Archive of the categories: Dog Rescue

Meet Denver – Extra Awesome Chihuahua for Adoption!!

We have the cutest chihuahua for adoption through Upward Dog Rescue. Actually, we’ve got a few cute Chihuahuas right now. But I wanted to share our new guy Denver! I came up with the name driving back from the shelter, flipping through the radio stations. Having named so many dogs, I am always searching for good names. The radio is a good source of inspiration. No, I am not a Denver Broncos fan. I love my Chargers! But, there was a John Denver song on the radio, and the name seemed to fit! Here are some photos, and the bio we put up on his Facebook photo album and his Petfinder profile 🙂

denberbowtie denberstanding denveronblankiedenverwithglasses

Meet DENVER!! This is not your average run-of-the mill tan Chihuahua mix, this is an 8-pound BFF (Best Friend Forever.) Denver also happened to be the most urgent dog at the San Bernardino City Shelter when we rescued him, which makes him extra-special. And he might even have some dachshund in him! Denver is about 2 years old, neutered, vaccinated and AVID microchipped. He is housebroken, and gets along well with adults, kids, and other dogs. His bow ties and glasses are not included, but his foster mom will tell you what app she used J. His adoption donation is just $75, apply at http://www.upwarddogrescue.org/adoption-application. Denver is fostered in San Marcos (San Diego County, CA). Thank you for choosing to rescue your next best friend!!

 

Sunshine on a Rainy Day ~ Healthy Grieving and My New End Table “Flora”

20141216_174902I am still feeling hollow. Yesterday, I  helped my old beagle Buster cross Rainbow Bridge. I’ve known this day was coming since I adopted him, but in the last year or so, it’s been clear that the time was coming near. Yesterday morning, I knew immediately it was the day I had dreaded for so long, and as much as it hurt, I am so glad I got to be there holding him as he took his last breath. We had nearly 10 years together – I adopted him at age 20 and helped him cross the bridge at age 30. Being there for him was the least I could do after he was there for me every day during a huge chapter of my life.

I’m learning, grief is a funny thing. It can be sneaky! You think you’ve got a handle on it, and you’re doing okay, then it sneaks up on you and your eyes get all leaky when you’re sitting at a stop light or typing up a work email. I don’t think there is any period of time that one should take to grieve, there certainly aren’t any deadlines here. The important thing is to grieve in healthy ways. As the days pass, I will be taking time to remember Buster and also focus on my relationships with my other pets, my daughter Ava, and my work and flying lessons.

It was raining in San Diego today, and the rain felt like the perfect accompaniment to my sadness. I stopped and got a manicure and pedicure on my way home from work, and just enjoyed that quiet time and read tattered gossip magazines from August of 2013. When I finally made my way home, and got out of my car in the rain (because why would I carry an umbrella?) there was a surprise waiting for me at the front door – a bright, cheerful yellow side table.

My good friend Amber Hansen has gotten into the furniture business. Basically, she takes ugly old wood furniture that no one wants and makes it look pretty. I’m convinced that one day some she will be recruited to design furniture for one of these shabby chic vintage furniture places, but until then, we can all enjoy the fruits of her hard work. Every piece that she “rescues” has a name, and the nightstand accent table that I got is named “Flora”. Most of her furniture is painted with white acrylic paint and then she uses hand-stirred antiquing glazes to get a one of a kind result and personal touch. Amber donates 10% of every sale of her furniture to Upward Dog Rescue. And today, she generously gave me a piece of her hard work. I guess she knew, it was just what I needed. Check out her projects on her Hair of the Dog Facebook page.

I will be moving soon, and my Flora table will be coming with me. I will always look at it with a smile, and remember the way I felt when I saw this bright, happy yellow table in front of my front door, on that rainy day one day after Buster went to heaven. I know already, that this beautiful table will hold his ashes when they come home from Peaceful Paws in a week or two.

florabeforeandafter

 

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

― Maya Angelou

Meet Hank the Tank :: A475552 from San Bernardino City Shelter

hank1I’ve rescued a lot of amazing and wonderful dogs since I started my rescue journey in 2011, but the pit bull we rescued yesterday is extra-special. Kind of like prisoners, dogs at the shelter are assigned impound numbers and Hank’s was A475552. We know nothing about his history, other than he came into the shelter as an unneutered, not microchipped dog. He has a chipped canine tooth and is about 3 years old.

20141113_162818(0)_resized (1)We first met Hank last Saturday when we were at the shelter to rescue some other pups. It was obvious immediately that he was just a big, goofy, huggie bear wiggle butt, who hasn’t missed a meal, ever. Thanks to the shelter’s foster policy, because of his injury, we were able to rescue him from the shelter a day early and we got him out just before closing last night.

We stopped at Carls Jr. in Perris on the drive back to Carlsbad, and it seemed obvious that Hank knew exactly what fast food is. He is at our vet Mohnacky Animal Hospital for neuter surgery today. In mid-December, he will be going to live permanently in Virginia. More pictures are in Hank’s photo album on Facebook.