Sassy Sunday 10-9-11

Hi Everyone, Sassy here.  It's time again for an update.  Sorry it's been so long, but Barb keeps saying she's too busy to help me write a post.  Oh! If I only had fingers!!

Anyway, our lovely foster dog Tracker now has a new home.  And thank goodness she has a new name too!  Her name is now Sadie.  She had to have a little extra surgery when they took her to get spayed.  Turned out she had a mammary tumor.  One she never would have gotten if she'd been spayed 5 years ago.  The vet thinks it's benign, so that's good.  But we won't be sure until the pathology report comes back.

Look at my Mum's awesome mums!

Well, Barb went to two (yeah, two) dog-friendly events this weekend and she did not take me along.  The first one was a fundraiser for an awesome group called Loosen the Leash.  They take homeless dogs to a juvenile detention center.  There the kids learn how to train the dogs and the dogs get training to help them get a new home.  It's a great thing!  And they get most of their dogs from out favorite Hope Rescues.  Anyway, Barb didn't bring me because she had to be in charge of the adoptable dogs that day.

This is Jigs.  His owner die so Hope Rescues is helping find a new home.

Here are some of the people and dogs at the event.  The lady in the center with her back to us is the main person from Loosen the Leash.

Then today she went to the botanical garden on the local university campus.  They were having a discovery day.  Dogs were welcome, but Barb didn't think she could handle me and the other two along with the kids.  There was a bird show.  Barb took some great pictures.  They all look really tasty!

Red-tailed Hawk

Barn Owl

Great Horned Owl

Peregrine Falcon 

Turkey Vulture

There was a pug there that apparently made all the birds nervous.  So I guess it's good Ginger and I weren't there.

We are linking up to the Saturday pet blog hop (yes, I know its Sunday).  Go check out some other great pet blogs!

Thanks for stopping by,

Sassy

Sassy Sunday - New Girl in Town

Hi Everyone, Sassy here.  Well, I am finally rid of all the extra cats in the house and what does Barb do?  She gets a foster dog!  Meet Tracker.  She's a 5 year old basset hound mix.  She is much prettier than her name.  Her name should be something adorable like "Sassy".

Anyway, Barb got a call Friday night from a friend.  Tracker had been in someone's backyard, chained to a tree for several months.  Her yard was just a mud pit.  Her dog house had holes in it.  And her dog bed, which was outside of her dog house, was crusted with mud.  She got fed (sometimes by the owner, sometimes by the neighbors) but no one at the house ever paid her any attention.  A nice lady (Amber, the Dog Nanny) had been feeding her and playing with her but knew that the best thing would be for someone to get her outta there.  So Barb's friend Patty (who knows Amber) just went over and asked the owner if he'd be willing to give his dog away.  Without a second thought (and without knowing Patty or what might become of the dog) he said yes.

Patty asked Barb if there was any way Hope Rescues could take the dog.  Barb asked Jackie and Kim. They said yes.  So now Tracker is officially a Hope Rescues dog being fostered in our house. (and eating my food, playing with my kids and my toys)

She is a very pretty girl.  Mostly basset hound but her legs are too long to be all basset.  Anyone have a guess?

Anyway, we'll keep you updated on our new girl.

And now a note from Chili - Chili received a package from Something Wagging This Way Comes.  It was full of wonderful stuff!  Toys, treats, poop bags, coupons, samples, etc.  What a great surprise!  Barb entered her in the giveaway and she won!  Yeah!  And because she is such a good pack sister, she shared all the stuff with Ginger and me.  Here is a picture of us checking everything out.

There are two cute little stuffed toys.  (you can see the blue on in the photo)  I took the liberty of de-stuffing them for Chili.  I'm much better at it than she is and Barb wasn't watching closely enough.  Why or why do they put that stuffing in toys anyway?  But no matter.  Chili just loves them unstuffed and they keep her company when she has her kennel time.  My favorite was the freeze-dried turkey hearts.  We all loved those!  So from Chili, Ginger and me, Thank you Something Wagging!

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope everyone has a great week!

Love,

Sassy

Sassy Sunday - A summer of kittens comes to an end

Hey Friends!  Sassy here. :)

Well, our kitten summer is over.  The last of the foster kittens, Lucky, went to a new foster home on Friday.  Barb would have liked to have kept him, but he was making life miserable for my dad (cat allergies) so he went to stay with a man who has another foster kitten.  That kitten is a cute little siamese girl.  That will be best for Lucky.  Our cat, Spooky, is not much into playing with kittens. (That didn't keep Lucky from trying to play with him, though!)

We had a great party this weekend.  Our youngest human turns 9 years old today.  So his Aunt Sue and cousin Ashley came over to celebrate.  And the 9-yr-old next door was here too.  The people ate burgers and brats and had something called a cookie cake.  Ginger, Chili and I just got dog food.  But it was fun to have people in the house.  9 years old!  When I joined the family he was just about 4 years old.  They do grow up fast.  But he still loves me.  And I love him.

Barb should have some pictures from his party at the video game place later today.  They don't allow dogs there so I won't be in any of the pictures. boo

But here's a funny picture of Chili for your enjoyment.  She often sticks out her tongue when she's asleep and Barb finds it funny to take a picture.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Sassy

PS poor Chili.  She's so ugly she's cute!

Sassy Sunday - Is it pumpkin time already?

Hi, Everyone!  Sassy here.  It's been a while since I've done a Sassy Sunday.  Barb's been doing the Saturday Blog Hop, then doesn't want to let me do a post the very next day.  The nerve of some humans.  Anyway, I'm doing one today.

We went to the dog park last week.  It's our favorite dog park - really, it's the only one around unless you count the poor excuse for a dog park in our city's park.  They have a fenced in space barely bigger than a kennel and they call that a dog park!  But Barb read this week that one of the other local parks just got a grant for a new dog park.  I hope its a good one.  It will be closer and maybe we'd get to go more often.

Anyway, the 3 of us had fun getting wet then rolling around in the dry grass (and dirt).

The middle kid wanted to plant pumpkins this year.  And we got some!

 Barb had to go ahead and pick these two.  There is some kind of vine borer bug that had killed the vines feeding these two.

 This one still has some growing to do, and hopefully the vine will stay healthy.

And, surprise!  Barb didn't even know this one was there.  It was hiding.  But now we know it's there. :)
Well, that's really all I got.  Barb told you all about the kittens yesterday.  But thanks for stopping by.  I'm glad to see you.

Sassy

And then there was one

Hello everyone.  So.  This is Lucky.  He's the last of our "spare" cats.  For those of you joining us for the first time, or for the first time in a long time, we had a spare gaggle, herd, flock, whatever of cats at our house this summer.  It started with Daisy, a lovely calico momma who decided to have her kittens under our chimney the day before Father's Day.

She had 5; 4 of them survived.  We brought her into the house and gave her a nice warm place to raise her babies. (actually, more like cool!  It was really, really hot this summer)
Then about the time Daisy's babies were weaning themselves someone dumped a bunch of kittens in a parking lot.  It was 102 degrees that day and they were left in a wire crate with no shade or water.  Daisy graciously agreed to help me take care of them.

She's really a good cat.  I hope her new family gets her spayed.  But as far as mommas go, she a good one.  A local rescue, Rico's Rescue, has agreed to help me find homes for them.  I'm fostering, but the rescue has them listed on petfinder.com and they are paying for the vetting.   Two of them have been adopted by people I know.  A third, Laffy Taffy, was found on petfinder.  Lucky is the last one.

We are participating in the pet blog hop today!  Go here if you want to join in!

One Down, Seven To Go!

This is Roxy.  She was born under our house the day before Father's Day this year.  This photo was taken just two or so days after she was born.

Well, Roxy has gone to her new forever home.  Here's a not-so-great cell-phone image of her with her 3 siblings taken about 10 days ago.  She is as cute as can be (aren't they all?).  Her new mom (lucky for us, she lives in our neighborhood!) says she's just running around the house, trying to get their older cat to play, and settling in just fine.
The mom, Daisy, should be leaving here with her 3 other kittens in about a week or 10 days.  They will all be going to the same home.  They will live with the Grandma and Grandpa of 4 grandchildren.  That way, each grandchild will have his or her own cat living at Grandma's house.  I think they will have a great life.
As for the newest batch, we still have no permanent homes on the horizon for them.  They are listed on petfinder with the rescue for which we are fostering them.  And I've had a couple of neighbors express some interest.  But so far nothing as been finalized.  Keep your paws crossed for them!

This is a blog hop.  Stop by (click here for one of the hosts) and link up!

Saturday Pet Blog Hop - OMG Batman! Not MORE kittens!!!!!

Hi Everyone!  Sassy here and we are doing another Saturday Pet Blog Hop along with our friends at Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume.  If you'd like to join in, go here and link up.

Now, I guess you may have figured out from the title of this post that Barb is turning into the "crazy kitten lady."  Yup.  We've got more kittens in the house!  Let me tell you the story.

Last Tuesday Barb was on Facebook (whatever that is) and saw a post from our favorite rescue group.  Someone had dumped a cage full of kittens in the parking lot of a doggy daycare and boarding place (owned by the ladies of Hope Rescues) at 3:00 in the afternoon, 102 degrees, no water, no shade.  An employee just happened to find them before they baked to death.  Jackie (our hero) was a mess!  She couldn't keep them.  They were at capacity at the rescue (which is NOT the same as their business) and she did not want to lose her rescue license over someone else's lack of responsibility.  She knew that she'd have to have animal control pick them up if they were not gone by 5:00.  But she also knew that animal control would not keep them either.  It was find someone to rescue them, or send them to their deaths.  Well, if you knew Jackie, you'd know that she was in tears (and huffin' mad) over these babies.

A rescue group, Rico's Rescue, agreed to help Jackie out, but she only uses foster homes and none of hers were available.  Barb was already on her way to get the kittens (she needed to help Jackie out) so we are now a new foster home for Rico's Rescue.  There were 5 kittens, but we only have 4 of them.  One of them is being fostered by another of Hope Rescues' volunteers.  But if there is anyone out there in the St. Louis area that wants to help foster these babies, please step up!  Barb is in trouble at home since we still have the momma and 4 kittens from Father's day and they will be here until the end of August.

Here are the new babies:

Here are the 4 of them 

This is Laughy Taffy (girl) on top of Lucky (boy)

Lucky (boy)

Mrs. Claws (girl)

Suave (boy) (The other kitten was named Rico after the dog from Rico's Rescue, so Dad thought it would be funny to name one Suave - "Rico Suave"

Laughy Taffy again

The vet says they are about 5 weeks old.  Barb and the boys gave them baths and washed about a gazillion fleas down the drain.  They got wormed and tested for FIV and Feline leukemia thanks to Rico's Rescue.  And the good news - negative for both!!!!!  That will make it much easier to find them homes.

Well, I'm doing much better on my leg.  Barb wants me to put it down more, but I still tend to want to carry it when I'm moving fast.  I went for some swimming therapy with 2 of my boys.  My cousins (Jenny, a black sheltie mix, Juneau and Kodi, American Eskimos) have a pool at their house.

I'm all about swimming!  I'd go every day if we had the pool at our house.  But, as it is, Uncle B doesn't really like dogs in the pool.  So I don't get to go very often.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Check out the blog hop for some great pet blogs.  And come get a kitten!
Sassy

Sassy Sunday (7-24-11) Kittens are 5 weeks old!

Hey Everyone.  Sassy here.  So first, I'm sure you are all wondering how my leg is doing.  I'm getting so much better.  I got my stitches out on Friday (well, at least the ones that I hadn't already chewed out :)) and the vet said I'm looking great.  I'm starting to put it down when I walk and the vet said I should go to my Aunt Bambi's house to swim in her pool.
So.  I'm doing fine.  Thanks for all your well wishes!  Barb read them all to me.

Now.  Can you believe our kittens are already 5 weeks old?  We'll be getting rid of them in just a couple of short weeks.  Check out these pictures of Roxy, the calico kitten.

Roxy at just a couple of days old

Roxy at 5 weeks old

Isn't it amazing how they change so much in just 5 weeks?  Roxy will be living in our neighborhood so we should get to see her often.  The others will all be going to the same house in a nearby town.  See, there is a family with two little girls that lives in our neighborhood.  Their grandma, who has 4 grandchildren (two in our neighborhood) is taking the other 4 cats so that each will have his/her own cat living at Grandma's house.  The momma cat has been "claimed" by the four-year old girl and named Daisy.  Her two-year-old sister will get to name the other female kitten, and the two boys each get one of the male kittens.  That just works out fine.  And since the girls live here, we can get regular updates on how Daisy and the babies are doing.

Here are a couple more pictures of the babies for your viewing enjoyment:

Thanks for stopping by today!
Love,
Sassy

Sassy's Boo-Boo

Hi, Everyone.  Sassy here.  Well, I'm home from my surgery but my leg really hurts.  You can see the funny haircut I got and the big row of stitches on my knee.
But the vet said it went great.  My CCL was torn but the fix was easy and I'll stop being in pain soon.  Right now it's not so bad 'cause they gave Barb some good drugs for me.

Thanks for keeping your paws crossed for me!

Sassy

Sassy Sunday (7-10-11)

Hi everyone!  Sassy here.  No, that's not a picture of me.  This is the adorable (or so says Barb) Kitten #3. Poor baby doesn't have a name yet.  We are waiting for his (or her?) new mommy to name him.  He is pretty cute.

Ginger was downstairs with Barb last night.  And guess what!  She is scared of little, bitty kittens.  Yup.  Scared of them.  Chili, on the other hand, wants to get to know them.  But Momma hasn't let those dogs near them yet.  And, as for me, well, I'm the queen of the house.  If the kittens want to get to know me they can.  But they'll have to come to me.  I'm not gonna bother to go down there.

I will be going in for my surgery tomorrow.  Somehow I tore my CCL.  That stands for "cranial cruciate ligament" and it's the same as the ACL in humans.  There are some other treatments before surgery, but pain meds and weight loss (Oh, I've lost 2.5 lbs.  I'm starving to death!  Send pizza!) and rest are not helping.  And I'm not about to wear a brace.  I don't like wearing stuff.  Plus the vet doesn't think they work very well. (although he told Barb he'd be happy for us to try it if we want to).

There is more than one way to do the surgery.  We are going with the less risky, less involved form.  They will tie some suture material to the bone behind my knee cap, bring it around the front, and tie it to a hole they will drill in the top of the bone just below my knee.  This suture material won't last for too long, but by the time it breaks down there will be some scar tissue built up to stabilize my knee.  Sounds easy enough.
The other procedures involve cutting of bones and the vet said that in his experience, these surgeries work just as well but not better than the option he prefers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdrBzHQ49W4

And now, for your laugh of the week, I'd like to show you how ridiculous Chili acts when she thinks someone is gonna get her food.  It's funny.  Being the dignified girl that I am, I just growl at any dog to gets into my bowl without my permission.  (BTW, in case you were worried, Chili and I will both allow Barb to take food out of our mouths and bowls without complaining.  We are not food-aggressive.  Just a little protective when it comes to each other and our food.)

Have a great Sunday!
Sassy

Saturday Pet Blog Hop - Kittens are 3 weeks old!!

Hi Everyone!
We are participating in the Saturday Blog Hop today.  If you are interested, go here, and sign up!  The link will take you to Two Little Cavaliers, one of the hosts of the blog hop.

Well, the kittens we found on Father's Day are now 3 weeks old.  It's hard to believe!  They are now getting around on their own pretty well.  They are even venturing out of the "nest" my son set up for them in the guest bathroom shower.

Here are two of them, Roxy (the calico baby) and Kitten #3 (still not named by new family) out on the rug in front of their kennel.  Mom is looking on.  See her there in the corner?

Here Momma and #3 are squeezing between the door to the shower and the kennel.
So, today I set out a small, low tray with litter in it.  And I'll be putting some food out for them soon too. If there is anyone out there with advice, I'm all ears.  I've never taken care of babies this young and the internet does have some confusing information.

Sassy will be going in for surgery on her torn CCL (same as ACL in humans) next week.  That's the ligament in the knee.  She's been limping around for a while and the medicine isn't helping.  Doc thinks the best thing to do now is the surgery.  So keep her in your thoughts and hope she gets lots of good pain drugs!

Have a great weekend!

Sassy Sunday (7-2-11) Saturday Blog Hop and Kitten Update

http://twolittlecavaliers.com/2011/07/dogs-for-autistic-children-pet-bloggers-blog-hop.html

Hi, Everyone!  Sassy here.
I know it's Sassy Sunday, but we are linking to the Saturday Pet Blog Hop because Barb promised and then couldn't get to it yesterday.  That's fine.  I'm the pet blogger anyway. :)  You should check out the great list of pet bloggers on the hop.  Click the link under the picture for one of the hosts of the hop.  Go ahead.  I'll wait.

Great news.  All of our kittens and the momma cat have homes waiting for them!  Yup.  I haven't even gotten to see these little critters (the mom won't let me near them.  She even swiped Ginger's nose!  The nerve.) and they are all spoken for.  That's great.  Barb and family can't keep a bunch of cats.  Anyway.  Here's a pic or two of them.  Don't fuss at Barb about the picture quality.  She took them on her cell phone.

This one is Roxy.  She's the only one with a name.  The other's are "Momma Cat", "#2", "#3" and "#4".  Roxy was "Kitten #1", but her new mom let us know her name will be Roxy.

This one is "#3".  He (or she?) is one of the smaller two.  There are two bigger and two smaller.  We guess that's ok.  Barb, being the geek scientist that she is, has been keeping a log of their weights and everyone is gaining.  Roxy and #2 weigh about 11oz while #3 and #4 each weigh around 9 oz.  It's amazing how much an ounce of kitten is!  The two larger ones look huge compared to the two smaller ones!

Momma Cat is very protective of her babies.  And if they make one little squeak when Barb has them out of the nest, she comes right out and gets them.

Here she is coming to get Roxy.  It won't be long 'til Roxy is too big for Momma to pick her up!

Anyway.  All of their eyes are open.  Barb took them to the vet.  He said they are all healthy and thinks there are two boys and two girls.  Momma had no parasites and is FIV and feline leukemia negative.  If you add those results to the fact that she is super friendly, one must conclude that she was not a stray for long.  Perhaps her family dumped her when they found out she was having kittens?  Anyway, lucky for her she decided to have her kittens here.  One of the neighbors up the street had planned to call Animal Control on her.  Yikes!

So.  What else is new?

Chili continues to get caught with her tongue sticking out.  Barb thinks it's funny to take her picture.  Here, you can only see the tip.  Sometimes it sticks way out.
And that's about it!  We've got family coming tonight for dinner.  Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Love,
Sassy
PS - Hi Aunt Barb! (Aunt Barb likes my posts, heehee)