LEO THE BLIND PEKE

Leo came to us from a shelter after the owner was charged with cruelty. I know that charge can come for many reasons, but I can't imagine anyone hurting this little guy.

One of our members picked him up and brought him to her house on his first journey into our rescue group. She bathed him and brushed him ...

And he was worn out. :-) So, like all puppies, he took a nap.

Leo is ten months to a year old-- and sweet as they come.

He's not little though-- he's about 16 pounds. But, he's all puppy.

He's in a foster home-- THANK YOU JENNY!!-- in Maryland. He is an amazing dog. You see, Leo is blind. But, he can follow your footsteps in the grass. His hearing and smell are working extra and he uses those senses to get around.

Look at those teeth, and that beautiful face.

And look at the wind blowing his hair. He loves it.

"I know someone is walking by."

He still has the puppy hair on his head-- :-).

This is a wonderful boy-- and to really show you his personality, just watch these videos! If you're interested in more information about him, just email potomacpekes@gmail.com

Click here: YouTube - leomovie1.mp4

Click here: YouTube - leomovie2.mp4

Click here: YouTube - leomovie3.mp4

Click here: YouTube - leomovie4.mp4

MATTIE

Click here: Welcome to the Pekingese of Australia web site. Check this out-- our club is a link on the Australian Peke site. Amazing! :-)
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Mattie was rescued almost three years ago. She was a two year old Peke (with a little Chin in there, probably) who had been left outside. She had fleas and ticks and was hit by a car-- and her owners did nothing. Her eyes were impacted by the car hitting her, so her eyes were sew shut so they could heal.
She was so sweet and trusting even though she could not see.

John and Terry, great Peke lovers in the Richmond area, took her in as their foster dog. She's still there. They fell in love with her and she became a permanent part of their family.

She would roll around in her bed once her cone was off. She loved her special bed-- it's not pink, but it's wonderful!

Mattie has a favorite platypus toy. There was a time when her parents fostered another Peke-- and Mattie must have realized that he was confused, coming out of the shelter. She took her platypus, placed the toy in front of him, and then got into the bed to sleep with him. She has an incredibly sweet little spirit.

We did all we could to save her vision, but weren't able to. Mattie doesn't let it bother her. She goes in and out with the rest, and her sense of hearing is very acute. She continues LubriFare eye drops. They are from Ireland and cost $26.00 every three to four months. She will need this to keep her eyes lubricated from now on.

"I know you're over there!"

Her mom and dad took a video of her playing ball-- yes, playing ball! Blind dogs can be wonderful pets. They learn to get around and are very loving. Just watch this: Click here: YouTube - mattieblind.mov Aren't you amazed!? We have a new blind dog in rescue-- look for his story tomorrow! You may just want to make him your own.

Yoshi and Shami-- Peke Collection

Farewell to Spooky:
Spooky, who was 13, died last night of heart failure. His mom and dad are foster parents for us and this sweet little boy was an important part of their lives. I know his Peke sister, Foxy, will miss him so much, too.
REST IN PEACE, SWEET BOY.
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PEKE COLLECTION
Remember Melinda's Peke collection from last week?

Judy sent me pictures of her collection-- she has us all beat!

She has plates and figurines. Most of these are German and Danish figurines, such as Dahl Jensen, Bing & Grondahl, Royal Copenhagen, Metzler & Ortloff, Hutschenreuther ( which is now Rosenthal), and a few Royal Doulton, and Beswik. There's even a Lladro in there. I have a Lladro Pekingese and I love it. I've had it for almost thirty years and it's still precious to me.

Wait, are those horses?? Okay, Judy loves horses, too.

And another shelf of them..... Judy is going to bring some to the Pekinese picnic on May 1 to raise money for the club. I know I'm going to be looking at them! I'll have to get there early. :-)

She has framed pictures of Pekingese-- and it kind of camoflages her thermometer there. Good job!

There are Pekingese of all sizes-- big ones, tiny ones. Some are made of brass or pewter, some are porcelain, and some are resin.

On tables and shelves and on the wall.

There are pictures of Pekingese she has owned and loved.

Little beauties.

Single Pekes, groups of Pekes.

Pekes by themselves and Pekes in baskets.

More plates on a table. Beautiful Peke faces.

Pekes.... and horses. But, I think there are more of Pekes. The real ones, Shami and Yoshi, are the best ones though-- on a horse blanket! I didn't include all the pictures, but you can sure tell Judy loves her Pekingese!! I won't even include a picture (one picture would do) of my tiny collection haha.

Yoshi and Shami

For fun, watch this video:
Click here: Orangutan and the Hound
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Yoshi and Shami's parents love to go to League of Maryland Horsemen campground. There are trails where they (the parents, not the dogs) can ride their horses. Yoshi and Shami love to hang out in their home there on their futon.

They also have play time outside-- and they do play

Exercise pens (xpens) are also GREAT so they can be outside, but safe. I use these and will be bringing some to the picnic May 1-- are you all coming?? I sure hope so. Be sure to RSVP-- email me if you need more information. Or email Robin rockinrobinemt@aol.com , since she's officially taking responses. We have so much fun there.

They like to play with sticks, too. What is it about sticks that intrigues a Pekingese? Here Starlight and Caleb love them-- and bringing pieces into the house is even better.

I think Yoshi is checking out Shami's stick-- there are plenty to go around-- really! Tomorrow's blog is going to show their mom's Peke collection-- GET READY!

Jeanne's Spring Part 2

Jeanne's back yard, as you have seen, has so many flowers. But, that's not all-- she has paths, mirrors, trees, ponds, fish and decks. Her husband has just finished a second deck by the room/study he added on the side of the house. Bill can do anything, I'm convinced! Jeanne is going to have her own study off the living room for her computer. It has book shelves, a TV connection. And it can be a place for a dog that needs to be alone while recovering from surgery or just a time-out. It has its own deck and will have it's own separate yard. WOW. This is what he's done so far-- look at the rails! Bill is really amazing.

This is a Hosta and Creeping Jenny in a pot at Jeanne's.

There is a double gate to get out of the yard-- so no dogs escape. Here they are-- what are they waiting for? You can see Darcey Jeanne there-- she belongs to Jeanne's sister. And there is DiDi and Duchess with Hanna in the background.

And look at this beautiful Japanese Maple. I've never seen one this full.

This is the Otto luyken in bloom at Jeanne's-- another plan I have not heard of. But, so pretty! Here's Darcey Jeanne-- they call her an over-sized hamster. :-)

Jill Lee has one of Amy's toys-- Amy thinks she owns all the toys, so Jill Lee is keeping a watch out for her. Amy needs to share, right?

And last, but not least, is Hanna-- she is playing hide and seek. She's very shy with people, but loves other dogs. She's posing for us.

One more beautiful picture! I can't wait to go to the Garden Tour to see them in person. Date to be announced!

Spring at Jeanne's/Farewell Casey and Sissy

I want to extend my sympathy to two owners whose dogs died this week. **Paige and Danni's Casey died after a long battle. Casey was about 13 years old and had a wonderful life with them. These two pictures show how beautiful he was. Casey was the one who woke up his owners and kept order in the house. He was a great dog and will be missed deeply.

**Margaret's Sissy died also this week. She had done everything for over a year to help Sissy, but Sissy died in her arms on Tuesday evening.

REST IN PEACE CASEY AND SISSY. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jeanne sent me this picture of the fruit bouquet she received as a thank you. I just wish I was closer! I would help her eat it. :-) It looks so good!

Jeanne, one of our Richmond foster moms, has a BEAUTIFUL garden. She is a master gardener and I look to her for advice on how to improve my yard. She is doing a garden tour to help raise money for our club. I'm going! Hope you can, too. I'll be posting the date as soon as we know when it's going to be.

Here is the fake Herring beside her Snowball shrub. He can't eat the fish in the little pond there.

This is a Yellow Peony-- beautiful. I can't wait to see all these in person at the Garden Tour she is having to raise money for our rescue group.

This is her newest foster dog-- doesn't eat anything, doesn't poop in the house, doesn't have fights with other dogs. I want that foster dog!

And here's a close up of the Snowball.

This is a Purple Tree peony in bloom. The color is stunning and all Jeanne has to do is walk outside to see it.

Amy Lou (foster dog) loves to be out there with her. I'm sure she helps her!

She can even lay down on the job and still be helping.

This beautiful angel is in her yard, too. I love it-- it's like she is watching over the garden for Jeanne.

This is the Otto luyken in bloom. I'm not familiar with many of the things Jeanne has in her yard-- but I'm learning. It's beautiful.

And this is the only resident cat that lives there. :-) Look at his face-- I think he's peeking out at all the dogs and wonder if HE should even be there!

Duchess (foster dog) is helping, too. She's laying in one of the planters.

Pretty soon there will be impatiens there, but for now, she's allowed to hang out. Jeanne told me she's going to get a little planter fence-- Duchess will just think the flowers make it softer.

Duchess is a great little helper-- but sometimes, you just have to take a break!