Keeping promises

I really wish when people said they are going to do something THEY ACTUALLY WOULD DO IT!

Back at the end of October I was contacted by a volunteer for a shelter in Southern Ohio.  This county is at the very bottom of the state and rarely do dogs come out of there alive.  They had 2, yes 2 pregnant dogs.  I said I can't take on puppies right not because I am pregnant and getting bigger weekly, taking care of puppies is not a good idea for me.  BUT if anyone wants to foster them great!  2 people did step up to foster them.

So, I arranged for them to get to their foster homes and to get fixed.  They were going to get fixed the day after Christmas.  I took Friday the 21st off of work so the puppies could come to my house that day and then I would have families come pick out their puppy, take them to get fixed on the 26th and then they could all go home!  PERFECT!

Well the foster homes both wanted the puppies gone BEFORE this dates so I ended up with BOTH litters on the 16th.  M - R I had to work.... my job being very demanding and well my boss is all over me all the time for everything.  Ever feel like you can't do anything right?   So on the days I had to work I was up at 5:30 am cleaning puppy crap.  I had people come over while I was at work and I made sure that I was home by at least 6:30 so that I could pick up more puppy crap.  AND then I would go back out every night at 10 for the last clean up of the day.  And every time I was out with the puppies it was at least 1 hour of cleaning.

So thinking that an end was near b/c I was seriously getting so overwhelmed and burned out on Christmas Eve morning Holly came over to help me vaccinate 16 puppies and to help clean up after them.  I swear they go worse as the week went on with the amount of poop.

As we are vaccinating the puppies the runt of the one litter (we called them the rottens) got up, walked away from her bed and pooped WATER!  My exact words were FUCK!

I took her to the vet and she tested positive for Parvo.

The vet gave me medicine for all 16 puppies and I went home and separated her from the rest of the puppies.  gave everyone medicine, canceled the spay/neuter appointment and let all the people adopting know that one puppy got sick.

The puppy that was sick didn't act like a parvo puppy.. she ate a little, drank a little and just wanted to sleep.  By Thursday no one else had gotten sick SO I re scheduled appointments and told everyone that they could come get their puppy and foster it until surgery.

Well a few more have gotten sick, just not as bad and I am going to loose my mind!

First of all I DID NOT WANT EITHER OF THESE LITTERS!  I knew that I couldn't handle them.  I am 9 weeks from giving birth and I knew that I would be tired and not feeling good and I didn't want to take care of puppies.
WELL GUESS THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN NOW DID IT!!

I am so pissed off right now for being in this situation.   Next year when someone says they want to foster a dog that is a shelter, they are keeping that dog or dogs until it gets adopted.

I AM F-ING DONE!!!!!!

Weird adoption event

We had our monthly adoption event on Saturday.  What a weird day.  We were busy like always but sure seemed like people were window shopping.  Janie a poor little dog that is just full of life (aka high energy) did meet her new family but they aren't picking her up until Christmas Eve.  And Sade this REALLY COOL Pit Bull met his new family.  AND Koby met his but other then that slow day.  

I had a women who volunteers at the dog pound come over to the adoption event with a dog in hand, some type of hound beagle mix thing and try to pressure me into taking the dog.  It was the most uncomfortable feeling ever.  She was being really really pushy.  Until I got angry with her and really stern she wasn't going to take no for an answer.  I can't take hounds/beagles anything that is a known barker.  Sorry!  I told her flat out she is more then welcome to go to my neighbor and call his lawyer if she would like to take it up with them.

Then I had a guy get all "wrinkle faced and insulted" when I told him that we couldn't adopt to him unless his dog was neutered.  I really wasn't in a mood for it and I got snotty with him.  I told him do you think I do this for fun?  Do you think that these puppies are here because someone was responsible?  No they are hear because someone didn't fix their dog and trust me I don't do this for money, finding dogs homes, I do this because people don't fix their dogs and then don't take responsibility for the lives they created!  And I just walked away.

THEN I had a couple, nice couple who was interested in Slade.  I thought they were the couple that was already pre-approved... they were there right at 11am and we are always so busy and a volunteer said, the couple that is already has an application in for Slade is here.  What I didn't realize is they had turned in an application at 5:30, I never saw it b/c I left work at 5 on Friday and didn't look at my email again that night or on Saturday.  SO I wrongfully assumed that they were the couple from Lyndhurst.  Anyway, I told them if they were interested in adopting Slade they just needed to let me know and I we would set up a home visit.

Anyway, long story short is they emailed me saying they wanted Slade, I realized what had happened and emailed them back telling them.  Well they got all WE WERE FIRST WE WANT HIM YOU SAID WE COULD HAVE HIM!  Honestly felt like I was dealing with two spoiled 5 year old. UGH!  I had to call them and tell them NO your application hasn't been processed yet.  Kinda of hard to do that when you sent it at 5:30 last night and it is 2pm on Saturday!  They really made me mad b/c it isn't first come first serve it is whoever is best for the dog period and end!

It was just a strange day! 

Hard decisions

You would think being in rescue you run across so many wonderful dogs.  There are so many that I always say "I so would keep you but...."  But the truth is it isn't fair.  Not all dogs can handle being owned by someone who rescues / fosters dogs.  AND in reality it isn't really that fair to keep some dogs because they are SO GOOD that you know they can make someone so happy

There are always dogs that are sick, abused, starved, injured, etc that take my time away from MY DOGS. Not all dogs can handle being pushed a side time over time over time again.
It really hurts me knowing I do that but I hug my dogs and explain to them that they were once the sick, the injured, etc and that I love you and I think they understand.

What is hard is when you realize that your life because of the rescue makes it unfair for a dog that you love SO MUCH that is one of your family.  You come to the realization that it is best for him to find a new home.

My life is by no means normal.  I am 34 years old, own a 17 acre horse farm which I purchased at the ripe old age of 27!  I have two elderly parents who live with me.  There health is fine for people in their late 70's early 80's but sometimes their "judgement," their "old school" methods and the TV so loud you can hear it at the neighbor's can really get to you.  My life is full of "well I can't have this or do that because of Mom or Dad"  The joke with my husband is, how did they raise 6 children and we all made it to adulthood with all body parts.  If you know my parents you understand that statement.
I work a very demanding jobs... the one I had for the first 7.5 years was getting so routine I decided to change jobs to get a new challenge.  Which is find but WOW did I lose so major work life balance.  I RARELY get home before 6:30pm. :-(   To top it all off I have been married for only 3 years which God love him for sticking around with my crazy parents and my never ending "fix it up projects" around the farm.  I swear you get one thing done and something else needs fixed / repaired / etc.
AND THEN I run what has turned into a pretty good sized non-profit dog rescue.  AND I am adding a baby to mix. OOPSE! Wasn't really planned but I guess God was ready to torture me as I did my parents I am sure!

So there you have it a life crammed FULL of not normal stuff and who suffers... my animals.  So the time had come when I realize that my Freedom, my beautiful boy who came from the most horrible life ever... dog fighting.. I really do believe it is worse then a puppy mill.  I need to find him a better home.  I know he loves me, I know he loves his life but he also lived 24/7 in a dark basement CRAMMED in a cage with 26 other dogs surrounding him and was I am sure tortured, fought and God only knows what else.

It isn't fair to him that I don't get home until 6:30 or later and he is locked in a crate.  It isn't fair to him that I spend all my time cleaning the house after my parents, feeding animals and taking care of rescue dogs and he just sits there staring at me wondering when he is going to get attention.  It isn't fair to him that I keep him and he doesn't get to know what having someone devote their time to is like.  I can't do that, I know that and it isn't fair to him that I keep him.

Am I rushing to find him a home NOW no, if the perfect home is found he will go and I will cry but I know it is the best thing for him.

The reality of it is, I could quit rescue and keep my dog or I can re home my dog and keep saving dogs.