Archive for the ‘Kids and Pets’ Category

Back in March 2011, I found Lili as a very frightened stray who had just had puppies. The thing is, she had hidden her puppies so well, that we couldn’t find them. Close to a week after finding Lili, we finally managed to find her puppies….hidden INSIDE a tree! Read the full story here:

Lili and Her Puppies

Below is an update on how each dog is doing in their new homes!

Lili

Lili is doing great in her new home! She was adopted by Jimmy and Rachel right here in Lawrenceville. Jimmy saw Lili while she was at adoption day at Red Bandanna in Suwanee. He took a picture of her and a Georgia Humane adoption application and went to show his wife, Rachel, the dog he wanted to bring home. She agreed and they haven’t looked back! Rachel says that Lili is now a “spoiled suburban dog.” She has a Jack Russell brother and a Chow sister and is loving life! She still has some of her street dog traits, but she is getting more and more used to the spoiled life and is very playful and loving. Below are a couple of pictures that Rachel and Jimmy provided me with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bernie

Out of all four of the puppies, Bernie stayed with us as a foster dog the longest. He is so sweet and loving, I wanted to keep him. The problem was, our dog Josie attacked him pretty badly once and I’m just not willing to take that chance. So, for months, we lived in a “divided home.” We had it down to a T and it wasn’t a big deal, we just took the dogs out in cycles instead of letting everyone out at once. We were taking Memphis, our Catahoula Leopard Dog (until we decided to adopt him), and Bernie (and Lili until she got adopted) up to adoption day at Red Bandanna in Suwanee and we had a lot of people oohing and ahhing over the dogs, but no one had filled out an application.

One day, I made a joke to my sister, Laura, after her foster dog Skipper got adopted, that she could take Bernie. Our nieces, Maddie and Grace already knew and loved Bernie from spending time with him here at our house with Denny and me. Laura, who never fails to surprise me with her easy going attitude, said “Okay, cool!” A week or so later, I took Bernie to Laura’s house. He started as a foster dog, but Laura, her husband Chad and the girls were pretty sure that he was a perfect fit as a permanent furry family member. They adopted Bernie officially and have not regretted it for a minute. He is just as sweet and wonderful as I knew he would was! Pictures of Bernie below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maizie Mae

I was doing my best from the get-go to make sure these puppies and mama were getting as much attention as possible. I posted them on Facebook, Twitter, and anywhere else I could think of, and of course, we had the awesome Georgia Humane Society backing us as a foster home, providing the dogs with vet care, blankets, etc. and Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen helping us with food when needed. A fellow pet sitter Facebook friend of mine knew that a good friend of hers had recently lost their beloved dog and that they were considering adopting a new dog. She shared Lili’s and her puppies’ story and Diane, her husband Roc, and sweet daughter, Laura gave me a call and set up a time to meet the puppies when the pups were only 5 weeks old or so. They came over and immediately took to Maizie, filled out an application and waited patiently until she was old enough to get all of her shots, get spayed, heal and come home with them! She is doing really great in her home, and is extremely spoiled and happy and loved on. She is scared of her own shadow, which seems to be a trend with these puppies, but loves to play with her human “sister.”  Below are a couple of pictures that Diane provided me with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tonka and Willow

Carolyn‘s name has been mentioned several times in my blog articles because she is as crazy as I am when it comes to animal rescue. No, crazier. She was there for me when I was driving over to where Lili was a stray and feeding her until we found her puppies; we couldn’t take Lili out of there knowing that puppies were there somewhere. Carolyn went to feed Lili and look for the puppies when I was out doing my Spring Break pet sitting visits. She also came and helped with them when we found the puppies and brought them to our house. Her daughter, Elora, knew that one of these puppies was going to be hers, but I’m not sure Carolyn knew that from the beginning. Well, after knowing and loving them all, they decided to adopt Willow (the black female pup) and foster Tonka (the brown with black muzzle pup). I don’t think it took that long before I got a text from Carolyn saying that they decided to adopt Tonka as well. Both dogs have been through obedience training and are as spoiled as can be. Tonka, like Maizie Mae, is afraid of his own shadow, but Carolyn is a pro when it comes to socializing dogs and is doing a fantastic job!  Below are pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog.” – George Graham Vest

I Stumbled Upon this website, PetStyle and found this article listing some unusual and fun pet names that they’ve collected. I picked this topic because my sister, Laura Fields from BabySteps recently started fostering an Australian Shepherd through Georgia Humane Society that a family gave away. The family called the dog Stanley (which happens to be our father and our grandfather’s name), but my nieces, Maddie and Grace, have decided to name the dog Shadow Stanley Tiger! Too cute. OK, so here’s the list:

Astoria Barney Bart Basil Beaker Beakley Beauregard Behemoth Bert Bongo Boober Bruno Butch Camilla Casey Cinderella Claraelle Doozer Dumbo Ernestine Farley Farquaad Felix Fergus Fiona Fluffy Fozzie Frazzle Fritz Gaspar

Geppetto Gilbert Gobo Gonzo Gonzo Goofy Hanna Henchy Hiawatha Hook Hortense Inspector Izzy Jiminy Jowls Kermit Kezagger Lefty Lucifer Mama Marjorie Matilda McGurk Merdlelidop Merggle Mickey Mickey Minnie Minstrel Moby

Morcego Mortimer Ogre Oscar Pancho Pebbles Pedley Peuta Pinocchio Porpy Quackmore Red Rowlf Rudolph Rufus Rumpelstiltskin Rumpus Scamp Scotty Scrooge Seymour Shaggy Shamrock Sherlock Shrek Skyball Sleuth Snerf Snooky Snuffleupagus

Snurbs Sundance Sweetums Sweetums Sylvester Telly Thor Tinker Bell Twiddle Vendawish Webbigail Webby Wembley Winky Winky Winnie Yeaster Yolanda Yorick Zelda Zeus Zipper Zoe Zoot

No symphony orchestra ever played music like a two-year-old girl laughing with a puppy.

Bern Williams

The following article was written by Laura Fields, who is part owner and operator of Baby Steps, and teaches classes on subjects such as First Trimester Essentials, Intuitive Birth, Preparing for Your Birth, Postpartum & Your New Family, Breastfeeding Your Baby, Why Choose Homebirth?, The Circumcision Decision and The Green Baby. Laura, her husband Chad and children, Maddie and Grace (featured in the photos) are the proud parents of 3 dogs, 2 cats and 2 cockatiels and live in Powder Springs, GA.

Kids and Pets

By: Laura Fields

Incorporating kids and pets into the same family can be more of a challenge than you may think if you’ve never tried it yourself.  It’s very common for the most avid animal lovers to grow tired of their pets after a baby is born.  Babies require constant touching and holding, and mothers may experience the feeling of being “touched out.”  Babies and toddlers require so much attention and love that moms often feel they have nothing left for anyone else, including once-beloved pets.  A lot of previously adored pets find themselves in shelters after the baby comes along.

Instead of getting rid of your pets, try to decrease the amount of time and attention they require or hire a professional dog walker or pet sitter to pay attention to your pets when you don’t have the time.  When my kids were very small, the dogs had to spend more time outside.  Eventually, the most physically needy phases passed, and I was able to enjoy my pets again.  If you once loved animals but feel that they’re just a nuisance since the kids were born, just know that this is a common feeling and it will pass as the kids grow more independent.  Pets can add a great deal to a child’s life: love, responsibility, lessons about loyalty and commitment.  If you hang in there with your pet through the hard times when the kids are little, when they’re older they will better understand that you don’t give up on someone just because it gets difficult.  We can begin to change society’s throw-away views of pets one child at a time.

If you already have kids and want to add pets, think hard about what kind you want.  Puppies and kids seem to go together like peanut butter and chocolate, but puppies require a great deal of time and training.  They take longer to housebreak than adult dogs, and they love to chew on things.  They don’t understand that kids’ toys (or fingers!) are not acceptable chew toys.  If you’ve never had a puppy before, it’s a better idea to go through a rescue group and adopt an adult dog who has been tested with children.  Look into various breeds to determine how they typically behave.  Small dogs tend to be popular, but often larger breeds are better family dogs.  Then make sure to evaluate the individual dog’s temperament.  Some rescue groups allow a trial period, so you can bring the dog home for a week or two to determine if it’s a good fit before committing.

When it comes to pets and kids, our children’s safety always comes first.  Always supervise children and pets, for the protection of both.  If you have a pet with behavioral problems, seek help from a professional.

A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down.  -Robert Benchley