Benny, One Relaxed Boy

I just received this picture from Benny's foster mom-- she took him to work with her! He is a little timid of her co-workers, but is doing well. He loves to go for walks! Benny is a sweetheart. He was here overnight, and then went to his foster mom's home. He was already attached to me! But, it shows how fast he will come to love a new family.

When we were at the vet, he was very content to sit with me and observe all the dogs coming in. He was very friendly-- and curious. He's only 2 1/2, so still has many happy years in front of him.

In the exam room, he was VERY relaxed. He was on the exam table and this is what he did.

You can see that I have ahold of him as I take his picture. I didn't want him to roll right off the table. He just laid there-- even during his exam, he was perfect.

Can you get anymore relaxed than this? :-)

Benny will be neutered next week, and then will be ready for his new home.

Benny and Smoke

I picked up two new dogs yesterday. So, Georgie Girl (see previous blog), Benny and Smoke and I all drove to meet Gloria in Ashland. I picked up Benny and Smoke on the way from a shelter near me.
This is Benny. His name was Skinny-- but I changed it. I just couldn't call a gorgeous Pekingese Skinny!!! Of course, to be safe, and to keep dogs away from the gas and brake pedals, they were all in crates. With water bowls in each crate, and music playing. :-)

This is Smoke. He is beautiful-- a little timid, but he'll be fine. He weighs 16 pounds.

Here are Smoke (left) and Benny, side by side. Benny weighs 13.5 pounds.

Gloria took Smoke and Georgie Girl. We had to separate the two boys because we didn't have any place to put them together-- and we are having trouble having "pairs" adopted, so we split them right away. I hate that, and so does Gloria, but we have no choice. Benny is doing just fine without his brother-- he already found the desk to peek out from under. I was working at the computer, and Matt took the picture.

Benny is missing his right eye, but it doesn't get in his way. He is very sweet, seems to be housetrained! WOW. He looks like Joshua and Cocoa-- two former foster dogs. And seems just as sweet as Joshua, (Joshua and Cocoa, now Jimmy, are brothers now.)

Benny is wondering who is going to adopt him! If you are interested, email me at haveninhim@aol.com.

Starlight and the Grand Girls

Everyone who has read my blog knows about Starlight. She is the beautiful Peke that came into foster care almost a year and a half ago. She scared away every potential adopter with her "baby cujo" impersonation. She was abused, and was just afraid of everyone except for her foster parents.
She doesn't LOOK scary. :-)

Look at that face! My grand girls were visiting this past week-end. I told them not to touch Starlight-- and of course, I watch the girls AND Starlight (and the rest of the Pekes here) to make sure all were safe, especially the girls!

We were in the study and Starlight came up to the girls-- I told them, "Do not reach out to her. Just keep your hands in your lap."

But, Starlight was very curious about the little people who were visiting again. They looked pretty nice-- and friendly and safe.

So, she climbed in one of their lap's and gave her a big lick!

And then she checked out the younger one. (Max was watching, too!)

She really liked these little people. She began giving lots of kisses.

I think there's another kiss/lick coming! I was so proud of Starlight! She's come a long way!!

THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM FOR ONE MORE

I received an email last week from the local shelter. They had a Pekingese there-- a tiny one. She needed help-- could our group take her in?
I went over to see her. I thought she was about 8-9 years old. The shelter did what they could, but medical care is not available there.

I got her and we went straight to the vet. My appointment was three hours later, but I knew I didn't want to wait. My vet (Acredale Animal Hospital, Virginia Beach, VA) is so wonderful-- when I have a critical Peke, they take me right in. This little girl needed help.

They kept her, shaved her huge tennis ball size knots off and gave her a bath-- she loved the bath. It must have felt so good on her dirty body. She loved the attention. I named her Georgie Girl.

After all the knots and hair were removed (we had no choice!), I could see how very thin she was. Even her tail had to be shaved. I could see she was older than I thought-- but I wouldn't have left her.

They even left a little un-knotty hair on her head and put a bow in it. She loves for me to hand feed her treats. Our club president, Gloria, is going to let her live in her home and get great medical care. She may have a few months or years to live. We don't know. But, we know she's safe now. We know she'll be loved now. And that's what we do!

There's Always Room For One More

I see by her coat she must be a stray,

The untidy look gives her away.

She's lost her will and is so thin

Hasn't eaten, since God knows when.

I know as I coax her through the door,

There's always room for one more.

Author Unknown

Gloria's Pekes Again

I want to include this link also: Click here: Dogs at risk of canine influenza - wtop.com
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Here are Gloria's group. Aren't they gorgeous!!! May I present: Blossom, Wyatt, Ming, Laurel, Amber, Jade. This is one happy Peke house!!

Fourth Of July Safety and Stewie

It's Fourth of July-- a day we celebrate our freedom in America. I have friends from other countries who read ths blog, so I know they're not as familiar with our holidays.

Of course, I still have to have Peke pictures on the blog! Even if it IS a holiday!! This is Stewart, or Stewie. The first picture is of him when Tammy got him. He was sick and traumatized by all he'd been through.

But, look what love and care do!!! This is Stewie now! Can you believe the difference! We see this a lot in rescue-- a dog that looks like all you can do is let them go-- but we fight for them! We get them medical care and good food, and time to heal. And it makes a difference. One little dog at a time, it makes a difference! And Stewie is proof. Thank you Tammy, from all of us. And give Stewie a hug from me.

FOURTH OF JULY ++++++++++

For many of us who have dogs, the Fourth of July can be a very stressful day for our pets. The loud noises of firecrackers and fireworks can cause many of the dogs to go into panic. I know I have to sedate two of mine if there is even a thunder storm! Your vet can tell you what is best for your pet. Some may advise you to use benydryl, but for mine, that isn't enough. Xanax and acepromazine are also choices that you can get from your vet.

Please make sure your pets are not outside-- there are times when an animal can be so terrified that they can break out of the most secure yard. Or they can injure themselves trying. Keep them away from balconies, and open windows. The best thing you can do is to keep them securely in your home, or in the bedroom, where you have a TV or radio on- LOUD enough to block out some of the noises. They may still try to hide, but they will be safer in a more confined area.

Keep identification on your dogs/pets all the time, but especially on this holiday.

An article discussing all this is on a web site: Click here: Helping Your Dog Cope with Loud Thunder and Fireworks

Chico and Steven-- Best Friends!

I received an email about a Peke named Chico who needed a home. A woman had saved him from a neglectful situation, but was unable to keep him permanently. She took care of him-- and got him all the vet care he needed.

He was out of our area and I was trying to find a foster home in another group for him. Around the same time, I received an email from someone who wanted a Peke. She also had a Pit Bull-- I know, I know. That scares a lot of us. But, this Pit was a sweetheart named Steven and he was really good around small dogs.

So, what did I do??? I put the two peoople together to see if this could be a match. Sometimes, in rescue, we can't take in a dog for lack of foster homes (boy, do we need foster homes!). But, we can try other ways to help the dogs who need help.

Steven and Chico play together. They look out the window together.

They squint their eyes and smile together.

They watch TV together.

Look at this happy face! He's saying, "THANK YOU FOR FINDING ME A FRIEND."

To say the least, this is a match made in heaven. Chico and Steven adore each other and are best friends now. I love being part of rescue-- finding these little love stories is what it's all about!