Shawna's Life and Animals

I'm back....

2010-04-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

but I've changed a few things. Can you tell any difference? :-)

The one and only, the great Mr. Elvis!!!

2009-12-22T19:08:00.000-08:00

Elvis, one of the bottle-babies that I started feeding about 2 1/2 months ago. His brothers are Michael & Cass, and they now reside with their new mama, Elisabeth, in Tacoma, WA.

Elvis stayed behind with me because......well.....I couldn't let him go. Period.

He has wormed his way into my heart, completely & 100% in every way possible. I love this boy, with all of my heart.....wouldn't you?????

Here, I'll throw another one in for you, so that you'll feel special!

What IS that sound????

2009-11-19T14:47:00.000-08:00

During our 2nd Annual K-9 Halloween event, I decided to abuse Raven & put the Wonder Woman/Dog costume on her. She loved the attention, although from her face, you'd think someone's scraping fingernails on a chalkboard. Again, she LOVED the attention. I love this dog.

You did this to me, why????

2009-11-19T14:41:00.001-08:00

Our 2nd Annual K-9 Halloween fundraiser for the local shelter. We had so much fun, I'm sure of it....Raven had fun, can't you tell???

2009-10-21T15:35:00.000-07:00

This is Kate Rodriguez, a beautiful child belonging to a pair of really good people, Justin & Joyce.

I was perusing my Facebook page and came across some recently posted pictures from Justin's page and there was this one. A few others but none as striking as this one. Kate truly is a stunningly beautiful child.

It says it all...Kate will be a heartbreaker someday. Justin & Joyce, you should be proud! :-)

Scout's Flying Raven

2009-10-21T14:52:00.000-07:00

Raven, one of the best pups I've ever had the pleasure of sharing my life with. She is amazing, smart, intelligent, funny, serious, hilarious....OH. MY. GAWD.....does she make me every single day!! Srsly....

I was able to adopt this pup from Pacific NW Border Collie Rescue in March of 2008 (Raven's DOB is 01/04/08). Robin, one of my fellow rescuers who lives in Kennewich, WA, along with Prudence, Raven (and her littermates) foster home close to Robin, loved on these puppies & socialized them into well-adjusted MONSTERS!! I laugh every day at the antics of Raven, but at the end of the day, she looks at me with her brown & blue eyes and I melt. I love her unequivocally and with every ounce of me.

Thank you, Robin & Prudence, for entrusting me with this little soul. I hope I make you proud. :-)

Lewis & Fudge

2009-09-01T11:55:00.000-07:00

These two boys are Akbash puppies. They are the sweetest creatures on earth. They LOVE LOVE LOVE to be held, snuggle into your lap when you sit on the ground, make the most amazing grunts & whines when they get into the right position next to you and have the most amazing puppy breath! Oh, and did I say how cute they are?!

I named them Fudge & Lewis....I like unusual names. I am NOT a traditional-type name person. I like being unique and I like the things around me to be unique. Who knew that I'd get my hands on Akbash puppies?

They are soft & cuddly & have the most gloriously dark brown eyes that I love to look into. They look at me as if I'm the best thing since puppy food. I am their world right now and I am loving it! :-)

THE SUPREMES!!

2009-08-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

I LOVE PUPPIES!!!

These four girls (loving on Ben) are oh-so adorable & I would LOVE to keep one myself. Wouldn't you agree that they are keepers?!Kathy is naming them, but has started with Tiger and I'm hoping she'll stay also with Flo, Mary & Diana....check back for an update on names.They are available for adoption through Pacific NW Border Collie Rescue (http://www.pnwbcrescue.org/show_bio.php?ImageSize=2&DogId=3004). Only the best homes will be considered for them (why settle for anything less, right?).

The notsobrilliantmissingacardinHISdeck former "owner" (I use that term loosely) dumped them at a local shelter, saying that "I just noticed them under my porch just last night." DO YOU THINK I WAS BORN YESTERDAY????

Anyhoo, rescue scooped them up in a heartbeat. Four went to my main WA contact (the great Mr. Bob Lee) and four stayed here with my amazing & supportive foster home, Kathy Dynge....who also happens to be loving her time with puppes & squealing & barking & (the best part!!!) PUPPY BREATH!!!One of the other best parts? I get to play with them anytime I want to.

I am lucky to have Kathy. It was fate that we met just under a year ago, her showing off her gorgeous man-dog "Tug" and I was recuperating from running 3 miles....I will re-run this course next month as well....my brain keeps saying 'you're gonna what?!'...

Check out PNWBCR's site for more updated pictures, as I'm sure Kathy will happily oblige my wishings for more puppy pictures!! :-

2009-08-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

Louie King Aslan Von Shipman

02/25/06 - 08/03/09

Rest in Peace, dear boy.

We will miss you forever & always.

Mama Shawna & Mama Jeri

Quaker

2009-07-18T14:38:00.000-07:00

Meet Quaker, one helluva boy!

He was dumped with his brother at the Klamath Humane Society. I was then contacted, asking to place them. Quaker showed kennel stress almost right away so I knew he needed out of there before Big Bro.

To the rescue came one of my most amazing-est foster homes. Joanne (mom) and Erika (daughter) have fostered for me for almost a year now. Erika is ONLY 14 years old and she has more patience than Mother Theresa....I swear, this girl can figure out a dog within seconds of meeting it AND she has turned around dogs that some have said "can't be saved."

That said, Erika is now one of my own person dog trainers, working with me on my blind foster, Rocky, getting him through some of his issues AND she will showing my Rottie, Daisy, as a Junior Handler for AKC events.

Back to the original story...

Quakers is available for adoption through Pacific NW Border Collie Rescue. Here's his page: http://www.pnwbcrescue.org/show_bio.php?ImageSize=2&DogId=2991. If you know of anyone, point them in the direction of his page.

Thanks!

Currier Guard Station

2009-07-07T22:02:00.001-07:00

This is where my partner and I stayed over the July 4th weekend. It is HEAVEN!!

Located in eastern Oregon by a small town called Paisley, it has been and can be used as a fire overnight for any fire protectors, aka Hot Shot crews, etc. That said, had the BEAUTIFUL thunderstorms resulted in a forest fire, they would have kicked us out (and we would have gladly left, too!) so they could use the facilities (said tongue-in-cheek of course considering there really are NOT any "facilities" aside from an outhouse...).

Anyhoo, here are some spectacular pics of the place that we called our little piece of heaven if only for 4 days and 3 nights.

This is Teaks, one of our kitties, who so happened to love us so much that she got to come along on the camping trip! She LOVED having the cabin to herself, as she also loves to show off by balancing on the post of the cabin bed. She is a sweetheart of a girl, and an acrobat in a past life! ;-)

This is looking down the road which leads to the cabin we stayed at. We went hiking for a bit one of the days we were there, and the dogs loved it. I'm sure they knew that they be able to get some swim time in, as the pond was cool & beckoning. So from left to right, front first: Raven, Rocky and Zoe, Daisy, Jorja, Milo and Louie. Somewhere around there is Sassy (she has the WORST recall EVER of any dog I've ever known....she pisses me off to no end but my GAWD I adore her!) and Smeagol is probably at my feet, waiting to run around in circles as "it's a pretty fun thing to do which makes Mama laugh"...!

This is the pond that the cabin overlooks. It truly took our breath away when we looked out the window and saw it We both wondered what we did to deserve such loveliness....

This is Jorja, my beloved Lab. She has the darkest most amazing eyes I have EVER seen on ANY dog. I lose myself in them when we have our morning chat. This girl was sent to me by Reo & Rusty. I thank them every day for her. (Sharing the photo is Zoe and one of Jeri's and Louie's legs.)

Teaks decided she needed a tan. Found a spot of sun and enjoyed it as only a feline can do...

How could I go without showing one picture of Raven and Smeagol in the background???

I think Zoe found a gopher hole....or something only she knows what it is.

Raven won. I knew she would. Zoe is a wuss....

And last but not least....me & Jeri. Life would be so empty without her.

Life is good!

2009-07-07T21:41:00.001-07:00

Bella & Jeri:

This little girl was saved from certain doom when she & her 2 siblings were dumped off at the local shelter. They were less than 12 days old. I had a mama cat nursing her kittens and getting tired of their sharp teeth, so I pulled those kittens and put these 3 gray babies in with that mama. Two of them started nursing right away, Bella did not. We are now bottle-feeding her, which meant that she needed to come along on our mini-vacation...I didn't want to burden someone with the task of feeding her every 4 hours. Besides she is so frickin' adorable, I didn't want to be away from her. She is now Jeri's buddy, spending most days with Jeri at work. She has doubled in size. She is a pistol. She has attitude. But when she looks at you after filling her belly with love & affection and then puts her paws on each side of your face, we can't imagine NOT having her with us. We love her to bits! :-)

This was one of her favorite spots to be, once she finished her bottle. She tucked herself into Jeri's jacket hood and proceeded to clean herself.

Even at less than 2 weeks old, she already knew how to use a litter box and how to clean herself. What a charmer she is!

Sir Duncan Campbell...

2009-06-11T21:15:00.000-07:00

...was a part of the noble society in Scotland (http://www.amazon.com/phrase/Duncan-Campbell-of-Glenorchy). This boy came from a desperate situation 8 years ago and I love him all the more because of it. He was starving, walking through a local park, and no one seemed to notice this gorgeous dog with this unforgettable eyes wandering aimlessly without a place to go. Did I already say that he was starving?

At approximately 6 months of age, he weighed only 21 pounds!! I took him in, starting him on a diet of cottage cheese & kibble and within a week, started showing me some spunk & attitude.

He is my shadow, my dog who knows probably everything about me, and still loves me. He passes no judgment, doesn't treat me badly, doesn't talk down to me, doesn't try to hurt me because he is hurting. He is the reason I am involved in rescue. He keeps me going and tells me in his own silly way that it's all going to be okay. I love this dog with all of my heart.

Esme the Pixie Cat...

2009-06-03T11:00:00.001-07:00

This is Esme (think Twilight...). She is the latest addition to my family. She is a Scottish Fold (no, she is not mad...sheesh!) and she is one of the most vocal and personable cats. She takes no prisoners, she fights like mad if one of the dogs gets "personal" with her, she backs down from NO ONE! She is one of the sweetest kitties, and she is ALL mine. She is also polydactyl, which makes her even more endearing! This girl's a keeper! :-)

2009-05-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

I have started the process of organizing a non-profit rescue "group" if you will. The name is Muddy Paws Rescue (YAYYY!!!) and my under-construction website is here: http://muddypawsrescue.rescuegroups.org/. My best-est friend in the whole wide world, Jill Widlits, will be working with me on this rescue. She is my mentor, the most wonderful, kind person I have ever met (2nd to Jeri, of course!). I became involved with rescue when I rescued my very first BC, Duncan. I had no clue on what a BC needed, so I searched the web and found Jill. She gave me some very good advice, I met with her, and we became fast friends. I wouldn't know as much as I do without her guidance and expertise. Quite honestly, she is a legend. She & I have been through so many things, fun things, shopping expeditions (go Goodwill!!), hundreds of puppies...you get the drift.

Anyhoo, Jill uses my rescue name as her email somewhat, and I like the name because it encompasses so much more than a specific breed. I also rescue cats/kittens and am trying to rehome a ball python ('nuther long story) so I didn't want to limit myself. I am registered now with Oregon state and have started tackling the IRS paperwork, which is about 4 inches thick, at last printing....gad, I hope I haven't gotten myself in over my head with this....

Anne Minnich, who runs Border Creek Rescue in Corvallis, Oregon, is another friend & mentor. We hit it off right away when I became involved; we appreciate each other's senses of humor. She has heard me sob uncontrollably on the phone when I had to euthanize 2 newborn puppies for canine herpes virus; I learned so much from that litter. And then to have Anne to lean on, to keep me going...Anne is valuable to me, as a friend & fellow rescuer. I love her to bits! :-)

Beck to my initial point...Please offer your advice and opinion on your first impression of my website (see above), what you think would work on the site, what doesn't work in your eyes, etc.... I have used rescuegroups.org as they are very helpful and low-cost, which is what I need right now.

I will still be working closely with Pacific NW Border Collie Rescue (http://www.pnwbcrescue.org/) and Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue (http://www.spdrdogs.org/) as I am eternally grateful to them for their help and want to assist them in their rescue efforts as much as I can. Networking is the key to the success of rescue.

Again, pass along your opinions, but be nice and play fair. Thanks!

I rescue for this...

2009-05-14T13:05:00.000-07:00

Meet Charlie, my latest foster girl.

She came from a hoarding situation in Yakima. One of my most brilliant fellow rescuers, Mike, took this girl along with (I believe) 17 other dogs from this mentally-ill man who has a hoarding history already...'nuther long story for 'nuther time.

Anyhoo, Charlie is about one year old and is up for adoption through Pacific Northwest Border Collie Rescue (www.pnwbcrescue.org). She is co-sponsored by Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue (www.spdrdogs.org).

Charlie's personality lends her to be suitable for a retired couple, as all she wants is to be near her people. Talk kindly to her and she will warm your feet. Let her dance with you and she sings. She is one of the sweetest fosters I have ever had.

She is due to go on up into WA to a fellow rescuer's home. Dianna is a really cool person who has taken quite a few of my shelter dogs from my area, although Charlie was an exception due to the possibility that she may be hermaphrodite so the expertise of my own personal vet, Dr. Dean Wilson at Companion Pet Clinic was consulted...and somewhat embarrassingly we found out she is ALL girl!! As my vet said "there's nothing boy about this dog!!" and then offered a refresher Sex Ed course...thanks, Dean!

Charlie is featured on the Oregon page of PNWBCR; you can see her happy face along with some others showing how great she gets along with my other dogs here: http://www.pnwbcrescue.org/show_bio.php?ImageSize=2&DogId=2876. She deserves her own home, where she gets all the attention she wants and has come a long way to get. Are you her next home?

2009-04-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

Smeagle, the pug that I never knew I'd ever have, the pug that I have known now for almost four years, the pug that I have loved from the moment I first met him long ago when he was the cutest most adorable-est puppy ever, the pug that can keep up with ALL of my other dogs and they outweigh him by at least 30lbs! This guy is so cool, and he loves me with all of his heart. I love you too, Smeags...

2009-04-30T18:44:00.000-07:00

Raven has the pose down. A ham in the making, at the very first shot that Prudence took of her. She knew I would be coming along any day now...damn how I love this little girl!

2009-04-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

These are the kinds of hugs that JellyBean gives me....anyone meeting her loved her right away, she was incredible.

2009-04-13T12:25:00.000-07:00

This little girl is JellyBean. She was pretty much left for dead by her owner, who didn't want to deal with her special needs. So my vet asked me to place her into the rescue program with Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue (http://www.spdrdogs.org/).

Miss Jelly suffered from a deformed esophagus (technical term is PRAA, pre-right aortic arch), which led her to severely drop weight because any amount of food would get stuck in this pouch that had formed above where an artery wrapped itself around her esophagus. The previous owner had one surgery done to remove the artery but didn't follow-up with the specific feeding directions by Dr. Dean Wilson at Companion Pet Clinic in Klamath Falls (blend kibble and feed her in an upright position) which led the vomiting to start all over. Rescue stepped in and had the corrective surgery done by Dr. Eric and Dr. McKiernan at Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Clinic (http://sovsc.com/). They worked a miracle with Jelly and loved her so much while she was there. I can't say enough good things about the care Jelly received. Dr. Eric said that PRAA occurs so infrequently that he was happy to work with rescue; he used it for a learning tool as well.

Jelly was placed under strict feeding guidelines; for the first week, she could only have soft foods, so I mixed cottage cheese with canned food and fed it to her by spoonful. Immediately after feeding, I took her in my arms and made gravity work; the food slid down her esophagus, she burped and all was good until her next feeding. She blossomed.

Jelly was adopted by Dr. Rich & Pam from Medford. Rich is a pathologist, who manages his farm with Pam, their other Border Collies and quite a few sheep. The way it was told to me is Pam saw Jelly, read her bio to Rich and he said "apply for her now"...the rest is history! It was a perfect home for Jelly, now named Cait. I couldn't have asked for a better home, and to see Rich with Jelly in his arms (as Rich is very tall, probably over 6'5" or more, it is very heartwarming.). Pam loves her dearly and gives me periodic updates; I've been to their place numerous times and as from the start, Cait is loved & appreciated...don't think that she doesn't give Pam a run for her money, with opening the front gate and hurling herself through the sliding glass door screen...oh dear, she is quite the hellion, but being a snuggle bunny makes up for it! :-)

Jelly is a success story, and emphasizes the need to keep going, even with dogs that seem lost and unable to go any further on their own. I will always love my sweet JellyBean, who gave the best hugs.

2009-04-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

This is my beloved Jorja (DOB: 08/25/08). She was an early Christmas present from Jeri, sent vicariously through my late (I kid you not, PERFECT IN EVERY WAY) 14yo Labrador affectionately called Oreo...somewhere along the way, she all but decided she liked Reo better...go figure. Anyhoo, Jeri (the love of my life, my sunrise, my better half, seriously I could NOT function without her smile to greet me every day) works at our veterinarian's office with another woman named Lee. Lee is very cool, very welcoming, gracious, always is smiling, and her husband has a hunting dog who is called Bella but her "registered" name is Cabela. Jason let her get knocked up (nice job, dude!) and she had a litter of eight (PAINFULLY OH-SO ADORABLE-LET-ME-HAVE-ALL-OF-THEM) puppies, four black, four yellow. Only one female black and only one female yellow. Of course, when Jeri found out, she told Lee "I want the black female." So one day we're at Lee's house so I can have my puppy fix (dontcha just LOVE puppy breath?!?!) and Jeri handed me a black puppy and said "here's Mickey." I wasn't following her at first (I'm sure I gave her that "look" that perhaps I'm famous for...?) and she didn't say anything, kept smiling. Then it clicked. Duh. We had discussed a couple of days prior what I would've named Reo had I not chosen Oreo, and I said "Mickey." CAN WE SEE THAT LIGHTBULB NOW?! Gad.

So I brought her home mid-October 2008 and she's been a joyful dog since that first minute.

She is NOT spastic at all, she's laid-back, goes with the flow, EXACTLY like Jeri. Who knew that I needed yet ANOTHER laid-back-take-whatever-comes-my-way kind of being in my life besides Jeri? I get it, Fates, ok?

Jorja's "registered" (but not really registered) name is Mickey's Jorja on my Mind, a little play on words, using Mickey and also one of my very favorite-ist songs EVER!

I simply love this dog. She was sent to me by Reo, to let me know that it's okay to love another dog as much as I loved Reo. Jorja gives me these looks and I can drown in her eyes. They are so dark...anyone loves her who meets her. She's that special.

2009-03-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

This dog is starving (can you see every single one of her ribs and her hip bones?!?!?!!!!), and with EIGHT puppies by her side, her body doesn't have much more in reserve to give her babies. My local shelter asked me to intervene and see if I could get her placed. I knew I had space in my garage so I said 'yes'. Boy, I am so glad I did. This little girl, whom I lovingly named Bug, greeted me with a wiggling butt and wagging tail from the start. I think she knew she was going to a great place. I sure hope so. She is now being fostered with Northern Nevada Aussie/BC Rescue, along with her eight fat & sassy puppies. Bug, I already miss you, but life will always be good from now on. I promise.

2009-03-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

Here's to you, Sheena! "Mad Teeth" courtesy of Zoe (front right), Duncan (front left), JellyBean (back left) and Daisy (back right).

2009-03-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

Hemi giving Joey a bath, in the communal hammock, part of the communal kitty condo in the living room. Pure love.

2009-03-20T19:32:00.000-07:00

These are kitty piggies, that happen to belong to our lovely Miss Possum (aka Potsy). I bottle-fed her from one week old and have had her ever since, going on about 2 years. She was born cream without any patterns and slowly developed these amazingly blue eyes and a calico-type pattern on her coat. She is stunningly beautiful...quite honestly she has not a clue on how pretty she is, but that's okay. She keeps us laughing by hiding in boxes, swatting at us as we walk by and trying to fight with the fish floating by her in the tank. We're easily amused, I know.

2009-03-20T19:25:00.000-07:00

Is this absolutely frickin' adorable????? I love this dog. She makes me smile every time I see her.

2009-03-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

This is Raven about two months after I got her. She was having a wobbly in one of the cat beds; she soon outgrew it, although she remains a very slight girl still. She may weigh only 35lbs, if that.

2009-03-20T19:15:00.000-07:00

This is Raven, my beloved Border Collie. I was chosen to adopt her through Pacific Northwest Border Collie Rescue in March 2008. I set eyes on her first in late January when she was placed into rescue by Robin in Kennewick (WA). I call Robin my angel for sending me Raven; without her decision, I wouldn't have this beautiful face to wake up to.

She gives me this look when I have this black plastic thingy stuck in her face and when it shines this bright quick light, she sees dots and I get this picture! I think that's pretty fair...I'm sure she does not.