A dirt lot

This is where Princess used to live.

On this dirt lot she dodged 18 wheelers and gravel trucks. She once had her foot run over and lost a nail as a result. When she was spayed in an effort to shut me up, she recouperated here, in the dirt and motor oil. Often, I tended to various war wounds she ended up with. I'm pretty sure she wasn't missing a chunk of ear when we first met. Occasionally, she was allowed in the air conditioned offices to cool off. I don't think she was ever kept inside during thunderstorms. She slept outside 99% of the time no matter the season. I have no idea how often she was given clean water or what they fed her but I'd bet money it was Ol Roy. At one point, someone tried to steal her in the middle of the night and had her backed into a corner of the chain link fence until the man living on the property came out to see what all the fuss was about. Finally, the day I had a new collar and proper tag for her with my information on it and the words "spayed" engraved on it, she went missing. I'll save that post for another day. It's amazing what I have chosen to forget... I hope she has too.

I'm an OklaTexan

Becks and I had another little Oklahoma adventure this weekend. Our passengers on this trip were the adorable Jones (floppy ears) and Isabelle (cropped ears). Both were total love bugs and Isabelle was content to hang her head in B's lap while Jones kept manuevering to sneak his way into my lap. We had dog #3, Egore, a massive 135 pound American Bulldog following in a seperate car due to his size and dislike of most male dogs. It was uneventful, just the way we like them, and B was treated to McDonalds for an ice cream cone and the opportunity to stretch his legs on the playground. I know how much he enjoys our rides as he is always quick to talk to me about them while we rock before he drifts off to sleep. His last word before falling asleep that night was Isabelle.

To date we have transported 10 dogs that would be dead otherwise. If you don't already transport, please do. It is the simplest way to contribute to animal rescue and is tax deductible! Ask me how to volunteer.

Happy 4th anniversary Princess

4 years ago today my life changed in more ways than I could put into words. A wiggly, roo-ing, pit bull ran up to me and I was not afraid to bend down to pet her. In that moment I fell in love. She wore a purple collar, no tags, and a cheap flea collar with her teats hanging loose from her. She had to belong to someone and so on that day I grabbed my office camera and took this photo of her to assist me in breaking the language barrier near my office while looking for her owner. From this day on we fell into an easy routine of car rides, pig ears, and belly rubs. She needed a name and I dubber her Precious. It was just a week later before I figured out her real name was Princess, and she was a victim of breed bias. Once someone's pet, one they felt compelled to breed for profit, kicked out of her home to the dirt lot across the street from my office to be a junk yard dog. Why? Because they had kids at home and they were worried because she was a pit bull. And so I became her guardian angel and she became the reason I am involved in animal rescue today. Thank you Princess for giving my life meaning and purpose. Thank you nesties for holding my hand every step of the way. It is because of your amazing thoughts and prayers that she is as loved as she is today by all that have met her and her amazing mom L. I love you all very much. Keep up the good fight.

Big news!

Princess my foster baby is coming to stay with us this weekend. I am super duper excited but admittedly anxious. Don't panic L, I'm just a worry wart. Princess hasn't technically seen/played with my dogs in 2+ years. It was just too much to handle when Becks was a baby and I'm a little worried about how they are going to behave or if I am going to have to re create Fort Knox using baby gates and such. See, when I took Princess in the first time we lived in a crazy fortress of double baby gates and buffer zones for weeks on end because I was too chicken to let them interact. Instead I used clicker training coupled with time and patience for them all to acclimate. Even then, it was only when Princess escaped Fort Knox to introduce herself to the dogs did they become a pack of 3. Luckily I do have a friend coming to town (poor her!) so I'm sure she will be helpful even if it is simply refilling my wine glass while I freak the F out!

So, if you have any tips for me on not projecting my crazy nervous energy I am totally open. Thanks peeps!

Rest in peace Walker

Walker passed away today on what should have been his 3rd birthday. He was a friend's foster dog though she had plans on adopting him. He was to be her partner in crime as her marriage is coming to an end. He was going to be chapter one in her new life.

Walker went through 2 homes before landing back at DFW Lab Rescue. How someone could deny him a forever home escapes my thought process. My friend was his foster home, his safe refuge, and I am so glad he knew what it felt like to be truly loved. I had the pleasure of meeting Walker at a rescue event I volunteered to photograph. He was madly in love with him foster mom much to the chagrin of potential suitors that came to meet him.

Last week walker tore his ACL ligament and underwent surgery to repair the injury. While on the strong pain medication and antibiotics required post op, he began throwing up and peeing blood. He went into the vet's office on Monday and was diagnosed as being in acute renal failure. Yesterday morning he was on death's door, but by the afternoon the vet had decided it was not kidney failure but a massive kidney infection. My friend went to spend some time with him and when talking to her last night all seemed like it would be ok and he would pull through. This morning at 8:05 I received an email letting me know he had passed this morning. I am in shock, but mainly I am angry. It is not fair. Walker was supposed to be her fresh start. Walker was supposed to be celebrating his 3rd birthday today. Walker was supposed to finally know what it felt like to be home.

Walker, you were loved.

When Princess comes to visit

I am most thankful I found the world's most perfect adopter for Princess the pittie. We get to stay in touch and visit and for that I am forever grateful. P came to visit over the weekend and Becks could not have been more thrilled; well as thrilled as a 2 year old can be. I took the opportunity to get some pretty adore-a-bull shots of her. I know I keep promising to share her story but it's a hard one to tell for someone like me who has an amazing way of supressing unhappy stuff. I leave for NOLA tomorrow and I swear when I get back into town I will share with you all Princess: Chapter 1 and go from there. It's a doozy of a story.

Paws for Courage

Copied directly from their website. This is a must read. Feel free to cut and paste it and email it to every one in your address book. Chances are you know someone who is being abused and or was once a victim of domestic violence. It is all too common and all too taboo.

"Almost 50% of those leaving domestic violence situations delay leaving their abusers. They fear for the lives of the pets they will have to leave behind. Beloved pets often become pawns in abusive relationships. A “thing” to be used to instill fear in their victims, to further control them, to punish them or show them what will happen if they tell about the abuse or get out of line.

It's this fear that keeps victims of abuse frozen with terror. They know that the minute they leave, their abuser will take their anger out on their pets by seriously harming or even killing them. By the time victims are ready to leave their abusers, their self esteem has been battered and they have been alienated from most of their family and friends; they don't think they can leave and more often than not, have no place to go. And the longer a victim waits, the greater danger they put themselves in.

When a victim is finally able to leave, more often than not, the domestic violence safe havens they seek refuge at do not allow pets to be brought in or do not have the appropriate facilities to house animals. There are many domestic violence shelters that have cooperative agreements with local animal shelters for temporary holding of animals while victims are residing at the shelter. Unfortunately, due to time constraints and limited space, animals can only be held for very short periods of time...anywhere from a week to 30 days.

Paws For Courage was created with the purpose of diminishing the high number of those who feel they cannot leave because of their pets. 50% is a VERY high number and a rather disturbing statistic. Time is of the essence in domestic violence situations; any delay could prove to be deadly. Paws For Courage is a network of shelters, foster homes, and transporters dedicated to giving domestic violence 'victims' a greater chance of becoming 'survivors'. Please read our Volunteer page and consider joining or supporting our cause. An animal's (and humans') life may very well depend on it. Just a note, some of our pages are currently under construction, so please remember to keep checking back...we're always updating! If you have any questions about anything on this website (or about our organization), please feel free to contact me at any time."

I signed up to help transport and foster. I hope you find it in your heart to help in any capacity that you can.

http://www.pawsforcourage.org/volunteer.htm