Monday, July 19, 2010

Montana



July 18, 2010

This sweet little girl came to us today from some folks who were traveling through.
She had been dumped at the ranch that they work at, and were told that the ranch owner was going to shoot her.

So they brought her to St George with them hoping that they could find her a home over the weekend while they were visiting here.
They had no luck, so at the end of the weekend, they called us.

After telling us her story, we couldn't let them take her back up to the ranch where her fate would have been death.


She is only about 4 months old, and has the sweetest personality. She is fun and happy, and LOVES the other dogs. She's very attached to us already, and likes to be the center of everything. LOL.

July 27, 2010

This is probably the most difficult entry I've ever had to write.

Monday night, Montana was in a lot of pain, her belly was extended and she was crying and unable to get comfortable. Wade and I took her into the emergency vet, where they did X-rays, but couldn't find anything wrong other than a lot of gas build up. There was no blockage (which is what we were worried about) and no twisting that they could see.
She was drooling, and lethargic, but didn't seem to be in as much pain as she had been in earlier.

Doc sent us home with her X-rays with instructions to keep an eye on her and take her into our vet in the morning if she didn't seem any better.

When we got home, I laid with her on the couch and massaged her swollen belly. She liked that, and stopped whining and fell asleep on my lap. I loved on her all evening, trying to make her comfortable, and massaging her to get rid of the gas buildup.

When we went to bed, she slept on Amos' dog bed right next to me. She seemed comfortable, and the swelling had gone down quite a bit. She slept peacefully for a few hours.

We kept checking on her, and Wade took her outside to go potty at about 4:00 in the morning.
I woke up at 5:00 and saw that she was sleeping so peacefully I didn't want to wake her up by checking on her.
I guess I should have though, because my sweet baby girl wasn't sleeping. She had slipped away sometime between 4 and 5.

Wade is the one that realized she had left us when he checked on her at 7. I was sleeping, completely unaware that my husband was going through one of the most difficult tasks ever... wrapping her wee body up in a blanket and then having to wake me up and tell me what had happened.
I completely lost it. It was such a shock... we had no idea that her life was in danger. We had even been teasing her earlier calling her gassy girl, and saying how funny it was that we took a dog to the emergency vet for gas.

The pain is indescribable. Doesn't matter that we'd only had her for about 2 weeks. We loved this little gal as if we'd had her all our lives. She was very much a part of our family, and her passing was painful beyond belief.

Wade and I took her body in to our vet, and he couldn't see anything on the x-rays either. He asked us if he could do an autopsy, because we needed to know if whatever killed her was dangerous or contagious to the other dogs.
We agreed, said our goodbyes, and left Montana with our vet.

He called me later and said that Montana had a small twist right where her large and small intestines met. That twist had apparently been there for quite some time, and had died off. It eventually broke away, causing lots of nastiness to flood her abdomen. That is what happened the night before, and what killed her.

Doc said that it was unpreventable and untreatable, even if we had caught it in time.
He said that he was amazed that she had been living a normal life, doing normal puppy things. She should have been acting sick for quite some time.
But not our little Montana... she was happy and fun loving, and never complained about anything.

We brought her ashes home, and will place them in the garden with a memorial stone.

RIP my sweet girl. Have fun with Cara romping over those green hills. We'll miss you till we meet again. *skritch*



This video was taken before we knew she was sick. She was such a happy sweet puppy!



Cameron





July 16, 2010- July 17, 2010


We pulled Cameron from the shelter on Friday, brought him home, bathed him, played with him, and loved him.
He went to our event Saturday and was adopted!


He was such a chill, relaxed dog! Very calm, very sweet, tolerant of the other dogs. Good with the cats too.

I was so impressed by his mellowness!


I would have loved to have had him here for longer, but I'm happy that he found his forever home
!

Crockett



6-15-10 to 6-24-10

Crockett was here before at the beginning of June, and then went to Apple Valley for a little while. He's been through a lot in the time that he's been a H.A.R.T. dog.
We pulled him from the shelter, and brought him here. He was supposed to go to HWAC, but the first day that he was here, he decided to try and get into my garden and got stuck in the fence, bruising some ribs.
Then he got some serious bug bites in his ears while at Apple Valley, and missed his NEXT chance at HWAC as well.
Third time is the charm though, right? Nope. After this last trip to HWAC, Crockett failed his temperament test because he is a little mouthy. He needs to learn that it's not ok to use his teeth when playing.
So we brought him back to our house so that we can work with him on that.

He's been doing SO great. He is very smart, and learns quickly. He's already MUCH better, and I have no doubt that he will make an excellent family pet when someone is ready to adopt him. :)

Crockett and Lucy were great on the trip back from HWAC. They were awesome hotel dogs, and traveled really well in the van too. Best travelers we've ever had.

He is getting along great with the other dogs here too, and seems to be settling in quite nicely.

July 24, 2010

Our Crockett was adopted today! YAY! A lovely couple from Vegas drove up to see him, and he was a great fit for their family. :) YAY for Crockett! He deserves the best. :)

Friday, July 16, 2010

Ava and Harmony





July 6- July 14 2010

Ava and Harmony are sisters that we pulled from the Iron Co Shelter the same time that we got Morgan.
They are SO sweet! I really really adore them.
They were a bit shy at first, and it took Harmony a little while to warm up to Wade, but once they got comfortable, their real personalities just SHONE. These girls are going to make wonderful family pets.

Their personalities are totally different, but they compliment each other perfectly. Ava is a bit more outgoing, but can be a little dominant (never mean though), and Harmony is super shy, and oh so passive.

Both girls are unbelievably loving.

They went to HWAC and both got accepted. I am SO happy for them, but I was sad to see them go. I had gotten so attached to them, so quickly.

Morgan




July 6- July 14 2010

What a sweet sweet boy is Morgan! He's a big pup, and just a lover!
We got him from the Iron County shelter. Can't believe he was there for as long as he was!

He's so adorable. Look at that face!
I called him 'Goober'. LOL.

He was a HOOT to watch with the other dogs. What a great personality!

Morgan stayed here until our run to HWAC, where he was accepted! YAY!


I really enjoyed having him here, and was sad to see him go.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Cricket






6-28-10


Got Cricket from the shelter the same day we got Buck.
She's about 6 months old, not sure of her breed though. Beagle Terrier mix of some sort most likely.


She has the CUTEST personality! She is happy and friendly, and just loves to play.


She also loves to lick. Everything. All the time. We call her 'licky Crickee'. LOL!


She has the funniest little bark, kind of a cross between a bark and a roo.
She's a great little dog, and we are having so much fun with her here. She definitely adds to the energy level in the house! LOL. She and Buck play almost non-stop.

6-14-10

LOVE CRICKET!
We decided that she is a cross between a Beagle and an Otter! This girl loved the water. SHe loved it. LOL!

She was accepted at HWAC today. I'll miss her! I know that they will find her a perfect forever family!

Friday, July 2, 2010

Buck






6-28-10

We pulled Buck from the shelter. He'd been there for 3 weeks, and no one would give him a chance because his previous owner had written on his kennel card that "he can break out of a wire crate, and needs a high fence".
He is a young Boxer with a lot of energy, and being penned up in the shelter kennel wasn't helping him at all.

So we brought him home. He ran around like a nutcase for the first several hours, but once he started settling in, boy did his true personality start to shine.
This boy is amazing.
He is attentive, well behaved, knows basic commands, gets along with the other dogs, is good with the cats, loves people, listens extremely well, and it's just amazing to watch him.

Not one thing about this dog would I change. Every so often there is a dog that comes along that instantly captures my entire heart, and I fall desperately in love. Buck is one of them. I adore him.

My translation of the comments on his kennel card from his previous owner?
"can break out of a wire crate" means that he was left crated for hours and not exercised.
"Needs high fence" means that he was left alone in the backyard with no supervision or interaction.

I can see that he's got separation anxiety. I can see how that would be bad if he was crated or ignored. But we crated him at night the first few days we had him, and he never once complained. However, the first day I crated him while I showered, and when I got out of the shower he was sitting by the bathroom door waiting for me when I got out, LOL.

We haven't crated him since. He sleeps all night, has never had an accident, and he is SO well behaved we don't have to worry about him at all. I don't think he ever feels alone because we've got the other dogs here, and with it being summer time, the kids are usually home as well.

He is scheduled to go to a Boxer rescue next week. We're hanging on to him for awhile to make sure he doesn't have kennel cough before sending him up. I'm sure going to miss him when he goes!

7-16-10

Looks like we might be keeping Buck for a while. We weren't sure if he had kennel cough or not, but after 2 trips to the vet and almost 3 weeks on antibiotics, his raspy cough-like thing persists. We think it may be a damaged trachea from being tied up all the time before.

Who knows what is in store for Buck? He is doing GREAT here, and we love him! Hopefully we can find him a fantastic home where he will be loved like he deserves!



7-31-10

Buck got adopted today at our anniversary adoption event!
The family who adopted Onyx last year came by to say hi, and fell in love with our Buck!
He's off to a great new adventure with his forever family.

I'm so happy for him, but I'm going to miss him terrible! Loved this boy. What an amazing dog.