Bill Arnold's Daily Straydog Log
SUNDAY MARCH 7 2004
Erin's Adoption Day Report ...
Benny found his forever home Saturday!
Leroy and Marilyn Hernandez and their daughter, Alissa, came into Petsmart twice Saturday. On their second visit they were finally ready to adopt a dog, a year after their previous dog's illness and passing. They saw how sweet Benny is, and this fulfilled their only criterion for adoption: "A sweet dog!"
Marilyn was also very pleased that Benny is black and white, like their cat. They know Benny will chew on stuff he's not supposed to chew on, that he isn't housebroken, and that he's still just a big puppy dog (a little over a year old), and the family is willing to stay close to Benny and do all the necessary training to help him become a good pet. "I think we might just go ahead and start the training now," Marilyn told me in the car on the way to their house to do the home visit. "It will be good for Benny to learn commands like 'Leave it!' concerning the cat," I had suggested earlier. Marilyn told me that she'd grown up with cats and dogs together, and she is not concerned at all about them eventually becoming friends.
This family seemed very committed, and I am sure they will provide Benny his forever home, with a nice fenced yard and pool and a nearby park for walks. We talked for a long time in the car on the way over to their house and continued the conversation at their home, and I felt comfortable that Benny has a wonderful opportunity for a good, good life with the Hernandez family. Seeing Alissa and Benny play was really touching.
So, the adoption became official. I let Benny move on to his forever home, knowing that back at Straydog at least one of our caregivers, Tina (who loves Benny very much), would be very sad. And indeed she was. When she heard the news about Benny's adoption, I was told that Tina began crying, knowing she would miss Benny a lot. Macy (Benny's former kennel mate at Straydog) has been howling and crying since Benny's adoption, pining for her beloved buddy.
Marilyn said that they would keep in touch with us. She will even write and tell us about the first thing that Benny chews up!
Congratulations to the Hernandez family and congratulations, Benny Hernandez!
Puppies Grace and Holly are doing okay
They've both been eating well and have had good bowel movements, and there's been no more vomiting. Let's continue to hope and pray they're okay and that Puppy William doesn't come down with parvovirus. The seven-day incubation period from his first exposure to Holly and Grace will be up Monday (tomorrow).
A recent email to Erin from Jana, Blind Chubs and Sister Cassie's mom
Hello Erin,
Hope you, Dana, Tino [one
of Erin's cats] and
everyone at Straydog are well. We are all doing okay. We had a
bad day yesterday, but I will get to that later.
Chubs is really doing good. He is listening to us so much better and is actually enjoying being given commands and following them.
On March 7th it will be five months since Chubs and Cassie came to us. Cassie has become 100% meshed with every part of our lives and is even starting to be a bit bossy at times. (Summer is teaching her that.) But it seemed that Chubs has always been kind of on the outside looking in, until recently. I told you about the mornings when we let the four sighted dogs out for a few minutes to run like crazy while we keep Chubs back until the initial frenzy is over and then let Chubs out to run and potty before our daily walk. At first, Chubs cried and wouldn't listen to Charlie and me trying to talk to him. Then he started settling down and realized he would go out in a minute. Now he sits patiently and waits for whoever comes back for him. At first Cassie would run to the peacock pens with the others and then come back for Chubs, but now Cassie may or may not come back for her brother, so Charlie whistles and either Nick, Summer or Milo comes, and Chubs is happy.
We took a pickup ride along the fence line around our 15 acres, and I rode in the back of the truck with all five dogs. Chubs hung his head over the side with Nick, Summer and Milo, and he loved every minute of it. Cassie lay in my lap and didn't get up until we were back at the barn. I don't think Cassie will ever enjoy car riding, but we were advised to make her go sometimes and leave her behind sometimes, so that's what we do.
On our walks in the morning Chubs is still on the double leash with Milo, and many times they are in the lead, something unthinkable five months ago. I left work early yesterday (Thursday) in order to beat the storm, and when I got home, I cleaned out my closet, which is a concrete storm shelter, and showed our "safe room" to the dogs so Chubs and Cassie wouldn't be scared. Well, Chubs just marched right in there and sat down, like, "Okay, what's next?" We didn't have to use the shelter, but at least I know there won't be a problem getting the dogs inside.
I told you that Chubs has gotten over his fear of strangers, and that is still true. He seems to delight in the fact that someone new is here and hurries to greet them, wagging his tail. Last night, my son Kam, his wife April, and little Erin came over to introduce us to their eight-week-old puppy, Rambo, and Chubs couldn't get enough of Rambo. Chubs doesn't lick at all, but kind of kisses you with his nose, and he was nose-kissing that puppy all over.
Back to yesterday morning: I've told you that I started walking with my old lab, Ace, and six-week-old Nick six years ago. Then Ace died, and Summer joined us five years ago, and about two years ago when Milo joined us, a dog named Mollie moved into a house on our walk route. She was always very rude, barking and chasing us, but we tried to ignore her and walk by fast.
Six months ago we noticed three puppies on Mollie's front porch, and a month later Chubs and Cassie came to us. Well, during the last few months one of those three pups (a male) became very aggressive and snapped at our heels, so Charlie went to the door and complained, and the next day the male pup was gone--"Took off," is what one of the young boys said.
Mollie became pregnant (again) and had a litter about three weeks ago. One of the other puppies (also large with puppies herself) started becoming more aggressive, but sometimes they would have them in the pen, so we kept walking that route until yesterday morning. The pregnant puppy came at Cassie, Nick and me, and in fear Nick wrapped his leash around me, and I hit the ground. I thought my arm was broken, but it was just sprained. Anyway, Charlie was screaming at the house where the lazy man and woman live, and we went home and Charlie called the county sheriff's office. They basically told us to quit walking that route, and that there are no laws requiring pet owners to be polite or to restrain their animals.
As Charlie and I were deciding what we would do next, the rude, lazy man drove into our driveway and apologized and said that he'd taken care of the problem: he'd shot all three dogs! Charlie just stood there and I burst into tears and couldn't believe that the man had solved his problem in that way. I wrote a letter to the two young boys apologizing for causing the death of their pets. I felt and still feel so guilty. When I got home yesterday, I hugged all my babies.
Anyway, sometimes living in the country I feel like I'm hitting my head against a brick wall, struggling against animal abuse by some neighbors. This morning another neighbor stopped us on our new walking route, and he said that he had called and complained to Millie's family several times about their aggressive dogs, so he didn't think it was only our fault that the dogs were killed.
Strange, isn't it? You don't have to keep your dog confined, fed or protected, and when you get tired of the bad behavior that you taught them, you can kill them. No laws, rules or anything.
By the way, for six years Charlie and I have picked up trash on that road every day and kept it mowed during the summer. Our new route has a lot more traffic but a larger shoulder to walk on, so we will get used to it. I don't think I'm ready to take the sheriff's suggestion not to go for walks at all just yet.
Have a beautiful weekend and as usual, I will pray for all the dogs at Straydog, that they can find loving forever homes so that you and Bill can retire some day.
Jana
Bill's comment about the dog killer: How primitive so many humans all around us still are!
Previous Daily Updates
Bill Arnold's Daily Straydog Log
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS OF PREVIOUS UPDATES
(Click on any day below to see the update of that day)
LAST WEEK
* Becky loses half her ear, and we're not sure how [PHOTOS];
* No adoptions yesterday but a few possible adoptions for next week [PHOTOS].
* Shawna goes to the park with Scottie and then back to his kennel [PHOTO];
* Puppy William joins Puppies Holly and Grace in the park [PHOTOS];
* Many thanks to Ofelia and her husband for bringing us four big file cabinets [PHOTO].
* Our son-in-law, Dana (Erin's husband), successfully digitized Pat's video;
* Becky is tolerating all the hospital dogs but Foxy Yatzee [PHOTO];
* Puppy Holly has no appetite and has runny poop with some blood in it.
* Erin reports on yesterday afternoon's vet visit to Dr. Reeves in Tyler:
* Puppy Holly has parvovirus! Now we've got a potential "situation"!
* Katie, Rocky and Julie went along with Puppy Holly to visit Dr. Reeves;
* Bill's Wednesday morning report:
* This morning Puppy Holly doesn't appear sick;
* Poppy Holly seems okay, but her sister, Grace, wouldn't eat this morning;
* Puppy William, alone in his small kennel, has shown no symptoms of illness yet;
* Puppy Grace is a lot better while Puppy Holly continues to improve [PHOTO];
* Puppy William is showing no signs of illness [PHOTO];
* The original mom of Ojay, Macky and Jeannie has died;
* A reader of our print newsletters but not of our website updates writes us a letter;
* Today will be the sixth day that Becky's been wearing a bandage on her torn ear;
* Bad storm hits Straydog right at the dogs' dinner hour [PHOTOS & VIDEO]
* Puppy Grace had bad diarrhea yesterday afternoon; then she got better again;
* Puppy William continues to have no symptoms of illness [VIDEO OF WILLIAM PLAYING IN WATER BUCKET];
* Becky's in the big hospital kennel in the same ward with Puppies Grace and Holly [PHOTO];
WEEK BEFORE LAST
* Puppy William shows up out of nowhere [PHOTOS];
* Update on Dewey, the paraplegic dog SJ's caring for;
* Puppy William goes to the vet clinic for his new arrivals checkup [PHOTO];
* Shawna's back from her spay surgery and has to be separated from Scottie again [PHOTOS];
* Katie's not ready yet for her trip across Rainbow Bridge;
* Rocky's been eating well and seems to be completely over his intestinal upset.
* Puppy William has recovered from yesterday's illness [PHOTOS];
* Pat and I also had to move after our number of rescued dogs had grown to eight.
* Katie, Rudy and Toby went to see Dr. Reeves in Tyler Tuesday afternoon;
* Jasper, an old dog with very bad hind legs is also visiting Dr. Reeves;
* A medium-size dog is found out front scavenging through our trash [PHOTOS];
* Caregiver/Kennel Team Member Bobby wants to adopt this new dog.
* Jack spends his big play yard time sniffing the birds in the big park tree [PHOTOS & VIDEO];
* Hopefully yesterday was our last rain day for a while [PHOTO].
* Katie went to vet for her second treatment; Sandy went for a bad cough;
* Tina took our newly donated microscope along with her to show Dr. Reeves.
* A dog named Copper joins us temporarily [PHOTOS];
* We try Copper with Boomer [PHOTO];
* Adoption Day doggie van left for PetsMart at 8:50 this morning [PHOTOS];
Thanks so much to all of our contributors! We couldn't keep this operation going without you. Pat always said you all would continue to support us, and you have. And we at Straydog continue to rescue, care for and adopt out homeless dogs exactly the way Pat would have wanted. Thank you so much for your continuing support! ... Bill Arnold