Sleepover Fail

Well, some of you may already know how my week has gone. For those of you that do not, let me update you.

We kept Shannon. My Brindle Retriever. 

I guess this is why I haven't updated my blog in over a week. I've been busy.

She was not actually "well behaved" at the vet's office. The first thing she did after her spay was chew her wound open.

I found this out when I went to pick her up. The vet suggested that she NOT go back to PACC overnight and totally unsupervised. If she broke open her cone of shame, she could possibly go after her wound again, pulling out her intestines and well, you know.  I was mortified.

Because of her reputation as "possibly aggressive" and "prefers women" I could not find an emergency foster for her for the night.

I had no choice but to make the phone call to Erik to ask if we could keep her for the night. I almost had the vet get on the phone to confirm that this was NOT a set up and that he really did think she wouldn't be safe overnight alone.

After explaining the situation, he said, "FINE!" and hung up on me.

If he was pissed, he got over it quickly.

 

There was no aggression from Shannon. Sure she was drugged up pretty well, but still. The dogs liked her and even she liked the dogs. She lifted her tail up a little higher to make it easier for them to smell her butt. Is that love or what?

I slept with her in Kat's room. She jumped up on the twin mattress and we snuggled together. It was a nice relief from Erik because SHE didn't snore. 

Wednesday, the next afternoon, I took her back to PACC.  It was awful. It was so hard and I did the ugly cry like I did during the last episode of Lost.

Thursday, I went back to PACC to check on her and walk other dogs. Every time she heard my voice she would do this screechy bark. I didn't even realize it was her until I walked around the corner and saw/heard her barking all while pressing her body as hard as she could against the kennel door. Some time that morning, she broke her cone of shame. I couldn't get it back on her and needed help. The vet tech and I finally got it wrapped around her and I insisted that it be taped together.

Friday, I went back to check on her and walk her and some other dogs. She heard my voice, did her screechy bark and broke her cone of shame. Again. I had to get help and we taped it back together. Again.

Erik and Trent were going to be gone for the weekend and I had a swell idea:

I'm going to ask if I can bring her home for the night and return her on Saturday for adoptions. Then, I'm going to ask if I can bring her home again Saturday night and return her on Monday am because they'll be closed all day Sunday for deep cleaning.

My request was granted from the shelter manager.

I was thrilled! And I was a little nervous because when I dropped her off the first time on Wednesday afternoon, I did the ugly cry. I didn't want to do that again but I figured Shannon was worth it. I had to make sure she didn't open that wound again and I wanted to try to socialize her a bit since she had been there for a couple months.

Saturday came and Ms. Screechy Barker never got adopted. I took her home Saturday evening.

Sunday came and Erik and Trent came home earlier than expected. Don't worry. I had already asked Erik if it was cool Shannon stayed here.

We were out of food so I took the kids with me to Costco. I was gone an hour.

That's all it took. An hour.

By the time I got back, Erik had seen how much Shannon loved me. She had stood at the door where I had left and cried for 20 minutes. He tried to console her and eventually she did end up on the couch with him.

Erik and Shannon cuddling in bed

Some people say that I'm a "Foster Fail". Erik would never agree to fostering an animal. I like to say we are a "Sleepover Fail". 

We were not looking for another dog. Shannon totally adopted US before we even knew it. We are one lucky family.

Brindle Retriever

Effective immediately, I am no longer using the words "Pit Bull" in the same sentence. Since we can't get rid of the negativity associated with Pit Bulls, I'm just going to take the liberty and change their breed name to "Brindle Retriever".

I was reading an article this morning called, "What Are The Best Dogs for New Owners". The Golden Retriever came in at NUMBER 1!

I've met my share of Golden Retrievers and they've all been pretty darn nice. However, Golden Retrievers rarely make headline news when they bite people. I was going to add a bunch of links to Golden Retrievers biting humans, but I figured that is something you can Google on your own and this is really not what my blog post is about anyway.

And it's not just Golden Retrievers or even Pit Bulls that bite and kill. ALL dogs can do this. My Border Collie was as sweet as could be, on Prozac, but she still attacked my Dalmatian several times. You can search my blog for that story if you want. It's not something I like to talk about.

While my Border Collie was attacking my Dalmatian, my gentle black Lab started getting in on the action, too.

My parents would tell you that Jack Russell Terrier/Chihuahua mixes are the most evil dogs ever. My dog, Manny, HATES them with a passion and we've never figured out why. He loves EVERYONE else. EVERYONE!


No dog should ever be trusted alone with a baby/toddler/child, etc. Just supervising your dog and baby is not good enough. You have to know the warning signs that a dog is getting irritated. Read that article I just linked. Read it and memorize it.

Awwww, isn't this the cutest thing ever?? NO! DAMMIT! Don't allow this!!!

However, did you know that Pit Bills used to be "America's Nanny Dog"? 

America used to LOVE Pit Bulls (now Brindle Retrievers thankyouverymuch). What happened?

When I was a kid, we were told to stay away from Dobermans. Oooo...those were the BAD, evil, gonna bite you dogs.

The first time I met a Doberman in person was just a few years ago. My neighbors had a Doberman and it had escaped. It met me in my driveway at my car while both my hands were full of groceries. I didn't know if I should scream or run or kick it or....

before I could even make a decision, she sat down politely in front me, looked at me straight in the eyes while her tongue hung out the side of her mouth. She knew I had groceries and she knew I probably had something in one of those bags for her to eat.

"She won't hurt you!" is what I heard next. I was still frozen from fear because OH MY GOD THERE WAS A LOOSE DOBERMAN BLOCKING ME FROM ESCAPING.

The dog heard her owner's voice and took off towards him. That's when I met Steve, Edina, their kids and their family dog, Monsey, a Doberman. She was the most gentle and docile animal I had ever met. She was nothing like the stereotypical image I had of a Doberman. Unfortunately, a few years later when she was 14, she started having a hard time getting around, she was incontinent, she stopped eating and the family made the decision to put her to sleep.

I never told Steve how scared I was that day Monsey came up to me. After I met the dog, I was really actually embarrassed that I had formed an opinion of the breed before I had even met one.

Do you see where I'm going here with this?

Let me introduce you to Shannon. She's a Pit Bull Brindle Retriever. There are a LOT of dogs at PACC that are marked "Pit Bull" and I'm not even sure if they really are. I'm not an expert but she doesn't really look like the dogs pictured in that article I linked above.

She is almost 2 years old and she has been at Pima Animal Care Center since November 18, 2013. She was brought in as a stray.

Shannon has been marked as "possible aggressive" and "people selective - prefers women".

From conversations I've had with other volunteers and employees at PACC, Shannon is afraid of ADOC workers (who also happen to be men). She is also afraid of the vet tech with the sharp needles. Imagine that.

I've never seen a ADOC worker mistreat an animal. They're usually very, very nice and patient with the animals.

I've seen ADOC workers go into the kennels with the dogs to pet, kiss and calm them down. One time a worker was holding a dog that had horribly matted hair while another volunteer tried to cut the clumps off. He held her gently and whispered very quietly to her about what a good pup she was being.

That being said, ADOC workers can probably be pretty darn scary to some dogs and perhaps Shannon is a little more sensitive. ADOC workers have giant buckets filled with water and cleaning solution that make lots and lots of noise as they rumble up and down the aisles. They have hard, shiny, and pokey things with squeegees on the end, big black boots that stomp around, bright orange uniforms and they use GIANT hoses filled with spraying water.

Because Shannon was marked as "possible aggressive",  PACC WILL NOT spay her as they do other dogs and cats when they're adopted. When I discovered this, I knew her chances of being adopted were slim to none.

Spaying can cost up to $300-$400 from your local vet. You can take her to the Humane Society for about $100, but be prepared to take some time off of work to get it done. Even though you make an appointment, after you arrive you still have to take a number and wait to be called. They take your dog/cat to the back but make you wait another few minutes to make sure the dog/cat is healthy enough for the surgery. When they come back and give you the OK, it's only then you can leave. Sometimes you've already waited a good 30-45 minutes even though you've made an appointment. I'm going to go ahead and assume that if you're at the Humane Society getting your pet fixed, it's because you can't afford the normal vet rates. Try getting time off your low income job just so you can get your dog spayed/neutered. It's not easy.

I had heard through Facebook that a new clinic was opening and they were having 1/2 price specials on all their services. I asked PACC if I could take Shannon to get her spayed and they said, "YES!"

Volunteers contributed to her spaying, which was quoted at no more than $44.00, and this morning Kat and I got up so dang early and took her the Pet Doctors.

Now, I want to spend some more time talking about Shannon. She is really, really sweet. She pulls on a leash but she just needs a little training. When we picked her up this morning, she had nothing but a happy tail and a skip in her step. She was great on the car ride and even better at the vet's office. She'll do anything for a treat which means you can train her to be almost perfect. You should see her sit! It's beautiful!!

I smudged out the address of where she was found and any worker initials.

The notes on her paperwork include praises from other volunteers as well. So, it's not just me that thinks she's awesome. There are two notes about her "trying to bite" and they're both from inmates. 
 

So, take a look at her above. See how she's sitting so pretty and now look at her tongue. It's hanging out of the side of her mouth just like Monsey's was when I met her and I just told you how that turned out.

Can we please give this dog (and all other bully breeds) another chance? She's spayed, she's ready to go home and be your perfect number 1 dog the Brindle Retriever, just like the Golden Retriever.

Please share this post and if you notice any typos, let me know first. Thanks!

Black bean and quinoa burgers

After the holidays and after the first week back to school, I finally feel somewhat normal again.

Which also means back to normal food, FINALLY!

Tonight I made black bean, lentil and quinoa burgers.

Prepare the quinoa per package instructions. I used 1/2 c dry quinoa with 1 c water.
Drain and rinse a can of black beans, add to cooked quinoa
If you're lucky and have a neighbor that made too many lentils and gave you some, add those, too.

You'll also need to add some garlic, salt, pepper, couple drops of liquid smoke, couple dashes of Tabasco, fresh cilantro, green onion, green bell pepper and to help it all stick together, add some instant mashed potato flakes and/or bread crumbs.

Don't worry if it falls apart when you pack them into balls and try to flatten them out. They always fall apart.

So pack them into balls and flatten them out a bit. Put some foil on a cookie sheet and spray with Pam. Place the flattened "burgers" on the foil and bake at 375 for, ummmm, I don't know, 15 minutes? Just bake them until you can start to smell them.

I can never remember how much of any spice I add or how long I bake things. This is just what you get when you read my recipes. Sorry.

I made four loaves of bread today. Some rose better than others.

  

After the "burgers" are done baking, add them to freshly baked bread. Smother the bread with hummus, vegan mayo and lettuce of some sort. Top with avocado slices to make it look fancy. If I had tomatoes, I would have added that, too.

Post a picture on your blog and you're done! YAY!

Sing Along

Oh, look at this! The first page of the year!

I was looking at my 2013 album and I have to say I was quite embarrassed. There are 2 completed pages for that year.

TWO!

So, I decided I better get crackin' on that year. After all, 2007 has 9 albums. Not 9 pages....9 ALBUMS. I must have had a lot of extra time in 2007.

I started right at the beginning of 2013, printed these two pictures...

and just went for it. I used a really old Daisy D's tag that I made for them when Wonder Years was released, some Heidi Swapp paper, Cosmo chip alphas and a really old Sass rubon. There is also an old Creative Imaginations epoxy heart down in the left hand corner. I added a little gesso and some other gel stuff (I asked Trent to just hand me something from the basket and that's what he handed me) and went to town.

Kat only had her guitar for a couple of weeks when she played a little tune for Blake. He really liked it and if you look close enough you can tell. His feet are blurry in the left hand picture from moving them and he's clapping in the right hand picture.

Thanks for looking!

Color me confused

Hold on a second here....

I know they didn't go to school naked today. So, how on earth can my laundry pile look like this:

When their rooms look like this?

What is this crap? Note that I didn't edit the pictures or put my watermark on them. I don't want these getting around with my name on them. I don't have time for that either, as I have a shitload of laundry to do. I also didn't use the wide angle lens. Now that would be embarrassing.

I've noticed that the kids think jackets and bathrobes are one of those items that you wear ONCE and then wash, while socks and shirts are things you can wear over and over and over again until I rip them off their little bodies for washing.

Just another real life moment here from the Binnie household. AND you do realize that if I didn't love you all so much, I wouldn't post these, right?

Shhhh...don't tell anyone, please.

The dog that walks backwards, AKA

the perfect way to start off the New Year!

This morning Pima Animal Care Center opened their doors for any and all able bodies to walk dogs, build dog beds and cuddle cats.

Kat, Trent and I signed up for the dog feeding station. We were to give the dogs a bowl of food and a couple of treats. I can't even begin to tell you how many cans of food we opened.

Kat with dog biscuits in both hands ready to go!

Some dogs had 5 bowls of food. That's 2.5 cans!

The dogs were starving for both food and attention. All the dogs were on their best behavior today. Every dog I saw was wagging his tail and seemed as happy as could be.

This dog couldn't wait for Kat to put down that bowl!

There is one dog that walk backwards. I tried to get a picture of him, but as soon as I did, he started to turn around. No one knows why he walks backwards, he just does. The more tenured volunteers told me that he ALWAYS walks backwards. He didn't get very far on his walk. He mostly ate.  I didn't catch his name, unfortunately. ETA: His name is Rufus.

This dog walks backwards

There were so many volunteers, that several dogs were walked more than twice!! That probably means that there were a few dogs that had more than 5 bowls. Each time dogs were walked out to the park and back again, they were offered bowls of food.

This sweet dog couldn't put weight on her leg, but she got to come out and get some fresh air, food, and love.

Kat handing off dog biscuits to volunteers.

Trent scooping out food for some lucky dogs.

Our neighbors came out and walked dogs, too.

Our neighbors walked a very eager, LET'S GO!!! dog.

Our other neighbors came, too!

As we left, we walked through the kennel area to get out. Now, I've only been in the kennel area a few times since we're new volunteers, but that kennel was QUIET!! All the dogs were sitting down or sleeping. It was both the strangest and happiest thing to see/hear! The last time we came, I insisted the kids use ear protection. It's THAT loud!

Right before exiting, we checked in on the cats. There were only a dozen left and we were told that 4 had been adopted in the 2 hours of "cat cuddling" time.

I'd love to know the stats on how many dogs were adopted. I'll have to ask!

Anyway, the kids and I were exhausted and all of us decided it was the perfect way to start 2014!