The Price of Rescue...

...$650 at the vet today for meds, Frisbee, and Moses. And that's WITH our discount! And we haven't even done the annual home vaccination visit yet. Sigh. Thank you, rescue angels, who continue to send what they can. It makes a big difference!!

Lola (and Friends)

Tic Tac is now known as Lola! My friend Marge has informed me that Lola means "grandmother" and it fits her perfectly! She has obviously had more than one litter (probably not too long ago, either), though she was just spayed last week so that she will never have to endure that again. These pictures are of her zonked out on Dan's chest in the recliner. Lola has fit in immediately - she jumps up on our legs for pets and attention, travels along in the pack when something is interesting, waits in line for her medicine in peanut butter with everyone else, and has found the best dog beds to crawl into. She is a late sleeper, and must be awakened in the morning for potties and breakfast - sure wish more of them did that when the weekend arrives! Lola has completely charmed me - I am convinced that she was destined to find us. I couldn't have asked for an easier transition and acclimatization. Even though her right eye is blind, and the left nearly so, she navigates so well around the house and outside, and takes it all in stride. She's amazing!
I took a few more pictures of our fur-kids around the house, so I thought I'd share them with all of you. Enjoy!

Winter at Hundenruhe

It's a lovely crisp and cold morning at Hundenruhe Haven. Rays of sun are bouncing off of the mounds of snow and making the fields glitter and wink. It is so nice to see the sun again, and to have the robin's-egg-blue sky add some needed color to the landscape.
The temperature is rather cold again (single digits), but it is warm inside thanks to the new furnace and the radiant heater that the dogs love so dearly. Yesterday was a frenzy of cleaning and laundry (9 loads of dog laundry this week - a new record!). I clean every week, but every few weeks every dog bed's cover gets washed and major scrubbing of baseboards, etc. gets done. It had also snowed, so yesterday's chores also included digging out the walks, patios, porches, and the concrete steps leading up the hill to the house. It was a long and productive day, ending with the last load of laundry at about 9:00 pm.
Today is our day for peace and quiet. As I write, the dogs are all hanging out on their nice clean beds, having had their breakfasts and trips outdoors early this morning. Dan and I were up very early so Dan could get on the road. He is traveling to Minnesota today to pick up Tic Tac, a 12 year old blind miniature pinscher from a hoarding situation. She was surrendered along with 70 other dogs in December to a humane society in Minnesota. Min Pin Rescue contacted us and asked if we could take Tic Tac, as all but six had been adopted, taken into rescue, or euthanized. Amazingly, in only one month's time, the shelter had adopted out 39 dogs, sent the rest to rescues, and only had to euthanize six, and had only six left to go to rescues! What a fantastic coordinated effort! Kudos to whoever facilitated this at the MN shelter, and the rescues who stepped up to make it happen.
So, I am on my own today with the dogs and I am enjoying it thus far. I've had a lovely pot of tea, and since the major chores are done, I think I may settle in with the dogs for an afternoon of watching The Tudors. The forecast is for a major snow storm for the lakeshore communities (where I teach), so it looks like driving may be difficult for the next two days getting to and from school. So those patios, walks, porches, and steps are going to need to be dug out again soon! I am going to enjoy every minute of not having to go anywhere today as I await Tic Tac's arrival late this afternoon or early this evening. Unless she answers to her name, it will be changed in the coming weeks as we discover her personality. Stay tuned to find out what the new name will be!

Feeding the Herd

I have been asked about how we manage getting everyone fed. Feeding the dogs twice a day can be time-consuming, but we have become pretty efficient. During the school year, Dan takes care of the morning feeding, and I feed in the evening. It is important that everyone gets the right food, in the right amount, and has the time and peace to eat it without intimidation. So almost everyone is fed in a dog crate, except for Grandma Esther, Grandpa Moses, Uncle Mort, and Miss Truvy. The oldies that aren't fed in a crate are separated by baby gates so they can eat in peace.
Because I really believe that good food not only makes the dogs feel and look better, but also saves on vet bills, we feed a very high quality diet. I know that I could save a lot of money by accepting food donations and mixing the dog food for the dogs, but keeping their diet consistently of high quality is important to me.We feed two different kinds of dry kibble, depending upon the dog's nutritional needs. Some of the dogs get Fromm's Gold adult food, and some get grain-free bison and potato kibble. We do have a few who, at various times, need some coaxing to eat, so we also add in shredded cheese, cooked hamburger, canned dog food, or canned prescription dog food to those who need it.
Medication is given with peanut butter and spooned into each waiting mouth. Of course, everyone wants "medicine", so everyone gets a bite of peanut butter, whether it contains meds or not! It is quite the sight to see everyone at my feet, jostling for the best position to take their medicine.
All in all, it takes about fifteen - twenty minutes to get food prepared, meds given, and everyone settled in their crates to eat. And only about 5 minutes for everyone to be done eating!
So that's how its done - Bone Appetit!

Moses

This is Moses. Some of you may have been following his journey on Facebook. Moses was rescued by Martha, his guardian angel, from a high-kill shelter in Garland, Texas. He was picked up as a stray, but at his age and in his condition, he most surely was dumped. You see, Moses is at least 17 years old, and is completely blind. He is feisty and independent, desiring no help or assistance from anyone.
Getting him here from Texas was quite an endeavor. My sister contributed credit that she had with Southwest airlines, and Dan and I picked up the rest. There have been some offers of donations to help with the fare, but we haven't gotten any so far. People have been so nice about trying to get him here - everything from a flight attendant (who tried, but couldn't make it work on such short notice), to a kind and generous group of cruisers who contacted people they knew, to Martha and Jean (who brought him to the airport to meet me), to the many, many people Moses and I met on our journey from Dallas to Kiel. He is home now, and adapting to life with the rest of the crew. It is amazing and inspirational how well he does so!
Moses and I finally rolled up to the house at about 9:00pm last night. What a long day! I was up and down in an airplane four times, and spent sixteen hours traveling! But it was all worth it. Moses slept the whole plane ride home, though he protested (loudly) when we left the airport and he felt how cold Wisconsin is! He continued to protest until the car warmed up.  I gave him some supper and put him to bed in the laundry room for the night so that he didn't have too big of an area to have to get lost in. This morning it has been fascinating to watch how a blind dog navigates new surroundings. Moses followed the walls as best he could, using his little ears as antennae to keep an even distance between him and the wall. Sometimes he bumped gently into the wall with his head, but only a couple of times. Then, when he finds himself in an open area, he turns in tight circles, ever-widening them until he touches something again. He has spent the last hour and a half walking and figuring out the area, though it is not in a panicked way - just very methodically mapping out the room. Now he walks confidently across the open areas, too. Dan just picked him up, and he is falling asleep in his arms. Welcome home, Moses.

Reflections

This is the time of year that causes me to reflect upon the past year and all that it entailed. I don't like standard "Christmas Letters", so I won't regale you with everything that's happened this year (you can look back at the blog for that!). However, I was rather surprised to discover that we've welcomed eight new dogs into the sanctuary's family since last Christmas (Teddy, Esther, Coco, Sammy, Nala, Shae, Foxy, and Truvy), and said good-bye to four (New Year, Nala, Roody, Tulip, and Sadie and our horse Zeke right before last Christmas). Working with the oldies is hard sometimes, because we love them so much and they must go so quickly. But the reward of feeling their love and watching them enjoy the simple pleasures of life makes it all worthwhile.
After much thought, and an applicant who turned down Truvy because of her special needs, we have added Truvy as a permanent member of the Hundenruhe family. She will have her special weekly spa baths, ear cleanings, and grain-free food for the rest of her life here at the sanctuary. Most of all, she will have our love - this quirky little girl has really won over our hearts!
Right now we are trying to get Moses, an ancient, blind little chihuahua up from Dallas, Texas to live here. My sister has really come through with an outstanding offer if all other help fails, but I am hoping someone comes forward to either fly with Moses here to Wisconsin, or drive him up. Thanks, Cindy, for supporting my dreams.
Over the past year, we have been so blessed with friends, both old and new, coming through with their own talents to help us out. We have had a new porch built, a new well-housing built, donations to our vet account, and a few cash donations. We've been turned down by Extreme Makeover Home Edition despite overwhelming support from family and friends, had our furnace die and borrowed the money to replace it, and flooded our barn because of a burst pipe. Through it all, my friends around the country (especially you crazy ladies at Fluffy Butts!) and in the UK (you Terrier Talk folks are amazing!), my husband and partner Dan, and the pups themselves have always kept me laughing and filled with hope. When my cup has run dry, you have filled it back up, and for that I am eternally grateful. Thank you so much!
In 2011, I hope that we can continue to help each other - with love, by sharing our talents, and by supporting each other in whatever way we can.

Merry Christmas!

Thank you to IMPS - MinPin Rescue - for this poem:

’Tis the night before Christmas and all through the town,
every shelter is full—we are lost, but not found.
Our numbers are hung on our kennels so bare,
we hope every minute that someone will care.
They’ll come to adopt us and give us the call,
...“Come here, Max and Sparkie — come fetch your new ball!”
But now we sit here and think of the days
we were treated so fondly — we had cute, baby ways.
Once we were little, then we grew and we grew.
Now we’re no longer young and we’re no longer new.
So out the back door we were thrown like the trash.
They reacted so quickly — why were they so rash?
We “jump on the children,” “don’t come when they call,”
we “bark when they leave us,” “climb over the wall.”
We should have been neutered, we should have been spayed,
now we suffer the consequence of the errors THEY made.
If only they’d trained us, if only we knew,
we’d have done what they asked us and worshiped them, too.
We were left in the backyard, or worse, let to roam.
Now we’re tired and lonely and out of a home.
They dropped us off here and they kissed us goodbye…
“Maybe someone else will give you a try.”
So now here we are, all confused and alone
in a shelter with others who long for a home.
The kind workers come through with a meal and a pat,
with so many to care for, they can’t stay to chat.
They move to the next kennel, giving each of us cheer…
we know that they wonder how long we’ll be here.
We lay down to sleep and sweet dreams fill our heads
of a home filled with love and our own cozy beds.
Then we wake to see sad eyes, brimming with tears –
our friends filled with emptiness, worry, and fear.
If you can’t adopt us and there’s no room at the inn –
could you help with the bills and fill our food bin?
We count on your kindness each day of the year –
can you give more than hope to everyone here?
Please make a donation to pay for the heat…
and help get us something special to eat.
The shelter that cares for us wants us to live,
and more of us will, if more people will give.
–Author Unknown

We have been so blessed by friends' generosity this year - a gorgeous new and safe porch, a new well box, a few wonderful donations to help pay for the dogs' vet bills, and endless encouragement and love.

Dan and I continue to love what we do - the dogs who find their way here are so grateful for their warm beds, radiant heaters, playtime, laps, tasty food, and regular vet care. We in turn love them with all our hearts for as long as they are here - always hoping that it will be for a long time, though it never seems like its enough. I am looking forward to 2011 and the joys it is sure to bring - new friends through rescue, new pups to join us, and lots of laughs as we watch the fur-kids find their peace.

Our wish to you this holiday season is abundant time with the people and animals you love, some quiet time for reflection upon your blessings, and to be ever mindful of those who need a helping hand - not just at Christmastime, but throughout the year.

Merry Christmas!