New fosters and updates. :)

My main computer has been in the shop, so I don't have any of my photos to do an update.
This is basically another place holder till I can get everything caught up. LOL. I wonder how long it will take me to catch up and post photos/stories of my fosters?
It's been too busy, with too much going on. Seems like the Starfish Journal takes a back seat.

UPDATE, JAN 2011: Every one in this post now has their own posts and photos. :) Entries have been updated as well. WHEW! Took me awhile, but it's done. Now, to STAY caught up!)

Annabelle's puppies are all gone. 3 were adopted here in St George: Lorabelle, Mirabelle, and Bluebell. The other 4 found new homes in CA.

Sylva was adopted! *does happy dance* She deserves it. Perfect home for a fantastic dog.

Vera was adopted by Piper's family. She and Piper are great together, and she couldn't have gone to a better home. I'm SO happy for her, I cried many happy tears over that one.

Oakley, Marcus, and Robbie were all accepted at HWAC last week.
I will really really really miss my Robbie Squishy Face. I loved that dog. He was absolutely perfect in every single way.

Moose has been adopted.
Bella is at a different foster home (and loving it!)

We have 2 new fosters:
Turkee was pulled from the shelter. She was picked up as a stray on Thanksgiving day, on the Turkey farm road. So, inevitably, her name had to be Turkee. LOL. She is about 5 months old, and SUCH a sweetheart.

Ellie is a 4 yr old Weimaraner we pulled from the shelter as well. She is a GREAT dog, with a fantastic personality. She looks and acts like an old lady, LOL.

We are also caring for several new dogs that we pulled from the shelter that are currently being kenneled till we find them foster homes:

Tonka. A 5 month old brindle pup who is a fantastic loving sweet little tank of a dog. LOL.
Niko. A 4 month shepherd mix pup who ended up at the shelter when his owner was deployed.
Charlie. A 2 yr old Kelpie/Terrier mix with an exceptional personality. LOVE Charlie. He got another foster home today where he will be loved like he deserves.
Shanell. A 5 month old border collie with an exuberant love of life, LOL. She is such a happy girl.
Six 6-week old pups from the shelter. They are SO cute, and SO messy! LOL. They'll be going to another foster home soon. :)

And Sedona came back from her other foster home today, so we've got her as well. Although right now she's being kenneled because she just can't seem to get along well in a large group of dogs. Hopefully we'll be able to find her another foster home, or a permanent home quickly.

We still have Annabelle, and she is doing great. Finally had her spayed (no more puppies for Mama!) and we are actively looking for her forever home now. :)

SO, at this time, at our house, we have:
Annabelle
Lady
Ellie
Turkee

And caring for:
Niko
Tonka
Shanell
Sedona
6 lab mix puppies


We have an adoption event tomorrow, and we're hoping for some great adoptions!
Hopefully I'll get my computer up and running this weekend so that I can update with photos and everything.

Adoptions and new fosters.

10-27-10

We've had several dogs come and go, and I haven't been able to update my journal here for a little while. Here's an update to keep everyone posted (and as a placeholder to jar my memory when I come back to do entries for our new fosters, LOL)

(Update, Jan 2011: Everyone in this post now has been updated and has their own entry. :) Took me awhile, but it's done!)


10-16-10
Vera: a 7-8 yr old German Shorthair Pointer that was found in poor condition, wandering around the hills outside St George. If no one answers our found ads, she's ours. LOVE her. Super super sweet dog, always wagging and smiling. :)

10-18-10 to 10-20-10
7 Border Collie Puppies, 3 months old. Oh goodness were these guys ever cute! Went and picked them up with another local rescue, and they got to stay at my house before heading to HWAC. Fun, fluffy little pups!

10-20-10
Oakley: Our little health problem. LOL. Rejected from HWAC, being treated for Demodex. Sweet little 4 month old lab/collie mix. He's a blast here, and you can't help but fall in love with him.

10-20-10
Moose: A previous foster who had been adopted by a family in California. They returned him. No fault of his own, they were having a baby and moving. So much for commitment, huh? He's a sweet ol GOOF.

10-21-10
Buddy, Linus, and Kobe. 3 little Poodle mix boys, here for a few days to meet potential adopters. Loved these little guys, and it was SO much fun having little fluffy lap dogs here. All three of them were adopted, and have great homes with their new families.

10-26-10
Sylva: Sylva has been in a different foster home for a few weeks to allow us to regroup, and help us with space issues. We just got her back, and she fit right back in as if she'd never left.

10-26-10
Lady: A 9 month old border collie mix, shelter rescue a couple weeks ago. She's been bouncing around to different foster homes, going wherever there is available space. Oddly enough, even with a bazillion dogs here, we've almost always got available space. LOL. So she'll be here for awhile.

10-30-10
Bella: About a year old, a gorgeous hound. She was found in a coyote trap by some people who kept her for a little while to try and find her owner. Then they brought her to us. Bella had been at AV for a few weeks, before heading to a new foster home. After a couple days there, it was decided that she wasn't a good fit there, so she came here.

UPDATES: 10-27-10

Junior was accepted at HWAC on our last run. He was Wade's favorite at the time, and he is missed. What a sweet little guy. He's been adopted already, and I hope that he loves his new home!

Moose and Sylva both have potential adopters. Moose was on a sleepover last night, Sylva goes on hers today. Robbie will be going on a sleepover this week as well.

Marcus went to a different foster home (Thank you, Filly!) and Sedona will be going to a different foster home today (Thank you, Melinda!) just to ease the load here at my house while we were trying to find spaces for some displaced fosters. It's just temporary, and they may be coming back here eventually, but for now, it's nice to have a place for a couple of our fosters to go.

The puppies are awesome and amazing and adorable. And exhausting. LOL. I wouldn't trade anything for the experience, though. Having them from before their eyes were opened, till now, has been a great adventure. We're finally on a schedule, and they are eating solid food.
Wade and I are taking a couple days 'off', and driving them to HWAC tomorrow. I'll miss them terribly!
I'm a little worried about Annabelle when we take the puppies. She still cares for them, and I think that she's going to miss them as well. :(

It was a bit overwhelming here last week. Too many dogs, not enough sleep, but it's leveling out, and everyone gets along so well. Keep your fingers crossed that all the sleepovers stick and become adoptions. :)

By the end of this week, we should be down to only Vera, Annabelle, Lady, and Oakley. That's a BIG change from last week when I had my little meltdown and was ready to pull my hair out. LOL.
Thanks to all my friends who boosted my spirits and encouraged me to hang on. The ebb and flow can be emotionally and physically exhausting, but it's still worth it.

One starfish at a time.

Robbie

10-9-10

Robbie was pulled from the shelter and had been at Lorraine's house for awhile, but came to our house this Saturday. He's not neutered yet, and one of the other rescues at Lorraine's house wasn't spayed yet, so we needed to split them up. (Cora is now spayed, but I'm keeping Robbie here, LOL!)

At the shelter, they had him listed as a Great Dane mix. We thought at first he was an American Bulldog mix.
After having him for a few weeks, we are convinced that he's a Boxer/Lab mix with maybe some Dane or Bully in him. LOL. He has got the CUTEST little underbite and those floppy jowels, and some classic BOxer personality traits.

He's a great boy, only about 7 months old. SUPER fantastic personality. He loves the other dogs, and is adorable when he plays.
He listens, and learns very quickly. He's a great house dog!
He'll make an awesome companion to a family. He is a great cuddler (and licker!). He's a big boy, and still has some growing to do, but he's going to be one of those 'gentle giants'.

11-22-10

Robbie was probably one of my favorite fosters ever. Everything about this dog was awesome. I loved him deeply.
He was accepted at HWAC, and I cried when they walked him away. They loved him there, and he was adopted after only a few days. I hope that the family who adopted him realizes what a treasure they have.

Sedona

10-4-10

We got Sedona after she'd been dumped at one of our local pet care facilities here. They kept her for awhile, but then called us before taking her to the shelter.

She's only about 5 months old, and has quite the personality. She is cute as a button, but lacks any manners, so it's a good thing she's cute! LOL.

She's learning quickly, and is doing better after just a couple days.
She is a bit too interested in the cats for my liking, but doesn't seem to want to hurt them. Yet.

She is SO smart, and you can tell that she WANTS to learn and to do the right thing.

Update: 12-22-10

Sedona went to a couple different foster homes, but we soon realized that she had some issues with other dogs. When she was at our house, she was either on a leash with me, crated, or muzzled. That wasn't good for her, so we tried for awhile to find other options.
Unfortunately, all of our foster homes have other dogs, and she just couldn't seem to get along with any of them.
The shelter staff was awesome enough to take her for us over the holidays, until we could figure out what our options were for her. While there, she was adopted! She went to a ranch in Arizona, and will be a working dog, which is just what she needed!

Marcus

9-29-10


Picked Marcus up from the shelter today as well. He is a HOOT.
What a great personality this little guy has.

He is SO happy to be here, and is constantly playing or running, or smiling, or being a goof. But when playtime is over, he is content to lay next to me and let me rub his face.

He loves the other dogs, and thinks playing with Lenny and Squiggy is the best thing in the world. LOL

11-10
Marcus had been at another foster home for a few weeks, then went to HWAC. He was accepted there, and I have high hopes for him! He'll find his forever home soon! :)

Junior

9-29-10

Picked up this adorable little guy at the shelter today. We think that he looks just like one of our past fosters, Syd, so he was immediately dubbed "Syd Junior". LOL. The Jr part stuck.

He's a sweetheart of a dog, with a great personality. He LOVES to play with Lenny and Squiggy, and is great with all the other dogs.

10-20-10

Junior was accepted at HWAC. I knew that they'd love him. We're going to miss this little guy! He was Wade's favorite. Such a sweet boy, with an awesome personality.

Greta

9-27-10

We pulled Greta from the shelter the same day we got Coral and Cassidy.
She has been at another foster home while we were gone, and we just got her here today.

She is fearful, scared by loud noises, but oh so very sweet.
She loves to lay with her head in my lap, and is hungry for affection.

She was bred to be a working dog, but wasn't working out for the rancher, so he dumped her at the shelter.
She has no idea how to be a pet, but she knows how to love.

She was doing well at her other foster home, and I have high hopes for her here as well. My house is chaotic, so she is being subjected to noises and movement, and all that stuff that scares her, but she is tolerating it well so far. Right now, she's sleeping peacefully on the couch like she's been there her whole life. :)

10-7-10

Greta was adopted by an absolutely wonderful family in Nevada. They have another rescued Border Collie who is older and just as gentle and sweet as Greta.
This could not have been a more perfect home for her. She fits perfectly there, and was SO confident and happy!
As soon as we got to their home, she was wandering about and exploring! She never explored at our house unless she thought she was alone.
She bonded with her new family rather quickly, and they say that she is doing great!
They've sent me this photo of Greta (Now Tessa) and her new buddy, Casey. :) Look at her happy face, and her ears up!

I'm so happy for her!





Update:

Greta was returned after several months due to her owners' health. We were sad about that, but it's part of rescue and we dealt with it, knowing that something good was around the corner.
And it was!
Greta's perfect forever home found her with us after only a couple weeks. She has the most perfect life now, where she is loved, and will never have to worry about anything again!

Mama Annabelle plus 7

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9-23-10 We went and got Annabelle from the shelter just before we went out of town. She went to a great foster home where she gave birth to her litter of 7 puppies while we were gone. As soon as we got home, we went and picked her and her puppies up and brought them here. She is SUCH a sweet girl. Calm, quiet, loving, and such a good mama. We'll have her here for awhile, and I'm looking forward to watching her puppies grow.

The puppies at 2 weeks old:



10-22-10
LOVING these puppies and Mama! It has been a blast watching the puppies grow.
When they were about 4 weeks old, Annabelle developed some really horrid skin issues, and we needed to start weening the pups so that she could go on medication.
So we've been bottle feeding the pups to supplement. It's been fun. A lot of work, but FUN.
After a week, we started feeding them mash as well.
Now at just over 5 weeks, they are eating only puppy food, even though Mama still will feed them a couple times a day.
We each have our favorite pups, they all have such different personalities. I'm really loving the time that we get to spend with them.

And I adore Annabelle. She is SUCH an awesome dog, with a fantastic heart. She is always happy, and I love watching her play with the other dogs. She's AWESOME.

12-10-10

All of Annabelle's pups are gone. Mirabelle, Lorabelle, and Bluebell were adopted locally, and the other 4 went to HWAC and were adopted almost immediately.

Annabelle is still here, and we are loving her. What an awesome amazing dog she is. Sweet and loving, with the greatest personality ever.

I loved having her puppies here, and got very attached to all of them. I'm glad that a few of them were adopted locally so that we can watch them grow.

Lorabelle: Adopted locally. Her new name is just Belle, and she is such a gorgeous girl!


Bluebell: Adopted locally. Her new name is Fran, and she is a hiking, snowshoeing fool! LOL. She's absolutely adorable.


Mirabelle was adopted locally as well. I don't remember what they renamed her, but she is so freaking cute it hurts. :)


Isabelle. I'll miss this little gal! She went to HWAC.


Cowbell. My chunky monkey. What a sweet big boy. He went to HWAC.


Clarabelle, the sweetheart. She loved playing with the big dogs! She went to HWAC.



Barbell, the cuddler. He was such a gentle boy. He went to HWAC.


December:

Mama Annabelle is adopted. I miss her dreadfully (especially since we have a litter of puppies here that she would love to take care of!). She's got a little beagle brother now, and a wonderful family who adores her like she is meant to be adored. She will have a great life with them! It was awesome having her here for so long, and I got very attached to her. Fetch isn't quite the same without her baying!

Coral and Cassidy

9-23-10

These 2 sweet girls were in a different foster home while I was out of town, and then they came to us Thursday.

Both shelter rescues, they were kenneled together, but they were not admitted to the shelter together. We thought they were sisters when we first saw them in their shelter kennel.

Cassidy is younger, probably about 6 months, and a lab/hound mix.
She is so gorgeous, and has a personality to match her amazing looks.

A total sweetheart, very loving, and she almost bends in half with the bendy wiggles when you talk to her. LOL. I love everything about her.. she is such a doll.

9-29-10
Cassidy was adopted! She went to a really great family with a couple little girls, and is going to have a great life with them. Her new name is Roxy!



Coral is older, probably close to a year, though we aren't sure yet.
She is a great little dog... too big to be a rat terrier, too small to be a pointer. No idea what her breed is. We think maybe some Whippet?

She has a great personality, with a happy fun attitude. Super sweet and cuddly too.

9-29-10
Coral went to a different foster home, and she may be getting adopted as well! WOO HOO!!!







Love having these 2 girls here. They are a lot of fun, and it's always nice to have cuddly dogs!

Ernie and Rocky

8-30-10 to 9-9-10

Ernie and Rocky both came from the shelter. They both went to different foster homes while we were in Oregon for a few days, then came back here until they went to HWAC on the 9th.

Ernie was a sweet little guy, about 4 months old. He loved everyone and was just a big goofy puppy, full of fun with a great personality. He's going to be a BIG boy!





Rocky was an itty bitty little huey with a GREAT personality! I absolutely adored him, and he was such a cuddle bug.
One of his ears had been cut off (grr!) but that just added to his charm. If we'd have fostered him any longer than we did, I think I don't think I'd have been able to let him go. I adored this little guy, and was immediately attached to him. We don't usually foster the small dogs here, but I'm glad we had a chance to love Rocky!

He was accepted at HWAC, and I'm sure he'll be going to his forever home soon!

Chloe

9-10-10 to 9-18-10

Chloe came to us as an owner release because of family allergies. She was well taken care of, and deeply loved by her family.
She was an amazing dog with a great personality, and we absolutely loved her.

Of all the Weimars we've fostered, she was the first one who actually LOOKED like Amikah. She was a bit smaller, a teeny bit darker, and her tail was longer. But her face shape and mannerisms were so much like Amikah it was almost hard to tell them apart at times. LOL

We only had her a week before she was adopted, but what a great week it was!
It's a good thing we didn't have her any longer than that... I think we were falling for her. ;)

Ricky

9-7-10 to 9-24-10

Ricky was a shelter rescue, but the people who adopted him ended up not being able to keep him so they called us rather than take him back to the shelter. And I'm so glad they did!
He is a DOLL.
Floppy little guy with long legs and a goofy face that makes you immediately fall in love with him.

He adjusted really quickly here, and settled in right away. He loved the other dogs and had SO much fun chasing them around the yard.

He was adopted almost right away by an out-of-state family, but we got to keep him for a week while we waited for them to come and pick him up. :) I'm glad we got that little extra time with him.

His new family is a perfect fit for him. They've promised photos and updates, so I'll be sure to share them here as well. I can't wait to see what he looks like when he grows into his feet! LOL.