THANK YOU!

I just want to say THANK YOU to all of you who donate to help pay for the medical care that our foster dogs need. The foster moms/dads end up paying for a lot-- gas, food, collars, leashes, harnesses... and sometimes part of the medical care also. We love these dogs and while they are with us, we treat them as our own. Some people have also sent me things to help with rescue and I want to say a big thank you to all of them, too. The toys below were sent by Margaret, who has her own flower shop in Poquoson, VA (Floral Fashions). She sent me a whole box of toys. The dogs were SO excited! I shared them with the other foster moms (and I have more to share). Margaret has a little Chihuahua named Sissy. She fell in love with Pekingese when one was "dumped" near her house when she was eleven years old-- she loved that little dog!

This is a new collar that Anna is modeling. It is shimmery brown with pink polka dots on it. She also has a pink one from Craig and Sylvia, but I washed that and put this one on her (and of course transferred her name tag just in case she somehow got out). It's beautiful with her red hair. (The little ladies like to be stylish.)
Barbara, in Northern Virginia, donated a box of things-- wow, it was like Pekingese Christmas. There were harnesses, collars, leashes, food, and car harnesses (I'm going to do a blog on car safety later).

My Scooter modeled the car harness.

He was thrilled to be doing this. :-)

A new friend is part of a yarn group-- she emailed me to ask if we could use some snuggle blankets for our foster dogs. And here they are-- thank you Penny!!!

Anna loves to curl up on the stiped one. And the brown one is on a chair that they like to sit on.

Look at all these collars! Marilyn sent them from Maryland. We've been friends for awhile now-- through our Pekingese. :-) My Pekingese friends are wonderful and I appreciate your support-- when you pray for our sick fosters, when you donate funds, when you send supplies-- and when you just email to say you are behind us. It means a lot and all of us in rescue say THANK YOU!

Jinji-- a Year!

Jinji was adopted a little over a year ago. She was just a puppy and full of energy!

Her new mom sent me this email: "We have had Jinji for a year now. After the loss of our dog, there was a huge furry void in my heart. Working with you was wonderful and you found our sweet Jinji. She was only 8 months old and chewed on everything! Between her and my youngest girl, one of them was always up to something. When I heard high pitched giggles, I knew they were both in trouble.

It took her a few months before she realized she was not the Alpha. She also had food aggression issues. What a difference a year had made for her. She could care less if we mess with her food now. I started hand feeding her very small amounts of table food and she is now calmly grabbing freebies off the floor instead of the desperate dive she used to do. She still has a soft spot for popcorn and whines like a baby almost every night to get some.

Her favorite toys are the stacking cups for babies. She tosses them around, chews them, chases them and carries them with her. Her favorite thing to do in bring them in an empty bathtub and let them bounce off the walls.

She loves being outside and I call her a nosy old lady that always wants to go out to see what is going on. She plays with the dog next door: a 130 pound swiss mountain dog. She is fearless and jumps and tumbles around the gentle giant. She is feisty and stubborn like most Pekes. She gives me a look of disgust and almost rolls her eyes at me when I ask her to drop something. Then she streaks across the house at full speed to show her frustration. But best of all, she has gotten really cuddly lately. She lays behind me on the office chair when I'm working and cuddles up to any of us when we are winding down at the end of the day. She loves it when I scratch just under her ribs.

We are looking forward of many years to come. Dana"

I love getting stories of happy endings. Thanks for sharing Dana!

RUSTY AGAIN / PET TOY WARNING

Do you remember Rusty? He was in two of my blogs in June. He had been abandoned in the garage of a house. He was eating wood to stay alive.

He was pretty dejected when he was saved from the shelter hours before being put down. Rusty was adopted last May/June from a shelter.

But, life has improved for him-- a LOT!

He has gained three pounds and loves his new bed.

His new owners love him so much.

He is about 11-12 years old-- past the age that most people would adopt. But, seniors have so much to give. And they are so grateful to be given another chance.

He's a beautiful happy boy now! Don't hesitate adopting one that isn't young-- the ones that are a little older will give you so much love.

UPDATE: Rusty's owner said that now he takes Rusty for 3-4 walks a day of about 45 minutes each and Rusty loves it. He said, " he will sniff everything and check out any little noise he hears. He will pee and poo in exactly the same spot every day. The neighbors love him and will come and say hi, but he hates everyone and will growl and the hair on his back will stand up. The one thing we have not managed to overcome is his growling and snapping at strangers.It's a work in progress .............." Yes, Pekes can be a work in progress! Thanks for not giving up on him!

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PLEASE don't buy any dog or cat toys made in China. They could contain TOXIC levels of lead and other harmful substances: http://wcbstv.com/local/dog.toys.lead.2.662450.html
Brands made in the USA include these Nylabone brand toys: http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&q=which+Nylabone+dog+toys+are+made+in+USA%3F&ved=0CDIQrQQwCg&show=dd&sa=N&start=0
MOST Kong toys are made in the USA (except for the Kong Wubba toys, and Air Kong toys,which are made in China): http://www.google.com/products?q=+Kong+toys+made+in+USA&hl=en&aq=f
Orbee-Tuff toys are ALL made in USA: http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&rlz=1C1GGLS_enUS361US361&q=Orbee-Tuff+dog+toys+made+in+USA&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=7YFMS-eYNJLV8Aap5N36DQ&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CCEQrQQwAg West Paw toys are also ALL made in the USA: http://www.westpawdesign.com/
THE FOLLOWING LINK IS TO PET TOYS MADE IN CHINA.....Please do not buy these:
http://www.google.com/products?q=pet+toys+made+in+China&hl=en&show=dd&sa=N&lnk=next&start=10

Heather and Brody

Heather just came into rescue. She came from a Maryland shelter and we were told she was so sweet.

She went to Brody's home to be fostered-- he's thinking about this new arrival.

She's convincing him that she'll be just fine there. Look at those long ear fringes!

Brody has a little snow on his nose. He's a beauty, too!

He's watching her-- checking her out to see if she is going to be his friend and play.

But, for now, she's settling in. I know Gloria, our vice-president (and the one who drove miles to get her) gave her this bed and toy! It's just something Gloria would do. She has such a heart for Pekes.

I think Heather is going to settle in just fine. She has her toy to give her comfort.

She is going to have some time in foster care for evaluation, but I don't think she'll be with us long!

THANK GOODNESS FOR DOGS

TODAY IS MY DAUGHTER'S BIRTHDAY, THE ONE WHO JUST HAD A BABY BOY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I LOVE YOU!
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I received this and thought it was great. I'm using pictures of Gloria's dogs (our former president, now our vice-president) so you can see how beautiful they are!

THANK GOODNESS FOR DOGS
Author Unknown

I have so much to be thankful for. I have wonderful friends and family, good food on the table and a roof over my head. I'm thankful for kind strangers, good neighbors and the beauty of nature.
But most of all, I am thankful for dogs.

I am thankful for the wake-up call of a cold, wet nose and for snuggling to keep warm on chilly nights. I am blessed by the fur that is permanently embedded in everything I own and the stray dog hairs that make their way into my lunch.

I am grateful for having a third of the bed to sleep on, for getting to use half of the covers, for the tail that wags and the nose that sniffs, for the eyes that gaze longingly at my dinner plate, and for the jaws that destroy all squeakers, but never harm people.

I'm beholden to the "tic, tic, tic" sound of paws on the floor reminding me that a nail trim is due and the forgiveness after the dreaded task is done. I appreciate the barking that tells me a stranger is at the door and even the barking that warns of potential danger from squirrels and pedestrians.

For endless games of fetch, Frisbee and tug-o-war, for kibble-scented kisses and funky smelling feet and for coming when called (usually), for all this, I am glad.

For the excited greeting upon my return, even if I've only been gone for a minute, the sheer glee of puppies to the patience and wisdom of seniors, and the unconditional love and affection, especially on my darkest days, for making me feel as if I am the most special, I am thankful to my dog.

Linda

http://fpm.petfinder.com/petlist/petlist.cgi?shelter=VA368&status=A&age=&limit=25&offset=0&animal=&title=PotomacPekes&style=8&ref=nB771UR7zxnMHDV

Lilly Faith

Lilly Faith was one of the ten puppy mill dogs we took into rescue. She had so many fear issues, and was afraid of men. She has some limits in her vision, but she has come a long way.

Here she is with her foster brothers. They are all looking for a treat I think.

Melanie, Lilly's foster mom, has done an incredible job with Lilly. She has worked with her, learned from her (we learn more from every foster dog we have!), and loved her. We hope that we will find Lilly her perfect forever home-- like all the rest, she deserves it.

Linda haveninhim@aol.com www.potomacpekes.org

http://fpm.petfinder.com/petlist/petlist.cgi?shelter=VA368&status=A&age=&limit=25&offset=0&animal=&title=PotomacPekes&style=8&ref=nB771UR7zxnMHDV

Peke Cartoon

Can you imagine Pekingese being testy and protesting? Of course we can!