A Long Weekend

I’m worn out and blue and I hardly know where to start. I guess I’ll start it here with Kelly. You remember me gushing about this adorable Chow Chow that reminds me so much of Sugar. She had a deposit put on her during our Black Friday sales event and I worried the rest of the weekend whether or not I had steered the right family towards her. Well, she recently tested positive for heartworms and her soon-to-be family couldn’t handle that and voided the adoption.

Kelly (ID: 41522)

As much as I’d like to adopt Kelly myself, there is no way I can bring her home with me. Charlie and I had another energy sapping incontinence weekend-long episode with Tippi. We just can’t handle any more. Basically, the straw that broke the camel’s back came about 3 AM Sunday morning when Charlie found Tippi in the music room on the futon and her diaper had leaked. This was after he had spent most of Saturday laundering bedding and steam cleaning our bed because of a huge diaper leaking episode. So, nothing like discussing a major life issue in the wee hours of a Sunday morning.

With Tippi we’re currently trying Wee-Wee Pants, a disposable doggie diaper, and have plans to see what the vet school has to offer in the way of diagnosis and treatment. As for Kelly, I’m going to check our Christmas budget and see if I can help fund her treatment. The vet school does offer the treatment for cost of medication, but it still puts a damper on a dog’s adoptability.

Saturday I put my new plan in to place to spend a couple of hours at the WCAC writing doggie biographies. It takes more time that you might think, but I had a good time. Some of my time got sucked up taking photos of the dogs I was meeting to get some inspiration for their biographies. Finally, about 12:30 I was finished writing and printing. I went out to the floor to put out two last kennel cards and got stopped and asked a question. And then another question. And then a whole passel of questions. Oh, and then I got sucked into the cat room and helped two families find new kittehs. I tried to help one woman find her lost cat and got in trouble with staff ‘cause we were in the room with the feral cats. And then I was back to helping with dog adoptions again.

Finally, around 2:30 I pulled a “Vinzini” – pointing into the distance exclaiming “what in the world is that?” – and made a run off the floor.  I headed out the door to a southern snow storm (I do love driving in the snow). They cancelled the band we were going to see in Durham at the Blue Note Grill, but by that time we had a hankerin’ for their ribs and dirty rice so we went anyway

It was a nice snow. And I had fun at the WCAC that day. But I wish I would have gotten the Christmas tree put up. I’m one of those folks that no matter what, I need a Christmas tree with all the lights. Well, there’s always next weekend.

Jackson (ID: 44574)

Magoo (ID: 44856)

Tigress (ID: 44761)

Tootsie (ID: 44589)

And another Black Friday dog is back at the WCAC ... if you missed out on adopting Karl he's back and looking as good as ever.

Karl (ID: 38025)

Let’s Play Dress Up

Nooooo!!!!!!

Julie met me at the door with an arm full of costumes. This was the second time we worked as a team and I liked it. She usually has a couple of dogs in mind that she wants to bring attention to. Tuesday night it was Bonnie, Hanna, Tilly and Cameron, of course. Cameron’s collar was lovely fur-trimmed green velvet with four very large jingle-bells that made quite the noise when he tried to shake that crazy thing off. We finally got everyone’s photo taken and Julie headed back to the office to work on some more biographies.

I headed off to say hello to Kelly (you know I had to) and noticed Carter next door. He was on my list to take some new photos as he’s been at the WCAC for quite a while and his most recent pictures look rather mono-tone because he’s standing on a patch of gravel the same color as he is. I caught up with Julie and she recommended we give the red bow tie that was such a good luck charm for Chunk. Sometimes you just gotta wonder about dogs. Carter let us put the tie on him, I got in the kennel and the moment I pointed the camera at him he struck a pose. “Bond. Carter Bond.” And then he cocked his head as if he was really turning on the charm for the ladies. If this gets him adopted, I might just have to start accumulating bow ties.

Although I love them all, there is always one that seems to garner my favor more than the others. Tuesday, it was Ranger. He’s a big boy. Not as big as my Tippi, but don’t let the kennel manager fool you, Ranger is not a “small” dog. He’s a beautiful red and brown Lab and German Shepherd mix. The thing that got me was how well mannered he was when I got in the kennel with him. Now, he wasn’t one of those chaotic pups that are bouncing and barking all over the place when you walk by and you just know they’re going to be nuts if you try to get in the kennel with them, but he wasn’t super mellow either. I was most impressed with his gentlemanly nature when I got in there with him. He sat very nicely and let me take a whole bunch of photos. After I finished my paparazzi duties, I made a note in his Adoption Summary that he was one of those dogs you have to come and see and you have to meet him without the kennel door between the two of you. Even the photos I took didn’t do him justice.

I did get a little tug at my heart when I read in Ranger’s file that he was picked up by a park ranger. Just a couple of weekends ago some friends and I were talking about the time they went camping in the Blue Ridge Mountains years ago and one of their dogs got lost. They drove back to the mountains the day after getting back and it was pure luck that they found Rascal just as they were about to give up and come home. Hopefully there’s not somebody searching for Ranger, or if they are they will see him on the WCAC website.

On another note, in my last blog I posted a photo of Cletus Joe who was adopted back in July and was brought back just the other day. It turns out he was brought back because his new family’s landlord wouldn’t let them keep him. From what the other volunteers say, he’s a real cuddle bear and has a favorite blanket. Maybe they should change his name to Linus.