A Tibetan Mother's Day.......

Today being Mother's Day I did a lot thinking about all the TT mothers I have known in the past and present....With three living in my house right now......my Liza, my Olivia, and my Kimberly. I remember Kimberly's first litter of TT puppies back in 1994. I never dreamed that she would have 12 healthy beautiful puppies with her first whelp! Retired from her show career and a well deserved AKC Champion of record, Motherhood suited her very well...she took excellent care of her babies...And 5 days later my first "Liza" had a litter of 10! Raising 25 TT puppies was a full time job and I was lucky at that time to be working from home......The quality of care that they needed was essential to producing a well rounded, socialized, and happy puppy to go off to their new home when old enough to leave......this work was shared between the TT mom and myself.....TTs moms are wonderful to watch in action with a litter of pups......it is amazing to see the progress each day.......and how the bitch knows far more than we give them credit for......nature is amazing at it's best. A year and a half ago history almost repeated itself when my second Liza and her daughter Olivia both had litters of puppies 4 days apart with a grand total of 15! This time I was blessed with plenty of support from family and friends......those puppies were handled and loved on each day and the proof is in the pudding so to speak because both Richard and Nobu are extremely well adjusted dogs today.... But I give much credit to both moms for turning out such wonderful boys. And then I started to think about my Maroo and what sort of relationship he had with his birth mother when she was raising the litter he came from.....Knowing very little about the conditions of the puppy mill, one can only imagine the worse. Out of the "Missouri 18" there were many female TTs......a few older than the others so I wonder if one of those sweet gals could have indeed been his birth mother. I was able to sort out who is Dad is by reading the website of the puppy mill....."Archie" who is a darling boy is listed as his sire. The both do resemble each other in both physical traits and temperament.........so perhaps this is correct information. Maroo has really come far with his ability to play with my other dogs outside in the play yard...today since it was a spectacular sunny spring day I let the gang play outside for most of the day........Maroo had the chance to interact with both Liza and Olivia during a number of times while playing outside. He loves to tease the other dogs and engage them in chasing him around the yard........this game is not received well with all of the dogs but Olivia loves to chase him! All of them going back to a puppy play instinct that only they can relate to.........Maroo was part of the litter again today......playing with his litter mates, chasing each other, jumping on each other, and having a ball........Liza layed in the sun on the deck and watched as Olivia and Maroo had a ball.......I am sure that she was thinking what a great daughter Olivia turned out to be....strong and beautiful.........and accepting another as one of her own..........Happy Mother's Day Liza, Olivia, and Kimberly...you all are very special moms!

Grass seed-$6.99, Garden tools-$22.99, Fun with a Garden Hose - PRICELESS

There are only a few things in my opinion that need to stay far away from a freshly groomed dog.....Another dog who wants to play rough, laying on a dirty surface, a rainstorm, and a garden hose spraying water at full force..........For the past few weeks I have been re-seeding the dogs play yard with new grass seed since this winter had taken its toll out on a large portion of the lawn and several smaller areas which have become completely bald......When it rains the bald areas become mud and when the areas dry out there is far too much dirt exposed which creates one big dust bowl in the play yard.....So faced with the choice of purchasing a large amount of decorative stones or re-seeding the lawn..........I chose to plant new seeds. Most of the new grass seedling has begun to grow and it is looking fabulous! But there are still a few small areas that need new grass seeded.........(ok where am I going with this you may ask?) This afternoon I blocked off a few more areas with ex-pens and sprinkled the new grass seed down............Once the seed had been carefully sprinkled I then needed to water the areas with the hose to get those tiny grass seeds started with a healthy drink of H2O.........all according to the directions on the seed bag. Now I knew that my Richard absolutely loves water........water in pools, his water bowel, bath time............and water from the garden hose. Last summer we had a ball together when I set up the doggie pool in the play yard for my guys........Most of my dogs would stop by and maybe dip a paw in the refreshing water on a hot and humid summer day..........but Richard would jump in and stand in the middle splashing himself feverishly until he was entirely soaked from his little black nose to the tip of his gorgeous long black tail! We would play game often where I would toss all of his floatable toys into the pool and some of those which did not float and he would actually go diving for the ones that sank to the bottom.........now we are talking about a "kiddie pool" here...........no 6 foot deep end :) I would love to watch him submerge his entire head under water fishing for those toys and bringing them up just to toss them onto the grass when came up for air! I never knew that dogs could do what he was doing...........I am certain that he was not holding his breath.......I do not think that connection is made in their logic.............but none the less he would put his entire head under water and search for those toys under he found them............an easy task in a very small pool.

Well today the fun of summer returned as I was watering the grass seed...........but along with Richard and his amusement, Maroo discovered that he too loves to play in water! Based on his trips outside for potty breaks this past week with all of the rain we have had I knew that he was threatened by wet grass or a strong and steady rainfall...........he would run around getting wet and jumping all over the place feeling the refreshing new rain on his legs and paws...........When he would come back into the house I would towel dry him and place him in a warm crate to take the chill off..........I do not need a dog with a cold :)

This afternoon both Richard and Maroo could not get enough of the water coming out of the hose during my watering task............Each time I sprayed an area, there they both were jumping in the way of the spray..........Maroo was trying to eat the water as it came out in a strong steady stream when I adjusted the hose nozzle to change the force.....Of course both Richard and Maroo had been just groomed and were recently completely brushed out...and looked so handsome! Now I had two completed saturated dogs who looked like two drowned rats! The fun that Maroo had was priceless........He was totally relaxed and free of any anxiety........After the watering job was over I towel dried both of them off and we came back inside........I cannot wait until the "dog days" of summer arrive so that I can watch Maroo discover the fun that can be had in a kiddie pool........This is going to be one fun summer around here :)

*UPDATE: Camille sent me an email this evening regarding Sissy#5. Read for yourself this great news!

Hi everyone, Today is a beautiful day - Sissy #5 came home today! With the exception of 7 different meds - you would never know she had been near death a week ago. She is barking right now along with the rest of my crew as the critters are stirring in the property next door......go figure.

The woman who saved the TTs in Missouri will be making a visit to Mr. R's home to see what else she can find out in terms of diet, vaccines, illness etc. She will also be contacting the miller's standard vets to see if any of these dogs were treated for anything in the past. It is a long shot but she is willing to try so that we may be able to figure out what is going on. She will also be asking the vet that treats many of these dogs out in Missouri to do a consultation with my vet to help rule out things and think of more.

But again Sissy is home - no worse for wear just loss of muscle tone which I am sure she will start filling out after a few good meals.

Keep praying

Camille

Raining cats and dogs...

Well today was the 9th day of rain that we have had here in the northeast........The sun came out yesterday for a short while and then thunder storms replaced the warm rays of springtime....Normally my dogs do not mind going out when the grass is wet or it is raining lightly. But after 9 days even they have had enough! Maroo on the other hand does not seem to mind if there are sunny skies or rain clouds above........he still enjoys himself running in the yard. Watching him jumping and leaping through the wet grass reminds me of the Gene Kelly movie "Singing in the Rain" He seems to love the feeling of the wetness on his belly because when he comes in from a run outside he immediately jumps onto the sofa and feverishly rubs himself up and down all over the cushions as if he was a cat! It is so cute to watch him do this ritual each time he comes back in from the rain or the wet grass....My other dogs seem to have forgotten this simple pleasure for some reason except for my Kimberly who will occasionally do a similar dance with the sofa cushions when she comes back inside.....He is such a happy boy most of the time....He is feeling so much more confident during his play time outside.....he does not stay so close to the back door as he did in the early days after his arrival to his new home. It is wonderful to see him go exploring with the other dogs in the play yard.......Dogs love to explore, so nice to see Maroo in action some days finding new smells, sights, and sounds in his outdoor world........We take so much for granted with our dogs who are socially adjusted...We do not notice some of the simple pleasures they enjoy on a warm spring day playing in a yard....But when that play has to be learned....we watch that dog for the slightest improvement each day....and hope that progress will be made.....Maroo is making progress in so many areas each day. I am so lucky to be able to share these things with him...even in the rain :)

Not out of the woods just yet.........

Another update on Sissy#5 came this evening from Camille via email.......It looks as though things are improving each day with her right now BUT they have yet figured out what exactly has made her so sick.......Medicine is a peculiar thing sometimes......and with dogs it can become even more peculiar......I am thrilled that she is eating again as per the email from Camille.......a true and tested sign of a dog's illness can be measured by just how much of an appetite is present........

Sissy #5 is doing much much better today. She ate on her own 3 times today - which is huge progress. If she continues to eat on her own she will be able to come home tomorrow night or Saturday. The IV fluids have been cut down progressively over the past few days. The only yellow that is evident on her body is now on her abdomen - no sign of yellow in her eyes, ears or gums . Her poop is becoming normalized (only way I can describe it) and her excessive urination has subsided and returning to a normal color and consistency.

Once again - all good news - but no ideas on what it is . My vets are speaking with several specialists throughout the community to come up with anything else it could be. Once again - all tests- lepto, tick borne, toxplasmosis, babesia, and Super Blood panel are normal which exception of liver and bilirubin which is getting better every day......

Still waiting on test results for 3 other dogs to see if they are consistent with Sissy's

Keep praying that she can come home.........

Camille

Update on Sissy#5

The following is an update on Sissy#5 as per an email sent by Camille this evening.......Please continue to pray for her!

Sissy #5 had a really good today.....her liver values are down and her bilirubin is down . This is the first time that she was standing in her kennel , wagging her tail giving me the finger when I left her - as if to say "Hey you are leaving me here again today!!)

All her tests came back negative (Babesia, Toxoplasmosis, Lepto etc) - this is not to say that she does not have any of these things as they are extremely hard to detect (even with a full blown Liver biopsy - which she is way to weak and ill to withstand) . She is loaded up many different medications as well as liver support therapy and the vets are not sure which one is having the positive effect. But are not going to wean her off anything until she is stable and eating on her own.

I have been going there daily along with Kathy a wonderful volunteer (thank you Kathy) to either give her love or syringe feed her so that she can tolerate the meds better. She has not eaten on her own for 1 1/2 weeks but is getting about 6oz of food daily since Sunday through a syringe.

So on the surface the news is good but unfortunately we still do not know what is going on or what has caused this but we keep searching so that we may help the others....we may need to choose another one who is affected to do a biopsy on....

In the end please keep hoping and praying for Sissy's full recovery so that she can come home....

Camille

Prayers for Sissy#5

Camille sent me this pic of Sissy#5 as one of her favorites of her and I have to agree.......she is adorable! I guess you would have to spend time with Sissy to really appreciate just how sweet she is........Please say a prayer for Sissy that she recovers from her recent illness.......She has come so far since leaving Missouri and does not deserve to be suffering like she is right now......

Brings May flowers.........

Well April has passed and May is here but since it has arrived we have had nothing but rain, rain, and more rain! This past weekend was a big dog show weekend here in the NJ/PA area.........On Saturday Maroo came along to the Bucks County Kennel Club show while I showed both Richard and Luna at their first outdoor show of the season......He had a blast meeting many new dogs at the show during his walk about the grounds while we went shopping........The rain held off for most of the day but arrived when we were at the show.......Sunday was the Trenton Kennel Club show which is my kennel club, so I had to work the show....It has been some time since I have seen that much rain at a dog show! It poured most of the day and it was not a pretty sight! Maroo was home with my other guys being watched by my niece for the day! Recently Maroo has taken to Marie, my niece and loves to cuddle up with her on the sofa.......even gives her kisses :)

When I returned from the show on Sunday I checked my email and read a very upsetting message from Camille..........Apparently some of the other dogs from the Missouri 18 have had elevated liver enzymes show up in their blood work......"Sissy #5 who I adored at the kennel when we would go and visit has been very sick........Camille has asked everyone who knows her to pray for her so that she recovers from this illness......so sad. God only knows what would have happened to these babies if they had not been rescued when they were from the puppy mill....I cannot even imagine the shape that they would be in right now! Maroo looks so good these days that it is hard to believe that he even came from that place..........his coat is shiny and growing, he has put on weight, he plays with other dogs appropriately, and he is happy! The other dogs who I hear about are also doing great! It does take time to rehabilitate a puppy mill dog but just like the flowers in May which come from those April showers..........Maroo is starting to bloom!