Esther Conquers the Big Field

Esther went for her first walk in the big field yesterday. She was a trooper, hopping along behind me and taking in the wide, wide world around her!

Woof, Y'All!

Introducing...allllllllll the way from Dallas, Texas.....Miss Esther! Thanks to some fantastic women from Texas Little Cuties (You're the best, Leslie and Linda!), Miss Esther has found her way all the way up North to the frozen tundra of Hundenruhe Haven. She is just an itty-bitty little chihuahua - around five/six pounds. We know she's a granny of at least 12 years old, but because she was found as a stray in a creek, then taken to the pound, and then rescued by TLC, we'll never know exactly how old she is, or the extent of her story. I do know that she's just about the sweetest little granny I've ever met! She doesn't have toofers, so her tongue sticks out a little, and it is just so endearing. She and Uncle Mort have the same coloring, and the same toothless smiles, though he now looks like a giant next to her! We are very glad she's here, and I am looking forward to many happy years with Granny Esther.

Me, My Tattoo, and I

It's my birthday, and I just got this, my very first tattoo, on my ankle. It is designed to represent three important philosophies in my life. The dragonfly represents important people that have passed away in my life, as well as overcoming a big challenge, the starfish represents my philosophy about kids and dog rescue, and the two pawprints represent Olive and Baci, as well as all the dogs I've loved and will love.

Sunday on the Farm

As usual, our day started with the canine alarm clocks (Shae, Coco, and Sammy) barking the household awake well before 6:00 am. The bright side of all this was that I was able to hear the turkeys in the backfield somewhere, and witness the mating dance of a male sandhill crane as he tried to attract his (largely unimpressed) mate. Spectacular! The birds were all chirping, much to Twig's chagrin, since she couldn't find all of them to bark at and chase away. The spring peeper frogs were singing away down in the marsh, and every now and again, the horses next door would whinny to each other. Ahhhh, lovely. Yesterday I planted the annuals in the pots around the house's gardens, and potted the herbs. Most importantly, I planted tulips in Tulip's Garden. We've always called it Tulip's Garden, though it had no tulips in it, because she loved to drink from the scummy water feature (despite the fresh water in the house!), and hang out there. We moved the beagle statue to Tulip's Garden when we noticed how much she liked being there. I always said that when she left us, I'd plant some tulips there, so there would always be a Tulip in her Garden. They are lovely, but not nearly so as she was.

Last Walk with Lulu

Tulip, the seventeen-year-old face of Hundenruhe, walked her last walk in the field tonight. Dan, the dogs, and I accompanied her on a last patrol of the fenceline. Dr. Jeff told us last night that her heart just isn't pumping blood to her body anymore, and she's already started turning blue in her membranes. She hasn't eaten in three days, now and her energy gave out at the end of her walk tonight. We know that its time to let her go.
Tulip has been special from the moment she arrived at Hundenruhe with Jeanne and Dave three years ago, broken and sad. We watched her heal physically and mentally and become a wagging, play-bowing, beggar of kisses and loving. She and Dan fell in love with each other, and this will be an especially hard loss. My sister took this picture shortly after her transformation, and Dan coined it "The Faces of Hundenruhe". Truly, Tulip exemplifies the reason for our taking in the seniors. Her journey from breeder dog to dumped stray to real rescue to Hundenruhe Haven and true peace is one that will inspire me forever. It will be one of the hardest good-byes we will ever have to face. We will always love you Lulu.

Festival of Needles

Dr. Jeff came to the house last night for the annual "Festival of Needles". The dogs needed their annual lepto shots and heartworm blood tests, as well as a couple of random rabies vaccinations thrown in for good measure. As usual, the very efficient Dr. Jeff (with help from Marvelous Marnie, the vet tech) finished a host of blood tests and vaccinations in record time - about a half an hour! We are so thankful for Dr. Jeff and his outstanding care of our babies.

All Good Things...

...must come to an end. Today is the last day of a long and lovely Spring Break from school. We haven't had an entire week off for Spring Break since one of the first years I taught (almost 20 years ago!), so this was blissful. In addition to the welcome time off, the weather has been beyond fantastic - warm and balmy - great for spending time with the dogs outdoors. Each day on our walks in the fields we have watched the fields green up, buds burst into tender green leaves, and pups rolling in the warm grass. Absolutely heavenly! The yard is cleaned up, the trees trimmed (and some branches cut for McKinley Academy's graduation decorations), the outdoor furniture has been returned to its rightful place, and...best of all...the outdoor dog beds have again taken up residence on our little "doggie deck" on the back patio. It's only 10:30am, and "Spa Day" has already begun for the dogs. Wet towels are snapping in the wind on the line, my clothes are soaked, and there is a quarter inch of water on the kitchen counter. You guessed it - they have all been bathed, and are now sipping cold drinks and lounging on their outdoor beds in the sun. Okay, so maybe not sipping cold drinks, but I'd sure like to be pampered like they were today!!
This is Shae (formerly Chardonnay). She's a 14 year old beagle from the Eastshore Humane Society in Chilton. Her dad couldn't keep her anymore and turned her over to the shelter for rehoming. I hope that he'd be happy to know that she is doing wonderfully, fitting in with the rest of the gang here at the Haven. Every day she goes on our walkabouts - what a healthy, happy pup! Her only flaw is that she loves to "talk" and we'll be working on that! She loves soft beds, watching over the fenceline, and harassing the girls and the tinies. She is very, very welcome here, and Tulip, Ruby, and Shae have taught us that we will probably always have a beagle to watch over Hundenruhe.