Christmas Dogs.....

      Every year I buy or borrow some type of Christmas collar or headpiece for my dogs. This is something they really don't appreciate. I've been taking pics for years and keeping them for my own enjoyment but I want to post them. I had a bunch with my Huskies that I will probably post later this week or next, but I want to post this year and last.

     Last year I bought some antlers and you can see how that came out!!!!

Tank is always up for it!!

    Tank is my bullet proof dog. Nothing really phases him. Whenever we take these pics he's the one shot guy, he knows it will be done in a second!!!

     Ah, the girls......not so much. For every out of focus pic I finally get there are 40 that get trashed. Well here is last year for the girls.....

     Lu on the top and Faith under......best pic I could get of either one!!!!

     So I was walking through Kohl's a couple of weeks ago to finish my shopping when I saw the next great Christmas accessory for the kids!!! I knew they wouldn't feel that way but.....so here they are Tank, Lu and Faith!!

    As you can see, same reactions, but you've got to admit that tree is cool!!!

    I was putting the tree away and found a collar I had used and decided to put that on Lu.....lo and behold I couldn't believe it!! At last I have one in focus Christmas pic for her!!!!

     Tomorrow a few more pics for the season....

     Have a great evening!!!!

Husky Haven....

     It's been two years since Pat has passed and I think a lot about Husky Haven. I learned everything I know about dogs from Pat (and I knew nothing) , made some great friends and really worked hard. My favorite part was taking a dog in tough shape, nursing them back to health and picking the perfect home!! I don't know if I could do all the work I did 15 years ago, but it was a great experience. 

     In January of 2020 , my friend Denise and I were trying to come up with a way to permanently celebrate both Pat and Husky Haven. Denise contacted the parks department and I took it from there. I bought/donated a bench from the parks department to sit in Bill Archer Dog Park. Denise wrote the remembrance for the plaque , we picked out a spot and it was a go. The bench was installed last summer but the party we planned didn't happen. Covid has taken over for the last two years. I have pics of the bench and if you go to that dog park maybe you will take a pic with your dog! 

     I miss my friend Pat today and everyday and hope she hanging with all her huskies at the Rainbow Bridge!!!!

 

Have a good afternoon and my dogs will be appearing in their Christmas finery in a day or two.

BLD

     I haven't posted for about four months.....been pretty ill and doctor appointments were taking over my life it seemed. Still don't know exactly what's wrong.....but I'm feeling better and I want to start again.....

     So I start with a sad entry......we lost our sweet boy BLD aka Trooper last week. I started this blog in 2012 which was the same time BLD came into Husky Haven. He came in with a terribly broken leg (BLD broken leg dog) and some of his teeth knocked out. When we went to the surgeon to have his leg repaired she told us he had no road rash or abrasions...so someone actually hit him with something to break that leg in so many places. He had major surgery and was really great about it......

     I posted a lot about his progress that year...he had a set back and had to have another surgery but handled it like a Trooper, that name was given to him in a contest I had on the blog, he healed quite well considering the extent of his injuries.

     By 2013 he was out of his apparatus and moving really well. One thing you need to know about him...he was not a speed demon...pretty sure if he escaped any of us could have caught him!! 

     He stayed at the rescue most of 2013, gaining strength and feeling better. In 2014 our director required major surgery and since BLD was an inside dog we needed to find him a foster. I got him to a friend and it indeed seemed like he might get adopted. Pat came home and recuperated, I found out the foster home was unstable, and a few months BLD was back as our de facto mascot.

     He stayed at the rescue for the next three years....to tell you the truth I don't think Pat wanted him to be elsewhere. One of those instances of spending so much time with him and nursing him back to health. He was a favorite on our volunteer days...he wanted love from everyone and they obliged!!

     One funny thing that he would always do, especially on volunteer days. On those Saturdays lunch was provided for everyone (Thanks Barb) and people would carelessly leave plates with food on the coffee table...easy pickings for BLD. When you would scold him for his bad behavior he would back up, sit down, fix you with his brown eyes and hold up his wounded paw. I have to admit , it worked, because we'd all start laughing. He used that trick all the time!!!!

     In 2017 when it was clear that we would be getting forever homes for the remaining dogs and shutting down the rescue we looked for a place for BLD. One of our volunteers, Charlene and her family stepped up to the plate and BLD went to his forever home!!!

    

     I went to see him last year and he looked so tired and old....poor boy. He just was so sick at the end...that was it. We never knew how old he was but probably 12 or 13 when he died....hate to think of his first few years before he got to us. I will so miss that silly boy, after he had his surgery I went over every day to help with him so I was pretty attached to him too!!!

     Hope he is chasing everyone around at the Rainbow Bridge.....

     Love and miss you......

Today Would Have Been Your 95th....

 Was thinking about my dad today....would have been his 95th birthday!! He got to a pretty good age, 92, before cancer so quickly took him out. For most of his life he was in great health but those last eight months were really bad.

My friend Denise and I put together a 90th birthday party for my dad, that's what this pic is from....he was a good sport!! 

I miss you a lot..........

And Once Again......

 It was so hard last year when I lost TJ in February.......Covid had just started coming around and I had a broken arm and I was broken hearted. I never expected that last year could get worst.....but it did when I lost Volga a year ago today. 

When Husky Haven closed in February of 2018....Volga was one of the last guys out. I always promised him he would come with me if no one else ever stepped up. He was with the rescue for a long time, he was deemed a bad dog when he bit someone once.....in his defense he has just been rescued from animal control and was in a noisy kennel, when some lady decided that pulling his tail as hard as she could was some kind of test, he freaked and bit the handler. Not a bad bite but yes. Our director was trying to decide to put him down or not...I said bring him to the rescue and I will help with him. I couldn't take him then....already had four...but took good care of him at the rescue. He didn't like many men.....loved my son...he would have gotten adopted soon if he did.

He was a really old guy when he died....15 or 16...but on top of TJ, by March I already had the worst year.....

It was always funny TJ and Volga really liked each other....no fighting, no hassles. I used to walk them together all the time and I like to think of the two of them together at the Rainbow Bridge.

I miss you boys......

One year ago today........

 I lost my beautiful, funny boy TJ.

To say I miss him is an understatement......I so loved that boy. He was with me for a long time....12 years...and was doing well until the last month of his life. 

He was one of three dogs that were picked for adoption 13 years ago. Only two of the dogs were adopted that day and I took TJ home then. Didn't know if he would get along with Lizzy but the two became fast friends.

I have a funny story to tell about our first Thanksgiving. I had put together a basket of homemade pumpkin bread and zucchini bread for my brother and his wife. Went to get a shower and came out to the kitchen...basket on the floor and a huge piece of pumpkin bread sticking out of TJ's mouth and a look of "What me?".  Luckily I had plenty and put a new basket together....couldn't really get mad and laughed about that for years!!

He was my son's fav guy and after he moved he would always ask how TJ was doing.

I miss you boy and hope you are having fun at the Rainbow Bridge with Miss Lizzy and all our other friends.......