Five Reasons I Won't Adopt to You

Being in rescue is emotional.  It's full of highs - pulling a dog from a kill shelter moments before being put to sleep, saving a pregnant dog and watching them realize they can birth their pups in peace...and then NEVER be pregnant again, seeing the joy on the face of an adoptive family when we've found them the right match; and full of lows - fighting to get a dog healthy and it just doesn't succeed, watching a dog go through heartworm treatment and get sick and having to say "no" sometimes when we just don't have the resources to take even more dogs.

As any adoption coordinator will tell you, having to say "no" to an applicant is difficult.  And most of the time - we do it after trying to prompt better responses, reeducating an adopter, and well...just about anything we can think of to turn an applicant into the type of person that would do well with not just one of our dogs - but any dog.

But the fact remains - there are reasons that I just won't adopt to people.

• If your yard is unfenced and you REFUSE to keep a dog leashed - I will not be adopting to you.  Dachshunds are scent hounds and will tune you out to follow their nose in pursuit of a squirrel, their pee-mail and that can get them into trouble.  I won't even tell you the heartbreaking stories of dogs who accidentally got out of their fenced yards never to be seen again. Or worse... You purposely let your dogs run?  Um...NO.

• You don't see the need for heartworm preventative.  This is a nasty, nasty condition that could be prevented by a tablet (or topical solution) that costs about $20 a month.  If you won't invest $20 into your dog's health - I'm not confident you'll spend the money to treat them for other ailments, or God forbid, heartworm disease when they catch it from lack of preventative care. You won't be getting one of our dogs.

• You won't consent to a home visit.  We aren't trying to invade your privacy or judge your housekeeping...trust me!  We just need to know that our dog is going into a home that is (reasonably) clean and safe.  Visiting you in person helps us get a grasp on what dog will do well with your lifestyle and environment.  When you say "no"...you make me say "no" back.

• If your references can't say something nice about you.  I take references checks very seriously.  We check with your existing vet (if you have animals) and personal references.  These are individuals YOU are giving us to talk to.  When they think you won't be a good pet parent, or even scarier - tell us about the last dog you surrendered, we can't hand over one of our dogs.  We just can't.

• Two words - outside dogs.  If you have dogs that spend their entire lives outside without adequate access to shelter - you are not going to be adopting from us.  This signifies to me that a dog is merely a possession to you. To me, to my rescue, dogs are family.  They deserve the love, the affection, the comforts, you would afford any other family member.  The lives our dogs led before coming into rescue is often a mystery to us - and we do our best to ensure the happy, healthy lives of our dogs moving forward. (Note: Please know I'm not casting judgement on hunting/herding dogs. While I'm not a huge fan of dogs specific to hunting, I understand the theory.  I know that these dogs have a "job", have safe, climate controlled kennels and are generally brought into a family environment at the end of the season.)

Thirty Days of Thankful - The Ocean

I feel like I should say something about the tragic events in Paris. But I just don't know what.  It feels like just yesterday that my home city banded together and got through the Boston Marathon bombing. My heart hurts for the people of Paris.  I hope they know that the world cries with them and supports them.

When my mind won't shut off or emotion overwhelms me, the ocean is one of the things that I gravitate to.  The consistency of the waves rolling in and out, the smell of salty air and the sound of the waves are calming to me.

I jokingly tell people that someday I'll pack up and leave my little corner of the world.  But the reality is - if the ocean isn't nearby, that will never happen.  I'm just not made to live in a land-locked state.  I need the ocean too much.

What is it you like best about where you live?

An Intro to "Adult Coloring"

I don't know about you, but I absolutely loved coloring as a child.  Some of my best memories are of coloring with cousins and my aunt, who I thought was just magical at making the pages she colored look pretty.

I admit, when I heard that coloring was the new thing for adults, I laughed.  But then, I sat, thought about how much I'm already into arts and crafts, and how much fun it used to be...and headed over to Amazon to start my search for the perfect coloring book.  Which then turned into a lengthy debate over the best coloring medium.  Do I go with crayons?  Colored pencils?  Markers?

I picked out two coloring books to start Adult Coloring Book: Stress Relieving Patterns and Detailed Designs and Beautiful Patterns (Volume 28).  They both had nice thick paper so nothing bled through from one page to the other.  If you have a heavy hand, I'd err on the side of caution and just put a regular piece of paper between the page you're coloring and the next page.

Picking what you're going to color with is where things get fun. My mom decide to delve into this new little hobby with me and went straight for the standard 64 count Crayola crayons.  That's a teacher for you, ha!  She quickly figured out that some of the designs are rather intricate and had to join me in my pursuit for the best coloring medium.  Ultimately, she went with the Prismacolor premium 72 color pencil set and I bought the Raffine 72 color pencil set, which are essentially the Japanese knock-offs.  I love them, and mom is thrilled with her colored pencils too.  By the way, I'm super jealous.  Her pencils hold up just a touch longer and are a little easier to blend colors.

My friends who are into card making, drawing or are otherwise truly artistically gifted swear that I should buy Copic markers and that they are the best. thing. ever.  But I about fell out of my seat when I saw the price...so that's just not happening!

Think coloring would be fun but don't want to invest yet?  Coloring apps to the rescue!

There are a few good ones out there.  I'm partial to Colorfy.  If you're following me on Instagram, you've seen a bit of my artwork (and if you haven't - behold a few of my fabulous images above!). Colorfy has a handful of categories of pictures (flowers, animals, mandalas, etc) but the number of pictures in each level that are available to you increase based on how many of your completed pictures you share on social media.  I'm all for sharing, but I'm not sure you want to see some of these things!

If the ability to express yourself creatively doesn't convince you to buy a coloring book, there are health benefits to coloring too!  Coloring is a stress free (and stress relieving) activity, which allows your brain the rest it needs and over time, might even help train your amygdala to respond better to stress. Add in the prospect of a coloring night with your friends (I see a girl's night in coming!), and the fine motor skills that are used while coloring - which helps delay/prevent brain atrophy - and I think coloring is a no-lose prospect!

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How To Freak Out Mom - By Beckett

Howdy; Beckett here...

Meadow, Carmella and I have always done a great job freaking out mom.  It's a skill.  We catch birds, mice and chipmunks; Meadow dives off of things; Carmella likes to break free and take runs around the neighborhood; I'm allergic to bees and something in my booster shots.

Mom is ready, or at least as much as she can be, for these types of things.  She dives towards Meadow to catch her; always has Benedryl on-hand for me; a box of treats by the door and an extra leash for Carmella.

What mom wasn't ready for was me choking on WATER!

Meadow and I were playing a little before bedtime and I decided to try and bark at her while drinking.  Wrong move, let me tell you.  I choked and gasped and wheezed...and puked.  Everything was OK for a few minutes after that.  Then, right after mom put on her pjs, I started gasping and choking again.

Off to the Veterinary ER we went.  Mom is asthmatic, so she takes that whole breathing thing pretty seriously.

Turns out I aspirated water.  The doctor thinks I coughed most of it out, thank goodness, but wants mom to watch me like a hawk because if there is still water in my little lungs - it can turn into aspiration pneumonia really quickly.

Momma did have a party to go to on Saturday night; but too bad.  She's staying home with me!

Ruff,
Beckett

Today will be better...right?

I've had a few really stressful moments over the past 24 hours, and thought I'd share.

JC is at Bagram waiting to come home on leave. When CNN reported this morning that there had been a suicide bomber there, my heart skipped a beat (or two). I know that statistics would dictate that he'd be ok... but it's the first real violence that has happened since he deployed. Luckily, he called me about 10 minutes ago and is ABSOLUTELY fine!!

My second area is concern is my friend Izzy. We met at work, and she quickly became one of my best friends. I feel that I can tell her anything (and she does the same), knowing that she'll make fun of me, but loves me none the less. Izzy had a messy break-up during the holidays, but I truly believe she deserves better than her ex-boyfriend. She is an AMAZING person, and any guy would be lucky to have her. She met her ex-boyfriend yesterday to tie up some loose ends and he got violent - sending her to the hospital. I'm just heartbroken! I tell her all the time how great she is, and I'm hoping that she never sees or hears from her ex again. If you have any tips, hints, etc. on how to help someone who is coming out of an abusive relationship - I'm all ears.

Lastly, is what really made me cry last night. I found out that two of my brothers closest childhood friends overdosed. They are both still alive - having been found by their families in time. But they are both in bad shape. My heart goes out to both of them and their families. I wish I knew what to do to try and help them get healthy again and beat this addiction.