Walkin' the Bark Rescue Could Win $2,000

This wonderful picture of our once-fearful former foster dog Isis, and her brother Otis, was selected as one of the 10 finalists in the Animal Rescue Site's Shelter Fan Photo Contest.


If this photo receives the most public votes through Nov 15, Walkin' the Bark Rescue will win a $2,000 grant, which will go towards financial aid for the purchase of a Doggon Wheelchair for handicapped pets whose owners cannot afford one on their own.

Vote every day (you can only vote once per computer each day) through Nov 15. It's quick and easy. No login required. To vote, go to:

http://wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/68342/voteable_entries/9894013

Yeah, Isis & Otie! Thank you to Jen & Rob for submitting this photo on behalf of the rescue!

Just an aside: Isis (aka Iris) was a severely undersocialized and fearful dog when we first got her a few years ago--my very first severely fearful foster. Her journey in life has truly been an amazing one. It was in large part because of Isis (plus another fearful dog we fostered at the same time, Dori) that I became drawn to dogs with some kind of special need. I will always view her as a particularly special shining star. If you'd like to read her story, please visit http://sillypugs.com/dogs/Iris/Iris.html. Jen & Rob have given her the perfect home and in doing so, have given me one of the best gifts ever.

An Afternoon in the Backyard

And look who else we have here.

Isis sitting on her throne, being entertained by her subjects.

Ramble Round the Reservoir

HALO Rescue in Antioch hosted their 11th annual Ramble Round the Reservoir today.

A Visit with Isissy

I stole this recent picture from Isis' blog. She was what I consider to be our first harder-to-adopt foster dog, and even after 2 years since she was adopted, I am awed that she found the most perfect home in the whole wide world. Our little shy Iris is now Princess Isis.

When I think of Isis and how happy she is now, I always feel hope that the perfect family is out there for every dog no matter how seemingly hard to adopt they are. It's just a matter of giving the dogs time until their new families can find them.

Banished from YouTube

These 2 videos have been banished from YouTube for copyright infringement of the music. I'm sure others will follow. For now, they have a new home.

Dori Today

Dori (aka Doris) was a little under a year when she first came to us in early 2007 as an intensely timid and under-socialized dog from Taiwan. Dori & Isis were my first encounters with shy, almost feral, dogs, so I had no experiences to fall back on. I agonized over Dori's withdrawal from the world and from us for the first 3 days, but she ultimately became my first "favorite" (I've since had many).

You can read Dori's story here.











And Dori this Christmas(with her BFF, Tre the Rottie):



Here are some videos of her while she stayed with us, almost 2 years ago.





Dori & Isis:


And my personal favorite, Dori Destroys a Pillow:

New Popeye Video

Away for the Weekend

We humans go away for the weekend, and the dogs take over the house.



That's 7 dogs there, a record for the most dogs we've had at our house at 1 time. (Yes, I keep track.)

I rarely am away from home, because I don't like to leave the dogs. Although, I think that even if we didn't have any dogs, I wouldn't enjoy traveling anyway. But sometimes you just can't get around it. This time, we were visiting Tyler's family in Illinois.

Usually, leaving the dogs is very stressful to me. I generally have had to rely on non-dog people to watch them. But this time Sugar and her mom, Karen, offered to dogsit for us. All 3 of our dogs! At first I wasn't sure if Karen really knew what she was offering. Watching 4 dogs, including Sugar, and 1 of them paralyzed & incontinent? But I should have known that Karen was more than up for it.

Better yet, she even offered to dogsit the dogs at our house! It was the first time I have ever left the dogs and not worried nonstop over them while I was gone. Tyler said there were even moments when he totally forgot to think about them.

You can read more about the doggie happenings while we were gone on Sugar's blog.

Isis, her brother Otie, and their mom Jen even came over for a slumber party. They, in turn, were dogsitting Bandit for me, so he was there too.

I think the dogs had more fun with us away than they usually have when we're home.

While at the airport for our return flight, we saw a police dog that at first I thought was a Taiwan dog. She was lean and narrow, with long legs, long ears, and a long snout. And when I first spotted her, she was laying down with her front legs daintily crossed over like I have seen so many Taiwan dogs do. She actually reminded me a lot of Sugar and Popeye.







She turned out to be a Belgian Malinois. Now I wonder if Popeye has any of that in him.

The trip to IL and back was uneventful, and it was so good to be back home. It was the first time I had seen Bandit in a long time. When we got out of the car, his was the first face peering out the window to see us.

Not only were the dogs doing great, but Karen had done the dogs' laundry and had stocked us up with food. We had more food in our kitchen when we came back than when we left! Like the workings of a food fairy.

Tyler said that Karen is a saint for having agreed to housesit and watch our dogs, and Jen as well for having taken Bandit while we were gone on extremely short notice. I totally agree. I think Boomer, Phoebe, Popeye, and Bandit are glad we are back, but I don't think they'd mind too much if we left again as long as they had Karen & Jen.

A Day of Dogs

We had a get-together of dogs today. There were of course Boomer, Phoebe, and Popeya, as well as Isis (former foster) and her bro, Otie, and Sugar (former foster). Everyone had a blast.





Isis & Popeye were actually making out for a few seconds before this but I was too slow with the camera.


Boomer, our very first foster ever who we ended up adopting, was especially in heaven. He loves the ladies.





Really loves them.


He thinks Tyler's not so bad either.

The Hope of Isis

I have hundreds of pictures of Isis, and this is one of my favorites. Her mom took it during a recent outing at Pt Isabel.

It's because of Isis, formerly Iris, that I know without a doubt that there is a perfect home for every dog. So when people ask me, "Do you really think you'll find someone who will want to adopt a dog like Popeye?" I just think of Isis and know the answer is yes. Because people asked me the same question about her. They asked me the same question about Marlee, a corgi mix with epilepsy, and about Laura, a young shepherd mix with hip dysplasia and a twisted ankle. By now, I've realized that the kinds of dogs I most want to help are the ones people would ask this question of. When I think back of the dogs I've cared for, dogs with physical or emotional issues of some kind, all of which have gone to wonderful homes, I know that with patience, hope, and a simple chance, the right home will come along. It may take a while to find it, but it's out there.

Isis came to me as a severely undersocialized dog, terrified of all people, of dogs, even of the quiet streets outside our suburban home. She had been confined for most of her life and everything, everyone was new and scary to her. She spent the 5 days I first had her hiding under my desk.



Isis went to another foster home in San Francisco and after 2 days, escaped from the backyard. 41 days later, some of the worst days I've ever had in my life, she was finally found. She came back to me weighing only 17 lbs from her former 35 lbs.



Isis came to trust me completely but was still terrified of everyone else. I worried about how she would do in a new home, whether I would make the right decision in matching her to a family that understood her severe fears. She was very much a special needs dogs. Ultimately though, she found a home with the most perfect family I could ever imagine for her. They have nurtured her and taken her so much farther than I could have ever done.







To read more about Isis (I promise you'll find her story inspiring), visit:
http://sillypugs.com/dogs/Iris/Iris.html

That a dog like Isis could have found, not just a good home, but the best home I could ever imagine even in my wildest dreams (I swear I am not exaggerating) makes me secure in the knowledge that there is a perfect home out there for every dog. It's my job to help them find it and until then, to care for them as best as I can.

Iris in Her New Home!

Iris (now Isis) was adopted about 2 months ago by a great couple with 2 cats. She is now joined by a little but bigger brother named Otis.


Videos of Isis having fun at her new home can be viewed here.

I miss Isis but am thrilled that she has finally found a home to call her own.

And of course my current shy dog, Sophia, keeps me busy:
http://sillypugs.com/dogs/Sophia/Sophia.html

Iris Plays with a Little Fellow

Scruff McDuff is a tiny dog we recently took in. He's already been adopted but is staying with us until he is neutered. Here is a video of him playing with Iris.

Iris and Friends

Iris & Coal


Iris & Pearl



Iris & Tico


Iris & Scruff



Iris & Phoebe