Koa

I just received an inquiry on Koa and realized that she was never added to the blog! I pulled Koa from Cobb Animal Shelter a few weeks ago. She is a 3 year old Chi/Pug mix. She is very quiet and skittish and doesn't enjoy the other dogs playing. This seems to be a theme with the smaller dogs we get. I think Bunni just doesn't realize that she isn't Shenzi's size. Sometimes in the morning I will wake up and find Koa curled up in the back corner of the yard. I think she is somewhat of a loner but she does enjoy being petted if she can get some attention to herself. Koa does have the extra special talent of being able to run on her front two legs. She has luxating patellas and prefers to use this method when walking on grass or carpet. Keep your fingers crossed that this inquiry will be a good fit and she will get to move to a more quiet home.

Save Shenzi from the fleas!

I realize that you may only have half the number of legs as our four-legged friends, but you can participate in the Cherokee County Humane Society Turkey Trot!

Runners and walkers, get ready to put on your sweats and join us for the 1 mile or 5K on November 22nd at the Woodmont Golf Club in Canton. Registration is only $15 ($13 for children) before Nov. 12 and $20 up until race day and of course comes with a T-shirt (however judging from other Humane Society apparel I've witnessed, it might not be the most attractive thing).

Proceeds go directly to the Humane Society and help pay for the expenses of our foster pets. (Shenzi's about to need flea and heartworm treatment again!)

You can register at http://www.active.com/page/Event_Details.htm?event_id=1642283&assetId=08a0e57b-a8d1-414c-92f1-c814a2377952.

If your legs don't work or you live far away you can still donate as a phantom runner and receive a t-shirt.

Foster Kamp has been in full swing!

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. Here's a little about some of the Kampers you haven't met yet and some updates on the ones you have:

Harley was a sweet little one-eyed black pug who made all kinds of fun grunty noises. She was adopted at her first adoption by a family I used to go to church with. Harley came though a very uncertain line of owners and had many litters in her prime but she is enjoying her new home.
Harley (now called Maggie) is coming to stay this weekend for a few nights while her owners are out of town. Bunni and Shenzi will be excited to see her again








Ginger came to the Humane Society at our last adoption when her owner who had recently had several heart surgeries turned her over to us. Ginger was very skittish around loud noises and didn't enjoy the other dogs playing, but she loved to snuggle on the couch and give kisses. She was probably very confused because I kept calling her Sadie because she looks so much like my parents' dog. Ginger did not enjoy being at adoptions yesterday with all the other bigger and louder dogs, luckily she had a great application within the first hour and we were able to do her home-visit that afternoon.
Everything checked out ok and she was able to be adopted that day. I think she will love her new home because it is much quieter than my house/aka Foster Kamp. Her new family is very excited and I'm sure they will be a great fit.



Shenzi is still with us. She is extremely smart and uses it to get her way but she's learning some rules and boundaries. She has learned to sit and high-five and we are working on bowing. Shenzi will need a very special home who can be very committed to giving her the exercise and discipline she needs. Notice the stuffing lying on the floor after yet another destroyed toy. She's getting the guilty look down pat.











Here is a picture of Mollie/Stoli in the car sad that vacation is over. Mollie still likes to bark at men but Belle tries to keep her in line. Sadie has welcomed her into the pack now and they are the best of friends, giving old lady Belle some more time to sleep on the couch.

7 days with Shenzi

Shenzi is a week out of the shelter and doing great! She's learned to be more calm and has weaseled her way out of the bathroom and into the bed at night.

The little hyena went to her first adoption on Sunday and turned on the cute eyes for everyone but didn't find a permanent home. Next week I'll be going to Fripp with the family so another foster is nice enough to watch her. I hope their dogs are prepared for the energy that is coming their way!

On the sewing front, my crafty phase is in full swing. I've made a few more beds, one dog dress and a dog coat. I tried making a dog sweater by loom knitting but that didn't turn out so well. The multi-colored yarn looked cute all balled up but not so much in sweater form.

Forecasts call for scattered showers in Beaufort, SC next week so I might attempt to learn real knitting. (I've been a crocheter since an early age.)

I'll post some updates on Mollie/Stoli next week cause she's going to be at the beach too!!

Shenzi Marie Predatora Veldetta Jacquelina Hyena

Stoli's adoption is now final! She lives with my parents now and her name is Mollie. She is gearing up for the family beach vacation now!

So, I introduce to you foster dog #2, Shenzi. Shenzi was a hyena in the Lion King movie. Here is the background of the name from Wikipedia:

Shenzi, voiced by Whoopi Goldberg, is the only female of the hyenas. Her name means "savage", "pagan", "uncouth", or "barbarous" in Swahili.

According to Timon in The Lion King 1½, her full name is Shenzi Marie Predatora Veldetta Jacquelina Hyena. She is the de facto leader of the trio and the smartest hyena. This is actually consistent with real spotted hyena behavior, in which the females are generally more powerful physically and politically than the males. She is wounded when Simba takes a swipe at her cheek whilst trying to save Nala. She deals best with Scar and knows how to talk with him.

Im not really sure what Shenzi is. Maybe some Manchester terrier and maybe some fox terrier. She is very excited and loves to play.

This Sunday is the Kennesaw Petsmart Adoptathon so if you are looking for a dog, there will be alot of rescue organizations there. Stop by and say hi to Shenzi!

You'll never believe it...

It all got started when I decided I wanted to give my foster dogs a way to remember me... When I was 4 we adopted my first dog Chester. Chester came to us with a stuff Garfield that remained his favorite toy for a very long time (at least until we got our crazy Belle dog about 14 years later). So, I thought it would be nice if the foster dogs could have something to remind them of possibly their first safe home if the new owners wanted.

I don't know if you have priced dog beds lately but holy crap! One basic plain boring dog bed big enough for a medium size dog can cost over $50!! I'm not talking about the designer dog beds with canopies, just the large pillow or basket looking ones. I recall standing in pet smart with Kristin and Penny dog saying we could make that... and we could make that one... and we could make that... (we meaning her as she recently purchased a sewing machine :) but hey I could cut the fabrics!)

Some of you may be familiar with my previous craft attempts that avoided sewing with a passion. These included such home decor endeavors as glued and grommeted valances. Even though these turned out pretty nice...


Melissa and Shannon at my office are excellent quilters. They offer to teach me and invite me to quiting events with them, but I've always declined because of some scarring sewing projects I attempted during childhood. That and the fact that I can think of a lot of things I'd like to spend $250 on other than a sewing/quilting machine.

But I kept thinking about how stupid it was that dog beds were so expensive and so ugly. Then I decided that if Kristin could do it then I might just could too.

I could not avoid it any longer. I had to put my past of hours spent watching my mom untangle bobbins from the sewing machine behind me. I told myself I was a grown up smart girl (sometimes I use the honor graduate on my diploma just to convince myself and my dad I'm not an idiot. They don't have special ed in college :)) and event idiots could sew. But I still couldn't make myself jump into the deep end. Using my moms machine is out of the question as I'd be forced to move into a storage unit to pay for repairs or God forbid to replace the Bernina. So, I went out and bought the cheapest sewing machine I could find. Walmart special $78.88 (more on the value proposition later).

I got it home and was pleased to find it came out of the box with no assembly needed. I read every word of the manual that came with it and confidently thread the needle (I think they took out about 20 steps since I was 12.) I even got the bobbin in! Compelled by my successful maneuvering of the thread through the threading maze, I grabbed my fabrics (also a great deal at Walmart). Stitch, stitch, stitch this is going great!!

Wait.... that sounded kind of weird... oh well it stopped... stitch, stitch, stitch... umm...why isn't the stitching moving forward any more??

Yes I had gotten myself from start to huge tangle in 3.2 seconds. But I didn't give up. After I spend about 2 hours undoing all the sewing I'd done (It takes 22 times longer to rip seams than to make them.) I got back to it. One long weekend and some uuuuugly seams later I have myself three specimens of a dog bed.

The fist was big and meant for Stoli:



The second was an attempt at a matching bed for Bunni but wound up over stuffed. I'm convinced the cats will like it eventually:


I then learned the joys of studying all those "Sew Easy" patterns at Joanns They really are so easy that you dont even need to buy the pattern. Here is attempt number 3:



Poor Stoli has to go to the vet tonight to be spade tomorrow. However, I think she might have found a home already (I wont mention who in case they back out :) Wish her luck!

Meet Stoli

Today is Stoli's third day out of the shelter. In the shelter she was scared to death and stayed in the back of her pen. She had to be carried out the door because she was too afraid to walk. The minute we were outside though she pranced around and sat for petting. She rode well in the car but was a little scared at Petco.

Even in 3 days she is making great progress. She is much more confident and plays well with Bunni. She whines a lot but many times it is when when she is excited. Sometimes if you enter the room she barks and growls but always stops once you pet her.

She is already house trained which is great for being only 7 months old.

Overall she is doing really well and I think she will continue to make great improvements.

Every one help one...

In Georgia, about 70% of dogs who enter shelters are euthanized. Some because they are deemed "unadoptable" and some just because they aren't cute enough to be adopted in a few weeks.

Some of you might know my dog Bunni, the apple of my eye (even though I'm having to type this with one hand because she's biting the other). While I did get Bunni from a breeder, not a shelter, I know that there are so many dogs who could give as much love if they were just allowed a second chance.

While I would love to be able to do more, I am going to start fostering at least one dog at a time.

That process started a few days ago by contacting the humane society in my area. The organizer has been super helpful and tonight I had my home inspection. She was very helpful too and answered all my questions.

One topic I'm not sure about is isolation. Dogs from kill shelters are not always healthy and have been exposed to disease and parasites. Some foster parents keep their new fosters in isolation for a few days so they don't get their pets sick. While I do not want to risk the health of my little Bunni or the cats, I cant imagine keeping the new pup separated from the others. I think I will seek more advice from the people at the shelter.

Tomorrow I will go to the shelter to pick up my first foster. I'll post their progress and mine on this blog.

If you would like to donate anything towards vet, food, grooming or other miscellaneous costs, you can do so with PayPal by clicking the button below.

Note: I am not an incorporated non-profit so I will not be able to provide tax receipts, however you can rest assured that the money will help a sweet dog until they are able to find a forever home.