A WEEK-END TO REST.... MAYBE

 My dogs had a restful week-end.   Kai Kai just hung out.  

 Starlight and Floyd laid on the cool kitchen floor-- a fan was blowing on them.

 Chumley found another spot that was comfortable.

 Max almost made the bed-- but the wood floor is cooler.

 And my granddog, Callie, just hung out with us while her family was out for the morning.   And me?  What was I doing?   Matt and I helped a neighbor cut up a huge tree that fell down.   We were dragging branches, using a chain saw (Matt, not me), sawing down dead branches.   We love helping our neighbors.    And this was a big tree- we got a lot done.    We were tired, but...

Then, we went here.   There was a play we wanted to see, and so we did.   The setting alone can make you relax.  It's beautiful.   What did you and your dogs do this week-end??

TRIXIE ANNE AND EWOK

  Tammie brought her two beauties to our Peke picnic last spring.    It's been a few months since the picnic, but Peke pictures are timeless!

 Trixie Anne and her brother Ewok are adorable!!

 Her hat is absolutely wonderful-- did she borrow it from Desi?  (I think Desi shares her things with the photo booth!)

I don't know how old Trixie Anne is, but she is just beautiful!

I hope she comes next year so I can meet her and her brother!

PVPC CALENDAR!!

 It's time for photo submissions for next year's calendar for our rescue group!!    Floyd says he will model for it!   The deadline for photo submission is September 1, so don't wait!

 Kai Kai is a little stunner-- Maybe he should pose.

Joyful says, "ME!"  

Here is the information for submitting your pictures:

Please read the guidelines below for deadlines and submission information.
Questions? Please email us at potomacpekes@gmail.com

Guidelines:
Deadline for photo submission: September 1, 2016. We must have photos submitted by this date to have the calendar designed and printed for the holidays and New Year.

What to send: We need high quality images for printing, 8 x 11” and 300 dpi. Lower quality images will not print well.
Please attach your full size photo file to the email, and select “Actual Size” if a menu prompt is offered. Please include your Peke’s name/s in the email, and any other important information.
Where to send: Send all images and info to potomacpekes@gmail.com. Please send all questions to this email too. We are happy to help with images or any questions you may have about photos, ads, month requests etc.
Fee for photos: Paypal or check.http://www.potomacpekes.org/donatenow.htm, once your photos have been approved

JOYFUL GRACE

Joyful was having some health problems this past week.  Her digestive system was messed up and she didn't feel well.

 So, off to the vet she went.    She was a little dehydrated, but she reacts to any type of treatment.   She went into cardiac arrest another time at the vet when blood was being drawn.

 So, we discussed it and thought she would do better if she was in the room with her foster mom.

 She was SO BRAVE....

 and SO GOOD!

 Her foster mom, Sherry, bribed her with some treats.   YUM.

 I was so proud of her!   And I know Sherry was, too.

 Joyful loved all the petting and she even ran around the exam room a little bit.  WOW.

 Joyful's system has settled down, and she feels better.   Another crises averted....

She is such a little dollbaby!

ALLIE MARIE AND TAZ

 Allie Marie came into rescue in January.   We had someone who wanted her before we actually got her!  (She is dolled up at the Pekingese Picnic-- she is just stunning!)

 It was the sweet face!!   Allie Marie was a stray, found wandering on her on.   I always wonder how that can happen.   But, it does, all the time.

 She had some medical issues, but her adopter, Ida, was not deterred!   I love that!    Allie Marie is not very big-- and she is so sweet.   I can see why she stole her mom's heart.

 Taz is a member of the family already-- he visits often since he belongs to one of Ida's children.  He and Allie are very best pals!

 He loves his new friend.

 Their face markings are similar, but their bodies have different colors.  And Allie is much smaller.

 I think they are attached at the hip!

 I can't forget Jasper!   He's Allie's brother.  Isn't he beautiful.

They are adorable!    

SOPHIE-- NOT HANDICAPPED!

Sophie came into rescue last year, in May.   The shelter told me she was 12 years old.

 That estimate wasn't even close!   She was young-- but she was also blind and blind dogs are rarely adopted in a shelter situation.

 Sophie was thin and needed cleaning up-- for dirt and fleas.  She weighed only 9 pounds.

 She decided she did not like other dogs, but she loved people!!   So, she stayed with me, in my office.   The other dogs just watched her.

 She had her eyes examined by the ophthalmologist, and one eye never developed, and the other had a fully detached retina.   She probably had never had vision, so this was her norm.

 She was adopted by a friend who came from Richmond to meet her.   She fell in love right away.

 Her mom, Tricia, agrees with me that the "imperfect" draw us more than the perfect.  And Sophie was "imperfect" by the world's standards.   Tricia thought she was perfect, though!

 Sophie has blossomed with Tricia.   Sophie is such a little love dog.

 She loves to snuggle up with her mom, or on the chair.   You would never know she was blind.  She gets around her house so well!

 She loves to chase people on the street in hopes that they will pet her.   (She is always on a leash/harness.  I guess Tricia gets to run, too.)

 They don't mind that she stops when she hits their legs-- that way they can pet her right away!

Sophie may have been a dog no one wanted before we got her-- but she is absolutely wanted now!   

Sophie sees her world with her heart.  

KAI KAI-- HANDICAPPED?

I've had Kai Kai for over five years now.   He just turned 11 last month.  He was given up by his owners because they were afraid he would hurt the kids.   I can't imagine-- Kai Kai has the most gentle heart and is almost incapable of aggression.   (Even with everything he went through with his eyes, he never tried to bite or be contrary.)  

 At our picnic, he still had his eyes, but no sight.   Close up, you could tell his eyes were hazy and not in good shape.  He was getting so many eye drops throughout the day.

 He was a good sport about having his pictures taken, and being dressed up.

 We fought to save his sight-- cataracts, retina detachment, glaucoma-- but we couldn't save his sight.  And after glaucoma started, he was in pain and the only solution was to remove his eyes.   No medications were helping.

 He is learning to get around, and when he's tired of trying to find me, he just sits, wags his tail and waits for me to pick him up-- which I gladly do.   I love this boy!

 Max has one eye, and he still can see, so he thinks it's his job to make sure Kai Kai is okay.  Whenever we get home from an appointment, Max checks Kai Kai out all over to make sure he is okay.    Kai Kai just wags his tail.

 Is Kai Kai handicapped?   Well, he has no eyes, no vision.   He is learning to use his other senses, and technically, he is handicapped.   But, I love what Celeste wrote when she said, "A dog who is loved is never handicapped."  LOVE IT!

 There is a group on facebook for owners of blind dogs and it has been so supportive and helpful.   So many dogs are going through what Kai Kai has and continues to go through.   But, Kai Kai is happy.   His tail is in constant motion.   He is learning his way around, but I block any access to stairs.   He has not attempted to go up them anymore, but I don't want him to fall down them!

I was giving him a bath yesterday and realized that I no longer had to worry about getting shampoo in his eyes.   It's "side way" humor, but I still smiled.   In the eyes (no pun intended) of the world, Kai Kai may be handicapped, but in my eyes, he is just love.   Happy, loving, sweet.   He loves his food, he loves treats and he loves for me to pick him up.   He loves sleeping where he can touch me.   He loves being on the couch beside me.   So, with all the love going around him, I think he's just fine.   Handicapped or not, he's mine, and I adore him!