonderful home! [PHOTOS]

* Sunday started off very cold (about 30 degrees) but wormed up into the 50s [PHOTO].

MONDAY December 15 2003:

* Beautiful weather again today, maybe a little too warm for the dogs;

Erin Reports ...

* Tomorrow's vet visits, Star Kitty, and thanks to our wonderful contributors!

* Kelsey's new dad, Jeff, emails us today.

TUESDAY December 16 2003:

* Woman wants to drop off two pugs, and two of our employees want to adopt them [PHOTOS].

WEDNESDAY December 17 2003:

* Erin's late report on Tuesday vet visits to both Dr. Morton and Dr. Reeves ...

* Old Pup is doing fine;

* Our visit to Dr. Reeves in Tyler: Big Boy, Champ and Fritz;

* Dr. Reeves gives us a nice discount!

* Going home.

THURSDAY December 18 2003:

* Ofelia volunteers to help us address thank-you letters;

* Macky has been adopted by Randy Hopkins, one of our two alternating overnight men [PHOTOS].

FRIDAY December 19 2003:

* Mary Anne came to volunteer today [PHOTOS].

* Erin's report on the feral cat one of our caregivers trapped at Straydog [PHOTOS].

SATURDAY December 20 2003:

* Erin Arnold Johnson's Adoption Day report [PHOTOS, including volunteer Highland Park High School students, Malia and Townsend Majors].

 

3 WEEKS AGO

SUNDAY December 7 2003:

* Old Pup is on the mend [PHOTOS TO COME];

* Working on the mailer;

* Kerry meets and moves in with Boomer.

MONDAY December 8 2003:

* A couple offers to pay for Ojay's ear operation(s)!

* Ojay's visit to the eye specialist brings good news [PHOTO];

* Old Pup's bowel problems are much better, but the extensive blood tests show a possible serious problem with his adrenal and/or pituitary glands, possibly caused by a tumor;

* Ofelia volunteered the whole day again, and we got all the newsletters in the mail;

* Tomorrow I plan to work on photos.

TUESDAY December 9 2003:

* Buffy again won't eat, so we take him back to the vet;

* Dr. Morton wants to see Old Pup again Thursday or Friday for more blood tests after the antibiotics are completely out of Old Pup's system;

* If Dr. Morton can't arrive at good diagnoses on Buffy, Old Pup and Fritz, who's still not breathing right, he wants to send us to the Veterinary Diagnostic Center in Dallas with all three dogs;

* Now I'm going to work on photos till bedtime, which is going to be very early tonight as I have to leave here by six a.m. to be at Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center with Ojay by 7:30 tomorrow morning.

WEDNESDAY December 10 2003:

* Ojay and I arrive at Dallas Veterinary Surgery Center at 7:30 a.m.;

* Buffy to stay at the vet clinic another night;

* Old Pup is doing very well today; tomorrow he goes in for more blood tests;

* Jeannie's heartworm test results come back: POSITIVE.

THURSDAY December 11 2003:

* Ojay has some inflammation after the operation;

* Old Pup spends the day at the clinic for periodic blood sampling;

* 5:15 p.m. - Buffy is still at the clinic;

* 6:45 p.m. - Juany's back with Old Pup and some bad news about Buffy [PHOTO].

FRIDAY December 12 2003:

* Buffy is with Pat this evening [PHOTOS OF BUFFY BEFORE AND DURING SURGERY];

* Ojay came home from DVSC this evening.

SATURDAY December 13 2003:

* Kelsey is adopted (See tomorrow's update for the story.) [PHOTO];

* Condolences from friends about the loss of Buffy.

 

4 WEEKS AGO

SUNDAY November 30 2003:

* Three new arrivals force us to board one dog and move Henry, who's now cured of mange and whose abscessed jaw is now completely healed, back into one of our hospital kennels till we can find him outside kennel space again;

* Why we couldn't say no this time [PHOTOS OF THE 3 NEW ARRIVALS];

MONDAY December 1 2003:

* I just finished composing the newsletter, uploaded it onto our website and asked my friends at the printing company I used to work for to pull the file off our website and print it.

TUESDAY December 2 2003:

* Lots of technical problems getting the PDF file of the 4-pager to the printer;

* We have to take Ojay to Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center tomorrow morning to talk with a surgeon;

* Henry finds a kennel mate: Tipper [PHOTOS TO COME];

* Kerry comes home to Straydog and goes in with Colby [PHOTOS TO COME].

WEDNESDAY December 3 2003:

* Ojay does need surgery, and we've scheduled it for next Wednesday [PHOTO]

* We picked up the printed newsletters at my old printing company after the doctor visit;

* We thank recent contributors and phone-in credit card contributors.

THURSDAY December 4 2003:

* Last night and today we've spent stuffing envelopes with my four-pager;

* Many thanks to Ofelia Gipson for coming out today to volunteer to help us with our mailing.

FRIDAY December 5 2003:

* This morning Old Pup looked so sick that Juany took only Pup to the vet clinic;

* Buffy hasn't eaten at all today, and we think he didn't eat yesterday either;

* Dr. Morton wants to see Fritz also;

After Juany got back from the vets ...

* Old Pup is not doing too well;

* Both Fritz and Buffy should be okay [PHOTOS].

SATURDAY December 6 2003:

* Old Pup is doing better today;

* No adoptions today, but we thank all our volunteers!

* Buffy ate dinner;

* Sasha is returned to Straydog.

 

5 WEEKS AGO

SUNDAY November 23 2003:

* Weather is the story of the day;

MONDAY November 24 2003:

* You may not believe this, but it's true: I was just about to post, when the homepage file went blank.

TUESDAY November 25 2003:

* Another frozen morning [PHOTO];

* Sasha (now Star) was officially adopted, picked up by her new family and is on her way to her new home [PHOTOS].

WEDNESDAY November 26 2003:

* A new volunteer, Kerry Sullivan, spends the day with us [PHOTOS];

* We welcome anyone who might want to volunteer to come out to Straydog for a day;

* While Kerry was doing dog walks and caregiving, Tina (on the way back from taking Robbie to the vet for his final puppy shots) rescued a stray dog along the road feeding on carrion [PHOTOS].

THURSDAY November 27 2003:

* Rudy's spending Thanksgiving in our "hospital" with a bruised leg muscle [PHOTOS];

FRIDAY November 28 2003:

* Adoption Day tomorrow at PetsMart on Central at Parker in Plano (Texas) [PHOTO];

* Ofelia volunteered again today, and she finished up all the mailing labels;

* Labels are now printed out on label stock;

* Our December newsletter is almost ready to go to press.

SATURDAY November 29 2003:

* Adoption Day went very well: five dogs went, and two were adopted [PHOTOS].

 

6 WEEKS AGO

SUNDAY November 16 2003:

* A beautiful day in the low 70s after the fog cleared [PHOTOS].

MONDAY November 17 2003:

* Great news about Nikki: NO MORE HEARTWORMS! [PHOTO];

* Nikki's still a very timid dog;

* Nikki smiles now.

TUESDAY November 18 2003:

* Another roadside rescue by Erin: Sasha, a Golden Retriever [PHOTOS];

* Sasha goes to the vet;

* Stray dogs everywhere out in the country.

WEDNESDAY November 19 2003:

* Ofelia comes to volunteer for the day, and after dog walks we put her to work on the computer [PHOTOS];

* Sasha (the newly rescued Golden Retriever) comes home to Straydog [PHOTOS].

THURSDAY November 20 2003:

* Sasha proves to be quite a challenge [PHOTOS];

* Ofelia comes again to volunteer for the day and works on the computer [PHOTO].

FRIDAY November 21 2003:

* Sasha is behaving better [PHOTOS];

* Sasha meets Colby in the park [PHOTO].

SATURDAY November 22 2003:

* Three dogs went to Adoption Day, and we have three pending adoptions [LOTS OF PHOTOS];

 

7 WEEKS AGO

SUNDAY November 9 2003:

* Something new for the dogs with hip problems;

MONDAY November 10 2003:

* More shelter work, getting ready for winter;

* Excerpts from an October 27th email from Blind Chubs and Sister Cassie's new mom, Jana;

* Thank you for your well-wishes for Bill, who's slowly getting over the flu.

TUESDAY November 11 2003:

* A nice day today;

* Juany and Tamara brush and clip mats off Muffy, Fluffy and Fluffy [PHOTOS].

WEDNESDAY November 12 2003:

* I thought I was almost better, but I'm not;

* Feverish dreams tell me I have to rescue 75 more dogs in order to be able to sleep;

* Technical problems updating homepage.

THURSDAY November 13 2003:

* Today I've been feeling better but still not near 100%;

* Tonight temperatures are supposed to dip into the 30s, so the crew hurried to attach the balance of the shelter front panels, and we had 15 more bales of hay delivered (at $5 per bale) and stuffed all the dog houses with hay, fluffing up nature's simplest heater so the dogs could burrow in to form their beds [PHOTOS].

FRIDAY November 14 2003:

* Puppy Madison, Rosie and her two sons, Benny and Rudy are slated for Adoption Day;

* Juana rescues a pup along the road on her way to the vet clinic with two other dogs [PHOTOS].

* Now that the shelters have all been "winterized," the temperatures have gone back up and will stay in the 50s and 60s for a few days.

SATURDAY November 15 2003:

* No adoptions today! How sad! How depressing!

 

 

8 WEEKS AGO

SUNDAY November 2 2003:

* With Amigo adopted yesterday Rosie is once again alone, so we try Rosie with Colby, the gigantic Rottweiler we took from the closed-down foster home in Plano [PHOTOS];

MONDAY November 3 2003:

* Emily, who's pictured on Pat's lap in the photo above on the day Emily went in for surgery to repair the ACL of her right knee, has now hurt her other knee;

* Colby and Rosie get together once again in the park, on leash;

* Foxy Yatzee and Russell met yesterday and spent less than 24 hours together [PHOTOS].

TUESDAY November 4 2003:

* Emily's leg seems somewhat better today [PHOTO];

* Jacquielynn Floyd visited us today gathering information for a story to be published this Saturday in The Dallas Morning News [PHOTOS];

* Email from Amigo's new mom, Claire;

* No Adoption Day this Saturday.

WEDNESDAY November 5 2003:

* Juan Garcia, photographer for The Dallas Morning News, visited today [PHOTOS];

* Julie gets some exercise playing with Puppy Madison [PHOTOS].

THURSDAY November 6 2003:

* Dad is sick with the flu;

* Dogs were too excited today;

* Puppy Sadie is doing fine at her new home [PHOTO].

FRIDAY November 7 2003:

* I'm still too sick to write anything;

* Be sure to read Jacquielynn Floyd's Metro column tomorrow morning in The Dallas Morning News.

SATURDAY November 8 2003:

* Jacquielynn Floyd's column was really nice!

* We're grateful for offers to help!

* A quiet, damp, gray and cool day.

 

9 WEEKS AGO

SUNDAY October 26 2003:

* Cooler weather, and the dogs love it, and TONIGHT'S UPDATE LOST!

MONDAY October 27 2003:

* New dog Russell is having problems after his neuter surgery [PHOTOS];

* Big Boomer bites his kennel mate, Foxy Yatzee, in a rough skirmish [PHOTOS];

* Pleasant weather again today, just a little warmer than yesterday due to more sun;

* The change back to Standard Time leaves the dogs wondering where dinner is.

TUESDAY October 28 2003:

* Four dogs get together every morning in the park soon after sunrise [PHOTOS];

* New dog Russell is taken back to the clinic late this afternoon.

WEDNESDAY October 29 2003:

* Old Sassy Katie has a good day, prancing around the park like a young puppy dog [PHOTO];

* The kennel crew begins to put the shelter fronts on in preparation for winter [PHOTOS];

* Also in preparation for the coming winter we ordered 10 more bales of hay [PHOTOS].

THURSDAY October 30 2003:

* Russell comes home, and our Straydog hospital is overflowing [PHOTOS];

* Henry loves his new life here, tho he spends most of his time in his hospital kennel [PHOTO].

FRIDAY October 31 2003:

* Summer's back, and the dogs don't like it!

* The roster of dogs going to Saturday Adoption Day is still not decided, as Erin is still working on the roster of volunteers, at least one of which we have to have throughout our stay at PetsMart for each dog we take [PHOTOS]

SATURDAY November 1 2003:

* Erin's Adoption Day Report:

* Sadie's adoption [PHOTOS];

* Amigo's adoption;

* Puppy Madison's home visit--no adoption;

* Potential adopter comes to visit Jack and Jill;

* 7 pages of photos from Adoption Day

 

PREVIOUS WEEKS (TABLE OF CONTENTS of Previous Updates)