Lucky Weekend?

Hopefully Hannah's Forever Family will find her this weekend. She and Luci went to Taurus for Doggy Daycare yesterday to run off some energy after being cooped up with the soggy weather (and boggy backyard full of mud!) these past couple of weeks. They came back happy but worn out. Hannah had a relaxing day today but will be getting back out to the adoption site tomorrow. Wish her luck!

January: Another Rollercoaster Month for Hannah

After a happy holidays with our family, Hannah was off to her next trial: boarding with Luci at Taurus Training. We have used Taurus many times for Luci and know that she loves it, so we were very grateful that they made room for Hannah as well while we traveled to Florida for New Year's with the Grandparents.

Hannah did WONDERFUL at Taurus. The staff couldn't say enough good things about her and reported that she played well with all of the other dogs and was loving with all the staff. Many more hearts charmed by sweet Hannah.

The day after we picked the dogs up though, Luci came down with Kennel Cough, which meant that Hannah couldn't go to her adoption day at Lakeline Petsmart as planned that weekend-- another set back! Poor Hannah. But then a lucky break! A family who had met her back in December came looking for her at the Adoption Day and they called us to meet her at home! They came and met her at our house, and she was her normal sweet self. They went home to think about it, and a week later, just when we were lamenting that the ice storm was going to keep her from getting a chance at being adopted that weekend, the family called PawMatch and told them they wanted to adopt Hannah!! The next day, on Saturday, January 12, 2007, they came to take Hannah to her new home. Wow-- what a thrilling day for all of us!

But, a week later on Friday, Febrary 19th we got the call from Holly at PawMatch that it hadn't worked out with that family and they had returned Hannah. PawMatch wondered if we could take Hannah in again for fostering until we could find her a home. Of course we said yes.

So, this weekend we are hoping that Hannah will find her match. She got lots of attention at the Adoption Day yesterday (another yucky, rainy day so the dogs were inside!), and she is out there again today, trying her best.

Pass the word about her, she is still looking for her Forever Home.

Hannah's Big Day!!!

The blog has been slow lately, but not because Hannah hasn't been busy! We have all been working really hard to get her ready for her first Adoption Day (today! but more on that later...). Here is a bit of what she has been working on:

• November 28, 2006: Hannah returned to White Rock Veterinary Hospital for her next set of vaccinations.
• December 3, 2006: Hannah and I met with dog trainer Nancy Cusick of Nancy's Dog Training to figure out what we should be working on next with Hannah.
• December 12, 2006: Hannah got her Rabies vaccination and was spayed at Emancipet.

Hannah continues to be one of the most loyal and devoted dogs we have EVER known. She just loves to be with us so darn much! And reading over this blog, we realize just how much she has learned in the short time she has been with us:

• House Broken
• Crate Trained
• Leash Trained
• Socialized with big and small dogs
• Socialized with kids of all ages
• Socialized with cats and small animals (she rarely chases them now, and then only if they taunt her in to it)
  
• Got over fear of cars
• Learned to share food and toys with other pets
• Learned to "sit" on command
• Recovered completely from her bout with CDV
• Caught up on her vaccinations
• Spayed
  

She is such an amazing dog. The next phase of training we were thinking about was doing some Clicker training and some increased socialization to continue to increase her self-confidence. We are also going to try giving her a job (like carrying water bottles in a backpack on our walks). We have also started using a Gentle Leader head harness for our walks, and we are working on new tricks every day.

Here is some of what we know about Hannah after living with her for two and a half months:

• She LOVES chew toys, just like a puppy!
• She loves to play and be active, but she also loves to be a big couch potato.
• She feels protective of those she loves.
• She will work hard for treats and for praise.
• She is sensitive to reprimands-- it really breaks her heart not to please you!
• She learns quickly and adapts right away to new situations.

So, dear friends of Hannah and this blog, it is finally time for Hannah to begin the search for her Forever Home. Today she went to the PawMatch Adoption Day at PetsMart at Lakeline Mall and she did great!! If it weren't for the rotten weather, she might have even found a home today. We will keep her home tomorrow (again due to weather), and she will be boarding at Taurus next weekend with Luci while the rest of us go to Florida, but beginning in January she will be at Lakeline every Adoption Day until she finds a home. Please send your friends, your families, yourSELVES!-- anyone who may be a great family for Hannah-- to the blog or to the Adoption Site to meet her. Feel free to email us with questions about amazing Hannah.

Let's see if Hannah likes to watch poker on TV...

Make yourself at home...

Hannah surprised us by immediately settling in on the couch the first afternoon she had access to the house. Why rest on the floor when this comfy couch is available?! She is a total cuddle-bug and couch potato at night after a full-energy busy day.

Crate training is going without a hitch. We put a folded blanket on the bottom of her crate after we saw how much she liked a cushy resting space, and she seems quite happy with that. She also gets a treat every time she gets in there. There are no complaints at night or when we are in there now- whew!

It's so exciting to finally see all three dogs out in the yard together!

The wheel of time turns on...

We are left with lovely Hannah, and the focus of this blog will turn to her and her adventures with us from this point on, without the pups. And what a change there already is. Without the dear ones to protect, Hannah bowed down playfully behind the gate at Luci, and seemed to say "let's be friends!". We opened the gate that had separated them for the last month, and Hannah joined the regular flow of our life. We added a crate for her in our bedroom and she is just walking around the house now with our pets. She chases the cats and is a little too interested in the Guinea pigs. But otherwise, it is going well. She and Luci and ancient Jack are learning to share the house, the backyard, and even our attention. We have sent a message to PawMatch to let them know about the pups, but we are tentatively planning on fostering Hannah for a few more weeks until she has recovered fully and is ready to be spayed. I took her to White Rock Veterinary Hospital this morning where everyone fawned over her and remarked how beautiful she is. She rode in the car with me to take Ben to school today, and we started crate training at home. We plan to use these weeks to polish up her manners so that she will be all ready for a wonderful forever family. After everything she has been through, she really deserves it!

4 Weeks Old: Helo

We only had one puppy make it to 4 weeks old. We called him Helo (previously known as #7/ Mr. Teal). This photo was taken at 10 AM on Wednesday, November 8, 2006. He was so spunky and walking around then, and he was already gaining weight for the day. We really felt very hopeful about him, against all odds, I suppose. But 18 hours later (at 4:30 AM) he was so desperately ill that Jason took him to the Emergency Animal Hospital, unable to leave him suffering even until our 8 AM appointment at White Rock.

And so the puppies are all gone. Mr. Purple and Miss Navy (dear White Tips) both failed very quickly-- a matter of hours from the start of neuro symptoms until the end-- only a day apart. For White Tips and Helo we pulled out all the stops--even trying some experimental steroid therapy Jason read about on the Internet. But nothing could stop this terrible disease.

Of course we are so sad. We truly loved those darling pups. And we will never forget our experience with them-- what an incredible month! But as Ben told his teacher this morning, "We tried our best". And really, that is all anyone can ever do for another creature. And we don't regret trying-- Hannah is a beautiful, wonderful dog who will be completely devoted to some lucky family-- and she wouldn't be here if we hadn't been willing to try.

Fresh Start

We lost 5 puppies this past week. It was heartbreaking if not unexpected. But we are ready to regroup and move on with the three big, healthy, pups we have left and their strong mama.

Our life is much different today. These three pups are good nursers and not so dependent on the supplement bottles. They don't need tube feedings or eye treatments or other time consuming interventions. They are strong enough to get up and walk around, so we reconfigured their area so that they have a little penned yard coming off of their pool/bed. They enjoy walking out there to pee and play, and then walk back into the bed to nurse. They can see us moving about now, and they can watch Hannah when she gets up to take a drink or get something to eat. We put away all of the IV fluids and syringes and medicines except their antibiotics, so there is less of a hospital atmosphere going. They have started to play with their puppy toys and they like to get attention from their human family.

We feel we still have a chance of pulling these last pups through with Hannah, and we are savoring these hard-earned, precious puppy moments.

The surviving pups are:

• Miss Navy/#8 (aka White Tips)
• Mr. Purple/ #4 (aka Big Guy or Rottweiler)
  
• Mr. Teal/ #7 (aka Chocolate or Brownie)

Goodbye, Littlest Loves

We lost Mr. White & Mr. Green on Saturday. Mr. Green had been ill since the wee hours of Thursday morning but fought hard for over 48 hours. Mr. White became suddenly very ill on Saturday afternoon, with seizures and a pained cry that even large doses of Valium couldn't calm. I took them to Banfield early Saturday evening. You might think it would be getting easier to do, having done it three other times this week, but it actually gets harder each time. We loved little Mr. White and Mr. Green so much, and we all really, really wanted them to be OK. But they were both so pitiful at the end, there was no question that they were suffering and it was time to let them go. Hannah was frantic and whining, getting in the bed with them, then getting out and coming to me, silently pleading with me to help them. Even Ben said "I don't think they can make it, Mom." And so we let the "teeny tiniest" and his small brother (who had lost so much weight, they looked like twins again) go together.

Three Weeks Old!

What a whirlwind these last three weeks have been. It definitely isn't what we imagined it would be, but it has been even more in some ways. Tonight we had some puppy playtime, and it was so fun for all of us just to sit and enjoy some puppy love. They are walking more and starting to bat at things and play a bit. 4 of the 5 grew well today, and Mr. White has stubbornly not grown well since the beginning, so it may not be an ominous sign. Everyone's eyes look great today too- whew!

And HANNAH is feeling SO good today. She absolutely insisted on multiple walks in the brisk fall weather, and she was ready to run. She is back to being a REALLY strong dog. She has so much love and gratitude in her eyes, and she is doing so well-- it makes it worth while for sure.

The pups that are left are a lively bunch. On the occasion of their three week birthday, we decided to share some more photos of each one.

Mr. Teal/ #7 aka Chocolate

I can't believe that this is my first post about Mr. Teal, who is one of our very favorite puppies. He is nearly all brown, with just a few dabs of white on him. He is very, very soft. And he is in the midst of a tremendous growth spurt-- yay! Jason thinks he resembles a wolf pup, I think he looks like a cattle dog. His eyes have not yet been goopy-- and they are gorgeous!

Miss Navy/ #8 (aka White Tips)

White Tips is a source of joy for all of us. She is so soft and so lively, and we have felt a special bond with her since the beginning. She is now our only girl, and that makes her extra-special too! Plus she is the very best eater every day.

Mr. Purple/ #4

Mr. Purple is now the BMOC of our puppy crew and he's got the strut to show it. We didn't find a scale to our liking, so he made his 2nd trip to the post office to get weighed in tonight!

Mr. Green/ #1

Mr. Green has developed a bit of a belly recently. He is still one of the little ones, but he is definitely gaining on the big kids.

Mr. White/ #3

Mr. White is the "teeny tiniest" and the special favorite of Ben these days. Tonight he said, "I am giving Mr. White all of my best hopes and the most love I have so that he can make it." We are all pulling for you, dear Mr. White!

Little Boy Blue

Well, I am heartbroken to write that our "Big Boy", Mr. Blue/#5 woke us up with pitiful cries at 5:00 AM this morning. He seemed fine at 12:00 AM when we went to bed, but was already a shadow of himself by morning. He was very disoriented and inconsolably crying. He was unable to nurse or take the supplement very well, and his plaintive bleating progressed to seizures by 7 AM. I rushed him to the peaceful goodbye with Dr. Gregard to minimize his suffering. His passing was swift, and I honestly felt relief for him when I felt his little body finally relax.

Canine Distemper Virus is a cruel disease. But as poor, crying Dr. G said this morning, there is still a chance for the others, and if even one makes it, it will be worth it. Unfortunately, it is hard to say for sure when they have "made it", because neurological signs can present weeks after the initial respiratory and digestive problems. Even strong Hannah, who seems quite depressed but less physically afflicted, is still not completely out of the woods.

Mostly Tricks This Year

We came up a little short on the treats in the puppy department this Halloween. I ended up with both morning and afternoon vet appointments (in the morning with poor Miss Pink and in the afternoon with Mr. Blue, Mr. White, & Mr. Green, who all have yucky eye drainage). But there were some treats along the way. Mr. Purple became the first puppy to officially outgrow the scale. Jason had to take him to the post office to get his weight tonight! We will get a new scale tomorrow. And everyone is responding well to the eye antibiotics. And even though we are really feeling the absence of Miss Orange and Miss Pink, the remaining puppies seem strong, at least today. And Hannah is convalescing well, and the respite she's received with the supplemental bottle feedings and two fewer pups to feed has helped her keep her strength up. We are so glad that these six have made it through their first three weeks!

Who's left, by the numbers

As expected, this has been a hard week for the pups. But we still have six strong puppies left, and each day that goes by we get closer to the place where some of them have made it through this. So, who are the survivors?

• 1- Mama (Hannah)
• 1- Female pup (Miss Navy, aka White Tips)
• 5- Male pups (Mr. Green, Mr. White, Mr. Teal, Mr. Purple, & Mr. Blue)
• 2- Runts (Mr. Green & Mr. White)
• 2- Dogs over 2 lbs. (Mr. Purple & Mr. Blue)
• 7- Dogs with clear nasal drainage
• 5- Dogs with crusty eye drainage (Mr. Green, Mr. White, Miss Navy, Mr. Purple, & Mr. Blue)
• 3- Dogs who gained over 1.5 ounces today (Mr. Green, Mr. Teal, & Mr. Purple)
• 3- Dogs who gained less than 0.5 ounces today (Miss Navy, Mr. Blue, & Mr. White)
  
• 0- Dogs who are showing obvious neuro symptoms associated with the Distemper as of tonight
  

Farewell, Miss Pink

Sweet, super-soft Miss Pink started having seizures again at around 10 PM Monday evening after about 30 hours without them. She had continued to lose weight in spite of all of the interventions, and by this morning she began to have a pitiful cry between seizures. We knew it was time to let her go. I cried some tears over the beautiful puppy, and so did Dr. Gregard. She was held and loved until the very end, and I brought the tiny pink collar home to remember her by.